Chapter 1304 - 1222: Confidence!
"No rush." Kakulkan’s gaze swept back and forth over the painting. "They’re still on Dawn Island."
Up to now, the Dawn Federation still hadn’t fully unified; it only controlled a bit more than one-third of the territory.
The Blood Race army had set out from the Nao’an River, then gone overland in a detour to get here.
Charging straight at the Dawn Federation—when they hadn’t even signed a treaty—would easily cause misunderstandings and trigger a chain reaction.
"Still on Dawn Island?! Isn’t it..." Daduoshi’s tone grew anxious.
It wasn’t that Daduoshi was merely impatient—like he wanted the word "urgent" tattooed on his forehead—he really was in a hurry.
Watching Daduoshi with sweat streaming down his face, wanting to say something yet stopping several times before he could speak, Kakulkan couldn’t help letting out a soft snort.
As a Blood Servant, he had always been lower than everyone else.
Now, top nobles like Daduoshi had to bow their heads to him; this taste was truly delightful.
But Kakulkan didn’t string Daduoshi along for too long. After wrapping up a few paintings, he stopped walking.
Turning on the polished, mirror-smooth marble, he smiled and said, "See? You’re anxious again. You’re just too afraid of the Holy Alliance, that’s why you’re so flustered."
"Aren’t we supposed to be afraid?" Daduoshi asked back, almost in despair.
What was the Holy Alliance?
In the two Thousand River Valley Wars, one ended Leia’s former royal house, the other ended Leia’s current royal house.
The Saint Sun Pope, through several grand theological debates, had plunged the entire empire into sectarian schisms and chaotic civil wars.
And within the Holy Alliance, generals were as numerous as the clouds; many of their names were household words.
Jeska, André, Jeanne, Hakuto, Dass, Rudilo...
Anyone who had ever fought the Holy Alliance Army had rarely come out on top; most of the time they had to flee after just a few exchanges.
Thinking back now, people still probably underestimated Prince Kongdai—maybe even underestimated Nigesar.
Looking back, during the Thousand River Valley War, any random army taken out of that campaign could have swept his Immortal Stone Field clean.
"You were scared before we came, and you’re still scared after we arrived." Kakulkan spread his hands. "Then what did we come here for?"
As a seasoned human-collaborator, Kakulkan earnestly instructed him: "Who do you think is stronger, the Holy Alliance or the Royal Court?"
"Of course the Royal Court is stronger."
"You’re just flattering." Kakulkan shook his head. "You know the ’what’, but not the ’why.’
Let me put it this way: whatever the Holy Alliance Army has, our Royal Court Army has too. And whatever the Holy Alliance Army doesn’t have, our Royal Court Army still has!"
So they’ve got clockwork guns? Our Royal Court has blood-pact guns.
So they’ve got clockwork cannons? Our Royal Court’s bloodburst cannons, with the Dwarves’ help, are about to roll out.
Besides that, what else do they have?
Do they have flesh-and-blood Titan Knights? Do they have the strongest tower-shield Warrior Ogres on the continent?
Do they possess the great Blood of Lilith, linking all vampires together so Serafe can pass orders to practically every high-ranking vampire?
Can the Holy Alliance do that?
"I know the Royal Court Army is strong, but if the Royal Court Army isn’t here, then no matter how strong they are, it’s useless."
"Relax." Kakulkan smiled. "I know what the Holy Alliance is up to: battle-groups, conscripting new soldiers, forming new battle-groups.
They’re definitely planning some new move; I’m aware."
"Then why are you still..."
"You’re the type who panics as soon as you’re scared. Let me ask you: how long does it take your army to prepare for a campaign?"
"Uh..." Daduoshi turned his head and beckoned to a black-robed minister. "How long does it take for our army to deploy for campaign?"
The black-robed minister froze for a moment, then turned around and waved someone over from behind...
"All right, all right, do you have to call up three generations of your ancestors before you’re satisfied?" Kakulkan cut off their attempt to drag more people in, exasperated.
No wonder the Leia people were beaten back and forth by the Falan Holy Alliance. With this level of noble degeneracy, it would be strange if they weren’t beaten.
"What I’m trying to say is simple: even if the Holy Alliance wants to fight, they won’t make it in time." Kakulkan held up six fingers. "Recruiting and refilling, training new troops, mobilizing supplies—you can’t do that in less than six months!
They only started moving in November last year; it’s just early February now. Having the remaining half-corps arrive in March is already assuming the best-case scenario for them."
Hearing Kakulkan’s words, Daduoshi finally relaxed a bit.
Thinking it over, in order to prepare for the Holy Alliance’s arrival, he had urgently mobilized for three months and only scraped together five or six thousand troops, and even then he had to keep part of them back to guard the Dawn Federation to the death.
Even if the Holy Alliance was twice as efficient as he was, they’d only be able to mobilize around ten thousand soldiers, many of them new recruits with barely any combat effectiveness.
By the time April or May came around, whether they truly meant to declare war or were just trying to intimidate him, he would have room to maneuver.
"And I’ll tell you some good news: you don’t need to fear the Holy Alliance actually declaring war." Kakulkan shoved his hands into his sleeves.
Daduoshi understood at once and slipped him two gems the size of pigeon eggs.
Kakulkan, very satisfied, lowered his voice. "The northern army has wrapped up the Dwarf affair. By April at the latest, they’ll be able to come and help you."
"But didn’t we sign a treaty?"
"The treaty was signed with Falan and Leia; what’s that got to do with the Holy Alliance?" Kakulkan patted Daduoshi’s shoulder. "You’re part of the Royal Court now—have some confidence!"
Right, that was true!
Daduoshi really did get excited at this moment. "Once the Blood Race main army arrives, the Holy Alliance will be crushed to powder."
"Not that far. The Royal Court still takes the Holy Alliance seriously." Kakulkan brushed his sleeve, and the gems smoothly disappeared into his wrist. "As long as we can hold out for half a month under the Holy Alliance’s attack, they can forget about advancing a single step."
More importantly, if the Holy Alliance actually moved, that would amount to an undeclared war.
By then, as soon as human-collaborators like Daduoshi raised their arms and invited the vampires in to resist the Holy Alliance...
The Royal Court had two reasons for stationing troops at Piana Fortress:
First, to monitor the Holy Alliance and serve as a bridgehead for an offensive against it.
Second, to jangle the Holy Alliance’s nerves, forcing it into overreactions so they could conveniently intervene in the situation.
The Holy Alliance was developing at a rapid pace now, while Serafe’s lifespan was running short; it was best to go for a quick decision.
Once the Holy Alliance really made a move, the problem of the vampires lacking a legitimate pretext to act would be solved.
If you want to efficiently rule a region, legality and nominal justification actually matter a great deal.
Serafe certainly had the ability to ignore such things, but if you can save yourself some effort, who wants to waste time?
Windmill Land was a classic example: they should have handled it calmly and with ease, yet it ended up being rushed, stumbling, and in disarray.
Serafe had wiped out almost all the Princes, but that didn’t mean she had no constraints at all.
The most typical was the southern clans eyeing her from the south, along with the various clan uprisings that still existed within the Royal Court.
Those structural problems inherent in the Blood Race were still things Serafe couldn’t resolve—or rather, issues that could only be fixed at the cost of hurting herself badly.
"His Majesty Serafe truly leaves no plan unmade." Daduoshi flattered her.
Kakulkan, however, neither confirmed nor denied it. After all, she had killed too many high-ranking vampires; not every vampire worshiped her.
Especially that ability of hers to see through the eyes of high-ranking vampires and to transmit her voice across a thousand miles; it left many vampires deeply uneasy.
Who hasn’t bent the rules for personal reasons before?
But as a Blood Servant, Kakulkan had no such worries.
He went on to look at a few more paintings, while Daduoshi, now relieved of his burden, eagerly introduced them to him.
Listening to Daduoshi’s rambling commentary, Kakulkan couldn’t help mulling over the question they’d just discussed.
He hadn’t originally thought that far ahead; now that Daduoshi had brought it up, even he was starting to feel a bit uneasy.
Kakulkan was following his master’s plan, planting a nail in the Immortal Stone Field; he was supposed to be monitoring the Holy Alliance’s movements anyway.
But so far, there hadn’t been much progress.
The Holy Alliance was too tightly organized; every spy they sent got caught—under constant surveillance or promptly reported.
The entire state’s administrative system, from top to bottom, was both autonomous and autocratic at the same time; it was truly bizarre.
But thinking it through, if they only started preparations in November, what were they doing before that? They’re definitely too late.
The Royal Court had taken the first step and would stay ahead with every step. Thinking this, Kakulkan finally relaxed, pointed at the artwork in front of him, and spoke: "This jade-seated golden Angel statue—is it really Prince Kongdai’s household guardian treasure?"