Volume 33: Where to Go From Here

Chapter 1: A Breakthrough

Early summer on the Land of Azure was always delightful—cool breezes mixed with bright sunlight bathed the land, which was lush and green. Komer stood with his hands behind his back on the walls of Gothenburg, lost in thought.

The atmosphere remained somewhat uneasy. The Basarabians had finally fallen into the trap, and Vyrana seemed to have been deceived by Pubehu. Things like “thousands of miles across”—referring to the distance from the southernmost colony to the northernmost—and “abundant resources”—of course, the products of the Land of Mist were indeed unheard of in the Land of Azure. As for their actual uses, even those who were brought back didn’t understand. Was this really considered abundant?

Anyway, the Basarabians had finally agreed to the marriage, strengthening this powerful ally in the west. Komer felt much more at ease. While there was no need to worry about the Northern Alliance, the unpredictable orcs made it hard to gauge their intentions. Their current behavior puzzled even those who had once feared them—could orcs coexist peacefully with humans? And actually achieve equal coexistence!

Komer realized a danger: the orcs’ tactics of appeasement alone weren’t terrifying, but the fact that they had such an awareness was concerning. For a long time, orcs had been excluded from human civilization. No matter how fierce or violent they were, no matter how hard they struggled, they would eventually be eroded by the gradually growing strength of human civilization and helplessly retreat back to the vast Mo Gan Wasteland.

But now it was different. The orcs had changed their strategy. They seemed determined to imitate human societal structures—ranging from political organization to religious beliefs and social customs. Although they weren’t very successful at first, they persisted. One could imagine the difficulties they overcame and the strong conservative forces within them they had to resist. Now, it seemed they were on the verge of success—extremely close to it.

Komer had once planned how to undermine the orcs’ efforts, but after careful consideration, she abandoned that simplistic idea. The orcs, a formidable race, were like barbarians—yet more united and far-sighted than them, with leaders who were more rational and sober than barbarian chiefs. Mortals could not erase them from the Land of Azure; it was simply impossible. Since that was unattainable, they had to face reality, especially now that the orcs had penetrated deep into mortal territory, making the sense of crisis even stronger.

Since they couldn’t be eliminated, the only option was to assimilate them. In fact, as they strived to imitate mortals, they were also consciously accepting assimilation. Komer didn’t want to ruin their self-assimilation process for her own gain—this was a rare opportunity for all mortals.

The best strategy for assimilating them was through spiritual culture, with religion and the dissemination of knowledge being key aspects. The orcs hadn’t realized this, while both the Light Church and the Dark Church seemed to have long recognized it and were making every effort to address it. Even the Order of Mercy had begun to take action.

This was the true art of a master strategist, Komer thought. The subtle influence on the orcs would surprise them greatly. When the day came when they truly couldn’t do without everything in mortal life, it would mean they had fallen into the web of mortal civilization and could no longer escape. Perhaps one day they would realize that it was mortal civilization that had eroded their racial traits, transforming them into mortals—mortals who were slightly stronger than ordinary ones.

When had the orcs become such favored favorites? Even Xuro, that guy, couldn’t stay idle and wanted a share in this battle for faith—how interesting.

In Komer’s memory, the orcs seemed to have their own beliefs—traditional shamanic rituals were their faith. But in the face of this onslaught of human secularized religions, she didn’t think those traditional shamanic rituals had any chance. Perhaps a few stubborn elders would hold their ground, but that no longer mattered to the overall situation.

What should he do? Komer racked his brains over this question. Nicosia had calmed down, and after he clearly hinted to Zelin that he would offer a rather noble gift to marry Vero, the Gallicans’ pent-up emotions had been somewhat relieved. Yet this was undoubtedly a stimulus for Lenta. If he couldn’t find a proper way to resolve this conflict immediately, Komer believed this delicate ambiguous situation wouldn’t last long.

It was truly frustrating. Komer spat out the grass root he had been chewing on for a long time. They say there’s always a way out when faced with difficulties, but right now he seemed unable to see any path forward.

Nicosia had entered a new phase—after integration, steady development should follow. Komer found himself lacking some passion. Whether it was Homer or Gothenburg, they seemed of little interest to him. Instead, the Caucasus and Leon held more of his affection. The good old days seemed gone forever, and it seemed difficult for him to regain that once fervent enthusiasm. It all seemed to stem from his changed status.

Had his status truly risen to the point where he could look down on everything? Clearly not. Nicosia was still a fragmented nation. Orks still occupied the northwest, the Northern Alliance hadn’t avenged the humiliation of Katyn’s invasion, religious conflicts within the country were intensifying, and there were still lingering issues like the Mistflower Hills. All these indicated that it was not a time of peace.

So what should he choose as his first breakthrough point?

Komer gazed into space, lost in thought. This was a truly challenging problem. On the surface, it seemed most urgent to reclaim Jazair, but in reality, it was the most difficult. With no obvious weaknesses in the orc-occupied areas, any rash military action would only lead to failure and humiliation—Komer was well aware of this.

Then whom should he choose?

Faith—only faith. If he couldn’t resolve this issue, Komer was convinced that, like a breached dam, his rule would soon crumble.