Chapter 265: Debate

The bond between the Taishi Xiongdi was deep; before Teclis made great strides in the Way of Magic, Tyrion had countless times used his fists and feet, or even direct duels, to teach a lesson to those who dared to mock and insult him for his sickly physique.

By the time of the Great Holy War against the third Everchosen, almost no Elf understood why Teclis wanted to support the Old World and help the short-lived races fight against the Chaos armies marching south.

Tyrion likewise did not understand why his younger brother cared so much about the outside world, but he still stepped forward to use his own influence to assemble a decent force for Teclis. At the same time, he assured him that no matter where he campaigned, he would always have a home to return to.

Under such premises, it was rare for Teclis to openly oppose his older brother at the council. Tyrion made a gesture of invitation, signaling that he required an explanation.

"Ever since His Majesty ascended to the throne, there has been war almost every year. Not to mention the distant ones, how many times has Ulthuan been invaded in the last fifty years?" Teclis's voice was carried directly to the ears of everyone in the hall by the Winds of Magic.

"Slaanesh's scion, Sigvald—it was you who fought him back then, Princess Aitila of Tailuoluoke; you know best how much harm his atrocities brought to the Asur." Teclis naturally did not want to clash directly with his brother, so he pointed his spearhead at Tyrion's number one supporter.

"The Skaven plague thirty years ago brought many new faces here. Those rats broke through the Sea Gate and entered the Dreaming Sea; had the Phoenix Guard in the temple not lent a hand, the consequences would have been unthinkable." Teclis turned to look around the entire hall.

"Lokhir Fellheart, the filthiest representative among our evil cousins, harasses our fleets everywhere." He looked at the silent Phoenix King, seemingly wanting a response.

"Recent events, which everyone is unwilling to mention. The filthy Greenskins attacked Ulthuan, the sacred home of the Asur. Prince Moranion of Yvresse died in battle, and his son, our friend Eltharion, crushed the enemy, but the Land of Mists is already scarred and devastated."

Teclis recounted with grief; Eltharion and the Taishi Xiongdi were all high-ranking nobles and powerhouses, and they were on good terms, but ever since that bloody battle a few years ago, their friend had never smiled again. He was thus called "The Grim."

"So what, my dear brother? Those who dared to invade us all fell before the Asur! The Lord of the Phoenix protects us!" Tyrion did not like beating around the bush, and he did not intend to adjourn the meeting just yet.

"Ulthuan is our home turf; the Vast Ocean will make any foreign race that tries to set foot here pay dearly. But if we are to take the initiative to conquer, she will bring us inconvenience all the same."

Teclis looked around at the attendees and found that Prince Imrik of the Kingdom of Caledor was not present. Eltharion, dissatisfied with the council's lack of timely support at the time, no longer came to attend these meetings.

Other Elves qualified to stop Tyrion, such as the Everqueen and the Phoenix Guard Captain who represented the will of Asuryan, were also not present; the Archmage realized that he was already the last line of defense.

"Then my dear brother, how many troops do you think you need?" He decided to try a different approach.

Hearing this, Tyrion fell into a brief moment of thought; the number of that Dwarf Expeditionary Force was not small, and they had a fortress to rely on. He really dared not say too few, otherwise, an unfavorable start would have repercussions in all aspects.

"The Dwarfs are different from the time of the War of the Beard; they have a massive amount of Artillery, Flamethrowers, and even things that can fly." Teclis took this opportunity to win more influence for himself.

He tapped his staff lightly, and a screen of light appeared in the hall. The combat performance of the Dwarfs' War Machines played like a slideshow. Some of this content was seen by Teclis himself when he traveled through the Old World, but much of it also came from intelligence gathered by spies.

Originally, these Elves, isolated in their overseas paradise, did not care what the Dwarfs and monkeys of the Old World were doing, but the last two Phoenix Kings had made some changes. They had gathered a lot of news through trade partners, resident ambassadors, and representatives of the colonies.

The changes in the Dwarfs caused sighs to rise among the Elf nobles. Both races were gradually declining; for the Dwarfs, it was mainly the population decrease outweighing the progress of technology, while for the Elves, it was the Dragons—who had no rivals—falling into slumber while they stood still in other aspects.

"What are you doing? Boosting the morale of the Dwarfs and destroying our own prestige?" Tyrion snapped out of his calculations to see his brother playing a magic movie. This powerful warrior did not care about the capabilities of any Cannon or Iron Cage Hand Cannon.

"Brother, you do not fear these mundane firearms, but according to Afazeer's report, the leader of that expeditionary force is a powerhouse. A High Prince who slew a Demigod and even defeated Nurgle's..."

If Sinuoli knew that such boasting was being spread by Teclis, he would likely drink three full cups, but the Archmage was interrupted before he could finish his sentence.

"And so what? The turtle shells the Dwarfs spend generations building would only be melted into molten iron under my Sunfang!" Tyrion placed his hand on the hilt at his waist; the longsword was slightly unsheathed, but the temperature in the hall spiked by several degrees.

Sunfang was a weapon forged in the era of Aenarion to slay Daemons; legend says the flames burning upon it were stolen from the sun. Besides slashing, it also had the ability to project sword energy.

"What about this old shell?" Teclis waved his hand again, and the image of Krag Master suppressing the Phoenix appeared in the light screen. "This is the master of that Sinuoli; the Dwarfs claim he is their strongest Rune Master. Akazet is an undisputed member of the Inner Circle of the Tower of Hoeth, but he had little ability to fight back before him."

"Do I not still have you?" A Demigod is undoubtedly the peak combat power in the Mortal World, and a Dwarf Demigod is not lacking in equipment matching his own strength. However, Prince Tyrion did not fear him; if he went into battle, he still had his own brother.

"Of course, as long as you need me, my sword will always be by your side. But then, who else is left here?" Prince Teclis went in a circle before revealing his trump card.

"Prince, you cannot go! Ulthuan still needs your protection!"

"Those Dwarfs who sink the moment they touch water cannot be compared to our evil cousins in the north!"

"By the grace of Kadai! The Asur cannot withstand any more disasters!"

Teclis's previous analysis of the situation and introduction to the power of the Dwarfs played a major role; the nobles in the hall supported him one after another.

"The efficacy of the Great Vortex is weakening; Ku'gath has already descended upon the Mortal World, and N'Kari, I fear, is also stirring in the ruined palace within the Realm of Chaos." Teclis knew what his brother worried about most, and he spoke his final point.