Chapter 113: Orlina’s Questions and Answers

Lev City, a magnificent castle embedded in the side of a colossal mountain range.

Inside a spacious chamber decorated with lavish luxury, gold patterns adorned the walls, massive oil paintings hung in place, and exquisite silk curtains draped elegantly.

Bang!

A piece of fine porcelain was hurled violently to the floor, shattering into countless fragments with a sharp crash.

Count Lev’s face was twisted in rage as he continued to smash various ornaments around the room, venting his fury. Every single piece of decor here, even a tiny cup, could have been traded for dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of serfs.

A noblewoman sat on the sofa, holding a delicate teacup. With her pinky finger slightly raised, she sipped the fragrant black tea with composure.

Minutes later, the room was a scene of wreckage. After smashing everything he could, Count Lev threw a thunderous punch at the wall.

Boom!

The wall cracked instantly, with massive fissures spiderwebbing across its surface. A hole a meter in diameter appeared where his fist had struck, revealing the room next door.

The massive commotion drew the attention of the knights outside. Several personal guards rushed in, only to find the room in total disarray.

"My Lord, are you alright?"

"I am fine. Get out," Count Lev waved them away, gradually suppressing the fire in his heart.

"The Grand Duke of the Eastern Border... very well, very well. Just you wait. Since you dare to strike without a declaration of war, do not blame me for disregarding the rules!" Count Lev said, his face dark and gloomy.

He could never have imagined that his enemy would dare to attack his city without a formal declaration. This violated the unspoken code of the nobility, meaning he no longer felt bound to observe any rules himself.

"Wait for what?" The noblewoman set down her tea, her tone dripping with contempt. "Wait for their knight order to overrun us, so you can run out to surrender in your undergarments with your hands raised?"

"If you had listened to me the day before yesterday and stayed put, letting Will continue to hold the city of Will, we wouldn't be in this position."

With the territory already suffering from the Green Ghost Disaster and a massive power vacuum created by the displacement of refugees, the city of Will—the final barrier—should never have been abandoned. Yet, this fool, upon hearing that Rivermouth City had fallen, had panicked and ordered Will to lead the knight order to provide reinforcements.

This had led to the current situation: Will City had been occupied by the enemy, leaving the core of the Lev territory exposed.

Of course, it was not entirely Count Lev’s fault; his decision had been the most logical one. After all, nobody expected the enemy’s army to bypass two other cities and launch a surprise attack on Will City without being detected.

Moreover, it had taken them only an hour to capture the city. The speed was so terrifying that it made them wonder if the knights inside had even resisted, or if they had simply handed the city over on a silver platter.

The noblewoman furrowed her brows tightly. "The Grand Duke of the Eastern Border’s methods are too bizarre, and his strength is too overwhelming. We cannot defeat him. Why don't we take the knight order and leave the territory now, hiding out with Count Barret for a while?"

The Grand Duke was as terrifying as the rumors claimed. Even without the King or the Hunter’s Guild, they were no match for him.

Since receiving the news of the attack, the Lev Knight Order had not moved. It wasn't out of fear, but because the enemy had given them no time to react.

When the first report of an attack on Rivermouth City came, the knights had barely prepared to send reinforcements when they received a plea for help from Will City. Before they could even pivot to support the more vital city, they received news that Will City had already fallen.

It was as if they were being toyed with. The knights began to wonder if the reports were even true. How could two cities be captured in such rapid succession within a few hours?

As one of the rulers, Lady Lev knew everything was real, which made her feel the terror of the Grand Duke even more acutely. His army was swift and possessed strength that their knights simply could not withstand. Even if the enemy had used underhanded tactics, it did not change the fact that they had taken two major cities in a single day.

"No, we still have a chance." Count Lev refused to give up his home; if he ran, his wealth would be left behind. "I have already requested aid from the other great nobles. As long as we hold out for a few days, massive reinforcements will arrive. Besides, Lev City is not so easily captured."

"How can you guarantee the other nobles will come to your aid?" the noblewoman asked.

"Heh," Count Lev wore a sinister smile. "They will come, because this is the largest gateway to the Eastern Border. If the Grand Duke takes Lev territory, they will suffer as well."

"Furthermore, I have reported this to His Majesty the King. The Grand Duke has violated the laws of the kingdom by initiating war between lords without the King's permission."

"Your brain is finally working," the noblewoman said, looking at him with mild surprise. "But the Grand Duke is the King’s favorite. He might even be the future Prince. Do you really think the King will care?"

"He will. He absolutely will," Count Lev said firmly. As a noble himself, he understood the King well—a monarch who was very much a noble at heart. With his suspicious and cowardly nature, the King would never allow a second Grand Duke to emerge—a Grand Duke in the true sense of the word. At the very least, as long as the King was not on his deathbed, he would not allow the Eastern Border to become too powerful.

"Besides, we still have that little thing; we have nothing to fear." Count Lev looked smug, tapping his finger on the table and lifting it slightly, as if implying something. "Like this, we can raise a ten-meter city wall with ease. I refuse to believe they can still reach Lev City."

...

More than a dozen kilometers away, in Will City, basic order had been restored under the control of Xuanlü.

The day after the city was taken, armored vehicles rolled into the streets. Qin Le sat in the center vehicle, accompanied by Aimeiya, Orina, and Yutou.

He looked out the window at the devastated city, spotting ruins and shell craters, and the faces of strangers filled with fear. Some even gazed at them with eyes full of hatred—women, teenagers, wounded knights, and disabled militiamen.

The scene felt like it had years ago, during the war, when he watched his army occupy a city.

Orina clearly noticed this as well; the smile on her face faded, replaced by a sense of loss and heaviness. Wherever Xuanlü went, they provided the people with food and work, ensuring they would not go hungry. These were tangible benefits, and it was precisely because of this that she firmly believed Xuanlü could create a world without hunger.

In contrast, in cities ruled by the nobility, simply staying alive was a stroke of luck for the lower classes; eating their fill was an unimaginable dream. They would stretch a single loaf of black bread over two days, tying ropes around their stomachs to suppress the hunger. On good days, they might eat two loaves, dividing one into six parts to conserve energy for labor. On bad days, they were forced to chew on grass roots, eat dirt, or consume toxic vines that could kill them.

The life Xuanlü provided was beyond their wildest dreams—the kind of dreams where they only hoped to catch a rat or hold ten loaves of bread. Yet, these people feared them—or rather, hated them.

"Qin Le, can war be avoided?"

Everything was because of the war. Wars killed people—many, many people.

Qin Le pondered for a moment. "I wouldn't recommend asking me that. You should ask the Political Commissar or the instructors; they will give you the correct answer."

"Why?" Orina tilted her head slightly.

"Because I don't want to discuss these issues, and I don't have the capacity to explain how to avoid war." Qin Le glanced at the civilians outside, his expression indifferent to their fear and hatred.

Qin Le never considered his own ideology particularly noble. In fact, he was more selfish than others imagined. To put it bluntly: what happened to those people outside was none of his business. That was something for the Republic to worry about; he was just a minor commander. How to end war was a question for scholars, not his field of expertise.

If asked how to annihilate the enemy, however, Qin Le was quite the expert.

"War is unavoidable. As long as there are humans and nations, there will be war. When one collective comes into contact with another, conflict is inevitable. These conflicts accumulate until they finally ignite a war."

"We represent the interests of the lower classes. Our actions fundamentally subvert the interests of the nobility. Will they just sit by and watch their interests be damaged? Even if we didn't start the war, they would eventually start one themselves."

"The irreconcilable contradictions between classes, the conflicts of interest between collectives..." Orina recalled the lessons she had been taught by the teachers of Xuanlü.

"Then, if there were only one collective left, could war be eliminated?"

"No, but we could achieve lasting peace," Qin Le replied casually. In his view, war could not be eliminated so long as human desire existed. However, by eliminating other collectives and unifying everyone in terms of material conditions and ideology, one could achieve long-lasting peace. Just like in the Warring States period of his past life in China, where conflict never ceased until the First Emperor unified the land, ushering in an era of relative peace.

"Everything has two sides. War destroys countless homes, but it can also bring peace to more people. In my view, the unification of the world is the only way to achieve lasting peace, and the most effective method to reach that goal is war."

As soon as he finished, Qin Le realized his words were perhaps inappropriate. *Wait, is it bad for me to teach this girl such things? If the Ministry of Education finds out, won't they hit the roof?*

"Seeking peace through war... a unified world?" Orina fell into deep thought.

This prompted Yutou, who had been silent beside them, to finally speak up: "Sir, you really should say less. Be careful about getting assigned to write more self-criticisms. Miss Orina is royalty and could very well inherit the throne. If you keep instilling these ideas in her, the Ministry of Education might come after you."

The leadership of Xuanlü held this kind-hearted princess in high regard, hoping to cultivate her into a firm communist warrior. What Qin Le had just said clearly violated the curriculum they had set for her. If the future Queen of Morningstar actually listened to the Sergeant Major, it would be chaos.

"Cough, what are you afraid of? There are no outsiders here," Qin Le said, coughing to mask his awkwardness. "I was just speaking casually; she'll forget it in a few days." *Besides, surely one offhand comment wouldn't affect her thinking.*

He was genuinely afraid of the Political Commissar. It wasn't the punishment he feared, but the prospect of long, grueling ideological re-education. If he didn't listen, the old men back home would come over to lecture him themselves. It was too much trouble. He would stop talking big from now on.

*Sigh, Orina is becoming more serious, and chatting with her isn't fun anymore.*

At that moment, the convoy came to a halt. Outside stood a very rugged-looking castle. Aimeiya, who had been dozing off, snapped awake, looked around, and saw the castle. Her emerald eyes sparkled. She tugged on Qin Le’s sleeve, excitedly whispering, "Let's go! Time to raid the place! Oh, wait, I mean, time to inventory the spoils of war."