novelraw Chapter 136: Lunchtime Meeting
Chapter 136: Lunchtime Meeting
A pleasant aroma of soup and fresh bread filled the air. Kyle, Lauren, Ria, Jacob, and Shi kun sat at one side of the table whereas the other half was occupied by Druv and Strongfist. The uneven sitting arrangement was due to the latter two requiring multiple plates of food. Zyrus sat at the head of the table while Franken was, as always, dozing off near the window.
*Gulp*
Zyrus took a sip of the freshly brewed tea and looked at everyone. From the first day he met them to this moment, they had grown in both wits and power. Now, it was time to bring them on a bigger stage.
“I’ve gathered you all today to talk about a special event. An event where we’ll go to the Kyros continent and compete with all the 99 kings. Or to be exact, those who are alive from the original hundred.”
The implication behind his words was clear. Others could snatch a crown and even initiate the flag march; however, this event was planned specifically for the original kings. It could be said to be a privilege given to them for their conquest.
*Thump*
“Great, so are we all going?” Lauren placed down the empty mug and reached out for the jug. The alcohol made by the research team was getting more popular by each day.
“Ria and Jacob will stay behind. Before we go into details regarding your specific tasks, let’s talk about your crowns. Report me the progress you’ve made.”
“I can now use Relay with up to seven people,” Ria was the first to respond. She had chosen the authority which would allow her to communicate with her allies regardless of distance. Even after being nerfed due to her being a subordinate and not a true king, it was still a great authority.
“I…can…call thirteen…clansman.”
“Ten,” Strongfist spoke while tearing a fish in half. Both he and Druv had selected the ‘Call of the Crown’ authority which allowed them to summon their subordinates regardless of the distance. The numbers they gave right now were unreliable since it was hard to tell how many they could summon after going to Kyros continent.
Zyrus nodded at Kyle and Lauren since he was already aware of their progress. Conviction was the authority they had chosen, and it was a special case. It didn’t get any nerfs when it came to marking someone as Crown’s enemy. The only change was that the detection range was changed to hundred allies for one square meter, and the rewards one would get after eliminating the enemy were reduced to a fifth.
“Good. With your progress the following should be easier. Let’s start with you, Jacob. I want you to join the research team and train yourself as well. Initially I wanted you to teach other mages as well, but now I think it’s better if you prioritize your own powers first. My expectation for you is to be the strongest player in our army after me.”
“Understood,” Jacob nodded with a solemn yet relieved tone. Indeed, he preferred researching magic and being alone if possible. This was also the reason why he gave up his crown.
“Ria, you are well aware of the general plans, so I won’t go into details regarding them. What you should focus on additionally is to make sure that the rats and specter scorpions are put to use. Don’t let them waste their time once they’re done fighting the bugs underground. How to arrange their opponents is up to you; the same goes for Stephan’s tasks.”
Ria nodded while drinking fruit wine as well. They had already talked about this before so there wasn’t much to discuss.
Seeing that all eyes were on him once again, Zyrus placed the empty plate aside and addressed the group once again, this time in a more somber voice.
“The ones going to the continent would be Kyle, Lauren, Shi kun, Strongfist, Druv, and lastly Pouka. What the event is about and other things we will talk about after the system’s announcement. What I want to talk about now is my plan for the third ring. This is the main reason why I’ve only called you at this tent.”
The sounds of eating and drinking stopped at once. Everyone present sharpened their focus and awaited Zyrus’s words. They knew that what they were talking about would be anything but trivial. Their, as well as the entire Kyros continent’s fate would be determined by this. It wasn’t a superstition, but rather, their belief in Zyrus’s abilities.
“As you already know, the continent is geographically divided into five parts. The closest to us is the Northern mountains, while south, despite being farthest, is also easier to reach since it connects to the ocean via multiple rivers. The east is full of forest while the west is a desert with complex underground terrain. As for the center, it’s the most rich and powerful region ruled by the spirits. My question is this: Where do you think the new crown holders have caused most change?”
This text was taken from NovelBin. Help the author by reading the original version there.
This was an important question since before the races living on the continent were distributed evenly. Elves dominated the forest, minotaurs, orcs, and scattered beast races ruled the north, dwarves in the west and spirits in the center. The south was a mix of all since it was the most fertile land; none were willing to accept another race’s hegemony over the area.
“I think humans should be thriving in the south. With mist zones holding off the powerful beings as you said before, I doubt there are many who could match humans’ adaptability and wits when it comes to trade.” Shi kun’s words earned a nod of everyone including Zyrus.
Guessing what humans would do was easy; the complex part was the other races. The group chatted on about their predictions while Zyrus listened and gave a few points now and then. The whole reason he had asked the question despite knowing what would happen was for him to better understand his subordinates.
After seeing the conversations die down, Zyrus once again asked a question.
“Based on this, how do you think we can conquer the Kyros in the third ring? Know that while we have advantages right now, it also means that by conquering the ocean we have lost a stable foothold on Kyros.”
“Attack North.”
Strongfist’s suggestion was as straightforward as always. This time though, a direct attack wouldn’t work.
“We can’t. As a matter of fact, we can’t attack from anywhere as we’re still outsiders. If we show too much strength then others would band together and resist us. Leaving aside whether we can still win, the cost alone would be disastrous. A war on that scale would also ruin the continent’s economy and manpower.”
“Indeed. What should we do then?” Zyrus asked Ria who had laid out the crux of the matter. Conquering sentient races was different compared to fighting monsters.
“I think we find an ally. Any race would do so long as they’re willing to help us assimilate at the starting phase.”
“Exactly. We can also make our ally fight against one or more factions using some underhanded means. If they’re desperate enough then they won’t notice us taking over their interests. Even if they do, the chances are that we can get a foothold on Kyros without much bloodshed,” Kyle added after Ria, which caused another round of discussions to start.
They all gave their opinions and more importantly, learned from one another. The best example was Strongfist who gave an idea that he could act as if he was rebelling from Zyrus and ask to fight other races. The latter half of the sentence didn’t make much sense, but it was surprising enough that he suggested something that didn’t involve fighting in the first part.
*Thuk*Thuk*
Zyrus knocked on the table and interrupted their discussion. The ideas they thought of were good and had a lot of reason behind them. There was, however, a big issue.
“If you, a bunch of talented yet novice leaders could think of such plans, then what about the rulers of Kyros? Do you believe the old kings in the third rings to be morons? Know that they’re wise and crafty enough to sit on their thrones for so long. Even with the system’s events and other circumstantial things stirring up chaos, it’s not that easy to conquer the continent. Not without overwhelming them with direct force,” Zyrus didn’t wait for them to respond and added right after,
“Do you feel like the whole conversation just now was pointless? If we’re going to fight as always, then was there a need to think so hard? The situation in Kyros would change rapidly anyway, so we can just adapt and act accordingly when the time comes. We haven’t even conquered half of our current tiny sea region, so thinking about Kyros is somewhat early as well.”
No one uttered a word, but their silence was an answer in and of itself. Zyrus had already expected such an outcome. An advantage of being an emperor for centuries was that you learn to think on a larger timescale. Something that was unfathomable to the current players.
“The most important part about the upcoming event isn’t the event itself or the multitude of rewards offered. Rather, it’s the first impression. The hundred crown holders met once at the start of flag march, but that was a brief encounter. Now, the whole Kyros will be paying attention to the next event. Including those from beyond the mist zones.”
Zyrus leaned back and placed a bundle on the table. It wasn’t some unique weapon or deadly artifact but rather, a bundle. A bundle of extravagantly luxurious clothes. All those present were dumbfounded since they realized another fact: The clothes were, from the looks of it, for Zyrus.
“There’s a reason why we’re only taking so few people with us. There’s a reason why Franken and I won’t participate in the battle. There’s a reason why I’ll act as a ‘wealthy’ and ‘powerful’ being.
Being rash and provoking everyone by crushing them in the event is a rash move this time. Hiding your strength and relying on schemes is slightly better, but still idiotic. What we want to show them is this: The new faction they were thinking of is comprised of an elite army on the sea, and a leader who’s powerful and interested in wealth. Strong enough to not be taken lightly, but not on the level where everyone would be against us. This is just the first part of the plan, as for the rest, watch and learn.”
Everyone digested his words and sat in silence. In the end, it was Ria who couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked,
“I understand your motive, but isn’t it still about getting a trade ally or causing them to fight one another? How else are we going to conquer the continent?”
“Hahahaha…That’s the thing, we’re not going to do anything. We don’t have to. There is no hidden scheme to cause conflict. We’ll just act as merchants trade with mutual benefits. With just the right time and right deals, we can win. Of course, the prerequisite is that our own army gets strong enough by the end.”
Zyrus knew that the others were still unconvinced in their minds. The reason why he said this in advance is so that they could temper themselves and be on the same level as the old bastards on the thrones. This was all he could do, since some things would only be apparent after time. He stood up from the table and walked towards the exit.
“War is hell, but that's not the half of it, for war is also mystery and terror, adventure and courage, it is foul and holy, it brings valor, despair, longing and love. War is brutal, War is fun, War is thrilling; War is futile. War makes you a king; War makes you a corpse.”
His final words rang in the silent tent, and would continue to do so in their hearts for the next century and beyond.