Changing the Plan

The heated atmosphere in the study lasted for a long, long time. In the end, Roland could not help but forcibly stop the two excited men. Otherwise, he would not have gotten anything else done tonight besides listening to their howls and wails.

Once Leslie had calmed down, some rationality returned to his eyes. He forcefully reined in his excitement and said in an incomparably serious tone:

"Roland, I suggest that every member of this exploration team who is not a Saint Domain expert be forbidden from leaving the Sea of Hope for the next five years. Keep them inside to mine resources and prevent news of the passage within the Sea of Hope from leaking out."

Roland sat up straight and asked in a deep voice, "Is that really necessary? You should know that the territory's two strongest mage corps and half of the Dark Angel Legion are all inside the Sea of Hope right now."

"Not only that, I suggest moving the two golem manufacturing workshops for the Boulder Golem and Giant Magic Cannon Golem directly into the Sea of Hope, completely eliminating the risk of information leaks." Rather than answering Roland's question, Leslie made an even further suggestion.

Seeing the grave expression on Leslie's face, Roland's own expression turned serious.

"The territory has suddenly lost so much strength. It will be fine for a short while, but over time, it will inevitably attract outside covetousness—especially Phillips. He has just joined forces with the two kingdoms of Cardina and Ribela and is waiting for us to expose a weakness."

"Roland!"

A sharp glint suddenly flashed through Leslie's eyes. He immediately dropped into the seat across from Roland and, without waiting for a response, said excitedly:

"During this time, I have been thinking about how to completely resolve the