Enemies Are All Nourishment for My Fungi

"Stop calling for gods; if that worked, you would have won already."

"Sorry."

"Alright, back to the point, I still don't understand why you put a Transmission Platform that goes straight home so close to the front line. What's the use? Just to make it easier to send troops from Beigen Military Fortress?"

"Yes, the reinforcements for that fortress all come from Beigen Military Fortress."

"How many direct reinforcement points to this world does your homeland have?"

"I'm not sure about that, I only know about this one. It's all for the convenience of long-distance troop deployment. Through a transit at home, we can continuously send forces to the front line."

"What about inside the Secret Realm? Dozens of Transmission Platforms in a single Secret Realm, do they all connect to the same deployment point?"

"Secret Realm? Are you talking about the Fusion Zone?"

"Fusion Zone? Why is it called that? What does 'fusion' mean? Are the two worlds merging? Is that why you started the war?"

Ye Nai was very quick to associate things, grabbing a thread and unraveling a whole line from it.

Hida shook his head blankly, "I don't know, the command just came from above to call it the Fusion Zone."

"Who really knows the details that I should find?"

"The Emperor, the royal family, and the Witch Saint? Only the highest level of the state would know all the details. Us folks fighting on the front line wouldn't be privy to so much. If we were captured, it'd be a breach of secrecy."

"Besides these high-ranking individuals, is it possible that someone a level lower might know more? Beigen Military Fortress is in the Knight's Domain, and no one in the Knight's Family mentioned this. I even went to the Baron's House above and nobody spoke of it either. Is this secrecy deliberate or do the families genuinely not know?"

"That, I'm not sure if the men of the houses have told their families."

"But that doesn't make sense, does it? Reinforcements come from Beigen Military Fortress on this side, and on the other, a large number of soldiers enter Beigen Military Fortress. Do you really think the Baron and Knight's Family know nothing?"

"It depends on the route of troop movement. If it doesn't go through the Baron's Domain, then it might be understandable for the Baron's House to be unaware. But they must pass through the Knight's Domain, and if they claim ignorance, they're just playing dumb. If a military fortress falls within a Noble's territory, the Noble is responsible for taking good care of the fortress, providing all the necessary supplies. They couldn't be completely clueless."

"Right, they're pretty bold, daring to keep me in the dark."

"If the Great Witch finds it strange, she can go ask them again."

Ye Nai thought for a moment and waved her hand dismissively.

"Forget it, I've already raided both the Knight's Domain and Baron's Domain, a bunch of old folks and children, I don't want to deal with them."

"...Ah?!"

"What else? I've made it to Beigen Military Fortress, would I leave local forces around that could be detrimental to me?"

"That's true, it is." Hida silently mopped his brow.

"Buckle up, soldier, answer my questions well, and I'll send you back to the South City Camp in Royal Capital, sparing your lives. For you, there's an extra reward."

Ye Nai knew well that the things that touch people's hearts were nothing but power, money, and desire. She pulled out an empty, floppy purse, opened it widely and let Hida watch as gold coins clinked and tumbled into it, filling it halfway in no time. The purse grew so heavy it hung low; too heavy to carry with one hand, it had to be cradled with both.

Hida's eyes shone brightly, and he straightened his back with a snap.

"If the Great Witch has any questions, just ask. I'll tell everything I know."

"Everything on your planet is so big, with your native culture of witchcraft and wizards and a system of power. How did you adapt when you came to this planet? Our planet's size might not even compare to your homeland. Can you manage?"

"At first, it was indeed hard to adapt, but ordinary people got used to it fairly quickly. Wizards suffered the most, but this place has its advantages. Wizards just have to run between the two, gathering resources over there and conducting research here."

"At what level have you seen the highest-ranking wizards who play both sides? Is there a Witch Saint among them?"

"I'm not qualified to meet a Witch Saint, but there definitely are Witch Saints here, because anyone who can become a Witch Saint is of advanced age, and they want to live longer."

Hida made this statement, clearly well aware of the differences between the two worlds.

"What level are the wizards usually in a Military Fortress?"

"In this world, the Military Fortresses are mostly staffed by Junior Wizards; they are the most numerous and easiest to allocate. In the Fusion Zone, the majority are Intermediate Wizards and a few Advanced Wizards. Great Wizards do not go to the battlefield; they generally stay by the side of important figures. Witch Saints are national symbols, treasures like personifications of the nation, no one can move them, and they can't be touched by war."

As Ye Nai listened, he discerned a special nuance.

Witch Saints have aged; having attained such lofty positions, who would want to die earlier than their peers?

Although staying on Blue Star is uncomfortable, it affords longevity.

In other words, might Wizard City on Yunding Continent have fewer wizards than I imagined?

Ye Nai straightened his back, previously uneasy at the thought of going to Wizard City, but now he suddenly felt more confident.

"You don't know much about wizard affairs, so let's switch to a topic you're familiar with."

"Please ask, Great Witch."

"How many Military Fortresses does your country have in this region? Besides the one we saw earlier and this one here, are there any others?"

"I know this one; there are three more for a total of five Military Fortresses."

"Did you build them all yourselves?"

"No, they were seized, but from which country I really don't know. It's been many years, and I don't even know which rotation of garrison troops we are."

"Seized? But the style of the Military Fortresses is exactly like the ones from your homeland."

"Over time, you know, with multiple rounds of maintenance and reconstruction, of course they resemble those from our homeland."

"The current standoff has only been going on for a few years, right? And these several fortresses you seized have already undergone multiple refurbishments and maintenances? Is it that unstable here? Are there Military Fortresses from other countries nearby?"

Hida stammered for a moment.

From his expression, Ye Nai confirmed his guess; there must be Military Fortresses from other countries nearby, and the situation between them was unstable.

"You're quite busy, having to confront my country on one hand and fight wars with other nations on the other, and all the while your nation's leaders have all run over here, leaving your homeland unattended. How is the state's economy maintained? Doesn't it collapse?"

"I, I don't know..." Hida was so nervous that he began sweating on his forehead.

"Do the nobles support it? Do they have to take turns going back to their homeland?"

"I really don't know..."

"But the commanders of the garrison fort are nobles, right? If not a knight, then at least a baron? Your military ranks equate to the nobility levels, right? During wartime, even a duke must serve on the battlefield to earn military honors, but there always has to be someone who isn't adept at fighting, so they take turns going back to the nation to stabilize the economy, providing a continuous supply of resources for this side, correct?"

"It seems that way..."

"Then where do they operate from?"

"I really don't know, Great Witch, I really don't know..."