Chapter 3802: Interests Collide (Part 1) "Be it on Jiera or Garlen, the Gorgon Empire is where its people are." Milea stepped in. "I support Lord Vladion’s plan and accept the Bright Day’s help. In war, I don’t need friends. I need weapons, and Dawn is the best weapon we can find against Ruugat. "If we don’t destroy his Adamant body today, tomorrow he’ll knock on our doors and our united forces won’t stand a chance against a living mountain of Davross." "The Kingdom agrees with the Magic Empress’ assessment." Amyla Farg, the Kingdom representative in the absence of the Royals, said. "Begrudgingly, but we accept. "We can deal with Dawn later, whereas the longer we wait, the more dangerous this lost city will become." Everyone turned to the Feather representing the Blood Desert, waiting for his reply. "The Desert never objected to Lord Vladion’s proposals." He shrugged. "As long as the people of the Desert have Sinmara of the White Sands, we fear no Horseman. "If Dawn’s presence can save the lives of the Overlord’s subjects, she is more than welcome to join us." "Tell Sinmara I said hi." Dawn snarled at the thought of her past defeat. "Lady Sinmara says, nice to see you too." The man replied as his eyes shone with white light. "Feel free to bring your host and steed to the party. The more the merrier." "Maybe I will." The Horseman’s eyes flared up with white light as well, but one touch from Acala brought her temper in check. "On another occasion. When our paths met, but our interests collide." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮 "Lady Drerian?" Vladion asked. "The Awakened humans agree with your plan." Raagu nodded. "As long as we get the territories that were supposed to be assigned to the plant folk." "Seconded." Feela the Behemoth nodded, quickly followed by the rest of the representatives from both Jiera and Garlen. "The plant folk of Garlen retreat their objection." Lotho grunted, his voice akin to the creaking of branches during a storm. "Before hearing the whole plan, however, I have a suggestion. We should ask for the Organization’s help as well. "I don’t like them more than I like the Bright Day, but Eldritches are unmatched when it comes to destroying any form of life. If the Master’s hybrids join us, Ruugat of the Earth might crumble without even understanding what happened to him." "I agree with you, and I tried." The First Vampire sighed. "Don’t forget that I’m an Elder of Jiera’s Undead Council, and like Magus Verhen, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with the Organization. "Alas, they can’t help us. The hybrids are involved in a personal matter that requires their full attention." "I can vouch for that." Lith said. "I asked my Brood sister Xenagrosh to join us, but she turned me down as well. She is my daughter’s godmother. She wouldn’t turn her back on me unless she had to." Lith was right. Zoreth wanted to help him, but she could not because the Master forbade her to. Thanks to the joint efforts of Jiera and Garlen, lost cities had been sealed and monster tides wiped out. The newfound peace and order were good for Jiera, but not for the Master’s plans. He needed chaos to keep his mining operations from being discovered. While everyone else focused on the threats still at large, his Eldritches and Abominations pillaged the abandoned cities and their treasure vaults to finance Vastor’s operations and experiments. As long as no one looked in the right direction, Bytra would lack nothing for her experiments since Jiera would provide her with the materials she needed and cover her bills. The Master had studied Vladion’s plan and found it brilliant. It was the reason he had refused to help. The First Vampire was likely to succeed and bring order to the ravaged lands of Jiera. Yet the Organization thrived on chaos and fed on it. Vladion’s success would be Vastor’s failure. The Master could only hope that either the mission would fail or that enough people would die to buy him the time he needed to collect everything and disappear without leaving a trace of his presence on Jiera. At that point, once the natives returned to their cities and found them plundered, they would point their fingers at other Jierans. More chaos would ensue, and the Organization’s services would be in high demand from the warring states. The Master would establish an official foothold on the continent with the thanks of the very people he had robbed. *** As soon as the strategic council ended, the preparations for the incoming battle started. The advantage of making the first move on your terms was that every step of the attack could be discussed, coordinated, and, if necessary, practiced in mock battles with the other members of the attack force. The single armies were led by their respective generals and would act under the directives of a single individual. The regular soldiers spent the time before the attack praying, checking their equipment, or calling those they held dear for what might have been their final conversation. Awakened, instead, had to take short practice rounds with each other. Casting one of Silverwing’s anti-Guardian spells required to harmonize one’s mana flow with six more Awakened, and it was bound to be jarring the first times. Yet in battle, a single second of delay could turn victory into defeat and life into death. All bright violet-cored Awakened would fight on their own, but they had to be ready to assemble and cast a Silverwing’s spell if necessary. So, they practiced the Annihilation and the Bastion with their fellow Awakened. Not enough to achieve perfect synch, but just enough to identify those with which their mana flow had the highest compatibility and be grouped nearby on the battlefield. Tista had a violet core, but since her breakthrough was imminent, she was allowed to participate in the seven-man units. Also, the training sessions gave many Awakened the opportunity to test Tista’s magical skills and court her. They knew she was dating Bodya, but dating was no marriage. Acala too was included in the training, no matter how angry or envious his potential teammates were. He had expected to receive many furious glares and no kindness, whereas the envy took him by surprise. Dawn was more than a cursed object. She was the only Light Master on Mogar who could teach such elusive discipline to anyone. She had turned an unremarkable clan of failed experiments like the Rezars into legends. The Awakened bloodlines dreamed about what they could achieve by mixing their legacies with her knowledge. On top of that, Dawn was Baba Yaga’s beloved daughter and a woman. She could bear children that would have the most ancient white core on Mogar as their grandmother, and enjoy gifts Baba Yaga wouldn’t grant to anyone else. Sunrise, Dawn’s mage tower, boosted the Awakened’s envy as much as it did its master’s prowess. "So, you two can split now?" A tall, handsome Awakened asked. "Yes." Acala replied. There was no point denying the obvious. "We could have separate lives if we wanted, but we prefer making one together." "You don’t say." The Awakened’s words oozed sarcasm and were accompanied by the grimaces of their teammates. That kind of behavior caught Acala completely off guard.