Supreme Magus

Chapter 2562 Counter Offer (Part 2)

”What took you so long?” Between Morokʼs upset expression and Rylaʼs earlier effusions, Friya was worried about what might have happened while they were alone.

”Weʼll talk about it later.” The Tyrant gave her the secret gesture that signaled to donʼt ask questions. ”Now follow me. Itʼs easier to show than to tell.”

Ryla had to keep her hand on the wall so that the Gate would stay open, letting pass one person at a time. She brought Faluel, Friya, Syrah, and her court.

The Hydra took a good look at the laboratories and checked several pages from various times while everyone else gave up after a first glance.

”I donʼt even know how to turn this thing on.” Friya pointed at the Forgemastering circle.

”Me neither.” Faluel said while flipping the pages of a recently written tome. ”But Iʼm confident that I can decipher the code. Itʼs always the same and since runes cannot be altered, I can already tell what book is about what.

”Yet to understand what the spells do and how, I need time.”

”Which is something we donʼt have.” The Hati Queen said. ”Thanks for your offer to help us, but even with the food from the raids we wonʼt last long. If thereʼs no immediate solution to our problem, our only choice is to rely on the Undead Courts.

”I donʼt want to sound ungrateful to you, but I have to ask you guys to leave. You can take away the books since they have no use to us, but weʼll keep everything stored in the vaults as compensation for our suffering.

”We will need it if, once the undead crack the Harmonizers, they uphold their word and share the crafting method with us.” Syrah sighed, her last hope shattering.

”What if I offered you an alternative?” Faluel asked. ”What if I told you that there might be a way to avoid the culls entirely and keep your people relatively safe until we found a solution?”

”Iʼd say that Iʼve stopped believing in miracles after my stay at the Gardens of Time robbed me of my youth.” The Hati Queen replied with a snort. ”Also, in my experience, either something is safe or itʼs not.

”A sword is relatively safe, but that only means that itʼs not aimed at you, yet.”

”Point taken.” The Hydra raised her palms. ”It wouldnʼt really be safe. More like a battlefield, but at least you wouldnʼt suffer from hunger anymore and your people would die for a cause rather than because they have no alternative.”

”We die for a cause and we do it because we have no alternative. Whatʼs the difference-” Syrahʼs eyes blazed with mana and fury when her friend, Urhen the Balor, grabbed her shoulder to calm her down.

”Since we are already here, we might as well listen to what she has to say. Even getting rid of the rites of passage and allowing our children to grow normally would be a great change.

”Xagra is out for less than a day. Itʼs not too late for him.” Urhen waved her hand, bringing a few chairs close so that everyone could sit down and relax.

”Very well.” The Hati Queen closed her eyes and took deep breaths to calm herself. ”Speak, Hydra, but talk lightly about the lives of my people again and Iʼll kill you all even if it means drawing the Council here.”

”Okay.” Faluel nodded. ”First things first. Do you know Jiera?”

”No. Whatʼs that?” There was a tinge of annoyance in Syrahʼs voice, but it wasnʼt addressed at the Hydra.I think you should take a look at

ʼVerhen, Forgemastery, and now this. How many things have Glemos kept hidden from us to ensure our compliance and how many more have the Undead Courts glossed over to make us dependent on them?ʼ The more she learned, the more the deal with the undead sounded fishy.

Faluel established a mind link to conjure a map of Mogar and then of the continents of Garlen and Jiera. She could have used holograms, but she preferred to avoid explaining how she had learned the art of Light Mastery that allegedly only trolls possessed and demons had stolen.

ʼI canʼt believe it!ʼ Brʼey the orc shaman blurted out in surprise. ʼIs there really so much land outside Zelex?ʼ

ʼActually, thatʼs Garlen.ʼ Faluel kept her tone neutral, trying not to offend her hosts. ʼWe are in the Griffon Kingdom.ʼ

She drew the borders to the Empire and the Desert, cutting them off from the map and the monster gasped, realizing that their territory was just one-third of the whole.

ʼZelex is located in the Remana Region which is just a fraction of the Kingdom.ʼ A tiny blinking dot appeared, quickly surrounded by the borders of the region while the rest of the map faded in the background.

ʼThatʼs it?ʼ Syrah couldnʼt believe her own mind. ʼIs that all we amount to? A mere patch of land?ʼ

ʼNo, your city is the dot.ʼ Faluel zoomed in, letting rivers, plains, and cities appear on the map.

It took the monsters a few minutes to recover from the discovery of how insignificant their existence was. Once they calmed down, the Hydra told them about the plague that had been unleashed upon Jiera, the disappearance of the human race, and the rise of the monster tides.

ʼI canʼt assure you anything since Iʼve yet to talk with the Awakened Council, but hereʼs my idea. Weʼll split your people between mana geysers in Jiera so they can keep their unfallen state and slow down the aging process.

ʼThe local Council will provide you with everything you need to establish your settlements and food. In exchange, you have to protect the magical and natural resources for them.

ʼIt means that you can use crystals and metals if you need them to fight or for your research but everything else belongs to the Council. Also, you have to help keep the monster population in check and prevent the formation of monster tides.ʼ

ʼAre you asking us to exterminate our own kin?ʼ Brʼey asked in disgust.

ʼBetter than exterminating your own blood like now. Also, if you can deal with them without killing them, be my guest.ʼ Faluel shrugged. ʼBut I doubt they would let you go without a fight the moment they smell your food.ʼ

ʼLet me get this straight.ʼ Syrah said while pondering the issue with the collective brainpower of her tribe. ʼIf we accept your offer, weʼll be split and sent to another continent.

ʼThere, we will be free to live and grow our numbers but we will be also forced to fight on a daily basis. You are asking us to bet everything on the hope that thanks to our reproductive abilities and powers weʼll lose fewer people than are born.ʼ

ʼCorrect.ʼ Faluel nodded. ʼYet it wouldnʼt be just on you. Youʼd get communication amulets and the Council would help you. They have no interest in getting you wiped out. The monster tides are a threat to everyone, not just you.ʼ

ʼLetʼs assume that you are right and that you are not just sending us to the slaughter.ʼ Syrah snarled. ʼWhat happens when there are no more monsters to kill in the area and our numbers once again exceed what the land can sustain?ʼ

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