"No scheming."
Jeanne praised, "I saw on my way here, you’ve governed Texas quite well. Honestly, most of the warlords in North Arica haven’t done nearly as good a job as you."
"Ms. Jeanne flatters us."
Jeanne said casually, "Shall we start with self-introductions? Perhaps so of you don’t know yet."
"Oh, Ms. Jeanne is joking. Perhaps there are so among the Wolf Race who don’t know , but certainly none who aren’t aware of the renowned Knight of Radiance."
The man looked around, "I am Juliano, Clan Leader of the Basilicata Family."
Texas isn’t truly a barren land. Its foundation is quite good, with a favorable climate, vast fertile fields, and it’s one of the renowned oil-producing areas of later tis.
But oil isn’t of much use in this era, and Texas doesn’t stand out much in the whole of Arica with its geographical conditions.
Compared to the vast New Continent, colonizers, natives, even counting the slaves, the total number of people is still too sparse.
Therefore, with what little resources the Basilicata Family had, managing to govern Texas to its present state is indeed a remarkable achievent.
Jeanne gestured, "This is Princess Furinjira of the Cepesh Family. She has the best relationship with your young lady; they often sleep together and share sweets."
Juliano courteously greeted, "It’s an honor to et you, Princess Furinjira."
Furinjira nodded reservedly. She’s always been clear-headed; being close with Chelina doesn’t an she must treat Chelina’s father differently. Actually, she’s always felt that this old thing never really saw Chelina as his proper heir, or else why send her thousands of miles away to Saluzzo?
The Wolf Race didn’t find Furinjira’s attitude surprising. In their impression, the nobility of the Blood Royal Court always had this superior deanor. If they were too polite, they would doubt its authenticity instead.
Jeanne continued, "This is Prajna, the Ghost Race General of Hell."
The Ghost Race General of Hell?
The faces of the Wolf Race were filled with disbelief. In the world of Yesterday’s Giant Ship, there was no distinction between Eastern and Western Hell, but they had heard the legend of the Ghost Race.
"Chelina... truly has made so incredible friends."
Juliano chuckled dryly, suddenly curious about this daughter he was never close to. How had she managed this? Could she have gained so extraordinary talent for making friends over the years?
Jeanne looked up at the brick-and-stone mountain castle before her, "Building this castle must have cost quite a bit at first."
"Indeed."
A hint of nostalgia sprang up on Juliano’s solemn face, "Back then, this place was desolate. Basilicata spent over ten years to finally build it into the paradise for the new Wolf Race."
Jeanne nodded slightly, "For conventional armies, this place would be an easy-to-defend and hard-to-attack natural barrier. But Mr. Juliano, how long do you think this castle can withstand the assault of dozens of Centurions and hundreds of Corners?"
Juliano’s expression changed slightly, and as he looked around, he saw the faces of his clansn turn grave.
The entire Basilicata Family in Texas only had ten Centurions, the rest, the Corners numbered over two hundred. Yet quite a few of them were wandering Wolf Race who joined over the years, weak among the Corners.
The strength comparison was clearly quite disparate.
He coughed lightly, speaking loudly, "Texas is the final paradise for the wandering Wolf Race. I truly can’t understand why the Wolf Lord wants to exterminate us these dispossessed wolves."
"Over these years, how many wandering Wolf Race have road in filthy sewers, remote mountains, doing the lowest, dirtiest jobs, always fearing being discovered by humans and burned on the stake."
"What was the initial state here? Desolation, human residents dislocated. It was us, the ’Wolf Race Federation,’ who built this place step by step from scratch into what it is now."
"Here, we can walk openly on the streets, basking in the gaze of the humans we protect, freely transform into wolves, run in the wilds."
Juliano’s tone suddenly elevated, "Do you want to return to those past conditions? Driven away by those so-called pure-blood, arrogant Italian Wolf Race, returning to a life of constant wandering, never knowing if you’ll wake from sleep, or living dreadful lives?"
"No, we will not run!"
"Fight those Yakxi mongrels!"
Emotions surged.
"Texas is our last ho; if it’s taken by them, no matter how vast, the world will have no refuge for us wanderers."
"Do we have to move to another place again, start anew, and when we’ve established ourselves, lose everything again to those lofty nobility?"
Jeanne and Prajna exchanged glances, seeing a trace of admiration in each other’s eyes.
Basilicata may have deviated, yet it was never expelled from the Twelve Wolf Races, and Juliano has always proclaid himself to be a displaced Wolf Race, standing with the wandering wolves.
This certainly offended the old Wolf Races, with Yakxi at the helm, but simultaneously greatly united the wandering Wolf Race in Texas.
Think about it, the one who created such a foundation single-handedly in Texas, a bold and ambitious figure who even gave up his ancestral land in Italy, certainly isn’t a fool.
Juliano wore a face of deep frustration, "We have tried not to be an eyesore, moving from Italy’s ancestral lands to the distant New Continent, struggling for existence in this poor and backwards land. Yet they still insist on exterminating us, as if our unity among the dispossessed truly possesses the power that the aristocrats fear and dread."
The faces of the Wolf Race were filled with anger.
"But I must say, they are right."
Juliano’s face broke into a satisfied smile, "They fear us, fear the united forces of the dispossessed Wolf Race, wishing to strike first while our power is still weak, to nip the budding fla."
"My fellow clansn, what to fear has never been us; I, Juliano, swear by Basilicata’s honor, from this day forth, to offer the last drop of blood in the war to defend Texas."
"For freedom, for the glory of the new Wolf Race, fight!"
"Fight!"
"Fight to the end!"
Cries echoed through the mountains.
So pure-blooded Wolf Race were even fired up, transforming into massive wolf beasts, howling at the sky and startling a flock of birds.
User Comments
0 comments from readers