Of course, knowing the battlefield terrain and the strength of your opponents were crucial components for the preparation of an assault, but no actual planning could be done until they knew their own force.

Mias's numbers for the cost of victory would slowly increase by the day, meaning even more members would need to be summoned, trained, and committed to the cause.

The other factor would be weather, but that would be addressed later.

For now, Vale was focused on what he'd summon.

Currently, he had 26 Aether to work with, plus whatever those committing regional genocide brought back.

His choice was fairly easy: he needed to overload on Warriors.

While the Archers were slightly physically stronger and much more agile, they carried a crude bow with a limited supply of arrows. The Warriors may be summoned weaponless, but they were better in a melee, more durable, and cost slightly less.

Vale wanted to summon eight more Archers to reach Mias's quota of 12, but he'd stop there and commit all of his efforts to spewing out Warriors…

As he ruminated, he realized the monumental amount of Aether he'd have to commit for this, plus the terrible downsides even if he won.

♥︎♥︎♥︎

Recruitment:

Champion: [80 Satisfaction]

Worker: [1 Aether]

Warrior: [10 Aether]

Archer: [15 Aether]

Mage: [100 Aether]

Random: [25 Aether]

♥︎♥︎♥︎

Vale would need 120 Aether just for the eight Archers, and then 310 Aether for the 31 Warriors. Add on to the extra they now need, and Vale would be losing roughly 500 Aether.

500 Aether that Vale would undoubtedly get once Salome, Awilix, and Diana returned…

But that was just the beginning of the complication.

After he summons them, he'll then have to maintain and arm them.

While he had a mass of extra bone knives and crude weapons, they still paled in comparison to the simple farm tools, let alone Ophelia's creations.

Add to that the logistics of the extra mouths to feed after culling the beasts in the area, and things got a whole lot worse.

As they'd have to kill whatever beasts took the place of the ones they massacred to feed the Legion, drawing even stronger beings to their doorstep and starting a feedback loop.

If that feedback loop were perpetuated for too long, then Vale wouldn't have to worry about only being spotted by a major kingdom, but that some rogue abomination that outranked and outclassed them would wander into his dungeon and slaughter them all.

'Tch.'

Things were looking pretty dicey.

Mias finally completed the diorama, and Vale finished superimposing the blueprint over it.

Finally allowing mini Mias, who'd shrunk to Vale's ankle, to recall his smoke and grow back to the height of his shin.

Vale was going to miss mini Mias when the original got back; he was kind of funny to look at.

What other 'Reaper of Knowledge' could be nearly palmed in a hand?!

Vale laughed internally as the workers bounded into the core and brought out stones, starting to fill up the blueprint.

'Finally, something else in this empty room.'

While it wasn't actually meant for decoration, it felt like it was when the only three other things in the expansive room were chairs and the Dungeon Core!

At least if — 'when' — they won their coming fight, they'd even be able to have some decor. Perhaps even a fancy rug for his room!

Vale stretched as he waited at the grand entrance of the logistical hub for his forces to return.

***

5 hours passed before the group returned.

They'd ended up amassing 418 Aether for Vale to absorb… a little less than he'd expected. But it turned out to be a major issue that they had no bags to carry the shards, so they had to make frequent trips back to the entrance to toss them down the ramp.

'We really need a leatherworker or tailor.'

As for how Vale was going to use the shards to summon troops?

Well, just like consuming a foreign Dungeon Core, if the shards were thrown into his Dungrion Core, they would be absorbed into the system, not stored in the white expanse like he thought they'd be.

'That solved that…'

He now had 444 Aether to spend.

While he'd love to hold onto it to give the beast population time to reemerge, he had to summon the troops earlier so they could begin training and organizing.

Vale summoned eight Archers, and a moment later, summoned 32 Warriors… He decided to absorb the remaining four himself while he was at it.

He at least wanted something!

Vale was a little wistful about letting that much Aether go, but as he watched the new members of his Legion march out of the Dungeon Core and in front of Vale, only one thought coursed through his mind:

'Holy crap...'

Their splotched, ink-like skin made them look like a tide of pink and black terror. While individually they were eye candy, together they became horrifying!

Vale smiled and let out an awkward laugh.

The 40 kneeled and chanted in unison:

"What are your orders, master?"

Vale, a little stunned, said:

"Arm yourself with whatever weapon you see fit; they are stored in the Core. Stand by in patrol."

"Understood."

Mias, back to full size, having absorbed mini Mias, remarked:

"Yes. With proper training, this force is sufficient."

Vale looked back at the scholar:

"I don't want to rely on you too heavily… but how do you suppose they should be divided?"

Mias smiled:

"You're doing a pretty alright job at that. But, as for a smaller army facing a much larger one… we'd stand no hope in a straight-up clash. We also lack shields, so any force thrown out in distraction will be slaughtered in due time. So, for now, promote one of the three group leaders to general and another to commander to take their place. Then continue expanding the three groups you currently have while playing to their strengths."

Vale looked at Mias in slight confusion:

"Why did you tell me to summon more of the Legion in the first place just to say they'd die if we sent them in?"

Mias held a slight frown as he marched toward the diorama and around to the village.

"I know you wished for a swift victory, but such a feat is impossible given the circumstances."

Mias dragged his hand over the model farm:

"Liora is far away from other villages and is rarely visited by outsiders due to its weird zealots and the main form of commerce being bartering. Therefore, most of their food is self-provided by these farms… I assume you can figure the rest."

Vale's eyes widened:

"Ah, I see… yes, that would be the best way."

Awilix, who'd been spectating, growled:

"The hell are you dumbasses talking about?"

Salome giggled and looked at Awilix while holding her arms around Toy, who'd been relieved of guard duty by Stacy's squad.

"Are you that stupid, kitten? It's what the chameleons did to us. He is suggesting that we raze their crops, block any potential traders, and decimate and burn their storehouses."

Vale was in full agreement with that plan. He was. But that came with its own titanic list of downsides.

"What we'd need to address is how we'd get to their storehouses, and how defensible the dungeon will be in your absence."

Mias replied evenly:

"Since I've concluded they most likely have an oracle hidden among them, they will know when we're attacking, as well as whatever force we send. So it does make that front difficult. As it means if I plan any action with my other half to help, it will be spotted easily, and regardless, surprises will be sniffed out."

Vale questioned with an odd expression:

"What do you suppose we do about that?"

Mias laid his hand down on a building.

"My goal was to find the oracle and assassinate them, but either they are very good at hiding, or it is Ophelia herself. In any case, this leaves us with one solution, penetration with a power so great that prediction of it wouldn't matter."

Awilix burst out laughing:

"Bahaha! Penetration with great power!"

Salome glared at Awilix.

"Behave, Kitty."

Toy looked over at Mias, and shyly asked, while hiding from the imps:

"W-what do you suppose we do?"

Mias looked right at her, making the poor goblin shiver:

"Oh, why, that's where Salome comes in."

Salome's eyes narrowed:

"Reaper, I figured it's what you'd say, but are you suggesting I raid their storehouses alone?"

Mias looked a little confused as he said:

"You can fly, can you not? Just fly in, torch it, and then defend it until it all burns and retreat."

Salome scowled:

"You described that as if it's easy… that Ophelia girl has been gaining considerable power, enough that she can equal me. Also, what I do is much closer to gliding than flying."

Mias shrugged and smiled:

"Well, glide in and away then. If it looks bad, my other half will be there to help bail you out."

Then Mias drew his gaze to Toy:

"As for you… You will be leading a detachment of the warriors in razing the farmland and then occupying trade routes, cutting off escape routes, and blocking any potential way they could secure food."

Toy shook a little as she said:

"W-wait, what? I-I thought I would be going with Master Salome!"

Salome sighed.

"Trust me, sweetie, you don't want to be going where I am. This Demon is sending me into hell."

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