King
Chapter 892 - 892 90 Collapse of the Western Front_2

892: Chapter 90: Collapse of the Western Front_2 892: Chapter 90: Collapse of the Western Front_2 The Clergy proclaimed a crackdown on pirates, and the Alpha People replied, “Pirates are detestable; they must all be exterminated.”

When the Clergy spoke of heading north to encircle the Ghost Ship, the Alpha People responded, “The Ghost Ship resides in the Misty Marine Region, be cautious of the heavy fog on the way.”

With the conversation having reached this point, if they didn’t go, wouldn’t it seem like the Clergy were cowards?

Yet if they really took military action, a whole new set of troubles would arise.

Although the Clergy’s naval fleet was powerful, it also had a vast amount of maritime interests to maintain.

Besides a few heretics, most countries were paying Tithe to the Clergy, primarily due to the power they wielded.

Especially those small coastal countries that nearly paid their taxes in full, the deterrence of the navy played a critical role.

Apart from deterring nations, the Clergy also needed their own fleet to protect their maritime interests.

If the main fleet left, their competitors would not miss the opportunity to cause trouble.

Although they might not attack directly, remotely directing pirates to assault their ships was a possibility.

These petty tactics were based on the premise that the Clergy’s main fleet remained unharmed.

If the fleet sustained heavy losses during this venture, then even more troubles would follow.

“How do you view the Alpha People’s reaction?”

Shelter VII asked with slight hesitation.

His instincts told him that sending the fleet north now would be anything but smooth sailing.

But having spoken too passionately earlier and with his statements already made public, he, as Pope, could not well slap his own face!

“Your Majesty, the Alpha People are so brazen because they firmly believe that I wouldn’t dare take action during the continental war, hence their fearlessness.

If we stop now, not only will the disappearance of the Treasure Hunting Team become an unsolved mystery, but the prestige that the Clergy has accumulated on the continent over the years would also crumble overnight!”

“Since they choose to play dumb, let’s just play along.

We’ll use the encirclement of the Ghost Ship as a pretext to send out a fleet to investigate the disappearance of the Treasure Hunting Team.

Once we find evidence, we’ll confront the Alpha People with it and see how long they can remain defiant!”

Blake said, seething with killing intent.

Facing Alpha Kingdom, his old nemesis which had infuriated him to no end, Blake had always been a hardliner.

Unfortunately, this old foe had considerable strength of its own and had never shown a deadly weakness.

The international situation had also never afforded them the opportunity for revenge, thus it had dragged on till now.

Investigating the disappearance of the Treasure Hunting Team was merely an internal excuse.

Anyone with a smidgen of political sense knew that, with a major incident involving the loss of two Divine Artifacts, the case had to be handled with utmost discretion.

Knowing that the Alpha People had a hand in it, retaliation could be sought later; there was no need to detonate this political time bomb.

This show of military intimidation was fundamentally a support act for the second generation.

As parents, nobody wanted to sacrifice their young.

“Blake, you’re as reckless as ever.

The Alpha People are letting us go north, but who knows what schemes they have planned?

Let’s not forget that the Ghost Ship is located in one of the top ten dangerous places on the continent—the Sea of Mist.

To investigate the disappearance of the Treasure Hunting Team, we would need to delve deep into the legendary Poison Dragon Island.

The Alpha People are the local snakes; they know the Misty Marine Region like the back of their hand.

If they’ve set traps in there, waiting for us to jump in, an unwary moment could lead to serious consequences!”

Hearing Gulay’s analysis, everyone’s expression turned grim.

Past experiences had shown that taking on the Alpha People in their own territory usually didn’t end well.

The Clergy also had information about the Misty Marine Region, but it was very sparse.

Sea of Mist: Dense fog, easy to get lost.

Poison Dragon Island: Venomous Worms lurk, extremely dangerous.

And that was it.

A region perennially shrouded in thick fog and an island inhabited only by poisonous creatures—who would waste their time studying it every day?

The resources and manpower of the Clergy were limited; they couldn’t possibly explore every nook of the world.

The Misty Marine Region, of little value, naturally was not a priority for the Clergy.

“So what if there’s a plot?

With things having gone this far, can we really back down and announce to the world: ‘We’re busy, we won’t go to encircle the Ghost Ship anymore’?”

Blake said disdainfully.

Being embarrassed is a minor issue, but a bunch of second-generation members are stuck in Bright Kingdom.

If we back down now, who knows how many we can get back in the end?

Similar situations had arisen before on the great plains.

The terrible events in Omega Duchy and Xilong Duchy, with Bright Kingdom playing the most disgraceful role.

First, they duped their allies to retreat into their territory, then detained opponents’ Monarchs and coerced the retreating troops to serve as cannon fodder on the battlefield—all pioneered by them.

Daring to act so boldly was naturally determined by their living environment.

Accustomed to the Clergy directing everything, they never truly considered the feelings of the duchy Monarchs.

Temporarily detaining someone was nothing; there was a time when the Clergy had sent a King to the roasting spit.

Having grown up learning about these magnificent deeds, they were accustomed to the supremacy of divine authority, leading to somewhat outrageous behaviors.

It can’t be called foolish, at least in military terms, these actions were advantageous.

Using the cannon fodder from neighboring countries greatly reduced Bright Kingdom’s casualties.

Regrettably, they weren’t very lucky, encountering a similarly ruthless neighbor wanting to replicate their actions.

“Command the First Fleet, the Second Fleet, and the Fourth Fleet to head north; leave the Third Fleet to defend our home.