2025.10.31
The old man’s question felt out of character. It was not the kind of thing he would normally ask, given his usual self.
Even the hunched old man, who had known him for nearly thirty thousand years, had never seen him show this kind of doubt before.
He looked at his old friend in surprise, then tapped the pristine white ground with the end of his metal cane.
“If we don’t act, our chances of winning will only get slimmer. But if we strike first, we might actually stand a chance!
“Back when our mentor, General Trich van Baesa, was still alive, he identified the Magus Civilization as the greatest threat to the Gallant Federation’s rise. For hundreds of thousands of years now, we have treated that once-friendly civilization as a future enemy.
“After all this preparation... what else are we supposed to do if not fight? Beg for mercy? The Gallant Federation is a top-tier civilization too, one that makes plenty of others in the Astral Realm tremble.
“If you ask me, I think we do have a shot at winning this war against Magus World,” the hunched man said, trying his best to feign confidence.
“Let’s not forget that they have enemies of their own, way out on the far side of their territory,” he added, perhaps to reassure the elder in black uniform.
Sure enough, his words eased the furrow in the other man’s brow.
Funny thing was, even though one was a politician and the other a military man, it was the hunched politician who seemed more confident about calling the shots in this Clash of Civilizations.
Then again, maybe he just could not gauge the gap between the two civilizations the way the old general could because he had never seen real war up close.
The man in the black uniform was not the type to second-guess himself. Once his mind was made up, nothing could shake it.