Chapter 997: No Support?

The Fae Union was more powerful than the Desert Rebels and stirred more trouble all across the Untamed Jungle. They consisted of a few former members of the Divine Alliances and more than a dozen Lords living adjacent to the Grand Region. Most Lords living outside the Untamed Jungle didn't know Michael Fang well enough to understand how strong he was, and most didn't care about it either.

They paid no attention to the fact that the Untamed Jungle was expanding or how much the Grand Region's expansion affected them and their territory.

The Lords were certain to lose their territories once the Untamed Jungle swallowed their lands and region. It didn't matter whether the land was still rightfully theirs as the jungle monsters and terrors hibernating in the Untamed Jungle would attack them relentlessly, using the surrounding environment to advance once the Untamed Jungle had claimed everything.

Their situation was bad, to put it into simple words, and they didn't believe a single word coming out of the mouths of the Untamed Awakened, who came for negotiations. Nobody could tell for sure why the Lords were thinking like that, but they considered the fact that an Awakened knocked on their doorsteps with the intention to negotiate a treaty as a weakness.

But then again, not everyone was like Michael, trying to push as many Lords and Monster Overlords into submission as possible. Most would kill each other and exile the subjects of the Lord who had lost the war.

Michael was a little different in that regard. He always hoped to claim more subjects in other ways. That was not because Michael hated the subjects he summoned, but he considered it unnecessary to summon billions of subjects when the other Lords had enough loyal and hard-working subjects. As long as Michael treated them fairly and showed everyone how much he tried to salvage the situation without violence, everyone would like him.

Of course, Michael wasn't liked by everyone. It was impossible for all beings across the cosmos and Origin Expanse to like him. That was especially true for the Lords in the Untamed Jungle, who had been forced to submit to the Primordial Tree Spirit. Michael was still unsure how it happened but three Lords managed to escape the Primordial Tree Spirit's grasp when Michael was busy fighting a pair of Demi Gods.

The three Lords were three of the Fae Union's five heads and were responsible for the mess happening in the Untamed Jungle. Michael was frustrated by their actions because he thought he had treated them well. Unfortunately, that had not been the case.

He shrugged once he realized how many Lords were members of the Fae Union and accepted their change of attitude and considered to attack them. At least the three Lords from the Untamed Jungle deserved to be bulldozed by Michael. Still, he held back and allowed his subjects to fight in Michael's stead and obliterate the three Lords of the Untamed Jungle.

"The borders are getting bombarded at all times. It doesn't affect the Untamed Jungle much since the excessive energy that was supposed to nourish the Untamed Jungle to expand faster is being used to negate the damages inflicted on the jungle outskirts. Still, we have to do something before their attacks worsen. For now, the Untamed Jungle can handle the aftermath, but it's unclear how much longer we can stay back and watch," Lilica asked into the rounds, her words resonating with the thoughts of the Awakened and subjects standing around her.

"Michael granted us permission to act as we please. He trusts us, and I do not wish to betray his trust. We have to remove the threats to the Untamed Jungle and our people without losing too many good men and women. If possible, the forces of the Untamed Jungle shouldn't have a single casualty to report," Lilica thundered, and everyone around her nodded. They stomped on their feet, the sound reverberating throughout the Untamed Jungle.

A little flash shot through the clearing and a familiar little demon with vigorous golden eyes and a vibrant smile appeared before Lilica.

"Auntiee~ Throw pets and snakes and little wolfies at the bad people. Serpi can bite them!" Lucia exclaimed, jumping around while Alice rushed behind the little girl.

"You think the Azure Serpent should bite the bad guys?" Lilica lowered her body and ruffled through Lucia's silky hair. The little girl was growing too fast for her own good. In fact, her body developed fast, but her mind was already much farther than the mind of an ordinary child. She her mental age might already be on par with a teenager's.

"Yes yes~!" Lucia exclaimed while Alice caught her. Alice lifted her daughter up and carried the little demon in her arms without breaking eye contact. Lucia kept staring at Lilica, who tilted her head.

"We cannot control the jungle monsters. Only Michael has control of them. Your plan sounds great, but your father told us to handle this problem independently. With our resources. If we ask him for help, the mission would lose all its value. Of course, the threats would be removed, but we are supposed to learn how to fight without Michael."

Lilica didn't expect Lucia to understand her. Still, Lilica revealed her thoughts so that everyone could listen. The others had to hear and understand why Lucia's plan wasn't going to work.

"Resources? I don't know...what do you mean? I...am I a resource as well? I can help too. Father taught me how to control the jungle monsters. He says I have the talent in me. The Untamed Jungle will protect and listen to me..."

Lilica's eyes narrowed to tiny slits trying to understand what Lucia was saying. She quickly gave up and looked at Alice, who smiled lightly.

"Lucia was born with a trade of the Untamed Jungle's Nature in her. I think that's the Authority, which the Primordial Tree Spirit absorbed in the past before altering and augmenting it. Michael taught Lucia how to control the Nature in her. To be precise, he told her how to talk to the forest and the Primordial Tree Spirit and to never hesitate to ask for help." Everyone listened up to look at Lucia and turned to Lilica a moment later.

"I don't think it counts as 'asking for Michael's help' if we ask Lucia to order the Azure Quetzalcoatl and the other Divine Beasts, maybe even some High Beasts, to attack the other Lords in the Untamed Jungle. They can take care of the three Lords while we beat the shi-..." Tiara said, only to shut her mouth when everyone looked at her, "While we take care of the other Lords of the Fae Union."

Lilica looked at Lucia, who was still smiling as brightly as before. She was always like that. A happy little child with slightly violent tendencies when it came to people hurting her friends. Looking at it from that direction, Lucia wasn't much different than her father. She liked to play with others and considered everyone as her friends until they weren't, Until they did something stupid and hurt the people she liked. From that moment onward, these 'friends' would become her nemesis and she would do everything in her might to do something against them.

It wasn't possible for a little child at Tier-1 to do anything against the Divine Lifeforms and various High Awakened of the Fae Union, but she could ask her monster friends for help.