CHAPTER 2361: RECKONING LOSSES
Guildmaster Bradt's expression grew macabre as he continued receiving a seemingly never- ending flood of reports about the damage that had been inflicted on the Shionel
Confederation. An incalculable amount of damage to infrastructure had already been wrecked upon the nation's outskirts.
That alone was bad enough to cost the Shionel Confederation immensely.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
Perhaps the only silver lining to the entire matter was that not a single Master or Sage had yet to enter the nation.
Based on the reports of the estimated enemy Martial Assault Force, that meant that the defense was doing a great job protecting the Shionel Confederation. He had gotten reports that only a part of the Master-level team had made it past Rui despite the fact that his opponent was a famed peak-grade Master.
That meant that Rui was not only fighting many Masters at once, but he was also fighting one of the strongest Masters in all of East Panama evenly enough to stall all of them away from the Shionel Confederation.
It was a truly incredible feat that would solidify his status as one of the strongest Masters in all of East Panama.
Yet, it was no cause for joy, as far as Bradt was concerned.
His position had already come under deep jeopardy.
After all, it was his decision to ally with the Kandrian Empire that had caused harm to all merchants in the Shionel Confederation. He would be held responsible for the consequences of this decision, and there would be no way that he could avoid them.
The only positive development would be that the Kandrian Empire did live up to its promises of doing its best to protect them from the wrath of the enemy alliance.
The fact that they chose to remain and participate in highly risky battles was something that couldn't be denied. This was unusual in most military alliances. Normally, allies provided each other with as few resources as they could get away with in times of need.
However, that didn't change the fact that allying with the Kandrian Empire thus far had caused more harm than good. Of course, he believed that would change with the powerful and lucrative offers that the Kandrian Empire had promised them. But for now, he would undoubtedly be under lots of blame and pressure for everything that had happened.
"I underestimated how determined Prime Minister Edward was to live up to his promises." A hint of regret flashed in his eyes. "Now, I must ensure that I make the most of this."
He could only hope that the defense line could hold the Martial Assault Force up. If even a single Master among them reached the Shionel Confederation, they would be able to inflict untold damage on the nation without necessarily crossing lines set by the Panamic Martial Federation.
It could potentially mean the destruction of the Shionel Confederation as countless merchants would lose everything, needing to leave the nation as they would no longer be able to remain in the highly competitive environment of the Shionel Confederation.
Fortunately, Bradt would be able to use this as a way to negotiate even more with the Kandrian Empire. If the Kandrian Empire dared not to compensate the Shionel Confederation for the damages that had been inflicted on the entire nation, word of this would get around to prospective allies.
When those nations learned that the Kandrian Empire dared to refuse to compensate for the consequences that an alliance with it brought, they would instantly refuse to ally with the Kandrian Empire and instead ally with the alliance.
That was why Bradt knew that he could squeeze plenty of compensatory aid out of Emperor Rael.
RUMBLE...
The ground tremored with uncertainty as the radiating energy of the warring Martial Artists in the distance reached even Guildmaster Bradt as he sorted through all the reports that came flooding in. He needed to coordinate and oversee many different affairs simultaneously.
"Ensure that the citizens are evacuated from the border."
"Contact the Panamic Martial Federation and request to file an urgent request for emergency protection for as many plausible Martial war crimes you can think of. It probably won't work, but it is still worth the effort."
"Contact the Kandrian Empire and send urgent requests for reinforcements as soon as possible; they are too far to be able to make it in time from the Kandrian Empire; however, if there are any Kandrian Masters and Sages that are out of the nation, they might be able to make it in time."
"Contact fellow Kandrian allies in the geographic vicinity. We might be able to convince them to send in some reinforcements."
"Send an open contract for mercenary commission with a hundred billion gold coins to available and close-by Masters and Sages. We might be able to catch some that are willing to fight for us."
"Deploy our Master-level potion-enhanced military corps to reinforce the Master-level battles. The consequences will be severe, but we have no choice."
Guildmaster Bradt proved to be an effective leader even in times of crisis, allowing him to do his best with what he had, no matter how bad things became.
However, even he had limits.
"Sir!" one intelligence officer cried out. "We have just received confirmation...! Sage Lauren The... he has passed away in battle!"
"No!" Guildmaster's expression crumpled with despair as his eyes grew grave.
The native Martial Sage of the Shionel Confederation had perished in battle, not only reducing the power of the Shionel Confederation significantly but also leaving the Sage-level battlefield in dire straits.
It had been foolhardy to expect five Martial Sages to hold back ten.
He had been praying for a miracle of sorts. Seeing that Rui had managed to hold back so many Martial Artists, he had hoped that Sages would also be able to pull off the same feat on their respective battlefields.
However, it seemed as though he had been delusional in ever hoping that things could have gone any differently.
The air boiled with peril as the Shionel Confederation reckoned with the losses that it
suffered.