Gavin Ward leaned back in his chair, a faint smile tugging at his lips. The system's latest spoils had been too tempting to resist.
He had bought everything but the impossible Apocalypse Tank.
The T-34/85 tanks, the M59 artillery, the ZPU-2 anti-aircraft guns, and even the team of German tank engineers were now his. Together, they had cost him 265,000 kill points, leaving only 36,648. Still, he was satisfied.
It was a turning point.
---
Civil Technology
The system had also released new civilian technologies, and Gavin invested without hesitation.
Thermal Power Plants: Nord and Ross had relied on batteries and crude energy sources. Now, true power plants would light the cities, illuminating streets and homes alike.
Exquisite Machinery: Compact, efficient devices that could cut error rates by half. With these, his factories would no longer be crude workshops but true engines of industry.
Giant Ore Refineries: Working five times faster than ordinary refineries, they would ensure a steady supply of raw materials to feed his growing machine of war.
Gavin saw it clearly: electric grids, trains, and smokestacks spreading across his realm, transforming Ross into a beacon of progress.
---
The Question of Oil
But one issue gnawed at him.
Tanks and artillery were useless without fuel. The Ross Kingdom and the newly conquered Nord lands had little in the way of oil. For now, merchants from the Orc Empire sold crude barrels cheaply, enough to fuel a few hundred vehicles.
But if he truly meant to field armies of tanks, he needed his own oil fields.
The fact that the orcs sold so freely proved they had abundant reserves. The conclusion was obvious: the oil lay under Orc territory.
Gavin frowned, drumming his fingers. "So… do I take it by force?"
He knew the answer. The Orc Empire would never allow Ross troops to simply walk in and drill their wells. Oil was wealth, oil was power, oil was survival. They would fight for it.
"It seems war with the Orc Empire is inevitable."
But not now. His army was exhausted after Nord, short on men, short on guns. The Ross population barely exceeded 3.7 million. Against the orcs, whose empire numbered in the hundreds of millions, such a war would be suicide.
And beyond them loomed the Golden Lion Duke of the Tongsley Empire, another threat waiting to pounce.
For the first time in days, Gavin felt a headache. "Do I dare fight on two fronts? Germany once did in the Second World War… and look how that ended."
The thought left him grim. Ross lacked both the population and the industry to mimic the German war machine.
But he could fix one of those problems.
---
Expanding the Army
Slapping his desk, Gavin rose with sudden decision.
"Then we expand."
The Ross army would grow by 100,000 men.
40,000 Ross natives, drilled and disciplined.
60,000 Nord recruits, drawn from among the freed serfs and poor peasants.
The Nords had once been slaves to their lords. Gavin had abolished serfdom and distributed land. For the first time in their lives, they tasted freedom. Now he would demand service in return.
True, they would not be the best soldiers at first. But their loyalty to Gavin was real—he had freed them. And with discipline, they would learn.
For now, it was enough.
---
Half a Month Later
The roads of Nord saw new traffic. A great caravan rolled toward the city of Lund, now a Ross stronghold. Wagons creaked under loads of grain, tools, and cloth.
The caravan master exhaled in relief as his convoy entered the safety of the walls. "Thank the heavens. Not a single bandit raid."
But his relief was tempered by what he had seen on the way.
A flood of refugees.
Families with nothing but what they carried on their backs. Ragged men leading half-starved children. Women clutching babies, eyes hollow with fear.
They came from the south—from the Kiswell Kingdom and the Lot territories, both collapsing under the weight of the Orc advance.
The caravan master glanced toward the southern horizon. Even from here, the direction of the Orc Empire made his heart pound. Though Lot and Kiswell still stood as barriers, he knew it was only a matter of time.
A young Nord boy who worked in the caravan noticed his troubled look. "Boss? Why the long face?"
The master sighed. "The refugees. They're pouring in from Kiswell and Lot. It must be the orcs. If the Orc Empire swallows those lands, Ross will border them directly."
The boy only grinned, his youthful confidence undimmed. "So what? Ross isn't weak. We have His Majesty Gavin Ward! Under him, no one can beat us."
The master chuckled despite himself. In truth, life already felt different. The Ross administration brought order, schools, and work. Even Nords who had once cursed Ross now called themselves Rossians.
The boy puffed his chest. "When I see those refugees, I think of my grandfather. He came here by boat, side by side with Gavin Ward's grandfather. They too were refugees—but they built Ross from nothing. And now look at us. We live well under His Majesty. Maybe those refugees will find their future here too."
The master shook his head. "Perhaps. But it's a hard world. Only those under the Dragon Banner of Ross are truly safe."
---
At Lund's Gate
The city gates were choked with the mass of refugees. Some clutched bundles of clothes. Others dragged carts piled high with whatever scraps of life they had salvaged. Many had nothing but rags and hunger.
A squad of Ross soldiers stood guard, rifles slung across their shoulders. Their leader, a scarred veteran, eyed the crowd grimly.
"Listen well!" he shouted. "Ross will not feed freeloaders. We have no bread to give for free. But we are building roads, bridges, and railways. We need workers. In exchange for labor, you will have food, shelter, and pay. Do you accept?"
For a moment, there was silence. Then—
"We accept!"
Hands shot up everywhere. Hungry eyes lit with desperate hope. To men and women who had walked for weeks without a roof or steady meal, even hard labor sounded like paradise.
The sergeant nodded. "Good. Fifty strong men to start."
Soldiers waded into the crowd, picking out youths and men with broad shoulders. The chosen stumbled forward eagerly, some crying, some laughing.
For the refugees, Ross was not just survival. It was a new beginning.
----------------------------
Visit our Patreon for more:
Get membership in patreon to read more chapters
Extra chapters available in patreon
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31
-----------------------------------------------------