King-Chapter 1407 - 276: Outsmarting Oneself_2

The relationship between the two nations was in its honeymoon phase, and borrowing passage was naturally not an issue. However, the lengthy journey still delayed their speed in capturing people.

It wasn’t that fewer people were captured; rather, fewer were able to safely reach the Moxi Duchy. Many displaced migrants fell during the journey due to the long distances.

...

At the Mount of Light, the Five Nations Alliance’s brazen human trafficking actions had thoroughly enraged Shelter VII.

What was initially thought to be a mere act of opportunistic plundering turned out to be so much more—these guys were even taking the roots of the crops, leaving nothing untouched.

If no measures were taken and this behavior was allowed to continue, the very foundation of the Clergy would be shaken.

"Is the information certain?"

Shelter VII asked calmly.

There was no choice; the intelligence was too shocking. In just over a month, more than three hundred thousand people had been packed onto ships and sent away.

And this was only the beginning. If the Five Nations Alliance went to any lengths to seize people, their only limitation would be transport capacity.

Though the Continent of Aslante was in the feudal era, the advancement of Magic Technology had accelerated the development of maritime shipping.

Warships had reached the three-thousand-ton age, and merchant vessels of five to six thousand tons could be built. In the seafaring powerhouse Falcon Kingdom, they had even started constructing ten-thousand-ton mega ships.

The combined strength of the Five Nations Alliance could easily gather hundreds of thousands of tons worth of merchant ships. If not for their focus on other spoils, they could transport three million people a month.

Of course, this was only an extreme theoretical figure. In practice, pursuing such an operation would result in heavy loss of life.

While serfs had no rights, excessive deaths could lead to such heated international condemnation that it could drown their efforts.

"Your Majesty, how could we dare make things up about something as significant as this!

In the places occupied by the Five Nations Alliance, countless villages, towns, and city-states have been turned into ghost towns. Judging by patterns of population movement, the final destinations all appear to be ports.

Moreover, our spies in the Near East Region personally witnessed large numbers of serfs disembarking at New Moon Port.

Three hundred thousand is merely our estimate. The exact number of people taken by the enemy still cannot be fully tallied!"

Ulysses replied with a stern face.

This horrifying news was something he had absolutely no desire to know. But as the head of intelligence, receiving such information meant it couldn’t be ignored.

"Is there evidence?"

Shelter VII inquired with concern.

Taking action to stop this was imperative!

If conditions allowed, he would eagerly dispatch troops immediately. But the prior war had not only cost them their primary forces but also destroyed any confidence in achieving victory.

Even before the Clergy’s metaphorical tiger skin was torn apart, their military strength on paper was already slightly inferior to the Five Nations Alliance’s. Now, there was no comparison to be made.

Threatening with force wouldn’t intimidate the enemy; it might even heighten the excitement of enemy commanders.

Whether they liked it or not, in the eyes of outsiders, the Clergy’s military now amounted to little more than cannon fodder.

Especially the hastily assembled Cannon Fodder Troops, frequently chased down and decimated by mere battalions of enemy forces.

Military morale works in mysterious ways. Once everyone believes the Clergy’s army has pitiful combat strength, encountering them makes opposing troops roaringly enthusiastic.

"Our personnel have recorded all these reports using Memory Stones!"

Ulysses replied.

In truth, he had received this intelligence long ago. The delay in reporting it was solely to collect more evidence.

Within the Dawn Sect, efficiency was not the highest priority—attention to detail was far more critical.

If one reported information hastily without solid evidence, being scolded would be the least of their concerns—they’d risk being branded as incompetent. freewebnσvel.cѳm

"Take the evidence we have and immediately report this matter to the Human Alliance Council, proposing sanctions against the Five Nations Alliance!"

Shelter VII decisively ordered.

The plundering of civilians clearly violated mainstream values. This was far more egregious than the theft of material goods.

Had it been during the Clergy’s peak, a sanctions proposal backed by such airtight evidence would guarantee passage without question.

But now, things had changed.

After all, the Alpha Kingdom itself was one of the three major leaders of the Alliance. Add in the Four Accomplices of the Five Nations Alliance, their votes already accounted for more than one-third of the seats in the council.

By the rules, any sanctions proposal required at least two-thirds of the vote to pass.

The current Five Nations Alliance simply needed to win over one or two smaller nations to veto the proposal.

From the beginning, Shelter VII had no delusions about the proposal’s success. After all, no nation’s military was truly clean, and passing such a proposal would only restrict their own future actions.

Furthermore, given that the council was currently in recess, any voting would have to wait until representatives from various nations reconvened. The Five Nations Alliance only needed to delay the convening to render the proposal meaningless.

The real goal of presenting this matter at the council was merely to escalate its visibility—using international pressure to constrain the behavior of the Five Nations Alliance.

"Understood, Your Majesty!

We will spread this news far and wide across the continent, ensuring everyone sees the ugly face of the Five Nations Alliance!"

Bishop Asprilla readily pledged.

...

When the Clergy exerted itself fully, it still wielded considerable power. In just three days, the major cities of the Human Race were made aware of the atrocities committed by the Five Nations Alliance in the Papal State.

Sadly, plans often couldn’t keep up with changes. Shelter VII had overestimated his sect’s influence across the continent. The high-ranking officials of other nations, upon receiving the news, reacted first with—skepticism!

The Communication Magic Array could transmit messages, but it could not simultaneously send the "evidence" recorded by the Memory Stones.

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