Munitions Empire

The girl was very clumsy, pressing her lips against Tang Mo’s, those cherry-like red lips blindly exerting force upon Tang Mo’s mouth.

Tang Mo’s eyes widened as he let the girl, in her foolish way, dedicate her inexperienced first kiss, like a precious treasure, to him.

Eventually, his hands, which were prepared to push the girl away, circled around to her back, he felt Alice’s body shake slightly, then she hugged Tang Mo even more passionately, disregarding everything else.

Then, they just held each other, foolishly embracing like that. When Alice was cried out and her breathing became even, Tang Mo carried her back to bed.

When Tang Mo opened the door, his appearance was actually a bit indecent. His abdomen was soaked with a large wet patch from Alice’s tears, and his coat was full of wrinkles.

"She’s cried herself to sleep," Tang Mo said softly to the butler standing by the door, nodding slightly in greeting. "Take good care of her and send her meals on time; she is very weak."

Having said that, he turned back, glanced at the sleeping Alice on the bed, his eyes filled with tenderness. He quietly closed the door and then nodded to the two guards.

At the moment the door closed, Alice opened her eyes. She propped up her upper body and watched as her soft hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, her eyes still brimming with tears.

She adjusted her sitting position and then buried her head in the crook of her arm. The room, slightly dim, was filled with a young girl’s sorrow.

The funeral was held on time in Wolf City. Many people came to attend the funeral of Lord Earl Ronin Fisallo; they all gathered in the hall, watching Tang Mo stand on the steps.

Tang Mo, looking at Alice crying inconsolably below the steps, suddenly felt a pang of heartache. He knew that Alice had lost her mother at a young age, and now with the loss of her father, she had become an orphan with no one to rely on.

With a heavy heart, he looked down at his prepared speech and then tossed it aside.

Raising his head, Tang Mo looked straight at those present for the funeral and began to speak slowly, starting Fisheo’s eulogy with a soft voice: "Ronin Fisallo’s life was both brilliant and sensational; his courage is beyond doubt. He was the greatest military strategist of the Leite Kingdom and a long-renowned general."

In Brunas, a young man pushed a brass bullet into the chamber of a left-wheel handgun; it was the last bullet, filling up the six chambers when loaded.

The young man gently spun the chamber and then flicked the gun’s body, the chamber clicked back into its rightful place with a snap.

He holstered the gun under his armpit, letting his coat conceal the weapon, and then shouldered his knapsack.

Next to him, another young man similarly covered his gun with civilian clothing and hitched his bulging luggage onto his back.

In Wolf City, Tang Mo continued standing on the steps, reciting Fisheo’s heroic life word by word: "In the Battle of Balaisaong, he defeated an enemy force twice the size of his legion, thus becoming an Earl of the Kingdom and granted Northern Ridge."

Meanwhile, in Brunas, an instructor with hands behind his back admonished a group of determined young men sternly: "Remember! You are dandelions! The dandelions of Brunas! You are to become the seeds that the Great Tang Group sows across the world! No matter what, you must do your best! At all times, you must demonstrate perfection to prove your worth!"

All the young people stood firm, chins up, expressionless, allowing the instructor to walk past them.

Lord Earl Fisheo’s funeral continued, with him standing at the podium, looking down at the nobility and merchants below: "Not long ago, he defeated the invading Suthers forces with a single legion, protecting Northern Ridge and saving the Leite Kingdom."

His speech was slow, heavy with grief and sorrow: "He relieved the peasants’ corvée and taxes, and vigorously developed the mining industry, making Northern Ridge prosperous and stable."

In the grounds of the Brunas factory, all the departing young people raised their arms, their fists aiming at the instructor in the center of the circular formation; on the ring finger of each one was a ring engraved with a dandelion.

Their movements were uniform and filled with a sense of ceremony. Each one of them was personally trained by Tang Mo; they were the elite of this era.

As planned, each one of them would head to an entirely different destination, without any contact with each other.

They would assume a new identity, then live in this world clean and unblemished like a blank piece of paper.

Each person standing here was a seed of a dandelion; they would take root, sprout, and grow strong wherever they landed, eventually blossoming and bearing fruit.

Alice, listening to Tang Mo praise her father from the stage, grew even sadder. She cried like a child, or rather, she was a child in tears.

The body of Lord Earl could not be displayed to her, for no matter the effort made to present it, the corpse was beyond recognition.

Even though the weather was not particularly hot, after more than twenty days sealed in a coffin, indeed, the body had become unrecognizable.

In order to spare Alice further heartache, the coffin of Lord Earl was not opened during the funeral; only the covered casket was displayed.

Tang Mo’s tone was filled with sorrow as he continued to read the eulogy amidst Alice’s crying, "He was the benevolent lord we held in our hearts, a kind man who seemed out of place in this era. He will live forever in our hearts, his spirit with us always."

At Brunas factory square, the instructor’s face was stern as he commanded the trainees who were about to depart, "Your first mission is to locate a slaver named Qiumuluo. No matter where he is, no matter how deep he hides, you must find him..."

"Remember, send word back and take no other action! He belongs to the master, and no one is to kill him!" The instructor surveyed all the trainees, ordering them, "Any clue related to him... any clue at all..."

"Yes!" All the trainees stood at attention and saluted, responding loudly with heads held high.

"Move out!" The instructor saluted with military formality, "Bring him out!"

All the trainees stood at attention, turned, and swiftly, the factory courtyard was empty except for an instructor still saluting.

In Wolf City, Tang Mo’s voice still echoed in the memorial hall, "His departure is a loss to us and to the world. We will always miss him; we will always follow his will, striving to build the Northern Ridge even better than before!"

As he spoke, he extended his hand to Alice, "This is our greatest remembrance. Our loyalty will now be transferred to Ronin Alice, to protect her, cherish her, and support her to become as fine a leader as her father."

At his invitation, Alice, dressed in black, stepped up to the platform to stand beside Tang Mo.

All stood up, gazing at the frail figure of Alice, silent, as Tang Mo continued to recite, "At this moment, everyone standing here has been graced by his benevolence. I believe that even in another world, he would remain a great being!"

Tang Mo paused, lowering his head, "Let us remember Lord Ronin Fisallo... for he was a mortal who stood shoulder to shoulder with the gods."

Everyone bowed their heads, observing a moment of silence that lingered, accompanied by Alice’s quiet sobs.

One by one, people slowly rose from their seats, walked up to the stage, and laid flowers upon Earl Fisheo’s casket.

Not until the casket was covered in flowers, leaving only the guards, Alice, and Tang Mo in the memorial hall, did the sizeable commemorative service truly come to an end.

Afterward, Count Fisheo’s casket would be transported to the family tomb, where it would be interred. Under the watchful eyes of the Northern Ridge guards, commanders, and servants of the Ronin Family, Alice took Tang Mo’s hand.

Tang Mo did not withdraw his hand; instead, he firmly clasped Alice’s small hand within his own.

The Northern Ridge officers who witnessed this diverted their gaze, as they all knew that Alice held a fondness for Tang Mo.

The two had corresponded through letters, and Alice frequently selected gifts for Tang Mo. It was common knowledge that the rapid development of Northern Ridge owed much to Tang Mo’s robust support.

Indeed, Northern Ridge still owed Tang Mo a significant amount of money till this very day. They currently have about thirty steam machines running in mines and other factories, with another thirty being assembled or tested.

Of these steam machines, at least one-third remained unpaid for by Northern Ridge – to claim that there was only pure friendship between Tang Mo and the new Earl of Northern Ridge would be something no one would believe.

By the gods above, what they preferred to see was the scene before them: Northern Ridge continued to be controlled by the heir of the Ronin Family, while Tang Mo, a formidable external ally, could continue to assist in the rapid development of Northern Ridge.

For all, it was a win-win outcome, and for Alice, it might be a triple or even a quadruple win.

Alice had found family, a bastion of support; Northern Ridge had a strong ally, allowing continued development; Tang Mo retained the stability of his ally, confident to carry on making money... As for the fourth win, Tang Mo had effortlessly gained a beauty, which certainly was a lucrative deal...

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