In the Name of Empress

Chapter 680 384: Stay Out of Big Shots' Business

Within the Elf Race, there are still disagreements about migrating northward.

The true elders hold power within the race and do not want to lose it by moving north.

They intended to use the opportunity to negotiate with Roland to consolidate their power, but Roland saw through their schemes clearly.

Roland couldn't be bothered to waste words with them and directly contacted Aivir, asking her to relay a message to these opportunists who couldn't distinguish occasions.

"Migrate within half a month; whoever doesn't will miss their chance."

Roland didn't even plan to accompany them on the migration.

He entrusted the heavy responsibility of organizing the migration to Aivir, which also meant he was entrusting important power of the race to her.

After all, she is extreme, but her loyalty is beyond doubt. Whereas some of the old elders are only loyal to personal interests.

He didn't want to comment on these shortsighted elders, nor did he want to compromise with them.

Faced with Roland's trust, Aivir was stunned for a while, her eyes reddened slightly, and solemnly accepted.

In her view, as the temporary leader of the race, not only did she lead the group into a ditch, but she was also controlled by the Ancient Tree Demon, turning against the Great Sage, an unforgivable crime.

Even if her crimes were forgiven, the ultimate outcome would be removal from office and possibly lifelong imprisonment.

However, Roland not only pardoned her crimes but also continued to use her heavily, how could she not be exceedingly moved?

"Great Sage, I..."

"You have erred, but your loyalty is evident. This is your chance to atone."

Roland's voice was gentle yet carried an undeniable firmness.

"Remember, you only have this one chance."

Although he valued Aivir's loyalty, Roland was equally skeptical of her ability. Indeed, she had led the Elf Race down a wrong path, even a dead end.

Though the Ancient Tree Disaster was vaguely mentioned in the Elf Scriptures, granting intelligence to the Ancients Trees was explicitly forbidden by clan rules; she surely knew this.

Roland had no desire to question her, as he could completely predict what Aivir would say.

She would claim that she was forced into it, that the race had reached a dead end, and so on.

Excuses for failure belong to the weak; the strong fear nothing.

Aivir was indeed loyal, but she was also weak.

He had some concerns about letting her lead the team north alone, so he asked sternly:

"What if Yehu blocks the road during the migration?"

"Take down the first person blocking the road with thunderous means to deter other eager fools; eliminate anyone who dares to stop us!"

Aivir's answer was resolute and powerful.

Roland nodded, indicating his satisfaction with the straightforward response.

He continued to ask, "What if Centaurs block the way?"

"Same strategy as with Yehu, hit the first batch of provocateurs hard." Aivir's eyes shone with a fierce glow of a desire to kill.

"What if they ally and attack from both sides?"

"Then split our forces and take them out!"

Aivir answered decisively.

Just after speaking, she seemed to feel this answer was somewhat blunt, and quickly added:

"The race's armed forces are relatively weak, splitting up would dilute strength. It's better to unite, first defeating those closest before attacking the farther group."

To prove she wasn't talking nonsense, Aivir elaborated confidently to Roland, "Respected Great Sage, there are conflicts between the Centaurs and Yehu, I don't believe they can coordinate well."

"Simultaneous offense from south and north, requiring intricate coordination for a pincer attack necessitates high-level command skills and perfectly trained troops."

"They cannot achieve this!"

Aivir said confidently.

Roland was somewhat surprised, quietly adjusting his assessment of Aivir.

Though she might have been rash and done foolish things while acting as the interim leader of the race, she indeed had some expertise in her professional domain.

At least in the field of military know-how, she wasn't useless.

Roland nodded, then began shaking his head.

Aivir's smile froze on her face; this was a lifetime's learning and experience accumulated from long struggles to deal with Yehu and Centaurs, how could it be wrong?

Despite the reluctance in her heart, she maintained a humble posture.

In the presence of the Great Sage, one must maintain humility.

She lowered her head and said softly: "Respected Great Sage, my abilities are limited, please grant me wisdom."

Roland smiled and asked, "I fully trust your abilities and believe your tactics are sound, but what about the cost?"

Aivir fell silent.

She could understand Roland's concerns; the race now only has a few hundred thousand people left, including a good number of the elderly, women, and children.

Although the battle strength per Elf is decent, even among the elderly, women, and minors, their combat capability may not compare with the prime-aged adults.

If too much non-combat population is lost, it would affect the race's revival.

She couldn't figure it out, then suddenly realized Roland mentioned having the Earth Spirit join them on the northward journey, and she suddenly understood.

"Great Sage, I understand."

"Speak your thoughts?" Seeing Aivir's eyes filled with confident wisdom, he felt relieved.

He somewhat had a preconceived notion about Aivir. Perhaps she had abilities, but due to the decline of the race, she couldn't change much.

However, Aivir's next words froze his smile and made him want to retract his praise.

"Respected Great Sage, are you suggesting I utilize your authority to order the Earth Spirit Race and make them cannon fodder?"

Roland: "..."

He couldn't help but ask, "How does sage Kromi's political acumen and strategy compare to yours?"

Although reluctant to admit, Elves pay close attention to their nemesis, the Earth Spirit Race, and are very familiar with the young talents and strong figures among them.

Kromi's level of strategy far surpasses hers.

Despite disliking the Earth Spirit, Aivir did not want to lie.