Inside the gate of Istalia, flags were flying and people were crowded.

Tens of thousands of imperial citizens gathered here, crowding on both sides of the broad road, waving banners and flags in their hands, cheering like waves, and welcoming the return of the imperial army.

"For the Empire! For His Majesty Cassius!"

"Welcome home, heroes of the Great Patriotic War!"

"Under the wise leadership of His Majesty Cassius, the Empire has once again achieved a great victory!"

"Warmly congratulate the return of all the heroes of the Empire!"

In this warm atmosphere, the soldiers of the empire formed neat rows and marched towards the city with their heads held high. Their standard leather boots hit the ground, making neat and loud sounds.

Another batch of steam tanks slowly drove in. The engines of these steel behemoths ran at a low intensity, making a dull roar.

They are also "heroes" who have experienced the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and have killed countless demons on the battlefield. Even their tracks have been stained with purple-black blood and become bloodstained.

"Cassius above"

"It's the steam tank! This is our empire's trump card!"

"What kind of monster could cause damage to these imperial treasures?"

"Look, that's the Emperor's Wrath! It's said that it killed tens of thousands of demons on the battlefield!"

At this moment, the "Emperor's Wrath" was not only covered with scars, but there was also a shocking scratch several meters long on the left side of its armor.

However, this is not just simple damage, it also demonstrates the great achievements of this steam tank in fighting against large monsters such as Demon Hunting Spiders and Slayer Demons.

A dragon goblin with the medal of "Hero of Defending the Country" leaned out of the tank, waved excitedly at the crowd, and screamed:
"Long live the Empire!"

"Long live His Majesty Cassius!"

The onlookers didn't care at all about the goblin race of this "hero". They responded to him enthusiastically and followed him in shouting the slogan "Long live the empire".

This dragon vein goblin named Bill was also published in the Imperial Daily for his record of killing several demon hunting spiders.

He was given honorary titles such as "Loyal Imperial Tank Captain" and "Three-foot-tall Giant", and was regarded as a heroic role model by many weak and despised races such as goblins and kobolds.

"Om-"

White smoke belched out from the whistle, as if a giant steel beast was roaring, and the mighty march amazed the onlookers.

"This is the Empire's Steam Tank Corps!"

"How majestic!"

"Even goblins can be heroes on the battlefield. I want to drive a tank too!"

In the infantry team, George, wearing the standard imperial military uniform and with several medals on his chest, was standing in the front row. He looked at the celebrating crowd with mixed feelings in his heart.

He could feel the hot heart flowing with dragon blood beating in his chest.

“Another brilliant win like always.

No matter what kind of enemy we face, Your Majesty can always lead us to victory—even if the enemy is a god-like being."

On that cruel battlefield, George relied on the gift of the red dragon and held out against the siege of several Bazut demons until reinforcements arrived.

A few days ago, George witnessed the earth-shattering battle with his own eyes. The entire Anstica was reduced to ruins, and the god-like abyss dragon fell at the feet of the emperor.

"Cassius above"

George quietly raised his head and looked at the towering Istalia Altar in the distance. The majestic figure of the red dragon seemed to appear in his eyes again.

The triumphant troops continued to enter the city, including the Empire's Ogre Heavy Artillery Corps, the Earth Elf Infantry Corps, the Redscale Conquerors, and the Dragonsworn Paladins.
These warbands that played a role in resisting the demon invasion on the battlefield appeared in front of the people one after another, showing them the empire's strong military strength and making them feel proud and belonging from the bottom of their hearts.

"Long live the Empire!"

"Long live His Majesty Cassius!"

Such cheers continued one after another, filling the city of Istalia almost all day long.

Until dark, under the dim street lights, in the flickering pubs, there were still drunkards staggering, holding up their bottles and shouting those slogans.

The post-war Burning Empire is always the most lively and beautiful, and there are often carnivals lasting for several days in the squares of cities everywhere.

When the soldiers returned triumphantly, they needed alcohol and tobacco to forget the pain brought by the war, and they also needed to vent their long-suppressed emotions and spend the rich spoils they had obtained.

Therefore, soldiers returning victoriously are often the most generous, especially those who have just returned from the front line on the verge of life and death, who can spend money like rain.

It is precisely because of this that the imperial merchants with a keen sense of smell often hang banners with words such as "Military Priority", "Welcome the Heroes", and "Imperial Soldiers Enjoy Discounts" at the door of their shops.

They would also display a wide variety of "special price" goods for the soldiers to consume. In just a few days, these vendors could make a fortune.

And those players who have entered the commercial field have come up with unscrupulous marketing methods, using various forms of popularity to often gain an advantage in the market and earn countless guineas.

There are even hospitality venues engaged in special service industries that use slogans such as "Rewarding the heroes of the empire" and "Dedicating themselves to the heroes of the Patriotic War", which is laughable.

At the same time, the war also brought a large number of orders to the empire's military factories. The workers worked overtime day and night and received generous bonuses - they were in pain and joy.

The victory in the war brought unimaginable dividends, which completely revitalized the empire's economy and made the lives of the people of the empire extremely lively.

After experiencing multiple suicide attacks by the devil, people's disgust and hatred towards the abyss have reached an extreme, almost to the point of being united against a common enemy.

This war helped the people of the empire to breathe a sigh of relief and made them cheer.

Tens of millions of abyss demons died under the empire's intensive artillery fire. Even the abyss dragon that was as big as a mountain was killed by the supreme, glorious and majestic Majesty Cassius.

When talking about that glorious victory, every citizen of the empire would proudly puff out their chest and feel pride and excitement from the bottom of their hearts.

The imperial army had returned triumphantly for three days, but the celebrations continued all night long, and the warm and passionate "Ode to Cassius" echoed in the Imperial Square.

"How can I forget this kindness? Your Majesty, let the springs from the mountains flow down to the plains, and let the sweet rains moisten every place."

In addition, there were excited "Conquest Party members" marching in groups and singing vulgar songs about conquering the South.

Humans, hobgoblins, ogres, tieflings and other soldiers returning from the battlefield crowded in the square. They raised their glasses to each other and drank to celebrate, regardless of racial barriers.

"Come on! Let's drink to the Empire!"

"To the victory! Cheers!"

"Come on, drink more. You finally managed to save your life, so you should indulge yourself!"

The ogre yelled at the top of his lungs: "Boss, bring me two more barrels of wine. Yes, the biggest barrels. I want to finish them all in one go!"

"Which defense zone are you in charge of? I'm in the third defense zone. The fighting over there was so intense that I crawled out from among the dead."

"This is not a coincidence. I am an artilleryman in the third defense zone."

"Wow, hahahaha, what a fate! Maybe the cannonball that saved me was launched by you!"

In this warm atmosphere, two inconspicuous humans, George and Grace, also stepped into the tavern. The waiter at the door was a little careless at first, but when he saw the "Hero Medal" on George's chest and the medal representing the identity of the Dragon Blood Baron, his eyes suddenly lit up and he immediately came to greet him enthusiastically.

In the empire, such military nobles have the most respected status, and all taverns and shops welcome them - because such people are often the most generous, often spending dozens of gold nars.

The waiter's face flushed as he made a "please" gesture to the two of them, with a flattering smile on his face: "Please come in, my two lords! I'll take you to the VIP seat."

George was obviously used to this kind of treatment, and said in a relaxed tone: "No need, we can just find a seat anywhere."

The waiter nodded repeatedly: "Okay, it's all up to you. If you two have any needs, just tell me."

George and Grace found a quieter place to sit down and ordered a few bottles of fine liquor.

——Among them is the most popular "Triumph Song" in recent times, which costs up to three ginnars per bottle.

The waiter soon came over with several bottles of exquisitely wrapped wine, which he gently shook and poured into the two glasses.

It is said that the wine "Song of Triumph" was blended by a winemaking master among the Starfallers specifically for the soldiers returning triumphantly.

It allows people to experience the thrill of killing enemies on the battlefield and fills their minds with the joy and excitement of victory, but in contrast, the price is extremely expensive.

This bottle of wine alone would cost an ordinary worker several months' salary.

Having experienced being a hungry serf, George was not a person who liked luxury, but in this exciting moment of returning triumphantly, he still chose to reward himself.

"Hehe, Grace.
I have said long ago that as long as His Majesty Cassius remains in the supreme position, the Empire will surely win. And your worries are completely unnecessary."

George looked at the lively scene outside the window and drank the wine in his glass.

The warm current infused with magical power surged through the body, giving me the same excitement and pleasure as killing enemies on the battlefield.

"Yes, the Empire will win in the end."

Grace shook her head and laughed, "I was so foolish to doubt your majesty's power before."

He just took a sip of the liquor in the glass, and immediately his face turned red, sweat broke out on his forehead, and a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

George nodded slightly and said seriously: "However, the strength of those demons should not be underestimated. They are a world apart from those trash in the North.

According to the people above, this war caused hundreds of thousands of casualties."

Grace grinned and laughed wildly: "Anyway, we survived this war, didn't we?"

He stood up drunkenly and raised his glass to George and the soldiers nearby: "To victory! To our survival!"

A smile appeared on George's face. He poured himself a full glass of wine, raised his glass, and whispered, "To victory."

Then he raised his head and drank the glass of liquor in one gulp, but George still looked calm and there was no sign of drunkenness on his face.

"boom!"

Grace, who was a little unsteady on his feet, fell on the table, sweating profusely. He could no longer hold on after just drinking one glass.

It is said that this "Song of Triumph" is mixed with the bone powder of the fire dragon, which has an extremely powerful effect. It can make the flames surge in the belly. Even dragon vein creatures will find it difficult to withstand two cups.

Grace lay on the table, barely raising her head to look at George, with envy in her eyes: "George, you stole the show this time!"

He supported his upper body with his arms, looked at George in front of him, and continued to ask: "Your dragon blood concentration should be 5%?"

Grace pointed at George's hand holding the wine glass, and saw faintly visible red scales on the back of his hand.

"almost."

George nodded again, then took a sip of the liquor in his glass.

Grace sighed: "Tsk tsk, he held his ground alone with a ragtag team, resisting the attack of dozens of Bazut Demons, the most elite heavy infantry of the Abyss, and even killed a few of them. No wonder he received the Empire's Hero Medal.

"Just good luck."

George looked down at the back of his hand with scales on it and replied, "If the dragon vein had not been awakened in the middle of the journey, I would have died there long ago."

"Hahaha, Prime Minister Trump once said that luck is also a part of strength. If it weren't for that reckless wizard apprentice, that sir might just be an ordinary ogre now..."

Grace was obviously very drunk and she even laughed and told the secret that was circulating in the empire.

George was horrified and quickly signaled him to shut up. After all, the Prime Minister was well-known throughout the country for holding a grudge. Grace then nodded in understanding.

"But I don't envy you."

Grace lay back in the chair, looking at the ceiling carved with dragon claw patterns, her eyes a little dazed.

"Life is indeed much better now than before. When I was a peasant under the Northern nobles, I never thought about gold, silver, jewelry, fine wine and delicious food.

But I was really scared.”

Grace's voice was trembling, his whole body was shaking, and a look of fear appeared on his face. He pointed his finger at his heart and slapped it hard several times.

"You know, George, that devil's claws were almost going to pierce my chest and go through my heart.

My most trusted subordinate stood in front of me and died for me, and I could only watch helplessly."

George frowned slightly: "What do you mean?"

Grace lowered her eyes and smiled bitterly, “Although I enjoy the feeling of victory, I don’t want to participate in war anymore.

I am always worried about losing everything I have, and worrying that all the wealth and glory I have now will vanish into thin air."

He looked at George again: "George, you should know that the empire's next target is the south, the vast continent of Feanso.

But I am tired of this precarious life. I want to be stationed in Anzeta. It is said that His Majesty will give us the power to guard this place to ensure the safety of the empire.

What about you? What is your choice? "

George hardly thought about it. He subconsciously looked towards the south with a burning gaze.

"South, I am going to the South to win land under the sun for the empire and to stand on the real mountain top."

Even though he had drunk a lot of liquor, George's tone was still exceptionally firm and powerful.

"That's right, you are still the same, Sir George.

Haha, I hope I can see you live to become the Duke of the Empire. By then, I will look up at your statue and salute you."

Grace looked like he had expected this. He raised his glass again and said softly, "To the Empire."

"To the Empire."

George raised his hand to clink the glass, and drank the remaining liquor in the glass. A faint light appeared in his golden eyes, as if the surging dragon flame was ignited.

Around them, soldiers of many races, including ogres, hobgoblins, tieflings, lizardmen, etc., also raised their glasses, and shouts of "To the Empire" were heard one after another.

Even Bill, the dragon vein goblin who was also a "hero defending the country", spoke in a sharp voice. (End of this chapter)