Chapter 1099: Chapter 1086: Thick-skinned and black-hearted Chapter 1099: Chapter 1086: Thick-skinned and black-hearted “Since that’s the case, your avatar…”

“Hold on,” Muria’s ghoul avatar, seeing Michaela’s hand beginning to close, hastily shouted to stop her, “The consciousness of this avatar is connected to the original body. You can keep it; there’s no need to destroy it.”

“Just kidding with you, of course I’ll keep it. Why would I destroy your power for no reason?” A playful look appeared on Michaela’s face.

“Mischievous.” Muria smiled helplessly, “Alright, I’m retracting my consciousness now. Find a way to carry this avatar with you! That way we can communicate and stay in touch.”

“Got it.” Michaela replied, then supported the palm of Muria’s ghoul avatar as it closed, and the ghost, constructed of lifeless Black Mist, immediately felt a tremendous pressure and began to collapse inward, eventually being compressed into a black crystal-like sphere.

“Where do you plan to keep me?”

“On my hand!” Michaela beckoned with her hand, and before Muria’s astonished gaze, she took out several gems extremely similar to his ghoul body now compressed into black crystal and strung them into a bracelet.

Realizing the place of his avatar on Michaela’s person, Muria fell silent, withdrew his consciousness, and faded away.

…

Shortly after Muria had retracted his consciousness, he received news that the general he had sent to the Stream Mountain Country had returned.

“You’ve seen the army of the Crimson King, what’s your impression of them?” Although he had personally witnessed Michaela’s army in this world through the general, Muria still asked the question.

“I have seen them, they are a formidable foe that must be taken seriously,” the general replied gravely.

“Given that you’ve seen the Crimson King’s army, I presume you’ve also observed the Stream Mountain Country’s forces. What are your thoughts on them?”

“They are nothing but waste who can only rely on weapons and equipment, completely lacking in fighting spirit. With equal military strength, any general could defeat them,” the general said with a derisive look.

“Their army is that worthless in your eyes?” Muria couldn’t help but smile at his general’s assessment of Stream Mountain Country.

“Exactly, but the root of Stream Mountain Country’s military weakness lies in their nation. The country has problems from top to bottom. They oppress the commoners, treating them like beasts of burden, while the upper echelons are mostly hedonistic, neglecting political affairs.”

“Oh? Is it that bad? According to the leader of the previous envoy corps, their nation’s strength is on par with our Gai Nation.”

“They are merely trying to gild themselves; their country is nowhere near ours,” the general said with even greater contempt.

“From their war with the Crimson King, you can see that after the country was caught in a decline from a conflict with another power, they didn’t think about how to achieve victory, but rather looked for a way to retreat.”

“Based on your description, Stream Mountain Country doesn’t seem like a good ally,” Muria stroked his chin, “So you are against forming an alliance with Stream Mountain Country, correct?”

“No, My King, I advise an alliance with Stream Mountain Country,” the general stated.

“Explain your reasoning.” A faint smile appeared on Muria’s face.

“Stream Mountain Country is destined to perish because geographically, we and the Crimson King have it encircled; there’s almost no way out.”

“General, what you’re talking about is Gai Nation and the Crimson King joining forces to annihilate Stream Mountain Country, but what I’m discussing with you now is the possibility of an alliance with Stream Mountain Country,” Muria said, holding his forehead, as he had already guessed what the general was thinking. As he suspected, the strategy was to form an alliance with Stream Mountain Country first and then stab them in the back.

“My King, that’s exactly my idea—to ally ourselves with Stream Mountain Country first and then find an opportunity to annihilate them during the war, further strengthening Gai Nation.”

“I understand your thoughts. You may leave,” Muria waved his hand, dismissing his general because there was no need for further conversation.

“My King…” the general, who had just returned from thousands of miles away, knelt on one knee and seemed to want to say more.

“That will be enough; I will seriously consider your suggestion.”

“As you command.”

“It’s no surprise he’s your general; his thoughts are nearly the same as yours,” a voice tinged with amusement rose next to Muria’s ear after the general had left.

“It seems I was mistaken; they’re all generals forged in the fires of battle. The concept of ‘union’ may be quite foreign to them; their minds fixated on how to annex other nations.”

Hearing the voice next to his ear, Muria didn’t turn his head; he knew who it was. In the court, aside from him, only one person had such unfettered authority.

“With such a mindset, how can we ally with Stream Mountain Country? Flawed as it may be, not everyone there is a fool. When we harbor ulterior motives, wouldn’t they see right through us?”

“Perhaps they really can’t see it.” Muria stroked his chin. He had led Gai Nation to wipe out all the nations on the Ymir Plain and had encountered all sorts of bizarre ruling classes. There were more than a few kings who indulged in pleasure within their courts, even as their own nations teetered on the brink of destruction.

Reality is always more absurd than imagination. In chaotic times, anything outlandish is possible. Muria had even heard of a minister who, just because he didn’t get what he wanted at a banquet, plotted against his own king—such absurdity far beyond the limits of imagination.

“Don’t underestimate others. In terms of size, Stream Mountain Country is similar to our nation, and Gai Nation has only just emerged from war, not yet having recovered our vitality.”

“That’s not a problem. If we swallow up Stream Mountain Country, Gai Nation won’t bear the brunt; we’ll just support King Crimson’s army.”

“Hmm? What’s with this certainty in your tone?” Ferdinand sharply sensed something was amiss from Muria’s words.

“I’ve already made contact with King Crimson.”

“When? How come I don’t know about this?”

“It was when I sent that general to observe King Crimson’s army in Stream Mountain Country. I had dispatched a Ghost avatar to attach itself to the general.”

Muria recounted his interaction with Michaela to his reincarnated body’s father, preparing him mentally so that he wouldn’t be shocked into seclusion later on.

“What did you two discuss?” Ferdinand’s gaze was firmly locked onto Muria, realizing that something he knew nothing about was happening out of his sight.

“Nothing much, just how to divide Stream Mountain Country,” Muria said nonchalantly.

“Nothing else?” Ferdinand pressed on.

“What else do you think I discussed with her?” Muria’s face took on an unusual expression as he sharply sensed what was about to come.

“Didn’t you say she was the one you were meant to wait for in this life? Haven’t you proposed to her yet?”

“Ah…” Muria sighed helplessly, feeling a bit of a headache as he rubbed his brow. They had barely touched on business when it had suddenly turned personal.

“This was just our first encounter, not even a proper one. Here I am in the flesh, and you expect me to propose to her out of the blue? Don’t you think that’s absurd?”

“What’s absurd about it? If you like her, just say it. Why beat around the bush?” Ferdinand’s face was utterly indifferent. He had no interest in romance and had no desire to understand it, because a king need not concern himself with such trivialities.

To him, when a king becomes engrossed in love, it’s nothing short of a disaster for a nation. He similarly did not wish for his son to be mired in this aspect. He only wanted his son to find a suitable partner quickly and then leave behind his progeny.

“Later on, when I formally meet her, I’ll raise the matter,” Muria said with a hint of reluctance, confident in this regard.

“Settle this matter sooner rather than later. Don’t think I’m nagging, but if you had kids sooner, do you think I would bother you like this?”

“Soon, after we deal with Stream Mountain Country and I officially meet King Crimson, I’ll propose to her.”

“Good.” Finally hearing a detailed commitment from his son about marriage, Ferdinand’s face showed satisfaction.

“Let’s talk about the preliminary matters of cooperating with Stream Mountain Country. They’re asking for our help, so we can demand materials from them as payment.”

“Your heart is truly black!” Ferdinand couldn’t help but exclaim upon hearing Muria’s words. They had already decided to stab their ally in the back during the war, and now he was demanding payment in addition.

“Heh heh.” Muria chuckled dryly, well aware of what kind of person his father was—a perfect example of a king with thick skin and a black heart.

“But still, you’re lacking compared to me. It’s them, not us, who are at a disadvantage in this war, and they’re the ones seeking our help. So, during their plea, we can string them along, even reveal our negotiations with King Crimson to put pressure on them.”

“If we do that, Stream Mountain Country will be jumping out of their skin, right?” Muria couldn’t help lamenting his own kindness, “In this way, they’ll be eager to establish an alliance with us, and we can easily demand even more benefits from them.”

“Exactly, as a king, you must learn to master the art of negotiation to secure the greatest benefits for your nation.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read