"I guess with loss percentage, you mean the fact that a beast that eats another one at the same level isn't worth as much as two beasts if a third one kills and eats that one, right?" Gravis asked with a smirk.
Morn had already realized that Gravis wasn't stupid. When Gravis had invaded the Spire and killed their Lord, he had talked a lot with Morn. After discussing for a while, Morn had realized that Gravis had quite some intricate plans and a lot of knowledge regarding psychology and similar things.
Morn had been the imperial teacher for their Lord for a long time. Back then, the ancestors of the Sand Tribe hadn't died yet. However, back then, the Sand Tribe wasn't called the Sand Tribe but the Sand Kingdom. This meant that they had had a Nascent Beast as their leader. Because of that, Morn knew many things.
"Yes, that is what I mean," Morn said, "there are a lot of beasts with peculiar abilities that make them effective against a specific kind of beast. Those beasts might be able to beat another beast but have a weaker overall Battle-Strength."
"Allowing every beast to fight every beast without the opponent needing to consent to the battle could create a lot of meaningless death," Morn explained.
"I agree with the Elder," Silva said from the side. "Additionally, this will only increase the divide between the two camps."
Gravis listened to them as they spoke. Sometimes, other people or beasts had some insights into things that Gravis didn't know. If the leader didn't listen to their advisors, the spot of an advisor would be meaningless. Yet, this time, Gravis was sure of his plan.
"So, there are two problems," Gravis said. "One problem is the loss percentage while the other problem is the divide between the two camps, correct?"
Morn and Silva nodded.
"Shira, what do you think about this?" Gravis asked.
Shira was a bit surprised that Gravis was asking for her opinion. Was this a test of loyalty? Was this a test of her intelligence? A lot of scenarios went through her head at once.
When Gravis saw that Shira didn't immediately answer, he only laughed slightly. "You see, that's the problem," Gravis said, making Shira narrow her eyes. "You are so used to your own way of thinking that you assume everyone else is constantly scheming against you. This is not some kind of test or something. I'm only asking for your opinion. Nothing more."
Shira still looked at Gravis with shifty eyes, but she decided to state her opinion. "The increase of the loss percentage would be a small problem," she said. "Of course, the outstanding beasts will be able to rise faster, but way more beasts will just die for nothing."
"I think you're planning to increase the quality of the troops by sacrificing a large amount of quantity. Yet, this brings some issues to light. For example, one camp could become ruthlessly suppressed by the other one, creating a vast divide. On top of that, when new Lords come out of this fighting, your leading position will be in danger. Personally, I don't think the cost is worth the reward."
Gravis nodded. "Okay, that sounds reasonable." Then, Gravis looked at the eating Orthar. "Orthar, what do you think?" he asked with a smirk.
Orthar didn't stop eating. "I see no problem with the plan," he simply said.
The others narrowed their eyes at him. They all saw the issues with the plan, but Orthar simply accepted it without any discussion. Was he not seeing these issues, or was he just blindly following Gravis?
"Could you explain your reasoning?" Gravis asked with a smirk. Gravis knew that Orthar had learned a lot from him, and therefore, also knew the hidden effects of the plan. The others just weren't experienced enough with tempering and had perspectives limited by the political environment between Tribes. This clouded their vision.
"We will lose a lot of beasts, but the few with powerful combat abilities will quickly rise to power. One Unity Beast can kill tens of Spirit Beasts. The addition of one more Unity Beast is worth more than all other lower members of the Tribe," Orthar explained without having to think much.
"Right now, we will mostly be fighting smaller Tribes, but that won't go on for long. What's the point of having 200 Spirit Beasts when the enemy has one or two more Lords than us? We are not aiming to stay alive but to rise to power. We are not preparing for our current enemies, but for our future ones."
The others listened intently and thought about Orthar's words. After thinking about these words for a while, they realized that their current neighbors were no danger to them. They had all witnessed Gravis' power, and there was no level one Lord that could stop him. The Spirit Beasts made no difference, while the lack of an additional Lord would be an issue later on.
"As for the second problem," Orthar said, "the one about the enmity between camps, it doesn't matter."
The others narrowed their eyes. "Doesn't matter?" Silva asked incredulously. Wasn't this a problem? Didn't they need to work together?
"Yes, it doesn't matter," Orthar answered. "The strong will prevail, and if one camp gets completely annihilated, it just proves that the other one is more powerful. We accept beasts from both camps, but we don't need to protect them when they're not able to protect themselves. The best thing we can do is to create a battleground where both sides have equal chances of victory."
"That's the first case," Orthar said. "The second case is that both sides remain at the same power. In that case, they will notice that the other camp isn't that easy to kill. After all, they would have tried it for a long time by then, without success. At that point, they will acknowledge the strength of the other side, even if they still dislike them. This will reduce the infighting."
"If we were to prevent the camps from clashing, they would both continue thinking that the other camp is weak and unworthy of staying in the River Tribe. With this, both camps will remain at full power, but they won't be able to fight together when an external force attacks us. As long as they acknowledge the strength of the other camp, they can fight together."
"As for the possibility that a new Lord could threaten Gravis," Orthar said and then huffed, "that won't matter even a little bit. You don't know him as well as I do. Right now, no level one Lord in this entire world can even threaten him. On top of that, he has enough meat to reach the power of an actual Lord soon. At that point, not even a level two Lord would be an issue."
"So," Orthar said as he took another bite from the dead lion, "as long as a member of our Tribe doesn't reach the power of a level three Lord soon, they will only commit suicide by challenging Gravis."
The other three beasts felt astounded by Orthar's analysis. They all had a lot of knowledge, so they understood everything that Orthar had said. Yet, they hadn't noticed these effects. How could they not have seen something this simple?
Gravis clapped in his hands a bit. "Great explanation," Gravis said. "This is the same thing I would have said. So, are you still against the plan? You can say if you're still against it. After all, you're my advisors, and I won't ignore your advice."
The three remained silent for a bit. "It seems I still have a lot to learn," Morn said to the others. "I have prided myself in my vast knowledge. Yet, I wasn't able to make these seemingly obvious connections. I agree with the plan."
"Also," Morn said as he looked at Orthar, "I would like to exchange knowledge, principles, and ideas with you, Oracle. Your explanation has shown that I still have a lot to learn."
"You can talk to me anytime," Orthar answered. "I am also interested in your experiences."
"My earlier complaints have vanished," Silva said, "but due to your explanation, Oracle, I see a new problem now."
Silva looked at Gravis to see how he would react to this. Saying that he didn't mind their disagreement was one thing, but would he keep his word?
Gravis didn't react at all and just continued eating the previous leader of the Sand Tribe. It was like this whole discussion had nothing to do with him.
"Do tell," Orthar said with interest.
"Shira and I are the Commanders of each camp, and if one camp kills the other one, one of us might get suppressed. Without a camp to lead, we would waste a lot of potential for either of us," Silva said.
"Mind your own problems," Shira spat from the side. "I don't need you to defend me. After all, it won't be my camp that will be eradicated but yours."
Silva narrowed his eyes. "We are part of the same Tribe now. By using your power to interfere with the fighting, you give the Sea Camp an unfair advantage. This might result in a situation where the weaker camp suppresses the stronger one."
"Wait," Gravis said, lifting a hand as he saw that Shira wanted to shoot back again. Then, he turned to Silva. "Shira is part of the Sea Camp. Therefore, she is part of their power. Your idea of keeping yourself out of this is noble, but not realistic or result-oriented."
Silva looked at Gravis with skepticism. "What do you mean?"
"First, let me make one thing clear," Gravis said. "You and Shira are not companions or friends."
"You are rivals and maybe even enemies."