Chapter 172

As the Violet numbers increased from a battalion level to a regimental level, I came to realize the utmost importance of strategy.

Previously, I had solely focused on how to deal with the enemy, but once our personnel exceeded a thousand, I had to pay attention to the preparation processes before and after battles, as well as how to conduct and conclude the fights.

With this consideration for strategic aspects, I found that nothing in the world was as important as supplies and information.

Struggling, I could vividly picture countless generals and strategists throughout history agonizing over how to procure food and supplies for their subordinates.

“My head hurts! Why are there so many things I need to keep an eye on?”

Fortunately, the Violets had many advantages over the soldiers of the previous Earth.

First, the Violet Network provided us with perfect communication capabilities without time lag.

We could share our thoughts, and see the field information of distant Violets just as it was.

Additionally, our inventory bags and object transfer abilities made moving and storing items effortless.

Thanks to this, food supply was no longer a major concern. I could just buy a ton of food and stack it in the inventory in advance. If in a pinch, we could endure by hibernating as well.

Above all, equipment below rank 3 could be mass duplicated as long as there was enough magical power.

From weapons to armor, everything could be replicated. While it consumed a lot of magical power, we could package the weapons created in advance with the hibernating bodies and bury them for long-term preservation.

Just a little life hack there.

Is that why? While reorganizing the unit with Irene, I discovered something noteworthy.

It was that there were no supply and communication units present.

“I was mistaken. You don’t need a communication officer, right? The same goes for supply. Where else in the world could such units be found? Really…”

“Then I’ll delete that from the organization!”

However, the Violet unit wasn’t completely free from supply issues.

Although I still didn’t know the reason, there were some items that couldn’t be replicated, and among the replicated items, some had seriously reduced quality.

Due to the feature of replicated items disappearing after a certain distance, we had to use real ammunition or arrows. The same applied to explosives.

Given this situation, when we saw the ammunition piled up like a mountain inside the container, we nearly burst out in cheers. We barely held back in front of the weapons merchant.

“Bullets! There are rockets too!”

“These are the ammunition you requested earlier. It’s not all of it. There are more containers besides what you see now.”

“Well, let’s have a look.”

Waving my hand, the masked Violets stepped forward to inspect the ammunition.

Upon opening one of the sealed ammunition cans, a heap of bullets was revealed.

“The condition looks good, not bad.”

“Okay, let’s go see the next one. It should be handled as I requested, right?”

“Of course.”

Having checked the ammunition, it was time to look into other items properly.

As I opened the second container, disassembled machine guns came into view.

“Is this the one from the catalog…?”

At my question, Armas nodded.

“This is an all-purpose machine gun that can be used from ground combat to anti-air. It can be transported as a modular system, and we can disassemble the barrel and body for transport. It uses a 60-round drum magazine. The firepower is definitely there.”

The introduction of heavy weapons continued.

As the container doors opened, we admired the weapons. Armas explained their features, performance, and advantages fluently.

Occasionally, his subordinates would bring out samples to demonstrate.

“How is the firing speed? This is a multi-barrel swivel machine gun. The soldiers of the wall call this ‘howling hellhound.’ While the caliber is smaller than the previous machine guns, considering that it spits out 5,000 to 6,000 bullets per minute, it’s hard to say the firepower is insufficient.”

Every time a container opened, I felt a thrill akin to peeking into Santa Claus’s bag.

“This is a missile, isn’t it?”

I pointed at a large cylindrical object.

“You’ve got a good eye. This is a wire-guided anti-monster dual high-explosive warhead. The warhead is composed of ethereium and dungeon-made rare metals, capable of ripping through thick magical defenses and armor of medium to large monsters simultaneously. It also has flight speed adjustment features, suitable for countering high-speed movement barrier defenses.”

“Impressive!”

I continued to view numerous weapons—various large and small machine guns and mortars. A rapid-fire grenade launcher that showered grenades like rain. Anti-air missiles and recoilless guns as well. It was essentially a weapon museum.

But the real treasure was yet to come.

When Armas’s subordinate opened the last two prepared containers,

we laid our eyes on heavy metallic cylinders piled within. I recognized immediately what they were.

“Cannons…!”

“Is there actually a disassemblable artillery?”

The masked Violets inspected the well-preserved artillery components stored inside the container. Their rough, simplistic exterior showed no signs of dust or rust.

“As I mentioned before, this is second-tier equipment. The firing control system is a bit… outdated. But it meets your requirements perfectly. It can be easily disassembled into six parts for transport, and its total weight is just over one ton. The range and accuracy are unimpeachable.”

“Excellent!”

After the inspections were completed, I couldn’t hide my admiration. Applause erupted on the deck. This weapons merchant had accurately chosen the items we required.

“Machine guns! Missiles! Everything we’ve been looking for is right here!”

Before the transaction, I requested Armas to find heavy weapons that met the following criteria.

First, they couldn’t be excessively large and heavy, as they wouldn’t fit in the inventory. They had to be easily disassembled for transport.

The range also had to be long, and the firepower strong.

“It’ll be heavy.”

“But the firepower looks solid!”

Seeing the plethora of weapons inside that container, my excitement soared. I wanted to play around with them as soon as possible.

“Surely you prepared the manual?”

“Of course, I’ve included the instruction manual. But will that be enough? Handling all that equipment will be challenging with just the manual.”

“We have people too, you know. They can practice on their own.”

I was confident. Even the most complicated weapon would be manageable with enough time.

And I didn’t want to involve outsiders in the training.

After our casual weapon browsing, it was time to start the real shopping.

“Okay, let’s get this transaction started!”

I said as I gestured back.

The masked Violets stacked large bags in front of the weapons merchant.

As Armas’s subordinates carefully opened the bags, they examined the contents with cold gazes.

The bags contained large amounts of cash, gold bars, bonds, and expensive decorative relics.

The subordinates checked for any anomalies, inserting stacks of cash into the bill counter to measure the amount.

“How is it, enough?”

“Yes, this is sufficient, but it’s surprising. I didn’t expect you to pay such a huge amount all at once.”

Thus, our weapon transaction came to a successful conclusion.

“By the way, how will you carry all those? I did disassemble everything as requested, but…”

Armas asked. He seemed curious how I would manage to take such a mountain of weapons from that vast ocean. I deflected.

“Right! I have several relic devices with me. I think you get it now? The relic device is larger on the inside than out.”

Saying this, I pulled out a large travel bag I had brought from home.

I explained that this bag had an expanded space as a relic. Armas’s face shifted to one of understanding.

After all, similar effects for such relics truly exist.

Now the Violets moved the ammunition and weapons with the fake relic bags.

Moreover, we still had time left for a grand show.

“Alright, everyone, prepare the performance!”

After gathering the weapon boxes on the deck, we drew several fake magic circles around with chalk.

Then, Violets with wands began murmuring something in ecstasy as they waved their wands.

“Make it happen… Move… Hya!”

They activated a lighting spell with the tip of their wands. Light erupted from the fake magic circles. We also detonated smoke bombs at the right timing.

A moment later, where the smoke had cleared, there was nothing left.

The weapons merchant and his subordinates stared at us, shocked and dumbfounded.

“I never thought there was such a method… So you’re mages.”

“Well, it was classified!”

We vaguely attributed our methods of moving the weapons to relics and magic. In fact, it wasn’t entirely untrue.

A faint glimmer of awe sparked in Armas’s face as he listened to the Violets.

By the time everything wrapped up and we descended from the cargo ship to the yacht, it was dim dawn.

“If you need anything next time, please call us. We’ll gladly serve you as we did this time.”

I smiled and asked.

“Then can you find me a tank and a helicopter?”

“Haha, unfortunately, that seems like a tall order.”

We turned our backs to the cargo ship and headed towards the sea again. The cargo ship quietly vanished beyond the dawn’s shadows.

On the morning after the transaction, I immediately began firearms training on a cliff of a deserted island near the main island of the academy city.

While Unit 512 flipped through an old manual, other artillery Violets slowly assembled the artillery.

“Let’s see. According to the manual… one, two, three, four?”

“I don’t understand what this means…”

Fearing that our newly purchased artillery might break, we handled it as carefully as if it were a newborn baby.

“Phew, it’s heavy. Assembly is done. I wonder if it’ll function properly?”

“We won’t know until we try. Now, loading one round!”

A multitude of Violets clustered around the completed artillery.

While Unit 213 pulled the lever to open the breech, Unit 884 retrieved a large shell from the inventory.

We pushed the shell into the chamber, then performed the loading procedure of closing the breech again.

When everything was ready, Unit 512 pulled the trigger.

“Here goes. Three, two, one!”

The thunderous roar echoed off the cliff of the deserted island. A few seconds later, the shell fell with a bang in the middle of the distant sea.

“Gag!”

“We did it!”

The Violets jumped up and down in exhilaration from firing the towed artillery for the first time. Except for Unit 884, who was loading the shell.

“Ugh… my arm is broken. What do I do?”

“Quick! Reverse the regeneration!”

Sadly, Unit 884’s arm broke because of being hit by the recoil during the firing.

The recoil from the artillery was strong and dangerous. Seeing Unit 884 made us realize how tough the artillery corps could be.

“Ugh… being an artilleryman is tough!”