Coiling Dragon

by welyjesch

  Linley’s expression turned grave as well.

  His long time spent training had caused him to forget about worldly battles.

  “You are right. Once the Radiant Church and the Cult of Shadows finds out, they might even join forces to attack our Kingdom.” Linley sensed the threat as well now. In the past, they had agreed that in normal battles, Saints were not permitted to get involved.

  Then…

  How could the Baruch Kingdom, with a population of just a hundred million, possibly outfight the combined forces of the Radiant Church and the Cult of Shadows, which controlled a far greater population?

  The two sides dominated a larger territory than Linley as well, and those were richer areas with higher populations. The total population which the Radiant Church and the Cult of Shadows controlled was definitely in the four to five hundred million range.

  “Big brother, what should we do?” Wharton looked at Linley.

  Linley’s eyes shone with a cold light. “No need to overthink it. Right now, we need to come up with ways to buy magicite cannons. I’ll have the Dawson Conglomerate help out! And then, we need to, in strict confidence, begin mining. If the Radiant Church and the Cult of Shadows truly comes, then we’ll rely on magicite cannons to support our smaller army.”

  “Alright, big brother.” Wharton’s eyes lit up as well.

  Linley had already made the decision that no matter what, they could not hide or cower.

  Soon, a large number of people were dispatched to this area to begin mining magicite. At the same time, a large number of soldiers remained on guard here. When mining, the miners were not permitted to engage in any outside activities. Naturally, their salaries were extremely high as well.

  To outsiders, all they announced was that they had discovered a fairly valuable mineral deposit.

  The Baruch Kingdom’s code of silence was quite effective. A full month went past without this information being leaked. However, the Radiant Church and the Cult of Shadows had quite a few spies planted in the Baruch Kingdom. Occasionally, some news would leak out. In the end, the Radiant Church found out the truth of the news from the family members of the miners.

  Within a graceful, noble manor.

  “The largest magicite mine in the Yulan continent? At least ten kilometers in size?” A silver-haired youth was reading the letter in his hands. His expression immediately changed, and the more he read, the more serious his face became.

  This silver-haired youth seemed to be quite young, but in reality, not even Heidens and Osenno were older than him.

  This was because…he was a Saint-level Angel of the Radiant Church. Three thousand years ago, he had descended to the Yulan continent. Although his power as an Angel had not increased, and his potential couldn’t compare to humans, the long time he had spent here resulted in his intelligence and wisdom being as high as any human’s.

  Arfan [A’fang], a Four-Winged Angel, the current leader of the Radiant Church’s forces in the Anarchic Lands.

  “Good news.” Arfan’s face revealed a hint of a smile, then he immediately instructed the person who had delivered the message, “Immediately go and leak this news to the Cult of Shadows. See what their response is.”

  “Yes, milord.” The middle-aged man said respectfully.

  Arfan nodded slightly.

  If the Cult of Shadows was interested in attacking the Baruch Kingdom, that would naturally be a wonderful affair. Even if they didn’t attack, informing them wouldn’t be of detriment to the Radiant Church.

  “Deliver this news to the Sacred Isle immediately. Let the Sacred Isle give us orders as to what we should do next!” Arfan ordered. He knew…the decision on such an important matter in the Anarchic Lands had to come from the Sacred Isle.

  Soon…

  The order from the Sacred Isle arrived.

  Arfan read the missive. It was exactly as he had anticipated.

  “Join forces with the Cult of Shadows and attack the Baruch Kingdom. We have to get at least a third of the magicite mine’s output. That’s our bottom line.” The order was very simple. After all, many things didn’t have to be said openly. As the manager for this area, Arfan naturally was no fool. For example, he would do his best to let the Cult of Shadows expend more energy and power.

  Arfan smiled. He thought to himself, “It seems that it is time to reply to the Cult of Shadows.”

  A while ago, when he had sent someone to leak this news to the Cult of Shadows, the Cult of Shadows had responded quite quickly…they had immediately invited Arfan to go and discuss this matter. Arfan hadn’t immediately answered them, instead asking them to wait. And now, he had the Sacred Isle’s orders.

  Everything could begin now.

  An ordinary, unremarkable little city. An ordinary little courtyard. The Saint-level Four-Winged Angel, Arfan, and the Senior Judge of the Cult of Shadows, O’Casey. The two were seated opposite from each other, drinking wine.

  “Not bad. The taste and the texture are exquisite. It should be from the Yulan Empire’s Blueflow Winery, right?” O’Casey laughed.

  “Mr. O’Casey truly knows his wine.” Arfan laughed calmly. “Let’s not beat around the bush. Today, you have invited me here, Mr. O’Casey, to discuss the issue of the Baruch Kingdom’s magicite mine. What do you wish to say, Mr. O’Casey?”

  O’Casey winked at Arfan, then took a sip of wine in satisfaction. “Mr. Arfan, would you mind if I took some of this wine with me when I leave? I think I…have fallen for it.”

  Arfan frowned. He felt a hint of frustration.

  But since this was a negotiation, he had to endure it.

  “Mr. O’Casey, could it be that you wish to discuss wine with me until nightfall?” Arfan said seriously.

  O’Casey looked at Arfan and began to laugh loudly. “Mr. Arfan, I was just jesting with you. Right. The Cult of Shadows does indeed have some thoughts regarding the Baruch Kingdom’s magicite mine. However…we don’t wish to engage in warfare against the Baruch Kingdom.”

  “You don’t?” Arfan looked carefully at O’Casey.

  What was this O’Casey planning? He didn’t want to engage in battle with the Baruch Kingdom? Then what was the point of this meeting?

  “Mr. O’Casey, what do you mean?” Arfan’s face sank.

  O’Casey smiled. “Actually, Arfan, you should understand. All we have to do is send some people to the Baruch Kingdom and say…‘the Radiant Church is preparing to attack the Baruch Kingdom, and has invited the Cult of Shadows to come along with them. As long as the Baruch Kingdom is willing to give up some of the gems, then the Cult of Shadows is prepared to stay out of the game and help neither side. If you are willing to give up a bit more, we can even help you deal with the Radiant Church.’”

  O’Casey looked at Arfan, who now had an ugly expression on his face. “Arfan, tell me. What would Linley and Wharton choose?”

  Arfan was silent.

  “The enmity which Linley has with the Radiant Church isn’t a small one.” O’Casey said freely.

  Indeed. O’Casey’s words were correct. Linley’s side probably truly would be willing to give some magicite gems to the Cult of Shadows, or perhaps even a large amount to have the Cult of Shadows help them deal with the Radiant Church together.

  The Radiant Church and the Cult of Shadows were opposed to each other, after all.

  Arfan knew that right now, the situation was very unfavorable for them.

  “Mr. O’Casey.” Arfan looked seriously at O’Casey. “Do you know how much that magicite mine truly contains?”

  “I don’t know, but it should be several times larger than the former top magicite mine.” O’Casey said. Very few people knew the exact size of the mine. After all, it hadn’t been fully excavated yet. Only someone like Linley who could scan the area with his spiritual energy could clearly understand the size of it.

  But how would the Radiant Church and the Cult of Shadows dare to send a Saint-level expert and risk irritating Linley?

  P
erhaps Linley would immediately kill that Saint.

  After all, in their previous agreement, they only said that Saints could not participate in battles. But Linley was still permitted to kill other Saints.

  Arfan nodded. “Since you don’t know the size of the magicite mines, then even if Linley gives your Cult of Shadows a seemingly-large quantity of magicite gems, you won’t actually know what percentage of the total mine it is.”

  “True.” O’Casey admitted to it.

  Linley might only declare the size of the mine as being a fraction and worth only a few hundred billion gold coins, with the actual mine being ten times larger. After all, no one knew exactly how large it was…it would be easy for Linley to lie to them.

  “As long as we join forces against the Baruch Kingdom, later on, we’ll split the magicite mine fifty-fifty, no matter how large it is.” Arfan said.

  “Half?” O’Casey shook his head. “Seventy-thirty. Us seventy, you thirty.”

  Arfan said coldly “O’Casey, don’t go too far. If we split it in half, we’ll be able to work and coordinate better in the future.” O’Casey winked at him, then laughed, “Since that’s the case…then I’ll go help Linley’s side. We won’t have to risk a thing, and we’ll get a large amount of magicite gems.”

  Arfan frowned.

  “Sixty for you. Forty for us. One word: Yes, or no?” Arfan’s face was very grave.

  O’Casey looked at Arfan, then raised his wineglass. Smiling, he said, “Mr. Arfan, come. Let us toast our joining forces!”

  Arfan’s face revealed a smile.

  “Cheers.” He raised his wineglass as well.

  The Radiant Church and the Cult of Shadows, for the sake of the enormous riches within that magicite mine, had joined forces. This was proof that there was no such thing as ‘eternal allies’ or ‘perpetual enemies’; only eternal and perpetual interests. And these interests could sometimes be money, sometimes be power, and sometimes be affection.

  Book 10, Baruch – Chapter 33: Calling the Troops, Summoning the Generals

  The Anarchic Lands. The Radiant Church’s territory. On a public road, an endless army procession was moving forwards, with military officers riding on magical beasts or powerful stallions barking at the soldiers in that massive, endless line.

  “Move faster!” Brandishing their whips in the air, the military officers had very strict expressions on their faces.

  A forced march!

  They remembered the order they had been given. They had to hurry towards the prefectural city of Sherry as quickly as possible. Outside the boundaries of the prefectural city of Sherry was the location where the Baruch Kingdom and the Radiant Church were going to do battle. This was also the place closest to the magicite mines that the Radiant Church had access to.

  The mobilization of this grand army couldn’t be hidden from the Baruch Kingdom. Naturally, they had to move quickly.

  Right now, at the boundaries of Sherry, twenty thousand soldiers had already assembled. These hastily assembled soldiers were permitted a day or two of rest after hurrying over here, and then they would be also be sent to do battle.

  “We’re going to fight a full on war against the Baruch Kingdom.”

  Within a quiet, secluded manor, Cardinal Guillermo was staring at the northern skies. The person responsible for this battle wasn’t Arfan. It was Guillermo. After all, in terms of influence amongst the masses, Cardinal Guillermo had more.

  And…

  Saints were not permitted to get involved in this battle. Arfan would be useless, but Guillermo, as an Arch Magus of the ninth rank, would be able to make a major impact.

  “What a true pity. The young man who could’ve become of great use to the Radiant Church has become our greatest foe.” Guillermo sighed in his heart. He had personally watched Linley grow up, and grow from being a genius magus of the seventh rank to an expert who could kill Clayde, a warrior of the ninth rank.

  After being dormant for many years?

  He killed six Angels of the ninth rank, and then became an earth-shaking figure in the O’Brien Empire. And then…he founded the Baruch Kingdom in the Anarchic Lands.

  “Twenty years have passed. This Linley is now so powerful that even the Praetor and the others are remaining in hiding in the Sacred Isle, afraid to come out.” Guillermo mused to himself.

  “Milord?” A knight saluted him respectfully, calling out his name in a reminding manner.

  Guillermo awoke from his musings. Glancing at the knight, he said, “Let’s go. Come with me to the border with the prefectural city of Sherry. Let’s go see the Dark Cardinal of the Cult of Shadows, and see if Dark Cardinal Weiss Porter [Wei’si Bo’te] has improved over the past few decades.”

  ……

  The royal capital, Baruch City. The royal palace.

  Wharton, Linley, Barker and the others were standing in a line in the main hall. There was a giant army map in the middle of the hall, and a middle-aged man was currently aiming a pointer on top of it. “Milords, the magicite mine is here. If it is just the Radiant Church that attacks us…the place we should choose to fight at is the prefectural city of Sherry.”

  Linley and the others all nodded.

  “However…” The middle-aged man shook his head. “Unless the Radiant Church’s commander has gone stupid, they won’t choose to attack here.”

  “Oh?” Barker raised an eyebrow.

  The middle-aged man continued, “The magicite mine is over three hundred kilometers away from the capital, while the prefectural city of Sherry is four or five hundred kilometers away from the capital. This is a straight line! If they had to fight their way from the prefectural city of Sherry to the magicite mine, they would have to travel nearly a thousand kilometers if they followed the road. On the road to the mines, there are over ten cities, large and small. The Radiant Church would battle us for a thousand kilometers, deep within our territory? Nearly half their forces have to remain in their garrisons with their borders with the O’Brien Empire and the Rohault Empire. Only half are available to attack us.”

  “Therefore, our military strength is roughly on par.”

  The middle-aged man pointed at Sherry. “At the same level of power, if we are to guard inside our city walls while they attack…and they are forced to fight through our territory for thousand kilometers…they would be asking for death.”

  “Therefore, if the Radiant Church wishes to attack us, they only have one option. Join forces with the Cult of Shadows. They have no other options!” The middle-aged man took a deep breath, the pointer in his hands slashing to the side. “The Cult of Shadows shares a border of over a thousand kilometers with us. The closest place to our magicite mine, without question, is right here!”

  “The prefectural city of Cod [Ke’de]!” The middle-aged man pointed at a spot.

  “The magicite mine is outside the small city of Nifeng. Nifeng City is one of the small cities under the control of the prefectural city of Cod. From Cod to the mines is a distance of only a hundred kilometers.” The middle-aged man had a serious look on his face. “If they break through our defenses here, it would be smooth sailing for them to charge to the magicite mines!”

  Linley nodded slightly.

  This general explained things very clearly.

  “Watts [Wa’ci].” Wharton suddenly said. “If I were to give you full authority to direct the battle as you please, would you be confident in your ability to win?”

  Barker also said, “In addition, I can also provide you with over thirty magicite cannons. I’ll be responsible for handling the problem of bringing you the necessary magicite gems.” Barker had a very high status in the Baruch Kingdom. He was the one and only Grand Marshal of the Kingdom, and his personal power was also quite terrifying.

  Soon after Linley had reached the Saint-level in his human form, Barker had as well. Once he transformed…he was a peak Undying Warrior Saint. Barker, who already had mastered the ‘impose’ level, wasn’t any bit weaker than Osenno.
r />   Hearing that they had over thirty magicite cannons, Watts’ eyes lit up.

  Watts jutted his chest out and said firmly, “Your Highness, as long as you give me the authority to command our five hundred thousand soldiers, I have full confidence in my ability to hold our ground at the prefectural city of Cod and repulse the enemies.”

  “Very good.” Wharton revealed a hint of a smile on his face.

  The Baruch Kingdom actually had over a million warriors, not even counting the ordinary city guards.

  “Your Highness.” Watts said solemnly. “I’m worried…that the enemy will come with a force more terrifying and more powerful than we expected. If something like this happens and an irresistible force comes, standing our ground would be dangerous.”

  “A terrifying force?” Wharton was puzzled.

  “Right. For example, if a Saint was to appear, or if one of the legendary, powerful magus corps of the Radiant Church was to be sent here, we would be in great danger.” Watts said solemnly.

  Both the Radiant Church and the Cult of Shadows had spent tremendous time and effort in cultivating their magus corps. These two sides all had powerful magus corps, and the weakest member of these corps was of the seventh ranks, while the highest were Arch Magi of the ninth rank.

  A corps of over a thousand powerful magi, with several Arch Magi of the ninth rank commanding them, could cast terrifyingly powerful magic spells.

  The power of such a corps wasn’t one whit inferior to a ‘forbidden-level’ spell of a Grand Magus Saint.

  This was also why, with the Empires normally not permitting Saints to get involved in battles, magus corps had become a terrifyingly powerful force.

  “The enemy Saints will not appear.”

  Linley spoke out.

  Watts immediately looked at Linley. Seeing that it was Linley who had spoken, he immediately became very respectful. Linley laughed calmly. “Don’t worry. Neither the Radiant Church nor the Cult of Shadows will send Saints out, at least. Also…as for those terrifying magus corps you spoke of…”