Chapter 624 Whoever conquers the territory owns it.
In the western continent, on the Temple Mount in Rome, deep within the oldest temple, a somber meeting is taking place.
After Heather proposed a united front of the Sea Clan, the Great Xia, and the Elves to launch a large-scale attack on the Orcs, neither Charles nor Page responded. Only Sophie whispered a few words to Heather. A long silence fell over the room.
After a long while, Ashif slowly said, "Heather, the Temple's finances have reached a very dangerous point. We need to recuperate for a few more years before we have the ability to launch a large-scale attack. Until then, we can only passively defend."
"Elder Ashif, ever since the orcish-Rakshasa allied forces invaded Persia, we have lost control of the region south of the Caspian Sea. Everyone has seen the changes in the Rakshasa allied forces; who knows where they will stab us in the back next time? Now that we have this excellent opportunity, shouldn't we seize it and completely defeat the orcs?"
"Heatherine, where did you get this news that the Elves are going to return to Oslo? The Elves were severely damaged and left Oslo. Do they really have the strength to come back? If their strength has really recovered, will they pose a huge threat to our Temple?"
“Charles, it doesn’t matter where I got the information. Our enmity with the orcs over the past thousand years can never be resolved. Think of the Templar Knights who died tragically in Persia. Even without the help of the elves, we should take revenge on the orcs.”
"Uh... Heatherine, don't misunderstand me. I just think we should treat this news with caution. If the elves really return to the Western Continent, then we must reconsider our relationship with the vampires and sea creatures!"
Ever since Heather choked him once, Charles has been afraid to talk to her. Heather just stared at him and said a few cold words, and he became a little scared.
In fact, not only Charles was a bit timid, but now, apart from Ashiff, no one in the entire Temple Council dared to directly offend Heather's authority. Ever since her chair was changed to the same purple gemstone chair as Ashiff's, everyone knew that she was the next Grand Elder.
Going against the future Grand Elder is something only a fool would do. There's a huge difference between her taking everything seriously and her turning a blind eye to everything.
“Heather, I agree with your proposal. You will lead the army into the territory of the Rakshasa this time. However, the Temple cannot send too many troops to assist the alien races in their battle. Since the Elven race wants to return to the Western Continent, they should pay the corresponding price. We should not bear the wrath of the Orcs.”
The elderly Ashif finally made his decision, and his meaning was clear: "We're just here to pick up the easy targets; let the elves handle the tough battles themselves!"
"I will lead my personal guard of knights into battle. My knights need their own land. No one can get something for nothing!" Heather said coldly, then got up and walked away. The "tap-tap-tap" of her heels rang in the ears of several temple elders, making them feel annoyed.
Heatherine has made her intentions clear: "My knights need their own territory." In other words, whoever conquers the territory in this attack on the orcs will own it, and no one else can claim any of it.
In the early days of the Temple, the Knights Templar did not have jurisdiction over the surrounding area, nor did they own their own territory. The Knights primarily maintained local order on behalf of the Temple, while the local temple priests were the ones who controlled government affairs and taxation.
However, as the Knights Templar's contributions in the war grew, ordinary temple priests could no longer control those established knightly orders. In many remote areas, the Knights Templar had their own territories and subjects, just like ordinary noble knights.
These knights, who now possessed land and subjects, were even more loyal to their Grand Masters than to the Temple itself. The Grand Masters of these knightly orders were all confidants of the Temple's powerful figures; both Charles and Sophie had several of their own loyal knightly orders.
Heatherine has never been one to wield much power. Even after becoming the Controller of Light, she did not expand her influence extensively. It was only two years ago that she formed her own personal guard of knights.
It now seems that Heather, who has never sought power or profit, is now also cultivating her own loyal followers.
"How many men does her knightly order have now? How many cannons?" Ashif rubbed his forehead and asked the others.
"Her knightly order started with only eight thousand men, but after her identity as the Lord of Light spread, so many knights flocked to her, that number should be twenty thousand now! As for cannons... I only know there are many..."
"Oh! Only 20,000? Give her another 30,000 Holy Temple soldiers! The ruler of light can't be too stingy!"
“…”
Charles and Page remained silent, speechless. Ashiff was becoming increasingly biased towards Heatherine. The Templars were elite troops directly under the Elders, numbering only about 50,000 in total.
In contrast to the cautious attitude of the Great Xia and the Holy Temple, the Sea Clan had no resistance to the return of the Elves, as their sphere of influence had never clashed with that of the Elves.
Moreover, ever since the marriage between the Great Yuan Elf Clan and the Mermaid Royal Clan yielded positive results, the sea tribe girls have developed a strong fondness for the Elf Clan.
When several sea tribe leaders learned that the elves were going to return to the Western Continent, they immediately offered to provide the elves with the necessary assistance. There were also many beautiful mixed-race girls among the sea tribes who were without partners, and they were very willing to expand their range of potential spouses.
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