Late at night, Xiao Lan was not the only one still awake.
Candlelight flickered in Veylin's office.
He stood alone before the enormous tactical sand table, his gaze cold.
A wooden marker representing Ola lay toppled and alone in the area marked "Giant Crocodile Nest."
Veylin reached out and set it upright.
Then he gave it a gentle push, and the marker fell again.
What looked like a glorious victory had actually been a walk along a tightrope.
Ola's recklessness had been the only variable, and the only way to break the deadlock.
Had the Giant Crocodile Chief targeted Leo, or any of the knights, that fragile defensive line would have been torn apart within three seconds.
The victory he had built with vast quantities of Gold Suns and superior intelligence had still depended on the impulsiveness of a reckless Dwarf.
Veylin turned his gaze to another sheet of parchment on the desk, which listed the supplies consumed during the battle.
A victory bought by burning through money was fragile, expensive, and impossible to replicate.
Magical beasts could be outmaneuvered, but what about people?
The nobles eyeing him hungrily in the future would not be so foolish, and the Golden Sail Merchant Guild's warehouses could not keep funding his experiments forever.
The shield formed by the Baldur Dung Beetles was adequate. They made the most useful cannon fodder in war.
But cannon fodder alone was not enough. He also needed elite troops capable of breaking through defensive lines, dividing and surrounding enemies, and even carrying out decapitation strikes.
"One lucky victory is nowhere near enough," Veylin murmured, his voice echoing through the empty office. "I must build a powerful supernatural force that obeys orders."
He walked to the window. The night breeze was cold.
At the other end of the