"It's that dangerous?" Liu was taken aback.
"Hehe..."
Helen burst into easy laughter: "Just trying to spook you! The magic elements conjured by mages are not as pure. For instance, the wind blade summoned by Wind Magic Tutor, a magic wolf, can cut through a wrist-thick wooden stick while for a human mage, it would be impressive if his wind blade could cut off even one-fifth."
"That's still impressive." Liu shuddered unbelievably.
"The number of human mages is also quite limited these days. Compared to the Heigar War a millennium ago, the number of mages has significantly decreased. Although we Bimon Beastmen have fewer War Shamans, the number of human mages is even less. A nation typically only has a dozen skilled mages, and when you consider magic apprentices, the number wouldn't exceed fifty. Therefore, in the human kingdom, only the court and powerful nobles can afford to maintain mages. Considering human wealth, satisfying a mage's demands for magical beast crystal nuclei is a rather simple matter. However, magic is a peculiar thing; misuse can cause a magical backlash, potentially costing the mage his life. Compared to our Bimon Blessing War Songs from the Altar Sacrificial Ceremony, the magical powers they choose are stronger but also more deadly and risky, as our war songs will never backlash due to a misoperation." The little fox explained pridefully.
"But our Bimon Altar Sacrificial Ceremony is just a supportive force." Liu couldn't help feeling let down, "Human mages are aggressive units, can we even compare?"
"The War God is always fair, He does not endow shamans with great power, but He grants us, the Bimon Beastmen, warriors with much stronger power and much more robust bodies than the human fighters! Although our population is much smaller than that of humans, a single Bimon soldier can take down five human soldiers, maybe even more." said Helen: "The War God is also fair to humans, the division amongst human mages is very strict, the four systems of 'Air, Fire, Water, Earth', most witches can only study one, and even the most talented mages can only learn two non-contradictory systems. Thus, exporting our crystal nuclei to them doesn't really harm us, in fact, it can help us get the fabrics and steel that we so desperately need."
"If the Bimon warriors are so strong, why not seek revenge? Avenge the grudge from a thousand years ago!" Liam cursed the Bimon king for being a coward.
"Richard! The strength of humans is not something you and I can imagine! Their warriors may not be as powerful as Bimon warriors, but they receive better training, have more strategic tactical command, and, more importantly, have more refined weapons and equipment, which is enough to close the gap between them and our Bimon warriors." Helen replied earnestly: "Another factor we must acknowledge is, humans are indeed too clever. They excel in every aspect they are involved in, not just in terms of art and culture. Take combat power for example, although our Bimon warriors are powerful, some outstandingly courageous individuals amongst humans exhibit excellent martial skills. Often times, our warriors are unable to retaliate when facing them; no arrogant Bimon warrior would audaciously claim to be capable of challenging the strongest human warrior, the Dragon Knight. The elves are remarkable archers, but the best archers amongst humans are not inferior in the slightest. Some exemplary human archers are even stronger; they can use magic-enhanced arrows, the damages they can inflict are terrifying!"
"What about us shamans?" What Liu cared about the most was this.
"If you consider Bimon warriors as wild horses, then the Altar Shamans are the reins. Our main responsibility is to disseminate the glory of the War God, and to bestow the blessings of Kampas to all Bimon. We were not born into this world to confront human mages; we don't really have anything to compare with them." Helen explained.
"So, you're saying..." Liam took over the conversation: "If we were to fight with them, we would simply be ------ finished! Right?"
"It's two words." Helen corrected: "Totally finished."
"What about three words?"
"Still finished."
"So unfortunate!" Liu wailed: "Guess I should save some time and not meditate, and instead practice my punches and kicks."
"I'm just kidding with you." Helen winked at Liu: "Although we can't participate directly in attacks, our magical beasts can. Magic of mages might be powerful, but it takes them a long time to prepare their spells. Our magical beasts, however, use instant magic, but mages also have strong warrior partners to protect them. So, there's no real competition. If you really have to compare, the strength of a shaman's magical beast partner can determine the direction of the battle."
"You mean this goofy bird?" Liu pointed at the osprey perched on a bamboo stalk, grooming its feathers, and laughed uproariously.
"Isn't that the pet you told me to summon?" Helen was angry, her eyes rimmed with red.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Liu hurriedly apologised: "Hehe.... did you just understand the 'Blessing War Song' through 'Natural Evolution'? Losses always come with wins! Now, when we go back, you can be transferred to the temple and become a 'War Shaman'. You'll be able to learn deeper war songs, isn't that good too!"