"The loss of personnel is ten times what I expected....." Cedros looked out the window and sighed, his face looking wrinkled a lot more than it had been three months ago. Under the setting sun, the short silver-white hair and short beard seemed to dim a little. "Those are the elite of the army..... Clorin is still the patriarch of the clan. ”

This is the most central room on the highest floor of Oufu's magnificent city hall, and it is also the most central room of this city hall. The spacious room was neat, with no decoration and superfluous things except for a few large shelves full of books and files, and Cedros's desk was next to the window. Looking out of the window, there is the central plaza below. There was a group of orcs standing in the square, and the tiredness on their faces showed that they were struggling to stand like this, the troops who had just returned from the Sandface Mountains. For more than ten days in a row, there was almost no supply in the wilderness, and even the orcs could not bear it.

"I'm sorry. It was my mistake. Asa sighed. In fact, if they honestly follow the map drawn by Gru and the detailed plan drawn up by Cedros, they should have nothing to lose.

Cedros sighed as well. He looked at the raw ore he had brought up, nodded and said, "But the harvest is twenty times what I expected..... the purity of the gems and tomatoes in these raw ores are definitely the best choice." And I was really surprised by the sheer number of them, and the fact that Ofo, a city that had nothing to do with magic, could compete with Deya Valley or Celeste in this regard. He smiled wryly. "It's a pity that these are long-term values that will take time to discover, at least for now, where will Orfu find enough magicians who can use these? And the two Beamon ....." He let out another long sigh, the wrinkles on his face deepened, and the wry smile became more bitter.

Asa asked, "Could it be that something happened to those two little Beamons?"

Cedros shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Totally fine. Instead, one of the werewolves who brought them back was bitten. Monsters like Beamon can eat meat from birth, and they have a very strong digestive ability, so they are easy to raise. I've sent several of my most experienced orc trainers to domesticate them in a secret location, and I'll plan the domestication plan myself. As long as it is used properly, it is impossible for an ordinary army to deal with this kind of monster, and it must be an unrivaled combat power of Oufu. Just ....." The expressions of longing and hope and helplessness and anxiety on Cedros's face rushed to the left and right, strangely intertwined into a strange wry smile. It's like a poor ghost who desperately needs money to save his life and picks up a priceless antique, but can't immediately exchange it for money. "But it won't be until at least five years from now. It was only five years before Beamon could barely be considered an adult, and he had enough size and combat power. In the past five years, the meat they have consumed can be piled up into a small mountain. And now we will immediately have problems with even the most basic food supply, where is there so much meat to give them? ”

"The results may be huge, but whether you can reap them is the key. Cedros sighed.

"Is there something that has happened in the last few days?" Asa found that this old man, who was in good spirits and seemed to have more fighting spirit and fighting spirit than any young man, sighed too much today.

Cedros nodded helplessly and said, "Pope Magnus casually expressed his displeasure with Ofu after a Mass three months ago. He said that it was a blasphemy against God for a savage beast to set up a nation and to stand on an equal footing with God's people. A beast is a beast after all. ”

"It's just this? It shouldn't be a big deal. It is impossible for the Church to forcibly order any country to attack Ofu. ”

"Of course. Two months ago, however, a caravan from Erathia came to trade here. They were accompanied and escorted by three werewolves as they left, but as they entered Erathia, they suddenly killed almost all of the caravan. The two merchants who escaped said that it was because someone in the caravan had played a rather outrageous joke with them, which had irritated them. But according to the orcs who first discovered the scene of the tragedy, the three werewolves tore not only everyone and horses, but also a Kodomon to pieces, and even themselves were almost torn to pieces. ”

Asa thought about it and sighed. "A joke can have such a high mental effect spell, and the person who makes the joke must not be simple. ”

Before the news spread, the orc officials who had gone to the royal capital of Erathia had an argument with a respected priest over religious matters, and after killing the priest, he was still sprinkling feces and urine on the statue of the church. Taken together, these two events have turned Erathia upside down. In addition, an ogre and several orcs infiltrated a village on the border of Tetaria, raped and killed several women. The alarmed villagers and soldiers rushed to kill the orcs. A series of disappearances of children in a small town on the border of Ironfast reveal that they are the work of an ogre. The child's skin had been stripped by the ogre and his head was hanging around his neck, and the evidence was so strong that I didn't think there was any need to send someone to defend it. ”

"I see. Asa smiled wryly. "No wonder even you are worried about this. ”

"Erathia has stopped trading with Ofu for the time being, and it seems that it is only a matter of time before other places such as the Einfast Empire are concerned. Although the situation does not seem to have deteriorated to the point of provoking a war, I think it will only be a matter of time. Cedros looked to the west and muttered. After all, the Pope's words are not meant for no reason. ”

"What do you mean...," Asa frowned, "but I don't think it's possible for the Pope to be manipulated by the Necromantic Guild..."

The Pope, the spiritual leader of tens of thousands of believers in the mainland, the supreme leader of the church, and definitely the top magician in the mainland. Regardless of his own cultivation, he was just a myriad of priests in Celeste, dozens of Templars, and a few Templars and cardinals. Although the Necromantic Guild has all the means to the sky, it is absolutely impossible to use this person, who can be regarded as the most powerful person in the continent in any way, as a puppet.

"I said it. The most terrifying thing about the Valley of Diya is not their fighting power, but their influence in the shadows. If it's just a dozen necromancers, I don't think it's too difficult to deal with. But more importantly, there are also a dozen or so people with extremely smart minds and more important status. They don't need to be controlled, they just need to influence. Not to mention ....." Cedros groaned for a moment, then turned his head to Asa and smiled wryly. "Moreover, the Church itself will not allow Ofu to exist. So I said, it's just a matter of time. ”

Asa nodded. For those who are not religious, the church can influence and influence, even if it is a pagan organization, after the eradication of paganism, those lost lambs may return to the arms of the Lord. But the orcs are no match for the 'Lamb' in every way, more pagan than any heathen, and it is hard to imagine that they will take refuge in the arms of a master who does not at all admit themselves. In the past, it didn't matter that these subhumans were just roaming the wasteland like wild beasts, but now that it has become a country that is not only infidels but also aliens, it is naturally a thorn in the side of the church.

As for the echo between His Majesty's statement and the hands and feet that were obviously made by the Necromantic Guild later, no one knows who is using whom, who is the guest and who is the master.

In other words, Oufu is actually facing both the church and the guild of necromancy. Asa sighed. "It is no exaggeration to say that it is the enemy of the whole continent. ”

"Yes. Cedros nodded helplessly, leaning his upper body out of the window, looking down at the setting sun from the top of the tallest building.

This is the heart of Oufu, and the rooms are located high enough to have a panoramic view of most of Oufu. On the street outside the square, humans and orcs of various races mingled, talking and shouting. Horses, mules, oxen, and Kodo beasts came and went with their cargo. At the door of the artisan shop, dwarven craftsmen and some orc apprentices wielded pieces of iron. Orcs are selling their goods to humans in front of their stalls. Many of the original rough and simple buildings were either expanded or simply torn down and rebuilt with taller and more beautiful houses. Ogre craftsmen moved stones and logs, piled and hammered under the direction of the architect.

It all looks so vibrant, but it's also extremely fragile. The brewing turmoil could turn this place into a barren land with no grass growing again.

The golden light reflected Cedros's hair and every wrinkle so clearly that anyone could see that this was an old man over sixty years old. But this is such an old man, who may not be long before he comes to the end of his life, who has single-handedly created such an unprecedented city in the middle of the wasteland, and now he has to do his best to defend it. Although the difficulties faced were almost unimaginable, the old man had more wrinkles and grayer hair, but his waist was still straight, and there was still confidence and vitality in his face and eyes.

"I rarely admire people, very little. Asa looked at Cedros and said suddenly. "But now I admire you a little. ”

"Oh, admire me for something. Cedros turned his head and smiled.

"In many legends, there are people who are extremely strong and can be invincible in the world. But compared to this kind of person, I think you're more powerful. You are not invincible in the world, but the world is full of enemies who are much stronger than you. But it seems that you have no intention of being afraid to surrender. So a little bit I admire you. There is an enemy in the world that is more worthy of admiration than the invincibility in the world. ”

"Hahahaha...."Cedros laughed and looked at Asa. "There is an enemy in the world...... But when it comes to this, it should be that you are better than me. There are at least a hundred times more people in this world who want your head than there are who want my life. ”

Asa smiled. "But I didn't do anything on purpose, I just went my own way. ”

Cedros smiled, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to come alive, and he muttered, "Actually, why shouldn't I..."

Asa asked, "Do you think Oufu can win this battle? After all, it is the two most powerful organizations on the surface and secretly on the mainland. ”

Cedros nodded and said, "Fighting is only a last resort. Politics, economics, diplomacy, power schemes, and trade-offs are the real contests. What's more, even if it is a battle, it is not a simple wrestling. So we still have a chance. And I'm a little prepared for this kind of situation. General Gru and Master Porugan have gone to Tetalia and Erathia, respectively,"

"What are they going to do?"

"Naturally, it's diplomacy. What Ofu needs most now is time, so I have Lord Porugan go to Erathia as my envoy to try to ease the situation as much as possible. By the way, find out who is in control of Erathia's attitude towards Oufu, that is, to see who our enemies in Erathia are and what kind of abilities they have. Is the situation irretrievable....."

"Let him go?" Asa frowned. If there really is a necromancer hiding there, no matter how effective the mind of Lord Porugan as an envoy of O'Fur is, it is not much stronger than a bug in the hands of a necromancer. "It's too dangerous. Why don't you let General Gru go?"

"Because he has more important things to do in Titalia. With enemies everywhere, we need an ally. ”

"Titalia?" Asa felt increasingly incomprehensible. Although the country of Tytalia is not a religious country, it is true that it will not be affected by the church, but it is located in the northwest of the wild highlands, and you can know how barren it is just by looking at how barren it is because it has not been annexed by the powerful Erathia for many years. No matter what kind of help such an ally can provide, it will be much harder to get such a country willing to risk the world to help Oufu. The point is that when it comes to diplomacy, this is a specialized skill that requires lip service anyway, but what General Gru is good at is definitely not his mouth, but his fists.

Allies can be gained with the fists of one man. Those who believe in such things are either crazy or idiots. But Cedros is absolutely neither. He smiled at Asa and said, "You can rest assured of these two things. In extraordinary times, extraordinary means should be used, and extraordinary measures will definitely have extraordinary effects. ”

Asa smiled and said, "Of course I'm relieved." Since the most difficult tasks have been given to both of them, it will be easy for me during this time. ”

"Where, where. I'll be waiting for you to come back and give you that most important task......" Cedros smiled a little slyly.

"I knew it was so. Asa sighed. Take a few things out of your waist and throw them on the table. "You help me see what this is. ”

"What is it?" Cedros looked at, it was a pair of boots and a necklace, and a pair of bowls.

"The rags I have chosen. I don't know if I can use it, what it is for, and how to use it. ”