Chapter 1023: Beach Bums and Battle ns


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    A month had passed since Erik and hispanions left the ckguards'' crossroads outpost. The spoils they gained from the outpost were a lot, and everyone in Frant benefitted from them.


    Of course, as soon as the ckguards found out the outpost fell, they sent troops there, but the Chimaeric Demons arrived there faster. Not only did they ransacked the ce, but they also sprung a trap, blowing up the outpost as soon as all the enemy troops were in it.


    It was clear; the war was bing hell for the enemy coalition, but they were still much more than Frant''s troop, and they showed no sign of wanting to retreat from the country.


    As for what Frant got from there, it was a lot. Everything was brought to the front lines, which received a significant boost in their arsenal with an influx of advanced vehicles, weapons, and


    armor.


    Of course, all of them were powered by brain crystals. The Chimaeric Demons left that ce bare. Erik and the others didn''t stop there, though. The young man nted the Luminara serpentis along the eastern side of Frant, on their side of the front lines.


    Most of the monsters from the Eldraith Mountain Range were no longer descending into the lower regions. Theirs, of course. It was another story for the enemy side of the front lines, and without the outpost, it became much harder for Hin, Etrium, and the ckguards to respond to thaids'' threats.


    The ckguards, in fact, faced constant threats from monster attacks, especially because the Luminara serpentis Erik grew around, funnelled them to their territory. That made their supply lines vulnerable and their operations more difficult to sustain.


    Regardless, with those supplies, weapons, vehicles, and armor, Frant got one single important thing: schematics.


    These were quickly sent to Jabir and all the relevant people in Frant. However, Erik''s base of operation quickly became a central ce for Frant''s war effort. It was to the point that Liberty Watch City was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work they had toplete.


    The blueprints covered a wide range of technologies; most Frant had, but Jabir didn''t.


    These ranged from cutting-edge vehicles to innovative weapons. Some schematics were to make some kind of brain crystal powered parts, which Jabir and the others, as much as Erik got told, tried to replicate and even improve.


    Erik was happy because this new knowledge could change not just his forces but the whole nation of Frant. The idea of getting back at Etrium, the mercenary guild, and all the fuckers who went against him made him feel good.


    It also represented a significant leap forward in their technological capabilities; it was going to open a lot of possibilities for Frant in the future.


    However, the process of turning these schematics into tangible assets was not without problems.


    Building the advanced equipment required specialized materials, intricate manufacturing processes, and skilled technicians.


    The difficulty and scope of the work meant that development would be slow; Erik and the others were doubtful that all the designs could be mass-produced in a not too distant future. But at least everyone got what they stole from the outpost, and that weren''t just two or three things.


    Regardless, Erik and his group had been trekking over challenging terrain all month long. While his clones made it easier, Erik couldn''t help but feel like his butt had been used as a drum in a rock band with all the bumps and jolts.


    When he told this to the others, they burst outughing. It looked like Erik missed the double meaning behind his words.


    After some brief stops, they went through traversing deep forests, where most of the sunlight had trouble prating the canopy, and where the undergrowth slowed down even the Chimaeric Demons.


    <It would have been simpler if we could simply fly to Hin.>


    But that would be like calling the ckguards and saying he was headed there, so he couldn''t use that convenient way of travelling.


    That made them climb little hills. Rocky paths tested the clone''s stamina, and narrow, dangerous mountain paths called for every bit of their focus.


    Rivers and streams had to be crossed, but the temperatures of the winter made the temperature drop, which caused a fleeting but painful experience, especially for the clones.


    Atst, the incredible view of the sea yawning out to the horizon greeted them. The group was currently climbing thest mountaintop, separating them from the salty waters.


    This was significant for Erik and his friends. Having spent their lives confined within the boundaries of cities, at best traveling through forestndscapes, they had neverid eyes on the ocean.


    Whipped against their faces, the salty breeze smelled of adventure and the unknown, but the dangers lurking within were well known to the group, at least in theory.


    There was still much they didn''t know about the thaids that dwelled into the ancient and deep waters, something they had to take into ount if they wanted to traverse the ocean, at least unseen.


    However, their initial sense of wonder gave way to unease as they saw whaty in front of the ocean, just below the small hill from which they were spying the shores.


    There was a port below, and it was a hive of activity, with heavily armed shipsing and going in a constant stream.


    <Damn, there are hundreds of them...> The ships ranged from sleek, fast-attack ones to massive ones meant for troop transports. However, they were all bristling with weaponry and emzoned with the insignia of the enemy forces, Hin.


    Etrium didn''t need to take ships to reach Frant, so, here, most of the enemies were from the ind country founded by the ckguards.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    The group observed as toons of troops marched in perfect formation, their boots


    hammering against the worn-out timber docks.


    Rumbling along the coast, armored vehicles kicked up dust clouds as they moved into line. The sound of engines and the barking ofmands could be heard from that far.


    Erik''s brow furrowed.


    <This won''t be simple.>


    At the port, the enemy army concentration was shockingly high-far higher than anything they had seen prior. For sure it was bigger than in the outpost.


    The ships were fortresses on the sea, armed with a variety of weapons that could readily destroy any resistance, not only delivering troops.


    The port was obviously a vital center for the enemy''s operations, since it was the ce from where they came into Frant from their ind country. Of course, this port wasn''t the only one.


    The group exchanged uneasy nces.


    They knew that infiltrating the ce would be risky, at least for Amber and the others. But it would be on Erik to find a way to do so, and he had the means. The reason was simple.


    Erik turned around. Behind him stood Mira, Emily, June, Amber, and 53 Chimaeric Demons- his clones. These hatched months ago and maturedpletely just recently.


    They were powerful. Right now, they were the most powerful ones Erik had so far, because they were the most recent.


    Since they all had the ability to transform into any living creature they wanted, including humans, stealing a ship would not be a hard task for them.