"Teacher, is it really okay for Roland to directly disclose the White Mountain Magic Crystal Ore Vein?"

"Sura, sit down."

With a gentle smile, the Old Mage looked at his indignant disciple and softly asked, "Did you secretly activate the Eye of Gross?"

"I'm sorry, teacher, I..." The young mage, called out by the Old Mage, lowered his head, not daring to respond.

"Did you destroy the eye after using it?" the Old Mage gently asked.

"No, I didn't. Teacher, I am very sure no one discovered it. I secretly placed a new eye in Val City a few days ago. The price of an Eye of Gross..."

"Foolish!" The peaceful expression on the Old Mage's face suddenly turned red as he forcefully slammed the cup he was holding onto the table, causing pale-red Solano Juice to splash everywhere.

Young mage Sura was startled by the teacher Anthony's fury.

He rarely saw his teacher so angry and hurriedly mumbled an apology.

"Teacher, I will go destroy the Eye of Gross now."

"No need, give me the location information, I'll handle it!" The Old Mage was evidently very upset.

After some effort, the Old Mage Anthony finally destroyed the Eye of Gross that his disciple used for observation.

Even if someone finds it, it will just appear to be a burnt nut seed, not worth much thought.

Once activated, the Eye of Gross emits a magic ripple, albeit very weak with a limited radiation range, but what if?

No matter how small the probability, repetition increases chances of occurrence.

Sura is good in many ways, talented too, but his perspective is limited.

Assigning him to handle external receptions at the magic store was meant to provide more opportunities for engagement with the outside world; however, the job fostered a habit of counting small gains and a penchant for pursuing cost-effectiveness.

Chasing cost-effectiveness is not inherently bad, but not everything should pursue cost-effectiveness.

Anthony wasn't angry about Roland's approach of publicly revealing the Magic Crystal Ore, he even admired it a bit.

Honestly, he had considered this method, but might not have resolved to act so swiftly.

What if there's profit to be made?

What if an agreement can be made to share with the Vladimir Empire?

Roland's idea was straightforward. Val City State is closer to the Sussex Empire; once the Sussex Empire defeats Vladimir in the future, they will have the opportunity to solely claim this area.

Then, White Mountain would belong to Sussex, and they could exploit it freely.

If the Vladimir Empire wins, naturally, it's total loss.

This gamble where one either completely wins or completely loses is something Sura simply cannot handle.

Watching Sura's timid demeanor, Anthony sighed inwardly.

Sura is his disciple since childhood; emotionally, there's naturally a closer bond with Sura.

If Sura could succeed, he wouldn't have to look outside for help.

However, Sura's character is more than sufficient for small tasks but lacks the courage for big ventures.

Roland's public disclosure of the Magic Crystal Ore Vein likely ends in its being sealed.

As long as future strength is sufficient, this vein will eventually belong to them.

If sharing with the Vladimir Empire now, one can only get half.

If there are no other Magic Crystal Ore Veins within Roland's territory, this action may seem somewhat impulsive.

But Roland's domain contains Magic Crystal Ore Veins.

Just use those within one's own realm; freeze disputed areas temporarily until strong enough to claim them, essentially still owning them.

As for the consequences of losing, it's actually not important.

Losing a war usually means no chance to survive until the next cycle's revival day, where the Magic Crystal Ore Vein ends up mattering not.

This truth isn't hard to comprehend, as long as the mind holds no obsession. Sura undoubtedly understands, yet he still clings to the revival of the Magic Empire's glory.

"Can't you let go, Sura?"

"Teacher, if there were no Magic Crystal Ore Vein, I could give up. But with the return of the Magic Crystal Ore Vein, this is obviously the opportunity for the revival of the Magic Empire!"

Seeing Sura finally unable to resist expressing his inner thoughts, Anthony sighed and, somewhat helplessly, said:

"Time is lacking, Sura."

Sura remained silent.

The teacher is correct; the greatest enemy to the revival of the Magic Empire isn't the sparse population or scarce resources.

These three Magic Crystal Ores are all super-rich veins, with resource totals matching those of the past Talia Great Ore Vein and Western Ore Vein.

Combined with the energy-efficient, increased production technologies researched by the Magic Association over years, utilizing these veins to their fullest makes the revival of the Magic Empire's glory a near certainty.

But the time is insufficient.

If given a few hundred to a millennium years, plus these three rich veins, indeed there's a chance to restore the past glory.

But that time doesn't exist.

With the acceleration of the revival, more and more once disappeared powerful races will return, leaving the Magic Association with limited time.

If Sura and Roland were swapped, he might gamble it.

Regrettably, they cannot be exchanged.

To safely land during the final return day, the Magic Association's only choice is to gamble.

It can't even bet solely on one.

Anthony places the future on Roland and Sussex, while Julius, the helm of the Jidong Association, bets on Vladimir Empire and Sofia.

No matter who wins, the Magic Association has a sliver of chance for survival.

Yet survival varies in quality, and Anthony does not wish to seek sustenance from the Jidong Association.

Even if begging, Julius, that old comrade, should beg to him instead.

Sura was still digesting his teacher's words as Anthony stood up.

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