Reincarnated as incubus: I didn't mean to seduce you!-Chapter 1139 - 298: Kael’s Bloodline and the Buried Past (10K)

However, such matters didn't last many years before erupting into the "Heretical crusade" that shocked the world back then.

As the core that spearheaded the Heavenly Ladder Plan, the goblin empire suddenly became the target of many. Even the Holy Briania directly began organizing an army to completely turn the goblin empire into the dust of history.

It was under such circumstances that the high-ranking goblin empire initiated the final round of covert negotiations with various forces. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The topic of these negotiations was: "About the future of the goblin empire and the future of many races across the continent."

The goblin empire gave a promise to all top members deeply involved in the Heavenly Ladder Plan: "Even if the goblin empire heads toward doom, the list of members related to the Heavenly Ladder Plan will never be exposed. The future travelers beneath the starlit sky don't necessarily have to be us."

With such determination, various countries were stunned to watch the goblin empire walk the path to obliteration.

It's hard for later generations to imagine what those people back then felt, as an empire that once shocked numerous nations across the continent with its hard power suddenly vanished in such a short time.

Only the sprawling lands they left behind, with the relentlessly rampaging Alchemy Storm, tell everyone their tales of the past.

Up to the final moment, the goblin empire never exposed the countries involved in Heavenly Ladder Plan.

A master often isn't safe just because they don't expose evidence.

Because, many times, many things don't require evidence; they only need the Holy Briania to be willing to believe.

When the war began erupting, the first to be engaged were the races like the Supreme Forest and Molten Furnace Castle, which once planned to create devastating weapons capable of rivaling gods.

Then, there were countries like the Denizens' Underground Tomb and the Shadow Clan's Shadow Country, where, without any warning, technological levels began soaring crazily.

No reason is needed, only suspicion. To erase my suspicion of you, you must send troops to support us, following us to the goblin empire's front lines, to dismantle this powerful nation by hand.

The Holy Briania exhibited such a strong attitude, informing the Shadow Country of this situation back then.

It goes without saying, the Shadow Country was profoundly dissatisfied with this.

Without any reason, yet bearing such a tremendous cost, not everyone is willing to be the dogs of your Holy Briania.

And then... the Shadow Country was sanctioned.

It's not like they directly used military means against Shadow Country, but just a few rounds of short-term economic and material blockades, which plunged Shadow Country into a difficult-to-recover plight.

A small country with few industries, limited human resources, and lacking core technologies cannot withstand blockades.

Just as Kael understood from a past life, a country that proclaimed itself a Permanent Neutral Country quietly sided with its homeland during the war with the five common bears, then decisively declared neutrality when realizing its financial industry faced huge issues, only to quickly resume unilateral sanctions under the pressure of the Ying Jiang.

.....

The sorrow of small nations is such that no matter how loudly they shout their slogans, when real crises come, they lack even the ability to resist, thus having no choice but to silently accept whatever fate brings.

Shadow Country is too small, resources are too scarce, a significant number of products require imports, and if supplies are cut, it's like being choked, thrusting into a powerless dead-end.

It's at this point that Shadow Country had to agree to the demands of Holy Briania, and deployed its Infiltrator Legion as the main force, joining the Holy Briania's expedition.

And then...

The Infiltrator Legion was utterly decimated in that war, treated like disposable items, they all perished completely on the front lines.

This unprecedented war, for major powers like the Supreme Forest which still held sufficient combat strength, was still bearable in terms of losses.

But for the Shadow Country at that time, it was an unbearable burden.

Shadow Country's core defensive capabilities were lost, and in the long run, it would inevitably become locked away in history.

It's not the ending they wanted to see; the high ranks of Shadow Country were unwilling to accept this fate silently, and so they poured all remaining resources available into the Heavenly Ladder Plan.

At least... at least the Heavenly Ladder Plan, harboring countless core technologies from the goblin empire, offers a remarkably bright future.

While the Infiltrator Legion was being used as sacrificial pawns, relentlessly consumed on the battlefield, Shadow Country climbed the ladder of technology.

When the goblin empire was fully crushed into historical dust by the Expeditionary Crusaders, Shadow Country climbed the ladder of technology.

As countless families in Shadow Country mourned and lamented the destruction of the Infiltrator Legion, Shadow Country climbed the ladder of technology.

Amidst pouring endless blood and tears on the ground, Shadow Country could only seize this last opportunity, for it's the only chance to change their future. At least now, they still have a choice.