Chapter 832: Dividing Up the Burden

Once the introductions are over, Archbishop Ashiburn and Marshal Luke exchange a bitter smile.

They understand that this is the kind of acknowledgment the truly powerful reserve for one another.

They may also be at Glory Rank, but they do not qualify.

Prince Kevin of the empire continues, "Henwell, after the Calamity War, I would like to invite you to visit the empire. Would you do me that honor?"

Henwell laughs. "I thought Your Highness was going to recruit me into the empire."

Prince Kevin laughs. "Heh... Of course I hope you will join the empire."

"But I also know that the Empire has no room for a prodigy like you."

Henwell says, "Your Highness flatters me. I have been fortunate, nothing more. Compared with all of you, I still have a long road ahead as a professional."

"I have long admired the Empire. Naturally, I would like to see the wider world as well."

"But that will have to wait until the Calamity War is over."

"The fact that you have come tells me you already understand how different this Calamity War will be."

"According to my intelligence, this Calamity War will be more intense than the last several."

Prince Kevin nods. "Correct. Because this continent is shrouded in the Sin God's power, laws descend whenever a Calamity War ends."

"Those laws strip everyone on the continent of their memories of the Calamity War, while every written record disappears within a few years."

"Even the Western Regions cannot preserve them here. Only after ten years have passed can surviving records from the war be sent to a Guardian City."

"A Calamity War erupts once every century on average."

"Every thousand years, roughly once every ten outbreaks, the Calamity War reaches an exceptionally dangerous level."

"Whenever that happens, the Empire and the Church must pay an enormous price to send reinforcements across continents together."

"We must work together to survive this crisis. I hope you will shoulder your share of the burden, Henwell."

An attendant beside the prince takes out a box and places it in the middle of the meeting room.

A bead rises slowly from the box and forms a holographic map of the entire continent.

Several points on it glow red, each marking the location of a calamity nest.

Prince Kevin rises and walks over to the map. "This time, the Empire and the Church have sent fifteen legions."

"Ten legions will defend the Western Federation against the Lightchasers of the Scorching Sand Sea and the Fury Spirits of the Great Wasteland."

"The remaining five, together with five legions from the Western Federation, will be stationed in the capitals of the various kingdoms."

"They will not fight on the front lines. Their sole purpose is to protect each kingdom's final stronghold."

"As for the fronts of the Calamity War, their defense will still require everyone to work together."

"I will now assign the reinforcement garrisons. The First Expeditionary Legion and the Western Federation's Third Legion will be stationed in Divine Revelation City in Bilri..."

When he reaches Vorry, Henwell speaks. "Silver Peak City in Vorry does not need a garrison. I will send people to defend it."

Prince Kevin glances at Henwell but says nothing more. He gives a slight nod of agreement.

By all logic, with Vorry no longer needing reinforcements, the two remaining legions should go to the Kosen Kingdom.

Instead, Prince Kevin assigns both reinforcement legions to Riverwest City in the Western Lumir Federation.

This immediately provokes Obilian. He was already furious that the Western Regions had brought representatives of the Western Lumir Federation with them.

His expression darkens even further, and he protests on the spot.

Prince Kevin says calmly, "King Obilian, this is not a bad thing."

"The intensity of this Calamity War will far exceed anything you can imagine."

"If matters deteriorate, these two reinforcement legions can stop the Lightchasers from breaking through the sand sea."

"They can also relieve the pressure that the subterranean waterways place on Holy Lake City."

"Everything we do now is about surviving this crisis. What your two sides do afterward is a matter for the future."

"For now, everything must yield to the Calamity War."

"Even if Holy Lake City is destroyed, Lumir will at least retain a chance to rebuild."

After saying this, Prince Kevin ignores Obilian and turns to Henwell.

"Henwell, after this meeting, all extraordinary materials held in the Western Regions will be made available to every power on the continent."

"They will be sold at cost, and every side will receive a purchasing quota."

"The size of that quota will depend on how much strength you contribute."

"I hear Peace Haven has a highly developed military industry. We will need a great deal of arms and equipment. How much can Peace Haven provide?"

Henwell considers the question. "Twenty gold coins a set. Everyone knows the quality. Peace Haven can supply twenty thousand sets each year."

Prince Kevin shakes his head. "Not enough. Make it thirty thousand sets."

Henwell agrees. "Fine, but every side must exempt my raw-material imports from taxes."

"Naturally. Humanity's survival is at stake. Money is not more important than life."

Prince Kevin continues, "Can Peace Haven's industry be transferred elsewhere? It would be best to establish production bases in the various kingdoms."

Henwell does not answer the question directly. "The industrial district built by King Obilian has an equally enormous output. Your Highness might ask him instead."

Obilian shakes his head. "Your Highness, ours is an integrated production system. Establishing it elsewhere would be extremely difficult."

"Nor can our industrial workers be trained overnight."

"If the various sides are willing, we can also accept some of the arms and equipment orders."

"Our production costs are somewhat higher. Each set costs fifteen gold coins, but the quality is well below Peace Haven's."

"Their equipment is meant for first-rate front-line legions. My products can equip second-line defensive legions."

"I can provide forty thousand sets each year."

Prince Kevin nods. "Agreed. Whether the equipment comes from Lumir or Peace Haven, we will pay with extraordinary materials."

"We will then distribute the equipment evenly among the positions that need it, while each kingdom also strengthens its own armaments."

Prince Kevin looks at Henwell again. "How many troops can Peace Haven spare for the front lines?"

Henwell shakes his head. "None. My two theater army groups, totaling one hundred thousand troops, are already committed to Vorry's Northern Mountain Front."

"At least another twenty thousand soldiers will reinforce the Northern Mountain Front this year."

"You can leave the north to me. I guarantee that nothing will go wrong there."

"In addition, I have prepared fifty thousand soldiers as reserves for the Northern Mountain Front."

"They can move in at any moment if the situation becomes critical."

"I have sent one field army group to Lumir."

"It has fifty thousand troops in total and is helping Lumir clear the Subterranean River Bandits from its territory."

"As for Ogiro, another fifty-thousand-man field army group is ready. Once I receive permission to cross the border, it will hunt down any calamity creatures that slip through the encirclement."

"In all, Peace Haven has deployed nearly three hundred thousand troops for the Calamity War. That is every soldier we have."

Everyone present knows this. Prince Kevin frowns. "Can you provide some support to Bilri?"

Henwell thinks for a moment. "At the end of the year, I will send twenty thousand troops to Yinxin City and another twenty thousand to Everwinter City in the Kosen Kingdom."

"After that, Peace Haven itself will be left undefended, and I will have to protect it personally."

"But fair warning: if anyone tries to cause trouble while my forces are gone, I will personally visit them and start killing."