Chapter 460: Simple and Crude, Two Plans

"Expecting me to offer any advice is a lost cause, though we cannot simply turn a blind eye; confirming our subsequent actions is, however, necessary."

Shaking his head, Wang Yu saw nothing worth soliciting his opinion on. His strength had ascended, but when it came to "strategy," he had made virtually no progress. His cognitive level remained rooted in the foundations laid on Earth, merely stacking new knowledge from this world atop them. Knowing more had not changed his way of thinking.

Using the power of his war chariot to touch the Tree of the Night, he invoked the Lady of the Night’s power to project his consciousness into the void chatroom. A conference room had already been constructed from the divine power of the night. Wang Yu was the last to arrive; the other entities were already seated.

Scanning the room briefly, he noted that although everyone appeared as a "little black figure," those who had privately communicated via the prayer network could instantly identify one another. As a user with administrative privileges, Wang Yu naturally knew exactly who was who at a glance.

Shale, Edward, Elliot, a Merman elder Wang Yu didn't know well, the White Dragon Patriarch Mistrix, the Silver Dragon Arelian, the Red Dragon maiden Noel, Father Fang...

Wait, why was Father Fang here? Well, it wasn't particularly strange for a regional bishop of the Church of Light to also harbor some faith in the Lady of the Night.

Wang Yu’s close friends were mostly present, along with many others he barely knew or hadn't realized existed—leaders of the various small organizations that had sprouted within the ever-expanding Night Church, such as trade alliances and academic societies.

As Wang Yu arrived in the conference room, everyone turned their gaze toward him, seemingly waiting for him to speak. But what could he possibly say? If things continued like this, they would just be staring at each other. Fortunately, Shale and Edward, who understood him best, were there to steer the conversation.

"The Five-Race Alliance of the continent has sent us an invitation to join the crusade against the 'Ideal State' organization. Although the invitation is ostensibly addressed only to Alastair, I believe everyone here can see who the true target is."

"Indeed, it is the Night Church as a whole, including Alastair, the dragons, and our members scattered across the continent, of diverse identities and races."

Shale spoke lightly, detailing the current situation. The Five-Race Alliance’s invitation to Alastair was quite transparent; having realized the existence of the dragons, they saw the immense potential and strength of the Night Church and hoped to gain an ally to handle the current chaos on the continent.

"Regarding this invitation, we have discussed it briefly and would like to seek your opinion, Archbishop Wang Yu: shall we accept, decline, or choose another path?"

After Shale finished, the White Dragon Mistrix turned his gaze toward Wang Yu, stating the purpose of the meeting: to confirm Wang Yu’s stance—whether he wanted to accept the invitation or make a different decision.

Mistrix’s opening essentially signaled the attitude of the dragons. They didn't care about the choices of other members; they would follow Wang Yu’s lead. Acceptance or rejection depended entirely on his will.

The others did not interject after the White Dragon, but their stance was clear. Even if they didn't blindly follow Wang Yu like the dragons, his words would become one of the most important factors in their own decision-making.

"What does everyone think of this 'Ideal State' organization?"

Wang Yu didn't rush to answer, instead throwing a question back to the assembly. He had originally intended to let them decide for themselves, but now he suddenly wanted to clarify a few things.

"Their current behavioral motives are quite unclear, yet they seem to have a very ancient history. The high-ranking officials of the kingdoms surrounding Alastair all have individuals similar to the Great Astrologer Serene; they should all be members of this organization."

"The inexplicable siege on Alastair previously was caused by these 'Ideal State' members interfering with the kingdoms' decisions. However, the common people were not influenced, so once the disparity in strength was revealed, the sheer dissonance exposed the members who had orchestrated the siege."

"These members have since fled, likely to avoid capture and interrogation. Thus, we need not worry about sudden, irrational attacks from other kingdoms for the time being."

"From known intelligence, their goal is to establish an 'Ideal State' of indeterminate nature, but judging by their actions, it is clear they have threatened the safety of Alastair. Therefore, my judgment is that they are enemies."

It was Shale who answered first, calmly recounting recent events and his assessment of the organization: their specific goals were unclear, but they were undoubtedly enemies.

"Eamon went missing near the Bloodfang Empire, and all means of contact have failed. I do not believe an entity capable of such things could ever be a good partner."

Elliot was the second to speak. He was still brooding over Eamon’s disappearance; logically and emotionally, his hostility toward the "Ideal State" was justified.

"The rhetoric of this 'Ideal State' is quite familiar to us dragons. The believers of the Dragon Cult previously pursued a similar 'kingdom.' Therefore, we do not believe this is something that will bring about positive change. I think it would be best not to let it develop further."

This was the statement from the Silver Dragon Arelian. Having experienced the incident with Mielos and the years of rot caused by the Dragon Cult, it would be strange if they considered anything with such a sense of déjà vu to be good.

"An existence that twists the minds of individuals can never be called righteous."

Father Fang spoke briefly; his attitude was the attitude of the Church of Light.

"The latest intelligence confirms that the Alliance’s investigation team went missing while approaching the Bloodfang Empire. Their life or death cannot be confirmed, but all contact and tracking methods have failed. Clearly, if there were no malice, such measures would not be necessary."

"At the same time, members of the Night Church have been affected by this organization—some have disappeared, and others have had their businesses seized during the organization's expansion. The existence of the 'Ideal State' will likely have no positive impact on the Night Church."

A leader of one of the organizations under the Night Church described the impact they had suffered, making no effort to hide their dissatisfaction and disgust.

After listening to everyone’s views, Wang Yu had a clear picture. Everyone was quite rational; none of them actually believed that just because these people called themselves an "Ideal State," they were truly building a utopia for everyone.

Wang Yu gathered his thoughts. Ignoring his own persona, he summarized the situation in blunt, unrefined language.

"Everyone’s view is pretty much the same. This inexplicable 'Ideal State' is just a bunch of lunatics spouting nonsense. What they do has nothing to do with the 'ideal state' they talk about."

"Maybe they are playing some 'riddles' or have some deep-seated considerations, but if they won't speak plainly and their actions only bring destruction and trouble, then getting wiped out is their own fault."

"They are enemies—that is the current status of the 'Ideal State.' And looking at the influence they possess, if we leave them alone, they will likely bring trouble to our doorstep. There's nothing more to say: just go against them."

"The Alliance invited us to deal with these guys, so let's agree. Regardless of what those people want to accomplish, we'll just make as much trouble for them as possible. Whatever they try to finish, we stop them from finishing."

Wang Yu laid out his simple, brutal plan: fight. Oppose the "Ideal State," accept the alliance invitation, and participate in the attacks. A very simple decision.

Shale sat in his seat, listening quietly, a smirk playing on his lips. The words were crude, but they aligned perfectly with his own intentions. It was the familiar style of that guy, Wang Yu.

"Agreed."

"Makes sense."

"As it should be..."

"..."

Responses echoed quickly. Everyone expressed approval of Wang Yu’s words: accept the alliance and launch an attack on the "Ideal State."

"Do you have any arrangements for the subsequent actions? We can prepare in advance."

Elliot, representing the leaders of the Night Church, asked if Wang Yu had planned the church’s next moves.

"I have two plans."

Wang Yu held up two fingers and said calmly.

His words immediately grabbed everyone's attention. They focused their spirits, waiting for the Archbishop’s guidance. Shale and Edward, in particular, were stunned; this guy didn't seem like the type to offer advice for large-scale organizations.

"Could it be a plan from Avia?"

"It must be."

"Then we must listen carefully."

The two whispered to each other through the prayer network, speculating on the origin of Wang Yu’s two plans.

"These two plans have nothing to do with what you are doing. I am not good at planning, so I won't meddle in the Night Church’s subsequent actions. How you deploy personnel and such, you can discuss among yourselves; it will surely be better than me barking orders."

"These two plans will run in parallel with your actions. What I mean is, just go ahead and do it. See if you can coordinate with the Five-Race Alliance to finish off this 'Ideal State.' These two plans are just things I am preparing myself."

"If there are operational plans later, you can show them to me. For now, my strength is decent, and some things will be easier for me to resolve."

But Wang Yu’s follow-up left everyone stunned. His two plans were not for the Night Church; he was leaving it to them to decide how to strike against the "Ideal State," while he would provide assistance using his own strength.

"Two plans, not left for us..."

Mistrix chewed on Wang Yu’s words, his expression deepening. This strange statement made him think of many things.

"Does Lord Wang Yu have even deeper arrangements? If we knew, would our actions be influenced by that information? Therefore, we should just proceed with our own judgments and actions."

Elliot already had a rough guess in his heart, feeling as if he had swallowed a strange-tasting but effective pill.

The others felt much the same, curious about the so-called two plans and certain that he had a deeper strategy in mind.

Only Shale and Edward had subtle expressions. Knowing Wang Yu as they did, they knew he was likely telling the truth—but he was probably about to pull off something truly extraordinary.