146 War Breaks Ou (2/2)
”Furthermore, since you already know that it was taken from that real parallel universe, given the plot the Dragon Ball world was going at, how they were breaking their limits here and there, do you think that it was possible for even more powerful antagonists to not appear later on? If I were to say, not just Super Saiyan 33, as long as that world doesn't get destroyed, even Super Saiyan 333 is possible!”
Alright, there's no need for me to say anything. Even the normal Super Saiyan transformation was able to kill me in an instant; if Super Saiyan 33 came, wouldn't the heavens, earth, and even the air be destroyed with a single flick? I didn't wish to die that pathetically yet, thus I rejected the ”goodwill” of the System.
As time went by (and the number of times I got scammed increased), I roughly comprehended a general rule.
It wasn't that the System had dedicated its soul fully to pranking others, but its abilities were limited. Distorting the future required one to bear its karmic effects. The laws governing equivalent exchange still needed to be obeyed.
Thus, my dream of obtaining powerful treasures by drawing with minimal Fate Points was shattered.
For a period of time, I dedicated my soul to drawing ”mystical secret manuals.” ”Godly equipment” and ”unique and rare treasures” were struck from my list of options.
”If I obtain strength from the 'otherworldly knowledge' and change the future, it would be my own doing rather than the doing of the System. Thus, the System only need to bear minimal karmic effects. This was like a conspicuous loophole left behind by the System. If I don't choose you, who else will I choose?”
Thus, even though I drew numerous objects that left one speechless through the ”mystical secret manuals” choice, such as the ”Wordless Book of Heaven” and ”Dragon Slave Incantation Manual” and other books which were in the wrong universe, as well as the ”Art of Nine Negations,” ”Sunflower Manual,” ”Manual to Cross Dressing as a Beautiful Lady,” and ”Photoshop: Manual to Creating a Beauty.” They were all authentic, but it was completely inconceivable to me what they could be used for.… Alright, let's forget all of those. At the very least, those research notes of the otherworldly Mages were indeed good stuff. They were much more useful than those unreliable otherworldly treasures and I had benefitted greatly through them.
The reason why I used my Lottery draws recently to get unique and rare treasures was to draw a Spring of Drowned Man for the unfortunate Krose as compensation. However, it was a pity that the entire roulette was filled with the Top Student series' objects and there was no sign of the Spring of Drowned Man appearing at all.
”Forget it, timing is important in Lottery. If one's complexion, hand, and luck are bad, one shouldn't treat himself as the protagonist of the world. I should try giving it a change and drawing mystical secret manuals instead.”
As Fate Points were pumped in, the rapidly spinning roulette stopped. Looking at the ”secret manual” which popped out, I couldn't help gasping in shock.
It was a game walkthrough. On its cover, roaring Beastmen armies and countless Beastmen heroes could be seen.
[Ding! Congratulations on obtaining ”Highland Beastmen Invasion Game Walkthrough—The Hundred Powerful Tribes Information Guide”. System Notice: Not only does it list the unique troops of each and every tribe and their fighting prowess, it even tells you about the personal preferences of each Chieftain and heroic figures. If you still fail to achieve victory in the war, carry your head to meet me.]
”System! Can you not be so obvious when cheating? However, you did well this time, I like it! I give you thirty-two likes!”
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”Prince Roland in the East Mist Communal Country is a fake. He isn't some awakened returning Heroic Spirit, but propaganda East Mist uses to calm the hearts of their citizens!”
When I heard the report Sleuweir Kingdom sent to the other countries and churches, I wasn't surprised at all. This was within expectations. Even so, I was still enraged by their actions.
”Feimer Carson, is it? Since you were willing to send assassins to get rid of me for the sake of holding onto your authority, then what could coming up with lies to deny the existence of your ancestors count as?”
I could understand that they were denying my identity to maintain the integrity and legitimacy of their sovereignty, but they were clearly trying to stab themselves in their own foot by the latter part of the report.
”The Kamo's Tear Fortress is still completely calm. I have just signed a peace treaty with the numerous Beastmen Tribes. Yet that fake Roland spread rumors about an impending Beastmen invasion. This shows that he has bad intentions in mind! He hopes to tear apart our amiable relationship with our Beastmen allies!”
From a certain sense, Sleuweir could be considered as the successor of the Mist Country's legacy. However, they denied the traditions and values of the Mist Country. They chose to employ goodwill diplomacy, siding with the other larger kingdoms on most occasions, even willing to resort to bribing the Beastmen Tribe whom they bordered.
One must say, from a certain perspective, they truly did well. In human society, Sleuweir Kingdom's reputation was much better than East Mist Communal Country and Mist Country.
Considering how difficult it was to capture Kamo's Tear Fortress, the Chieftains who had received large amounts of bribes would also direct their attention to the other human territories. They had enjoyed more than two decades of peace and they had not been embroiled in most major historical wars.
For the Beastmen Tribes, as long as it was en route to their ancient homeland, it was the same no matter whom they invaded. The current situation was different from the past Mist Country and the Beastmen bordered with more than one human country. Since Sleuweir had decided to employ the carrot and the stick, it was much wiser for them to choose an easier target to work on.
Of this method of diverting the catastrophe to the other countries, the Kasolan Kingdom which faced greater pressure from the Beastmen's assault was full of complaints. Even so, it didn't affect Sleuweir's diplomatic strategies in any way, so they had no choice but to tolerate it.
It was true that the Kasolan Kingdom was a nail stuck there to deal with the pressure from the Beastmen. After East Country's fall, they had borne the brunt of the impact from most of the brutal Human-Beastman wars.
The motive for the Beastmen's invasion southward was simple. In the short-term, their goal was likely to annex some land so they could hunt for food and resources. As for the long-term, they probably only had one ultimate aim—to recapture the original land of the Beastmen, the Blanluya Plains.
Currently, the Blanluya Plains weren't part of the Beastmen's territory. It belonged to a powerful human empire, Saint Antonio, and it served as its granary. The Kasolan Kingdom was a vassal state of Saint Antonio Empire.
It was said that the emperor of the Kasolan Kingdom was a high noble of the Saint Antonio Empire, and most of the powerful troops of the country originated from Saint Antonio. Every year, young generals would suddenly appear in their ranks and display their talents; most of these talents were Saint Antonian.
There was even a tale about how they crushed their own foot with the boulder they lifted.
The Beastmen army had never given up on their dreams to return back to their homeland. Back then, when the Beastmen had occupied the previous territory of the Mist Country, due to their powerful reproductive abilities, they were able to engage in numerous large-scale and small-scale battles. This made those countries who were pestered by them start to miss that ”smelly and tough country of barbarians,” which they destroyed with their own hands.
”Thirty to forty Wolf Knights may not mean anything much in a frontal assault, but if they snuck into our territories, they can cause countless civilian deaths. Those cockroach-like Beastmen who reproduce at an insane rate can't be completely killed no matter what we do. We need a barrier against them!”
As such, under the combined efforts of countless empires, the Kasolan Kingdom was formed.
To date, this newly established country only had two hundred years of history behind it. After its founding, it nailed itself firmly at the entrance of the Beastmen territory. Large amounts of resources and talent were continuously supplied there from the core of human society, thus forcefully blocking the Beastmen off at the highlands.
Kasolan Kingdom's Haulus Fortress and Sleuweir Kingdom's Kamo's Tear Fortress became important fortresses of the human society in hindering the army of the Beastmen Tribes after the fall of the Mist Country.
With the Fortress Cities' natural terrain advantage and the support from countless human countries behind them, in the past two hundred years, they had managed to drive the Beastmen army back to their lands. The Kamo's Tear Fortress was named after the previous Great Chieftain Kamo who died there.
However, the situation was different this time.
”Urgent news! War has broken out! The Beastmen army has invaded Sleuweir. It has circumvented Kamo's Fortress and four midsize cities have been massacred! Sleuweir has currently been placed on full alert!”
TL Notes:* From Sailor Moon Balala
**Togashi is the mangaka for HunterXHunter
***Slayers -> Lina Inverse's spell. The latter is the incantation.