Chapter Thirteen: Deep Waters

“The forces from the Church of Light, which might be behind this, have sent representatives to warn us not to break the agreement. Additionally, Dasher has gathered some information that isn’t favorable to us. So I think it’s time for us to withdraw.” The monk’s calm yet firm gaze immediately silenced Muni and Moda. Although Carter and Christine were still dissatisfied, hearing about Dasher’s intelligence made them want to know what secrets the Snake Clan had to offer.

Seeing everyone’s gaze fixed on him, Dasher Snake shifted uncomfortably. His cold and merciless expression was unsettling to anyone who saw it. The Snake Clan had always remained separate from the other tribes of the Orc Five Tribes, struggling to integrate like the Bimon Clan. Yet, even when everyone grew tired of this clan’s icy demeanor, it seemed the Bimon Kingdom could never do without them.

“The forces supporting our southern advance might be those from the Church of Light and some western countries in the Human Northern Alliance. They have united out of dissatisfaction with the religious policies of the Kingdom of Nicossia. Other participants are powerful lords dissatisfied with Nicossia’s central policies. They hope to use our Bimon army to strike at Nicossia’s central government, weakening its control so they can achieve their own goals.” Dasher’s words were always so lifeless. “But new developments have emerged. The Nicossian royal family still holds considerable influence across the kingdom. Around Jazair, there are now about twenty thousand private armies led by various lords, with those from the Caucasus and Leon regions in the southern part of Nicossia’s Homer Province being the most prominent.”

“Homer?” The Fox Queen quickly saw the pattern. “Weren’t the Four Great Lords also involved in this conspiracy? Why are Homer’s troops here in Jazair?”

“Kristin, this army doesn’t belong to Homer; it’s owned by a minor lord who’s been bought by the Kingdom of Nicomia. You’ve probably all heard that region is populated mainly by Bimons’ hybrids, so this army is also composed mostly of those hybrids,” the monk said with a hint of disdain in his eyes. Half-orcs were never respected by the Bimons; in their eyes, those half-orcs were even more despicable and vile than mortals. A race without ancestors—such a race’s existence on the continent was simply a mistake, and they should be wiped out from this land.

“Oh?” The monk’s words immediately surprised everyone. It was unheard of for a mortal lord to use half-orcs as soldiers; such a thing had never happened in history before.

“It is because of this minor lord that the Kingdom of Nicomia has gathered so many troops. Although their combat capabilities vary, they can be quite effective for defense. Moreover, that hybrid army is said to have defeated Homer’s forces, though the details are still unclear.” Dashler ignored everyone’s astonishment and continued with his duties. “The armies of the four great lords are also active, likely out of fear that we might take advantage of the situation and advance southward. Additionally, some countries in the Northern Alliance to the west are also preparing for war, probably targeting us.”

“Hmph, these mortals are determined to use us and then discard us once they’re done. How could things be that easy?” Moda Bir said angrily.

“But we still have to accept this reality. If the Church of Light had remained firmly on the side of the Kingdom of Nicomia, we would never have achieved such remarkable success, nor would our losses have been so minimal. We might even have suffered defeat. We all understand this: once we break ties with the Church of Light, its people will quickly unite the four great lords of Nicomia with the countries of the Northern Alliance. The consequences are obvious.”

The monk clearly saw further ahead, not confined to the present situation. For the Bimon Kingdom, the struggle with mortals had just begun. For hundreds of years, the Bimons had been in a state of primitive accumulation, and it was only now that they had entered a phase of intense conflict. There would be plenty of time and opportunities in the future. As long as they held their ground and moved forward step by step, they would eventually have a chance to return to this land—but by then, it wouldn’t be so easy.

Sami Tagore’s calm words brought everyone to quiet stillness. Though they too longed to trample those despicable mortals underfoot sooner, they had to retreat for now—the mortals still possessed considerable strength. Only when they were completely shattered, with no force holding them together, would the Bimon Kingdom have its chance. And although the Church of Light was already on the decline, it could still effectively achieve this.

“By the way, Dasher, have you made arrangements on your end? The mortals in the north of the Kingdom of Nicosia are now migrating south in large numbers. This is a great opportunity—we must not miss it.” Sami Tagore knew these words might seem like a doubt toward the Snake Clan, but this matter was too important. He needed to let the others know he wasn’t without a plan; otherwise, withdrawing silently might lead them to suspect he was too weak.

“Hmm, there’s no need to worry. We began planning this as early as we captured Fort Saint Nicholas. Please trust the professionalism of our Snake Clan members.” Though Dasher’s tone remained as cold as ever, Sami could still sense his displeasure.

“Dasher, I have no intention of questioning the skill of the Snake Clan warriors. But this matters to our next steps, and we both understand its importance. I had to remind you.” Sami smiled, offering an apology to the frosty-faced Snake Clan leader, which left the Fox Queen and Wolf Leader deeply disheartened. Carter believed he himself could never do such a thing—apologizing to subordinates; he simply couldn’t bear the humiliation.

“It’s alright. I believe our Snake Clan warriors will bring satisfactory results for the Bimon Kingdom.” Clearly, Dasher was satisfied with Sami’s polite apology, and his indifferent expression softened slightly.

“Kristine, I heard you obtained some books at Fort Saint Nicholas. Were your words just now inspired by those books?” The Tiger King’s sharp gaze fell on the Fox Queen.

“Well, not bad. Those books have deeply moved me and shown me that there are still many gaps between our Bimon Kingdom and the mortal world in many aspects. Although not everything is worth emulating, many of these are indeed our weaknesses. I think we should carefully consider these issues.” The Fox Queen was greatly surprised by the monk’s keen perception. In her view, although the Tiger King surpassed Kater in magnanimity and breadth of mind, and was only barely on par with Kater in wisdom, she never expected him to be so meticulous, able to deduce that it was due to reading human books after she expressed her thoughts.

“Good. It seems those books are quite useful. Bring them to me for reading when you return. Also, everyone here must thoroughly study mortal books. Only by understanding and learning from them can we ultimately defeat them.” The monk Tagore spoke in a strict and firm tone—only then did he truly display the demeanor of a king.

After the others left the tent, only Monk Tagore and the Snake Clan leader Dashler Snake remained. As the intelligence chief of the Bimon Kingdom, he knew the king would surely have some special tasks to assign or ask him about.

“Dashler, are you sure those supporting us are just some high-ranking figure in the Light Church, rather than a unified decision of the church?” This had always been Monk Tagore’s greatest concern. Pushing the Bimon Kingdom into an uncertain direction required considerable wisdom and decisiveness from a king.

“Hmm, their pope has been in seclusion for years. It’s said he hasn’t been involved in church affairs much these past few years. Most of the work is handled by two archbishops, along with a chief judge whose status is comparable to theirs. But it seems he doesn’t get involved in the specifics either. I can only say it’s likely one of the two archbishops, but I can’t determine which one,” Dashler replied cautiously.

“Can’t we discern any tendencies from those clues? Since they’re the two in charge of church affairs, there must be some differences, right?” The monk frowned, his king-like wrinkles becoming more pronounced.

“Mortals are too cunning. Analyzing things based solely on surface appearances can lead to traps. I can’t be sure about that,” Dashler refused to make any conclusions on the matter.

“Well, that’s true. Um, by the way, who is that guy who uses half-orcs to form an army?” After pondering for a long time, Sha Mi Tagore finally remembered another question.
“The information we have so far isn’t enough to determine his background or capabilities. But it’s strange that the leader of his half-orc army is a former officer from the now-extinct Principality of Mellen,” Dashler replied after some thought. “However, these armies don’t pose much of a threat to us for now.”
“Hmm, I see. We still need to focus our attention on the conflict between the four great lords and the Kingdom of Nicossia. I believe that even if the Church of Light can help the Kingdom of Nicossia get through this crisis, it won’t be long before the four great lords overthrow this puppet that no longer has the strength to suppress them. You need to step up monitoring in this regard as well.”
He patted the snake clan leader’s thin shoulder, which made the latter uncomfortable, but Sha Mi Tagore enjoyed it immensely. He liked seeing such awkward expressions on others, though it was rare to see them on Dashler.