In the hall, the atmosphere had beco suffocating after Kharzan's departure. The five leaders remained seated around the table, evaluating their options with the gravity of those who bear the fate of millions upon their shoulders.
Lingering traces of corrupted energy still clung to the air.
"We cannot hand over the boys," Selphira affird, breaking the tense silence. "If we yield to this first demand, we'll be accepting our political surrender. The next request will be worse, and it won't be the last."
"But if we refuse," Arturo Dravenholm intervened, his Qilin's antlers still manifested above his head, "we risk starting a war in which we would find ourselves at a clear nurical disadvantage. A two-to-one ratio, based on the now blatant alliance between Yino and the Goldcrests."
He stood and began creating figures in the air with differently colored minerals, forming a three-dinsional diagram in the center of the room.
"Yano has one million inhabitants," he explained, pointing to a circular pie chart divided into sections. "Of these, almost ninety percent are horde fighters but not war combatants with a rank not higher than Bronze 2. In this group, we invest ten billion units of crystals from the main vein and what's obtained from external or different sources."
The sphere divided, showing a dominant section and other much smaller ones.
"Then we have another four or five percent at Silver 1, who consu another five billion units of mana. At Silver 2 is two or three percent, absorbing another five billion."
Julius nodded, recognizing the figures they regularly handled in economic council etings.
"And finally," Arturo continued, "around one percent... approximately ten thousand people, reach Silver 3 or higher, consuming about ten billion for their cultivation just at that level."
Sirius observed the diagram with an impassive expression, but his fingers lightly caressed the ring on his hand, a signal that only Selphira recognized as unease.
"Of those ten thousand," Arturo added, "barely five percent reach Gold 1 or higher rank, having invested more than ten additional billion crystals in them just for their personal cultivations."
A small bright light appeared at the pyramid's apex, representing the culmination of single investnt and cultivation.
"And at the top, our King, whose individual cultivation represents an investnt of more than five hundred million by itself. Our 'special weapon' that cannot be hard by Silver rank tars."
He paused briefly while creating another separate section next to the first. The mineral particles rearranged themselves, forming a comparative model of the neighboring kingdom.
"And do you know how Yino compares?"
Arturo adjusted the diagram, looking primarily at Victor and Ignatius, creating a second pyramid.
"Yino has a similar distribution in terms of total population... approximately one million inhabitants, and access to a similar amount of mana. The main difference, besides lacking a 'King' of our level, is their distribution of ranks."
The second pyramid reconfigured itself, expanding in the middle and narrowing at the top. The visual contrast between the two power structures was imdiately apparent.
"There, Bronze ranks occupy sixty percent, while low Silver 1 represents thirty-five percent. This cos at the expense of their higher levels, of course, but it gives them a broader base of decent combatants."
"To that, we must add the situation with the Goldcrests," added Ignatius, connecting the pieces. "If they fight against us, the balance would tilt drastically."
Arturo nodded, expanding his diagram. The mineral particles shifted, creating a new configuration that illustrated the potential alliance.
"Exactly. If the approximately three hundred thousand inhabitants of the territories under Goldcrest influence change sides, we would be talking about going from a battle between equivalent forces, one million against one million, to a significant imbalance."
The numbers floated, reorganizing themselves into a stark visual representation of the potential conflict.
"More than 1.3 million against less than 0.7 million. Basically, a one against two." Arturo paused, letting the gravity of the situation settle. "And if the abyssal corruption continues expanding at the rate Kharzan implied... we could be facing a one against three in beast numbers and power."
Julius rose abruptly, shaking his head. His Qilin manifested more fully.
"Your demographic branch calculations are impressive, brother, but they leave aside a crucial factor: the quality of our higher lines." He pointed to the apex of Yano's pyramid. "This is, without a doubt, our advantage. If it were really a three against one as you suggest, they would have attacked already."
He approached the diagram, adjusting it.
"I think Kharzan ca precisely to asure strengths, to correctly understand the real gap between our capabilities." A tense smile appeared on his face. "What he saw probably confird to him that they don't have such an overwhelming advantage as they would like to believe."
Arturo frowned, reconsidering his analysis.
"Then you suggest that if we count the three main families of Yano against the three of Yino, and one of ours goes to the opposite side... we're not really in a two against four?"
"Exactly," Julius confird. "Calculating quality and not just quantity, we're probably in a 2.5 against 4, where the Goldcrests only count as 1 on that scale and without father here."
"Which would an..." Arturo began, as the implications beca clear.
"It would an that we would quickly crush the Goldcrests and then lose the real war but also with enormous losses for Yino," Julius concluded. "So it's logical to expect that the Goldcrests wouldn't rise alone or be the first to attack."
Victor, who had remained silent but attentive, intervened then.
"So basically it's a five against seven or eight, if we don't want to talk about fractions." He traced lines connecting the different forces. "We're worth five, the Goldcrests are worth two... and Yino is worth between five and six, depending on how many abyssal warriors they've managed to integrate."
Selphira nodded, her eyes reflecting wisdom accumulated over many decades.
"I agree with Julius's assessnt. Kharzan may be immature and greedy, but he's not a fool; he wouldn't initiate a conflict unless he was sure of his victory. He probably aspires to create a scenario of five against nine or even ten… before launching a direct attack."
"Which gives us ti," concluded Sirius, speaking for the first ti since the beginning of this discussion. "Ti that we must use wisely."
The tension in the room was palpable as each processed the strategic implications. A power balance so delicate ant that any decision, even sothing seemingly minor like the release of two students, could tip the scales toward a devastating conflict.
"So, what is the best response to Kharzan?" Ignatius finally asked, verbalizing the question that weighed on everyone.
A prolonged silence followed Ignatius's question. Each of the leaders weighed the terrible consequences of any decision they might make.
"If Kharzan truly realized that his corrupt power isn't as strong as he initially thought..." Julius reflected, "perhaps we can prevent him from doing sothing stupid and sacrificing his faction just to give Yino the perfect mont to attack."
Sirius, who had remained mostly silent, looked up. His eyes, normally cold and expressionless, showed a flash of inspiration.
"What if we give him just one of his sons?" he suggested, his voice low but firm.
Everyone turned to him, surprised by the proposal.
"Just one?" asked Victor, frowning. "Which one?"
"Klein," Sirius responded without hesitation. "The younger one. Kassian's experint failed thanks to that mushroom kid's intervention, and Klein seems largely purified. But we shouldn't free the 'aggressor'... we know what the younger brother said is true."
Selphira nodded slowly, considering the proposal.
"A middle ground," she murmured. "We don't yield completely, but we don't refuse outright either."
"We would keep Kassian for investigation and as proof that we don't tolerate abyssal experintation," added Arturo. "But we would return one son to Kharzan as a show of political respect."
"And more importantly," observed Julius, "we would avoid giving the impression of total surrender."
The five reflected in silence for several minutes, evaluating the pros and cons of this interdiate approach.
"And if he rejects the option?" Sirius asked what no one wanted to consider.
"If he rejects this option," Ignatius finally said, "I'm afraid you would have to consider another alternative. Consider a... definitive solution."
The words hung suspended in the air, but their aning was crystal clear to everyone present.
"Eliminate his entire faction," Victor verbalized with raw frankness. "In the quickest and most efficient way possible."
"If we do sothing like that, there would be a very high risk of provoking an imdiate response from Yino," Arturo warned. "We would need to gather enough power to take down his hundred combatants simultaneously, without giving them ti to flee or even communicate to call for reinforcents."
"A most complicated situation as we are right now," sighed Selphira. "And with a non-existent margin of error."
Julius stood up, walking to the window that faced the Goldcrests' temporary camp. His Qilin faded, leaving him looking strangely vulnerable against the backdrop of the night sky.
"For the mont, we must make preparations for both options," he declared. "But clearly, negotiation is the preferable path."
He turned back to the others, his face somber.
"I regret that Zhao is taking so long to send a report after surpassing the second silver ring," he confessed. "Unfortunately, communication birds cannot escape the level of the creatures of ring 3 and beyond."
"Don't worry," Selphira reassured him, a sardonic smile appearing on her lips. "Although I'm old, I can still keep the bully at bay for you while the idiot King arrives."
The comnt montarily lightened the atmosphere, eliciting tense smiles from the Dravenholm brothers.
But Sirius instinctively touched the ring on his hand, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Selphira. She knew that the Starweaver family's protector was worried. Selphira was strong, without a doubt, but the burden of confronting a corrupted Kharzan empowered by abyssal energy was imnse, even for soone of her level.
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