Chapter 304: Cold Calculations

  High Priest Tima also seemed a bit moved. A crystalline light actually appeared in his huge bull eyes, and his voice was trembling. "Thank you so much. Allow me to have the honor of joining you in this great cause. I swear in the name of the Horned Demon that my people and I will absolutely not disappoint you. That filthy, despicable The Radiant Citadel of Celeste will sooner or later be turned to ruins beneath our feet."

  The negotiations went exceptionally smoothly and quickly, without any haggling, difficulties, or hesitation. The matter of the Minotaurs and Harpies joining Oufu was quickly settled between the City Lord of Oufu and the Minotaur High Priest. Sedros's enthusiasm remained high, his face glowing with a radiant smile. High Priest Tima was deeply moved the entire time. Immediately after, High Priest Tima took a Wyvern to the border of Tatalia and Nighon to await his clansmen migrating from Nighon.

  When the Wyvern carrying High Priest Tima flew high into the sky, and Sedros on the ground slowly became a small dot, no longer clearly visible, the gentle, poet-like, and emotionally rich expression on High Priest Tima's face had already calmed down. Although human ways of interaction were disgusting, High Priest Tima was not unfamiliar with them. To be able to become the High Priest, to have almost become the ruler of Nighon, High Priest Tima had to admit that it was because he had learned enough from humans.

  This was a good place. High Priest Tima truly had to admit this from the bottom of his heart. When he used a teleportation scroll to arrive here, he was almost frightened. Over a decade ago in Nighon, when he heard Sedros's plan, he was dismissive. But he never thought that he had actually done it, and so successfully. In terms of achievement, no hero could compare to him.

  Precisely because of this, the guard against him must surpass the guard against anyone else. High Priest Tima very much agreed with Sedros's previous evaluation of heroes. Those who succeed, hold high positions, and possess power are absolutely people with deep schemes, not to be shackled by things like morality. Of course, things like friendship were no exception.

  For Sedros to welcome him so warmly, to show such magnanimity and enthusiasm. If it were said that he was truly doing it out of some friendship and affection, High Priest Tima knew that was absolutely impossible, just as he himself would never truly express gratitude.

  For Oufu, where a war with the Church could break out at any moment, over a thousand Minotaurs and Harpies with nowhere else to go were a resource that was hard to come by. Sedros's reaction was completely within Tima's expectations. He knew this result before he even came here.

  In the eyes of any truly successful superior, there are only very simple distinctions: useful, useless, beneficial, harmful. Therefore, many times, predicting their reactions is a very simple matter.

  Of course, this also applied to High Priest Tima.

  In the City Lord's office, after just seeing High Priest Tima off, the face of the City Lord of Oufu no longer had the previous enthusiasm and radiance. He took out a map from the desk, tossed it casually, and with a wave of his hand, a wondrously precise air magic spell hung the map flat and neat on the wall.

  The map was large, occupying almost an entire wall, and it was exquisitely made. Sedros himself was the most famous adventurer, scholar, and cartographer on the continent.

  At the location of Oufu in the center of the map, in the Barbarian Highlands, he drew a "10" with chalk. Sedros thought for a moment, picked up a pen, and wrote a "+2" after the ten.

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  In the southwest corner of the map, in the area representing Nighon, Sedros unhesitatingly wrote a "0," covering the original number. Then his gaze settled on the large swathe of territory between Nighon and Oufu. That was Celeste's domain, led by Erathia and its various smaller religious nations, which naturally also had their own numbers.

  These numbers all represented the national strength and combat power of those nations. Although, besides Erathia, none of these nations' data could approach the "10" representing Oufu, when added together, they far exceeded it, already approaching thirty.

  Although this data had been the same before this, it was only now, only after Nighon behind them had been covered by that zero, that the full effect of their data could be brought into play.

  A knock sounded on the door. Sedros did not turn his head, still looking at the map on the wall, and only said in a low voice, "Is it all figured out?"

  "It's all calculated. The settlement work will take half a month and will consume about thirty percent of this month's productivity. Once they are settled, the average monthly expenditure will increase by twenty percent. As for productivity, there's no way to assess it. I really don't know what Minotaurs and Harpies can do." The door opened, and Lord Bolgan walked in, reporting while flipping through the ledger in his hands.

  This deputy City Lord still had a very short and stout build and a pancake-like face, but his messy, haystack-like hair had become neat, smooth, and shiny. He was no longer in his perennially unwashed, cloak-like clothes, but in a very neat and somewhat imposing official's uniform. He looked even more like a City Lord than Sedros in his ordinary attire.

  There were no tailors in Oufu City; the beastmen didn't need this profession. This was something Lord Bolgan had taken the time out of his busy schedule to use a teleportation scroll to have custom-made in Ainfast, completely imitating the uniforms of Ainfast imperial officials. But no matter how good the clothes, they really couldn't have much effect on a figure like his.

  This set of clothes was originally special equipment for his trips to the Tower of Fangs. Perhaps because he was too satisfied with his look, it gradually became the uniform he always wore.

  "They don't need to do anything. They just need to be able to fight and kill," Sedros replied lightly.

  "Yes. The Minotaur's combat strength is actually above that of Ogres. Although Harpies are weak, they are mobile and flexible. If they can coordinate properly with Wyverns, Oufu's air superiority will be unshakable... but..." Lord Bolgan habitually scratched his head, then quickly smoothed his hair before continuing. "But... only if they can be used can they be considered useful..."

  "Neither Harpies nor Minotaurs are easy to manage. They are irascible and unruly, difficult to integrate into this city, and can easily provoke racial conflicts and strife. Moreover, they each have their own leaders, and these two leaders are also sticking together... This would be fine in peaceful times, but in such an extraordinary time... Lord Sedros, I don't think letting them join Oufu is a good idea."

  "I know all of this..." Sedros sighed. "But without them, I truly don't have enough confidence to withstand the Church's imminent offensive..."

  "But the last time the Church's allied forces were defeated wasn't that long ago, and even if they gather their troops again, their numbers will absolutely not..."

  "The numbers will be double what they were last time." Sedros's voice was flat, and very cold.

  "They no longer have to worry about Nighon. All the defensive forces on the western front of the various nations can be committed to the battle in the Barbarian Highlands." His finger landed on the map at the location of Nighon, where there was only a large "0." "Double the troops, and they will definitely go all out."

  "But as long as we can wait until General Gru and his men secure a foothold in the Sanderfirth mountains, a steady stream of high-level magical materials can be sent, and the Tower of Fangs can help us make scrolls. By then..."

  "It's too late." Sedros turned to look at Lord Bolgan, then let out a long sigh. He no longer had his former energetic look. The wrinkles on his face seemed deeper than ever before. His silver hair and beard had lost their luster, showing only the paleness of an old man. "Magnus will absolutely not give us this chance."

  "Have the spies from Celeste's side sent any news?" Lord Bolgan asked.

  "No. It was news from that ox, Tima. He told me that Magnus actually used that Purgatory of Paradise on Nighon." Sedros gave a wry smile and shook his head slightly. "That was one of the two Forbidden Spell scrolls made two hundred years ago by the Pope and three Cardinals at the cost of their entire life's magic power. At that time, using just one completely turned the tide of the war between Erathia and Nighon. The last one was kept until today. It should be considered Celeste's most historically significant treasure. I was originally worried that Magnus would use it against us, but he used it on Nighon, taking the opportunity of the melee between the Minotaurs and Drow to annihilate the main forces of both sides in one fell swoop."

  "Formidable..." Lord Bolgan's mouth, wide enough to stuff an Ogre's fist into, was agape as he nodded. "Since he was willing to use such a powerful trump card on Nighon, his real target is Oufu. He truly won't give us any chance."

  "Hmm." Sedros nodded, looking at his deputy with an approving gaze. This was a smart man without much scheming. Although he often seemed as simple as a bit of a fool, his mind was truly the most useful among his many young subordinates, which was why he trusted him the most. A simple, smart person—this was a truly, genuinely talented person.