Chapter 324: CH

He looked around the room. “But what is clear to us is that we are at a disadvantage. I propose that we back off right now. Otherwise, we might face challenges from all sides that we cannot cover—not forgetting the potential backup of this enemy and their actual strength. We should back off now, collect what we can, and plan how to counter them!”

“This should be done!! For if we fight, we don’t know what might happen even if we win. We will take a hit, and that isn’t something we are prepared to do—that is not our goal. And if you haven’t noticed, while we are under attack, the intensity is far less than what the Minotaurs are facing! Which tells me that they are not after us… they are giving us…”

“Which gives us the picture that the enemy is telling us that we are not yet the targets… but the Minotaurs are!! And by that, one thing is also clear: this enemy definitely has some connection with the Minotaurs!! And the Minotaurs should know it!! I say you should confirm it, Grand Admiral Flexie!!” The Dwarf Elder said with a straight face, without a hint of any emotion.

Even though what he said, in short, could be taken as ’we should run away,’ he was speaking from a place of knowing the level of danger and the enemy’s capabilities.

“Above all, even if we fight and win, we can’t say we will win without suffering massively—not forgetting the time it would take us to even deplete the enemy’s shields and then obliterate them. The other factions are paying attention to us like wolves ready to take a bite at an injured bear. That is to say, we suffer if we fight at this moment, which is not good at all. So, backing off now to then make a strong comeback should be not only viable, but the best choice that could be made logically!!”

Everyone was shocked and speechless at that moment, looking with bewilderment at the Mountain Dwarf Elder!! Inwardly, they all cursed the old fool for his lack of spine!! But at the same time, they also thought what he said had a point indeed… even if they fight, they will definitely suffer severe damage while being depleted of most of their strength. Clearly entering a weakened state, those factions watching them will most definitely not miss this chance and will take the opportunity to attack them!!

This was something that was bound to happen if the battle took longer to finish—that is, if they could even be the ones to finish it. And even if they did, like the Mountain Elder said, they would suffer heavily.

The Forger Guild representative added, “And let’s not forget that they are one power, and we are five different groups with different motives, agendas, and values. We can’t cooperate at a level that will allow us to minimize losses, as everyone will try to cover for their own people…”

While yes, they were in an alliance… the alliance was sudden. There was no trust between each party and no synergy to speak of regarding collaboration on a battlefield. On top of all that, there was the severe mismanagement on the side of the Star Empire—who were supposed to lead the operation. Putting us all in a situation full of unknowns and danger only makes us more reserved toward protecting our own!!

So, clearly, the option of battling this out is out of the question. Above all, it is a question of whether the Star Empire themselves would take action. After all, they are the ones who will be at the forefront, not us. In front of an enemy that is clearly at their level—maybe a few times stronger or weaker—would the Star Empire really cause themselves to suffer losses at this moment, or wisely retreat? That is something for them to consider.

“But my Forger Guild won’t be participating in it,” he thought. Through his advanced communication system, he sent word to his fleet: Start the preparations; we are leaving this place!! We back off toward the uncontrolled star system not far away… and wait for the situation to develop.

The Forger Guild representative judged the situation, and without saying a word, he had already begun making preparations to back off from this horn star system… not at all interested in staying here and suffering losses which he was explicitly told to avoid!!

What the Forger Guild representative underestimated was that someone was even further ahead than him. It wasn’t the Mountain Dwarf Elder, but the representative of the Elven Empire, Arya. The moment the words—suggesting the Minotaurs might be aware of their enemy—left the mouth of the Dwarf Elder, she immediately secretly sent a message to her fleet. She ordered them to prepare to jump out of this system at a moment’s notice.

By some coincidence, the location of her fallback was the same one that the Forger Guild representative would soon choose! By fate, these two people and their fleets were bound to meet each other again, setting the stage for something that would become a major event for their lives, as well as the powers behind them… but that was for the future.

For now, the Star Empire’s Grand Admiral, Duke Flexie, was unaware that two—if not three—of his allies had already started preparing their forces to back off from this star system. At that moment, he was furious upon hearing the comments made by the Dwarf Elder. While the statements from the others were similarly heated, and he hadn’t liked them at all, the Dwarf Elder’s words were one or even two steps ahead of them.

Gritting his teeth, he slammed his right hand onto the table, causing it to shake; water from the table splashed and fell to the ground. Flexie glared hatefully at the Dwarf Elder and said, full of anger, “What is the meaning of this, Mountain Dwarf Elder?! What the hell is this talk of fleeing? We are not leaving this place! Who says we are weak and the enemy is strong? Just because they have a better turtle shell doesn’t mean they have the firepower of a dragon!! Once we get really serious, could their defenses even stand against us?”

“Who cares if they have reinforcements? They are still ants… standing tall only because of borrowed strength!!” Accidentally, Flexie revealed something which the others had no idea about. Ever since his deployment, he had been in contact with the only surviving member of the Minotaur Clan’s 7th Light Fleet—the former Grand Admiral.

He was intrigued by the methods used by the human fleet to fight against the 7th Minotaur fleet to gauge their strength and prepare against it!! And indeed, he got what he wanted and more… from there, he learned about Jarkon’s theories. The strength the humans possessed was something they inherited from secret realms where an inheritance was left; using the resources there, they not only cultivated an army of elites but also inherited those powerful, yet ancient, tech-based ships that were right now in front of him, fighting and obliterating the Minotaurs.

But the numbers were vastly different. He remembered Jarkon talking about a fleet that numbered barely over a thousand, but here were ten thousand in front of his eyes—and their strength was a bit more powerful than what Jarkon had spoken about!!

Still, he felt more truth in Jarkon’s speculation that the strength of the humans was but borrowed; no matter what, they couldn’t master something way above their level of comprehension in a month. The ships ahead might only be good at defending right now, but they might not be as good when it comes to destructive power. Well, at least by the standards of his Star Empire, they should pale in comparison!!

And yet, this Dwarf dared to say they should back off and flee with their tails between their legs… He felt furious at the thought, but a minor part of his own brain told him that what the Dwarf said made more sense. However, it wasn’t about what made more sense or what one should do in the moment; it was about what was at stake for him.

Deep down, he also wanted to get out of this place where unknown things were now at play… but he couldn’t escape from here. That is, he didn’t want to fail the ambitious Emperor who had placed his faith in him to achieve success. If the Emperor took this the wrong way, who knows? He might start plotting against him or even sideline him and his entire family. Not forgetting, this was a big opportunity for himself and his family, one he was unwilling to miss.

“Well, if any of these people…” Flexie eyed the others for a moment. “…make their move first, then I could have a perfect excuse to evacuate from here. I hope these people do just that.”

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