CHAPTER 540: CHAPTER 487: PLANNING THE ANNIHILATION OF A NATION (4,000 WORDS)_2

It’s like heaven and hell glaring at each other in distaste.

However, the sound of hooves comes and goes abruptly.

Not a single person took action until they were completely out of sight of both parties.

Starting a fight for the ridiculous reason of "What are you looking at? Looking at you, so what?" is something only small-time thugs would do.

Although the crew of the "Bone-Eating Worm" have inevitably fallen to the opposite side of order, they are ultimately driven by interests.

And this choice ended up saving their lives.

Because not too far from their location, the quasi-legendary battleship "Storm Horn," having completed its task at hand, was quietly docked nearby.

Tap...

A tall and majestic white deer with branch-like antlers approached the ship and lightly leaped onto the deck of the "Storm Horn." Dressed in a white gown, Angie floated off the deer’s back like a feather.

Her silver-white long hair fluttered, revealing moonlit teardrop-shaped earrings by her ears. She took two steps to stand beside Aiven, who was smiling at her, and looked up to ask:

"Teacher, is this enough?"

"Yes, there are plenty of kinds. Angie, you’ve done magnificently.

Later on, we just need to pick the most suitable one. Once we determine Elante’s extraordinary traits, the others can be released. The ocean is vast, but we only take what we need."

"Alright, there’s also a Blue Flag Demon Shark here."

At this moment, under Aiven’s help, Angie had advanced to a Tier 2 Official Wizard. Perhaps due to her innate witch constitution, Angie’s eye color and hair color slowly shifted to silver-white upon her promotion.

Like Bess and Kaka, who also benefited from their master’s advancement.

From the "holy white crystal" Angie always carried and named Minnie, a purely white Holy White Deer seemingly composed of light emerged, its true form actually a "Celestial Deer."

Celestial creatures generally live in the outer realm where the True God’s Divine Country is located. They typically exhibit metallic hues, usually silver, gold, or platinum, far more splendidly beautiful than their counterparts in the mundane world.

When Minnie matures, she will likely also turn into that metallic luster.

Apprentice Angie’s talent indeed far exceeded Aiven’s. In addition to the [Magic-like Technique: Activated Spiritual Light], she also awakened [Beast Domination] due to her inborn "Animal Affinity."

Her efficiency in searching for biological materials or contract targets is unknowably many times higher than Aiven’s.

Naturally, the task of finding suitable extraordinary traits for Elante fell on her shoulders.

However, the thing that Aiven was most pleased about was that upon their first meeting, Angie and Olivia got along very well. As female wizards, they had much in common to talk about.

This time, Angie went out hunting with Aiven, while Olivia was using the remaining time to keep company with her aunt, who was preparing to return home at the base.

The pair of teardrop-shaped moonstone earrings Angie wore were a gift from Olivia, who already regarded herself as the master’s wife. The girl didn’t see anything wrong with the fact that Aiven, who had just turned eighteen, had a fourteen-year-old student.

The "Vitalist School," with originally only a few scattered members, of course, needed stronger forces to offer more support to Aiven!

....

After carefully selecting the extraordinary traits to gift to Elante, the "Storm Horn" returned to the Navy Base at "Treasure Tree Bay."

The tasks on the Southern Continent were nearing completion. Aiven was ready to bid farewell to the commander and take his crew, along with Angie, back to his true stronghold on the New Continent.

Especially after receiving a letter from his sister yesterday. She had, under the title of Dragon Cavalry Deputy Commander, assembled an alliance of Anti-Hilus, neutral pirates in the Sunken Ship Bay, and native forces bearing grudges against Hilus to prepare for a significant operation.

Although he believed in the strength of his sister and the allied troops, Aiven couldn’t help but feel uneasy. He planned to head back as soon as things wrapped up here.

However.

In the temporary command post, with the strategic focus shifting towards raiding operations, Aiven encountered not only Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Elvis but also Kingdom Guardian Rose Sword Saint Ilvendi.

Straight to the point, the Kingdom Guardian, looking younger than his daughter, explained the purpose of his visit to the senior officers present:

"Everyone should be well aware that the greatest benefit in the Southern Continent at present isn’t land, crops, mineral, or forestry resources, but the immensely profitable slave trade!

Negotiations on the mainland have temporarily stalled, so the alliance aims to take advantage of this period when Hilus is in a power vacuum in the Southern Continent to strike first.

With a lightning war, aim to eliminate Hilus’s proxy, the Dahomey Kingdom, and make those obstinate natives understand who the real masters of this continent are..."

Buzz——

"Slave Kingdom?"

"Dahomey isn’t a native tribe; they have their own Crown."

"That’s the birthplace of the Voodoo Sect, infamous for their Reanimated Corpses, Mysterious Spirits, and Voodoo Dolls..."

"..."

Upon hearing the decision of the Kingdom Guardian, or rather the upper echelons of the kingdom, the officers who had some knowledge of Dahomey whispered among themselves, recognizing the potential benefits if the plan succeeded.

The Kingdom Guardian listened to their discussion about "attack or not attack" without a word until noticing a young man sitting in the corner, someone who had impressed him and performed well in this war, and after a slight pause, he spoke:

"Aiven, you’ve only been in the Southern Continent for a short time. From an outsider’s perspective, what are your thoughts on this plan?"

Noticing the Kingdom Guardian’s difference in attitude towards this young man, the surrounding officers also turned their heads, wanting to hear his insights.

"Me?"

The previous encounter served him well, this distinguished man remembered his name.

But Aiven faced the situation without any apprehension, for he knew that what "leaders" wanted to hear was not a discussion of whether to attack or not.

Standing up and saluting, Aiven began speaking, much like reciting political news:

"In the previous war with Hilus, Dahomey attacked several coastal colonial cities of the alliance, ignoring warnings from the alliance and our long-standing trade relationship.

Although the losses weren’t significant due to prior precautions, this vile act gravely hurt the sentiments of the Tulip People and the unity and stability among the Southern Continent’s ethnic groups.

Therefore, we must attack Dahomey, not for the enormous profits of the slave trade, but for the lasting peace, prosperity, and stability of the Southern Continent!"

His words were delivered fluently and emphatically.

The Rose Sword Saint’s eyes lit up instantly; he felt as if the situation was still the same, but declaring it from the moral high ground was utterly invigorating.

"Ha, young lad, you’re quite on point. Anything else?"

Seeing the genuine interest of this prominent figure, and the expressions on his colleagues’ faces vividly conveying "Can we really say it like this?"

’International affairs are just about holding dual roles, I get it!

So, our consistent slogan is... eradic— no, world peace!’

After reciting the political news, Aiven, from an outsider’s perspective, had formed some ideas.

Scanning around the conference room at the senior officers, with a real big shot here providing support, Aiven exaggerated without fear of repercussion:

"Also, attacking Dahomey isn’t the goal, and even seizing the opportunity for retribution or showcasing power isn’t the goal either.

Expelling the fox by unleashing the tiger, seizing the enormous profits from the slave trade intact is the true path to dominance. Expelling barbarian with other barbarians and even becoming the regional overlord of the slave trade in the Southern Continent might be possible."

As he spoke, Aiven walked over to a map of the Southern Continent and pointed to the various forces surrounding the Dahomey Kingdom, looking at the thoughtful faces around him:

"Sword Saint, you and others must understand that the greatest asset in the Southern Continent isn’t land, crops, minerals, or timber, but the booming slave trade."