"The loss of personnel was ten times what I expected..." Cedros looked out the window and sighed. The wrinkles on his face seemed to be much more than three months ago. Under the setting sun, his short silver hair was
Xu seemed to be a little gloomy. "Those are the elites in the army... Clolin is also the leader of the clan."
This is the central room on the highest floor of Ofu's magnificent city hall, and it is also the most central room in the city hall. The spacious room is very neat, with no decoration except for a few large bookshelves filled with books and files.
and extra things. Cedros's desk is next to the window. Looking out from the window, there is the central square below. There is a group of orcs standing there in the square. The tired look on their faces shows that it is very difficult for them to stand like this.
Yes, they were troops that had just returned from the Sandface Mountains. The forced march with almost no supplies in the wilderness for more than ten days was too much for even the orcs to bear.
"I'm sorry. It was my mistake." Asa sighed. In fact, if they act honestly according to the map drawn by Gru and the detailed plan drawn up by Cedros, they should not suffer any losses.
Cedros also sighed. He looked through the raw ore he brought up, nodded and said: "But the harvest was twenty times what I expected... The purity and quality of the gems in these raw ores are definitely top-notch.
The choice. And the number of them really surprised me. Ofu, a city that had nothing to do with magic, can still compete with Diya Valley or Celeste in this aspect." He smiled bitterly.
"It's a pity that these are long-term values that need to be discovered over time. At least for now, where can Oufu find enough magicians who can use these? And those two Behemoths..." He sighed again.
, the wrinkles on his face are deeper and his smile is even bitterer.
Asa asked: "Did something happen to those two little Behemoths?"
Cedros shook his head and smiled bitterly. "It's absolutely fine. On the contrary, one of the werewolves who brought them back was bitten. Monsters like Beamon can eat meat as soon as they are born, and their digestion capabilities are very strong, so they are easy to raise. I
Several of the most experienced half-orc trainers have been sent to tame them in a secret location, and I will personally plan the taming plan. As long as it is impossible for ordinary troops to deal with this kind of monster, it will definitely become an Orc.
Unrivaled fighting power. It’s just..." Cedros’s face had expressions of longing, hope and helplessness and anxiety, which were strangely intertwined into a strange wry smile. It was as if a poor man who was in urgent need of money to save his life had picked out the value.
Liancheng's antiques cannot be converted into money immediately. "This fighting power will have to wait at least five years. Beamon barely reaches adulthood in five years and has sufficient body size and fighting power. In these five years, the meat they consumed can be piled up."
It has become a small mountain. And now we will have problems with even the most basic food supply. How can we give them so much meat?"
"The results may be huge, but whether they can be harvested is the key." Cedros sighed.
"Did something happen recently?" Asa found that this energetic old man, who seemed to have more fighting spirit and fighting spirit than any young man, sighed too much today.
Cedros nodded helplessly and said: "Pope Magnus expressed his dissatisfaction with Eufor three months ago after a mass. He said that the savage beasts actually established a state openly and wanted to be with the Son of God.
For all people to stand on the level of equality is simply blasphemy against God. Beasts are just beasts after all.”
"Is it just this? It shouldn't be a big problem. The church can't forcefully order any country to attack Ouf."
"Of course. But two months ago, a caravan from Erathia came here to trade. When they left, three werewolves accompanied and escorted them, but when they were about to enter Erathia, the three werewolves suddenly
Almost everyone in the caravan was killed. The two merchants who escaped said that it was because someone in the caravan played an outrageous joke on them, which irritated them. But according to the patrol who first discovered the scene of the tragedy,
According to the orcs, the three werewolves tore not only everyone, the horse, but also a kodo into pieces, and they were almost torn into pieces by themselves."
Asa thought for a while and sighed. "A joke can have such a high effect of mental spells. The person who made the joke must not be simple."
"Before this incident spread, an orc official who went to the royal capital of Erathia on business also had a dispute with a highly respected priest over religious issues. After killing the priest, he still placed a statue on the statue in the church.
Covered with feces and urine. These two things combined have caused turmoil in Erathia. In addition, an ogre and several orcs sneaked into a village on the border of Taitalia, raped and killed several
Women, alarmed villagers and soldiers came together to kill the orcs. A series of children disappeared in a small town on the border of Ernfast. As a result, after investigation, it was discovered that it was the work of an ogre.
The child's skin was skinned by the ogre and carried with him, and the head was strung together and hung around his neck. The evidence is so conclusive that I don't even think it is necessary to send someone to defend it."
"I see." Asa also showed a wry smile. "No wonder you are so worried."
"Erasia has temporarily stopped trade with Eufor, and it seems that it is only a matter of time before the Ironfast Empire and other places will do the same. Although the situation does not seem to have worsened to the point of provoking a war, I think it is just
Sooner or later." Cedros looked to the west and murmured. "After all, the Pope's words would not have been said without reason."
"What do you mean..." Asa frowned and said, "But I think it is impossible for the Pope to be manipulated by the Guild of the Dead..."
The Pope is the spiritual leader of tens of millions of believers in the mainland, the supreme leader of the church, and definitely the top magician in the mainland. Regardless of his own cultivation level, he is just the countless priests and dozens of saints in Celeste.
There are several temple knights and cardinals. Although the Necromancer Guild has great skills, it is absolutely impossible to treat this person, who is the most powerful person in the mainland in every aspect, as a puppet.
"I said that the most terrifying thing about Diya Valley is not their fighting power, but their secret influence. If there are only a dozen necromancers, I don't think it will be difficult to deal with them. But the more important thing is that there are only a dozen or so necromancers.
A person with an extremely smart mind and a more important status. They don't need to control, they only need to influence. What's more..." Cedros pondered for a moment, turned to Asa and smiled bitterly. "Not to mention the church itself will not
Ofu is allowed to exist. So I said, this situation will only happen sooner or later."
Asa nodded. The church can influence and influence those who do not believe in religion. Even if it is a pagan organization, after the paganism is eliminated, those lost lambs are still likely to return to the embrace of the Lord. But no matter what aspects the orcs come from
They have nothing to do with the Lamb. They are more pagans than any pagan. It is unimaginable that they would convert to the embrace of a master who does not recognize themselves at all. In the past, these sub-humans just wandered and lived in the wilderness like wild beasts, so it didn’t matter.
, but now it has become not only a pagan country but also a foreign race country. For the church, it is naturally a thorn in the side.
As for the echo between His Majesty the Pope's statement and the subsequent moves that were obviously made by the Guild of the Dead, no one knows who is using whom, who is the guest and who is the host.
"In other words, what Orfu has to face at the same time is actually the church and the Guild of the Dead." Asa sighed. "It is no exaggeration to say that they are enemies of the entire continent."
"Yes." Cedros nodded helplessly, leaning his upper body out of the window, overlooking the surroundings against the setting sun from the top of the tallest building.
This is the center of Orfor. The room is located very high, and most of Orfor can be seen. On the street outside the square, humans and orcs of various races were mixed together, talking, shouting and holding hands.
Horses, mules, oxen, and kodo beasts came and went with goods. At the entrance of the craftsman's shop, dwarf craftsmen and some orc apprentices were swinging iron blocks. Orcs were selling goods to humans in front of the stalls. Many of them were originally rough and crude.
The buildings were either expanded or simply torn down and rebuilt into taller and more beautiful houses. Ogre craftsmen moved stones and logs, stacked and hammered them under the command of the architect.
Everything seems so lively, but also extremely fragile. The brewing turmoil is enough to turn this place into a barren land without any grass.
The golden light reflected Cedros's beard, hair and every wrinkle clearly. Anyone could clearly see that this was an old man over sixty years old. But for such an old man, it might not take long for him to reach this age.
The old man at the end of his life has single-handedly created such an unprecedented city in the wilderness, and now he has to try his best to defend it. Although the difficulties he faces are almost unimaginable, this old man has more wrinkles and grayer hair.
However, his waist is still straight, and there is still confidence and vitality in his face and eyes.
"I rarely admire people, very rarely." Asa looked at Cedros and said suddenly, "But now I admire you a little."
"Oh? Why do you admire me?" Cedros turned his head and smiled.
"In many legendary stories, someone is so strong that he can be invincible. But compared to this kind of person, I think you are more powerful. You are not invincible, but the world is full of enemies who are much stronger than you. But it seems
You don't seem to be afraid of surrendering. So I admire you. Having enemies in the world is more worthy of admiration than being invincible."
"Hahahaha..." Cedros laughed and looked at Asa. "There are enemies in the world...but when it comes to this, you should be more powerful than me. At least the people who want your head in this world are more powerful than the ones who want your head."
I will kill a hundred times more people."
Asa smiled. "But I didn't do anything deliberately. I just followed my own path."
Cedros also smiled, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to become active. He murmured: "Actually, I am not the same..."
Asa asked: "Do you think OFU can win this battle? After all, they are the two most powerful organizations on the mainland and secretly."
Cedros nodded and said: "Fighting is only a last resort. Politics, economics, diplomacy, maneuvering, weighing the importance, these are the real contests. What's more, even a battle is not a simple wrestling. So we still have a chance.
And I was somewhat prepared for such a situation in advance. General Gru and Lord Porugan have already gone to Taitalia and Erathia respectively."
"What are they going to do?"
"Of course it's diplomacy. What Ofu needs most now is time, so I asked Mr. Borugan to go to Erathia as my special envoy to try to ease the situation. By the way, I want to know the reason for Elathia's attitude towards Offu.
Who can control it? That is, let’s see who our enemy in Erathia is and what kind of capabilities he has. Is the situation irreversible..."
"Let him go?" Asa frowned. If there is really a necromancer hiding there, no matter how good Lord Borugan's mind is as the envoy of Offord, it will not be much better than a bug in the hands of the necromancer.
"It's too dangerous. Why not let General Gru go?"
"Because he has more important things to do in Taitalia. When there are enemies everywhere, we really need an ally."
"Taitalia?" Asa found it more and more incomprehensible. Although the country of Taitalia is not a religious country, it is indeed not affected by the church, but it is located in the northwest of the wild highlands. It only looks like it has not been strong for many years.
The annexation of Erathia shows how barren it is. No matter what kind of help such an ally can provide, it is even more difficult for such a country to be willing to risk the world to help Oufu. The key is that when it comes to diplomacy,
In any case, this is a professional skill that requires verbal skills, but what General Gru is good at is definitely not his mouth, but his fists.
You can gain allies by relying on one person's fists. Anyone who believes in this kind of thing is either crazy or an idiot. But Cedros is definitely neither. He smiled at Asa and said: "Don't worry about these two things.
In extraordinary times, extraordinary means must be used, and extraordinary means will definitely have an extraordinary effect."
Asa smiled and said: "Of course I am relieved. Since the most difficult task has been given to the two of them, I will feel relaxed during this period."
"Where. I have been waiting for you to come back and give you the most important task..." Cedros smiled a little slyly.
"I knew it was like this." Asa sighed. He took out a few things from his waist and threw them on the table. "Please help me see what these are."
"What is it?" Cedros looked at it. It was a pair of boots, a necklace, and a pair of bowl guards.
"The rags I picked up. I don't know if they can be used, what they are used for, and how to use them."