Quartermaster Captain

The situation on the west coast is turbulent. Griffin, the former Grand Chancellor of the Council who rebelled in the north, points the finger at Kang De, claiming that the Cathayan and the surrender faction within the Council conspired to commit the massacre at the Tower of All-Seeing, and calls on all righteous people who have long suffered for Kang De to unite and drive the Cathayan off the continent.

With the release of the statement, Distant Harbor has officially declared war on Griffin.

First-hand diplomatic information spread like wildfire across the entire continent.

Upon learning of the Distant Harbor Shogunate's declaration of war, Griffin immediately held a speech to formally respond to the war proclamation.

He declared that the Council's citizens, who love peace but are not afraid of war, are ready to go to the battlefield, and the bravest soldiers will punish the bloodthirsty butchers of Cathay.

He also declared that the culprit who must be punished was Kang De of Cathayan, the mastermind behind the division of the Council. As for the other disagreements, they were internal conflicts within the Council. Therefore, he called on all upright people who love this country to distinguish right from wrong, understand their position, and not to act rashly before the truth comes out, because his purpose Griffin was only to seek justice for the dead.

This statement put the Southern Council in a very passive position.

The country is divided, and conspiracies are rampant.

The core members of the Council are well-educated mages who wield power and social resources. To put it nicely, they are opinionated and capable of independent thinking; to put it bluntly, they overthink and are exquisitely self-serving. Upon hearing of the massacre at the Tower of All-Seeing and the Grand Speaker's defection, they felt utterly bewildered.

Griffin Williams was highly respected in the Council and even throughout the continent. He was revered by mages and even regarded as their spiritual father. After the incident, no mage could understand why the high-ranking and powerful Grand Speaker would defect and why he would plot such a heinous crime.

Unable to find the answer, they tend to resort to conspiracy theories.

--If the Grand Speaker had no reason to defect, then he must have been wronged and forced into this situation.

The official explanation given by Kaliusi, who was in charge of cleaning up the situation, was that "Griffin Williams was dissatisfied with the Council and complete democratic system of the council and attempted to achieve a dictatorial one-man rule. To this end, he orchestrated this bloodshed and tried to frame Kang De for the attack and provoke a war in order to seize power."

While this explanation makes sense in terms of the outcome, it is still somewhat untenable.

Not only the common people, but even the mages couldn't understand—what? The Grand Speaker feels his power isn't enough? Why? Isn't he our emperor?

So CEO Aokexindun patched up the official statement.

"Griffin, a Northerner who speaks for the interests of the Northern workshop owners and wealthy merchants, has always been dedicated to encroaching on the interests of the South, wanting to take a share of the profits from the Southern island vassal states and plantations that the Southerners have worked so hard to develop, and to plunder the fruits of our Southern labor."

"To this end, he used this bloodshed to purge the parliamentary system dominated by Southerners, consolidated power through framing and war, placed massive orders with large workshop owners in the North during the war, sent soldiers from the South to the battlefield, and lured Kang De's navy to sabotage the economy of the Southern coast. He weakened the South's power in various ways, ultimately causing a complete imbalance of power between the North and the South."

Peddler, laborer, scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant—even a southerner could understand this.

--Griffin, I'll fuck your mother!

They shouted this in the streets and alleys, in taverns and salons, with orators passionately proclaiming the need to protect Southern interests, to fuck the Yankees, and not let them take our interests away—countless people peddled this idea, earning large sums of money and applause.

Both the beggar and the wealthy man, both from the South, applauded, feeling that this statement was absolutely correct.

But Kaliusi was furious when he heard about Aokexindun's patch.

"You've portrayed a coup d'état orchestrated by the Star Palace as a conflict between the North and South! This will cause the country to split!" he roared almost hysterically. "You damned traitor, Kang De's dog, you damned thief!"

Aokexindun laughed it off.

"Does the conflict disappear just because I don't speak up? Where is Griffin now? Do you really think he gained the support of those Yankees with some so-called charismatic personality?"

Kaliusi was speechless.

Otherwise?

Should we reveal the matter of the Star Palace?

Without evidence or witnesses, how can the people be convinced? Even if it were said, it would only lead to suspicion and ridicule. This is an even more outrageous fabrication than "Griffin wants to be emperor."

Moreover, it will cause unnecessary panic and unrest.

He feared that some people might take advantage of the situation to cause trouble, and that someone might use the pretext of "investigating the Star Palace's lackeys" to carry out large-scale retaliation and infighting. This was not an excessive worry. In fact, the "cleansing of Griffin's cronies" already showed a tendency to expand the crackdown. The country was already riddled with internal contradictions and could not afford to create any more trouble.

The most urgent task is to prevent the country from splitting apart, cooperate with Kang De to deal with Griffin, capture the God of the Star Palace, and then use this as evidence to force him to confess his crimes, origins, and conspiracies before the kings of the various countries.

Only in this way can we gain the trust of the monarchs of the various countries and make them realize the terrible threat posed by the Star Palace.

"But..."

He read Griffin's latest speech repeatedly, "He's very clever... He declared that his primary goal was to punish Kang De, which means he revealed that he had no intention of civil war, and even said that after punishing Kang De, he would Council and the entire nation an explanation and answer."

Aokexindun a dark expression. "He's using his past prestige and reputation, and it's very effective."

The newly appointed executive officer had been quite dissatisfied with Griffin during his time in the Starry Sky Council, and now he had no goodwill towards him at all—if he hadn't gone on a business trip to Distant Harbor and had instead worked at the Tower of All-Seeing, his name would certainly have been on the long list of deaths in that massacre.

This left him terrified.

Now it seems that Griffin is more difficult to deal with than imagined.

Just like this statement, he is using his past reputation; the authority and prestige he has built up over decades are extremely useful, enough to keep the wavering public in check.

--After all, the Grand Speaker has already said that he wants to punish Kang De, not start a civil war, and that he will give us an explanation after it's over. So why should we send troops north? We might as well wait until the Grand Speaker has finished dealing with Kang De and see what he says then. After all, the war hasn't spread to the south yet.

Kaliusi sighed, "The resistance to launching an attack will be immense."

Aokexindun said calmly, "I know, that's why Duke Kang De remembers our hard work and dedication."

The interim Grand Speaker looked up at him. "This isn't something you and I can decide... Even if we reach an agreement, the mages, soldiers, and merchants below won't easily start a war."

Aokexindun shook his head. "You know, Kaliusi, you've heard it yourself... You know Griffin has become a greedy wolf, you know he won't let this go, and you know his impassioned speeches are all lies; he's sold his soul to his enemies in heaven."

"But..."

"No buts, I'm just reminding you."

Aokexindun snapped his fingers, "I will do everything in my power to push for the Northern Expedition and persuade my allies to begin war preparations. All my alchemy workshops and magic manufacturing centers will cease all orders and, starting today, will focus entirely on supplying resources to Distant Harbor. I will also persuade all my allies and partners to do the same... In short, this time, I'm betting everything on Kang De."

He glanced at Kaliusi: "Personally, I would prefer you to hesitate, look back and forth, and keep your options open, watching Griffin and Kang De clash, making excuses for his requests and summons... But you've heard about Griffin's conversation with the God of the Star Palace, and you know what it was."

After saying that, he picked up his teacup, took a sip of the iced tea that had been mixed with Coca-Cola and flavored with strawberry, peach, and pineapple-flavored QQ candy tea bags, and frowned.

"Damn it, what kind of crappy drinking method did the Imperials come up with?"

Kaliusi seemed thoughtful, then asked, "Since when have you become so considerate of the bigger picture?"

Aokexindun put down his cup and laughed, "There's one thing I didn't tell you about my experiences in Distant Harbor those past few months, because I'm ashamed—as a prisoner, I was forced to take a course, studying and attending classes every day, and I had to get two thousand points to pass... At first, it felt really tough, but then I gradually felt..."

He gave a self-deprecating smile, "That actually makes a lot of sense."

Kaliusi asked curiously, "What course? What's the content?"

Aokexindun waved his hand and said, "I've long forgotten—after all, I'm a high- Council, the head of a powerful magical clan, and I control countless wealth, connections, and resources. Those courses are not for me to attend."

With his mage-like spiritual power and keen perception, Kaliusi sensed the wavering and unease in Aokexindun's heart.

"What did you hear?" he asked. "What are you afraid of?"

Aokexindun swallowed hard, his face pale, wavering, uneasy, hesitant, even fearful... a strange dread appeared on his face.

He hesitated for a long time before speaking.

"I heard Kang De's thoughts and will."

The fear that had plagued him for so long, he dared not ask Kang De, and wanted to tell his online friend, a dragon, with whom he had a good chat, but was afraid that the other party would misunderstand him as lacking masculinity. Kaliusi should be a good confidant.

"I feel like an ant, seeing a massive, rolling ship approaching, ready to crush me to pieces. I'm terrified, but I'm just an ant. If I run forward, I'll be caught and crushed soon; if I run left or right, it's too late."

"I want to dig a hole right here and bury myself in it, but I don't know if I'll suffocate."

"That feeling of watching death roll in and inevitably arrive..."

"Do you understand? I'm terrified. Because whether I live or die doesn't depend on me, it depends on that wheel."

"It won't stop, but if it tilts to the left or right, I have a chance to survive. But I know it won't, because the driver is a very experienced one. It will go straight ahead, and he won't take any detours when it comes to running me over."

Upon hearing this, Kaliusi couldn't help but say, "Then you're doomed!"

"No."

Aokexindun said in a low voice, "That's what I initially thought, but then I realized that there's no need to dig and hide, nor to expect the car to change its mind; there's actually another way to survive."

What method?

"It's the sound I heard."

"As the car drew closer, I heard someone shout from inside."

Aokexindun whispered, "He shouted—Get in the car!"

This may seem like an obscure allegory, but for Kaliusi, a prominent figure in the Council and once considered Griffin's successor, it is not difficult to understand.

He asked thoughtfully, "Do you want to get in the car?"

"Free tickets, or rather, charity tickets," Aokexindun smile. "But we don't accept passengers with too much personal luggage... Some things, you can't just throw away."

The interim Speaker leaned back in his comfortable chair. "So, what are you going to do?"

Before Aokexindun could answer, a rapid knocking sounded from outside.

The secretary brought in new intelligence.

Kaliusi glanced at it a few times, then handed it to Aokexindun: "Goth's response."

The executive officer glanced at it a few times, then asked in astonishment, "What kind of method is this?"

Five minutes ago, Archduke Reknos of Goth summoned envoys and powerful nobles from various countries, reiterating Goth's position and stance. He stated that Duke Kang De was Goth's unquestionable benefactor and ally, that he absolutely did not believe Griffin's accusations against Duke Kang De, and that he firmly opposed any slander or humiliation directed at Duke Kang De.

"At the same time, he opposed resolving issues through war and called on both sides to exercise calm and restraint. However, if Griffin insisted on igniting the war or even bringing it back to Goth, then Goth People would never yield."

"Furthermore, he called upon all Goth People to take up arms, prepare to defend their homeland once again, drive out all invaders, and make them pay the most painful and heavy price..."

At the Sound of the Tide Manor, after A Fu finished reading Goth's statement, everyone's expressions became somewhat subtle.

"He's crazy... he's not quite lucid."

Nixiyasi said coldly, "What time is it? Still playing the fence-sitter?"

Tina's face was ashen, and she remained silent.

This matter concerns Princess Tina's father, a delicate topic that outsiders shouldn't comment on. Hong San glanced at his master and preemptively said, "Admittedly, this statement seems extremely unwise. It claims to support us, but its attitude isn't firm. Given that Distant Harbor has already declared war, it's still calling for a peaceful resolution..."

Tina interrupted him, coldly saying, "Diplomatic rhetoric is irrelevant; what matters most is whether there are any underhanded schemes, and we must be wary of them."

Kang De said calmly, "No need to overthink it... From now on, ignore any official statements or rhetoric from Goth, and only observe their actions. Take the premise that 'all Goth People have decided to conspire to betray us,' and on that basis, carry out the corresponding work and actions, and notify all departments."

A Fu's eyes flashed with an electronic glow, and he nodded, saying, "Yes!"

Kang De thought for a moment, then said, "The Grand Duke has already made his stance clear, and Griffin should have something to say as well. And what about the other continental nations? Have their envoys delivered any messages?"

"It happened just now, almost simultaneously."

A Fu checked the communication system and summarized. "The nations led by Twilight Moon and the Empire are calling on both sides to exercise restraint. His Majesty the Emperor has suggested initiating negotiations and has invited you, Griffin Williams, and relevant personnel from the Southern Council to the Imperial Court in the capital for a confrontation. He has also invited the Phoenix King and His Majesty the Dragon Emperor to co-chair the meeting, and all the monarchs of the nations are welcome to attend."

"Tell him, 'Screw talking about fucking.'"

Kang De coldly replied, "If you want Deceleration Field, just say so. No need to beat around the bush and try to seduce Griffin. We haven't even fought yet, what's the point of talking? When I capture Griffin and bleed him dry, I'll invite him to the Distant Harbor for the ceremony and reserve a good seat in the front row for him... That's all I'll say in response."

The Parrot, who had been scribbling on the paper without looking up, said, "Being this arrogant here will make you friendless."

"If you win, you'll have friends, dogs, you'll have them all."

Kang De said to A Fu, "Make a list of those who went to Griffin, those who talked nonsense, and those who waved the flag and shouted along with the Empire. There will be a time to bleed them dry later."

A Fu pumped his fist. "Okay! I've written it all down in my little notebook!"

"Then, gentlemen, prepare for war... Victory is easy, but the real war begins afterward. There is still much to be done: split the Council, support the North, foster a North-South confrontation, take over Goth's regime," Kang De said solemnly. "After this war... we will become a new great power."

Half an hour after Goth Goethe issued his statement, Griffin officially issued the order to wage war.

"Goth is either on our side or on Kang De's side."

The main force, which had been mobilized and prepared in advance, set off immediately. The advance team had already departed, and a series of huge deceleration vehicles, having completed their motorization modifications, were escorted by the main force and hidden among various decoys, a mix of truth and falsehood.

The formidable army roared forward; Griffin had been preparing for this war for a long time.

The backbone and elite forces of the army were all arranged by the Star Palace in the Council. With them as the foundation and the army from the north as a supplement, it is a powerful force.

In the previous propaganda campaign, Griffin learned many skills from Kang De, which were laughable when used against Distant Harbor, but were somewhat effective against Goth.

The massive amount of flyers and the rampant rumors led to Griffin's ultimatum.

"--The Council regrets the foolishness of Grand Duke Reknos."

Griffin still considers himself the Grand Speaker.

"But the Goth People have no reason to be drawn into war by the Duke's foolish orders, and Teldrassil, who is in cahoots with Kang De, is not qualified to rule this country. The Council's iron hooves will sweep away Goth, but cities that declare independence from Teldrassil's rule will be unharmed. Any nobleman willing to uphold justice and protect the common people can step forward and take control of the city. He will become the city's new master without any controversy."

"The Council will provide these brave individuals with the utmost support, whether they choose to become independent, obtain a title commensurate with their righteous deeds, or even leave this country full of lies for the beautiful empire. The Council is willing to help facilitate such connections... as long as they can make a just choice."

Inside the mobile tent on the march, Griffin pointed to the map and explained it to Phaethon.

"We must divide Goth, we must completely alienate Kang De from this country, so that he will find it difficult to wield power in the future... This is also the common demand of all nations; we cannot give him the opportunity to become powerful."

Phaethon was skeptical. "What's the point? Even a large number of ants are still ants."

"Trust our judgment. Once Kang De extends the Distant Harbor model to the entire Goth, he will unleash a massive military force far exceeding that of the Empire. He will be able to sweep across and conquer the entire continent. This virtuous cycle will allow the entire continent to unleash tremendous power in his hands."

Upon hearing this explanation, the God of the Star Palace exclaimed alertly, "Then do it this way! We must not let this happen!"

Griffin glanced at him discreetly.

"We will enter Goth territory... Our first battle will be fought in this city, Nar."

"Kang De will not stand idly by while we carry out massacres in Goth territory. If he does so, it will completely damage his prestige and cause the Goth People to lose their trust and support for him... Therefore, the first battle will be fought here."

"Observers from all nations will be here. We must prove to them that Kang De's alchemical weapons and Forbidden Spell are no longer a threat... So understand? This battle is crucial."

Phaethon was persuaded and asked, "Tell me, what do you want?"

"We haven't officially engaged in battle yet. Although I have a general strategy for dealing with the enemy, I still need to observe how the battle develops before I can make a decision," Griffin said. "However, in military warfare, logistics are of utmost importance. While the army is protected by Deceleration Field, transporting supplies is somewhat dangerous. If possible, I hope you can support us with better spatial teleportation technology... or even better, agricultural technology that can be adapted to local conditions and acquired quickly."

He drew up a list. "Your accumulated knowledge and wisdom far surpass ours. With some support, we can go much further on the path against Kang De... Agricultural technology, manufacturing technology, military technology, the mysteries of magic, the mysteries of life, alchemical weaponry—whatever you can offer us, we want it."

"Rapid, effective, and abundant supplies, from technology to weaponry—we need whatever we have."

Griffin said sincerely, "This is all to fight against Kang De. Please decide for yourselves."