Green Monster Epic

“I heard you went south last time for a trip to the human territories?”

Pope Felice is a mixed-blood with obvious elven lineage. Although his skin is now loose and wrinkled with age, one can still sense the handsomeness of his prime. Now, he possesses even more wisdom and benevolence.

Allen was not meeting Felice for the first time, but every time he spoke with this seemingly kind old man, his wild instincts would send him warnings from time to time, reminding him that this old man, who even had difficulty sitting, actually possessed the strength to threaten his life.

“Yes.”

Allen replied frankly, “When I was adventuring in my early years, I befriended someone from the Icewind Hold, and I heard many amazing rumors about the Icewind Hold from him, but I never had the opportunity to see it for myself.”

“As the leader of a tribe, I have too many things that consume my time. Fortunately, there are many talented children among the younger generation of the tribe, and they no longer need this old fellow like me to nag beside them about how to manage the tribe, so I have a lot of free time now.”

“In addition, I just entered the core level of the council before, and heard a lot of information that I couldn’t access before. Although I don’t disbelieve this information, I prefer to check some of it myself, so that I can have a clearer understanding.”

“It is said that humans have been preparing for war, trying to launch another war. If this is true, then it is also very important to our wilderness. So I wanted to take advantage of this leisure time to go to the human side and take a look, personally feel the customs of the human kingdoms, and their real movements.”

“You are very thoughtful. Unlike many tribal leaders in this wilderness, they never care about how the outside world changes, and only focus on the things in their own territory, for fear of being taken advantage of by outsiders.”

Nodin smiled knowingly, expressing his appreciation for Allen's explanation.

“Who told me to sit on one of the front seats now? Just like the church has always promoted the concept: the greater the power, the greater the responsibility. I am just fulfilling my duty.”

Allen shrugged and said with a wry smile, “But I didn’t expect that after taking on these responsibilities, it would attract so much malice. I was constantly being hunted down when I was traveling in the human kingdoms. I didn’t expect that these guys didn’t give up even when I returned to the wilderness!”

“If I had known this would happen, I might have reconsidered whether my original choice was correct!”

“Humans and elves must have a reason for assassinating you. Otherwise, why have demigods like Marvin and Arlen never been assassinated by them, but only you have been targeted again and again?”

Felice's wise eyes stared directly at Allen, and said seemingly kindly, “Perhaps, you should look for the answer from yourself.”

“Look for the answer from myself?”

During the process of facing Felice, feeling the other party's meaningful gaze, Allen's heart couldn't help but jump. Could it be that the path he was exploring has already been discovered by them?

However, Allen's strong self-control quickly suppressed his emotional fluctuations, and he pretended to ponder with a normal expression: “I really can't figure it out. What does a hobgoblin from a humble background like me have that is worth them making such a big fuss about?”

“Could it be that they heard some rumors and were deceived by someone?”

“Maybe, but maybe you really have some important secrets on you.”

Felice said earnestly, “But I also hope that you can face your own problems squarely. Some things are taboo and cannot be touched. Otherwise, if people notice it, even our church may not be able to protect you.”

“Thank you for your reminder, Your Holiness. I will definitely reflect on myself and see what the problem is.”

Allen's heart tightened slightly. Although the other party did not say it clearly, it was difficult not to feel the meaning of this warning. At this time, he could only pretend to be confused and quickly change the topic: “But no matter what the problem is, this time the elven army's invasion of the Greenwild Plains has exceeded the inherent potential rules between our wilderness and the elves. If we can't show our attitude to the other party, I'm worried that the elves will have even more excessive behavior.”

“So, at the previous alliance meeting, our tribe decided to make a tough protest and condemnation to the elves. I wonder if you, Your Holiness, will stand on the same front as us?”

Allen looked at the Pope in front of him with anticipation, waiting for the other party's response. After hearing Allen's words, Felice also looked embarrassed and fell into deep thought.

“Allen, this matter still needs to be carefully considered. Humans are preparing for war, and so are the elves. In recent years, our Oakleaf Cathedral has been focusing on the elven kingdom. The intelligence we have collected shows that their middle and lower-level military officers have always had a tendency to start a war, while the high-level elves have remained calm.”

“If this elven invasion is brought to the attention of the elven high-level, it will inevitably cause waves in the elven side. If the balance of the elves is broken and elven retaliation is triggered, then things will be big!”

Felice did not speak, but Nodin on the side earnestly said to Allen.

“Commander Nodin, our Greenwild tribe is located at the forefront of the Northern Border. If the elves launch an invasion of the wilderness, then our Northern Border tribes will bear the brunt. How could I not know the stakes involved!”

“You have been paying attention to the elves, and so have our Northern Border tribes. Although our intelligence system may not be as powerful as the church, we still have the most basic judgment.”

“The current situation is that the middle and lower-level military officers in the Elven Kingdom are no longer satisfied with the status quo and are trying to accumulate merits through war, just like their predecessors hundreds of years ago, and strive for the promotion of their families. However, although the Elven Kingdom gained a lot from the last war, battlefield battles have always required both sides to pay the price. The Dwarf Kingdom lost more than a million people, and the elves also lost hundreds of thousands.”

“It takes up to twenty years for a dwarf to grow from birth to become a qualified warrior, but it takes at least forty years for an elf to reach adulthood. Even if the ratio of casualties between the two sides is large, the final result seems to be that the dwarves can recover faster.”

“Based on this consideration, the high-level elves will rationally restrain the voices of the grassroots military officers. Their plan must be to restore the elven population lost in the last war and manage the newly acquired territory before preparing for the next war.”

"At this time, in this matter where we are clearly in the right, if we in the Wilderness appear too weak, it is very likely to incite the ambitions of the lower-level Elven military officers, who will think we are easy to bully. And the Elven high command, because of their defeat in Greenwild, the proud nobles will definitely want to regain face, while also testing the true strength of the Wilderness, and will sit back and watch the military's actions."

"On the contrary, if we act tough, making the Elven high command feel pressure, then they might act more cautiously and continue to execute their kingdom's plans according to their existing strategies."

Allen had used these arguments to persuade his colleagues in the Wilderness, and now he was simply repeating them to Fritz and the others, so it was naturally easy for him.

"...It seems, Chieftain Allen, that you really understand the Elves!!"

Fritz's wise eyes had been calmly watching the Gnoll as he spoke, and only after he finished did he slowly speak.

"The Elves are very arrogant. They would not want to see their army defeated by a Wilderness native tribe, so when this defeat is reported to the Elven ruling class, someone will definitely have to take responsibility and be severely punished. Your tribe is also likely to face even more fierce retaliation."

"However, the Elven high command has great ambitions. For countless years, they have been plotting to occupy the entire Taren Continent and completely destroy the Dwarven race."

"To achieve this goal, they spent ten thousand years laying out their plans, ultimately destroying Our Lord's divine kingdom, causing Our Lord to slumber on His throne, leaving my Natural God system unable to organize a rescue of the Dwarven Kingdom when the Elves launched their attack on the Dwarves."

"Now, the hundred years of peace are indeed the Elves recuperating and readjusting their offensive plans."

"The next great war is very likely to be a true decisive battle, either a major defeat for the Elves or the national annihilation of the Dwarves."

"And the Humans, quite obviously, have already reached a tacit understanding with the Elves. Both sides will inevitably launch a war at the same time, just to make my Wilderness caught in a dilemma, unable to wholeheartedly invest forces in the war on either continent, maintaining the balance of civilization in this world."

"Therefore, Your Excellency, at this time, we in the Wilderness must show a sufficiently tough stance. We must make the Elves feel apprehensive!!"

"The cooperation between Humans and Elves will certainly not be close. The two sides are tens of thousands of miles apart. No matter which side is at war, they cannot cooperate with each other. It's like if they both sound the horn of war at the same time, they definitely hope that the Wilderness will invest energy and support in the other's battlefield, so that the pressure on their own battlefield will be less."

"We need to take advantage of their mentality to buy more time for my Wilderness, at least before the war breaks out."

Allen nodded repeatedly, with an expression of agreement on his face.

"Buy time? What can you do?"

Fritz's expression turned serious as he suddenly raised a question.

"You and I are both very clear about what kind of environment the Wilderness is. The Temple originally established such a loose alliance to dispel the deep-seated defensiveness of the Wilderness natives, and also to hope that the Wilderness could complete its reproduction and the establishment of civilization as soon as possible."

"But now it seems that formulating such a set of rules in the first place was a mistake. A loose alliance never has a core, and it often fails to form effective coordination when it comes to critical moments."

"Originally, I planned to support Davinci, this Kobold, and then use him as the core to create a relatively united and stable force, but unexpectedly, it ultimately failed. The other demigod pillars of the Wilderness, after noticing the actions of our Temple, immediately united to contend against my Temple, resolutely resisting the Pale Night, and almost caused another civil war and division in the Wilderness."

"Even in recent years, as Davinci has gradually drifted away from my Temple, the other major tribes have not let go of their prejudices against my Temple and the Pale Night, and their relationship with each other is not as peaceful as you see."

This was the first time Allen had heard about the relationship between the Pale Night tribe and the other tribes with the church. No wonder Allen had never heard of the Oak Church having close relationships with the other demigods when the Oak Church was at its peak. This was also a major factor in the rapid decline of the church after the Father of the Oak slumbered.

"At least my Northern Territory needs time to integrate. As long as I have time, the six tribes of the Northern Territory will definitely be the most united force in the Wilderness."

Allen raised his head and said decisively, his eyes full of confidence.

"Once the integration of the six tribes of the Northern Territory is completed, plus the Heart of the Wilderness and the Kolyma Dark Elf branch that we support, relying on the natural barrier of the Catol Mountains, even if the main force of the Elven army goes south to invade the Wilderness, we can buy time for the Wilderness to mobilize troops and support the north."

"If we add the strength of the Hochia Drow Federation, I even have the confidence to rely on these forces to independently complete the task of intercepting the Elves, and to defend the Northern Territory for a long time with sufficient support from the Wilderness and the Temple."

Fritz looked at the Gnoll in front of him with interest, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes. For many years, the church had been looking for someone with the ability, courage, and ambition. Whenever they thought they had found such a person and gradually supported them to a certain stage, these guys whose ambition and desire expanded disproportionately always wanted to break free from the church's control, and even turned against the church for this reason.

And this time, although the Gnoll in front of him also had strong ambition and ability, the church, after learning from previous lessons, did not interfere too much in their development and growth, but instead allowed their relationship to have a strange balance.

If the Gnoll could unite the Northern Territory, with the courage and vision he had shown now, under the pressure of the current situation, he would definitely break the inherent balance of the Mansa Alliance in the future and create a new scene.

Before the emergence of new rules, although there would definitely be turmoil, it would also be an opportunity for the church to plan and develop, at least with the opportunity to eliminate the current shortcomings of the Wilderness, making the Wilderness more united and the power more centralized.

"Since you are so confident, then I, on behalf of the Oak Church, the New Sprout Church, and the Ranger Church, support your decision."

"At the same time, we will also help you negotiate with other churches to get them to support your choice as well."

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

"You're welcome, my child. May Nature be with you always."