Akali froze for a moment, then gave a disdainful snort.
"What? Would they actually dare attack us? Do they have the guts?"
"On the Sains Continent, of course they wouldn't. But out on the Endless Sea, they really might dare if they felt they had to," Xu Yi said gravely.
Seeing how serious Xu Yi was, Akali set aside some of her contempt, but a trace of confusion arose in her mind.
"Why have those people suddenly become interested in expanding into the Endless Sea? Given their current situation, shouldn't they be focusing on developing their own magic industry sectors?"
Xu Yi shrugged. "Perhaps they feel that maintaining the status quo will make it difficult to regain the initiative and surpass our merchant guild, so they've decided to look for opportunities and more resources in the Endless Sea."
"Them?"
"Don't underestimate these long-established nations. They've kept a low profile and focused on development for the past ten years, and their progress has actually far exceeded my earlier expectations. Although they're still well behind our merchant guild technologically, unlike ten years ago, they aren't completely unqualified to compete with us anymore," Xu Yi said.
Akali looked slightly stunned.
"President, do you mean... those countries have been making some underhanded moves?"
The long-distance conversation he had just had with Raymond flashed through Xu Yi's mind. A bitter smile crossed his lips, and he shook his head with a soft sigh. "They're behaving themselves for now, but I'm afraid that in the not-too-distant future, once they think they're strong enough, they'll really start causing trouble."
"Tch, then we'll just teach them another proper lesson." Akali clenched her fist and snorted. "Those people have had ten peaceful years. They've probably forgotten how badly they suffered when we taught them a lesson ten years ago.