Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Speaking of which, Lind’s financial and physical contributions initially startled quite a few people.

If the Undead Tribe hadn’t already tested and judged his inherently selfish character—where everyone else must perish if he’s unhappy—people might have believed he genuinely loved his brother.

Of course, Lind does harbor a slight fraternal affection for Ditte.

But this merely prompts him to offer Ditte enough convenience, lending money and goods without hesitation—though not to the extent of becoming Ditte’s largest sponsor.

Fortunately, though Ditte is often willing to be ’blind’ because Lind is his brother, he understands key issues well.

Lind’s actions are partly to find a suitable companion and neighbor... after this ocean war, inland citizens will inevitably dread the sea.

Even if the upper echelons know that Ambori and Triton aren’t the same, the commoners can’t differentiate them.

If Lind’s territory were the only one serving Ambori, even under the guise of the Undead Tribe’s might, future rumors could still hinder his development—phrases like Lind’s territory being the site of the next sea-land war would suffice.

No matter how much money the Undead Tribe gives, if it can’t be spent or converted into strength, it’s merely a pile of metal materials... If Lind were truly content to stay in a corner, many things wouldn’t happen.

But, with the renowned Stelter Family also embracing this Goddess of the Sea... a silent deity overhead and a mute King affirm Ambori as a true Sea God.

After Triton’s forces retreat far into the Deep Sea, coastal areas, especially nearshore regions, will surely witness a period of vigorous development.

For the fish that fill their stomachs, some will always dare risk adventure.

At such times, having a sea goddess to protect their lives... would be splendid!

Thus, Lind’s territory, serving as Ambori’s long-term base and the dwellers’ habitat, is certain to attract plenty of people.

And, covetous gazes.

However, even with the Undead Tribe departed, the ties binding Lind to the Stelter Family have tightened again... this time based on interests, not blood or kinship... Lind won’t be undermined.

Otherwise, regardless of strength, he’d always be busy due to these or those troubles.

No matter how powerful, one can’t manage a territory by ability alone.

With an adequate intelligence core, Lind is fully committed to studying spells... but this core can’t handle relations with other nobles or royalty.

Yet Ditte standing up changes things.

He can hide behind his dear brother... the major sponsor! Can Ditte refuse to handle such small matters?

In fact, it’s far from trivial.

Yet Ditte has found his best sponsor... at least Lind won’t meddle with Basia City’s affairs.

His little brother now disregards the rundown Basia needing a restart.

Naturally, there’s another subtle aim that Lind hasn’t shown, but Ditte sees clearly.

The more generous Lind appears, the worse Ellie’s reputation sinks.

Already mocked for foolish choices and extreme impulsiveness, Lind’s actions stamp heavily on her corpse.

His closeness to his brother negates any familial goodwill Ellie used to cover her shame.

This cover is what the former Count and Countess Stelter wanted left for themselves.

Lind has no desire to preserve their dignity.

But he can’t overtly make moves.

Regardless, Ditte gains the advantage, and his feelings for those parents are almost exhausted after repeated abandonments... Maintaining basic courtesy is his utmost demeanor... So, he unapologetically accepts his brother’s signals, even heralding them to neighboring countries.

Hill learning of this incident can only remark... the Undead Tribe’s influence is indeed substantial.

The former Ditte would never sacrifice parental reputation or family’s potential benefits to augment his power.

Though he seems to bear most consequences within, even sharing post-rebuilding Basia City benefits with Lind... he simultaneously severed all other branches’ hands.

Previously, Count Stelter couldn’t prevent various entities from infiltrating Basia City, especially other family members.

But current Ditte can.

His friendly relations with Undead Tribes remain, specifically ’Battlefield Lightening.’

Even those Undead closest to a Knight can transform a proper noble once trapped by family and ideology into this resourceful form.

Yet Ditte, marked by past, is still understood by similarly noble-born Hill at once when news reached him from the Undead Tribe.

Ditte chose the present over the future... then minimized future repercussions.

If it were his former self, he’d never do this.

Even if his parents were so unreliable, Ditte, who was endowed with a strong sense of knightly spirit, would inevitably choose to make himself more burdened... for the continuation of the family, for the fate of future generations.

However, it was only now that Ditte was truly living vibrantly and freely.

Moreover, how much impact could this future really have on Ditte’s Basia?

If there was any change in Lind’s mentality in the future, it could indeed cause greater turmoil in Basia City... But Ditte, who escaped difficulties at Lind’s home, understood very well that Basia City could never compare to Lind’s territory in the future.

After living in such a prosperous and comfortable place, who could still fancy the small and petty benefits of Basia?

It was only because Ditte didn’t have much money in his hands; otherwise, he would certainly have hired the Undead Tribe for more assistance.

But Ditte also understood where Lind’s greatest threat lay.

As a mage whose future had become bright, Lind would certainly live longer than his brother.

He might even outlive Ditte’s grandchildren.

Under such circumstances, if one of his descendants was excessively foolish, even stupid enough to provoke Lind... then his younger brother would surely show no mercy.

But now Ditte no longer felt that the future was his responsibility.

What did foolish descendants have to do with him?

And thus, within the silent accord between the brothers, Basia City was once again under the Stelter name... Moreover, this time, it belonged entirely and solely to Ditte’s Stelter.

To mark a complete severance with the past, Ditte placed his castle on the cliff that Hill had originally built.

This meant that the port had to be rebuilt, essentially shifting the entirety of Basia City southward.

Fortunately, the coastline originally established by the Undead Tribe was very useful, saving Ditte a lot of money... The Undead Tribe was willing to take on any kind of work, albeit at a high cost.

The better the Stelter brothers lived, the poorer a certain woman’s life became.

Although she had lost love, the paintbrush initially had the title of Controller of the main city... the titular Alliance Hierarch of Eden was her.

Even though Ivan had abandoned both the game and her, he had not taken things to the extreme... although he had made the paintbrush an enemy of the world, at least he hadn’t left her with debts.

However, this small incidental benefit, with love prevailing above all, had sacrificed honor and self-esteem... Didn’t the paintbrush know that what she did didn’t harm the country, but was a moral and national pride betrayal—hurting her own people?

She was well aware.

But nothing in the game sufficed to make her a real-world criminal.

As long as her love with Ivan could blossom, those were just unnecessary and discardable things.

Just like those who followed behind her, willing to fight the Proud Sky Alliance with her... the paintbrush didn’t believe they were all genuinely doing it for her.

She was only providing them with a plausible reason.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been the last to know about the Ink Brush and a certain female Chosen moonlit dance.

The paintbrush didn’t believe she owed these people.

Even as they found themselves struggling in the game, possibly needing to delete accounts and start afresh or move to other game worlds to overcome their dilemma.

These were their own choices.

Yet even while thinking this, the paintbrush couldn’t accept the reality of being completely abandoned by Ivan, who once loved her wholeheartedly and devotedly.

Of course, initially, she still wished to hold onto Basia City... it was always mentioned, although the paintbrush was a love-struck figure, her capability was truly not bad, and her mind was quite sharp.

She actually knew well that as long as she could control Basia City, the nominally Aesces main city of the Undead Tribe, those young masters and mistresses of Eden could eventually be at her disposal.

Moreover, once the period of anger and resentment passed, those people would finally realize... the only thing allowing them to revenge against Ivan, who had deceived everyone, was the paintbrush.

This Basia City abandoned by Ivan, the better it was managed and strengthened, the more it proved Ivan’s success was thanks to the paintbrush, not his own ability.

Therefore, even in the depths of agony, the paintbrush had never stopped her work as a lord for a single day.

Unfortunately... the Proud Sky Alliance didn’t intend to give her this face.

Everyone knew why she struggled, but no one was willing to accomplish her kind of struggle.

When she chose to betray the Proud Sky Alliance, the paintbrush became an enemy to all the families in the alliance, born into an endless feud.

No one would spare her because it was her only hope.

And just like that, the paintbrush quietly disappeared into the game.

At least from Hill’s perspective, the information ends here.