421 I Hope Everyone Is Prepared To Make Some Sacrifices Inside the Dvalinn Tower… "With this, those two bastards will no longer be able to act arrogantly around here," Wendell said. "Well done, Zion." Thirteen nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Lord Wendell. I was also very annoyed by those pests. They don't share the same vision as us, yet they dared to trick the public and invite themselves into joining our operation without permission." "I'm sure they have learned their lesson by now," Lawrence commented. "But we still need to keep our guards up. We don't know when the two of them might stab us from behind." "I'm quite impressed with your PR Team, Zion." Trevor chuckled. "Why don't you introduce them to me? They managed to shut Aaron and Norman up without giving them a chance to defend themselves." "I'm sorry, Lord Trevor, but they have an exclusive contract with me," Thirteen replied. "They will continue to work only for me until the Northern Regions are safe and secure." Trevor Remington nodded in understanding before shifting his gaze to Benedict, who was also seated within their Round Table. "I've heard that you have bestowed Benedict a small Empyrium Mine. Is this true?" Trevor asked. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎 "It is true," Thirteen replied. "But didn't we all agree that all resources must be equally split between the Alliance?" Trevor asked. "Then why is he an exception?" The members of the Aldebaran Continent, as well as the Central Government, all shifted their attention to the teenage boy, who had a faint smile on his face. "It's the price that must be paid in order to ensure that the arrogance of the Ashford and Stallard Clan would be brought down a peg," Thirteen replied. "As you may already know, I forced Uncle Benedict to kneel in front of everyone. "What I had asked of him was disrespectful, tasteless, and out of bounds. Uncle Benedict holds an important position within the Riggs Family, and yet, I trampled on his dignity and honor. It was something I shouldn't have ordered, but it had to be done. "Compensating him for his loss is the right thing to do. The weight of his sacrifice cannot be measured in gold, so I gave him the next best thing. If Uncle Benedict hadn't done that, I wouldn't have been able to pull off what I did. "Aside from that, making Lord Wendell and Lord Trevor kneel in front of everyone was out of the question. Not only would it lower Morale, but it might also cause problems within the alliance. Even if I was willing to compensate them with the biggest Empyrium Mines in the Rigel Continent, it would not be enough. "Um, just in case anyone is wondering, I'm talking about Mines that are as big as the Nasca Mines. I would've been willing to offer that much to Lord Wendell and Lord Trevor if push comes to shove." Everyone in the room quieted down as they glanced at the two Monarchs who both had calm expressions on their faces. However, deep inside, they were thinking that kneeling for a few seconds in exchange for something similar to the biggest Empyrium Mine that was currently being shared by the entire Alliance was worth it. Wendell lightly coughed before smiling at their Supreme Commander. "If there is an opportunity to bring down the Ashford and Stallard Clan, I am willing to cooperate with you, Zion," Wendell said. "I think you did the right thing by rewarding Benedict. That is indeed the proper way to compensate him for his sacrifice." "I feel the same," Trevor commented. "Do not hesitate to ask me for help next time. I will cooperate with you to the best of my abilities." The leaders inside the room could only shake their heads helplessly. They also wouldn't mind kneeling for a few seconds if an Empyrium Mine was involved. Empyriums were said to only form in places with high concentrations of Jinns and Majins. This was why the Rigel Continent was the best place to mine this precious ore—the Jinns and Majins had inhabited the place for many years. "Let's move on to our next agenda," Thirteen stated. "I have decided to launch our next operation ten days from now. Although it would be troublesome, we need to allow the Ashford and Stallard Clan to participate in the expedition. Wendell clicked his tongue, but he also understood that there were things that there was nothing he could do about, especially since everyone in the world was paying close attention to their operation. "The only advantage we have is that the Ashford and Stallard Clan cannot ask for a big percentage of the spoils of war. Although I'm sure that many of you feel hesitant in letting them have a share of the pie, we have to look at the bigger picture." The teenage boy's words were firm, making everyone nod their heads in agreement. "Our goal is to liberate the Northern Regions and come to a compromise with the Earth Dragons," Thirteen stated. "As long as we are able to make them agree to a ceasefire agreement, we can shift our attention to the Cygni Continent, and prepare for another invasion. "I hate to say this, but this is a fight against time, gentlemen. The sooner we end this war, the better. Is everyone in agreement?" The leaders all nodded their heads, letting him know that they were on the same page as him. "Good." Thirteen tapped his communicator, and a projection appeared at the center of the round table. "Our drones have finally located the location of the Death Lord Erasmus. The Wyvern King is with him, but based on the images we received, it seems that Vannaroth has been turned into an Undead Wyvern. This is both good news and bad news for us. "The good news is that its strength had diminished after becoming an Undead Monster. The bad news is that it is still a strong monster and shouldn't be underestimated. "There are also no signs of the Wolf King and the Centipede King. They might be dead, but it's better for us to assume that both of them will also appear when the fighting starts." The teenage boy had no intention of telling anyone that the Wolf King was already dead, and that he and the Centipede King had an agreement. Thirteen and Jalrog understood that both of them were only using each other for their own gains. Their alliance was not firm, so anything could happen during the battle. "Please create as many Empyrium-powered equipment as you can during that time," Thirteen said. "We will be relying on those weapons for the time being because we are low on missiles and artillery shells. "This will probably be our greatest battle as of late, and I hope that everyone is prepared to make some sacrifices." Everyone in the room understood that it was impossible to have no casualties during the war, so they had already prepared themselves for some sacrifices. After discussing a few more important matters, the meeting ended after three hours. Two days later, Seth and Allen were finally relieved of their punishment and were allowed to eat, drink, and rest with their men. The two Commanders did their best to keep a low profile as per the order of their Monarchs. Although there was a bit of tension in the surroundings, the days passed swiftly because time waited for no one. Before everyone knew it, the entire army of the Allied Forces, once again mobilized in order to fight a war, which would determine whether they could hold the territories they gained or die fighting for what they believed was right.