Steampunk Era: Mad Abield

"Equip everyone with the best gear; we’re about to teach those country bumpkins with their muzzle-loading guns a lesson about what real firepower is."

The last sentence in the letter to the Chief Political Officer should make that old man understand.

After everything is settled, Malin goes to see Ails—the defenses here are solid, and it’s said that Ails’s side is engaged in heated battle.

Speaking of which, Ails is also very satisfied with such arrangement—look, wherever there is trouble, it means there is more Chaos, and more Chaos means more Soul Coins. Although the quality of these coins is not the best, there are plenty of them now, and they can still be used with Demons. Besides, if you’re worried, Soul Coins are also considered hard currency in Mark City.

Ails even bought a bunch of Skeletons with them from his fellow Liches. In the Land of the Dead, these are cannon fodder; Liches have plenty of them but they’re not highly valued since they require magic power to maintain, and Liches always need to leave some margin to protect themselves.

But Ails, being a Legendary Lich with enhanced gear all over, is now maintaining at least forty thousand Ribcage Troops, nearly thirty thousand Pike Squares, and eight thousand Musketeers. Malin also helped him enhance a battalion of artillery. As for the new cannon fodder that Ails bought, Malin helped him find some old armor from the Northern people’s warehouses, and once dressed in this and armed with pikes, they’ve become an elite cannon fodder force.

Ails even hired some freshly converted Lich newbies with Soul Coins. There was no expectation for them to perform like a Mage Corps right away; they only needed to provide sufficient Enhancement Spells for the Skeletons. At first, they weren’t clear why their employer Ails was aiding humans, but Gold Coins don’t lie, and soon these novices became Ails’s most loyal subordinates—Ails pays generously, and as long as they work hard, there are no deductions or delays in payment.

Compared to other Liches who are constantly engaged in big fish eating little fish, and little fish eating shrimps, Ails’s behavior is like that of a benevolent angel. Not to mention the occasional visits by Nameless and Malin, as well as the sacred cigar between Ails’s phalanges, his subordinates are incredibly discreet about their boss’s allegiance, fearful that one day Ails might show up with a halo claiming to be an envoy of the God of Goodness.

When Malin arrived, it was the same old scene; the battle had ended, and this time Ails had ambushed Chaos. His Pike Square had switched to swords and shields, crouched in the front line trenches ready for a rabbit hunt, so when Chaos charged into human lines, they found not the tender flesh they desired, but a bunch of unholy creatures with no skin to cut.

Afterward, Ails found out he lost less than 600 Skeletons but got at least 2,000 Skeletons from the Chaotic Believers, plus a big stash of Soul Coins—a very profitable day indeed.

Seeing Malin coming, the Lich happily tossed him a cigar.