Vladimir observed the smirking priestess but did not even try to analyse her. He feared that she could feel it in her subdued divine aura.

He still did not discover how the module actually worked and the powerful beings had the ethereal, suppressive aura around them.

Ki, magic, divine… Three main branches of this world and probably on all worlds except those who completely lack them, like Earth.

And there was that strange ‘energy’ that allowed them to level up and evolve, rank up class or use it as fuel for some of his system functions, like the divination protection.

He knew that the others called it experience or XP, but he hated those labels.

He could not wait to get his hand on these powers. Then a crazy idea occurred to him; magic, ki and divine were the same type of energy as EN... but used differently.

All of these thoughts went in a flash in his head. He was in turmoil. He could not understand it.

Before, his reaction was almost violent when the priestess dismissed Bread and didn’t know how to grasp onto it. Something strange went with him and later he would meditate on it.

He focused back at the orcette before her. And Bread. Bread… A silly name but he liked it… Thinking it was cute. That she was cute.

The face of his mother again flashed in his mind. And then his father. Family. Earth. He missed it. Bread… A loaf of baked flour, water, egg and yeasts. Also the name of the cute girl. A goblinette. Different race. He accepted it fairly well. He had to. He ruefully smiled at the recent not-so-good memories. He ate them. Killed them. He hated it.

Who was Bread for him? They barely knew each other for a few days but the spark certainly jumped between them. Even he, as dumb as he was, acknowledged this.

“She is… a friend,” he said after he forcefully calmed down. No need to force it.

The priestess of Staumaz, wearing a simple black toga with the temple emblem over her large chest, squinted her eyes towards the human then glancing at the reddened Bread.

Sular grinned as if she just saw something funny, however did not comment on it.

The atmosphere went off a little bit after that. Bread slumped a bit, her mind on her adoptive father and certainly suffering Goulash. She hugged the kids and started to quietly talk to them while trying to collect herself.

“Can we talk?” Vladimir quietly asked. He wanted the potion. He had to acquire it. His time was rapidly running out.

“Talk,” she flatly answered. She did not budget from her spot, observing the goblins and goblinettes, clearly not wanting to leave. Compassion… So orcs can have it, Vlad thought.

“Do you have some spare Cure Disease potions?” Vlad didn’t see why he should walk around it.

“500 gold for beginner-grade. 750 gold for apprentice-grade. Any higher grade is commissioned two months before, prices varies” she mercilessly priced the list.

“Don’t have cash on me...”

It was a state he was not used to. He had trillions in assets back on Earth. Vladimir still deterred from stealing or looting. His morals were still… largely intact after all.

His mother’s face flashed through his mind and he immediately felt like a hypocrite. She betrayed him. She was still his mother. But she…

He was torn apart and tortured himself with it every day.

“Not my problem,” she glanced at him dismissively, her answer breaking his dilemma.

“What about healing?” He hoped.

“You don’t have cash, you don’t get healed. Simple as that,” the ruthlessness shined from her eyes as she watched him. “You are weak… How do you expect to help saving Goulash? He will be heavily guarded,” she suddenly asked.

That stopped Vladimir. He was seriously outclassed. Even with the help of temple guards, it will be extremely dangerous.

He went quickly through his system, desperately searching for something usable. He did not find anything.

Maybe a pistol. When everything else failed, technology came to save the day!

“Borrow me a pistol and some ammo,” he said in the end, embarrassed.

“Heh… Fine,” Sular laughed.

A pair of guards brought her a simple metallic chair. She sat down and closed her eyes.

Vladimir guessed she was meditating or praying. Whatever priests were doing.

Vladimir felt truly inadequate. He could not protect anyone. His team on the Earth, Sou’Rek who he had to kill, not once but twice. He had to murder his own mother. He had to be saved. And all that because he lacked something so simple as power.

He could have had it. But he refused, too enamoured in his research, trying to improve the world and prove himself. That he was not damaged. But he killed some girl. Some time, so long ago he could not even remember it. Even through his given eidetic memory.

Bread was still grieving and Vlad decided to let her be with the bawling kids.

He shook his head to clear it and sat down. He had a little bit of time before the operation commenced and he would like to meditate.

In an hour, a temple guard arrived with the message; They were ready.

It was a few hours before dark, so the city was almost empty, except for those on duties. Orcs were holed up in pubs, brothels or homes and celebrating something, Vlad did not care for.

He borrowed two pistols with plenty of ammo from Sular, which he was supposed to pay back if he survived and a thin steel armour which he was told not to even scratch by the priestess.

He wanted to borrow something stronger, but when he tried to wear it he was like a statue, to the Bread and kids great amusement and only when he used all of his strength was he able to move.

So he embarrassedly asked for the thin version again and hoped it would be enough.

He will have to loot the dead. He shivered but understood that he already dissected and ate goblins.

And now he was taking care of goblin kids. He laughed at that dichotomy and briefly wondered if he had gone finally batshit crazy or the world around him was.

Probably both.

Right now, they were in a strange steam-propelled armoured truck. Two large tanks of water were on the sides, balancing the furnace on the back. The gears and pipes were safely hidden behind plates of steel.

The whole vehicle was made from alchemical steel. The metal was still an enigma for Vlad.

It irked him a lot, now that he had time to think about things like this.

Vlad noticed that no automobiles used wheels, only continuous tracks from enchanted steel.

No wonder, it appeared like the rubber was not invented or was taken only as inferior material and frankly wheels would be of no use in a terrain like this. And tendons from high levelled monsters would be expensive.

There were three orc knights, wearing simple black armours with masked helmets. They were supposed to pose as mercenaries.

Sou’Rek, who was also the driver, was leading him and another fourteen goblins posing as revolutionaries.

They had the same type of armour as the orcs, except of course smaller and instead of two-handed maces, axes or swords, they were equipped with rifles.

What surprised him was Bread. She was the thirteenth armoured goblin, sitting next to him. He now realized he never analysed so he had done it.

[Bread, Goblin Warrior

Level: 7

VIT: 21.6 (CAC x (3+1.5))

CAC: 4.8

ISS: 4.8

NSS: 4.6

MPA: 3.5]

Vladimir slightly gaped at her attributes. She was stronger than him by almost multiplication of two. His ego did not appreciate it and closed the screen.

However, he also admired her.

The rest of the crew were 2nd-tier. He did not dare to analyse them. The slight pressure of Ki warned him enough.

It seemed that the system only allowed usage of the energies after they advanced the class. If the same went for magic he could not tell as he did not meet a sufficiently weak wizard. Interesting, but completely useless information.

“Ambush site in three minutes!” The driver yelled over the loud engine.

The hissing was slowly getting on Vlad’s nerves. He still could not get used to the sound.

The ride was smooth and they arrived at the place without a parade. Vlad hoped that the info from the church was right.

They climbed out of the truck after Sou’Rek parked across the road, completely blocking it.

The ambush site itself was half-way between the city and forest in a small valley, covered by rocky formations from both sides. An ideal place for an ambush.

Also, the church prepared well, as they used their power in the city to force patrols to use alternative ways. The royals didn’t catch up yet and devils were either too amused by this endeavour or just did not notice.

Either way, they are going to try.

They positioned themselves along the way and Sou’Rek pretended to repair the tank.

The orcs let themselves to be buried in the ground and rabble on the sides.

The goblins and one human divided into four teams of three.

“Heh… Classic is classic…” Vlad muttered as he found it funny, earning weird glances from Bread and the goblin guard next to him.

He felt like in some kind of strange movie. Not a good one, too. However this was reality and he meditated, using the focus sub-skill to subdue his emotions.

In a moment a new tank, an even bigger version of their own ride, emerged from the other side, slowly moving towards them, leaving a thick, white steam trail behind.

Everyone calmed down, waiting for the leading orc orders.

The enemy truck moved inside the valley and was forced to stop. An angry orc, wearing a simple plate armour without a helmet nor neck protection, climbed out of the tank, wildly gesticulating.

Vladimir even heard a few very creative swears forwarded at the goblin.

Sou’Rek slowly moved his foot under the middle of the spear's shaft.

The orc was more and more agitated as the goblin before him was unresponsive, slightly shaking. He mistook it for fear and with a menacing smile, he leaned to push the fallen inquisitor down.

Suddenly, a spear shined in the setting-down twin suns as it sprang up from the ground, jerked up by Sou'Rek's right feet. He caught it with the speed only 2nd class could produce and the tip barely missed the orc’s neck as he dodged.

The orc shouted to alarm the others while evading rapidly incoming thrusts. Sou’Rek was somewhat weaker but his swiftness was enough to compensate for the difference in strength.

The gate at the back of the tank opened and guards jumped out one after another. They were fully armoured in plate armours showing colours of the royal family, black stripes in a golden field, and armed with one-handed ornate chain-swords connected to a backpack on their backs three.

Vladimir could sense their aura. It was like a mountain of pure, raw power was pulsating, crushing everything in its path.

He realized it had to be Ki and some activated skill to boot.

Then bullets began flying at them, harmlessly deflecting from their defences.

“Shita! Royal guards!” The goblin near Vlad swore as he was rapidly shooting alongside him and Bread.

The three guards were encountered by the three church knights who jumped out of their shallow graves.

There was a clear difference in power, but bullets were impeding the royal guards.

Vlad only saw Sou'Rek's mad grin as he momentarily stopped, clashing his spear with the enemy’s flamberge. He was enjoying the fight.

Some of the goblins transferred a very little ki they had into bullets before they loaded them in their weapons.

Vlad concluded that the world was not fair. Races had obvious perks and detriments that technology could partially erase but still...

The knights were completely routed by the royal guards and were slain with decapitation.

Fortunately, Sou’Rek was able to hit his opponent in the unprotected neck, successfully disabling him. It would not kill the resilient orc, but he was out of the fight.

The goblins shot their Ki-enhanced bullets at the incoming guards. Some of them penetrated their black-striped gold armours, heavily injuring them.

Vladimir tried to shoot at them, but they were too fast and too far away for him.

Sou’Rek used a hit and run strategy, making them choose between dividing, trying to catch him or going after constantly moving shooters.

Vladimir tried to use analysis on them, trying to find a way to help, but their natural flaring aura completely negated the attempt. From it, he concluded that the analysis had some kind of active element, some kind of radiation.

Right now, they were at an impasse. The guards could not catch up to the goblins or Sou’Rek, the only left close combat warrior. On the other hand, the goblins didn’t have enough ki to finish them off.

Bread was still firing her normal bullets, but those that hit were just harmlessly deflected like a bug bite. The armour was certainly enchanted by some devil.

Vladimir knew that the only reason they lived was the constant barrage and soon-to-be-exhausted Sou’Rek. Especially if the guards finally decided to split.

Frankly, Vlad did not understand why they still didn’t do it. Maybe their defence was reliant on distance? Maybe some skill? Or was it psychological?

To Vlad, there were only two options. Either risk more fighting, trying more and more desperate moves until someone dies, trying to locate the royal guards’ weakness or negotiation.

Running away would be unwise.

The bullets would deplete soon.

Goulash had to be in the tank, bound, unconscious or both.

He glanced at the increasingly worried Bread, who was just noticing the mess they were in. Hopefully, the guards wouldn’t be too smart.

Seemed, like the royals noticed after all. But underestimated.

He decided; negotiation was the only way to survive this.