The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 881: Volume 27: Sudden Gust - 20: Betrayal as a Means of Survival

Chapter 881: Volume 27: Sudden Gust - 20: Betrayal as a Means of Survival

He inhaled sharply, and his face went through several changes. Of course, he understood the implication behind Ebson’s words. It seemed to be the only choice for the other party. Nobles and Traders would never tolerate this situation to persist. If they could not find an object to take out their frustration on, the authority of the Lords would surely be shaken, and being torn to shreds was not an exaggeration.

His mouth turning increasingly bitter, Nissa pondered Ebson’s words. Poznan and Silesia had always been seen as speaking with one voice, their interests tightly intertwined, even more so than the previous relationship between Galle and Homer. It used to be so, out of necessity to oppose the pressure from the Central Kingdom, but what now?

It seemed the situation had changed somewhat. Although the beastmen had not marched in with a large army and seemed to abide by their pledges on the surface, Nissa did not have the confidence in how steadfastly the beastmen would keep their promises. Without directly compromising their vital interests, Silesia’s primary threats still came from the beastmen in the West and the North. Apparently docile, did not mean they had sheathed their claws, and this Nissa believed firmly.

"Ebson, are we truly out of options?" Nissa bit his lip, "We know what kind of person Zellin is. Galle is not like us in Silesia and Poznan; he wields far greater power. If we take this step, there may be no turning back, and the Gallians, they still have room to negotiate."

"Nissa, you’re too naive. Do you really think we have a way out? Or do you believe that usurper will only target my Poznan and spare Silesia? If you harbor such luck, let me tell you, your fate will be even worse than Philip’s!" Ebson immediately detected the hesitation in his ally’s tone, which was dangerous, and he had to warn him.

"No, no, you misunderstand, I do not have such a naive thought." Nissa quickly denied, "But we must carefully consider whether the Galleians will truly stand with us? If things go south, and they abandon us, what then?"

"Nissa, you are always so hesitant. Why weren’t you this cautious when you were dealing with the beastmen?" A trace of sarcasm appeared on his face, Ebson was growing more and more disgusted with this man.

The words struck a raw nerve for Nissa. If it hadn’t been for the Church of Light acting as a go-between with guarantees, he would not have rashly made such a foolish decision. But now, the Church of Light was preoccupied with its own troubles, the storm of purging the Salvation Society was already upon Silesia. The already troublesome situation was now completely chaotic due to this, and Nissa did not even know how he was supposed to continue being a Lord.

"Ebson, let’s not bring up the past anymore, we should discuss the current situation." Nissa’s face looked very ugly, "Are you planning to accept Zellin’s suggestion to strike first?"

"Hmph, if we do not strike first, are we supposed to just watch as that guy arms his forces and eventually comes for us? Look at his recent actions, he’s incorporated Philip’s Homer Knights, now he has armed all those despicable barbarians and half-beastmen, not to mention the power of those mages, and even the Church of Light Religious Tribunal has swallowed a bitter pill from them. If this goes on, our only option left is to lay down our arms and surrender," Ebson retorted.

"But do you think we can truly defeat him if we join forces?" Nissa was still hesitant.

"Hmph, that is not my main concern. The one who should be most worried is Zellin. His Nirvana Knight Regiment was actually involved in the last war. He knows that Galle is eventually going to be targeted by that man, which is why he’s so eager for us to join his plan. Zellin is closely tied to the Church of Light. Even now, as the Church itself is unstable, I believe they will still provide considerable support to the Galleians at the critical moment."

"Just that the beastmen on the other side...."

"Nissa, there has been absolutely no sign of activity from the beastmen, I suspect those rumors are deliberately created by someone to distract us and disturb our internal focus."

"Hmm, that possibility is indeed likely. It seems we do have to give this careful consideration. If Groningen is blocked off, we really won’t be able to survive." Nissa seemed to finally accept the other’s viewpoint, "However, I suggest that we should discuss in detail with Zellin in person once more."

"Of course, we must discuss the specifics thoroughly. The purpose of my visit today is to tell you we can only survive if we stand united, otherwise, we face a dead end!"

After rushing out the hastily departing Ebson Heine, the hesitation and anxiety vanished from the face of Nissa Ferdinand, replaced by deep contemplation. He seemed completely unaware that his Chief Administrative Officer had already approached him.

"Sir, it seems that Poznan can hardly hold on any longer."

"Hmph, it would indeed be strange if he could hold on. But it looks like the Gallians also seem quite eager to court Poznan, otherwise he wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to seek us out. I wonder what that man is thinking. Is he really forcing Ebson and Zellin to join hands? Does he truly have enough confidence to handle the Galleians?" Nissa’s gaze was as deep as a bottomless well.

"Sir, what should we do? The offer they’ve given us is not too demanding...."

"Hmph, if it wasn’t too high, I wouldn’t even consider it. If it was really satisfactory, then I would genuinely have to question their sincerity," Nissa interrupted his Administrative Officer, "That man is more cunning than anyone else, he intends to use our Ferdinand Family to block the beastmen for him while also trying to take the most fertile areas of Poznan."

"Then why agree to it, sir?"

"Why not agree? One should know the limit of one’s abilities, how much to eat for the size of one’s stomach; too much appetite can kill a man. In reality, Groningen alone is enough for me, everything else is just extra, not even worth considering as extra, we even have to help him guard Hasselt Fortress. To speak true, he should be paying us for the military expenses."

He looked up towards the distant church spires, "Forgive me, Ebson. I have no choice, I must consider the survival of Silesia."

"The Church of Light, I wonder when they will be able to end this turmoil. Without their balance, the North will never be at peace," the Administrative Officer worried.

"Rest assured, I have my own sense of measurement." (To be continued, for the continuation of this story, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available, support the author, support authorized reading!)