The ruler of the country Sero, made a strategic move.

During his border inspection, he met with an envoy from a village, and from that moment, an ambitious plan formed in his mind.

Given the circumstances at the time, Wang could easily deceive the envoy by claiming that their country had already joined the seven major nations.

If Wang did so, under the guise of "protection," he could station thousands of soldiers in the village and turn its inhabitants into citizens of Sero.

Wang had the means to do so, but he chose not to because he felt the benefits were too small.

A precious opportunity like having a envoy visit, something that may not happen for decades, would it not be petty to only use it for population expansion?

Sero was a country neither too big nor too small. If the ruler, Wang, lacked ambition and only sought small gains, what future would the nation have?

In order to ensure the prosperity of Wang's country, he made a daring gamble. He reluctantly abandoned the immediate gains and chose to write seven letters, relying on the envoy from the village to deliver them.

Through the operation of spies, the seven letters became bait, successfully luring the armies of the seven major nations to this location.

The purpose of this lure was naturally to weaken the national power of the seven countries.

Regarding this objective, Wang would not personally intervene but would rely on "external forces."

At the beginning of formulating the plan, Wang had carefully considered that there were only three possible outcomes once the armies of the seven nations met.

First:

The seven nations, encountering each other on the plains, would engage in a fierce battle, a massive conflagration!

This outcome was ideal, perfectly aligned with Wang's intentions, but it had the lowest probability of becoming a reality.

Because the significance of a war, particularly one involving large armies, was enormous; unless the army leaders collectively lost their minds, they would not engage in such a foolish manner, seeking a mutually assured destruction.

The second possibility:

The army leaders, upon meeting, would immediately establish camaraderie and engage in friendly discussions.

In their negotiations, they would come to a pleasant agreement to jointly divide the thousands of population and then return to their respective countries.

This outcome might happen, but only if the representatives of the seven countries remained rational, and there was not a single one among them who wished to provoke trouble.

If the second outcome came true, Wang would have to accept his defeat and acknowledge that he would never achieve anything.

The third possibility:

The armies of the seven nations would ignore the village for now and focus on annihilating the demon race. After a devastating war, they would suffer heavy losses.

After the daring gamble, it was time to reveal the results.

The situation was not the worst, but it was also not the best.

There was no conflagration between the seven armies, but they had indeed lost a major portion of their forces in the war against the demons!

Now, the remnant soldiers passing through this valley were nothing more than a few thousand wounded and exhausted troops.

Even with just the military strength of Sero, they could annihiliate every single one of them.

Today, Wang was very happy. He knew he had made the right bet and rejoiced in his clever decision to ambush with his troops.

On the other hand, the seven major nations had indeed made a huge mistake.

Including General You, the leaders of the seven armies were only cautious of the other six nations and neglected to spy on the military strengths of other countries.

You and the others must have thought:

Faced with a prodigy of heaven like themselves and their elite armies, why would these small countries dare to venture far from their borders and seek death here?

This kind of arrogance and foolishness, or rather, arrogant stupidity, has become a crucial factor in the downfall of the great country's army at this time! The plan to weaken the seven nations' power has gone smoothly. Country Wang looked down from above the cliff, searching the valley for enemy soldiers fleeing in panic, but did not find a single enemy above the "Army Breaker level" with any trace of a fluctuating aura.

A disheveled army without a commander leading them in retreat—what does that indicate? Country Wang propped his chin on his hand and cavalierly announced the answer: "The demons are quite strong. They not only reduced the massive army of over 100,000 troops to just a handful, but also none of the six legion commanders managed to escape alive."

Hearing this, the soldiers of Sero stationed on the cliff became instantly invigorated, and the bowstrings they were pulling tightened with more force. Now, the Sero soldiers held a strategic advantage, each one spirited, and with Country Wang, a "City Toppler level" individual, stationed here.

Such an obvious disparity in strength gave rise to an asymmetrical war. In just ten minutes, the army of tens of thousands in the valley turned into a pile of corpses, soon to be regarded as a paradise by crows. The war that took place within a single day has altered the entire map of the western continent. From now on, apart from Dibiles, the other six countries of the Seven Nations are inevitably headed towards decline.

In contrast, Sero Wang proclaimed its rise, possessing a power that surpasses the other six countries, becoming a new major power. For a long period in the future, the western continent will witness the "duopoly," and every country will have to maneuver around Sero and Dibiles.

But all of this is a story for later. At this moment, Country Wang was not thinking of so much; he was simply consulting those around him, asking them what they should do next. The bold generals, exhilarated by their victory, had their spirits lifted to the point that they suggested directly, "Your Majesty, why not consider expanding our gains? While our morale is high, why not wipe out the infamous demon forces entirely?"

Generals never think their achievements can be too great; they only worry about not having the opportunity to make contributions. Judging from the perspective of army morale alone, the commanders of Sero Wang's country already had the courage to directly face the demons.

In response to the enthusiastic requests of his subordinates, Country Wang curved his lips and smiled, saying, "Are you trying to get me killed?" The subordinates' heads had been clouded by victory, but Country Wang remained clear-headed. He clearly understood the relationship at play: since the demons possessed the power to cripple a great country, even if a protracted war of attrition were to occur, their overall strength could not be underestimated.

Given that Country Wang had already achieved a brilliant victory in the Sero army, how could he allow his subordinates to continue taking risks? What if they messed up? What if their expedition against the demons failed and they ended up following in the footsteps of the great country?

In the past, Country Wang had no choice but to take risks; but now the situation was different. He had become cautious, wanting to be a decisive decision-maker who acts with a calm mind.

This person who commands the entire army will never let his entire brain be flooded with hot-bloodedness, as one example can illustrate: a few hours ago, when Dibiles' army passed through this valley, the ambush did not make any rash moves.

Wang of the country took into consideration that Dibiles would retreat first, so the army did not suffer much damage. Therefore, at that time, he did not let the ambushers launch an attack because he was mainly worried about not being able to win.

Dibiles' troops eventually passed through the valley safely, which indirectly revealed Wang's character.

So, when he heard the advice of his generals, he refused without hesitation. After all, as long as the power of the demon race did not enter the territory of his country one day, he absolutely had no reason to let his subordinates take risks.

The secret to this can be summarized in one sentence: "Take what we've gained and stop! We have already gained a lot this time. Now, we need to pack up and prepare to go home before anything changes."

On the way back to the camp to pack up essentials, Wang looked up at the insufficient sunlight and thought to himself:

Oh leader of the demon race, are you now looking up at the same sky as my benefactor?

The answer is no. Looking up at the sky is something that only those with a relaxed mood would do, and Wang does not have that kind of mood now. Wang is only thinking about a widely circulated rumor.

The rumors are well-known in both the Western Continent and the Eastern Continent. The rumors go like this:

There is a small and lovely girl who appears in front of people with strong desires. She innocently asks about their wishes and then helps them fulfill their desires.

Any wish is possible, as long as it can be imagined by people, the girl can definitely make it come true. However, the girl emphasizes the principle of equivalent exchange!

Before she helps fulfill a wish, the person involved must first pay an equal price. Everyone who has seen the girl feels like they are facing an absolutely fair balance, surpassing the realm of merchants.

One side of the "balance" receives the price, while the other side holds infinite beauty. The girl is extremely ruthless, yet her existence is even more intimate than a dream.

In a fair transaction, there are ten principles that are unquestionable rules. They are:

1. Both parties involved in the transaction must adhere to the principle of absolute willingness.

2. Once a commitment is made, the price, no matter how many years it takes to pay, will be fulfilled.

3. Transaction forms are not limited to "bartering," as long as something valuable is involved, the girl will accept it all.

4. Once a formal wish is made, it cannot be revoked or changed.

5. Wishes made by different people cannot conflict with each other. Wish content cannot be "making another person's wish invalid," and so on.

6. No tricks or loopholes are allowed in the wish content. For example, the girl will ignore wishes like "my wish is to have three more wishes."

7. Party A can make a wish to benefit Party B, and as long as Party A pays the price, the transaction is deemed valid (in this case, Party B's will can be ignored).

8. Please follow the law of causality during the wish-making process.

9. Those who maliciously violate the above principles will be severely punished.

10. The determination of "equivalence" is decided by the girl.

As time goes by and the world changes, the rumors have not dissipated with the rotation of time. On the contrary, they have spread even further.

When the parties involved are unaware, she obtained such a nickname or can even be considered a name: "Lost Balance!"

With a peculiar name, she carries the expectations of certain people. Many people have speculated about the true identity of the girl: elf, angel, demon, and various other things have been said.

Among the countless people who talk about this as a topic after a meal, Wang can also be considered one of them.

Not long ago, Wang did not have high hopes for external forces because he had no personal desires.

Until today, when the feeling of imminent death became clearer, he suddenly realized:

He does have a wish!

Compared to his family members like Hawky, what Wang is most concerned about is Cai.

Because this young girl not only lacks power, but also cannot compare her lifespan with that of the demon race...

When a childish voice sounded, Wang was certain that it was not an illusion. The rumored girl with pigtails in children's clothing appeared in front of him.

"Do you need me?"

Her small finger pointed at her egg-sized childlike face, and when the girl lifted the corners of her eyes, her pigtails seemed to sway along.