Lucius and the others returned to the grand hall of the Volcaria estate. As soon as they entered, Ragnar and Bryson turned toward Lucius.
Ragnar crossed his arms as he was quite irritated with Lucius. "Why the hell did you make that bet?"
Bryson nodded in agreement as he raised his hand. "We had the numbers. We should've just gone to war. Why bother with a competition?"
Lucius chuckled with amusement as he leaned back against the table. "Calm down. Think for a moment."
Lucius leaned forward and shrugged. "if we went to war, there would be too many casualties on both sides. Even if we won, we'd be too weak to defend ourselves afterward."
Lucius then continued. "We're trying to build an empire, not destroy ourselves before it even begins. If we exhaust all our forces now, other factions, other empires, will see us as vulnerable and strike."
Bryson let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing his temples. "And you think a competition is the better choice?"
