NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 23: A Sleepless Night
【Oh oh oh! My host, I think you stumbled upon another important figure!】
System 12345 was yawning when it suddenly yelped in shock.
【Let me take a look. Pasha Baltoghlu, the Ottoman Empire’s admiral, one of Momoana’s most trusted aides. My host, what are you waiting for? Go and score some brownie points!】
“Looks like we have a big fish on our hands,” Shu Yichao murmured when the Grassland Horse Archers dragged Baltoghlu before him.
It was not hard to figure that out when Baltoghlu was dressed in high-quality armor and an exquisite robe.
“Hmph!” Baltoghlu harrumphed. He stiffened his neck and spat, “Khitans, don’t think that you have won just yet! You merely exploited our Sultana’s misstep to clinch an insignificant victory.
“Our vast army can fill a sea with just our soldiers’ spit, whereas your people are numbered. You don’t stand a chance against our Sultana’s forces! Realize your place and obediently surrender, and our benevolent Sultana may consider sparing you!”
“What is he rambling about?” Shu Yichao expressed that he didn’t understand Ottomain words. “Oi, are your people going to pay your ransom?”
【My host, I noticed a crucial problem.】
System 12345 worriedly spoke up.
【I think Baltoghlu doesn’t have a high opinion of you. That doesn’t bode well. He’s the Ottomain’s admiral, an important official of Momoana’s court. If he doesn’t approve of you…】
System 12345 shuddered.
【My host, you must be careful! People like him have no scruples. A misstep here could spell your death, especially on a moonless night like this… Argh! The more I think about it, the more unnerved I get!】
【You need to flee right now!】
System 12345 howled.
【You’re in a lot of danger!】
“Tsk, this one is a miser.” There might be a language barrier, but Shu Yichao could tell from Baltoghlu’s complexion that he wasn’t interested in paying the ransom. “You wouldn’t even spend money to buy your life. Even Scrooge is more generous than you.”
Shu Yichao waved his hands. “Kill him.”
Kacha!
【GAHHH!!!】
【Host host, Baltoghlu’s favorability for you just plummeted to zero! This is too dangerous! My host, are you okay? Let’s hope he doesn’t try anything!】
“We’re almost done cleaning up on land.” Shu Yichao casually waved his scimitar as he turned to the panicking Ottomain ships in the Golden Horn. “It’s time to deal with those on the water.”
“Oh? I leveled up?” Shu Yichaos scratched his head. “Jade Emperor, Goddess of Mercy, Supreme God of Virtue, Buddha Sakyamuni, Sage that Rivals the Heavens… Please watch over me. My pockets are a little tight now. I’ll make up for the offerings and incense next time.”
He pressed the ‘Accept’ button.
“Oh? That’s not bad!” Shu Yichao’s eyes lit up. “I can run faster and see further at night… Hm?”
A fleet was cutting through the violent sea waves, heading in their direction. They were flying the twin eagles flag. It was a fleet personally led by Constantin XI.
Clearly, the Constantinope’s garrison troops had noticed the ruckus here too.
Constantin XI knew that there had to be no mishap at the Golden Horn, so he personally led his troops over to reinforce Shu Yichao in taking down the panicking Ottomain fleet.
However, Shu Yichao didn’t think the same.
“Fuck! Those bastards are here to steal our kills. Brothers, charge! Otherwise, we won’t get anything out of this!”
Shi Yichao figured that they were at a disadvantage, having to compete with over twenty ships for kills, so he unhesitatingly tapped into his profile and ordered the Grassland Horse Archers in the city to rush over.
Instantaneous communication; the Beacons of the Otherworld’s military command system is rather overpowered…
…
“O’ great Sultana,” the envoy prostrated himself to the ground as he delivered heart-stopping reports, “we have lost 63 ships and 6000 soldiers last night. The soldiers who remained in the Golden Horn fought valiantly with our God’s blessings, but the encirclement of the shameless heretics was too much for them to withstand. It was a complete annihilation.
“The enemies have taken over most of our ships, except for a few which our valiant navy men scuttled. The cruel Khitans didn’t take any hostages either; they beheaded every single one of our warriors and stacked them together to mock us.
“Pasha Bartoghlu has also answered our God’s calling after dying a noble death in battle, but those accursed Romains have hung his flag, robe, and head on the west wall, desecrating his body to provoke us…”
Each of these reports was like a dagger stabbing into Momoana’s heart. Her hands, hidden beneath the table, were clenched tight with veins popping from them.
“Is there anything else?” Momoana calmly asked.
Sensing the erupting volcano beneath the icy surface, the envoy cowered on the floor and stuttered in response, “O’ great Sul-Sultana…”
“You may leave now,” Momoana suddenly said after a moment of silence.
“…” The envoy continued prostrating on the ground, not daring to move.
“I said leave,” Momoana repeated herself. “I need to rest.”
The envoy rushed out of the tent, looking as if he had been saved.
Momoana slowly rose up and slowly returned to her tent. She lay on the bed without taking off her clothes and shoes.
“A single setback means nothing,” she murmured, “Momoana, you should take a good rest and bide your time in the upcoming war. True wisdom means seeing through the facade to peer at the truth. You have more than 100,000 soldiers, whereas the Romains’ reinforcements won’t be arriving any time soon. The odds remain in your favor.
“Rest, Momoana. Forget about the Khitans and whatnot.”
Slowly, the Sultana drifted off into deep sleep.
Two hours later, Momoana suddenly opened her blood-red eyes and roared, “Khitans! Those damned Khitans! I’ll rip you into shreds!”
【My host, you’re getting further away from Baltoghlu. Whew! You’re finally out of danger.】
【Hm? This is weird.】
System 12345 sensed something amiss.
【Somehow, Momoana couldn’t sleep because of you. My host, how did you do it? Could it be…】
System 12345 fathomed a guess.
【…she noticed Baltoghlu’s movements and is worried about you?】
【Argh, I can’t make sense of it!!! What’s with this damned program? Black screen, black screen! All I see is the black screen! I’m practically doing this blind!】
—
Author’s Note:
Just to explain a few issues
Starve’s Translation Notes:
For those not familiar with the notion of game mod, it’s similar to how in Minecraft, Roblox, or Warcraft III, players are able to use their Map Creator to create their own games. One example of that is the older DotA hosted on Warcraft III.