Castle of Black Iron

When he returned to Mocco City once again, Zhang Tie sensed the intense and grim atmosphere which was enshrouding this city. The human defense line and works outside the city were crowded with discomfited human fighters; many broken armored vehicles and tanks were abandoned in the wild. Some turrets and boilers which could still run were buried beneath the earth, only exposing their batteries.

Until then did Zhang Tie realize that Volvo City had collapsed two months ago, the allied human forces only controlled Mocco City and Sladic City while the ground connection between the two cities had been cut off by the demonized puppets corps.

In the recent two months, the allied human forces had been thinking about breaking through the connection between Mocco City and Sladic City. The remnants of the allied armored units then became the main force to combat demonized puppets corps. After losing their fuel and material supply in the latest move, the No. 107 Heavy Armored Regiment of Iron Plough Corps suffered a great loss. As a result, the regimental commander had to lead all the fighters of the entire Armored Regiment to climb out of armored vehicles and evacuated back to Mocco City on foot. Nevertheless, they were caught up by a demonized puppets troop and could almost be completely annihilated.

In such a case, the armored units had two choices: to stay in armored vehicles for rescue; to escape out of there by foot. However, as Selnes was becoming worse while more and more demonized puppets were wandering outside the city. As for an armored regiment being trapped in the wild, they might never see the reinforcements coming. Even though the reinforcements arrived, they had to sacrifice many times more fighters to save the armored units out of there.

In such a case, especially when the armored troop was surrounded by the demonized puppets in the wild after losing power and suffering mechanical obstacles, those armored soldiers preferred to commit a suicide or starve to death than coming out of there to be eaten by the demonized puppets.

This was the most tragic page of Selnes Theater of Operations.

The No. 107 Heavy Armored Regiment of Iron Plough Corps were fortunate. When their armored vehicles broke down, those demonized puppets had not caught up with them; however, when those demonized puppets caught up with them, they were saved by Zhang Tie.

After being framed by Senel Clan, Zhang Tie didn’t know whether he was a hero or a traitor in Selnes Theater of Operations. Because his status was sensitive to the public, Zhang Tie didn’t inquire too much about Jinyun Country and the Crystal Battle Fortress lest others’ suspicion. Through the regimental commander, Zhang Tie knew that Jinyun Country’s troop had evacuated due to some reason after Volvo City was collapsed. Additionally, there was no news that the commission officer of the airship troop of Jinyun Country died or had any trouble in the past months. Therefore, Zhang Tie became reassured.

After entering Mocco City successfully, Zhang Tie separated from those armored units.

...

”When you see Reinhardt, tell him that the guy who smoked his cigar in Mocco City last time had come back. I will live in the place where he invited me to drink that day. I might stay in Mocco City a couple of days!”

”No problem!” That regimental commander nodded.

Zhang Tie waved his hands towards those fighters of the No. 107 Heavy Armored Regiment before turning back and disappearing in the pitch-dark street...

Zhang Tie didn’t tell them his name.

...

In the evening, the Mocco City looked a bit frustrated. As a human city in Selnes Theater of Operations, everything about the allied human forces would be expressed in this city. Any victory in the frontline would make this city brilliant while any failure in the frontline would make this city depressed and grim. When this city became the defense frontline and might be collapsed by demons at any time, it was terrifying all over besides deep depression. Zhang Tie saw many human fighters sitting on the roadsides as drunk as fiddler and watching the sky with a vacant look...

Previously, in such a case, urban gendarmes would at least drag those drunk soldiers away; however, at this moment, the gendarmes might have disappeared or just ignored them.

With his memory, Zhang Tie wandered through the dim streets and alleys. It took him only a bit longer than 20 minutes to come to the Demon Hunters Bar in Mocco City.

Besides hiding the largest illegal market across Selnes Theater of Operations, this Demon Hunters Bar was also the most informed place in this city.

Zhang Tie’s strange and powerful qi was familiar to those guards outside the door of the bar. Zhang Tie even smelt bloody, which was even more useful than any certificate. The guards threw a glance at Zhang Tie and sniffed before opening the door for Zhang Tie.

The moment Zhang Tie entered had he felt abnormal inside. A woman in black robe was sitting at the bar counter and drinking alone. She looked narcissistic. She was alone near the counter while the others stayed far away from her and sat at those tables around the bar counter. Although some tables looked evidently crowded, nobody would like to sit at the table, even though some stools were still available at the bar counter.

Under the gaze of everyone else, Zhang Tie came to the side of the bar counter and sat beside the woman as he waved his hand towards the bartender.

”Give me a cup of drink!”

”What do you want to drink?” The bartender walked over and asked him in a low voice.

Zhang Tie found the bartender’s face looked a bit pale, which might be because of over panic. His smile even looked embarrassed.

”Whatever!” Zhang Tie glanced at the gradevin behind the bartender and found the kinds of drinks inside the gradevin had decreased a lot. It seemed that this place had started to run out of materials.

”Try this. This is the best beer from Norman Empire. I’m sure that you’ve not drunk it before. This beer is called Iron-blood Lover!” The bartender faintly recovered his look when he talked about the beer. At the same time, she made a cup of beer from the beer barrel behind the counter rapidly.

’Iron-blood Lover?’ Zhang Tie felt like vomiting after hearing this name, ’Why does a beer have such a literary name? Whatever, it’s none of my business. I’m here for a drink.’ Watching the bartender serving him a big glass of beer, Zhang Tie immediately took it up and had a mouth of drink. He was stunned at once.

”How about it?” The bartender asked Zhang Tie hopefully.

Zhang Tie had numerous feelings about the taste of the beer. After a second, Zhang Tie asked slowly, ”You mean this beer comes from Norman Empire?”

”Yup, this beer is exclusively supplied for the trump-card troop of Norman Empire in the frontline. I dare say you can not find a better beer across Blackson Humans Corridor. I was told this beer also had some marvelous effects. With it, the frontline fighters could better maintain their physical strength. If they had some small wounds, they could heal them soon by drinking this beer!”

Zhang Tie replied with a smile as Hanna’s face and the absurd and happy plots between him and Hanna flashed across his mind, ’Iron-blood Lover, Iron-blood Camp Lover, doesn’t it refer to me? It turns out that even though Hanna has gotten married, she’s still authoritative on the side of her original family; otherwise, they would not name the beer in this way.’

”One more Iron-blood Lover!”

After hearing the hoarse and slightly attractive voice of the woman on his side, Zhang Tie turned around as he noticed that the woman was also drinking a big glass of beer; after drinking it up, she pushed the glass towards the bartender.

Judging from her side, she was a top beauty; additionally, she might be a Chinese of mixed parentage. Black hair and clear-cut facial features made her especially charming and impressive.

The woman looked very icy. Even though she knew that Zhang Tie was staring at her, she still didn’t throw a glance at Zhang Tie. She looked very arrogant. When Zhang Tie stared at her hands, he found she was wearing a pair of semi-transparent gloves. If not the golden plum blossoms embroidered on the gloves, he almost could not identify that they were female gloves.

After realizing that Zhang Tie was staring at her gloves, that woman threw a glance at Zhang Tie. When she saw the huge shell-sized equipment on Zhang Tie’s back, a light flashed across the woman’s eyes, which could not be easily observed by others.

The bartender filled the glass meticulously and pushed it back to the woman. The woman took up the glass and started to sip it slowly. As Zhang Tie was thinking about his next step, he didn’t feel like accosting her. Therefore, after the woman finished her beer, she dropped some gold coins and left before throwing another glance at Zhang Tie.

Until the woman left did the weird atmosphere in the bar relieve a bit. Some men who were crowding at the tables then dared sit at the bar counter; however, nobody dared sit where the woman had sat before.

”Brother, you’re audacious. Well done! You dared even sit beside that woman!” A whiskered tough man sat beside Zhang Tie and thumbed up towards him.

”Ah? Is that strange?” Zhang Tie blinked his eyes.

”Do you know who’s that woman?”

”Who’s her?”

”Tirsiris. Don’t you know her? Although she had been here only a few times, many guys who wanted to accost her had been killed out of no reason!”

’Tirsiris——Selnes Snake? The terrifying voodoo pharmacist?’ Zhang Tie became faintly shocked as he had not imagined that he could meet that woman here, ’It’s nothing strange. I, the Selnes Eagle could be here, then why couldn’t she come here?’

Soon after Zhang Tie drunk two glasses of beer had Reinhardt arrived...