“They want to speak with me, eh? That reminds me, you’ve had a fair amount of contact with the other countries on this continent, right? This is an excellent opportunity to hear your opinions on them, Pepe. Care to tell me?”
Takuto had gathered some intelligence on the Dark Continent nations. However, many of their capitals were located even farther from Mynoghra than Phon’kaven’s, and they were insular countries to start with, so his investigations hadn’t netted much yet.
He planned to leave them alone unless they opened a line of communication like Phon’kaven had, but as Mynoghra continued to grow, so too would the opportunities for first contact. If nothing else, the Succubus Army’s preposterous All-Faction Conference increased the odds of it.
Takuto organized the information he had about the other countries and tried to reconcile it with Pepe’s explanation.
“Good question. Let’s start with the Maritime Nation of Sutharland,” Pepe began. “It’s a Dwarven country that’s grown in strength mainly through fishing in the coastal waters and maritime trade.”
“I’ve heard of them, but a Dwarven maritime nation really doesn’t fit my image of dwarves. I’ve always had the impression that dwarves were all about mining and technology,” Takuto commented.
“I have no idea what kind of image you have established, Takuto, but it seems Sutharland was originally an inland country. But as you’ve seen, this continent is as barren as they come, so it seems their search for abundance eventually led them to the seas.”
Heh. Takuto kept his awe to himself. It was his first time hearing of a dwarven maritime nation, so it upended his image of them, but that made Sutharland even more intriguing. Seeing as he’d never heard of any of their people coming to Dragontan as merchants or anything else, they seemed to be a relatively insular and obstinate people. At least that part fit his preestablished image of dwarves.
“But your impression of them being into technology might not be that far off the mark. Every single one of their ships is huge and the coolest! Rumor has it they’ve even established trade with other continents.”
“Ooh. Now that’s interesting.”
Takuto had exaggerated his surprise, but he was genuinely concerned. If they were technologically advanced enough to have established trade with other continents, then it was possible they were a much larger nation than he’d thought. They were definitely bigger than Phon’kaven. But it was also a fact that they weren’t big enough to be a threat. If they were that large of an empire, they wouldn’t have been driven to the coastal areas, and it wouldn’t be strange if they were at war with Qualia or El-Nah in search of richer lands…
Takuto was starting to have a clearer picture of the Dark Continent and the neutral nations that called it home.
“Also, there are a couple of smaller nations that are city-states where the one city itself counts as a whole country. One’s multiracial like us, and the other is a country made up of people who committed crimes or lost in political struggles in the Northern Continent. Both are much punier than us!” Pepe declared.
It sounded like there were about five countries in total on the Dark Continent: Sutharland, Phon’kaven, the two city-states, and Mynoghra. As they were constantly persecuted by the Lawful Continent to the north, they lacked national power and population numbers in comparison.
Sutharland’s technology and maritime trade were attractive, but Takuto couldn’t care less about the city-states. If this were an Eternal Nations’ session, they probably would be destroyed before he knew it or end up destroyed as a test run for new units.
Still, they could be useful. It’s too early to tell.
“I see. Thanks for telling me. Also, don’t go calling them puny in front of anyone else, okay?” Takuto advised.
“Everybody, including the puny countries, are immensely curious about Mynoghra,” Pepe said, buckling down on his use of puny. “It’s been especially encouraging for them to see how friendly of a relationship you have with us. Why don’t we all get together for a meal sometime? I want to eat your food again, buddy!”
“Well, I’ll happily invite you over for a meal anytime, but seeing as you’re suggesting it, I take it you’ve already laid the groundwork for this to happen?”
Pepe was really pushing the point. Takuto had a feeling Pepe was making a request here. As it was, Pepe dropped everything to meet with Takuto when he showed up. His excuse that he always wandered off wasn’t a lie per se, but there was definitely a solid reason for Phon’kaven’s de facto Commander to make this much time outside of official hours for Takuto. And now that reason was made clear—Pepe’s greatest concern was what the future held for Mynoghra and the neutral nations.
“More like all the countries I just mentioned have been hopping on my back, clamoring for me to set up an opportunity for them to meet with Mynoghra as soon as possible. They’re actually actively waiting for your reply, buddy! If you hadn’t dropped by today, I was planning to go see you myself.”
“Hmm…”
“Everybody’s desperate. It seems like the big-boobed lady left a huge impact on them, and not just with the sheer size of her boobs.”
“Ah, that’s why…”
It all made sense now. There was a simple reason why he hadn’t realized it sooner: he’d become desensitized to this stuff with all the crazy things happening around Mynoghra because of the Players. To Takuto, the Succubus’s little act was just a flashy event, but the same couldn’t be said for the normal people who had been living peaceful, albeit poor, lives on this continent.
“There is no magic I know of that would allow you to project yourself directly onto the entire continent,” Pepe said. “Same for the others. And even if it did exist, it can’t be easy to use. That’s why I think everybody’s in a right panic.”
In other words, from the neutral nations’ point of view, they were being summoned by an unknown force with mysterious and powerful abilities. They didn’t know what was lying in wait for them, so they wanted to use Phon’kaven to make a connection with Mynoghra, who possessed equally mysterious and powerful abilities.
I guess this is a case of whether it’s better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.
From his experience leading a nation in real life—and not just in a game from his past life—Takuto sympathized with the leaders of the neutral nations who were likely so stressed out by this situation it was burning holes in their stomachs. But he had neither the need nor the obligation to concern himself with their wellbeing.
After all, Takuto was Mynoghra’s Commander and a game player who only pursued what was in his and his empire’s best interests.
“What do you think, Takuto? Isn’t this the deal of a lifetime?! Don’t let this opportunity slip you by!”
“Pepe, you come up with the worst ideas…”
“But don’t you love this kind of stuff, Takuto?”
In his own way, Pepe was also thinking up ways to take advantage of the situation. Takuto was terribly fond of his innocent approach to things. Childlike nature is just another form of mercilessness.
For the next few hours, Pepe and Takuto talked enthusiastically about the future of this continent. No one knew the exact details, but the exhilarated laughter they shared throughout the exchange told the whole story.