August first proposed his plan to lania. It had many elents that she didn't have much information on, but August assured her that he could make it all work.
It was an assurance that one could only believe if one had blind faith. lania may have resolved to follow August and be his sword, but she did not want to blindly follow his words. She was her own person with her own thoughts. If she wanted to assist him, she had to be ready to counter him when he was saying idiotic things.
Even this ti, she got the urge to tell him that his dreams were not possible. He was proposing sothing far beyond what people of their caliber were capable of. If he failed, then Arulion would be dood to fall.
Did she want to go along with it despite her opinions…?
At first, the answer was a flat no. However, when she saw the look in his eyes, she began to waver.
'He's serious about this.'
It wasn't just so whim or so childish ideology that couldn't be supported by reality. August had a look in his eyes that said he had put a lot of thought into his plan. He truly believed it would succeed. Not because he was dreaming, but because he had assessed the rationality of every moving piece with a tactical mindset.
August's thoughts were filled with that sa hope and unreasonable compassion that they always had, but his eyes were utterly cold.
This was a war, not a playground.
Any heroism he wanted to pursue needed to be weighed on a scale of possibility. He learned personally in Bastille what would happen if he tried to save everyone without thinking.
lania sighed to herself.
"What are you going to do about the fort?"
If she left this place, then they would be left with only a ragtag group of individuals of varying power levels. Most of the dragons in the city focused on more human-like specialities like finance.
The few strong soldiers they had would leave when a uniting presence like lania left, and everyone else would be dood.
She wouldn't allow that to happen even if it ant parting ways with August here.
August smiled. He could sense her worries.
'That's exactly the reason.'
Despite only knowing her for a short period of ti, August felt like he could truly trust lania with his life. She was a person who liked to think pessimistically, but her core was the sa as his. Just like that day when she found him on the street and allowed him to spend the night at her house, she begrudgingly sacrificed herself for the sake of these people.
"Don't worry," he said reassuringly.
"Fort Halleya is where the Sea Tribes can make landfall. It'll be secured before anywhere else."
The most obvious aspect of the plan was the Sea Tribes. They who retained their old traditions as they lived lives separate from Arulion would be more than happy to help in a situation like this.
They would be August's vanguard. His first real followers were a part of those tribes, and the rest were happy to repay him for the things he'd done when he was exploring the oceans.
"You're sure that everything will go as planned?"
"Well, I can't be sure of it, but I'm sure that everyone involved will try their best to do what they need to."
lania stared into his eyes as if to read his soul. Her own pupils narrowed, but in the end, she conceded.
"Fine," she said. It wasn't like she had a choice in the first place.
Her heart was always going to follow him, because sothing about his needlessly kind and dreaming self made her feel like her own spirits were being lifted.
If he wanted it, then he'd find a way to accomplish it by any ans.
Was it baseless to believe so? lania didn't know. However, as long as the Sea Tribes secured the city before she left, she didn't have a reason to refuse.
"We need to get to work."
If they were going to go through with it, then they needed to start putting the pieces in motion as soon as possible.
August nodded his head with a smile.
"Let's start making calls."
From this random room in the walls of Fort Halleya, a small ripple spread.
It was a ripple now, but soon enough, it would spread and spread until it beca a tsunami that changed the shape of Arulion forever.
Today marked the first ti August proved to the world that he would be the best Dragon Emperor that would ever stand at the head of Arulion.
But that was a story to unfold from now on.
***
It was a day later when the Dragon Emperor's ssage struck the rest of the world.
At that ti, all of the geniuses who received it earlier found themselves shocked.
They believed this opportunity was unique to them. In the current climate, many of them were thinking about sitting out of the race and just observing from the sidelines until so progress was made in the search.
The number of forsaken dragons wantonly slaughtering the masses dropped significantly. Hell, even so relationships between their people and the people of the overworld budded as they worked together to reach their mutual goals.
The situation morphed into one where anyone who wasn't moving was missing out. What may have taken months to find would assuredly be found much sooner with such a massive population participating in the search.
Those plans were instantly thrown away. The mont the Dragon Emperor's face appeared in the skies of Arulion and announced the presence of the crown to each and every individual within, the entire war situation was flipped on its head.
A majority of the forsaken dragon clan's people were drawn to the race. So of them wanted it for themselves, but for the most part, their goals were two.
First, they wanted to make it impossible for soone from the Holy Clans to get their hands on the crown.
Second, they wanted to gift the crown to their King. With him at the head, they could claim the surface world as their own. The number of forsaken dragons wantonly slaughtering the masses dropped significantly. Hell, even so relationships between their people and the people of the overworld budded as they worked together to reach their mutual goals.
The situation morphed into one where anyone who wasn't moving was missing out. What may have taken months to find would assuredly be found much sooner with such a massive population participating in the search.
More importantly, the geniuses recognized a fact that they had to conceal from even their closest relatives and friends.
They had an absolute advantage.
They had compasses that directed them towards the treasure, so only they knew where to actually search.
If anyone else learned of this information, then their chances to get the treasure for themselves would vanish.
It was now or never. It was a free-for-all.
Though there was still a war going on, it was happening parallel to the rat race for the throne.
Arulion's chaos deepened. But, perhaps only out of this chaos could order truly rise.
Back in the walls of Fort Halleya, August and lania were unaware of the kind of competition that they were now facing, but they'd already started looking for the potential location of the crown.
And sowhere in the forests outside the layer of the Wood Dragon Clan, Valerie rushed and fought against a horde of pursuers she'd gained as she made her journey.
The group of friends was separated for now, but it would not remain that way for long.
And, it looked like they were alone now, but they'd have many, many reinforcents soon.
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