Chapter 2533 The Truth Behind <TOC> Chapter 2535 Secrets Matters
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Translator: SumTLMan
“Stance of the Savage Grottoes?” Iron Armor Granny sipped her tea, peering through the wispy steam at Angel: “What do you think?”
“I don’t know.”
Iron Armor Granny set down her teacup: “Then let me ask you another way. When Mengke was wreaking havoc in La Sutherland, you were there too. What stance did the Savage Grottoes take in the La Sutherland battle?”
Angel recalled his journey to the Abyss.
Although he wasn’t on the front lines, through Fafnir’s eyes, he witnessed the battle between the wizards and the Abyss demons.
From his perspective, Sanders’ extraordinary combat prowess played an indelible role in the confrontation.
From this point of view, the Savage Grottoes definitely put forth significant effort in their participation in the La Sutherland conflict.
That is to say, during that battle, the Savage Grottoes definitely stood on the same side as Mengke. Or rather, all the organizations and alliances involved in the battle were on Mengke’s side, just to varying degrees.
Angel voiced his assessment.
Iron Armor Granny: “Do you know why we chose to help Mengke then?”
Angel: “Perhaps Lord Rhine also wanted to see if the great barrier of the legendary realm could be broken through this opportunity?”
Iron Armor Granny: “I won’t deny that Rhine had such a thought, but the main reason was that we had core interests in the Abyss.”
“The Abyss may seem barren, but in reality, it’s full of exploitable benefits.”
Angel had no objections; having visited the Abyss, he understood that beneath its barren shell were hidden “treasures” everywhere. Even if these treasures were not found, one could still kill demons to extract their bones and blood for exchange, gaining substantial benefits.
And the part of the Abyss corresponding to the Southern Region was still the poorest area, which indicates just how rich the Abyss actually is.
It was precisely because of these significant benefits that various wizard organizations established bases in the Abyss, braving the dangers to secure a foothold there.
“Today, among the various human forces in the Abyss, the Frost Moon Alliance leads. Almost seventy percent of the base cities and supply lines are controlled by the Frost Moon Alliance. Human wizards wanting to survive in the Abyss simply cannot bypass this behemoth.”
“So now, you should understand why Rhine chose to help Mengke in the Abyss. This is the reason.”
Despite being begrudging, various wizard organizations, including the Savage Grottoes, had no choice but to participate in Mengke’s plan because of the Frost Moon Alliance’s dominance in the Abyss.
“But it’s different in the Southern Region. Even though Mengke leads the affairs of the Guman Kingdom, would he dare to issue orders as forcibly as in the Abyss? Clearly not. Therefore, Mengke can only share benefits as a way to reach a tacit agreement with various wizard organizations.”
“Regardless of what other wizard organizations think, does the Guman Kingdom represent an urgent core interest for us at the Savage Grottoes?”
Angel thought about it and shook his head. The Guman Kingdom had interests to pursue, but they were not critically important.
“Exactly, and for this reason, we did not dance along this time,” Iron Armor Granny said. “But King Guman has already advanced the Abyss Rituals to the final steps. Disrupting the delicate balance of the Guman Kingdom now would lead to a disaster even more terrible than the Demon God descent. So, even if we don’t dance along with Mengke, we at least need to maintain a facade of non-opposition.”
“So, this is the stance of the Savage Grottoes? Sort of a cold, detached perspective? It feels somewhat similar to the stance of the Frost Moon Alliance?” Angel asked.
Iron Armor Granny shook her head: “On the surface, it may seem so, but in reality, our position here is significantly different from that of the Frost Moon Alliance…”
As Iron Armor Granny explained, Angel’s confusion gradually cleared.
The reason the Savage Grottoes needed to maintain balance was because King Guman wielded the kingdom’s desire for power, and the Deep Abyss Rituals he performed were rooted in this desire. If backlash occurred, it would not only affect King Guman but also the citizens of the kingdom.
The resulting disaster would be no less severe than that of Eternal Night Kingdom and could potentially be even more disastrous. At least many of the common people of Eternal Night Kingdom had managed to escape their homeland. In contrast, the Abyss Rituals’ backlash in the Guman Kingdom could very likely claim the lives of a majority of its citizens.
Thus, the Savage Grottoes aimed to maintain balance to prevent such a disaster.
While maintaining balance, the stance of the Savage Grottoes appeared similar to that of the Frost Moon Alliance on the surface. However, what Mengke was more concerned about was the outcome of the rituals, while the Savage Grottoes were concerned with how to avoid the impending disaster.
Thus, superficially, the Savage Grottoes were “indifferent observers,” but in secret, Rhine and several other wizard groups had back-channel communications, discreetly sending people to the Guman Kingdom to investigate the rituals.
If possible, they would choose an appropriate moment to disrupt the rituals. Even if they couldn’t completely destroy them, they aimed to minimize the level of disaster they could cause.
In contrast, the Frost Moon Alliance did not want the rituals destroyed; they even wanted to protect the rituals until they could be completed.
Hence, the difference in stances emerged.
The Extreme Sect wanted to kill King Guman decisively. However, killing the king would immediately trigger the rituals’ backlash, leading to a terrible aftermath.
On one side was King Guman, striving to maintain the progression of the rituals to achieve his ultimate goal. To fend off the intrusion of the Extreme Sect, the king had no choice but to “lure the tiger to drive away the wolf.”
The faction led by Mengke was the “tiger” brought in by King Guman to block the “wolf” of the Extreme Sect, ultimately obtaining the “answer” from King Guman.
At present, it seems that the majority of wizard organizations are siding with Mengke. However, within this, there are two major factions. One faction supports Mengke’s approach, advocating for maintaining balance until the Abyss Ritual concludes; the other wishes to preserve balance now, indicating that the positions here involve a variety of relationships. There is common opposition and support, including opposition within the opposition and support within the opposition.
Furthermore, even between opposition and support, there is a commonality. For example, while the factions of Mengke and the Extreme Sect currently appear to be at two extremes, they actually share a consensus: King Guman must die.
However, the Extreme Sect wants King Guman to die now, while Mengke wants to wait for the end of the ritual before letting King Guman die.
One can say that the intricate, multifaceted positions contribute to the current muddy waters of the Guman Kingdom.
Once clarified, however, it becomes quite understandable. Even the reasons of all parties can be easily discerned. The Extreme Sect is motivated by the “World Will”; Mengke is desperately seeking a breakthrough, even if it means being exploited by King Guman; and wizard organizations like the Savage Grottoes are forced to join this strife to prevent disasters caused by the backfire of the Abyss Ritual.
Angel: “From the overall pattern, the position held by Savage Grottoes seems to have become the most just one.”
Iron Armor Granny: “Justice is only seen from the results, but at its root, it’s still about geographical relationships. The Guman Kingdom is too close to the Savage Grottoes, and moreover, Guman Kingdom controls all the ports along the southeast coast, making it the only route to reach the Savage Grottoes from the sea.”
“Should the Guman Kingdom face an apocalypse-level disaster, many plans set due to geographical relationships will need to be redrawn. And the neighboring Gloriosa Kingdom might also experience chaos, which would affect the Savage Grottoes as well.”
“Therefore, the wizard organizations affected by geographical factors are essentially on the same side as the Savage Grottoes. For example, Sky Mechanical City.”
The influence of Sky Mechanical City on the continent began with steam trains, emphasizing geographical location and transportation. Therefore, the Guman Kingdom’s strategic position on both land and sea routes is crucial.
This also leads to significant repercussions for Sky Mechanical City whenever there is turmoil in the Guman Kingdom. Places like the White Shell Sea City and the local shipping companies suffer greatly.
Angel said: “That’s the rationale, but from what we can see, it’s a form of relative justice. At least, in the future, some won’t suffer from a clash in values due to their stance regarding the Savage Grottoes.”
Iron Armor Granny asked: “Some people? You mean…”
“Like White Bear.”
Angel’s sudden interest in the stance of Savage Grottoes was actually sparked by remembering another disciple of Witch Maya: “White Bear” Hobson.
White Bear had suffered greatly under King Guman, his family was nearly wiped out, and after years of being a wanderer, he found refuge in the Savage Grottoes.
Angel had been wondering if White Bear, knowing that the Savage Grottoes had also muddled in the affairs of the Guman Kingdom, even being one of the masterminds behind the scenes, would feel a collapse in his value system.
From what we see now, at least people like White Bear, who joined the Savage Grottoes because of their suffering under King Guman, won’t feel their values impacted.
After all, justice, even if it’s consequential, is still justice, right?
Chapter 2533 The Truth Behind <TOC> Chapter 2535 Secrets Matters
I don’t have much to say. But I love this novel, and i appreciate this translation. I felt that the chapter was lonely without comments, so I’m making one.