Chapter 924: Scheming
“Oh? Tyre straightened his body and smilingly said, “Please, tell us about it.”
Han Shuo still had an unruffled look, as though the G.o.dhunter Alliance was no threat at all, as he slowly explained, “Inform the Twelve Dominions that the G.o.dhunter Alliance will be a.s.sembling at the Fringe. I bet they would be more than happy to take long journeys for exterminating the G.o.dhunter Alliance that had always been scattered and in hiding.”
“That does sound like a plan, but I’m afraid that when those of the Twelve Dominions have come to the Fringe, they will not just exterminate the G.o.dhunter Alliance but we Fringedwellers as well,” Tyre wore a grimace as he explained, “Although we Fringedwellers are not as unpopular as the G.o.dhunter Alliance, we aren’t exactly liked. Most of us Fringedwellers used to be criminals from every Dominion. I’m afraid that when their army came, they would exterminate us along with the G.o.dhunters.”
“That’s right. Bryan, you might not know, but there are many who felt that the Fringe should not exist on Elysium. If they feel that they have a chance at eliminating the tumor, which is us, from Elysium, they will do so. We could be hoisting our own petard. Those of the G.o.dhunter Alliance could escape everywhere but we cannot. We could be exterminated by the forces of the Twelve Dominions before the G.o.dhunters could invade our land,” explained Ossora after he sighed. He sounded rather helpless.
“Humph, don’t forget that your Han Hao used to be a member of the G.o.dhunter Alliance. Once those of the Twelve Dominions arrive at the Fringe, they will exterminate Han Hao and his G.o.dhunters before destroying the Fringe, “ sneered Logue.
“Alas, we seem to have an unsolvable challenge before us… “ remarked Tyre with a worried frown.
“Then we shall fight! If we can obtain early-victories, the G.o.dhunter Alliance will hesitate!” said the rather quiet Wasir suddenly.
Tyre immediately voiced his agreement as though he had planned to do so since the beginning, “This is an unavoidable war. We must fight!” He looked at Han Shuo and Ossora before he asked, “As long as the five of us could work as one, we will stand a chance against them. Gentlemens, what do you say?”
Han Shuo could tell that Tyre and Logue must have planned something before the meeting but he decided not to point it out bluntly. He merely shrugged and replied, “Well, I’m the youngest here so I guess I’ll just follow you elders’ plan. I will do my best to contribute as a member of the Fringe.”
“Excellent! What a lad!” Tyre laughed heartily as though he was very satisfied with Han Shuo’s answer. He said, “There’s a good chance that the G.o.dhunter Alliance won’t invade as one army. So here’s the plan: the five of us will each guard one side of the Fringe. If any of us were attacked, we immediately start defending while informing others about it. If any of us could no longer hold the enemy, the other four will send reinforcements… “
Tyre explained his plan in detail, covering every aspect and every possibility. It was clear that he had given a lot of thought into it. In short, the five will each defend one side of the Fringe and stay connected using magical mirrors. And if any of them ran into a powerful attack, the other four would send reinforcements.
Although the G.o.dhunter Alliance had Salas’ a.s.sistance, their military intelligence capability would still be poorer than the Sovereigns who ruled the land. If any faction of the G.o.dhunter Alliance got too far from their main army, the forces of the Five Sovereigns would immediately a.s.semble and defeat them in detail.
Tyre’s plan seemed rather sound and reasonable. Logue would frequently nod as Tyre explained. He did not ask any questions or voice any disagreement.
Ossora opposed the plan. However, as he could not offer a better alternative or find grounds to refute Tyre, in the end, he had no choice but to agree to it.
“Bryan, are you okay with the arrangement?” asked Tyre smilingly after turning his gaze at Han Shuo.
“No problem, none at all! I concur fully and wholeheartedly!” replied Han Shuo after he jolted slightly. It seemed as though he had been roused from a daydream and had not been listening to Tyre.
But Tyre did not take offense. Seeing that his objective had been reached, he laughed heartily and said, “Very well, then it is decided! We shall defend the side of the Fringe that our Omphalos gate is facing. But I believe that it will be at least half-a-year to one year before the G.o.dhunter Alliance could invade us. We should use this time to converse strength, build up energy, and keep collecting intel to prepare for the war ahead of us!”
“Tyre, the five of us should issue a joint statement to every faction in the Fringe and let them know what’s happening. They too must contribute in defending the Fringe against the G.o.dhunter Alliance, which can only be done with the five of us commanding them,” spoke Logue suddenly.
“Of course,” Tyre grinned and replied, “Actually, I have already delivered an ultimatum to all big and small forces in the Fringe that they must surrender to either one of us and join our army within half-a-year. They may immediately separate from us once the crisis is over. Those who would not defend the Fringe will be banished.”
“That’s fantastic!” Han Shuo got up and with a big smile on his face, he said, “I see that you have taken care of the necessary work for us. I guess there’s no longer anything that I should worry about. Alright, we shall meet again when the G.o.dhunters have reached the perimeter of the Fringe.”
After finis.h.i.+ng those words, Han Shuo took a glance at Ossora and Wasir and left.
The Sovereigns did not discuss any further after Han Shuo’s departure. Wasir and Ossora took their leaves and left Tyre and Logue in the lounge.
“Humph, that kiddo is definitely growing more and more domineering!” Logue smiled sinisterly and said, “He is the prime target of the G.o.dhunter Alliance. If we move away from the side that he will be guarding, the G.o.dhunters will naturally go in his direction and attack him. And by then, even if the G.o.dhunter Alliance cannot finish him, we will!”
“Don’t worry, after this war, there won’t be a Pandemonium or House of Han in the Fringe!” Tyre put on a faint smile and continued, “Alright, we should make full use of the time to rope in as many of the factions as possible. The combined power of those forces is extremely great and this is a rare opportunity for us to tap into that power. We had been letting them do as they wished for many years and now is the time for us to reap the benefits!”
“Haha, Bryan is definitely still clueless that we have already subdued most of them. I bet that Wasir, Ossora, and Bryan will be p.i.s.sing their pants real soon!” sneered Logue.
*** At the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy of the Omphalos, Ossora and Han Shuo was having a drink. They sat facing each other with a coffee table between them.
“Bryan, how do you feel about Tyre’s plan?” asked Ossora after downing a gla.s.s of wine.
Han Shuo gently swayed the wine gla.s.s in his hand and stared into the dark-red wine thoughtfully. After a long while, he answered in a deep voice, “It’s obvious that Tyre and Logue had planned it ahead of time. But I wonder if they are planning against the G.o.dhunter Alliance or us… “
“It’s probably both. They likely are planning to use the G.o.dhunter Alliance to weaken us. Humph, Tyre and Logue had committed all kinds of despicable and shameless acts. If they sell out information about our defenses to the G.o.dhunter Alliance and abandon us during crucial moments, in the future, the Fringe will be theirs!” replied Ossora.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said in the meeting – that people do not want the Fringe to exist on Elysium. That may be true, but they need the Fringe to exist. Without it, the criminals would have nowhere to go and the crime rate in every dominion will soar. A moment of impulsion, greed, or even something as simple as a spat could turn a good man into a murderer. Therefore, be it now or in the future, there will be no lack of criminals.
“The Dominions could hunt down the criminals to stop the crimes, but it would be much easier if the criminals would just leave and go somewhere. And Fringe is a haven for those people, a place where they can move to and call home. In the past millions of years, although the Fringe had been purged several times, multiple Sovereigns rose and fell, and yet, even to this day, it persevered. That was not a coincidence,” said Han Shuo whose eyes were glistening.
Ossora suddenly realized what Han Shuo was hinting at and he exclaimed, “You mean?!”
“There is a necessity for the Fringe’s existence and therefore the Twelve Dominions will not wipe it out of existence. However, they wouldn’t let the Fringe grow too strong either. They will attack the Fringe every once in a while to weaken it, but never to exterminate it,” continued Han Shuo.
“So you intend to carry on with your idea and disclose the G.o.dhunter Alliance’s plan to Twelve Dominions?” asked Ossora.
“Maybe. But I think that a round of cleansing is long overdue for both the G.o.dhunter Alliance and the Fringe,” Han Shuo did not answer Ossora’s question directly. He smiled and said, “Tyre and Logue may scheme, but so can we. Ossora, by then, if you run into trouble, come to my Pandemonium.”
Ossora put on a pensive look and nodded. He then took his leave.
After Ossora left, Han Shuo summoned Zovic and instructed, “Inform every House of Han members that we will leave for the Pandemonium in three days.”