Chapter 156: Hinamoto and the Shogunate Come Into View!
Inside the Room of Authority in Pangaea Castle, Mary Geoise.
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, who controls Cipher Pol, activated the Transponder Snail beside him and switched it to Slideshow Mode.
"Take a look. This is the map Crocodile brought back. It's said not to be a World Map, but a map of the country where the Star Gate Base is located."
"We only sent him to the New World initially to recruit him, but I didn't expect him to bring back so many valuable things besides that. I'm starting to appreciate him a bit," said Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, the supreme leader of the Three Forces, holding Shodai Kitetsu with a satisfied smile on his face.
"Once his mission in the New World is complete, summon him back as soon as possible for training. His Martial Arts and Haki must be improved quickly, otherwise, if we delay for a few more years, he'll be wasted."
"Alright," Saint Shepherd Ju Peter nodded.
While they were speaking, Saint Topman Warcury and the other two were examining the large Map on the Projection Screen, as well as the various Place Names marked on it.
Since they were all written in Wa-language, there was no difficulty in understanding them.
"This is actually an Island in the sea, but there's no Scale marked on it, so we don't know its Size," Saint Marcus Mars, responsible for the fields of science, history, and propaganda, stroked his long, straight beard and said softly.
"And look at the upper left corner, there's clearly a protruding Zone that looks like a Peninsula. This indicates that there might be other Islands overseas, or even Continents."
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter nodded and said, "Through the Interrogation of the Yashiro Station Manager brought by Crocodile, we have learned that this country is called Hinamoto. Overseas, there are also the so-called European Continent and Asia Continent. Those Kabane were transmitted from the European Continent."
"If that's the case, it means these Continents have also been ravaged by the Kabane. We don't need to worry about them for now. Let's first gain Control over this Hinamoto before us," Saint Topman Warcury said sternly.
"Indeed," Saint Shepherd Ju Peter said.
As he spoke, he controlled the Transponder Snail to quickly switch to the next Map, which was a detailed Map of the area around the Star Gate Base, specially enlarged and photographed.
"From this Map, it seems our Star Gate Base is located in a place called Ojika Peninsula. There are three Cities nearby that they call Stations: Sendai Station, Kurokawa Station, and Hayajiro Station, which was previously discovered by CP9 and confirmed to be Fallen. Currently, the Army led by Bullet is clearing out the Kabane inside."
"The so-called Stations were built because the wilderness is occupied by large numbers of Kabane, and the people of this country lack the Ability to effectively resist them. Therefore, they built high City Walls to enclose themselves."
"They then use Iron-Armored Trains, which they call Station Cities, to transport Supplies and Manpower. This is why we didn't encounter any Living Persons or Towns at first; they are all concentrated in Cities located far apart from each other."
"And these Station Cities and Station Trains are all governed by a Government Organization called the Shogunate, with the highest leader being the Shogun."
Hearing this, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn raised a question.
"Didn't CP9 previously discover a group of Armed Forces clearing and capturing Kabane in the wilderness? How can you say they lack the Ability to resist?"
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter continued to explain what he had learned.
"According to the Intelligence revealed by that Chief Steward, that group is the only force within Hinamoto that dares to engage the Kabane in close-quarters, frontal Combat in the wilderness. They are called the Hunter Guard, and also known as the Liberators."
"Their leader is Mima Amatori, the Son of the Shogun, Koukyuu Amatori. He is twenty-two years old this year."
"It is said that ten years ago, when he was twelve, he was able to command a Whole Army of 400,000 to carry out large-scale purges of Kabane on Kyushu Island, the southernmost part of Hinamoto."
"Initially, their Operation was extremely smooth, and they reclaimed a large amount of land. However, they were later ambushed by his Father, their logistics were cut off, and their Whole Army was annihilated."
"Subsequently, Mima Amatori severed his Father-Son relationship with him, and this also caused Hinamoto's Policy towards the Kabane to completely shift towards the Conservative Faction."
Upon hearing this, the few people present understood.
It was another drama of infighting between the Radical Faction and the Conservative Faction.
It's just that this Koukyuu Amatori was ruthless enough to sacrifice his own Son.
However, his only mistake was not completely killing Mima Amatori.
Now, he has grown strong and gained his own Influence.
"This kid seems to be a Commander-type Talent! Leading a Whole Army of 400,000 at the age of twelve!"
"Even with the Status of the Son of the Shogun supporting him, it's an almost impossible Matter. He can be considered both Courageous and resourceful."
"He just trusted his Father too much, but that's normal."
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn felt a slight appreciation for this Mima Amatori, whom he had not yet met.
He liked Talent in the Field of War.
"Overall, they actually have the Ability to eliminate the Kabane, although the Firearms called Steam Guns require multiple hits to penetrate the latter's Heart.
"But according to what we've learned, as long as the distance between the two sides is close enough, two shots are actually sufficient, and the Impact of the Bullet can effectively repel the Kabane. It's a pity..." Saint Shepherd Ju Peter sighed with emotion.
"Most people lack the Courage to fight the Kabane at close range?" Saint Jaygarcia Saturn said.
"Exactly!"
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter said, "Also, Lucci and Mata have already boarded the Hunter Guard's Station City Train. Judging from the direction, they should be heading towards Shiori Station, but no News has been sent back since then."
"There's no rush about that. One Fallen Hayajiro Station and one intact Yashiro Station are enough for us to digest for a few days. Let them handle it themselves; there's no need to rush them," Saint Topman Warcury said in a deep voice.
As his voice fell.
The Five Elders fell into a moment of silence.
After thinking for a while, Saint Marcus Mars spoke, "Their Steam Devices look very interesting, but it's a shame we haven't obtained a Finished Product yet. Also, peeling off the Kabaneri Heart Membrane requires a large amount of Manpower."
"Although we haven't researched how to utilize them yet, let's store them first. Dr. Fritz and his team have conducted experiments, and the peeled Heart Membranes haven't shown signs of Deterioration in a short period. As for how long they can last, we don't know yet and need to continue observing."
"Manpower, huh..."
Saint Topman Warcury frowned and suggested, "Can we have the Academy of Science design a set of Mechanical Equipment for automatically peeling off the Kabaneri Heart Membrane, and make it a structure that can be easily disassembled and assembled? From the information known so far, the number of Kabane in this World is particularly exaggerated. I feel it will be difficult to efficiently 'collect Materials' relying solely on Manpower."
As the BOSS of the Government Affairs Department, he was well aware of how difficult it was to send so many people through the Star Gate. It was too troublesome!
"That's a good idea. I'll have someone notify Dr. Vegapunk. Now he has one more Research Project on his hands," Saint Marcus Mars said with emotion.
"Hmph, he's not the only one in the Academy of Science. Can't others develop just one set of 'Processing Equipment'? If they can't even do this much, what are we keeping them for?" Saint Jaygarcia Saturn said forcefully.
Anyway, the Little Author will write diligently, and all the great Readers can read with peace of mind.
(End of this chapter)