Chapter 484

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"Hmm! So, did you think Lord Jin would win from the beginning and yet told me to bet on Dame Mary, Sir Valkas? You even lied, saying that if I had seen Dame Mary's sword in person, I would have thought the same…"

Tak! Kashmir set down his glass and said. Murakan and Valkas were patting his back with a chuckle.

"I recently joined Tikan, so shouldn't I make a good impression on Lord Murakan? Huhuhu, please understand."

"Anyway, you are quietly foolish, aren't you? Hey, and even if we think the kid will lose, we must bet on the kid no matter what. Can you just bet two thousand gold recklessly if it seems like the other side will win or not?"

Kashmir's forehead wrinkled when he saw the two people laughing.

"No, didn't you instruct me and Sir Valkas to bet on Dame Mary, Lord Murakan!?"

"Oh, now you are yelling at me. Are you out of your mind? Huh? Are you acting like this because you lost the bet and don't want to give up the money? You, the second richest man in Tikan?"

"When did I yell, again! And it's not about the money!"

"You yell again just now. No, I can't stand it, you little creature. Oh, did you avoid it? Here, come here! Hey!"

As if playing a game of catch, Murakan and Kashmir started running comically, and laughter erupted from all around.

"It's a peaceful sight."

Mary said while watching all of this.

After the duel and the award ceremony in the style of Cosmos, Jin and his companions, as well as Mary and the pirates, were having a light post-celebration. They were congratulating Jin's victory.

Jin was sitting next to her, fiddling with the book that Chiron had written himself. He still looked as dazed as when he first received it.

'It seems my father is really interested in elder sister Mary.'

He couldn't imagine the sight of his ruthless father writing a training manual for someone. Even if he forcibly tried to imagine it, he could only vaguely see the back of the man.

"Is Tikan always like this?"

"Most of the time."

"It is really different from the gloomy atmosphere of the Garden of Swords. By the way, you can't take your eyes off it. Do you really like it that much?"

When Jin turned his head and smiled, Mary burst into laughter as if she couldn't stand it.

"Even my cold-blooded younger brother can make such a foolish expression. I thought the only thing you were interested in was fighting like a maniac, but this is also quite nice."

Jin adjusted his expression and gently put the book in his pocket.

"If you wish, I can make you laugh more. What kind of expression should I make?"

"Suddenly, speaking so dryly makes it boring. You have to be a little embarrassed to make it fun."

Clang! The two of them clinked their glasses.

"The youngest."

"Yes, elder sister."

"All the major factions that haven't gone to the Gaifa Archipelago are gathered in the desert named Sota. Have you heard of it?"

Mary was talking about the information she promised to tell Jin.

[Miya!]

Before Jin could respond, Shuri, who had been lying between Mary and Jin (she had been summoned because Mary missed her), let out a cry.

Shuri raised her body and used her front paw claws to draw the location of the Sota Desert on the floor, indicating that she knew where it was, and Mary let out an exclamation.

"Wow, I always feel this whenever I see you, but you're really a clever one. Yes, Shuri. It's there. The desert is located near the center of the Lutero Magic Federation."

In the center of the Lutero Magic Federation, there is not only the Sota Desert but also the capital and the headquarters of the Zipfel, "Drakka."

The first divisions of the three major factions are gathered near that area.

"What is happening in that desert?"

"They are producing new Kozecs."

From the moment Mary first mentioned the word 'Zipfel,' Jin had a certain expectation.

'This is the battleship that Midor summoned with Myuron from that cube.'

The point to note here is not the new 'Kozec,' but the use of the term 'Kozecs' in plural.

"...So they are building and mass-producing giant battleships like Kozecs in the facility located in the Sota Desert."

"Yeah, who would have thought they could mass-produce that?"

"So we need to go and destroy that production facility."

"That's right."

It was a top-secret mission, unlike any other.

In enemy territory. Near the headquarters. It was an attack on a secret facility, and only a very small number of people could be sent back. Jin immediately began to calculate various strategies for the mission.

The solutions were so bad that he had no choice but to grit his teeth.

"When did the clan find out that Zipfel was operating a flying battleship shipyard?"

"The clan seems to have known about the shipyard operation for a while. They only found out the exact location shortly after you destroyed the Black King Mountain Hideout."

"Elder sister, you just now said that not only our clan but also Kinzelo and the Imperial family are on standby in the Sota Desert. So, is it possible that our clan obtained information after them?"

"That's not true. They also got similar information around the same time and rushed to send their top executives to the Sota Desert instead of the Gaifa Archipelago. I am sure about Kinzelo, but the Imperial family may not have sent people to Sota."

"Runcandel and Kinzelo, and the Imperial family got similar information at the same time. This is... clearly a trap."

Jin was convinced.

Zipfels deliberately leaked the information about the shipyard in the Sota Desert. If not, it would be impossible for Runcandel, Kinzelo, and the Imperial family to send people at the same time.

"Diphus Orabeoni said the same thing. 

"He probably also said that it was a trap we couldn't avoid."

Mary nodded her head.

It was indeed a trap that they couldn't avoid.

'Attacking the shipyard in the desert right next to Drakka is, in fact, a crazy idea. Even if we succeed and return by pouring in our best manpower, the benefits that the clan and other factions gain are minimal, mainly just consuming Zipfel's resources and slightly delaying Kozec's mass production.'

Of course, since it is a project to build a battleship, so an astronomical amount of resources and manpower may be invested, but it was not worth the effort that the top personnel of each faction, excluding Zipfel, would risk their lives.

As long as the technology was preserved, they could rebuild the shipyard if it was destroyed.

But they couldn't afford to let the Kozecs continue to be manufactured. In this operation, Zipfel was effectively starting from scratch, trying to defeat other factions from the beginning.

If they had already lost.

Jin needed to find a way to win as best as possible, and only then could he avoid being defeated next time.

Or even if the clan lost, Jin had to create a situation where he could gain as much benefit as possible. So he could use those benefits when the clan eventually became his.

'What does Zipfel want? Why did they suddenly leak information about the shipyard at this time? To lure the top personnel from each faction to the center of the Lutero Magic Federation and eliminate them one by one? No, that violates the main premise that there would be no full-scale war as long as my father is around.'

If the top flagbearers died in the shipyard, it could lead to a full-scale war.

'If they intended to fight properly, they would have built all the battleships first and launched a preemptive attack at an unexpected time instead of revealing the location of the shipyard.'

In that case, what was their intention...?

A word suddenly flashed through Jin's mind.

Check.

'Are Zipfels trying to check the strength of the representatives from each faction who attacked the shipyard or whether they possess any special abilities?'

The Sota Desert was near the capital city, Drakka, and Drakka was located at the center of the Federation.

Drakka hadn't been exposed to any attacks from outside forces in the past thousand years. Even Runcandel would find it nearly impossible to create an infiltration team that could infiltrate all the border networks up to Drakka.

'Attacking the secret shipyard next door wouldn't be much different. If Runcandel, Kinzelo, or the Imperial family succeed in infiltrating the shipyard, it's as if Zipfel is checking the abilities of outside forces.'

Kinzelo had the leader, Plutonian-type golems and Bubare, the Imperial family had Majins, and Runcandel had Jin, Murakan, and Joshua, the Prophet.

Of these, the only one that Zipfel might not know exists is the Prophet.

A sharp intuition struck his mind.

'Zipfel found out that Joshua has a special ability and wants to know about his power...!'

That's why they laid down the sweet poison, the trap that they couldn't help but step into.

Of course, it could have been an overkill.

But if that wasn't the case, he couldn't think of any other reason why Zipfel would reveal the location of the secret shipyard.

'Also, there's a high probability that Zipfels didn't include me in their calculations. I chose to go for the Gaifa Archipelago instead of infiltrating the secret shipyard in the Sota Desert. Furthermore, they would have concluded that Joshua and I could not carry out a mission together considering our hostile relationship.'

A faint smile finally appeared on Jin's lips, which had been dark all along.

Once again, he had the role of a variable.

"But, elder sister."

"Yes?"

"Why are you entrusting this mission to me instead of going to the Sota Desert yourself? Is it because of the training you mentioned earlier?"

"That's one reason, but if I had won the duel earlier, I had intended to go myself. Sending the stronger one increases the chances that Diphus Orabeoni won't get hurt."

Joshua and Diphus were the two flagbearers currently stationed in the Sota Desert, waiting for infiltration.

Mary stood up, emptied her glass, and said, "It's time for the losers to leave. This is a letter from Diphus Orabeoni. The infiltration route is marked on it, so just follow it. In case something happens to him, I'm counting on you to make sure he doesn't die."

"Elder sister, hold on."

"Hmm? What is it? Are you trying to thank me for the training manual? Heh, try it five times."

"No, it's not that. Well, of course, I'm incredibly grateful. Please take a look at this."

What caught the eye of Mary as she tilted her head was a knitted green rose.

"Actually, elder sister Yona was here before you came. She even confirmed that the boat was yours, but she was too busy to meet you in person, so she asked me to pass this on to you."

Mary's eyes sparkled as she heard a story that contained somewhat well-intentioned lies.

"Oh, really? Yona, that girl?"

"Yes."

"Haha! Yona had such a cute and adorable side! Isn't she just embarrassed rather than busy? Alright, I like it. To show appreciation for her kindness, my next challenge will be in Samil!"

"Elder sister Mary?"

"Cosmos!"

Mary rushed to the railing and shouted the pirate's name.

"Yes, Captain!"

"Raise the anchor. We've just decided our next destination!"

Immediately, the pirates, scattered across the deck, raised the anchor and prepared for the voyage.

Mary once again covered her eyes with the black eyepatch and before she ran off, she turned around and shouted.

"Come back with Diphus Orabeoni without getting hurt. Got it!?"

Jin smiled and nodded.