Capítulo 2141: Chapter 714: Gaia’s Helplessness · A Sigh_3

“Are you up to the task?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

The squad leader, brimming with confidence, took a bite of jerky and called back to his comrades:

“Bring the money you earned with your lives, folks. Tonight, we’re booking a tavern in the trade district, with the best drinks, the finest food, and the liveliest women! Tomorrow morning, we embark on a new war.

You’ve all heard it; this time the Supreme Lord will pay with Burning Gold. If you want to get rich overnight, haha, here’s your chance!”

“Alright!”

The warriors who received their pay cheered, raising their weapons high as their morale soared.

Meanwhile, in the cleaned-up throne hall, the Supreme Lord Hadran Hammer of the Earth looked at the battle report sent by his most trusted General Banok Force of the Earth, momentarily unable to believe his eyes.

This ancient dwarf exclaimed:

“Without Gaia’s protection, our warriors have not only avoided decline but have displayed even greater courage and power? After the inexplicable withdrawal of the Blood Scar Clan from the battlefield, they took back an entire floor in just half a day?

And what it cost us was only…”

“Only five treasuries, my lord.”

General Banok, once a sincere priest of Gaia, now bore none of the marks of faith. Leaning on his battle axe, he reported to his lord in a resonant voice:

“I’ve spoken with the three largest mineral companies and some medium-sized ones; they are all willing to contribute financially in this critical time to support our great ‘War of Defense’!

Besides your Lord’s Treasury, you now have a total of 167 treasuries as your support, but forgive my bluntness, my lord; we can actually have more resources to encourage the warriors to fight bravely.”

Glancing around, the general approached the lord and whispered:

“The great treasury of the Gaia Temple…

There lies the wealth offered by the Brass Dwarves for centuries, my lord. The priests guarding it took their lives last night. With just one order from you, that money can be transferred to the Lord’s Treasury or used to compensate the troops immediately.”

“This…”

Lord Hadran hesitated, then shook his head after a few seconds and said:

“No, that’s the Mother Goddess’s money!

Though the Mother Goddess has abandoned us, I believe there must be some misunderstanding. Don’t touch that treasury; it represents our reverence as Brass Dwarves for the Mother Goddess. Once we endure this battle, I’m confident we’ll find a way to reconnect with the Mother Goddess again.”

“Alright, if that is your decree.”

General Banok shrugged, patting his breastplate, and said:

“I will assign the most trustworthy people to guard it for you, but forgive my candor, Your Majesty; under the current circumstances, you can’t afford to hesitate much longer.

Once the soldiers have retaken the Ratman Tunnel, we will have to fight external battles, and you will need more gold to buy the loyalty of soldiers and citizens. Of course, you have enough Burning Gold on hand…”

“Banok, my most trusted general,”

The Supreme Lord, troubled in spirit, leaned on the unresponsive Gaia Divine Artifact hammer, speaking softly:

“The Ranger General and Sanghai General accused us of being blinded by Burning Gold before leaving. I’ve thought it over, and perhaps we should make some changes—I mean, perhaps we should discard that Burning Gold…”

“Are you insane? Those foreigners simply don’t understand the traditions of the Brass Dwarves!”

Banok was shocked and dissuaded:

“At a time when Gaia has abandoned us, this Burning Gold is the most crucial strategic resource, whether for defense or offense. We have spent hundreds of years verifying that Burning Gold itself is harmless.

It is the wealth granted to us by the earth, my lord!

You must not be confused!

Now that the Mother Goddess has forsaken us, only by tightly grasping Burning Gold can we defend our home and our people in this dark era.

Isn’t this your duty?

Moreover, if news of you destroying the Burning Gold spreads, forgive my bluntness, the city, which has just stabilized, will fall into chaos. The courage the citizens have shown to protect their property should be properly harnessed by you.

Oh, and one more important thing, my lord, after those foreigners left our city, the accursed subspace illusions and mental attacks disappeared as well.”

General Banok said in a deep voice:

“I now strongly suspect that heretics are hiding among those scheming foreigners, and it’s those people who have brought disaster upon us! Perhaps the Brass Fortress is just collateral damage, my lord. After all, we’re only trying to earn money honestly with our hands; is there anything wrong with that?

My lord…

No, my majesty!

We have already eradicated the last of the unruly elements from our fortress, and our city stands as solid as gold and stone. As long as we retake the tunnel, we can hold our ground here for ten thousand years!

Don’t worry about the Werewolf People; as long as there is enough Burning Gold, as long as there is enough gold…”