“I wish you wouldn’t put too much faith in me…”
“What are you saying, King Takuto?! Hardships of this level don’t even count as hard if you are on the case! Strategizing should be even easier now that we have a clear indicator of the difference in strength between us.”
“True. Better than being caught by surprise later.”
Atou didn’t doubt for a minute that Takuto had already prepared a way to resolve the problem. Takuto smiled wryly, overwhelmed by her zeal. She wasn’t wrong, either. Rather, she had read Takuto’s thoughts on the situation perfectly.
Takuto also found it was easier to deal with enemies with defined goals.
“The enemy’s goal is clear. They want to bring every faction aside from our own into their fold. Our goal is just as clear. We want to obtain more than enough power to repel and strike back at them.”
The Dark Elves each nodded.
What they needed to do was strengthen their military forces for war. They had to prepare single-mindedly for that day they knew would come.
“The enemy has created a military alliance called the Lawful Continent Alliance. So, we’ll want to form a similar alliance to make up for the difference in numbers.”
The Dark Elves were stunned by Takuto’s declaration. They had always considered the possibility of forming alliances, but there was a difference in weight in what they thought and what came directly from the king’s lips.
Mynoghra was an evil civilization. People naturally avoided evil, shunned it, and at times, even tried to eliminate it. Trying to build an alliance as an empire whose very nature brought out such raw, instinctive reactions was not going to be easy. Whether they tried to establish equal footing or used force to make the other nations understand their position and encourage their submission, they had their work cut out for them.
But if they could pull it off, no other strategy would be more effective against their enemies. If nothing else, an alliance would supply what they lacked.
“In fact, Pepe has recently approached me about the possibility. The tyrannical nature of the Lawful Continent Alliance will force the rest of the neutral nations to the negotiating table.”
The path to making this alliance a reality is in sight—every Dark Elf curiously felt this way when they heard Takuto’s reasoning. Considering the current problems plaguing Idoragya, the neutral nations had plenty of reasons to show a willingness to compromise.
It was easy to forget under the protection of Mynoghra and the powerful entity known as the King of Ruin, but the residents of the Dark Continent were originally weary creatures barely eking out a living in this desolate land.
A drowning man will clutch at straws, as the saying goes, and they were currently drowning. The outcome was obvious.
“Even these wise old eyes of mine failed to see things had progressed that far!” Elder Moltar cried. “Spirits. Your servant Moltar has been exposed to Your Majesty’s vast wisdom many times over, but it truly never ceases to impress me time and again.”
The stage had been set. As long as there were no mishaps during the talks, they should be able to reach an agreement with the neutral nations.
Mynoghra had no sinister designs on the neutral nations either. If they explained how well their alliance with Phon’kaven was going and their lack of evil intent towards the other nations, it should be possible to come together for the clear goal of opposing the Lawful Continent Alliance.
“As long as we gain some level of control of the alliance, the rest will click into place. Ideally, I would take full command, but that will depend on negotiations, I’m sure.”
The empire-management council members nodded in agreement with the king’s direction.
But there was more to Takuto’s strategy. At present, an overwhelming gap in combat ability existed between him and his enemies. Even just looking at their common soldiers, the Lawful Continent Alliance had Elves, Succubi, and Paladins all being enhanced by Mr. H’s overpowered equipment. Up against this army, whose combat prowess had been strengthened by several levels, the Dark Continent forces stood no chance, no matter how many modern weapons Takuto supplied them with.
“In addition, I heard that the Maritime Nation of Sutharland, located in the eastern part of the Dark Continent, has some unknown technology used for intercontinental trade. If we can obtain it, we’ll be able to produce even more powerful monsters to serve Mynoghra.”
“Oooooooh!!”
Takuto had learned through Pepe that there were still many undiscovered lands in this world. A world existed outside of the continent of Idoragya. On this continent, which lacked advanced nautical technology, the outside world was not often discussed, so it was a significant leap forward to discover a country was conducting intercontinental trade. It was worth taking a gamble to see how advanced their technology was, as it could potentially accelerate the development of Mynoghra’s tech tree, which typically required years of research to progress.
“For now, our priority is to make contact with the neutral nations. Whether we’re forming a military alliance on the Dark Continent or acquiring technology from another country, we need a point of contact first. I’ll ask Phon’kaven to act as our intermediary, but I want you to keep gathering as much information as possible in the meantime.”
“Yes, sire! Since we can no longer investigate the northern continent and its holy nations, we will direct all our resources into investigating the neutral nations. I vow we will collect information that will satisfy you, Your Majesty,” Elder Moltar promised.
“Good. Pay special attention to people. People who will be important to us, people who can become a fighting force, and those with special skills and abilities are of particular interest to us,” Takuto instructed.
Mynoghra still suffered from a severe shortage of personnel. Furthermore, with the upcoming war in mind, they would need a large influx of military leaders and middle managers for operational roles. In a game, these would typically be the named characters. It was urgent to find a large number of capable people of a similar caliber to named characters.
“A year seems like a lot of time at first. But it’s also a length of time that passes you by in the blink of an eye if you aren’t careful. You are the only ones I can count on for this kind of reconnaissance. I have high expectations of you,” Takuto told the Dark Elves.
“Yes, sire!!”
The plan was set.
Mynoghra needed to hold its own conference to build an alliance on the Dark Continent.
Takuto came to the realization that there had been an overwhelming number of meetings and conferences since he arrived in this world. He was strangely convinced that Eternal Nations had cleverly cut that boring reality out of the game.