Lind and Lena were currently inspecting the newly created tanks. At first, these tanks looked rather abstract, more like armored personnel carriers equipped with cannons. However, thanks to continuous improvements, they finally resembled real tanks and were very close in appearance to the tanks from Lind’s previous life.
At the same time, to combat the monsters from the Demon Clan, some tanks were equipped with barrel systems similar to those that had been used in the Golden Spike Plains, specifically designed to shoot Holy Water projectiles.
Lena was already eager and couldn’t wait to take the tank for a spin with Lind.
“This is way faster than riding a horse!”
Lena excitedly shouted from the driver’s seat. This tank was still a semi-finished product that was in the assembly phase, basically only equipped with the power system, while the cannon and some armor had not yet been installed. It could essentially be regarded as a bare tank chassis, and it was still an open-top vehicle.
The horses in this world had far better endurance and speed compared to those in Lind’s previous life, but they still couldn’t compare to human-made vehicles that could maintain full speed.
Lind didn’t expect to be able to ride in a tank in this world, especially one being personally driven by his wife. Although being in an open tank was a bit risky, it should be fine, right?
After going around for a while, Lena got out of the tank, and the technicians immediately approached to check if there were any issues with the tank and to see where improvements were needed.
Lena had a lot of ideas, but Lind temporarily held them back. After all, they were currently in a state of war, and these ideas could be recorded for later use. For now, their production capacity needed to support immediate combat effectiveness.
Some concepts for armored personnel carriers were good, but the main issue was that ordinary vehicles struggled to operate once they left the stability systems of the Northern Border. After all, the stability systems in other regions were quite unreliable, and even the Royal Capital, which Lilith had been working on improving the roads around, had not fared much better. However, the solution was simple: they could conquer other areas and fix them gradually.
Lena had been pushing the tank research forward these days, and now the project was finally nearing completion, giving her a bit of time to rest.
After confirming the parameters with the others, Lena suddenly asked, “Lind, are we going to fight in the Royal Capital this time?”
“Not necessarily.”
Lind and Lena began wandering around the research institute and the workshop.
“We need to pay special attention to the snow break area and the Eastern Border. The situation in the Royal Capital mainly depends on whether Her Majesty the Queen can hold the line. Of course, if there’s a chance, we will definitely go take a look at the Royal Capital.”
Lind gazed in the direction of the Royal Capital and continued, “If we don’t personally show those people what violence is, those old nobles will never give up.”
Lind didn’t actually plan to seize the Royal Capital at this opportunity. Although taking advantage of the chaos could work, it would lead to a lot of trouble in the future. Even if his younger sister was willing to give up her position, to outsiders, it would look like he was putting pressure on Her Majesty the Queen, usurping his sister’s position, and encroaching on the Augustus family’s place.
While usurping thrones among other small kingdoms in this world was commonplace and not particularly surprising, Lind didn’t want to set that bad precedent unless the Demon Clan had already breached the Royal Capital.
Unlike Lilith, who thought of just staying since her brother was already there and that this position would fit his backside quite nicely, while she could warm it up and take it for herself, Lind had a bit of a moral squeamishness about such matters. Lilith believed everything would fall into place once her brother was seated, but Lind had to think about much more.
In the scenario where Lilith truly defended the Royal Capital, even if Lind usurped the throne, the subsequent governance would be significantly more challenging, not to mention there would be people with ulterior motives or hidden agendas.
Taking advantage of the situation was acceptable, but trying for a full-scale takeover was simply not the right choice.
Lena didn’t grasp the meaning in Lind’s words, only thinking that he still wanted to support the royal family like her grandfather did, so she merely nodded and said, “Hmm, I’d like to go back to the Royal Capital if I get the chance.”
Seeing Lena’s expression was still the same as usual, always carrying a bit of silly laughter, reminded Lind of when he first got to know her. He understood her thoughts better now.
Lena had initially thought it was quite straightforward: to intervene in the heir war, and then return to the Royal Capital.
Now that the heir war had indeed been won, and it had been a long time since Lena last returned to the Royal Capital. Before the story started, she had mostly lived in the Royal Capital. For Lena, returning there might not carry as much political significance; it was more about her wanting to revisit her place of past life.
“Then let’s return to the Royal Capital. There’s nothing wrong with that. Honestly, I also feel that the kingdom’s army probably won’t be able to withstand the Demon Clan. At that time, let’s push the Demon Clan’s army back with Her Majesty, and then you can return to the Royal Capital in glory.”
As they discussed the details of entering the Royal Capital while inspecting the latest developed weapons, Lind had not held a particularly good opinion of the Royal Capital. Though he had never been there, during Lena’s assassination attempt, Klan had also been assassinated in the Royal Capital. Both the assassination in the Lantern Dream and Klan’s incident indicated that the Royal Capital was already far from secure.
Aside from Lind not mentioning it, the other nobles from the Northern Border had also opposed Lena’s previous desire to visit the Royal Capital. So even negotiations with Lilith took place in the Northern Border; they worried that if Lena were to face another assassination in the Royal Capital…
Just thinking about it made those nobles from the Northern Border break out in a cold sweat for the people of the Royal Capital.
Looking at these new weapons, Lena leaned against Lind and said that driving the tank was not just technical work; being a prototype system and lacking prior experience meant many operating systems were still physically demanding, and even Lena was sweating slightly on her forehead.
The scent of soapberry from Lena began to emanate more with her slightly elevated body temperature. This soapberry scent had never changed since the first time Lena used it. Although the fragrance was ordinary and not particularly strong, it could only be slightly detected when near Lena. It was Lind’s exclusive calming agent; as long as Lind could smell it, he could relax.
“In the past, grandfather thought my chances of marrying were almost certain. At that time, he even sought out the best tailoring association in the Royal Capital, hired tailors who specialized in making clothes for the royal family, and made me a wedding gown.”
Perhaps due to the upcoming return to the Royal Capital, Lena began talking about some past events in the Royal Capital.
“Now, I wonder if I can still wear it.”
Lena squeezed her belly, complaining, “It seems like there’s a bit of extra flesh now.”
Just as Lind was about to reassure Lena that she could definitely wear it—and, if not, it would certainly be because Lena had gone through some changes in the past two years, so they could just have someone sneak into the Royal City to find that wedding gown and make some adjustments—Lena simply said nonchalantly, “Forget it. If I can’t wear it, I can just modify it. Maybe I can still use it.”
Well, it was unexpected that this definitively incorrect male response came from Lena herself, but it was indeed her; both of them couldn’t help but smile at each other.
At that moment, the maid suddenly ran over to Lind, interrupting the moment, and shouted, “My Lord, urgent news from the Royal Capital!”
