Four Split Personalities

[Griffin Dynasty?!]

Veronia and Varez naturally wouldn’t be unfamiliar with this name, so they were startled upon hearing it, but they did not immediately grasp the implication of Sin Knight’s words. After all, neither of them were suited for politics. Aside from honing their personal strengths to the high-order pinnacle, the greatest achievement in their lives was to command the men under Duke Fossai. Although the two confidants were not lacking in quality in various aspects, abruptly discussing such major national matters with them seemed overwhelming and naturally difficult to digest.

Sin Knight did not hurry them, only patiently leaning against the rocks behind him, giving them ample time to think...

And it paid off. While Veronia and Varez were initially confused, years of being influenced by Fossai’s surroundings meant they were no fools. After carefully considering Sin Knight’s recent words, their expressions immediately darkened, clearly realizing something.

The Griffin Dynasty rose to power thousands of years ago, bordering the land of miracles, the Lake Nesmont Area, the Dream Teaching Country, Adolf Free Territory, and the Shaven Empire. It is among the oldest and most powerful forces on the Southwestern Continent, and although its comprehensive strength is slightly inferior to the Silver Alliance, formed by dozens of powers, it is no less in population, military, and wealth. The size of its territory is equivalent to the sum of Adolf Free Territory, Dream Teaching Country, and Shaven Empire, making its national strength extraordinarily formidable.

But the Griffin Dynasty is also the most corrupt power on the entire Southwestern Continent. Thousands of years have turned the once majestic and fierce lion into a sickly, decrepit being. It is infested with numerous ineradicable worms and darkness; countless hidden dangers lurk under the intertwined factions. Even the most valiant and wise monarch would be powerless to stem the empire’s internal rot, let alone Emperor Chevat Logan, the Blood Lion Emperor, who ascended the throne seven years ago, not as an illustrious monarch but as a tyrant indulged in past glories.

As is well-known, the Blood Lion Emperor has never truly acknowledged the fundamental problems of his country. He has repeatedly stated in various public occasions that the empire’s much-maligned ’noble issues’ and ’corruption issues’ are mere ’insignificant flaws’, issues present in any sufficiently ancient realm, which could not possibly shake the glorious Griffin Dynasty.

He was blind to the darkness growing in corners, could not smell the near-thousand years of rot pervading the empire, and did not hear the people’s wailing. He was unaware of how greatly the great noble families had distorted the Imperial Codex, which had become a mockery of its former self, nor did he understand that beneath the shiny facade, the empire he ruled was rapidly decaying. More and more slums were giving off terrible stench, echoing with curses.

The Blood Lion Emperor had not even realized that the supreme royal authority in his eyes had been eroded to almost nothing. He was so arrogant, conceited, greedy, and self-absorbed—perfectly embodying the traits of a monarch who would lead his country to ruin.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of Chevat Logan becoming such a monarch was not great, because the foundation of the Griffin Dynasty was simply too solid. No matter how corrupt, how internally decayed, how much the heavens and people resent it, objectively speaking, it was still immensely powerful—certainly powerful enough to leave Veronia and Varez feeling suffocated just by comparison to Shaven Empire, a power with only hundreds of years of history.

In addition to suffocation, there was fear...

As for the reason for the fear, it was simple: the Shaven Empire was too ’fattened’. Under the management of William Bohe, known as the merchant king, for decades, although its overall national power was not particularly outstanding, its economic strength had leapt forward tremendously. It’s no exaggeration to say that if Griffin Dynasty one day decided to destroy Shaven, even a rough plundering alone would be worth a decade of the dynasty’s tax revenue.

Moreover, geographically speaking, Shaven, located at the southeastern corner of the Southwestern Continent, was almost entirely enveloped by Griffin territory. With such a disparity in national power, it would not be surprising for them to be suddenly invaded and annihilated any day.

Setting aside eras with little to loot, at least in recent years, Griffin had become increasingly covetous of Shaven, so meticulously managed by William. If they had not launched an aggressive raid for money, crops, and territory, it was not only because William Bohe had given enough benefits to the influential nobles within the dynasty, but more importantly, it was because of their ’neighbors’...

If they were to annihilate Shaven wantonly and without justification, Griffin’s already not-so-great reputation would immediately plummet. Its neighbors, none of which were threats on their own but could not be looked down upon when united, would certainly not stand by idle. Disregarding how many measures William had taken over the years, even based on the principle that the fall of one could lead to the vulnerability of others, they would give Griffin trouble, and some might even form an alliance to declare war on it.

So, in the end, whether it be the Blood Lion Emperor or those authoritative nobles of Griffin, the real reason why they dared not rashly move against the Shaven Empire was singular—a matter of bad image, prone to attracting a slew of hatred.