“What did you talk about?”
“They said they wanted to invest in my foundation.”
“It might be a good idea to accept it.”
Choi Kangjoong looked at her, surprised.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I thought for sure you’d be against it.”
“It’s not just a place for me and my family. Everyone else will be watching as well.”
Choi Kangjoong realized once again that other people’s perceptions were important to Iselin.
‘Is it because she’s an Elf?’
The Spirit Tree Party continued well past lunch.
Choi Kangjoong returned home after lunch, feeling completely drained. Iselin’s expression as she saw him off was full of satisfaction.
“Was she really that happy that I went?”
Krrrk.
Lutal, who had climbed onto the desk, was busy chewing on the flowers and gold bracelets draped over its body. They were decorations the Elves had hung on it.
“It wasn’t too bad, right?”
Krrrk.
Lutal replied that it had been able to absorb a lot of nutrients with minimal movement. Since all sorts of Elves had rushed over to give Lutal food, it just had to sit there and accept it.
“Is the reconnaissance team doing well?”
Choi Kangjoong first checked on the reconnaissance team he had sent toward the Giant Eyant Colony. Thanks to the Skyeye Giant mounted on the Titan’s back, they could see things from a great distance. The Titan itself didn’t have very good eyesight since he hadn’t invested in its vision.
“The Eyants are watching.”
The Eyant Dimension Ships, assembled from materials created by worker Eyants melting minerals and soil with their saliva, had smooth exteriors. Eyants were clinging to them in clusters, their antennae twitching toward the Titan’s direction. There were over fifty such Dimension Ships.
“They seem very wary. Do they know about the Apocalid?”
Krrrk.
Lutal replied that they might have witnessed the battle with the Dragon.
“There might be Eyants I didn’t see.”
It was impossible to be 100% aware of the situation outside the battlefield while focusing on the Skyeye Giant’s combat. There could have been Eyants watching from a distance who then fled.
“We still haven’t found the Island Whale.”
The Titan and Light Titan were following the Mana Wake left by the Island Whale. A Mana Wake was a trail created when a Dimension Ship or a massive Monster passed through the Dimensional Sea. They had also used a Mana Wake to track down Dark City, the former Dark Elf Pirate stronghold.
“What are the demons doing?”
The reconnaissance team sent toward the Demon Realm was lined up horizontally, keeping the demon Dimension Ships in check. This formation allowed them to fire their Mana Cannons immediately if the enemy approached and made it easier to retreat.
“Where do you think we should go?”
Krrrk.
“You think going to all three is best? Well, that would mean we could eat all three. But realistically, that’s difficult. We have to focus on one.”
He estimated that the number of Eyants in the Giant Eyant Colony was at least 10 million.
There could even be several times that number.
In the Demon Realm, Duke Akirif was preparing for war, and the Island Whale had yet to be found. If he split his forces into three, one side might be annihilated.
Krrrk.
“The Demon Realm? It’s true we can get more Evolution Points there than from the Eyants. My thoughts are the same.”
The Giant Eyant Colony looked appetizing, but he decided to leave it alone for now. Any force trying to destroy the Dimension System would have to pass through there to reach the Enterprise Union.
“Let’s go to the Demon Realm.”
Ku-eong.
Kuongi and the large Apocalid turned toward the Demon Realm.
Although he could connect Kuongi to the reconnaissance team near the Demon Realm via a Gate, he intended to take his time. This was because demons were gathering at Duke Akirif’s request.
There was no reason not to give them time when the prey would increase on its own.
At that same time, Duke Akirif, Archduke Ventresca, and Archduke Luderlock were in conversation.
Archduke Ventresca was a massive Demon of Chaos with blue Mana flickering around his head. Archduke Luderlock, as a powerful Archlich, had fierce black flames burning within his eye sockets.
—Duke Akirif, no matter how much I think about it, this war seems to be for your own greed.
Archduke Ventresca spoke. Even though it was a dimensional communication, his voice carried immense power. Duke Akirif gave a groveling smile. To receive proper support from the two Archdukes, he had to choose his words very carefully.
“Yes. You are correct. I cannot deny it. However, the situation with those livestock is unusual.”
—Explain.
“Yes. First, M2721 has perfectly allied with the Humans and Elves. Soon, M2721’s situation will stabilize, and they will begin producing Dimension Ships with Metra’s production capacity. If Humans and Elves board them, they will become a force that cannot be ignored.”
—Hmm.
“Furthermore, there is nothing left between the livestock and my territory. The Doomwheel has been destroyed, and both Gratis and the Dark Elves have vanished. If left like this, even the territories of the Archdukes may be attacked.”
Duke Akirif observed the expressions of the two Archdukes. Their faces turned serious at the mention of their territories being attacked.
‘Demons are creatures that absolutely hate losing out on things. Hehe.’
Believing he had almost won them over, Duke Akirif added more.
“My greed. Yes, it is true. But this is also a preemptive strike to reduce the numbers of those livestock and break their spirit. They have grown quite fat, so the gains from this will surely be great as well. Numerous slaves, weapons, and Dimension Ships will belong to you, Archdukes.”
Archduke Ventresca and Archduke Luderlock nodded. Afterward, the conversation continued as they decided on the purpose and scale of the war. The longer they talked, the larger the scale of the war became. Duke Akirif grinned broadly. The more demons fought, the more opportunities there were to seize the Outer Mind’s summons.
—We shall comprise the force with three Duke-class demons and 300,000 demons.
“Thank you, Archduke Ventresca!”
—We will activate the Bluestone Fortress.
At Archduke Luderlock’s words, Duke Akirif was aghast.
“Are—are you truly going to activate… that?”
—If we are going to do it, we must do it right. If we send a soft fortress and suffer a defeat, the losses will be extreme.
“You—you are right, Archduke Luderlock!”
—The Greed Legion will also bear the costs, I assume?
“Of course! Is that not our role?”
—Hire as many Demons of Ruin as possible. Duke Dharman will be participating.
“Duke Dharman…!”
He was a Demon of Ruin who had achieved countless feats in the war to destroy a world on the opposite side of the Enterprise Union. While the Demons of Ruin were strong when gathered, they were often fragmented and prone to infighting. Their traits were similar to the battle-hungry Orcs. Such issues could be prevented if there was a powerful demon to control them, and Duke Dharman was someone capable of commanding all the mercenaries, even if Duke Akirif poured his entire fortune into hiring them.
—The war on that side has mostly concluded, so he was looking for a new battlefield.
“He is very, very, very, very welcome!”
—With him, the goals of deploying the new fortress and eliminating 5% of the livestock can be sufficiently achieved.
“Of course, Archduke Luderlock!”
Duke Akirif was overjoyed. And this entire conversation was transmitted directly to Choi Kangjoong through the Central Stealth Scout.
“A massive number of demons are coming. The number of Magic Beasts must be enormous too. As expected of Duke Akirif!”
Choi Kangjoong was purely delighted by the fact that many enemies were coming.
“What is the Bluestone Fortress?”
Choi Kangjoong searched the internet. A brief piece of information appeared.
“A fortress made of Mana Stones? It must cost a fortune to build.”
While the production cost was massive, the Shield was that much sturdier, and it had various means of attack. It was even possible for it to use a single spell more powerful than Kuongi’s Lightning Breath.
‘Will I get nutrients or Evolution Points if I digest that too?’
Mana Stones played a large part in obtaining nutrients and Evolution Points.
‘It looks strong, but that just means it’ll be delicious.’
Krrrk.
Choi Kangjoong took a Mana Stone from the pile inside Kuongi’s stomach.
Crunch, crunch.
When he gave it to Lutal, it chewed and ate it with gusto.
“But I might need some help with this.”
It was an attack aimed at reducing 5% of the Enterprise Union’s 15 billion population—750 million people. To ensure an efficient battle, it was best to receive support from the Elves, Humans, and Metra.
“It would be great if Serad could install Mana Missile launchers on Kuongi’s back.”
Metra’s Mana Missiles couldn’t perfectly replace Biological Torpedoes in terms of power and productivity. However, using them instead of Biological Torpedoes could reduce nutrient consumption.
“Let’s go.”
Choi Kangjoong decided to contact Iselin tomorrow, as she would likely still be at the party.
‘The dress looked uncomfortable, and she had so many things in her hair. Even with the Spirit of Life, she must be mentally exhausted.’
Choi Kangjoong woke up after a nap, ate lunch, and contacted Iselin. When he told her the scale of the demon attack, she asked him to come to her office immediately. Choi Kangjoong moved through the Gate. Iselin was sitting with a serious expression.
“Three Duke-class demons and 300,000 demons?”
“Yeah. That’s what I heard.”
“And the Bluestone Fortress… They’ve really made up their minds.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“No world near the Demon Realm has ever been able to destroy it. Even a now-extinct world failed after attacking it with all their remaining strength.”
“So it’s famous.”
“You said the demons’ goal is the deployment of the Bluestone Fortress?”
“Right.”
Iselin let out a small sigh.
“That might be hard to stop. You went through all that trouble to destroy the Doomwheel…”
“We just have to be the first to do it.”
“To avoid suffering because of the demons again, we must succeed. I will gather more information and prepare.”
“I’ll handle the combat like before, so just provide support.”
“Will you be okay? There are 300,000 demons alone, and the Bluestone Fortress has massive firepower.”
“It’s fine.”
The greatest strength of the Apocalid was that they were an adaptive species. If they knew what the enemy’s main force was, they could counter it through evolution.
“When will you make this public?”
“I think you can do it at an appropriate time.”
“I’ll have to coordinate it well so that chaos doesn’t break out.”
Iselin also called Dielka and informed her of the demon attack. Dielka spoke gallantly, saying the Dark Elf knights were always ready, so he should call on them anytime. Then, she connected a dimensional communication with Serad.
—Long time.
It was the greeting the Metra used when they hadn’t seen each other in a while.
“It has been a long time.”
“Hey, tin can!”
“Good to see you.”
—My benefactors. Curious about your well-being.
Since they hadn’t seen each other for a long time, it took a while just to exchange greetings. Iselin warned Dielka not to use such greetings in her office and then got to the main point.
—M2721 will naturally provide support for the Union. What is required?
“We need Dimension Ships and weapons.”
—Recovery from internal war losses 98.2% complete. Maximum support possible.
“Let’s have the staff talk through the details.”
—Affirmative. Plan to send a representative to your location.
“It’s still a secret, so you must send them quietly.”
—Confirmed.
Serad showed them the new Dimension Ship he was building. It was one Iselin had ordered and was about halfway finished. Iselin and Dielka were amazed by the incredibly fast production speed despite its size.
—Delivery scheduled within half a year.
“What about the other orders?”
—43% of the Metra shipyard is allocated to processing orders. Delivery possible within the timeframe.
“That’s reassuring.”
Iselin felt that saving Serad and helping M2721 had been worthwhile.