Chapter 566: The Difference Between Two Kings

Chapter 566: The Difference Between Two Kings
Bob let out a long burp, and Donkey Sharo flinched at the crass behaviour. The dragon didn't even apologise for his disgraceful manners, and if King Sharo were in his elven form, he would shoot the brat for not being respectful.
Truen did the dishes, and Zero unfurled the map. It was time to formulate a better plan now that he knew the situation better. Bob sipped on some honey tea and pointed to the areas that were often targeted by the thugs from Indra Seagloo.
"They don't stray far from the shores, huh? The country is struggling only because of how far the wind and waves have reached in-land." Zero noted.
According to the map and Bob's intelligence, the granary was near the castle grounds and soldier barracks for quick distribution during a famine. King Gaon planned it out rather nicely, but there was one fatal flaw about putting everything in one location. If it catches fire or gets destroyed, the country would starve.
"Is Lycantopia facing food shortage at the moment?" Zero asked, and Bob nodded.
"Not only food. They lack just about everything. You'd be amazed by how extensive the damage is just within the capital. There's seawater everywhere, and while it isn't the first time Queen Leah lost her temper, these werebeasts don't learn. They depend on the sea for a livelihood because of how barren their territory is and how far it is from other countries to trade. However, they continue to put everything important in the capital located just by the sea."
Truen raised his brow when he saw where the capital was. It was within the disaster zone and didn't serve any strategic purpose for the capital of Lycantopia. The werebeast territory is huge, but most of the land they had was unpopulated. Yet, the land where the farms and mines were at was far from any kind of civilisation. The archer couldn't understand how the werebeasts survived.
"Apart from food shortage, they also lack funds to trade for medicine and cannot afford to hire adventurers or mercenaries. The city requires rebuilding, and it would take them many years to recover from this damage. The werebeasts have a self-sufficiency policy to provide for their people's needs within their own country. Unlike Smargdas, who imports and exports a lot, Lycantopia prefers only to export a few local products and keep everything else for personal consumption."
Bob's explanation was starting to make more sense now. The werebeast still wear leather armour or wield cheap iron swords that break easily because of the salt in the sea air due to the lack of knowledge and the refusal to import things.
"How open are they to the idea of adventurers, merchants and outsiders coming to Lycantopia in general? Do they hate anyone in particular like how the elves hate the dwarves?"
Thinking about it, Bob shook his head. "Other than the apparent hatred for merfolk after so many destructions, I don't think they have much contact with other outsiders. The werebeasts are straightforward people. Most of them are very pure-hearted to the point of naivety. I've never seen anyone so gullible, and Jermine is considered one of the brightest beastfolks in Lycantopia ever since she returned. So many werebeasts become tricked into getting sold as slaves because of this, I don't know who to be mad at."
When Truen heard this, he recalled how they met Jermine. She was a slave sold to some adventurers they met at Deadman Town. Was Jermine also like those naive beastfolks before she was sold? For better or worse, the mole beast girl now had a new home in New Moon Village. These mole beastfolks were too underrated. Zero would put their abilities to better use.
"Shall I pose as a messenger of god again?" Zero asked his best friend who dried off the last wish with wind magic.
"Not a bad idea," Truen said. "However, what kind of story are you going to spin? What if King Gaon and his subjects do not believe in religion?"
Bob's eyes sparkled. "Then maybe you can use the legends that the werebeasts honour!"
According to the Eternal Dragon, there was a very famous legend among beastfolks that everyone in Lycantopia knew. It was the legend about a heroic werebeast who united all the species together. He was the first king of Lycantopia, but nobody knew if this was a story told by the royal family elected in his name or a real person. However, his story explained why the social caste system existed so strongly in Lycantopia.
A long time ago, when the beastfolks were still at each other's throats playing by the rules of survival in this wasteland, one hero stood up with the hopes of being friends with everyone. First, he subdued the carnivores. Then, he befriended the omnivores. Lastly, he protected the herbivores and made everyone work together under his name to build the country known as Lycantopia.
"Sounds like an asshole to me but the werebeasts like it. They believe that the one to rule is strong, compassionate and likeable. It's the only way one can become a king. The King has to gain the approval of all three caste representatives."
Now that they knew what the beastfolks were looking at in an ideal ruler, Truen suggested exposing King Gaon of his flaws to dethrone him and resolve the issue. Zero disagreed. He had a better idea.
"If we dethrone him, we need to start meddling with Lycantopia's royalty matters again. If possible, I would like to avoid adding more onto my plate. Besides, things can be easily resolved in a mutually beneficial manner if King Sharo over here decides to become allies with the werebeasts. One country has a forest, and the other has the sea. Neither likes to deal with too many outsider parties, so this could be a perfect opportunity similar to how the dwarves only depended on the giants for a long time."
Instead, Zero told them his plan. Donkey Sharo listened with interest as Zero schemed to fool the gullible werebeasts. The chosen one was terrifying, but he wasn't wrong with his methods. For some reason, the stubborn elven king wondered if Altear could also be the same as Lycantopia. Maybe being perfect and right all the time wasn't the most crucial thing for a ruler. King Gaon was a foolish ruler, but there were parts about him that King Sharo admired. Unlike him, King Gaon was loved by his people, and the elf wondered why they were so different even if they were kings who only wanted the best for their countries.