Chapter 215: 215

“Normally, knowing about the demon, I would make a move to halt whatever it is he plans on doing. But the kingdom the demon Silas leads has been recognized as a human kingdom, and humans on my continent know for a fact that we Harpies never make a move against other human kingdoms,” Ursula said, sighing.

“There is also the fact that one of my council members did something that would be frowned upon by the humans. For now, it is not yet widespread, but once I make a move with my people, the issue will soon be found out by those curious about our sudden movement.”

Maul listened intently, nodding slowly as Ursula spoke. “It seems that the complications are piling up faster than we can manage them,” he said, his voice heavy with concern. “This demon, Silas, could pose a significant threat, especially if he’s capable of surviving attacks bolstered by divine blessings.”

Ursula shook her head. “While it was impressive that he managed to survive, the attack wasn’t meant to kill him, only to serve as a warning not to take my people as his pawns.”

“The most troublesome thing about him is that he somehow can bypass magical detections and control an individual like a puppet. Everyone on the western continent who has been attacked by his puppets is now working overtime to find out how he does all this.”

Ursula continued, “He doesn’t dare pull something like that with the harpies. I only worry about the mortal humans. With his manipulation, he can subtly sway their opinions, and if left undetected, it can be a problem in the long run.”

Ikem nodded before asking, “Can we retrace our steps and think of a possible solution to all the problems we’ve laid out, with Ursula’s problem being the last, as her situation is somewhat less urgent compared to the rest?”

Ursula and the other demigods nodded in agreement before Roth spoke up. “So, how do we go about solving the problem of the other world?”

Flowua spoke up after him. “There is no solving that other world since we know nothing about it.”

Ikem nodded in agreement. “We know nothing of that other world, and I don’t think any of us are ready to venture there to find out relevant information about it.”

“When I was young and was mistakenly dragged into that world, I had never felt the sensation of certain death like I did there. Even the panther with me at the time was scared to stay much longer in that world, which was one of the reasons I was able to escape,” Ikem said, shaking his head.

Tide, almost as if his memory was refreshed, stood up with wide eyes and looked toward his sister before addressing Ikem. “Your words reminded me of how, after my sister appeared, the demon tried using that other world to escape but was scared back out, exposing his location and enabling my sister to deliver the final blow.”

Maul spoke up, shaking his head. “All this shows that we aren’t ready for that world. Whatever is there that brings such a sense of danger is already a big problem. What about our parents’ look-alikes residing in that world?”

Ursula shuddered. “If they, for whatever reason, have the same amount of power as our parents, then this is certainly beyond us and not something we can deal with.”

“Then what are we to do about the demons having access to that world? Tide already suspects a potential alliance between the demon and our parents’ look-alikes. For now, it was only one demon. What about the others? Have they been in contact with other look-alikes?”

Roth leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. “We need more information, that’s clear. But how do we get it without venturing into that other world ourselves? Sending scouts is too risky, and we can’t afford to lose more people to that place.”

Flowua sighed, rubbing her temples. “We might not need to go there physically. There are other ways to gather information remotely. Divination, scrying, and other forms of magical surveillance could help us learn more about that world and its inhabitants. We just need to find someone skilled enough to perform these rituals.”

Ikem nodded, looking relieved. “That’s a start. But we need to proceed with caution. We should also consider looking into beasts like the panther that attacked me when I was young. The panther showed a talent for being able to appear in that other world. What if there are others out there with the same talent?”

Maul leaned forward, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “Ikem, that’s a good point. If there are beasts capable of traversing between our world and the other, we need to find and study them. They could hold the key to understanding the nature of the rift between the worlds. Additionally, if we can tame or communicate with these creatures, they might be able to gather information for us.”

Tide, still pondering Ikem’s earlier words, added, “We should start by seeking out those who have shown talent in communicating with beasts. They might have knowledge about how to find such creatures and, with their help, we could tame them.”

Ikem, with a smile on his face, said, “There is a new uprising profession among my people called druids. The research of my father’s divinity in turn gave birth to this new profession. I don’t mind sending out a few capable druids to each of you so that you can get your hands on those beasts, if found, and carry out your own research.”

Maul nodded approvingly. “That sounds like an excellent plan, Ikem. Having your druids among us will certainly be helpful. They can be the bridge for our communication with these creatures, which could be crucial in our efforts to gather information.”

Xerosis leaned forward, a thoughtful expression on her face. “We should also consider creating a dedicated task force. This group can focus solely on locating and studying these interdimensional beasts. They can work closely with the druids and report back any findings.”

“That is good, but where should their headquarters be, and how do we bridge the distance gap between the continents to ensure the group works efficiently?” Flowua asked before continuing, “If we use the gates, it will draw attention, and if we use spell transportation, it will take a lot of mana going back and forth.”

Maul nodded, recognizing the logistical challenges Flowua pointed out. “You’re right, Flowua. We need a central location that’s accessible yet discreet. We also need a more efficient way to bridge the distance gap between continents without drawing unnecessary attention or exhausting our resources.”

Ikem, deep in thought, suggested, “What about setting up the headquarters on neutral ground? Like an island out in the deep sea. It will be hidden yet accessible to all of us since we all already are capable of building ships and traversing the sea.”

Flowua smiled, mimicking Ikem’s expression from earlier. “As for transportation, my people have been researching the gates built by the dragons. They’ve made great progress, and I believe they can soon create a small gate that can be stationed on whatever island we choose as our headquarters.”

Maul’s eyes lit up with newfound hope. “An island headquarters sounds perfect, Ikem. It’s isolated, naturally defensible, and using ships for transportation is low-profile. Plus, if Flowua’s people can create a small gate for quick travel, it solves our logistical problem without exhausting our mana resources.”

Ikem nodded in acknowledgement. “Tide, we’ll leave the task of finding a suitable island to you, as the sea is your domain and finding one should be easy for you. Please ensure it’s well hidden and a place most beings would think twice about venturing into.”

Flowua added, “I’ll accelerate our research on the dragon gates. I’ll assign my best mages and engineers to create a prototype that we can deploy on the island. This gate will only be accessible only to those we trust.”

Maul chimed in, “While Tide searches for the island, I can coordinate with my navies to ensure we have safe passage and supply lines. We should also think about setting up decoy routes to confuse any potential spies.”

“Good, now for the next issue,” Ursula said, and everyone’s appearance turned sour.

“After all this, I should be looking into the next stage and ascend as soon as my daughter begins to understand things,” Maul whispered to himself, or so he thought, as he felt everyone looking at him through the mirrors.

Looking up, he saw them watching him. He chuckled and said, “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

The other demigods nodded, causing Maul to sigh as he stood up from his seat and began walking around.

“I’m not scared or anything, just tired of all the politics. Like Ikem said, we all have this power, yet we have to restrain ourselves to avoid endangering others or creating further problems for the future.”

“After my talk with Ikem, I began to realize how this method of restraint helps our children in the long run. Soon we will all ascend to godhood, leaving this mortal realm to our children, leaving them vulnerable.”

“The only protection they will have is how well we prepared them and our past actions as their leaders. Our restraint has made us be viewed positively by humans. We never used our power to enforce our will on them, which gave them the freedom to do as they wish.”

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