Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Chapter 321: Planning ahead

"I have some ideas of what we should do, but I am lacking a bit in knowledge in most aspects aside from combat, so I would like to hear your input regarding that," Rain said. "With the spear that the sea emperor gave me, I can use water magic a lot more than before. So, I will create a large path that will split the area that we are going to operate from the rest of the kingdom.

I have a bunch of potions and the those two magic relics, so I can probably finish all that in one week. During that time, I want you all to talk with the people of the region and alert everyone of what is going to happen. There is no need to try to convince them to join the fight, but you will have to convince them to cut contact with the rest of the kingdom.

We can't afford to let them spread information about our activities."

"Do you think that we can fend off the enemies that the king will send?" Roan asked. "Thanks to Limit Breaker, I am way above average soldiers in this country, but…"

"We will use the terrain to our advantage and, naturally, surprise attacks," Rain explained. "With my earth magic, we can make the enemies disappear instantly, not in large numbers, but that will make them get really scared. Besides, sooner or later, they will understand that we are just trying to survive instead of taking over the kingdom."

"What about Branden, Orcis, and Lorene? You can't let the enemies do what they want with them. It is only a matter of time before they try to use them against us," Leiah asked. "While having them on our side will cause some issues, it is worth the hassle… isn't it?"

"Of course, Lotto is looking into that matter for me," Rain explained. "Still, the king won't use them, at least for a while, since he doesn't know what we will be able to pull off. They can deal out magic abilities with the anti-magic substance, but they still don't know that magic is only half of my skills.

We should focus on fending them off for a while without going all out and let their patience run thin."

"I don't like to do underhanded things, but since we don't have many people on our side, we should get rid of some powerful heads that will weaken the other side," Jori said. "The advisors of the king would be a good target."

"Why not Joanis himself? Sooner or later, he will have to show himself," Reca asked.

"I am planning to do that once I have the chance, but he knows that I will target him first," Rain replied. "I am planning to kill him and the other advisors the next time I head to the Capital… I am not sure if they will be there, though."

With the king's blade and some of the royal guard headed towards the border, it wasn't far-fetched to imagine that Joanis might have similar plans. After all, he possessed the anti-magic substance, a crucial asset against the magic people.

Given the strategic value of this substance, it seemed highly probable that Joanis would want to be present at the border to exploit this advantage and be there to hog the glory for some influence.

"I suppose contacting the magic people isn't an option…" Terra said while looking away.

"It doesn't matter which group we contact, we will end up on the losing side of any conversations since we don't have an army, and once we help others win, we will soon be disposed of as well," Rain explained and then looked at Sirenus and Coraline. "No offense."

"We understand your concerns, but we don't have any reason to take over your lands. The ocean is big enough for us," Coraline explained. "Our emperor will be satisfied in just killing all those involved in the kidnappings."

Seadrei naturally would remain steadfast in his goal, willing to resort to deadly force against anyone obstructing his mission. This included not only soldiers but also civilians unaware of the intricacies of the situation.

While it seemed prudent for the sea folk to avoid launching a full-scale attack on human territory, Rain and his allies understood that engaging in any form of conflict with the humans alongside the sea folk beyond securing a non-aggression pact carried substantial risks and potential consequences.

"Once you finish this project of yours, what is next?" Asche asked.

"We escort those who don't want to stay here while we fight to the other side, they might cause problems in the long run since the trade routes will be closed," Rain replied. "I suppose only those who don't care much about money will stay behind."

"A lot of them will stay since most of the riches in the area are given to the kingdom since these lands, most of them belong to the royal family," Meiro explained. "If we win, they might be able to claim these lands for themselves, and if we lose, they can play dumb and say that they were just keeping the goods safe and the land well managed."

"They won't lend a single hand to help, though," Luana added.

"It will be fine. As long as they don't get in the way, it will be enough," Rain said. "After that, we will have to guard the areas that will most likely be attacked or invaded. We will have to be careful of solo spies invading to keep an eye on the surroundings.

To help with that, I will change the layout of the tunnels a bit… I was planning to make the rails in the open, but that will make our approach obvious."

Rain understood the enormity of the challenges ahead and recognized that he couldn't tackle them alone. He had already enlisted the help of Liss and Asche, both of whom possessed unique skills that could contribute to guarding the aquatic border. However, he remained keenly aware of the vastness of the task. Even with the combined abilities of his allies, they were up to one hell of a task.