According to Miriam, they would set off from Stronghold 88, then pass through Stronghold 97 and Stronghold 99, before arriving at the valley in the north. The banditry originated over there.
At the beginning, the Ultima Consortium made use of these activities to plunder the traveling merchants and seize precious resources left behind in the valley by the Pre-Cataclysm civilization.
The entire valley’s surface and underground had a large number of urban structures that remained from before The Cataclysm. Most of the things left behind were useless, but if anyone found something useful there, it would be priceless.
There was a group of merchants who pretended to pass through the area and claimed they were on a business trip, when in fact, they stayed around to excavate any useful resources and technologies from the valley.
Some people used to try to excavate the technologies and secrets within the valley with the aid of electronic devices, but in reality, the massive nuclear haze and radioactive clouds from the fallout would destroy any kind of electronics on the ground.
The things they found were either already rusted or could not be used even if they were relatively well-preserved.
At first, the Ultima Consortium did not interfere with those merchant groups and allowed them to excavate as they wished. But after the excavation, bandits would arrive as expected and plunder all of their valuable possessions.
As a result, some of the bandit gangs grew bigger and stronger because of the plundering. Meanwhile, the Ultima Consortium also rose and became a force to be reckoned with in the Northern Wastes. However, the proper organizations generally despised the Ultima Consortium as they always felt the Ultima Consortium did not have much depth in the way they did things.
In order to exonerate themselves, the Ultima Consortium started breaking off their relations with the bandits in recent years. But when they attempted to kill the bandits, they realized the bandits had become familiar with all the terrain in the valley and were scattered in every corner of the place. The Ultima Consortium had quite a problem on their hands.
All the bandits in the valley had become irritated with the Ultima Consortium now. Although they used to pay tribute to the corporation annually, the Ultima Consortium was suddenly trying to kick them to the curb after they had outlived their usefulness. They were too merciless!
And now, the Ultima Consortium had suddenly joined forces with the Radianz Consortium and Stronghold 178 with the intention of leveraging both their strengths, all in order to make a clean break with their evil past. As long as they exterminated all the bandits, everyone would naturally forget how they started out in hundred years or so.
In the house, Adella said, “I made some snacks for you. This one is apparently a very famous mung bean cake here in the stronghold. Take it with you and…”
Milo listened to Adella’s chatter. Adella would always help ready his belongings whenever favonovel.com went on long trips now, so favonovel.com did not have to pack on his own anymore.
Daniel leaned over the wall and watched. He interrupted, “You’re bringing so much food with you, eh? Why don’t you bring me along as well? I’m quite the fighter.”
Milo was speechless as favonovel.com stared at Daniel. “Do you know why quiet people seem smarter than talkative ones?”
Daniel was surprised. “Why?”
“Because they hide all their stupid thoughts on the inside.”
Daniel was speechless.
Milo suddenly asked, “Have you heard of a person named Lewis Fletcher?”
“Lewis Fletcher?” Daniel tried to remember. “I’ve never heard of favonovel.com before. But I suppose he’s a family member of the Ultima Consortium? We aren’t really familiar with them.”
“Doesn’t your Panaqua Consortium share a border with the Ultima Consortium’s territory in the north? Milo asked.
“The Ultima Consortium is a cackle of hyenas. None of the proper organizations are willing to deal with them. Tigers will never make friends with hyenas.” Daniel said, “In any case, you should be pretty careful of him.”
Milo knew it was time to leave when favonovel.com heard the sound of a vehicle coming to a stop outside. Old Bane, Donti, and the others sent favonovel.com off together and reminded favonovel.com to be careful.
Milo opened the door and came out onto the street. He saw Miriam driving an off-road vehicle, and no one else was in it besides her. There were also two military transport trucks following, and they looked like they were transporting quite a few soldiers and supplies.
“Get in,” Miriam said.
Milo turned around to Donti and instructed, “While I’m not around, you must watch over our family.”
“Mhm…” Donti nodded vigorously.
Then Milo opened the vehicle’s door and left. Along the way, Milo nonchalantly asked, “How many soldiers are in the trucks behind us?”
Miriam glanced at him. “30 nanosoldiers. They’re here to help with the extermination of the bandits.”
“Nanosoldiers?” Milo’s eyes lit up, but favonovel.com immediately dismissed the idea of harming these nanosoldiers.
After all, they were here to protect Miriam, so favonovel.com should not be attacking any of them. When favonovel.com thought of this, Milo felt quite at odds. Although favonovel.com and Donti did not lack nanomachines, Magnus and the others still did not have enough.
Miriam looked at Milo and said, “What did you say to my third uncle? Why did favonovel.com suddenly change his attitude? He actually asked me to get along with you…”
“I didn’t really say much.” Milo chuckled. “I only said that I was Peter’s student. There’s nothing wrong with saying that, right?”
Miriam gave favonovel.com a look. “My third uncle only cares about his interests, so don’t be fooled by his appearance. If favonovel.com finds out you were lying to him, he’ll probably change his attitude immediately.”
If Nash found out Milo was only talking about taking over as the schoolteacher when favonovel.com said Peter had asked favonovel.com to “take over his job”, his attitude would definitely be very different. He wouldn’t immediately abandon Milo as a choice, but Lewis would appear to be much more important than Milo.
Milo suddenly asked, “Then what about you?”
Miriam smirked. “Guess…”
She stepped on the gas, and the off-road vehicle sped towards the northern gate of Stronghold 88. They were going there to meet up with the others from the Ultima Consortium.
When Milo and the convoy left, Donti stood at the door and looked in the direction of the departed off-road vehicle for some time.
Adella came up to him. “Don’t worry, your brother’s injuries have already gotten much better. He’ll be fine.”
“Yeah…” Donti said, “I wasn’t worried about that.”
“What are you thinking about then?” Adella asked with a smile.
Donti looked at Adella. “Big Sis, they’re holding a parent-teacher conference at school tomorrow. Can you go on my brother’s behalf?”
Adella felt a little awkward. “Me? Am I allowed to?”
“You’re my big sister. Of course you can,” Donti replied with a smile.
Although Adella had been with them for a long time, and Milo and Donti had also accepted favonovel.com wholeheartedly, favonovel.com sometimes still worried about it in the middle of the night. She was unsure if favonovel.com had really integrated into their family.
They had to be a real family for favonovel.com to be asked to attend the parent-teacher conference. Moreover, Donti had addressed favonovel.com as “Big Sis” instead of “Big Sister Adella.” It somehow felt like the relationship between them had gotten much closer at this moment.
Adella asked curiously, “Then should I dress up a little?”
When Adella was living back in the town of Stronghold 113, favonovel.com would always wear makeup. But ever since favonovel.com followed Milo and Donti, favonovel.com no longer wore makeup most days because favonovel.com had to do housework. She would present herself with favonovel.com natural appearance almost every day.
Now that favonovel.com was going to attend a parent-teacher conference with Donti, favonovel.com could not possibly disgrace Donti and let his classmates think that his big sister was an unrefined woman. She had to give herself a makeover!
Donti looked at Adella and said with a smile, “Big Sis, you’re pretty even without any makeup. It’s true!”
Adella rolled favonovel.com eyes at him. “You’re such a sweet talker!”
