Supreme Magus novel Chapter 1934

"Just the sheepskin necessary for the fliers, the need to organize rallies, and the people that must travel far and wide throughout the country to spread your electoral promises cost a fortune." Bytra replied.

"Those with the right ideas rarely have the means whereas those who have the means rarely have any interest in changing the status quo. Democracy is great on paper, but once you try it out, you discover that unless you have the money to make your voice heard, you are nothing but a whisper in a storm."

Lith nodded, remembering what usually happened on Earth where even people with a good heart and full of ideals were forced to sell themselves to get the necessary funds to be elected.

No matter what they promised, they were always forced to compromise so much that their dreams became so watered down to be irrelevant, if not completely twisted. Very few countries on Earth could be called civil, the rest just pretended to.

"What about the war?" Lith asked. "How come every country neighbouring Namgar is fighting another?"

"Verendi is still divided into many small countries. It means that the resources are unevenly distributed and that very few democracies are self-sufficient. They use trade as a way to survive and keep their neighbours' growth in check." Bytra replied.

"The moment a famine, a plague, or a draught strikes, so do the neighbouring armies and the losers get their country split among the winners. Those countries are facing some kind of crisis and the others are simply making use of that.

"With a bit of luck, by following a conflict that's taking place despite the lack of such conditions we'll find Theseus. You have no idea what the so-called civilized people would do to put a leash on a living weapon of mass destruction."

"Would really a single Abomination change the situation of an entire continent so much?" Lith said.

"Yes." The Raiju nodded. "Right now, all the countries have their hands tied and have to wait for favourable conditions in order to strike. That's because the true strength of an army doesn't lay in the number of its soldiers but in its mages.

"The nonsensical policy of Verendi prevents mages to rise because the upper echelons are afraid of being ruled by them like it happens in the Empire and the Kingdom. Yet at the same time, it also limits their power.

"Let's say that two countries with the same extension and number of mages go at war, the first to lose the most magic users in battle loses. Yet at that point, the winner has double the area to protect and less than half the mages they would need, becoming easy prey for their neighbours.

"With an Abomination at their service, instead, they would send it to lay waste on the enemy forces without committing a single mage. One of our kind is enough to win most battles.

"The winner would suffer no losses and if anyone dares to attack them while they are still consolidating their new territory, they can just unleash the beast again."

"Isn't it the same situation the Kingdom was in before Valeron?" Lith asked, obtaining a nod in reply. "Then how the heck did the First King pull off such a feat. Sure, he and his companions were strong, but five people can't keep a country the size of the Kingdom in check."

"I can answer that because I was there." Zoreth had returned, bringing three tankards of a fermented fruit that passed for beer on Namgar. "Valeron wasn't just a conqueror. He was a dreamer and a leader first.

"After conquering a country, no matter how small, he would take his time and conquer its people's hearts. He would stay there, spend time with them and help them solve the main problems that had plagued them for generations.

"Illnesses, food shortages, droughts, he and his companions would get rid of them and make the land flourish just like the Great Mother would. Valeron didn't treat those he defeated as inferior nor did he try to impose his customs.