“Sir, the situation is rocky on that side,” said the subordinate.

Knight Wiggins slowly massaged his temples while listening to the report.

“First of all... The movements made by the Chinese are unsettling, sir. The Crimson King's factions are openly making several moves, but the Azure King's faction hasn't made any yet... It seems they are scheming something in the shadows.”

“Scheming, you say...?” Wiggins groaned deeply. “I must say, those East Asians sure have dark hearts, don't you agree? I’d have preferred people openly making sinister moves since coming up with a suitable response would’ve been easier that way…”

“Yes, sir.”

Wiggins' expression showed no signs of brightening as he rubbed his chin.

'Those insidious, crafty bastards...'

Wiggins never could understand the mindset of East Asians. Even if China's land was vast and its people numbered past a billion, something like three factions of equal strength maintaining equilibrium for decades seemed utterly inconceivable to a European like him. Indeed, such a scenario would not happen in this part of the world.

The European way of doing things would've been more like waging intense, bloody wars until one side emerged victorious, then the victor assimilated everything of the vanquished. The only thing stopping them from doing that now was national borders. Without that...

However, the East Asians often picked the option of delaying the inevitable war to increase their faction's...