The Ways of the World (Alliance Leader Bonus Chapter)

On the holy mountain, looking at the letter of appeal for help in his hand, Pope Pius VII was secretly worried.

While he played a part in the outbreak of the Continental War, it was also a natural consequence of the development of the international situation, and the specific timing of the outbreak of the war was not under his control.

At least by the end of the war against the Beastfolk, Pope Pius VII was unaware that Continental War would break out so quickly.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to place his nominal nephew, who was actually his son, on the throne.

Despite being an illegitimate child, he was still his most cherished son.

It wasn't that Pope Pius VII broke with conventional wisdom; the main issue was that the Church of Dawn had a rule: the Pope could not marry.

Without a legal son, the bond between father and son can only be fulfilled through illegitimate children.

Initially, he considered having his son inherit the position of Pope, but later, considering the difficulty of doing so, the emergence of the Seven Grassland Nations gave him another option.

The pope's position cannot be inherited, but the King's position is always hereditary. Rather than staying and fighting for the uncertain papacy, it's better to secure the throne that is passed down through generations.

Even though he proclaimed his intention to revive the glory of the Church, Pope Pius VII knew better than anyone that the Church could never return to what it once was.

"What are your thoughts on the plea for help from the Seven Grassland Nations?"

Pope Pius VII asked, frowning.

The Church is not his personal Church; if he wants to send troops to rescue him, he must obtain the support of the various factions within the Church.

It's not difficult to achieve this: the pope's son is King, the sons of faction leaders are great lords, and below them are likely small or medium-sized lords.

In a sense, the Bright Kingdom is a replica of the Church. Every position is tailor-made for them; nothing less will do.

The side effect is that the fighting strength of the Bright Kingdom may have been slightly weakened. There are too many second and third generation disciples, and their will to fight desperately is not as strong.

Of course, they also have their own advantages; their parents invested more resources.

Based on the data on paper, the Bright Kingdom ranks first among the Seven Grassland Nations in terms of population, economy, army, and number of experts.

"Your Majesty, the Bright Kingdom, one of the Seven Grassland Nations, is a crucial part of our strategy in the Northern Continent. We cannot easily abandon it unless absolutely necessary."

In order to once again spread the glory of the Lord of Dawn across the continent, we must urge the Human Alliance to take immediate action.

If the council cannot pass the resolution, then the Bright Kingdom should temporarily abandon most of its territory and choose strategically important areas to defend.

Send an elite force to help them hold at least one stronghold, and after the victory in the Continental War, join forces with other countries to help them reclaim their lost territory.

Bishop Solon spoke with righteous indignation.

This is a classic case of misusing public resources for private gain, yet no one raises any objections. After all, this isn't the first time something like this has happened; the previous large-scale support for the Bright Kingdom was also paid for by the Church.

Compared to many countries with shareholding systems, the Church is a completely private enterprise. There is only one owner, the Lord of Dawn, and everyone present is just a high-level employee.

Although the Lord of Dawn has not shown his face for many years, and many people have come to regard the Church as their private property, they still have to consider the issue of faith and cannot truly turn the church into their home.

"Sending troops is not a problem, but the Beastfolk are a bunch of lunatics. They just finished a war and they're already jumping out again so impatiently."

To help the Bright Kingdom defend a stronghold, we need to consider not only military issues, but also, and perhaps more importantly, logistics.

The only large port on the grassland is currently under the control of the Fralant Wheel Kingdom. The shortest route for us to transport supplies there is through that port.

To protect the Bright Kingdom, this port must also be protected. This requires the combined efforts of all nations; it's far too difficult for us alone!

After hearing Gu Lei's analysis, everyone's expressions turned grim. It was clear from the map that maintaining the supply line was actually more troublesome than protecting the Bright Kingdom.

The importance of large ports is self-evident. In the last war, the various countries on the continent used these ports to transport strategic materials and carry out a strategic blow against the Orc Empire.

Having suffered a loss once, the Beastfolk are unlikely to forget it. Unless their leaders are fools, they will fight tooth and nail to take over the port.

To save the port, a bloody battle was inevitable.

If the situation escalates too much and attracts the main force of the Beastfolk army, it will be a free boon for the Alpha Kingdom.

Whether investing so many resources in a Bright Kingdom is worthwhile is something everyone is weighing in their hearts.

"First, send 50,000 reinforcements to help the Bright Kingdom stabilize morale. Before the flames of war spread, send as many supplies as possible to the Bright Kingdom."

Regardless of the final choice, the battle to defend the Bright Kingdom is a must.

Pope Pius VII said helplessly.

This is no longer an era in which the Church reigns supreme; they too must abide by the rules that prevail on the mainland.

Holding a stronghold, preserving the legitimacy of the Bright Kingdom, and laying the foundation for a later counterattack to reclaim lost territory is undoubtedly the best option.

Losing the foundation organization and the exiled government, waiting for the Human Alliance to support its restoration after the war is also an option, but this requires the approval of all parties.

The standard for recognition is very simple: look at the level of resistance during the war.

Especially for a newly established nation like the Bright Kingdom, it is even more important to perform well at this time. Without outstanding achievements, it will be difficult to convince the public.

A similar scene was playing out across the mainland. The powerful figures on the mainland who had the resources to provide support were weighing whether to continue investing resources into the grasslands.

In contrast, the countries threatened by the Elves and the Ancient Remnants are in a much worse situation.

Although the mainland nobles are one family, they have been independent for far too long, and their blood ties are practically nonexistent.

Even among the same family, only a little bit of kinship remains, far less intimate than the bond between sons, grandsons, and brothers who have just separated from the Seven Grassland Nations.

Without any consideration for personal feelings, and solely driven by self-interest, everyone acted as if they hadn't even seen their plea for help.

Aside from verbally promising to send troops to provide assistance, there has been absolutely no concrete action taken.

The pressure gradually spread to the countries of the Northern Continent through the Human Alliance Council. The countries of the Central and Southern Continent could ignore it, but their neighbors could not stand idly by.

If we allow the countries on the front lines to collapse, the flames of war will soon reach our own backyards, and no one will be able to remain unscathed.

After realizing that the Human Alliance was unreliable, all nations turned their attention to the Alpha Kingdom, waiting for this leader of the Northern Continent to come up with a solution.

As a core member of the kingdom's military, Hudson also obtained firsthand information. Even far from the Royal Capital, he could sense the distress of the princes and ministers.

Sending troops or not sending troops is a complete dilemma. Even if they had previously decided to wait and see, they have no choice but to reconsider due to the current situation and international pressure.

The fact that no further meetings were held is enough to prove that the kingdom's leadership took responsibility and shouldered the pressure themselves.

Knowing this is one thing, but Hudson wouldn't willingly take responsibility. Given the uncertainty of the future, any decision made could be wrong.

By using the results of the previous noble council as the basis for decisions, everyone can share the responsibility if problems arise. However, if decisions are changed arbitrarily, everyone must bear the consequences alone.

Having habitually destroyed the files, Hudson continued to busy himself with matters in his territory as if nothing had happened.

"Your Excellency, Viscount Cayou has come to visit."

Tom's voice rang in his ears, Hudson smiled slightly and said, "Please ask him to rest in the living room for a while, I'll be there shortly."

His intuition told him that the previous plans were working. He just didn't know the outcome of the naval battle, or who would ultimately win.

"Cayyo, long time no see!"

Hudson greeted him warmly.

The two didn't actually interact much. Even when he complained to Governor Pierce about him, it was out of "good intentions" to prevent his "good friend" Cayo from going astray. He had no qualms about it.

"It has indeed been a while since we last met. Your Excellency the Earl is still as dashing as ever, truly enviable."

"I'm just saying this with feigned emotion," Caio said.

His feelings toward Hudson are very complex, going through several stages: first contempt, then close attention, then hatred, and now he can only look up to him.

"Ha ha..."

"You're a very busy person these days; the Governor has entrusted you with handling all the provincial affairs. This trip here couldn't have been just a coincidence, could it?"

Hudson said, half-jokingly.

There are indeed many government affairs in the Southeast Province, but most of them are meaningless repetitive and trivial. The only thing that needs to be worried about is the Blood Moon Defense Line under construction.

Unlike nobles in other regions who are flexible and adaptable, the nobles of the Alpha Kingdom prefer to be inflexible and rigid.

Having determined that the Black Forest Kingdom posed a threat to the security of the Southeast Province, the construction of the defense line did not stop even after the outbreak of the Continental War.

Of course, only the wealthy Southeast Province dares to act so recklessly.

It was already the wealthiest province in the kingdom, and recently a large magic crystal mine was added, giving everyone the resources to prepare for war while simultaneously carrying out construction.

Moreover, constructing the Blood Moon Defense Line itself serves as the best cover for the magic crystal mine. With a large amount of labor being mobilized daily, it would be difficult to detect any anomalies without proper monitoring.

The Beastfolk slaves contributed by Hudson have now been removed from official records. The stated reasons are: acclimatization issues, plague, and construction site collapse.

In reality, they all entered the mine and unlocked new professions. Unless the magic crystal mine loses its value for mining, they are unlikely to reappear in the public eye.

"Your Excellency, I have come to ask for your help. A mysterious group of pirates has suddenly appeared on the southeast coast and fought a battle with the family navy."

We have begun searching the sea and have roughly pinpointed the enemy's location to the waters around Poison Dragon Island. I imagine Your Excellency has also heard of the legends surrounding this place.

To eradicate this malignant tumor and restore peace to the southeastern coast, we implore Your Excellency the Earl to lend a hand!

As soon as Viscount Cayou finished speaking, Hudson fell into deep thought. The legend of "Poison Dragon Island" was famous throughout the Southeast Province.

Ancient legend has it that this place was the place where ancient gods imprisoned and exiled an evil dragon. The island is teeming with poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, and a moment's carelessness could cost you your life.

There are also rumors that this place was once a sacred Altar, but it fell into ruin due to the impact of an ancient war.

There is also a legend that this place is a treasure trove, containing a wealth that could rival that of a nation.

Some even say that this place connects to the entrance to the abyss, and anyone who gets close will suffer all kinds of misfortunes.

There are a lot of messy stories, and it's impossible to verify their truth or falsehood, but the probability of accidents occurring after ships enter this area is indeed very high.

After scrutinizing Viscount Cayou and finding no evidence of deception, Hudson smiled slightly.

He orchestrated the entire pirate incident; the enemy's destination was Poison Dragon Island, something no one knew beforehand.

In such a short time, it's unlikely that the Dalton Family would have set a trap.

While there have been instances of Dragon Knight being tricked and killed on the mainland, they are few and far between, and most of them were open schemes.

It's easy to plot against people, but it's not so simple to assassinate a Saint-level Giant Dragon. These extraordinary creatures have an extremely keen sense of danger.

Even if there are traps, it's useless; Lord Hudson has absolutely no interest in things like mysterious treasures.

If I discover something myself, I might even investigate it further. I politely decline all invitations from others.

Greed is the original sin, Hudson doesn't believe in a windfall that just happens to fall into his lap.

Even if there were genuine treasures, it would be icing on the cake for him. Wealth could be seized from war, but the wealth accumulated in the last war had been largely depleted, and a new war was fast approaching.

He gradually collected a considerable amount of various secret techniques and inherited knowledge. Although he only briefly mentioned many of them, they were enough to broaden his horizons.

Living in the same Southeast Province, the Dalton Family couldn't possibly be unaware that the cautious Lord Hudson never teamed up with others to search for treasure.

Without entering the underground palace or secret realm, simply wandering around outside and trying to ambush a Dragon Knight is simply a pipe dream.

Back then, when the Human Alliance was fighting back against the Beastfolk, they organized a large group of experts to ambush Maxim, but he managed to escape.

Although only two or three years have passed, Maxim's strength is now vastly different. When facing enemies with the same lineup, even if he can't win, he won't be as humiliated as he was back then.

Put aside the idol image of the Giant Dragon, learn Beldens's stun-and-kill tactics, and you might even be able to follow the team and turn the tables.

Moreover, the current situation is not a good time to take action against him. If one really wants to use underhanded tactics, it should be done after the Continental War ends.

Compared to other races, Hudson believed that he, as a model young man, was not so capable of inciting hatred.

"Viscount Cayou, rest assured, it is everyone's responsibility to combat pirates. Now that these pirates have appeared on the southeast coast, they are our common enemy."

However, the waters off the Northern Continent are full of reefs and monsters often appear. If you are not familiar with the sea routes, your ship is likely to have an accident.

What are these pirates, who only do what they know, doing here?

Even if something goes wrong and they need to relocate their base to avoid the limelight, shouldn't they at least keep a low profile?

Hudson asked the question knowing the answer already.

The pirates were originally very low-key, and even the fishermen didn't bother with them. But with this mastermind behind the scenes, the pirates couldn't keep a low profile anymore.

Since they've already shed blood on each other, and dare not reveal their identities to negotiate peace, then they can only continue fighting.

"We are also investigating this matter. The first to discover their whereabouts was a patrol warship, and it seems that a conflict occurred during questioning."

When reinforcements arrived at the battlefield, the warships had already sunk into the sea. They engaged in a chase and battle at sea, but had to stop as night fell.

The waters around Poison Dragon Island are often shrouded in fog, and it is easy to get lost if you are not careful. Finding their location is not easy.

"We have no choice but to ask His Excellency the Earl for help!"

Viscount Cayou explained with a sincere expression.

The preceding content is all true. The Dalton Family is currently in a state of confusion and has no idea why this group of foreign pirates dared to attack their warships.

The cause of the conflict is purely speculation. After all, the parties involved have already met with the Lord of Dawn, and any investigation would require capturing the pirates alive.

The claim that the misty atmosphere over the Poison Dragon Island makes it difficult to find the enemy's foothold is simply an excuse.

In the extraordinary world, if the Dalton Family so desires, they are fully capable of clearing away the fog in an area in a short period of time.

It's a bit of a hassle, but compared to owing him a favor, it's clearly more economical to go through that trouble.

If Hudson can't see through such an obvious gesture of goodwill, he might as well quit politics.

When war broke out again, everything changed. He, the undisputed commander-in-chief, had become highly valued in the eyes of many.

The Dalton Family is not the first, nor will they be the last, to deliberately try to establish a connection with the Daltons.

The reason no action has been taken is simply because a suitable entry point hasn't been found yet. Given the opportunity, everyone would like to establish a good relationship with the Commander-in-Chief beforehand.

I don't expect to gain much attention, but at least I can avoid being deliberately targeted on the battlefield.