Before this, they hadn’t even received any sort of warning. There had been no recent friction between the two sides at all. In fact, Tamaria had always made a point of giving way to Heaven’s Cult economically, afraid of provoking this giant and bringing disaster down on themselves. So how—how had things escalated to the brink of war overnight?! The emperor was certain that something serious must have happened. Something that enraged Heaven’s Cult. Otherwise, there was no way they’d charge in like this without any sign or signal. Even Heaven’s Cult’s aircraft carrier had been dispatched! That meant they were coming with full intent to sink Tamaria into the sea! Realizing this only made the emperor panic more. The officials below him trembled in fear. One of them answered nervously, “In recent years, we haven’t had any clashes with Heaven’s Cult. Whenever there was a disagreement, we were always the first to back down. We truly haven’t had any conflict with them!” Voices echoed in agreement across the hall. These past years, they had made countless concessions just to avoid offending Heaven’s Cult. They knew all too well what would happen otherwise. Of course, they’d always suffered these losses in secret—so they wouldn’t lose face in front of their citizens. Only top-level officials ever dealt directly with Heaven’s Cult. There was no reason to let the public know how humiliatingly cautious they’d been. The emperor slammed the table in fury. “Then what the hell is going on?! Why is Heaven’s Cult charging in like this?!” His angry voice echoed across the hall—and silence fell again. One elderly official hesitated, then stepped forward. After a moment’s pause, he said, “Recently, the only one who came into contact with Heaven’s Cult... might’ve been the President Holland”“President Holland?” The emperor frowned. “Didn’t he just have a scuffle with some no-name nobody? That person wasn’t even part of Heaven’s Cult!” The emperor had been disappointed in President Holland’s failure to establish real ties with Heaven’s Cult. Many other countries—big and small—already had officials embedded within the organization. Tamaria was one of the few still standing alone. Originally, they’d wanted to maintain independence and avoid outside interference. But with Heaven’s Cult growing stronger by the day, Tamaria had sent President Holland to try establishing relations—hoping to avoid being shut out completely. But the mission had gone poorly. President Holland had even gotten two rows of his teeth knocked out by some unknown guy from Lioran! The emperor thought for a moment and then shouted, “Go! Bring the President Holland here immediately!” He had already ordered a full alert—Level One military readiness. But the enemy had come prepared, armed with the most advanced weapons available. Heaven’s Cult never used inferior tech. If war broke out now, this close to Tamaria’s shores, they would suffer catastrophic losses—maybe even face annihilation. Tamaria’s military wasn’t weak, but compared to Heaven’s Cult, it wasn’t even close. And this fleet was only a portion of Heaven’s Cult’s strength. Even if Tamaria gathered all its power and somehow managed to push them back temporarily, if Heaven’s Cult sent reinforcements, they’d have no chance of survival. This war could not be allowed to start. Even if a few Tamarias joined forces, they still couldn’t stand against Heaven’s Cult. Soon, President Holland—still recovering at home—was dragged in. He had only recently returned to Tamaria. The two rows of teeth he’d lost hadn’t been replaced with implants yet, but after more than a month at sea, the swelling and bruises on his face had mostly faded. He hadn’t attended today’s meeting because he couldn’t speak properly and had taken a medical leave.When he was summoned, he looked completely confused. He was a newly appointed President Holland—and not the only one Tamaria had. His voice didn’t carry much weight in the government. His promotion had come thanks to his father’s influence, not his own merit. He’d also received news that Heaven’s Cult’s fleet was approaching, but he didn’t think it had anything to do with him. Back on Heaven Island, all he’d done was clash with Arthur. He hadn’t even encountered anyone from Heaven’s Cult directly. When Pang Su had ordered him to leave the island immediately, he’d complied—without causing a scene. Now, he was still focused on getting revenge. He had planned to lure Arthur over and humiliate him properly. He hadn’t expected Arthur to arrive first—or that the full force of Heaven’s Cult would arrive in his place. President Holland entered and bowed respectfully to the emperor. But the emperor slammed the table again in fury. “President Holland! Tell me exactly what happened on Heaven Island!” President Holland didn’t want to speak—his missing teeth made it difficult—but now, he had no choice.