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Chapter 1245 - 1245 213 The End of an Era_2

1245: Chapter 213: The End of an Era_2 1245: Chapter 213: The End of an Era_2 At the very least, those devout ascetic monks will stand against them; the impassioned youth below will not consent either.

You must understand that the Lord of the Dawn is the racial god of the Human Race.

Once they betray the Human Race, it is a betrayal of their faith.

“Your Majesty, we have no choice.

If we let go now, we can still retreat in one piece.

The longer the Clergy drags this out, the greater the losses will be.

Although the Five Nations Alliance seems to not be killing, they are aiming for the heart, inflicting greater impact than the killing itself.

By strategically retracting now, a portion of the followers will stand with us.

Preserve this living force first, then seek opportunities in the future.

If the entanglement with the Five Nations Alliance continues, more and more severe issues will be uncovered, and I fear the Clergy’s reputation will be…”

Archbishop Soren said with a bitter face.

He must be the scapegoat in this situation.

The Three Kingdoms in the Central Continent happen to be in his diocese, and now his subordinates are the ones in trouble.

As the head of the faction, besides enjoying the support, he also has the duty to bail people out in critical moments.

If his subordinates are all gone, his days as the head are also numbered.

With such a significant incident, someone has to take the fall.

For the stability of the Clergy, the blame cannot be pinned on those with real power; it has to be the one who is in a weaker position to take the hit.

If we really delve into responsibilities, Shelter VII would be the one with the greatest blame.

As the Pope having lost the Inherited Artifacts, that is the greatest stain.

However, this is a historical issue; the Divine Artifact was not lost during this leadership of the Clergy, they were also victims of their predecessors’ pitfalls.

“Your Majesty, Bishop Soren is right, we really have no other options.

The navy has suffered heavy losses, and on land, we are blocked by Different Races.

Once we confront the Five Nations Alliance, the military forces we can deploy are extremely limited.”

Legion Commander Blake stepped forward to persuade.

Perhaps it’s just bad luck, but recently, the various factions of the Clergy have been taking turns facing misfortunes.

Today you are in trouble, tomorrow I am; between them, there are countless scandals.

When everyone has scandals, these scandals cease to exist.

Even if chaos arises, everyone reduces big issues to smaller ones, and small issues dissipate.

If we were to deal with this seriously, none of the high-level Clergy present could escape unscathed.

After repeatedly being through such tribulations, there is an understanding between them.

Political struggles remain political struggles; international troubles should not be used as grounds to attack political rivals.

“Enough!”

“The Clergy is in need of people right now; there is no need to make meaningless sacrifices.

Temporarily give up the dioceses in the Central and Northern Continents, and also retract from unstable areas in the South Continent!

The personnel that have been withdrawn should all be reviewed one by one.

We must let everyone know that our Clergy is not a place that harbors filth.

After confirming there are no issues, they should be deployed to the Kingdom of Rusenia to strengthen our control over the local area.”

Shelter VII sighed.

Whether this step back is into the open sky or into the Abyssal Hell, no one can say.

But there is no choice, with the current strength of the Clergy, they indeed cannot afford to monopolize the religion of the Continent.

The result of the strategic retraction is that the neighbors are hurt.

The losses in various places on the Continent must somehow be compensated.

The declining Kingdom of Rusenia has unfortunately become the sacrifice.

…

New Moon Port, after the great battle on the plains, has become even more prosperous.

Shops and properties within the city are being snatched up by merchants from all over the Continent.

The biggest significance of the battle on the plains for the Alpha Kingdom is not the heavy strike inflicted on the Orc Empire, but rather the confidence brought to the nation by the war.

The Kingdom Aristocrats, who originally doubted the Near East development strategy and chose to wait and see, now only regret that they were blind and missed a lifetime opportunity.

Providing coal in snowy weather is difficult, while adding flowers to brocade is easy.

The noble lords developing in the Near East Region have now received increased support from their backing families.

All the resources of the kingdom are flooding into the Near East Region.

No one doubts the success of the kingdom’s Near East strategy anymore; everyone is fantasizing about the arrival of the great counter-offensive era.

Revenge on the Orcs is secondary; the key is the new round of expansion opportunities brought by the counter-offensive.

This is not only the cradle for the rise of emerging nobility but also precious ground for the established nobility to further advance and rejuvenate.

As everyone regards the Near East as the bridgehead for the counter-attack on the Orc Empire, the development of the Near East Region has become unstoppable.

As the only large port in the Near East Region, New Moon Port is the first to reap the development dividends.

The original city plan is no longer sufficient, and the construction of new city walls is already underway.

Honestly, Hudson does not like such brainless city-building.

But given the environment, going against the grain comes at a cost.

Since everyone believes in the need for walls for protection, the amiable Great Lord Hudson has decisively chosen to respect public opinion.

“Duke, our territory has advanced into the Cursed Land, which the Orcs consider to be an ominous place.

From on-site inspections, the local environment is very suitable for agricultural production, without the slightest trace of the curse evident.

However, looking at local history, almost every tribe living there has encountered accidents.

Considering the safety of the people, the Government Affairs Department suggests that we shouldn’t invest too much in the area until the source of the problems is identified.”

Jacob said with a grave expression.

Strategic issues always mean being one step slow, every step slow.

Just as the Kingdom’s aristocrats decided to increase investment in the Near East Region, Snow Moon Territory has already taken steps to expand.

With Hudson’s influence, the nearby Orc tribes have already fled far away.

There’s no choice; the Bimon Royal Clan is the perfect bad example.

Because they were too close to Master Hudson, the expedition teams gave them special attention on their return.

Almost every Bimon tribe with more than ten thousand members that stayed put has been “cared for” by Master Hudson.

The already grievously wounded Bimon Royal Family now has festering wounds.

The treatment for inflammation is very simple: stay away from Master Hudson.

Following the incident, the Bimon Tribe directly underwent a great migration.

Thanks to Master Hudson, many unclaimed lands appeared in the Orc Empire, providing them with an opportunity to fill the gaps.

If the royal families were driven to distant flight, it goes without saying for the other Orcs.

Except for some tribes with insufficient strength to migrate, everyone else who could run did.

If the Orcs dare to retreat, Hudson dares to advance.

Whether or not there is the capacity to develop it, claiming the land is undoubtedly correct.

Symbolic development is not to guard against the Orcs but to prevent the kingdom’s nobility from jumping out and grabbing territory.

An unclaimed land of the Orcs is fair game for the Kingdom of Alpha; whoever occupies it first, owns it.

Having an early advantage, Hudson can’t possibly indulge in exclusive benefits.

Thus, the expansion route progresses along the coastline, bounded by Snow Moon Lake.

The area above Snow Moon Lake is left for the other aristocrats of the kingdom.

In this world where might makes right, if you grab it, it’s your skill; if you fail, it’s your own fault for going hungry.

As the advance went smoothly, it stumbled right into the Cursed Land.

And this area can’t be avoided.

Either stop here and use the Cursed Land as a buffer zone between both sides, or overcome the difficulties and continue east into the great plains.

Unquestionably, those below hoped Master Hudson would continue eastward.

After all, only if Hudson gains enough can they have enough to fill their own bellies.

“The matter of the Cursed Land is very troublesome; for now, we should not put too much effort into it, as if the land doesn’t exist.

Issue orders to halt the eastward advance, we’ll decide after fully integrating the territory we’ve acquired.”

After contemplating for a while, Hudson spoke.

Though he spoke lightly, deep in his heart, the memories of “Prehistoric Relics” involuntarily surfaced.

“Mysterious Mural,” “Stone Statue,” “Messages from the distant past,” “Cataclysm of ten thousand years”…

The amount of information was overwhelming, and Hudson couldn’t help but feel a headache.

It should be known that just the residual power of the relics alone was enough to teleport him and Belsden away.