In this world, intelligence is just as important as power. Riku's words had an electrifying effect on the Beasts, including Fiya Hatsuse.
"Riku, are you serious?" Fiya Hatsuse was the first to recover from the shock and asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Lord Riku, is this a joke?" the Beast leader followed up, equally stunned.
"Do you think I would joke about something like this?" Riku responded, his tone calm and unwavering.
"I believe in Riku." Fiya Hatsuse declared without hesitation, her loyalty clear.
The Beast leader, now understanding, gave a wry smile. "I suddenly see how you were able to find us so accurately."
Excitement stirred in the hearts of all the Beasts present. The realization hit them hard: marrying into Riku's alliance had been the right choice. With this new knowledge, their chances of winning greatly improved. Even if victory seemed out of reach for the moment, the odds of survival were far better than before.
"In that case, let's continue the meeting." Riku's gaze swept over the crowd before he spoke in a slow, measured tone.
The room quieted instantly, all eyes on Riku, eager to hear what came next.
"Although I have a general understanding of all the races, it's impossible to tackle them all at once. We need to target them one by one." Riku tapped the table, his mind clearly racing with strategy.
"Lord Riku is right. But which race do we go after first?" the Beast leader asked, pondering aloud.
"I suggest we start with the Forest Elves." Fiya Hatsuse's voice was steady and serious. "If we can gather intelligence on the Elves and find a way to conquer them, their magic would be an incredible asset to our alliance."
A smile crept onto Riku's face. "Fiya, that's a good idea." He reached over and patted her head, clearly pleased.
Fiya's eyes fluttered shut, her expression melting into a relaxed, almost playful look. The elders of the Beasts exchanged knowing glances, amused by how well they all got along.
"In addition to the Forest Elves, we also need to focus on the Dwarves. Their technology is invaluable. Other races can wait for now, but these two must be brought into the alliance," Riku stated firmly, knocking on the table for emphasis.
"Dwarves, understood," the Beast leader nodded, casting a glance toward the elders.
"Lord Riku, you can leave the Dwarves to us. We have ways to bypass their detection systems." The Beast leader stroked his beard confidently.
Riku nodded. "Good."
"Bring out the map," Riku ordered next.
The Beast leader carefully unfolded the map and placed it on the table. When Riku had initially asked the maid to inform them to bring it, they had been confused, but now it was clear why. They were more cautious than ever.
"This map is old. I'm afraid it may be outdated in some areas," the leader said apologetically.
The constant warring on this planet caused the terrain to change frequently, making it difficult to keep information accurate.
"No worries, I'll update it," Riku replied calmly, grabbing a pen.
As the map lay before him, Riku activated the system map from his internal database. But as soon as the map loaded, Riku's expression shifted slightly—his brow furrowing.
"Riku, what's wrong?" Fiya Hatsuse tugged gently on the hem of his clothes, her voice filled with concern.
Riku's lips curved into a sly smile. "Nothing major, but it looks like our plan has to change."
"Change the plan?" Fiya and the others looked confused.
"Yes," Riku confirmed, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "The capital of the Forest Elves seems to have been destroyed by the Flügels. The Elves are in retreat now. We'll need to send people to track them down—find their leader or any key figures."
When he had opened the map, the red dot marking the Elves' capital had vanished. That could only mean one thing—their kingdom had fallen. Though many species had the power to cause such destruction, Riku had a gut feeling it was the work of Jibril.
The butterfly effect caused by his presence here was undeniable. What should've happened later had been brought forward. Despite Jibril's past actions against him, this chaos worked in his favor. Whether it was capturing the Elves or getting his hands on the platinum treasure chest, the difficulty had just dropped drastically.
"The Flügels destroyed the Forest Elves?" Fiya Hatsuse gasped in disbelief.
The other Beasts exchanged glances, their expressions somber. For all their differences with the Elves, they still saw them as a strong race—stronger than themselves. And yet, the Elves had been wiped out so easily.
A wave of sadness rippled through the room. The grim reality of their world struck them hard. If such a powerful race could fall, none of them were safe.
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