The Vastness of Magical Destiny

"Prevent problems before they arise? Noyola, our Court cannot afford to waste our precious energy on things that are elusive or even nonexistent. Dark Forces are proliferating around us, and we need to be deeply concerned, but certainly not in Caucasus, a land filled with Half-Beastmen and Barbarians. Even the Dark Forces would not waste their efforts on these inferior breeds. Among the Dark Forces, there are clever individuals as well. What they want is to vie with us for the minds of Mortals, for Mortals are our foundation. If you overlook this point, you are neglecting the essentials for the sake of trivialities!"

Lorenzo was just as unwilling to yield. The most admirable and satisfying aspect of this group was its complete independence of will and absolute freedom of thought. As long as you were working toward the greater glory of the cause of Light and defending the honor of the Court, all viewpoints and opinions could be brought up for discussion and debate at any time.

"Sir Lorenzo, the number of Mortals in the Caucasus is not small, and that piece of land is developing quite rapidly at the moment. It is separated from those southern regions rampant with Dark Forces only by the Cordillera Wilderness under Barbarian control. If those Dark Forces indeed intend to find a bridgehead for infiltrating Central Continent and the North, then Caucasus would be the best location. They know that we have already constructed a tight surveillance line in other parts of Central Continent and are constantly spreading the doctrines of our Holy Teaching southward. The special enclosed environment of Caucasus might make us overlook this land, but once the Dark Forces take root there, we might have to pay a much higher price to eradicate them."

Caru spoke calmly, but the firmness and persistence in his tone were felt by everyone, and the solemn look on Lorenzo’s face showed that he was clearly more inclined to listen to the other’s opinions rather than be swayed by Noyola’s attitude.

A hint of sarcasm appeared on Noyola’s face; he knew his colleague’s personality all too well. If he showed support, his colleague would surely express doubts. If he did not make his stance clear, his colleague would rather adopt the right mindset and take things seriously; thus, he simply shut his mouth and waited for Lorenzo to make his own judgment.

"Caru, are you suggesting that the Dark Forces have already spread through the Cordillera Wilderness and infiltrated the Caucasus? But I did not hear this from the information you have provided. Your predictions and estimates are mostly based on subjective assumptions and do not have any meaningful substance. Have the Mortals in Caucasus and Leon already been infiltrated by the Dark Forces? How many among them have embraced those dark faiths? What proportion do they account for among the Mortals in this region? Exactly how many missionary posts are there in this area? Which Sect of the Dark Forces do they belong to? Who is the leader? If you wish for the precious efforts of our Court not to be wasted, I hope you can produce precise answers to the questions I have just raised."

Although Lorenzo’s tone was still aggressive and questioning, those familiar with him understood that, if he was asking detailed questions with such attention, it meant that he had already accepted the other’s viewpoint to some extent. Even Boritz couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, for at least they had initially achieved their purpose. Now the task was to further strengthen the Deputy Chief of the Religious Court’s suspicions toward Caucasus and Leon and to make him unknowingly follow their opinion.

"Sir Lorenzo, if I could have so quickly and thoroughly understood the details of those Dark Forces, they certainly wouldn’t be as arrogant and rampant in the South as they are now. We all understand that the Dark Forces are not as simple as we first imagined. We have been in contention with them for so many generations, and through these hundreds of years, we have never managed to completely eradicate them—and neither have they ever before expanded their influence so openly as now. The confrontation at Basarabia has just come to an end. The Dark Forces will not be content with idleness; we must consider the worst-case scenarios. Therefore, I believe we have every reason to be suspicious of the traces of Dark Forces in the Caucasus and to thoroughly purge the land of any remnants of darkness."

Caru’s attitude grew more resolute, his tone firmer, "The strategic importance of the Caucasus’s geographical location will become increasingly prominent. With the opening of the Catania River route and the continuous increase of colonial settlements on the vast Continent, the shipping industry across the Mediterranean is more and more developed. The exchange between the South and the North will increase, and Caucasus might become a transit station for communication between the two. The Dark Forces will not let such an opportunity slip by. Even if they have not yet fully realized the importance of the Caucasus, they will soon catch on. Mattdam, Bahomon, and Bruce on the Nissai River all might become bases for the Dark Forces’ invasion from the North. Hence, I earnestly request that Lord Noyola and Sir Lorenzo pay sufficient attention. Once we allow the Dark Forces to firmly entrench themselves in this region, it will be quite difficult to completely eliminate them."