Chapter 4594: Greed and Resentment (Part 2)

The Jieran humans still resented the people of the Blood Desert, but, being the least populous race due to the plague they had unleashed, nobody cared.

’It’s no wonder the King is upset.’ Lith thought. ’The competition among the three great countries to expand their boundaries in Jiera’s no-man’s-lands is fierce, and Grandma gained yet another advantage over the Kingdom.

’It’s not enough to compensate for her lack of Trains and DoLoreans, but sure the Royals don’t like feeling her breath on their necks. As for the Merfolk, when the moment comes, I won’t lie to them for the Kingdom.

’Either the Royals can reasonably ensure the Merfolk people an empty land and neighbors friendly enough not to harass, attack, or discriminate against the Merfolk just because they are different, or I won’t mediate anything.’

"Rest assured, Magus Verhen, if there was a problem with the Merfolk, the Garlen Council wouldn’t get involved." Raagu didn’t benefit from the Merfolk, so she didn’t care about them and eagerly pushed the conversation back on track.

"The issue lies with another race you contributed to bringing into the open. The elves of Medolin, Setraliie, and the rest of the vine cities that decided to come out of their Fringes after witnessing the progress we have made with their cousins."

"Elves?" Lith furrowed his brow, while Solus went pale and instinctively conjured the Fury in her hand. "I don’t have much of a relationship with them after killing the late World Tree. If they are violating your treaties, Aalejah here is your woman."

"Thank you for your trust, Lith, but what Representative Raagu means is that my people are the victims in this situation, not its cause." The former apprentice Chronicler gave him a polite nod.

"As you probably know, after sealing and relocating Ruugat of the Earth, the allied forces made great strides in reclaiming the lost territories and culling the monster population.

"We have now enough to split the fruits of our labor among the members of the allied forces, but the Jierans object to the redistribution of resources the elven clans earned thanks to their contributions."

"If I may ask, why the elves?" Lith said. "I would understand if the presence of the people of Zelex or the reintroduction of undead stirred malcontent and fear, but the elves? We look the same, eat the same things, and have many things to learn from each other."

"You think logically, Magus Verhen, and logic rarely plays a part in unrest." Aalejah sighed. "Sure, the Jierans aren’t happy with the people of Zelex increasing their numbers and spreading across the land, but they are limited to mana geysers.

"Knowing that the people of Zelex can’t leave their cities without losing lifespan, rationality, and most of their strongest abilities is a source of relief for the Jierans. The people of Zelex are no different from voluntary inmates who perform community service." She said, and Lith nodded for her to continue.

"As for the undead, they are helpless during the day and restricted by their feeding habits. If you also consider that in most settlements everyone knows everyone, the undead can’t blend in and go unnoticed.

"As soon as one of them enters a human, beast, or plant city, they are immediately spotted. It makes both the living and undead uncomfortable. Aside from fortress cities like Vladion’s Detemer, the undead presence in Jiera is negligible.

"The elves, instead, have multiplied their numbers during their millennia of isolation and suffer no restriction. They can go wherever they want whenever they want, and their powers make them a force to be reckoned with."

"I see." Lith nodded. "What’s the point of contention?"

"Greed and resentment." The Queen replied. "The elves have chosen for themselves a previously flourishing region rich with abandoned human settlements and refined architecture. It’s well within their rights, and no one from Garlen has objections.

"The Jierans, however, do. They claim this is an act of war on our side. That we are stealing the cities from their rightful owners, the survivors of the plague, and giving them away to their ancient enemies.

"The Jierans demand undue compensation from the elves and threaten retaliation if we deny their request. According to the Jierans, since the plague left most of the cities intact and habitable, they deserve payment for the materials and the labor they put into building the cities the elves are occupying."

"Let me guess. The greed you mentioned before was the Jierans’ hope to make a profit at our expense, and their resentment is not about the long-forgotten War of the Races, but with us Garleners for ’taking their lands’." Lith’s lips curled up in disgust.

"You are correct, Magus Verhen." The King nodded. "The elves rejected all the Jierans’ demands. They invoked the treaty they signed with you and replied that they have shed their sweat and blood to reclaim those lands without receiving any help from the Jierans.

"The elves aren’t willing to entertain any quibbles about what they are owed and have literally shot down Jiera’s diplomats. Warning shots, of course, but the elvish arrows came close enough to their targets to give them a complimentary new haircut.

"The Jierans call this an act of aggression, and are bringing up the War of the Races only as a pretext to shift their absurd demands on Garlen. They claim that since we signed the alliance with the elves, we are responsible for what they are taking and for dealing with the threat they might pose to Jiera in the future."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, this is the biggest pile of nonsense I’ve heard since I was a student at the White Griffon Academy." Lith’s voice was level and his expression calm, but his eyes betrayed his outrage.

"Jiera destroyed itself with the plague. Without our help, the monster tides and the lost cities would have long since taken over the entire continent and expanded toward Zima. When their neighbors threatened to erase Jiera from the maps, they begged for our help.

"They can’t expect our people, the elves, the undead, and the people of Zelex to fight for them and die in droves in exchange for a handshake and a pat on the shoulder. Those lands don’t belong to those who, in their foolishness, turned them into wastelands. They belong to those who fought for them and are bringing them back to life."

"We agree with you, but that doesn’t change our current situation." Raagu replied. "Jiera is doing much better, but the crisis is far from over. We can’t afford to have a war in our hands for such a petty reason.

"The forces we’d have to pit against our counterparts in Jiera would be taken away from the restoration efforts. Without our pressure, the monster waves would have time to swell in numbers and form new tides that would undo months of hard work and countless sacrifices.

"Yet that doesn’t mean that we’re going to fold without a fight. It would set a terrible precedent, and the Jierans would raise the bar further, thinking we are afraid of a conflict.

"Before it comes down to violence, however, we want to make one last diplomatic effort. As you can imagine, most of the pressure comes from the humans, hence my involvement."