Chapter 95: Borrowing Against Future Resources

Chapter 95: Borrowing Against Future Resources

Chad, covered in wounds, frantically clawed at the rubble.

The beam before him was too large and heavy, and he was utterly exhausted. No matter how hard he gritted his teeth, he couldn’t summon enough strength. A sense of helplessness washed over him, pushing him to the brink of collapse.

Just then, the massive beam was suddenly lifted away.

Stunned, he turned toward the sound and saw an earth puppet moving the beam aside. "You’re Chad, right? Don’t worry, my companion has already gone down to rescue people," it said.

No sooner had the words been spoken than the rubble rippled like water.

Another earth puppet pushed through the thick debris, lifting a woman to the surface. "The wine cellar was sturdy. She’s unharmed."

Chad stared blankly at Ge Li’s dazed face before suddenly covering his own in despair. Then he rushed forward and hugged her tightly, bursting into loud sobs.

He had thought… he would never see her again in this lifetime!

After a long moment, the earth puppet beside him patted his shoulder. "Let’s go. You can cry all you want later."

Chad paused, then helped Ge Li up and began walking toward the city.

There, two massive portals stood tall, with countless helots forming orderly lines as they stepped into them, heading toward an unknown tomorrow.

Xi Ze was about to leave when Hanfrey suddenly grabbed him.

"What is it?"

"Aren’t you taking some spoils of war back with you?"

Hanfrey pointed downward, his belly splitting open to reveal several wine jars stuffed inside.

……

Willis · Ringed Magic Tower · Forbidden Gods Meeting Room

The rulers of the Keville Empire had gathered once more, though this time, it wasn’t to discuss the crisis of war but the work of post-war reconstruction.

The war was over.

In the end, the God of War had withdrawn with just over twenty thousand of his regular troops.

The thirty thousand helots who had escaped the Internet God’s "Ultrasonic Cutting" strike had not, however, escaped Keville’s counterattack. They all perished in this foreign land.

They had not died in glorious battle. Instead, the God of War had drained them dry—sapping their Battle Aura, morale, and even their life force—transforming them into Bloodthirsty Battle Spirits to cover his retreat and stall Keville’s pursuit.

In this war, the God of War had marched with a hundred thousand soldiers—sixty thousand helots and forty thousand regular troops.

In the end, he left with only twenty thousand demoralized regulars and lost the capital of Sparda. The losses were devastating—a classic case of "throwing good money after bad."

The God of Death’s losses were no less severe. Beyond the incalculable destruction of his Undead Legion, he had also lost a Titan Remains.

With the disappearance of the ancient Titan race, these relics had become irreplaceable. Losing even one was a grievous blow.

The God of Life suffered the least losses. Most of the soldiers he had brought were successfully withdrawn.

However, unlike the Life-Sharing Contract of the Undying Demon Army, his Undying Legion relied entirely on the life force he had accumulated over time, which he expended during battle.

Yu Sheng’an’s fatal strike had forced him to preserve half his soldiers at the cost of an immense amount of life force.

Whether it was worth it… only he could say.

Beyond this, the Five Great Righteous Gods had also lost the Belen Cathedral.

This left the Belen Plain completely exposed to the military might of the Plen Union Kingdom.

As one of the Five Great Righteous Gods’ breadbaskets, losing it would deal a catastrophic blow to their Believers.

Moreover, the Preaching Zones of the Five Great Righteous Gods were ravaged by countless Magic Puppets. While the overall losses were not catastrophic, the chaos sowed widespread panic, drastically reducing productivity and crippling their war potential!

It can be said that this Exchange Tactic not only failed to achieve its intended goal for the Five Great Righteous Gods but instead inflicted heavy casualties and losses upon them.

For the foreseeable future, they will inevitably shift from offense to defense.

The Five Great Righteous Gods suffered a crushing defeat with staggering losses, and Keville also paid a steep price—scenes of devastation and suffering were everywhere.

Two cities fell, countless villages, hamlets, and farmlands were destroyed, and innumerable citizens were displaced.

Among the major cities, hordes of undead roamed unchecked, no longer restrained by Necromancer Summoners.

This war also plunged Keville, which had yet to implement its low-price food strategy, into a food crisis. While it hadn’t reached the point of "exchanging children to eat," incidents of "catching sparrows and digging up rats for food" were not uncommon.

"Overall, Keville’s losses are not unacceptable. The 120,000 helots Mr. Ajef brought back from Sparda are more than enough to compensate for the population loss," Dandell remarked.

"The magic materials obtained from trading Sparda to the Plen Union Kingdom are also sufficient to rebuild two Magic Towers—with plenty to spare."

At this point, Dandell suddenly added, "Of course, ownership of these materials belongs to Mr. Ajef, to dispose of as he sees fit."

After Yu Sheng'an captured Sparda, he looted it thoroughly before selling it to the Plen Union Kingdom—the domain of the Gods of Fertility, Plague, and Misfortune—in exchange for a vast quantity of magic materials.

The decision to sell Sparda was a carefully considered choice by Yu Sheng'an.

As an exclave surrounded by the preaching zones of the God of War and even the Five Great Righteous Gods, holding onto it would have come at too great a cost.

War is a business.

Blue Star’s history offered Yu Sheng'an countless examples that some territories must be abandoned when necessary. Otherwise, getting dragged into the quagmire of war and trapped by sunk costs would only hinder overall development.

However, selling it to the Plen Union Kingdom was a win-win.

Having just seized the Belen Cathedral, the Plen Union Kingdom held the high ground but still faced significant resistance in fully securing the Belen Plain.

Now, with an exclave deep in enemy territory, they could fall back to defend and harass or advance to attack from both fronts.

Even if they couldn’t hold the exclave, its role in aiding the conquest of the Belen Plain made the deal worthwhile.

"Capturing Sparda was no small feat, and everyone contributed greatly. These magic materials should be distributed as rewards according to merit!" Yu Sheng'an said with a smile.

The entire Empire was his—why distinguish between private and public property?

Who would dare deny him anything he desired?

Dandell, Qimoer, and Beixi exchanged glances, each seeing excitement on the others’ faces.

The Internet God’s generosity was undoubtedly a welcome sight.

Had he been as miserly as a dragon hoarding gold, it would have been far more frustrating.

"In truth, the greatest gain from this war isn’t the capture of a city or territory but the dignity and prestige Keville has earned!" Qimoer added proudly.

"Indeed, this war has bought Keville at least a century of peace!" Beixi agreed.

Yu Sheng'an chuckled at their words.

A century of peace?

They were vastly underestimating the war dividends.

Were these the only benefits war could bring?

The panic sown by war would inevitably stimulate domestic demand within the Empire.

Of course, as the victorious party in the war, this battle has greatly boosted national confidence. Not only does it ensure capital retention, but it also attracts wealthy merchants from neighboring regions to settle.

Most importantly, the military strength Keville demonstrated in this war will pave the way for future commercial trade. War is a business, and the true path to dominance lies in forcing open the gates of enemy nations and flooding them with goods.

Originally, Yu Sheng'an planned to leverage Keville's magic advantage by importing large quantities of magical raw materials and exporting high-value-added magic artifacts. However, the emergence of the Primary Domain of Azerai has expanded his arsenal of strategies.

By the way, why was he so confident before the war in promising Beixi a commercial capital if Edga was lost? The answer lies here.

In this world where power disparities are immense, the livelihoods of the common people are fundamentally unprotected. When a flood of cheap mass-produced industrial goods invades another nation, a truly bloodless war of attrition has only just begun.

The meeting was lively. After discussing the gains and losses of the war, the conversation shifted to post-war reconstruction.

"The money still isn’t enough! Though the overall losses from this battle weren’t severe, the cleanup is costly. Just dealing with the undead roaming the Empire requires significant manpower. If we don’t eradicate them, the Empire will never know peace," Beixi couldn’t help but remark.

"Indeed, the large-scale construction of Magic Towers last month also drained the treasury!" Qimoer sighed.

Since the Empire launched its official website on the Internet, the authority of the Pillar Council has been greatly strengthened and centralized. The enhanced administrative control has spurred massive infrastructure projects, with many towns being upgraded to cities.

Twit Town, one of the warfronts, was just a small town before this.

Yet who could have predicted that right after spending all that money, war would break out? Now, the seemingly prosperous Empire is actually stretched thin.

"Should we impose an additional poll tax?"

"No, the Empire has just emerged from war, like a patient recovering from a serious illness. We can’t afford further strain."

"How about finding a pretext to tax the nobles and wealthy merchants?"

The Forbidden Gods Meeting Room had no outsiders, so the Gods of Magic spoke freely.

"Nonsense!"

The moment Yu Sheng'an spoke, the three Gods of Magic immediately fell silent and turned their attention to him.

"Whether poor or rich, they are all subjects of the Empire. Even if some wealthy individuals amassed their fortunes through bloody and violent means, as long as there’s no evidence, we must not target them excessively—especially during this sensitive period. Otherwise, it will only plunge the Empire into turmoil, damage its credibility, and deter foreign capital. Even if we must act, it must be done gradually."

Yu Sheng'an's words left the three Gods of Magic bewildered. Many of the terms he used were only half-understood by them.

Yu Sheng'an continued, "Don’t worry about the money. I have a solution."

"What solution?"

The three Gods of Magic brightened. They held great respect for Yu Sheng'an's methods and credibility!

"If there’s no money, then... we’ll borrow against future resources."