Chapter 450 Expansion of Trodar??
"And since you'll be leaving for some time, Jack, let me warn you of what should be happening very shortly," Eedaj added, getting a nod from the other gods and the former god. "History is known to repeat itself, so I can only assume that the amount of kingdoms across the continent will dwindle while you're gone.
Jack and the others paid close attention as Eedaj explained, "I think all gods present would agree with my theory. Once war breaks out somewhere in the continent, it will spread like wildfire. By the time you return from the dungeon, I'm certain that you'll find larger, more powerful empires where numerous kingdoms once stood."
"And that's what King Wilheim was afraid of?" Jack asked, glancing at Sterfen.
Nodding, Sterfen added, "I agree with Eedaj. I'm sure we'll see empires rise, but I think the other gods won't remain hiding for long. I think they'll come back and start to rebuild their followers now that gods have been reintroduced to the world. That's one major reason why Halmut won't attack us yet. He'd rather do it after having overwhelming numbers to thoroughly squash us out."
"What do you think about Aazoon? Do you think they'll hold out?"
Lunara answered, "There's a chance that they'll remain as an empire in the end, but once gods get involved that could change… Aazoon had always been my domain, and, without me present, I'm not sure what will happen there."
"Hmm… Would you want to go back there?" Jack asked.
Surprising Jack, Lunara shook her head. "I'd rather be with my family."
"Personally, I like the idea of helping other nations but I don't like the idea of spreading our forces too thin…" Jack added. "If it's just territory wars, I'm perfectly fine with that. But I'm not sure how I feel about spreading out the gods that we have. Do you think that's a safe bet?"
All the gods looked to each other, trying to come up with an answer. It was Rikko that answered, "Why no bring nation here?"
Unsure of how to respond, Jack and the others looked to Rikko with intrigue and doubt.
"Uncle Rikko," Jack asked, "do you understand what that would imply? How would we make room for other nations? Maybe we could save some major cities but we can't fit that many people inside Trodar."
"Then make Trodar big!" Rikko shouted in laughter. "If Trodar big, Trodar fit more people. Goblins come too! They live in west forests soon."
"That's great, but…"
"Rikko wants to expand Trodar's borders," Kori clarified, getting a wink from Rikko as the Goblin God itched his nose.
"Oh… That's… That's not entirely impossible…" Jack started to entertain such a plan. "Is that what you meant, Dad?"
Nodding, Sterfen replied with a smile. "That's exactly what I meant. You've already got one powerful ally in Aazoon, and given King Wilheim's aptitude, I'm sure he'd be humble enough to relocate. As for Reinolt…"
"I forgot about Reinolt, to be honest…" Jack chuckled.
Daliea spoke up, "We already know the small goblin nation will join us. As for Kiong Leodoro, I'm not so sure."
"I think I'm more interested in the powers within Reinolt, like Tridon. Or even a couple of noble families in Zuran, perhaps…"
"Jack, the war between Zuran and Reinolt has been picking up more than ever recently," Rydel chimed in. "Since you mentioned him, you might like to know that Tridon has been a huge asset to controlling the war. With the Beast Manor added to Reinolt's military strength, Reinolt grew far stronger, even after removing Zariff and Arnole from the equation. Tridon's over lv. 40, last time we talked."
"Really? That's great news!" Jack smiled. "Then we'll have to keep an eye on him and Reinolt. He may be low-leveled, but his experience with beasts should rival Vixus. And with everything inside the storehouse, imagine if we could recruit the Beast Manor and upgrade it with our own strength?"
"That's great but ya think he'd do that? With the war going on, taking him away would mean Reinolt would get overrun," added Maynard.
"Well, once gods get involved, what will happen then?" Jack asked, stumping the samurai. "If they need help in their war effort, I don't mind you all going to help and gain EXP. But I refuse to let you all sacrifice your lives for Reinolt. Is that clear?"
Rydal and Maynard nodded while Trax just stood in the corner, unfamiliar with Reinolt but eager to gain EXP with his new training buddies.
"How will we transport everyone? I'm sure King Wilheim would like to know," Lunara asked.
"That… I'm not so sure anymore," replied Jack. "I never learned Tralon's legendary spells so--"
"Didn't you summon a Spectral Dragon?" Eedaj interrupted Jack with a question. "Wouldn't his strength be plenty for such travel?"
"I have no clue," Jack answered. "Where is he by the way?"
"He should be staying with Dragov. The two of them seem to get along quite well, which makes sense."
Curious, Jack asked, "Why would that make sense?"
Eedaj answered, "Because both of their species are prehistoric. The only difference is that the Spectral Dragons were wiped out long ago and the few that existed in Ancient Kartonia were killed by the ancient heroes under Halmut's orders."
Following that train of thought, Jack asked, "Does that mean Halmut was the one who killed the Spectral Dragons?"
"In essence, yes. Halmut ordered his own kind, the Sun Dragons, to slaughter the Spectral Dragons after Moranti chose to side with Halmut. Then… Halmut had his own kind slaughtered," Eedaj added, startling those present that weren't gods. "He didn't like the thought of someone of such a threatening bloodline rising to compete with him, so much so that he had the Spectral Dragons eliminated and had his own kind killed."
"Is his bloodline that much stronger?" Jack asked, still startled.
"Remember how Bowzer and Phoro began their evolution after reaching lv. 60 on the battlefield? Do you remember how that dragon, Karronteel also passed lv. 60 but didn't evolve?" Eedaj's questions left Jack speechless before Eedaj answered himself, "That's because Spectral Dragons, like Sun Dragons, evolve four times and not three."
"Huh..." Baffled, Jack didn't know what to say.
Eedaj continued, "Spectral Dragons will evolve at lv. 30, lv. 50, lv. 70, and lv. 90. If Bowzer's and Kori's bloodline is equivalent to what you would call a level eight bloodline, then Halmut's, Moranti's, and Karronteel's bloodline would be level nine. It used to be said that a Spectral Dragon or Sun Dragon at lv. 80 could contend with a lv. 90 god, so said the rumor that I never saw tested."
"... And Halmut didn't want them as competition…" reasoned Jack, catching on. "And that's why he's hesitant to face Moranti, who's weaker by level but whose bloodline strength is similar…"
"That's exactly why." Eedaj nodded and smiled. "And since you've managed to find one, that means we need to help him grow stronger."
"I have a proposition," Sterfen spoke up, grabbing everyone's attention. "After this batch of demigods, I think all others chosen to become demigods should go through Jack."
"But--"
Continuing, Sterfen interrupted Jack, "I honestly believe the demigods chosen under Jack will prove to be more powerful than any we've seen before. Also, that will help Jack level up to rival Halmut quicker. Are there any objections?"
"Come on--"
All the gods rose their hands, as well as the current demigods and those who would eventually become demigods. With everyone giving their approval, Jack kept quiet and accepted his fate.
One voice spoke up before Jack could verbally acknowledge everyone's decision. "Do you really think that, Sterfen?"
Turning to face Hadurt with a smile, Sterfen nodded. "If I wasn't already a god, I would rather wait till Jack could choose me than to ascend sooner by another god's hand."
"Really…" Taking the seriousness in Sterfen's eyes into account, Hadurt sighed. "Then… I think I'd rather wait."