797: Wanting to Build Something New Always Came with One Problem or Another (New Year Bonus Chapter 30/30)

Murphy's conversation with Professor Malcolm continued until the airship descended into its berth at Scarlet Keep.

At that moment, Murphy was incredibly grateful that he had appointed someone as capable as Professor Malcolm to serve as Transia's ambassador. Only someone with the professor's experience and ability could explain the situation on the Genoa Peninsula so clearly in just a few dozen minutes.

Simply put, the biggest problem over there wasn't the gnollish Black Calamity, which could spill over the Gorgon Pass at any moment. The shield dwarf clans were still holding the Borut Pass, the closest route to Chardo Port, so the gnolls wouldn't have an easy time getting through.

But even before the gnolls arrived, the halflings had already been gripped by terror at the prospect of war.

To put it simply, those short folk had scared themselves half to death. That was closely tied to the fact that they hadn't faced a war in nearly a thousand years. But the professor had also said he suspected the fear had erupted so suddenly and on such a large scale because another faction was stirring up trouble behind the scenes.

Murphy wasn't surprised.

That was how the Dusk operated. Their goal was the end of the world, and as long as something furthered that goal, they were willing to use it.

Besides, from what Murphy had observed, the various Dusk factions didn't all pursue that shared goal in the same way. It was entirely possible that one faction specialized in manipulating public opinion.

But after Murphy met with little Sharon, their own Countess Sykemore immediately dismissed that theory.

"Of course not. The situation isn't as complicated or sinister as you think. Uncle Glendower told me all about it on the way here. The agitation and rebellion were the work of