Advancement
Internal Affairs, Diplomacy, Military. Pareia did not want to miss out on any of these.
Book 6-4.1
“I am extremely disappointed.”
Yulian, who was starting to slowly recover and could now move his body a little bit, mumbled while coming out of his paoe and staring at the Shuarei warriors in the distance. Runa smiled and answered as if he was trying to console Yulian.
“Do not feel anxious, Glow. There is no way for the Shuarei to defeat Pareia now. As time goes on, Pareia will be able to take control of everything without putting in much effort.”
“Shouldn’t we still be a bit wary? I wish for the unification of the desert.”
“I know. But your injury is not something that will get better in a month or two. Even if Venersis received a similar degree of injury as you, it is more dangerous in my opinion to go into battle and potentially end up fighting against Venersis without you. Just in case he is able to fight.”
Yulian nodded his head.
“He really is an amazing individual. Just by his mere existence alone he can cause so much pressure.”
“It is the same for you, Glow. In a way, you and Venersis are very similar.”
To be honest, Yulian was happy with Runa’s comparison. Although Venersis was his enemy, Venersis was still regarded as the strongest warrior in the desert. He was the greatest man in the desert.
Of course he himself will become wiser and gain more experience once he reached that age. Although Yulian had the confidence to be on par with Venersis in all aspects in the future, the current him was not there just yet.
‘Yes, not… not yet.’
Although Venersis did something cowardly and broke a truce to ambush Pareia in the past, Yulian knew that Venersis was acting under the Shuarei’s Glow, Hangry Elbotta’s command. He also learned that his mother’s death was an accident as well. One of the Desert Sword warriors who was captured in the last battle informed Yulian of everything.
In addition, Venersis had saved his life once and Pere’s life twice. Venersis may be his sworn enemy, but he was also his lifesaver at the same time. Yulian had a hard time trying to balance the two in his mind.
It did not make Yulian very happy.
‘If he was not my enemy, no, if he was not a Greatest Warrior of our bitter enemy the Shuarei, we could probably share a drink with each other ……’
“Glow, what are you thinking so hard about?”
Seeing Yulian deep in his thoughts, Runa decided to ask.
“I’m just thinking about how disappointing it is.”
Runa, who took that as Yulian feeling disappointed that his injury prevented them from taking an opportunity for victory, continued with a bright expression.
“Ah! Do not worry about it too much. The Shuarei will soon become chaotic due to discord within the tribe.”
“Internal discord?”
Runa answered after seeing Yulian being so shocked.
“I heard that the Shuarei’s Glow, Hangry Elbotta, will not be able to live much longer. His successor has not had his coming-of-age ceremony yet, so if he dies, they will need to select a new Glow.”
“Unless it is a sudden death, they would already have planned for it. What is the problem there?”
“The problem is the fact that Venersis and the other Greatest Warriors do not have a good relationship. No matter who succeeds Glow Elbotta as the new Glow, there will be issues. We also gave some orders to our moles to help rile things up as well.”
“I do not wish to use the sorrows of others as a strategy. In addition, in the end, they will all become part of our Pareia. I do not wish to rile things up during their time of chaos.”
“If that is the Glow’s will, I will do as you wish.”
Runa must have felt things would be enough as is, as he did not say anything else before agreeing with Yulian’s wishes.
“Then what should we do now?”
“It is time for us to grow our strength. The warriors are tired after a long war, and the families are longing for their fathers. We also have a lot of things to take care of, so let us maintain the truce with the Shuarei and just sit back and watch what happens with them. The war will be best if we wait until their internal discord to start again.”
“Mm...I’ll think a bit more about that.”
Yulian said that before slowly starting to move his body.
“I should go take a look around.”
Runa responded cautiously at Yulian’s words.
“You have already been out in this cold wind for a long time. Please get some rest.”
“How can you call the desert wind cold? In fact, this hot breeze is helping me heal, so do not worry too much. If I don’t show myself every so often, there might be rumors that I am dead.”
“Please do not say something like that even if it is just a joke.”
Seeing Runa turn pale as he said that, Yulian smiled before starting to walk once more.
Many warriors showed their respects with worried expressions on their faces after seeing their Glow push his injured body to move around.
“They seem to be worried about me as well.”
“Everybody cares about your health Glow. Your swift recovery is better than any other words of encouragement. They might even think that the Glow needs to patrol like this because he does not trust them.”
“No way ……”
Yulian became extremely nervous at Runa’s words.
“I do not say anything that is not true. I just listen to the truth and speak it. That is my way of life.”
“Hmph. Fine. I will return. It will be best to call everyone tomorrow to hear their opinions as well.”
“I understand. I will prepare for it.”
The Greatest Warriors started to gather at Yulian’s paoe starting very early the next morning. When it came to war-related discussions, the Greatest Warriors’ suggestions held more sway than the oasis chiefs.
If they said war is doable, it was doable, while if they said it was not, it was not.
Even though Yulian was the Glow, this big issue of either continuing the war or maintaining the truce was something he needed to listen to the Greatest Warriors’ opinions.
“Now that we have confirmed that there is no danger to the Glow’s life, we need to announce our desire to go back to war. If Venersis cannot take part because of his injuries from his battle with the Glow, we are confident about our chances of victory.”
The people who pushed the strongest for continuing the war were Greatest Warriors Egane and Vibli. These two veteran warriors of hundreds of battles were saying that the Shuarei without Venersis was like a wild animal without its teeth and claws. They thought this was the opportunity to completely defeat the Shuarei.
Egane and Vibli had already aged past fifty and could feel that their energy was not what it used to be. Although their sword and strength still remained the same, it was different than their energy, which was required for their vitality
Nobody could stop the changes that occurred with time, so the two veteran warriors really wanted to see Pareia unify the desert while they were still alive.
They were also concerned that the pressure on Yulian might increase once they died as well.
“But our warriors are exhausted right now. Furthermore, even without shedding any blood, in about two years time, the plans I have set into motion in our Pareia will allow us to have an overwhelming difference in strength with the Shuarei. At that point, we will be able to take down the Shuarei with much less damage. We need to maintain the truce right now.”
And the one to strongly push for maintaining the truce was Runa.
From the moment they had agreed to a truce with the Shuarei, Runa had thought a lot about Pareia’s internal affairs as well. He then came to the conclusion that they only needed two years to have enough strength to easily oppress the Shuarei.
“No matter how much strength we may gain, by that time, Venersis will be back at full strength and return to battle. The numbers advantage does not matter when you are fighting against Venersis. Greatest Warrior Runa, I know that fact way too well.”
Once Vibli challenged Runa’s words, Runa bowed his head toward the old warrior who was surprisingly passionate for his age.
“This Runa knows very well that Greatest Warrior Vibli is a warrior who our Pareia cannot do without, as well as someone who has the greatest strength, strategy, and field vision in battle. I also want to thank you because your presence allows me to create many strategies that I normally would not be able to use.”
Vibli became a bit nervous seeing Runa suddenly praise him like this, before lightly nodding his head and responding.
“I also know very well that Greatest Warrior Runa is a vital part of our Pareia.”
“Then please trust me. If there is something Greatest Warrior Vibli does not know about, it is the fact that there may be internal discord within the Shuarei.”
Everyone looked toward Runa with shocked expressions as if they were hearing this for the first time.
“Of course it does not change the fact that Venersis will remain alive. However, at that time, even that Venersis will not be able to defend against our Pareia’s warriors. That is the reason I am pushing so hard for maintaining the truce.”
Runa’s explanation made many people change their minds.
“In addition, even if that internal discord does not happen, I ask you to think about Pareia that will become much stronger in two years time. If we lose our young warriors now, achieving that level of strength will be delayed by a few years.”
Everybody started to whisper to each other loudly. Even Vibli and Egane seemed to be contemplating things after hearing Runa’s explanation.
The meeting that began early in the morning finally ended after the sun reached its apex in the sky.
Pareia decided to maintain its truce with the Shuarei.
Many people were extremely happy to see the end of the war. It really was true that the warriors were having a difficult time with the extended war.
The people who had originally pushed for continuing the war were relieved after looking at the people’s reactions as well. If it was so difficult for them to show this type of reaction, it would have been difficult for them to perform at their best if the war had continued.
Yulian decided that he would rest a bit after returning to the Castle of Storm as well. It had been so long that he might forget his children’s faces. It was also time to teach his children the foundation for martial arts.
‘How should I start their training?’
Yulian was happy with this concern he faced. He couldn’t believe that he already had a son and that it was time to teach his son martial arts.
Although Verikan and Kiness were only four years old, learning the foundation was something you could do from a young age.
“You’re going to teach Kiness as well?”
Grace cautiously asked. Back in the days, she had trained with Yulian and the Red Storm herself.
It was because she knew very well about Yulian’s training method that she was worried. Furthermore, it was natural for Grace to worry. With Verikan and Kiness being his own children, he might be even stricter with them.
“It is because she is our child. Based on what I have heard, Kiness has joined Verikan in chasing after the second generation Red Storm.”
Grace started to frown after hearing Yulian’s answer.
“That is only because her older brother is doing it. She’s just doing what her brother does. I cannot allow it.”
“What’s going on with you? I thought you would be the one pushing for her to be trained.”
“No matter what, you cannot train Kiness. It would be better to leave her to Violet.”
Yulian found Grace’s expression to be funny and started to laugh as he responded.
“Hahaha. As you wish. But Verikan needs to start training now in order to not suffer later. I also want to train him to a decent level before master gets back. Do you think master will not help Verikan to grow even stronger?”
“Ah! Now that you mention it, there hasn’t been any contact with your master, has there?”
Yulian nodded his head as his expression darkened.
“That is one of my concerns these days. He’s extremely strong so he has no concerns about his own safety, but he is getting older in age. I can’t help but be worried. I tried to get any information about him using different methods, but there is still nothing.”
“Do not worry too much. This is the only place he calls home in this world.”
“I am trying not to, but I know he must have heard at least a couple things about me by now. But he still has not come back to visit even once.”
Yulian really started to worry now that Chun Myung Hoon was brought up. Although he didn’t know his master’s exact age, he did know that his master was old enough that something could happen at any moment.
“I need to send out some more people. I will be relieved as long as I can verify that he is still alive.”
“That sounds like a good idea. Now that Edwin-nim can traverse through both the Eastern and Western continents, it might be a good idea to ask him for help.”
“Yes, that is good. I should do it now before I forget.”
Yulian and Grace were able to relax and chat like this for the first time in a long time.
“Glow!”
“What is going on?”
Yulian frowned as the shout from the outside seemed to ruin this long overdue moment with Grace.
“A guest has come to visit.”
“A guest?”
“He said you would know if we mentioned that his name is Mai-nim.”
Yulian jumped up from his seat and headed out of the paoe.
“Did you just say Mai-nim?”
“Yes, Glow.”
“Where is he now?”
“We escorted him into the guest room.”
Yulian turned to look at Grace at the servant’s report and started to speak.
“Grace, come with me. I have someone to introduce to you.”
Grace quickly got up and started to walk next to Yulian once she heard it was Mai-nim. She had already heard everything about this guest from Yulian.