Magic? My Iron Torrent will sweep it all away!

Chapter 469 Decision to Return the Seed Project

The Holy Light City, the Papal Hall.

Renault, a seventh-tier dragon knight, was temporarily in charge of the Holy Human Race. He sat at a long table with a stack of parchment in front of him.

The parchment was filled with densely packed orders from various races for purchasing portals.

Elf race, six seats.

Dwarves, five.

Orc tribes, four.

Reno put down the parchment and looked at the other archbishops of the Papacy, saying:

"The various races have actually lowered their guard against us and are buying our teleportation portals. Do we need to agree to this?"

Archbishop Benedict sneered and said:

"Now that our Holy Human Race is weakened, they are naturally no longer the same as before, and they are afraid that we will invade them through the coordinates of the portal."

"However, if you want our portal, that's fine too, just name your price."

With the threat of the demons eliminated and external threats temporarily relieved, the focus of all races will naturally shift inward.

On the surface, it's about restoring past glory and recovering lost territory, but in reality, it's about seizing control of their own land.

The border garrison, ostensibly to defend against the remnants of the demon race, is actually to guard against neighboring races.

Purchasing portals is also for the purpose of transporting personnel and supplies, rebuilding border cities, and facilitating support.

Each race knew perfectly well that their lands, populations, and cities were all empty, and the journeys were too long; without a teleportation portal, they simply couldn't function properly.

What about the risks of exposing coordinates?

Now that the Holy Human Pope has fallen, the high-end combat force has suffered heavy losses, and the population is insufficient, so they dare not have any other thoughts in the short term.

Terra should remain stable for at least a century.

All ethnic groups need time to recuperate and rebuild.

.......

The Great Xia fiefdom, the General Command Office.

Lin Mo leaned back in the specially made tactical command chair, his eyes slightly narrowed, his fingertips rhythmically stroking the cool alloy armrests.

Life suddenly became leisurely, it was really comfortable!

On the computer screen in front of him, real-time satellite surveillance footage of the Terra continent was playing.

This is definitely not because he has any voyeuristic tendencies; he's just bored.

You know what, it's surprising to see that the usually so elegant and graceful elf, and whoever she might be dating, actually up in a tree...

Sigh, I really saw it by accident.

Now that the great war is over, the demon race has been wiped out on a large scale.

The dark gray demonic mist that had been lingering everywhere was rapidly dissipating, replaced by the bustling scene of the allied forces of various races reclaiming lost territory.

The camera zooms in.

In the northern part of Emerald Forest, elves are chanting spells over the scorched earth, attempting to awaken the withered spiritual plants.

The underground situation of the dwarven army is not visible, but there are dwarven buildings on the surface, which are being cleaned up and are being rebuilt.

The orc army has also advanced to the Great Plains.

After nearly two months of continuous deployment, the surveillance satellite network over Terra is finally sufficient.

We no longer need dozens of satellites orbiting the equator to get a glimpse of the whole picture.

Although satellites cannot yet provide 24-hour global coverage, situational awareness in key areas has far exceeded the imagination of these indigenous peoples.

Just then, the smart terminal emitted a rapid "beep beep" sound.

An urgent, encrypted document was sent by the think tank of Blue Star's New Hope Project.

Lin Mo glanced at it, and the title immediately caught his eye:

Regarding the follow-up resettlement and resource retention issues of the "Spark Program".

Since Lin Mo is in charge of everything on Terra, he needs to make the decisions.

He thought for a moment and then dialed Zhao Gang's office number.

"Brother Zhao, the think tank says that the various races involved in Project Seed want to return to Terra. What do you think?"

"Hmm? That's true. Now that the overall situation is stable, it's normal for them to have this idea." Zhao Gang's voice came through the microphone, calm and composed as usual, before he changed the subject:

What do you think?

"My head hurts," Lin Mo said directly.

He got up, paced around the command post, and his mind raced.

He remembers clearly how difficult it was to negotiate the Spark Project.

Each race went to great lengths to send its elites to Earth for refuge.

Converted into the resources of the Great Xia Dynasty, that's no small amount.

Now that the great war is over, it is only natural for each ethnic group to want to return home.

But is it really the only option to give back the benefits that have already been gained?

Once these items were transported back to Earth, they were immediately divided up and disposed of by the various underground cities!

"retreat?"

The thought flashed through Lin Mo's mind before he immediately dismissed it.

What are you talking about?! You want to take out what's already in your stomach?

Moreover, the sunk costs of transporting goods between the two worlds—the combined consumption and labor expenses—are no small sum.

It cannot be refunded, nor should it be refunded.

"The think tank has provided three plans, let me explain them to you." Lin Mo, having organized his thoughts, continued speaking to Zhao Gang:

"First, return the supplies via the original route."

Zhao Gang refused without hesitation:

"Sunk costs can be fatal, that won't do!"

"Secondly, the people can be sent back, but since each ethnic group voluntarily cancelled the plan, it constitutes a unilateral breach of contract on their part. The supplies will be confiscated and treated as liquidated damages."

There was a two-second silence on the phone.

"...Who proposed this plan?" Zhao Gang's voice carried a hint of meaning.

Lin Mo: "There's a legal advisor in the think tank."

Zhao Gang: "Let him go and say this to the Elf Queen face to face. I'd like to see if he can keep his head."

Lin Mo couldn't help but chuckle softly.

He had the same expression when he saw the plan.

Who breached the contract? They entrusted their clan's elite to the Great Xia for refuge; it was a matter of trust and a huge investment.

Now that the demons have been defeated and the war has been won, they want to take people back. Is this a breach of contract?

Saying that isn't negotiation; it's sabotage.

Bringing up this proposal when the honeymoon period is in full swing is unwise; it actively pushes allies to the opposite side.

"The third option." Lin Mo stopped laughing and finished speaking.

"Convert the supplies given by each tribe into an equivalent amount of gold coins and add them to their consumption accounts in Great Xia."

Zhao Gang didn't speak; he was listening.

"Now that the various ethnic groups have just finished fighting, they need to purchase large quantities of our ammunition, supplies and equipment."

"Moreover, the customized weapons are still in the delivery process. After our trade center is built, there will be many places where each race will need to spend money."

Zhao Gang agreed:

"That's right. As long as this logic works, we will not only get the ore, but also reserve their future consumption."

Lin Mo's voice also carried a hint of relaxation.

"It's like turning debts into advance deposits, which can then be directly deducted from purchase payments."

"They have grievances, but they are within acceptable limits, and we have made sufficient compensation. This matter should be put behind us."

"Okay," Zhao Gang said, his voice steady.

"Offer them more compensation so they feel that Da Xia is sincerely trying to resolve the issue, not trying to renege on its debt."

"It's settled then." Lin Mo hung up the call, let out a long breath, and sat back down in his chair.

This matter is neither particularly difficult nor particularly easy.

The key is to satisfy both parties.

They didn't vomit up what they ate, but they didn't make people think that Da Xia was being unreasonable—they struck the perfect balance.

Lin Mo suddenly realized that converting the goods into gold coins was indeed much smarter than returning the supplies.

If the supplies are returned directly, the various tribes may not necessarily use them to purchase more equipment from the Great Xia, and might spend the money elsewhere.

After all, rebuilding a city requires a lot of money.