Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 465 The Second Divinity

After Kuraki reached an agreement with the kingdom, Forrest's messenger to Isildur also sent back a message.

Although some hardliners were unwilling to accept defeat, defeat was defeat. Dino and the Dragon Knights were all killed in battle, Lloyd's fate was unknown, more than 100,000 members of the Barrier Legion had perished, and the Far Plains were in imminent danger.

Some elders suggested assembling the plains troops for a decisive battle with Elton; others said to disregard the disaster in their homeland and move all troops here to fight a great battle with Sumu and avenge their grievances.

But reason prevailed over impulse. The city of Far Plains was not yet secure and urgently needed to recuperate. If the allied forces of Kuraki and the Kingdom were to invade, rebuilding would be difficult.

Isildur was aware of Kuraki's situation; the fact that Kuraki sent an envoy indicated that he also felt he couldn't be defeated overnight. A forceful attack would likely provoke the Crimson Rebels, the Undead, and the Arcane Empire.

Previously, Isildur launched a fierce attack, believing that with the Empire's strength, taking Elton would be a piece of cake. In addition, the need to find a buffer zone for the Far Plains necessitated a westward advance.

To say whether the Battle of the Hills was a major loss, it was certainly a significant blow, but to think that it would wipe out Isildur would be too naive.

If the country were truly on the verge of destruction, all the troops resisting in their homeland could be withdrawn; at worst, they would all die together. As for now, Kuraki's retreat is unnecessary.

"Give Kuraki 300 portions of mercury and 300 portions of sulfur, plus 200000 gold coins and 20 portions of dragon blood essence, to be transported in batches. In exchange, this will be a three-month truce period, during which neither side is allowed to cross the border."

The final agreement was to exchange resources for peace; neither the castle received the gems it needed, nor the fortress the crystals it desperately needed. As for gold, the fortress had a dwarven treasury and more than enough.

"If they don't agree, then let's continue fighting. Isildur fears no powerful enemy!"

The messenger relayed the request verbatim to Kuraki. The heroes exchanged bewildered glances. Wasn't this the territory of the kingdom that Isildur had invaded? Why did it seem like they were the ones being bullied? The elves really knew how to handle things.

As expected of an empire that has stood for millennia, they readily provide rare resources. Although they couldn't provide the crucial gems, the mercury and sulfur are still quite good; something is better than nothing. As for dragon blood essence, that's a second-tier resource only found in the Dragon Kingdom, which is excellent.

In truth, Isildur also saw the kingdom's difficulties; the ongoing chaos in the heartland was severely hindering Kuraki's progress. Even if Kuraki could launch an attack regardless of the cost, Kenway could no longer provide full support.

With their rear unstable, they can no longer launch military campaigns with the same impunity as before. However, they dare not gamble; appeasement, or rather, a temporary show of weakness, is beneficial to them. Once they get through this difficult period, everything will be easier to manage.

As for Kuraki, he would be satisfied with obtaining this much resources. Even if he received less or none, he could at most send troops to scare the enemy, but it would be difficult for him to launch a large-scale attack.

The so-called truce was, in reality, something everyone knew was going on. If Jossildur were to recruit a large number of golden dragons or amass a new army during this time, he could break the agreement and launch a counterattack on the Hills at any moment.

Therefore, the agreement should not be taken seriously. Kuraki still needs to quell the rebellion in the heartland as soon as possible, and continue to deal with the threat from Isidore until they are completely crushed.

Since the start of the timber war, it has been a battle to the death, and Su Mu is not naive enough to think that the other side will compromise.

How many soldiers died on both sides? How much hatred was created? It's not something that can be easily resolved.

Moreover, this is Isildur's battle for survival, and his opponent will not leave his fate to be decided by others.

With the compensation he received from Isildur, Sumu's prestige instantly soared throughout the kingdom. Many heroes sent letters of congratulations, and some newly promoted heroes even idolized Duke Kuraki.

This prestige may not bring immediate rewards, but it is absolutely invaluable in the human kingdom.

Regardless of how much we take, as long as we can make the Isildur Empire bow down, that's a victory. "We still need to be careful. These resources might be used by Isildur to lull us into a false sense of security. The enemy is also at a critical moment. Wayne has learned from inside sources that the situation in their homeland seems to be deteriorating. The Elders might abandon their rear territories and relocate all of Dragon Cliff. If that happens, they will definitely gather a large army to attack."

Wayne nodded, confirming the authenticity of the message.

Gathering intelligence within Isildur is not easy, but during this breakthrough of the Azure Canyon, Wayne infiltrated some thieves and obtained a lot of valuable information.

“I have already implemented the infiltration plan within Isildur. If all goes well, I can win over some powerful figures on the border.”

This was quite unexpected. Isildur had always been an elf-dominated territory, and humans had little say in it. It was unclear what methods Wayne would use to infiltrate the area. However, this was exactly what thieves excelled at. Su Mu didn't need to concern himself with the details; he only needed to provide sufficient funds and expect a good result.

Once the Isidore side is secured, Kuraki can focus on dealing with the Blood Rebels in the heartland.

Of course, Sumu wouldn't really let his guard down; Kuraki still had a large number of troops stationed there. But in any case, with the hilly buffer zone, even if Isidore wanted to launch a surprise attack, it would take some time to reach the Shilin Plain.

Moreover, the Stag Clan of the River Valley has already dispatched a large number of troops to guard the outer perimeter of the hills. If any unusual activity occurs in the Canglan Canyon, they will be notified in advance, giving Su Mu and his group ample time to open the portal and teleport back.

With Sederlos's support in this battle, Su Mu only plans to bring his strongest swordsman, a gold elementalist, and over 200 arcane prayer warriors. He will also have Liliana provide covert support. While the vampire army might not be as effective against the undead, it will be much easier against the Crimson Rebels.

As for why the Crimson Rebels encountered the undead? They had infighting among themselves. Does the evil faction even value sincere cooperation?
At this point, Su Mu was not afraid to expose Liliana. In fact, the ancient ruins had long been suspected, and evidence was not important to them. They had already placed Liliana under Kuraki's control.

In other words, we need to conceal ourselves from humans a little, but as long as we can win the battle, everything will be fine, since Liliana's subordinates are relatively law-abiding.

"Alright, let's set the plan. Everyone, go and prepare."

"promise!"

After everyone had left, Su Mu went alone to the end of the Eight Kings Hall. He took the dazzling golden divine essence out of the sealed box and slowly placed it on the stone platform.

Divine matter slowly floated into the air and poured onto the throne.

【Divine Prison Palace (Special Building Tier 3, requires a Legendary Governance Hero to use): Requires 3 Divine Shards to suppress the foundation (progress 2/3) to unlock more powerful building effects.

King of the Divine Prison (1): For each of the ruling heroes who obtains the legendary title, the legendary governor will receive +5 attribute (if the legendary hero dies or leaves the Hall of Kings, the bonus will disappear).

King of the Divine Prison (2): Temporarily gains a total of four skills from all those currently ruled (all currently ruled, the effect of the ruling skill bonus, and beginner legends can gain two legend skills at the same time), with a maximum selection range of sixteen people. The statue is placed in the Hall of a Hundred Kings, and the quota cannot be changed within one month.

Additional resource costs: 1000000 gold, 300 logs, 300 ore, 100 of each rare resource, 50 alchemy dust, 50 dragon blood essence, 50 sacred white feathers, and 10 tears of the gods.

Bathed in golden light, the entire hall became bright, and Su Mu, shrouded in divine radiance, appeared mysterious and unpredictable.

It seems that it's becoming increasingly unbearable to look at.

(End of this chapter)