Lanhai Port City is a northern port city. This coastal city serves as a stopping point for various ships, whether they are passenger ships or cargo ships, before entering the territory of Chandra City. They have to stop because Sagittarius does not establish any commercial ports near the borders, only military ports for territorial defense. Additionally, the vast territory of the metropolitan city's lord requires considerable time for commercial shipping to reach the inner parts where the authorized ports are located.
Therefore, Lanhai City thrives due to the defensive planning approach of Sagittarius.
Speaking of ship docking, which is the main income of Lanhai City, recently, a fleet of thirty warships has arrived secretly to dock at this port. Since it was done 'secretly,' Lanhai City's lord, young lady LanLan HaiEr, received a considerable facilitation fee for this secret docking.
It was considerable enough that, if exchanged for real-world money, it could buy a large condo in downtown Beijing.
Even though that group was defeated and she was indirectly involved by providing a resting point for the opportunistic attackers to strike the metropolitan city's lord in a surprise attack mode, LanLan HaiEr did not expect Sagittarius to bother with a small fry like her.
Which was true, Sagittarius did not bother with a small fry. However, he is now searching for...
'the test area.'
The morning of the next day had just broken.
Sagittarius stood on a battleship, with dozens of other ships behind him towing something covered with tarpaulin.
He rested his chin on his hand, looking towards the sea from the bow, with Mina standing behind him, hands clasped, ready to serve. Then a woman's voice asked him in uncertainty, "Are you really going to go big like this?"
Sagittarius laughed lightly and said, "There are reasons enough for me to teach a little lesson, to open a war." He did not look back and then murmured, "If it's this difficult that we can't start a war here, then it's just as difficult to move it, isn't it? It's hard to use too."
Of course, the object that required dozens of large ships to tow was the ten-meter golem.
But the condition for operating it was difficult.
Which was, after declaring war, the other party must not agree to the negotiation terms and must not surrender, only then the golem could move.
"Let's give it a try!" Sagittarius decided, pressing an option in the window.
The woman's voice a moment ago was naturally from Melon-chan, whom Sagittarius had invited to watch the Gundam test. Seeing him pressing various buttons, she could only shake her head at the extent he had to go to test the movement and attack of this giant golem.
As for the players, LanLan HaiEr had just logged in to check on her city. She walked around smiling, greeting regular players who used the services within her city in a friendly manner. Being a small town with only a few hundred players visiting daily, it was easy to recognize familiar faces.
LanLan HaiEr is someone who plays games as her main occupation, and she uses this small town as her main source of income to make a living. She earns enough to support her extended family, from her grandmother down to her little brother, comfortably. With the money she earned, she was able to move her family to the heart of Beijing, where each family member had their own room, and they lived more comfortably.
But at that moment, LanLan HaiEr's good day suddenly turned bad.
[Notice: Player Sagittarius declares war on the city of Lan Hai]
[Negotiation terms: Announce the names of the player group that ambushed in the Seven Lakes city battle, which LanLan HaiEr sheltered]
[Surrender terms: Accept being a subordinate city]"
[Notice: Player Sagittarius declares war on the city of Lan Hai]
[Negotiation terms: Announce the names of the player group that ambushed in the Seven Lakes city battle, which LanLan HaiEr sheltered]
[Surrender terms: Accept being a subordinate city]"
[Notice: Player Sagittarius declares war on the city of Lan Hai]
[Negotiation terms: Announce the names of the player group that ambushed in the Seven Lakes city battle, which LanLan HaiEr sheltered]
[Surrender terms: Accept being a subordinate city]"
LanLan HaiEr turned pale and stood frozen in the middle of the street.
"It's bad!" LanLan HaiEr could only cry out in her heart while cursing Sagittarius within, "An ancestor has come to demand retribution from me!!!"
LanLan HaiEr looked around, eyeing the players she had just greeted, who were walking past her. She braced herself, expecting them to run away and abandon her, driven by human selfishness to survive.
But the scene she saw was the opposite. The players were anxious, looking towards her.
"Sis Lan Lan, you decide. Whether to fight, negotiate, or surrender, I'll support you!" said one male player.
"That's right! This is our second home. Sister Lan Lan, you're the backbone, we'll follow you!" shouted a newly adult player.
"Whether to fight or not, just say the word, we're willing to help!"
"Ev...every...one..." Seeing this, LanLan HaiEr's eyes filled with tears. Everyone was supporting her, not fleeing in fear of the influence of the city lord, which deeply moved her.
LanLan HaiEr rolled her eyes multiple times, then decided and said to everyone, "Let me see first if they're just bluffing. If it's just a threat, we won't make any agreements. If they come with a large army like they did to attack the dwarves, I would have no choice but to surrender." She didn't believe that in such a short time, Sagittarius would dare to start another war, especially after his army was heavily damaged at Seven Lakes City.
Of course, this war declaration was meant to teach and punish her, to make it clear that no refuge should be given to any army that aims to attack Chandra City.
Thus, she would perform ceremonially, declare war, and wait for the opposing army to arrive. When it was clear they would lose, she would then surrender.
Surrendering now or later would be just the same.
Either way, it would become a vassal state.
LanLan HaiEr's decision was also based on two other reasons.
Firstly, in order to upgrade the city to a larger size, the condition of waging war must be met. Whether winning or losing, war had to be waged.
However, when she set up her city right next to a metropolis, who would dare attack her? Aren't they afraid that Sagittarius would see the attackers as a threat? On the other hand, she can't expand her forces to attack other cities either. For the same reason, if Sagittarius sees her as being overly ambitious, it's easy for them to blow her small town off the map.
Right now, she shows no intention of expanding her territory. The forces within her city, Lanhai, are only five thousand strong, which is minuscule compared to Sagittarius'. Therefore, he definitely doesn't see her as a threat, only teaching and punishing her for what she's done.
Secondly, if she accepts a negotiation proposal without even seeing the other party's army, it would make her seem overly fearful of authority. If she reveals the name, her port would lose more than half of its credibility, and her income would completely vanish.
If she surrenders after the large army arrives, her port and income still belong to her, but she would just have to pay tribute, reducing her income slightly. For her, being a vassal state isn't that bad, as long as she can still make a living with this city.
Which, Lanlan Haier sees as the cost of buying a condo in the city center.
Sagittarius was praying.
"Don't negotiate, don't surrender now, amen, amen, amen."
Melon-chan-chan saw this and laughed, looking at Mina. "Other city lords seeing this might kill themselves. Negotiating or surrendering before a war begins is a way to preserve one's state and force, preventing war from diminishing their defensive capabilities. Winning without fighting is the best."
"This time it's different. Master wants to test this golem."
Melon-chan nodded, saying, 'The pre-battle negotiation conditions are written so the other side won't accept, thereby completely ruining the character LanLan HaiEr's credibility. But the surrender conditions were written differently. LanLan HaiEr might surrender without even fighting.'
Mina smiled, saying, "But you never know. According to the game system, the negotiation conditions end with the first clash. But surrender conditions remain until the end of the war. LanLan HaiEr might send the request after a minor skirmish to satisfy those supporting her."
Melon-chan nodded in agreement. "If she negotiates or surrenders without fighting, her credibility will vanish. So she has to resist a little." She glanced at the praying person. "He's figuring Lan Lan Hai Er like that."
Mina smiled and nodded. Her AI brain assessed, "But what Master is worried about is, if LanLan HaiEr is with the group that attacked with a navy in the Seven Lakes battle, or has some hidden agenda, then LanLan HaiEr would have a reason to accept the negotiation or surrender terms immediately.'
Sagittarius's decision this time wasn't thorough, which is why he's praying now.
His desire to test the Gundam overwhelmed much of his careful judgment.
And at that moment,
"Reject it!!!" Suddenly, Sagittarius raised his hand in delight.
He spun towards Melon-chan, saying, "Miss Melon, watch me!" He had dreamed of piloting a big Gundam since he was a child!
Haha, Sagittarius laughed joyfully, rushing to the ship, rowing the small boat with all his might towards the Gundam immediately.
Melon-chan looked at the child's behavior with a new toy, just shaking her head and smiling, watching Sagittarius's shadow recede.
Later on,
LanLan HaiEr, who had her movements calculated by Sagittarius, was standing at the dock. Behind her was a combined force of players and NPCs ready to fend off an attack.
LanLan HaiEr received news from the lighthouse that a fleet of over ten ships was heading in this direction.
Over ten ships... It's not too many, not too few, just enough for her army to handle.
LanLan HaiEr pondered why the other side sent a small force. Did Sagittarius underestimate her, or was it merely to teach a mild lesson rather than annihilate her, just a warning not to trouble Chandra City again?
She didn't know why, but she had to be prepared. And if they couldn't hold off the attack, they would follow the original plan:
surrender.
As she was thinking, the dock they were standing on started to shake!
Thud.... Thud.... Thud.... Thud.... Thud
Although not very rhythmic, such big tremors made LanLan HaiEr think of a movie, Jurassic Park, when the T-Rex (Tyrannosaurus) attacked!
She shook her head with fear and could only say, "Probably not."
Waves!!!! Right after she finished speaking, a large golem emerged from the water!
If it had emerged like those giant robots in various movies walking smartly onto shore, it wouldn't be too alarming. But its left arm was raised, and its right arm was sweeping around as if a king kong with an itchy back looking for ticks."