Duke Enoch wanting to get to the root of Maximilians battle with the armies of Scofield had embarked on a journey to Valum, with him were fifty elite soldiers whose armor was mythril or mythril alloy.
Duke Alexander also was on his way to Valum, Maximilian was his son and also technically his vassal and it would be wrong if Maximilian was creating something that could cause harm to his authority.
The events of the battle shocked those who observed the battle, and then it spread like a wildfire.
Maximilian had win his second battle at the age of seventeen.
The effect of the battle in Valum was positive, a of three thousand recruits were accepted into basic training and after a few of them go into the DEA and the ISB, Maximilians army would be at about five thousand soldiers.
Several artillery pieces had be produced and soldiers were being trained to use them. Currently the 150mm which was meant for defense, the 105mm and 75mm howitzers were the ones currently being produced.
The old steam engines were currently being phased out and the new ones powered solely by liquid mana was coming in.
Liquid mana was also currently being used in all forges that produced goods for his citizens. But still their existence remained highly classified. Their efficiency was overwhelming such that a finger sized vial of liquid mana was able to allow a steam engine run non stop for forty days only worrying about water and lubrication for that duration.
The next area of development would be transportation, if he was going to send an army to any kind of conflict, he would rather that they don't face an enemy when they were tired from marching .
But there was a problem, there was no access to rubber and petroleum products.
This meant that despite his advanced weaponry, he had no means of transporting them effectively.
He was lucky that he started the alcohol business on time before there were any major competitors. That way he had enough revenue to pursue development without care for funds.
...
About five kilometers outside the southern entrance of Valum, a carriage was being escorted by heavily armored knights, they bore the blue banner of the thorns and sword symbolic to house Caligula.
A rider had been sent ahead to inform the guards that someone important was arriving to avoid any unfortunate circumstances.
The rider ride as quickly as possible till he reaches the vicinity of the watchtower. Two riders immediately went out to intercept him with weapons ready.
" Halt, identify yourself or begone.
Failure to comply will result in a fatality. "
The rider raised his hands to signify that he wasn't a threat and he introduced himself as a knight of Caligula and immediately relayed the message that the Duke was approaching.
The knight was immediately led back to the where he was given a cup of water to quench his thirst.
While this was happening another soldier rode off to inform Maximilian of the incoming visitor.
As this was happening, Duke Enoch arrived from the northern entrance, proudly displaying the imperial families banner, white and gold with the sigil of a tower crossed by two spears.
An escort of ten soldiers each were assigned to the dukes and their entourages to make sure they didn't wander off into restricted spaces.
At the town gates they were immediately handed a booklet containing the codes of conduct that guided their behavior during their stay in Valum.
The knight and escorts felt some kind of way about this but they had to keep their feelings to theirselves as they have been ordered just until the situation in Valum was well appraised.
Byt despite their reservations they could see that Valum was different, ever since they crossed the forward output, they had been going on a very smooth road that extended all the way into town making the remainder of their journey to go smoothly.
Inside the town, there were wide roads for carriages and other vehicles, and there were also pedestrian walkways.
Braisers that were lit at night were placed evenly on the roads. There was no speck of dirt or dung on the roads , infact everything spoke of order.
Maximilian despite finding this visit quite a bother made sure to welcome both dukes at the door.
" Welcome to Valum your graces, it is an honor to have you in our humble town, please come in your luggages will be transported to your various residence. "
As they went in, a staff came close and whispered something into Max's ear.
"Ah it seems like lunch is ready, may we go over to the dining area."
At the dining table, an assortment of food was brought in; spaghetti, tomato sauce , meatballs, chicken pepper soup, sausages, fried chicken and bread.
Wine and beer were served to dukes but Maximilian went with milk . He had never seems to like alcohol.
The meal was silent, the cooking style was something that the dukes were not accustomed to but by mirroring Maximilian they came to appreciate the flavor.
Soon the meal was over and the table was cleared.
Duke Alexander cleared his throat, breaking the silence that plagued the room.
" I noticed that there are patrols everywhere in your town but there seems to be an absence of guards at your residence. Is there a reason for that? "
This had been a point of contention between him and the senior staffs in the military who feared for his safety.
It was not that he didn't need guards but rather that his soldiers even the former knights whxo currently served under him were not yet trained to embody what he needed.
Duke Alexanders observation now served as a wake up call for him to stop stalling but he wasn't going to let them know that.
" Your grace, I remember that in our last meeting I stated that I was focused mainly in research, I don't think anyone would want to harm an academic. " Maximilian replied.
" Ha...
...cut the bullshit boy, tell me, how did Scofield's forces fall to you who claims to be an 'academic' ? " Duke Enoch asked sarcastically