Chapter 294: A Baffling Situation, the Beginning of Chaos
The expressions of the Cardinals all turned serious. When it came to the demi-humans of the Abelion Hills, no amount of caution was excessive.
As the first topic of discussion, there was indeed nothing more important.
Sensing the probing gazes of the others, the Wind Cardinal, Dominic Ihre Partouche, spoke with a grim face, "Stargazer Far-Sight of the Black Scripture, during a recent mission to monitor the Hills, unexpectedly discovered a situation where multiple demi-human races have united."
The air fell silent.
"The demi-human races have united?"
"Could it be a mistake? How could those demi-humans possibly ally with one another?"
"Perhaps it's just the weaker demi-human tribes clinging to a stronger one."
"..."
A series of discussions broke out.
The Cardinals were clearly surprised by this situation. They considered themselves "old friends" with the inhabitants of the Hills.
While they didn't understand them completely, they possessed a great deal of information, making it hard to imagine these demi-humans would actually unite.
*Slap!*
A powerful palm slammed onto the table with a dull thud, silencing the room once more.
"Enough. Since it's a detection result from Stargazer Far-Sight, there's no possibility of a mistake."
The Earth Cardinal, Raymond, spoke with a deadpan expression, "What are the specifics of the situation?"
This was a Cardinal who was relatively young compared to the others, a strong man with sharp eyes who looked to be in his forties. He was a stern, middle-aged man with an imposing aura.
He had once belonged to the most mysterious of the Six Scriptures, the Black Scripture. Compared to the others present, he had a much deeper understanding and appreciation of Stargazer Far-Sight's abilities.
"According to Stargazer Far-Sight's account, the demi-human races known to have united so far are the Blue Maggot Tribe, the Ogre Race, the Pandes Tribe, the Magen race, and the Iron Ratman race."
The Cardinals' previously calm faces changed. They simultaneously raised their gazes, staring in astonishment at Wind Cardinal Dominic Ihre Partouche.
They had originally assumed the so-called "united demi-human races" consisted of only two or three races, even guessing they were the weaker tribes from the Hills.
They never expected them all to be powerful races!
Wind Cardinal Dominic Ihre Partouche seemed not to notice their shock, continuing in a cold voice:
"Currently, I have already arranged for Stargazer Far-Sight to focus on monitoring the Hills. Based on past and currently known information..."
"The number of the five united demi-human races is unknown. As for their powerful members, the Pandes Matriarch, the Blue Maggot King, and two from the Magen race have all reached the Fourth Tier of magic."
"At the Heroic tier of power, there is the Demonkin Queen 'Ice Flame Thunder' and the Iron Rat King 'Gray King' from the Ten Evils of the Demi-Humans."
"The situation with the Ogre Race is unknown; they have never shown signs of unification before. It is suspected that a powerful Higher-Tier Ogre has taken control of the Ogre Race, possibly one of two individuals: Long (Water Elemental Ogre) or Dui (Earth Elemental Ogre)."
At this point, Wind Cardinal Dominic Ihre Partouche looked at the other silent Cardinals, leaned forward slightly, and said coldly, "I've said it before: these damn non-human races in the Hills need to be dealt with."
"Maintaining chaos may be a countermeasure, but if an 'intelligent one' were to emerge among the demi-humans, they might accomplish a feat like the unification of the Hill Dwarves 200 years ago."
As soon as these words were spoken, a few Cardinals frowned slightly, but most were simply in a foul mood after hearing this news.
The Dark Cardinal, Maximilian Oreio Lagier, spoke up: "Alright, Dominic, this strategy was a collective decision by the successive Cardinals."
He was a refined-looking old man wearing glasses, hailing from the 'Judicial' Branch, one of the three major institutions. Several magic books floated around him, a form of magic derived from an improved 'Floating Board'.
The other Cardinals gave an imperceptible nod. They agreed with the strategy of the past Cardinals.
As God's chosen people, Humans were still too weak.
The Cardinals, who understood the nature of "Humans," knew that in a comfortable environment, "infighting," "sloth," "complacency," and "selfishness" would become the main theme.
The existence of the demi-humans in the Hills was a warning bell.
At the very least, judging from the current development of the Holy Kingdom, it met their expectations. In terms of overall national strength and military prowess, it surpassed the other nations.
Of course, they had also now seen another possibility—the Baharuth Empire!
Under the leadership of an "Aberrant" and an outstanding "King," it had produced results that far exceeded their expectations.
"This is too strange."
"It's simply preposterous. Setting aside the issue of their appearances, their very natures make it impossible for these demi-human races to unite."
The Light Cardinal, Ion, extended a withered finger and tapped it forcefully on the tabletop.
He was a skeletal figure, the moisture in his skin seemingly long evaporated. His wrinkled cheeks gave him a sinister appearance.
If not for the insignia of the Light Cardinal on his body, anyone who saw his face would suspect he was the true Dark Cardinal.
Earth Cardinal Raymond said, "Strange or not, the problem has now appeared. With these demi-humans united, they already possess the ability to easily destroy cities and break through a country's defensive lines."
"Correct."
Dark Cardinal Maximilian Oreio Lagier continued grimly, "The most crucial problem is that if this becomes a trend, the possibility of the unification of the demi-humans in the Hills truly exists."
The Cardinals' faces grew even more solemn as they realized that if they continued to let this fester, it could become a massive problem.
Suddenly, the Water Cardinal, Sinedine, who had been silent all this time, gave a soft cough to draw everyone's attention. He was also an old man, so old that his age was impossible to guess, and his entire skin had taken on a unique earthen hue.
Water Cardinal Sinedine's half-closed eyes glinted with wisdom as he said slowly, "We aren't the ones who should be most worried right now, are we?"
"The Holy Kingdom is the closest to the Hills. Don't tell me they know nothing about this."
The Abelion Hills bordered the Holy Kingdom directly. Although the Slane Theocracy was to the east of the Hills, it was separated by a mountain range, so there was less to worry about in terms of security.
At the mention of the "Holy Kingdom," the expressions of the Cardinals present ranged from impassive to cold, with one even letting out an almost inaudible snort.
As a nation with a strong religious atmosphere, the Holy Kingdom should, by all rights, have a good relationship with the Slane Theocracy.
But the reality was quite different.
While the relationship between the two countries couldn't be described as terrible, they were at odds with each other. The issue was complex, but if one had to point to a single cause, it would be the matter of faith.
The Slane Theocracy believed in the "Six Great Gods," while the Holy Kingdom believed in the "Four Great Gods." There were two Gods that the Holy Kingdom explicitly did not recognize.
"This is the second matter to be discussed." Wind Cardinal Dominic Ihre Partouche spoke, taking out several documents containing information from his robes and spreading them out on the table.
The other Cardinals each picked up a document to read. Soon, disgusted and furious expressions appeared on all their faces.
"After such a long history of enmity with the demi-humans of the Hills, these nobles still do such foolish things."
Light Cardinal Ion spoke coldly.
Wind Cardinal Dominic Ihre Partouche sneered, "Hah, the foolishness and greed of nobles are like a plague. The longer it goes on, the more severe it becomes."
Dark Cardinal Maximilian Oreio Lagier sighed softly, "Because of the existence of that city wall, their complacent minds have only been further corroded by desire."
"How on earth is Holy Queen Calca running the country? It took her a full two months to deal with those nobles, and so much grain has entered the Hills..." The wrinkles on Light Cardinal Ion's face deepened.
"In a way, this can be considered a good thing."
A faint voice drew the attention of the Cardinals.
"At the very least, we can be certain of one thing: the demi-humans of the Hills would not conduct a transaction with Humans. It must be an outsider... What I mean is, this abnormal situation might be related to this 'outsider'."
Wind Cardinal Dominic Ihre Partouche's deep eyes flickered. "Relying solely on the aimless detections of Stargazer Far-Sight is too limited. We can start with the Holy Kingdom."
"Mm."
"Activate our hidden agents. First, confirm the specific situation. We absolutely cannot allow the demi-human races of the Abelion Hills the slightest chance to unite."
"If the Holy Kingdom makes no move, give them a push. Have the Sunlight Scripture on standby."
"Seconded!"
"Seconded!"
"Seconded!"
"...!"
...
Abelion Hills.
The sun hung high in the sky, blanketing the entire Hills and radiating light and heat with abandon.
In what should have been a rainy season, not a drop of rain had fallen for two consecutive months. Signs of a drought were already emerging, and the once-moist rainforests and grasslands had become dry.
The rainy season not only brought ample rainfall but also spurred plant growth, providing food for wild beasts and monsters. Without this link in the chain, a rapid chain reaction would occur, leading to a situation of food scarcity.
The Great Grassland.
This was a region in the central part of the Hills, a vast expanse of grassland occupied by the universally known and powerful Beast-bodied Quadruped race.
At this moment, a figure exuding a domineering aura walked across the grassland. He was tall and robust, his entire body covered in dark gray fur.
His upper body was that of a beastman, with a face resembling a "leopard" and a pair of downward-pointing tusks. His lower body was that of a beast.
Wige Lagandara—King of the Beast-bodied Quadrupeds.
At this moment, Wige's face showed anxiety. His strong limbs strode forward, stepping on the dry grassland covered in fine cracks. He looked up.
In the distance was a lush green scene, but this was merely an illusion.
Wige retracted his gaze. As he got closer, he could clearly see the sparse blades of grass on the ground, not even half a thumb's length in height.
Normally, the grass in the Great Grassland would already be a palm's length high. This situation was somewhat beyond anything Wige had ever known.
Though he possessed immense power and the great title "Demon Claw," which had resounded through the Hills for 200 years, 'Demon Claw' Wige now felt an unprecedented worry rising from the depths of his heart.
The title "Demon Claw" was passed down through his family for generations, and he had inherited it from his father.
Ever since inheriting this title, 'Demon Claw' Wige had two dreams. One was to prove his strength to the other races of the Hills, to show he was worthy of this great title.
The second was to lead his tribe to become even stronger and more prosperous.
But now, a problem he had to face was right before his eyes—food and water!
The Beast-bodied Quadruped tribe favored meat like that of cattle and horses, so they raised these livestock on the vast Great Grassland.
'Demon Claw' Wige looked at the sparse grass shoots on the ground and knew very well that it was far from enough to feed the cattle and horses. A food shortage was inevitable!
But that was for later. The water source was the more serious problem right now.
This unprecedented crisis, with absolutely no prior experience to draw upon, filled 'Demon Claw' Wige with a strange sense of panic.
*Thump! Thump!*
Violent tremors ran through the grassland as two equally massive figures ran over at high speed, kicking up airwaves as they passed.
The two figures quickly appeared before 'Demon Claw' Wige.
"King."
"King."
Two voices rang out. One was respectful, the other rather plain.
The one who spoke respectfully was a kinsman named Muwa Plakshya, a tribesman he respected and treated with seriousness.
His renowned 'Demon Claw' title came from his ancestors, whereas the kinsman before him had earned the title 'Black Steel', one of the Ten Evils of the Demi-Humans, through his own strength.
'Demon Claw' Wige looked at the other one.
He was a Beastman, similar in appearance to his own race, except his upper body leaned more towards a human's appearance, while his lower half consisted of the powerful limbs of a ferocious beast.
He was also one of the Ten Evils of the Demi-Humans, with the title 'Beast General'.
Faced with the other's plain attitude, 'Demon Claw' Wige was actually somewhat annoyed. The reason this individual was here was that the Beastman tribe was subordinate to the Beast-bodied Quadruped tribe.
He called him "King" only because of their races' relationship, not because of his strength. If the other was famous for his personal strength, he wouldn't mind a fight to prove his own power.
However, that was not the case.
'Beast General' Hector Weiss was widely known as a famous general capable of overcoming a ten-to-one disadvantage in troop numbers. Once he commanded an army in battle, he would display a terrifying ability.
To knowingly challenge someone unskilled in personal combat to a battle of strength would be far too shameful.
"King, the tribe has been placated."
"The most urgent task now is to find a water source that can completely put the tribe's minds at ease," 'Black Steel' Muwa said, catching his breath.
"If the drought continues, the water source must be able to guarantee a long-term supply for the entire tribe."
'Demon Claw' Wige was of course aware of this, but the problem was how to solve it. He subconsciously looked towards 'Beast General' Hector Weiss at his side.
"As far as I know, there are two water sources in the Hills that will not run dry."
'Beast General' Hector Weiss said in a steady voice, "One is the river flowing from the northern mountain range, and the other is in the southern mountain range. However, large numbers of tribes are gathered near both of these mountain ranges."
"As the drought worsens, these tribes will certainly fight desperately to protect their water sources."
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