Chapter 676: The Transaction

"I still find it a bit hard to accept. Maybe I'm just out of touch—"

Prometheus smiled bitterly, his expression thoughtful. "But Your Majesty says they will be the foundation of our pantheon in the future. Are you planning to increase investment in biological armor?"

"Our pantheon's foundation is too thin, my Prophet God. To remedy this, one is the magic-powered armor that Anthony is working on. I am trying to acquire the mechanical technology of the 'Terra Empire' to speed up the development of magic-powered armor. The other is biological armor. We have fully absorbed the Moshlar's technology, but the science they mastered is not enough for us to gain a foothold in this world. We must continue in-depth research on their foundation. Coincidentally, the genes of these Blood Feast Demon Insects are very interesting and will be a good breakthrough direction."

Li Mochen's eyes flickered. "But if we want to research more powerful biological armor, it will inevitably touch the domain of gods and require a large number of specialized talents."

Prometheus already understood his thoughts. "So this means these scholars will inevitably lack reverence for the gods. That's why you prefer to form a 'transaction' relationship with them?"

"Rather than controlling these scholars as tools, it's better to treat them as transaction partners. Although the cost will be slightly higher, it can avoid possible backlash in the future and also allow them to invest more enthusiasm in their research. What do you think?"

Just as Li Mochen said this, his expression turned serious.

This was because dozens of sound patterns and divine thoughts had emerged from within that desert world. The sound patterns were nearly ultrasonic, inaudible to humans. But the divine thoughts were vast and mighty, filled with towering rage.

As they had expected, those lords and insect mothers had finally detected the anomaly. Then, filled with fury, they searched the outer domain, sweeping their divine thoughts back and forth across this void.

But in the end, these lords and insect mothers found nothing. Li Mochen's ability to conceal far exceeded their capabilities. The two stood firm in the void, using time as a barrier, so that even the strongest among these demon insects could not sense them within a thousand kilometers.

"Patrick's research is correct. These Blood Feast Demon Insects should be unfinished creations. Their insect mothers have significant flaws in certain abilities."

Prometheus observed coldly ahead, watching the hundred-plus demon insects, whose bodies were only two to three times larger than normal humans but covered in insect armor, scurrying wildly in the void.

Before the medium divine rank, the stronger these demon insects were, the larger their bodies. But after divine rank nine, the situation reversed: the stronger they were, the smaller their bodies.

And those insect mothers, though possessing immensely huge bodies, had secondary bodies only the size of normal humans. These secondary bodies could detach and move independently, and they were the insect mothers' main combat capability.

Seven insect mother secondary bodies entered the outer void to search. Occasionally, they approached the spot where the two stood, but when they got within ten thousand kilometers, Li Mochen's power guided them away.

The divine authority named 'Fate' did not allow them to approach this place.

In Prometheus's view, this was their shortcoming. Their divine thoughts were very powerful but extremely rigid and sluggish—if they were normal god-king rank, they would never be toyed with like this by his lord.

Of course, this shortcoming was not a fatal flaw. In actual combat, it would be difficult to exploit.

Thus, the combat power of these insect mothers was still genuine.

"There are no perfect creatures in this world, Prometheus. At this level, they are already terrifying, and further refinement is very difficult. If I were them, I would not continue to strengthen them. As tools, they are already sharp enough to cut the hand."

Li Mochen commented casually, his mind constantly focused on the interior of the desert world.

Two hours after the plan began, a large number of demon insects inside the desert world had already died. This was due to the more toxic 'Punishment Type 2' and 'Punishment Type 4', while 'Punishment Type 3' virus was also spreading widely among them.

The hygiene conditions of the demon insects were poor. The nests they lived in were themselves 'alive', filled with various biological fluids. These fluids contained many spores and also served as food for the demon insects. They were like nutrient fluids, allowing the demon insects to maintain minimal nutritional intake while also nurturing the spores into insect larvae.

In such an environment, it was a paradise for viruses to proliferate. Within just two hours, the 'Punishment Type 3' virus that Li Mochen sensed was already everywhere.

Then, when the seventh hour arrived, the demon insects began to die in large numbers.

At the same time, Li Mochen sensed that his 'Divine Fortune Purple Gold Tower' was constantly trembling. The merit power gathered outside the tower began to grow explosively.

Li Mochen was not surprised. He knew this was not a gift from the world's will; the 'Heavenly Will' of those worlds was not that clever. This was merit, triggered by his actions that had shifted causality.

If he had allowed these insect swarms to enter the Bright World, Li Mochen might have gained more. But he obviously would not do that, nor would his divinity allow it.

This disaster of the 'Blood Feast Demon Insects' lasted for nine days. After two hundred and ten hours, the spread of the virus began to slow significantly.

The lords were now able to accurately identify uninfected demon insects and implemented extremely strict isolation and monitoring. Then they burned the nests, destroying almost all of them, which effectively reduced the transmission of the virus.

By the two hundred and thirty-fourth hour, all three types of viruses had been completely contained. But their results were already crazy enough. Nearly ninety-five percent of the lower-level demon insects died from viral infection, and even the high-level demon insects suffered massive deaths due to consuming contaminated corpses in the initial period.

Moreover, nearly eighty-two percent of the nests were destroyed—these were also the ships the 'Blood Feast Demon Insects' had prepared for crossing the void.

Only the demon insects and nests under the lords' watchful eyes survived. At this point, the entire 'Blood Feast Demon Insect' race had been weakened by at least thirty to fifty percent.

Li Mochen expected that more mid- and high-level demon insects would die soon, not from the virus, but from starvation.

As Carlson had said, the lower-level demon insects were mostly used as food. The characteristics of the Blood Feast Demon Insects prevented them from surviving solely by absorbing magical energy.

At this moment, the merit on the 'Divine Fortune Purple Gold Tower' had swelled to 5.2 billion. Unfortunately, this was still far from the fifth 'Merit Purple Qi'.

But Li Mochen saw a glimmer of hope. The previous figure of 8.1 billion merit had seemed daunting; now, the remaining 2.9 billion no longer seemed like an insurmountable chasm.

His daily merit income was now as high as 12 million. If he saved it without using it, he could meet the requirement for the fifth 'Merit Purple Qi' in about half a year.

Of course, Li Mochen would not do that. In terms of return rate, investing merit in himself and Angela and the others would yield greater returns.

Therefore, the prerequisite for condensing 'Merit Purple Qi' was only when it did not affect their cultivation progress.

However—

"Let's go back, Prometheus."

Li Mochen grabbed Prometheus's arm and, with another 'leap', returned to his Destiny Manor Magic Tower.

Before leaving, Li Mochen took one last look deep into that desert world.

His 'leap' was not without trace, and it was accurately sensed by one of the insect mothers of the 'Blood Feast Demon Insects'.

At the moment of his departure, this insect mother tried its best to lock onto his and Prometheus's souls, memorizing their divine power characteristics. At the same time, a total of thirteen extremely cold gazes were fixed on them.

It was clear that the top-level power of these Blood Feast Demon Insects was still very strong. If Li Mochen had not left quickly enough, he would almost have been caught by that insect mother of divine rank twenty.

He wondered which Supreme God's creation this was, and for what purpose it had been placed here?

With this doubt, Li Mochen returned to the Destiny Manor Magic Tower.

"Actually, we can't hide it from them for long. In this vicinity, the only one capable of attacking them in this way is the Bright World."

Prometheus laughed bitterly, finding solace in misfortune. "They will keep searching, and our enemies will be happy to see us in trouble."

"If they come in this state, that would actually be a good thing. I'm quite looking forward to it."

Li Mochen smiled indifferently, then flashed away from his divine kingdom.

He was not lying. The arrival of powerful enemies from the outer domain would cause the world will of the Bright World to shift as much as possible toward the resisters. This would greatly influence the attitudes of native gods like Gaia, and even Zeus and Odin could not ignore it. The result of suspending civil war and uniting against a common enemy was predictable.

For the Fate Pantheon, every extra day of growth made them stronger.

If not for his long-standing moral concepts and gradually solidifying 'divinity', Li Mochen might have directly led those Blood Feast Demon Insects into the Bright World—it would have brought him too many benefits.

This time, Li Mochen did not use the divine authority of 'leap' when leaving his divine kingdom. It was unnecessary within the Bright World. With a thought, his vision changed.

—This was the Huaxia region, at the foot of Kunlun Mountain.

At the same moment, a goddess appeared in a flash before Li Mochen.

"Long time no see, Your Highness Isis."

Li Mochen looked at the Holy Mother of Light before him, raising an eyebrow. "I must say, Your Highness, you have extraordinary courage."

Isis replied calmly, "This is hardly your territory. I suppose Your Majesty would not want to make trouble for the master of this place?"

"If I were willing to pay a price, it would be possible. Cutting off Horus's most important arm and brain trust is a temptation I can hardly resist. I'm sure your previous injuries haven't fully healed. This is a perfect opportunity to kill you."

Though Li Mochen said this, his expression turned serious. "Tell me, why did you ask me here? Let me guess—is it your child, the Lord of Light, who has a problem?"

Isis did not answer immediately. Her face darkened, and she stared at Li Mochen with a cold gaze.

"It's easy to guess, isn't it? If Horus had no problem, you would have come to me long ago."

Li Mochen smiled slightly, completely unbothered by Isis's piercing gaze.

"Given the current situation, if our two families join forces, the positions of two Supreme Gods can be directly secured. With your wisdom, you cannot fail to see this, nor would you be foolish enough to begrudge a World Core. I have been waiting for you in Destiny Manor for a long time, Your Highness Isis, but you never came to me."

"You are right."

Isis took a deep breath. "Under normal circumstances, I would have brokered an alliance between you and Horus half a year ago, and all conflicts in the Bright World could have been resolved. But now there is a problem. Horus, the Lord of Light, has encountered a small issue, and I need your help."

"Help? Help does not come without a price."

Li Mochen's eyes narrowed. "But you can first tell me what exactly the situation is."

"I suspect it's the other Horus, the Horus of the Terra Empire, the God of the Shadow Moon Wolf—he himself has a problem—"

Isis paused. "Your Majesty Wieldenstone may find it hard to believe, but the rebellion of the Light Church in South America was carried out under a divine decree personally issued by him."

Li Mochen was momentarily stunned, then fell into deep thought. "I want to know, did he agree to Chiron's proposal to jointly deal with the 'Chaos Lord' Khaos?"

Chiron had been working on this for nearly half a year, but apart from Gaia showing some response and contacting Li Mochen once, the other parties had not stirred a ripple.

Yet in Li Mochen's original prediction, among the several god-kings, the Lord of Light was the least likely to sit idly by while Khaos awakened, even more so than Gaia.

In his view, both Horus's original body, the 'God of the Shadow Moon Wolf', and his projection in this world, the 'Lord of Light', could not coexist with 'Chaos'.

"No!"

Isis's chest heaved as she let out a long breath. "That is precisely what I find strange."

Li Mochen frowned. "If that's the case, then your child's condition is quite serious, Your Highness Isis. And the repeated suicide attacks by the Truth Church in recent years—were they also due to his divine decrees?"

"No! Those have been going on for many years. Before this, Horus never let his believers fall into mortal danger or sacrifice themselves for so-called 'holy wars'. Andrei, you should know what happened. The so-called holy wars in the Middle Ages were merely religious in name. In essence, they were conflicts between two cultures, ethnic groups, and living spaces, manipulated and instigated by the priests and nobles who had usurped Horus's authority. These were not subject to the will of the gods. The situation in the Truth Church is similar."

Isis looked at Li Mochen with a hint of mockery. "The Fate Church was established only in recent years, but as far as I know, similar signs have already appeared, haven't they?"

Li Mochen could only smile bitterly, thinking that it was more than just signs. The situation was already quite serious. Uniting different races, different countries, different ethnicities, hundreds of powerful forces, and hundreds of gods under one church—how could internal conflicts not arise?

In the future, if he fell into slumber or had to leave temporarily for some reason, it was predictable that the church would split due to interests, high-ranking clergy would abuse their authority to oppress believers, and even purge dissenters in the name of the main god.

The current structure of the Fate Church was indeed advanced, and modern information transparency gave believers more channels to understand the church and their god. But these drawbacks were unavoidable even in well-regulated modern corporations, let alone a church organization with looser structure but larger scale.

Only under his personal control and suppression could church unity be maintained to the greatest extent. Only when external enemies still existed could the gods of the Fate Pantheon work together.

"Besides, the faith there has little to do with Horus anymore. Ahura's control over the Truth Church is gradually strengthening. Those imams and mullahs have basically blocked the channel between Horus and his believers."

"I know."

Li Mochen knew that the imam system was a contingency left by Ahura. When Zoroastrianism spread in the Middle East, Horus was unable to overthrow this organizational form. Following this system led to the rapid expansion of the Truth Lord's faith in the Middle Eastern countries, but it also left a fatal隐患.

If the Lord of Light had always remained strong, this would not have posed a threat. But the current situation gave Ahura room to steal the faith.

"So how do you want me to help you, Your Highness Isis? If the Lord of Light's consciousness is problematic, I am powerless. And what are you willing to pay for it? You should know that among the gods of the Bright World, I am the only one willing and able to help him."

"You are right. Your credibility is the only one I am willing to bet on."

At this moment, Isis's gaze was somewhat fervent. "I think the most appropriate method now is a wish spell. I want to use the power of your 'Wish Tower'."

"Wish Tower?"

Li Mochen immediately frowned. "It's a good idea, but absolutely impossible!"

He knew Isis's plan: probably to use a wish like 'May the Lord of Light remain clear-minded and self-aware' to free Horus from his predicament.

The cost of the wish spell would not be borne by him; the mother and son themselves possessed a great deal of merit.

But Li Mochen refused outright, feeling extremely repulsed by the proposal.

The 'Divine Firmament Violet Gold Pagoda''s ability to grant wishes was not without limits. It was already operating near full capacity, supplying the cultivation wishes of Li Mochen, the Heavenly Mandate Divine System, and the entire upper echelon of the church.

And to keep Horus consistently self-aware and lucid, who knew how many resources the 'Divine Firmament Violet Gold Pagoda' would have to consume? This would also greatly weaken Li Mochen's personal strength.

This 'wish' could not be fulfilled in a short time; it needed to be maintained for a considerable period. During that time, if Li Mochen encountered a powerful enemy, it would undoubtedly be like cutting off his own arm.

"You will agree, Your Majesty Willenstein! I can roughly guess your concerns, but as long as the 'wish' is made cleverly enough, it will have no impact on you at all."

Isis's voice was cold, her gaze commanding: "Everything in this world has a price, and I will offer terms that move your heart."

As she spoke, she flicked something from her sleeve, which floated in the void before them.

Li Mochen's eyes indeed showed surprise, his expression shifting dramatically. He stood there, lost in thought for a long time, until half a quarter of an hour later, he smiled bitterly again: "Your boldness and decisiveness always surprise me, Your Highness Isis. This stake truly tempts me, but if it's only this, it's not enough. Besides, you must agree to a few conditions."

Isis frowned deeply, displeased, while Li Mochen looked inscrutable: "Your Highness Isis, I am not a greedy person; I don't need you to offer anything extra. It's just that there is something beneficial to both of us that requires your help and that of the Lord of Radiance—"

Isis narrowed her eyes: "If it's about dissolving the alliance, that's impossible."

If they were to dissolve their alliance, there would be no need for him to offer such a precious treasure as a bargaining chip.

"Let me finish."

Li Mochen would not make such unrealistic demands. He knew that before the Lord of Radiance resolved his own 'psychological' issues, this mother and son would not allow him to ascend to the rank of 'God Above Gods' alone.

"It concerns 'Chaos' Khaos. I believe that even the Lord of Radiance, in a clear state of mind, would not refuse this."

※※※※

The reward Isis offered was that large World Origin Core. The wish she made to Li Mochen was: 'Wish that, under the non-combat state of the Lord of Fate, as much as possible, keep Isis's child Horus sane and self-aware.' Additionally, through a contractual form, it stipulated that Li Mochen must unconditionally fulfill this wish of Isis to the best of his ability, lasting for a hundred years or ending when Horus became a God Above Gods.

This was indeed a very clever way of making a wish. The target of the wish was clear, and it could eliminate Li Mochen's concerns and burdens.

This Radiant Mother had spared no expense for her child, not only offering such a high-level treasure but also willingly accepting such an unequal agreement.

What Li Mochen regretted was that this transaction happened a little too late. If it had occurred before the God King Trade Fair, he could have directly exchanged this item for a 'Pseudo-Truth' level mythical armament, further strengthening his power.

Now, aside from giving Li Mochen more advantages and initiative in the future struggle for the God Above Gods, it brought no other benefit. It could not increase Li Mochen's personal strength in any way.

Only the value of the item itself could indeed be equivalent to a 'Pseudo-Truth' level mythical armament.

Moreover, after Isis made the wish, Li Mochen felt a heavy pressure. The 'Divine Firmament Violet Gold Pagoda' had reached its limit, so Li Mochen had to turn himself into a wish-granting machine to bear the overflow from the pagoda. This also revealed how severe the problem the Lord of Radiance currently faced was.

Fortunately, relying on the 'Scarlet Dragon Armor,' he now possessed a double share of Pseudo-Truth level 'Eternity'; otherwise, he would truly be overwhelmed.

After returning to the Fate's Homeland Magic Tower, Li Mochen summoned his 'Secret-Spying Angel' Reinhard Heydrich.

"Spread the news of my secret meeting with Isis as fast as possible, emphasizing that Isis and I have reached a 'secret and undisclosable' agreement."

"Yes, Your Majesty! I will ensure that Zeus and Odin learn of this in the shortest time."

Heydrich saw no impropriety in Li Mochen's backstabbing behavior; instead, his eyes showed appreciation.

Once this news spread, it would mean that Odin's alliance against the Heavenly Mandate Divine System was on the verge of collapse. Under mutual suspicion, it would be difficult for them to unite their efforts.

"So it seems the Lord of Radiance is indeed in trouble, right? Is it a problem with his consciousness?"

Li Mochen nodded slightly: "As you guessed, and even more serious than you imagine."

His 'Secret-Spying Angel' had long ago proposed this conjecture to his secondary body, and he had enough evidence to support his view.

Over the past six months, internal struggles within the Old Light Church had been fierce. The 253rd Pope, John Honorious, was nearing his end, and the successor had yet to be chosen. The New Light Church was also troublesome, with major conflicts among several sects.

There were also rumors that Uriel and Michael had clashed violently over some matter concerning Ahura's encroachment on Truth faith, nearly coming to blows on the spot.

Furthermore, the Lord of Radiance himself, through the archangels, had issued many contradictory and conflicting decrees to the church.

"So Isis sought your help?"

Heydrich's eyes flickered: "I will keep a close watch on the Lord of Radiance's heaven and his church, missing no changes, Your Majesty."

Li Mochen smiled. This 'Blond Beast' and 'Black Prince' of the Teutonic WWII era had never let him down.

He now needed to constantly monitor the situation of the Light Church; he could not let his guard down against this mother and son just because Isis had humbly sought his help, or he would likely be sold by them and still count the money.

Then Li Mochen noticed that Heydrich seemed not to be taking his leave.

"Is there something else?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. There have been new developments in South America."

Heydrich placed his hand on his chest and bowed slightly: "I suspect that the armies of the Beast Empire intend to withdraw from South America, and their decision this time may be very firm."

Li Mochen was momentarily stunned, then laughed with a hint of sarcasm: "It's about time they woke up. But it won't be so easy for them to just pull out. You've already passed the relevant intelligence to Guderian, right?"

"Already passed it to him!"

Heydrich also smiled: "The South American theater is already drafting new operational plans. Guderian and the others will not allow those Beast Empire legions to withdraw so easily."

※※※※

At 7:30 PM, when the 'Twilight Offensive' launched by the Beast Empire's Pelotas Front came to a halt, the commander of the front's 7th Army Group, Grand Duke of Catete, Ebb von Kefalenburg, sat in his command post, frowning at the electronic projection map before him. He operated it himself, constantly zooming in and out, examining every detail of the front line.

After three years of campaigning in the Light World, this great noble of the Beast Empire had become adept at handling these modern technological and magical devices, but it did not help him solve the predicament he now faced.

At that moment, one of his closest subordinates, the commander of the 35th Corps under the 7th Army Group, Duke of Gauro, Bernie von Kefalenburg, strode in vigorously.

"Again, our troops can only break through the third trench line. This cannot continue, Grand Duke! The individual close-combat capabilities of those humans have become very strong. With the help of so-called power armor and bio-suits, they are no less than our finest warriors. Their defenses and fortifications seem easy to breach, but they all have clever structures, deep纵深, and hidden behind them are unknown and extremely powerful forces. Across the entire front, they are using similar traps to slaughter our soldiers."

As he spoke, he walked over to the electronic projection map and pointed with his sword at several locations.

"The defenses here and here have been reinforced, with seven previously undiscovered bunkers. My men tested them. Casualties were heavy; there is almost no chance of breakthrough. So today, we not only achieved no results but actually lost 300 meters on lines 43 to 54. The exact casualty count hasn't been tallied yet, but it won't be less than three thousand. A large number of auxiliary troops defected to the enemy without firing a shot, and I was already very cautious."

He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and continued: "Grand Duke, I believe their strength has been sufficient to drive our army into the sea for at least a month. This is very dangerous. They have sharpened their claws and kept them hidden behind that line, almost exclusively on the defensive. Meanwhile, we, knowing we cannot break through or defeat our opponents, have futilely spent months sending millions—"

"Shut up, Bernie! Do you want to bring disaster upon our family?"

Ebb von Kefalenburg glared fiercely at the Duke of Gauro, as their names indicated.

This Grand Duke of Catete and Duke of Gauro, Bernie von Kefalenburg, came from the same family, from 'Kefalenburg Castle' in the Catete Province of the Beast Empire, their family's ancestral home.

"But I must speak!"

Bernie von Kefalenburg's face was pale, his eyes bloodshot as he met the gaze of his superior, also the head of the Kefalenburg clan: "Grand Duke, I have a premonition that if the war continues like this, we might be finished soon. And I am not the only commander in the 7th Army Group who thinks this way. I even know that you are one of them, whether you admit it or not. You have deliberately slowed the intensity of attacks along the entire front recently. But that's not enough, Grand Duke. As one of the top twenty nobles of the Empire, a War Cardinal, and future commander of the Valhalla Legion, you have the duty to stand up for everyone, for our soldiers, for the future of our Empire! We need more soldiers, and we need more weapons."

Ebb von Kefalenburg was momentarily stunned, then scanned the room: "Everyone, get out!"

After everyone else had left, Ebb von Kefalenburg grabbed the Duke of Gauro by the collar.

"Do you think the higher-ups don't know? Bernie? Are you the only one who realizes this? You fool, Bernie, if it weren't for your sister, I would have killed you. By this world's military punishment, execution by firing squad!"

Bernie von Kefalenburg was taken aback, then his pupils contracted: "They realize it but can't change anything? So the situation is even worse than I thought? Tell me the truth. If I'm to be executed, let me die knowing. And, Grand Duke, do you think morale is still something I can undermine?"

"Your character will bring disaster to the family sooner or later, Bernie."

The Grand Duke of Catete sighed and threw his cousin aside: "But you still underestimate those opponents. In my view, they likely had enough strength to drive us into the sea three months ago, not just one. No, maybe even half a year ago, since the Battle of Granden Island, they have had no disadvantage in top-tier战力. Yet they have adopted extremely conservative tactics not only in South America but on almost all fronts."

"Are they that strong?"

Bernie von Kefalenburg looked incredulous: "You puzzle me. Why would they do that? Just to drain our national strength and military power? But from what I know, we have gained a lot from South America: manpower, food, minerals, and magical materials. With these resources, our birth rate has increased rather than decreased. The Empire's rotation policy is also very wise. If we now reinforce with about ten million more troops, a certain number of power armor, and allocate more resources to fixed fortifications, we shouldn't suffer too many losses."

"Draining our national strength is one aspect."

The Grand Duke of Catete's eyes showed mockery: "But you haven't grasped the essence of this war, Bernie! This is a war of faith, not an ordinary national war."

Bernie von Kefalenburg frowned: "Faith?"

"A national war aims to maximize damage to the enemy's national strength and war potential, while a war of faith aims to harvest as much faith as possible. And now—"

The Grand Duke of Catete's voice grew increasingly bitter: "In the past six months, at least 2.3 billion people in South America have converted to the Lord of Fate. That's just the official count. In the shadows, who knows how many more secretly believe. Bernie, don't be fooled by the numerous temples we've built in this country and the crowds of worshippers daily. In truth, not even one in a thousand is a true believer. Do you know why?"

Bernie von Kefalenburg had a glimmer of understanding: "Is it due to the war? And our exploitation of this region?"

"More or less. They have the power to drive us out of this land, but that would not benefit the Heavenly Mandate Church's faith. Now, more and more people are turning to their church. Using the enemy's blades to coerce not only gathers hearts more easily but also keeps one's own hands clean. How formidable are our enemies?"

The Grand Duke of Catete sighed again: "This war is becoming increasingly unprofitable. We wanted to give up long ago, Bernie! If we follow your idea and increase our forces, regardless of whether we can hold these territories, our problems will worsen. Moreover, according to Lord Lode's calculations, within at most three months, we will no longer be able to extract sufficient benefits from this land. Prolonged war only facilitates their collection of faith. But they have also seen through our intentions and will not allow us to leave."

"Not allow us to leave?"

Bernie von Kefalenburg felt a chill run through him: "Do you mean they are confident they can annihilate us now?"