"Easy for you to say, but I'm..."

Evan wanted to say that he was the future head of the Wattier family, one of the top figures in Erl, but recalling that all these dwarves had already returned to Naisa's command, and behind Naisa was Crimson Dragon, he held back his impulse, looking with disgust at his soiled formal attire.

Within a few days, with Crimson Dragon's backing, the Dwarf King had successfully returned to the decision-making circle.

Naisa, who nominally held sovereignty, quickly appointed the dwarves to various important departments.

Although the nobles did not worry that this bunch who spent all day rolling in machinery and mud could understand the tricks in the complex account books, they still felt a lump in their throats, and their way of doing things inevitably became much more restrained.

"Father locks himself in his room all day and doesn't leave. There have been times like this before, but this is an exceptional period, why doesn't he lend a hand?" Evan was a bit worried in his heart.

After hundreds of years of management, Shena's connections may even surpass the king's. He could easily contact the higher ranks of Heretic Wing.

However, neither Moran nor he had any intention of roping in this force, perhaps for fear of making Raphael apprehensive.

Woo!!!

The sound of gears frantically turning and rubbing against each other echoed across the wilderness.

The convoy stopped involuntarily to see what was going on.

Evan finally had a chance to get out of the car clear his head, and tidy up his attire. He originally thought the so-called "Ground III" would be as smooth as a horse carriage.

Plop.

He was not paying attention to the ground below and stepped directly into the wet, soft mud, his leg sinking knee-deep into the land flooded by the overflowing river water.

"How unlucky!"

He immediately cursed under his breath, grabbing onto the car door to pull his foot out.

He then looked around and found that everywhere except the road on which Ground III was traveling was basically submerged in water.

"What's going on?" In his impression, the Morey Plains were vast fertile fields crisscrossed with dikes and irrigation canals, almost never experiencing floods.

A rat dragon from the front of the convoy came running over:

"Everyone, Governor Alvis' car wheel is stuck in the mud, please wait a moment."

Evan could only sit back and look up, thinking about the details of the talks.

Up ahead.

Alvis and a group of dwarves and dragon kin looked at the Ground III deeply stuck in the muddy pit.

"See, this is why I told you absolutely not to turn," he scolded the dwarf driver. "Do you know why humans lost to me? It's because these mud pits blocked more than 90% of the supplies halfway through, leaving the allied forces on the front line without enough ammunition to fight back."

The dwarf scratched his head: "No problem, we can just call the dragon to help."

The rat dragon Hil walked over from behind: "What happened? The transport vehicle is stuck in the mud pit?"

"That's right," Alvis glanced deeply at it. "The essence of this kind of transport is still similar to horse carriages, just with the horses replaced by a uranium-gold reactor power source, gaining a qualitative improvement in speed and convenience. But it still relies on those few wheels."

"It reminds me of the vehicles seized by Henry from Ryton," Hil swished his tail, driving away the worms and leeches. "They used caterpillar tracks similar to roller assemblies to replace traditional wheels. I believe they're also powered by mineral energy sources like uranium-gold. But those combat vehicles could easily cross deep pits and mud, and the Chinder Shells would just turn the ground into a sieve without slowing them down."

"There are these new weapons too?" Alvis turned his head in doubt.

Raphael's blockade of information about Pillar Mountain was top-notch. The returning clans from the old territories were strictly prohibited from divulging any information to the outside world, including the hundred thousand human miners and dark elves as subordinates, so he naturally knew nothing about the situation inside.

"What happened?"

Golden Dragon Arnold flew down from the clouds, looking gently at the humans on the ground and asking.

"Respected Golden Dragon, our means of transport is stuck inside," Alvis answered coldly.

Arnold stretched out his claws, and with a slight adjustment of his magical power, a spell formed.

Miraculously, the mud and water in the pit began to separate, and soon the wheels were on dry hard ground.

The dwarf driver then pressed hard on the lever, and the entire vehicle roared out of the pit.

"Much appreciated," Alvis immediately expressed his gratitude.

The Golden Dragon did not speak and flew back up into the clouds.

Raphael was soaring high in the air.

"What's the matter?" he casually asked.

"Nothing, the humans' vehicle just got stuck for a bit," Arnold shrugged.

"But you not only came out alone, you also brought me and that infamous rat dragon out. Aren't you afraid the other side of Pillar Mountain can't hold the humans attack?" The Golden Dragon then raised his doubts.

Raphael gave a disdainful laugh: "For the past week or so, I've had you go to the Erl river every day. What have you gained from that?"

Arnold recalled: "In the first few days we intercepted and destroyed quite a few ships going upstream, but in the last few days no more ships came up. But human ironclad ships are very promising, I wonder if they use those thing out to sea, to see the outside world......"

"Don't say so much, do you know what those ironclad ships were escorting?" Raphael flapped his wings vigorously.

"I heard from the Ceda wyverns in charge of the waterfront ports that it was uranium-gold ore, food, alloy materials, weapons, shells, woven goods, and the like."

Raphael calmly explained: "Correct, I have carefully studied the human nation's strength recently. The ones I'm still at war with are the Ryton Kingdom. They are at the peak of the mainland, and the constant conflicts and turmoil generated each year do not allow this small piece of land to develop a good environment. Without the support of Natterian Empire and Chalaran, they would not be able to sustain such huge military expenditures."

"This war may look like they are strong, even taking over my territory, but I estimate they have already reached their limit. After all, they still have a lot of internal affairs in their country. So as long as I cut off their supplies from the waterways, overland transportation is too long and troublesome. During this period, they definitely won't have enough firepower to wage war. My subordinate clans only need to hold their positions, there's no need for the two of us to be present."

Crimson Dragon raised his head high: "Now all I need to do is cut off the humans' supplies from the source, and this war will be over."

......

Oaklund.

This city with hundreds of years of history was once the root of Morey's vast fertile fields, but successive devastating blows had completely destroyed it.

Now the river surface was littered with a large amount of debris, remnants left behind after the temporary port was destroyed.

In the surging waves of the Modon River, a tiny black dot was desperately swimming towards the opposite bank.

"Phew!"

He finally overcame the soft yet firm currents and successfully crawled ashore.

"Finally......back to Morey again!" Akuniryas felt a twinge in his heart as he looked at the desolate, bleak scene. Not long ago, this was the strongest military stronghold on the west coast, but now it was completely reduced to ashes.

As much as he thought about it, he did not forget to quickly look for food to fill his starving stomach which had been empty for several days.

The day he had just left the fortress, Raphael's counterattack had already begun.

He wanted to return to the front line to help, but the southern suburbs were filled with bunkers, with huge hammer drakes the size of small mountains marching through the forests one after another. In his military uniform, he feared he would be slain instantly if he showed his head.

Unnecessary sacrifice was something Akuniryas could not accept, so he could only choose to risk going downriver to see if he could float downstream to the allied lines.

But that lingering black dragon appeared on the riverbank, and a large-scale area spell washed over the area, directly knocking him unconscious.

When he woke up, he had unknowingly drifted to the opposite bank in Natterian territory.

However, the people along the coast were in a panic preparing to flee their homes. After walking for several kilometers, all the Natterian people were ready to abandon their hometowns.

Only after inquiring did he learn that it was already the second day, the war had ended, the Allied forces suffered a crushing defeat with over thirty thousand dead or missing, and almost all the rest were captured. It was estimated that only a few hundred had escaped - including himself.

That afternoon and evening, the old Red Dragon, Golden Dragon, and Black Dragon had come to the surface of the Modon River. From Oakenburg to the Oaklund area, all human ships and ports were bombed, and the dragons' overwhelming power in this new era was branded into the hearts of the Imperial man for the first time.

Although Akuniryas was wearing an Allied forces uniform, with the war utterly defeated, both the authorities and civilians could only look after their own lives. Everyone was busy fleeing inland, and no one stopped to help him.

It was how this Morey lieutenant drifted for over a week before reaching the opposite bank of Oaklund, surviving on the food hastily discarded by fleeing people along the way.

He was still unwilling to believe that the war had truly failed. Perhaps it was just a rumor fabricated by that dragon, and the main forces had only temporarily retreated to a rear base to regroup.

But after swimming over a hundred kilometers across the Modon River, the miles of ruins before his eyes made him lose all Heart. "How could we have lost? We had over a hundred thousand elite troops! Supplies were being shipped day and night from the Kingdom and the Empire. When we were in Oaklund, every single meal had fresh beef! We also had ample weapons and ammunition! The soldiers on the front line were fighting valiantly. Why did we lose?"

Akuniryas dragged out a rock mule that had been crushed to death. Its head had already been eaten clean by vultures, with only a bit of meat scraps left on the bones. He could not bear the devastation in his heart as he furiously tore at the remaining rotten meat with his teeth, chewing the putrid, foul-smelling food.

"It must be that Natterian commander! I heard he had just turned thirty, young and foolish! He squandered our great strategic position!" Akuniryas grew angrier and angrier in his heart, and the more he thought about it, the more he could only blame the failed command.

But since Cornet had also been captured, he had no one to vent his anger on. After picking clean the remaining flesh from the camel's body, he had to calm down, for now, he needed to decide where to go next.

In theory, he should return to Brugen City and report back to the Garin royal family to continue his allegiance. However, after this battle, Akuniryas seriously doubted the competence of human leadership.

With advantages in strength, firepower, morale, and supplies, to still suffer such a devastating defeat - there must have been issues.

"Perhaps as those cynics say, the elite cultivated through good education, privileged environments, and abundant resources and connections have never really amounted to much. Their so-called successes were merely illusions created through compromises and agreements. When faced with unknown challenges without any backdoors, their inadequacies are immediately exposed."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He had begun to question the people leading him. Although his gratitude and respect for Carl and his loyalty to the Garin royal family would never waver, Morey was not just composed of these people but also had twenty million ordinary citizens.

"If it were before, no matter how aggrieved I was, I could only return to serve under His Majesty, devoting myself to death for Morey's future." Akuniryas raised his right hand, where the crown mark was faintly visible - the mysterious black priest had said it was a divine instrument.

"But now I have come into contact with extraordinary power...since the leadership has proven itself incompetent, then I shall personally safeguard the security of the masses!"

An unprecedented sense of grave responsibility weighed on his heart. Akuniryas firmly believed that pure power was meaningless - it existed to protect those defenseless people and help them avoid disasters and calamities from dragons.

"The Floating Isle has many knowledgeable mages. Old Marat and Miss Hitaya are there too. I need to inquire about the secrets of the 'Gods' to better develop and utilize this power. Then..."

Akuniryas looked towards the north shrouded in dark clouds, his facial muscles contorting from extreme hatred, "...I'll kill that dragon!"

......

In the evening, Evan's convoy finally arrived in Oaklund. However, the vast ruins and untended corpses before them posed difficulties for everyone.

"Fortunately those scavenger vultures helped, otherwise we'd have to prevent plagues," Alvis' thick boots crushed a cow's skeletal remains. He still remembered that after breaking through here initially, they had made simple preparations before hurrying straight to besiege the Allied forces at Erl. The fallen defenders and livestock here had not had time to be dealt with.

Raphael flew down from the clouds, landing on the lone remaining broken wall in Oaklund.

"Hil, what were the details you discussed with those humans?" he bent his long neck to ask the rat dragon on the ground.

"Master, according to the agreement, they cannot disembark and come ashore until we are present. So before 9 am tomorrow morning, we need to set up the tents first and prepare the documents," Hil calmly replied.

"Hmm..."

Looking at the piles of garbage and mud pools all around, Raphael turned to Golden Dragon Arnold, and mocked, "My dear brother, it seems we need to do some cleaning work."

"Of course," the Golden Dragon agreed. "I think flames can completely burn away this whole pile of trash."

After discussing, Raphael spread his wings and slowly took flight, his white underbelly beginning to glow in segments of reddish-gold light.

Arnold stretched out his claws, channeling surging magical power as he incanted a draconic spell.

Soon after, Crimson Dragon blasted out a wide-area breath, flames that consumed everything rising up everywhere. The water accumulated in the mud rapidly vaporized into mist, mixing with the black smoke from the burning debris, causing Evan and the others watching nearby to cough violently.

Burn to ashes.

The Golden Dragon's spell was ready. The piles of rubble on the ground were blown apart one by one, reduced to ash by the explosive fireballs.

"Why don't you try breathing your breath too?" Raphael suddenly suggested.

Arnold made an odd expression, but ultimately still indulged his friend's request. He stopped casting spells and began gathering the primal power within his body, firing off a burst of pure golden flame.

"I've heard the golden dragon's breath is quite peculiar. Anyone it touches won't be burned to death, but will instead explode. I wonder if that's true," Baron Moran suddenly commented, seeing the rare golden flame.

After Raphael's intense breath of flames scorched the land on a massive scale, he actively released an imperceptible pheromone, causing the raging fires around him to be extinguished. The charred earth was now dry, hard and devoid of any muddy dampness.

Arnold, on the other hand, did not need to do such things, as the power of his breath was too weak to even stir up any significant disturbance, quickly getting overwhelmed by the vast magical flames.

"Set up camp! Those attending tomorrow's meeting, come to me!" Raphael bellowed loudly as he landed on the ground.

Hil, Moran, Alvis, Evan and the bearded dwarven elder dragging on the ground went over, while the rest of the dragon kin, dwarves and human subordinates silently began their work.

"You are all the 'core' of our Erl, so I hope there will be no conflicts that allow the humans to benefit," Raphael said meaningfully.

The negotiators represented the various factions of Erl. The human nobles were the first major force, with Alvis symbolizing the internally split Komo and Amelia houses.

The dwarves had already been separated by Raphael, so they also had to send a representative. Hil was the supervisor, representing the interests of Crimson Dragon himself.

"Rest assured, I will be the moderator, and there will be no mistakes," Baron Moran said with utmost respect.

"I trust your abilities as an experienced noble, but be careful not to lay any traps that will embarrass me later," Raphael warned word by word.

Arnold sat idly in the back, watching his friend's tail swaying left and right, recalling the amusing times in their youth when Raphael would playfully chase and try to bite his short tail.

Suddenly, a flash of light flickered past, causing Arnold to doubt his eyes and rub them.

After reopening his draconic eyes for a careful look, he indeed noticed a speck of light buried in the dirt.

"What is this?"

The golden dragon carefully lowered himself and used his claw to dig out the soil, slowly peeling away the outer layer to reveal a grain of golden sand.

"Perhaps it was discarded by a human," Arnold shook his head, thinking it might be some rare mineral, but casually stored it in his dimensional pocket without further thought.

......

The next day, Erl's group waited early on the shore. Before long, three ironclad warships slowly sailed upstream.

Raphael hovered in the air, warily watching the three warships. Although the humans had dismantled the mana cannon towers on board as requested, he would not let his guard down to prevent any accidents.

"That's the one."

"It's so huge and terrifying!"

The sailors on board whispered, as the massive body of Crimson Dragon blocked out the sky, coupled with its past battle records that made these sailors tremble.

The warships stopped at the shore. Since this was not a cargo unloading operation, Raphael did not build a port, so the negotiators directly rode Gryphons from the ships to the shore.

Baron Moran stood at the very front. Seeing a middle-aged man with a noble appearance riding alone on a Gryphon and stepping onto the red carpet on the ground, he whispered in astonishment to Evan behind him, "It's actually the Fourth Imperial Prince Eucerolot! The true heir of the Galoren family!"

After all, they, the old Morey nobles, were also loyalists to the Galoren dynasty. However, the Morey's Galoren royal family was only a branch of the original Natterian royal family, while the current imperial royal family was the true bloodline heir.

Eucerolot wore a sky knight's uniform adorned with golden threads, with a white windproof helmet on his head. After the attendants who had followed caught up removed these flight garments, a head of long, curly red hair with an artistic air spilled down.

Then, four Gryphons dragged a large crate from the ship without any riders. The servants immediately opened it, revealing several carpets that were unrolled on the ground, much to the curiosity of Moran and the others.

"Why are they laying carpets there? Don't we already have some?" Evan clenched his fists at this extravagant and luxurious scene.

They had specially selected the most expensive and soft zebra-skin carpets from various manors. The fur of these monsters living near freshwater lakes was extremely soft and plush, allowing one to feel relaxed even through shoes when stepping on them.

Zebras were rare monsters, mainly dwelling on the borders of the orc and Chalaran lands, further increasing the difficulty of hunting them. The old Morey nobles had only been able to obtain them after Shena had opened up the Strife Plain trade route. Normally, they would use carpets made from other monsters or ordinary sheep's wool, only bringing out the zebra carpets for major festivals or dances to put on a show.

However, Eucerolot's servants now directly laid more than a dozen zebra-skin carpets on the dirty soil, showing no regard for damaging the expensive carpets.

"What are those markings on the Gryphons? They don't seem to be from the imperial military," Evan pointed at the symbols on the armor of the air transport Gryphons and asked Moran.

"Red eagle? It seems to be Prince Eucerolot's personal insignia. These Gryphons should be his private property," Moran squinted and identified it after a moment.

"Private property? Privately owned Gryphons?"

The prosperity of the empire once again renewed Evan's perception. In Morey, Gryphons were absolutely state-owned assets, with private sale and use strictly prohibited.

Yet he had heard that the top families in the empire all had private Gryphons, and even young nobles would regularly hold flying competitions in social gatherings, with these Gryphons being raised from a young age since they would only recognize one master for life.

"They're so rich!" Evan couldn't help but envy them; these imperial nobles really knew how to enjoy life.

Eucerolot's air transport Gryphons then brought in wardrobes, tables, chairs, and a large pile of building materials.

Next, court mages and a large number of servants serving the royal family also arrived, surprisingly all riding Gryphons.

The mages quickly began constructing a foundation, while the royal craftsmen operated various alchemical devices to rapidly build a small house. The heavy-duty servants then carried in a series of furniture, while gardeners planted rows of exquisite and precious flowers outside as decoration.

However, Eucerolot did not enter, instead evaluating which outfit was most suitable while being attended to by his dressing servants in front of a full-length mirror.

Raphael stared open-mouthed, never expecting the humans to have so many extravagances.

"My dear friend, I was wondering if all these people are that prince's kin?" The attentive service and diligent attitudes reminded him of Nana's daily life.

Arnold thought for a moment, "It's highly unlikely, as only a rare few individuals are born with magical bloodlines, while most are simply ordinary."

"However, this empire's wealth seems inexhaustible, as our human allies are all showing envious expressions." The golden dragon subtly pointed at Evan on the ground.

A small boat was lowered from one of the distant warships, with a rope ladder unfurled, and imperial soldiers and negotiators climbed down and rowed to shore.

Marshal Cale shook off the water droplets from his body and walked up to Eucerolot, respectfully bowing his head, "Your Highness, we are ready."

"Hmm, I'm almost ready too." The prince finally settled on a white ceremonial robe symbolizing privilege, adorned with the purple eagle emblem representing the royal family.

"They're here."

Moran and the others noticed the imperial representatives finally approaching, unable to resist shifting their weight as their legs had grown numb from standing.

"Representatives of the Kingdom of Erl, I am Petrus Eucerolot De Galoren, the Fourth Imperial Prince," Eucerolot's voice was refined and elegant, showing no sign of the tension or unease one would expect from negotiating terms after defeat.

"This is the imperial decree from the Emperor and authorization from the council. I will be fully responsible for these negotiations on behalf of the empire." The prince's attendant took out several exquisite papers with complex lettering and patterns, sealed at the end with red and purple seals.

"The alchemical ciphers on the seals can prove the authenticity of my words, so there's no need to worry about the empire going back on its word later."

Moran nodded and extended his hand, "I am Turio Moran, and I believe that highly conspicuous great dragon is proof of our credibility. Similarly, we can decide all matters concerning Erl."

Eucerolot smiled and shook Moran's hand, "Moran...the records of the imperial noble court have never shown this surname for the past two hundred years. The historical texts record that this was a common surname used by artisans in the past, most of whom settled in the old lands of the Grand Duke of Redo before slowly rising to prominence after following the Duke to Pillar Mountain."

Baron Moran's expression remained calm as he smiled slightly and began the introductions, "This is Evan Vattier."

"Oh! I know, a descendant of Shena! Alas, it would have been so much better if the empire could have kept your illustrious family within its borders!" Eucerolot spoke with a regretful tone as he shook Evan's hand.

Evan thought the other man was complimenting him, but was quickly nudged discreetly by Moran's elbow, immediately restraining his delighted smile to a modest one.

"Alvis DeLuca. The one who defeated the imperial army led by Cornet DeLuca." Moran continued the introductions with no good intentions.

As expected, a hint of cold sharpness surfaced in Eucerolot's smile.

"Indeed, a scion of a renowned family," he said with a subtle, veiled tone. "The DeLuca family must be very proud to have produced a military genius like you."

"In fact, I was born into the family of a minor customs officer," Alvis shrugged nonchalantly. "The only benefit of the DeLuca surname was that it allowed my father a secure government job to avoid starvation, and gave me the opportunity for professional military education. If Your Highness wishes to take revenge on the main DeLuca family through me, please don't bother. I won't be saddened for those who never cared about me."

Eucerolot fell silent, seemingly contemplating whether Alvis was feigning indifference to protect the DeLuca family or truly had no connection to them.

"Elder Baruto, a close minister to the king." Moran introduced the dwarf.

This time, Eucerolot brushed it off casually, as intelligence from the imperial secret service had analyzed that the dwarves were mere puppets, with the dragons and the old Morey nobles being the real focus.

"Hil, a dragon kin highly valued by great Crimson Dragon, of the rat dragon tribe."

"Should I say draconic?" the prince jested.

However, Hil coldly responded in standard human language, "No need."

Eucerolot looked deeply at it, then began introducing his own side.

Apart from the empire, representatives from the other The four nations had also arrived, each able to represent their respective country's stance.

Raphael would not participate, as he was the ceiling for Erl, so how could he possibly get involved? He would only make decisions on the general direction.

"Then let's begin," Moran invited everyone to enter the tent that had already been set up, with a long table and chairs prepared inside.

The two sides entered simultaneously, with Erl's people sitting on the left and the human nations' representatives taking their seats on the right.

Eucerolot did not join, instead adding an extra chair behind his side's camp, similar to Raphael's role as the overall decision-maker rather than participating in the discussions.

"First, allow me to state the legitimacy of the Kingdom of Erl's sovereignty," Moran was the first to speak. "Please, Elder Baruto, explain."

The dwarven elder stood up but soon realized his height was insufficient to rise above the table, so he had to climb onto the chair to stand and speak.

Apart from the tall and burly Chalarans letting out a light chuckle, the rest of the humans remained expressionless.

"Erl is an ancient dwarven kingdom passed down through the ages. We established our homes in Pillar Mountain and the lands below even before the orc empire!"

Baruto took out an ancient map from the sack behind him.

"This is a map drawn during Erl's prosperous period. Our territories extended south beyond the present-day Karuk Great Forest and north to the central deserts of the Dragon Domain. Your alchemists can authenticate that this parchment and the coloring pigments date back tens of thousands of years, proving that we dwarves were the first inhabitants."

The leather map was gently placed on the table, and the human representatives leaned in to scrutinize it closely.

"The material is very ancient, it seems to be dragon hide!"

"I've never seen such pigments before, able to remain colorfast for over ten thousand years...it must be their secret technique."

Eucerolot's accompanying alchemists quickly authenticated it as an artifact from tens of thousands of years ago.

"Very well, it seems the dwarves do possess sovereignty," Marshal Cale nodded. "But what about the dragons? And these human brethren?"

Hil, seated beside the dwarven elder, silently handed him a slip of paper.

Baruto took it and read it verbatim, "King Naisa, deeply saddened by the decline of our race, has decided to entrust the perfected Crimson Dragon Raphael with the affairs of the kingdom. The humans who sympathize with our plight have also willingly offered assistance without compensation. This transcends racial and moral boundaries, a matter of internal policy over which you have no jurisdiction."

This statement nearly caused the nation's representatives to choke.

"Very well," Cale coughed violently for a few moments. "The reasoning is sound. We shall set this topic aside for now."

Fraser, the Morey representative, looked gloomy upon hearing this, as without military might, their ancestral homeland could only be carved up and compromised at the whims of others, without even a voice to speak.

"However, those people are our human brethren. You cannot detain them like slaves. Please release them, or at least allow them to choose freely whether to stay or leave," Cale raised another objection.

Hil opened his mouth, "That is impossible, for those humans exist as part of the land itself. Since the dwarves have reclaimed sovereignty and the land, everything on that land automatically becomes the property of the kingdom, including the inhabitants."

Cale glanced sideways at this rat dragon, whose draconic scale features added an aura of powerful beauty.

"That's kidnapping!"

"Even if it is kidnapping, we have only taken a few tens of thousands of your soldiers prisoner, along with thousands of field mana crystal cannons and innumerable bowguns," Hil replied ominously.

Cale and the other representatives frowned deeply.

The rat dragon was implying that their forces were powerful enough to sweep across the entire Morey plains. If they were to quibble over minor issues, then armed conflict would inevitably resume.