Rebecca's first reaction when her name was suddenly called was to shudder. For the little heir of a declining family, the scene in front of her and the circle of bigwigs around her was basically a scene she had never dreamed of. Even when she ran into the woods in her childhood to fight with a wolf and was knocked out by a claw, she did not have such a level of hallucination. Looking at the old ancestor and the bigwigs talking and laughing, she even forgot that she was actually an important participant in this meeting.
But Rebecca was good at being stubborn. Even if she was a little confused, she calmed down with her strong — even nerve endings that were close to necrotic — nerve endings. After sorting out her words, the little feudal lord from the southern countryside began to tell the king about the nightmare that happened in Cecil's territory.
Everyone listened attentively. Even if they did not expect such a little girl to speak before, the disaster itself made everyone solemnly shut their mouths.
About the incident that happened at the southern border, everyone present more or less knew something about it. The incident was fermenting in the entire southern region, and various versions of rumors were flying. Of course, it was not all Gwen's credit. Gwen mainly sent people to spread the news about his "resurrection" and did not emphasize the disaster itself. But the disaster was essentially the best rumor catalyst. After two months of brewing and spreading, it was already known in the southern region.
The civilians may lack the channels to investigate the truth, but the nobles did not. Through various means, everyone present more or less understood the incident. Francis II even had secret reports from many southern nobles, but no matter how detailed the report was, it could not be more accurate and reliable than the personal experience of the person involved.
As Rebecca's increasingly fluent narration slowly pieced together the disaster and established a link with the Dark Tide 700 years ago, and the appearance of a dragon draped the whole thing with a layer of confusing veil.
Looking at the frowning king and the nobles, Gwen sighed softly.
These people were just focused on the resurrection of the founding duke and whether the Cecil family wanted to ask for benefits from the royal family. They had probably forgotten that the main purpose of the Cecil family's visit to the Captical was to report about the monsters. But they could not be blamed. After all, Gwen's presence was more prominent.
Furthermore, this sense of existence was something that he had created himself …
"… Now most of Cecil's territory has been scorched. The dragon's flame contains magic. Wherever it burns, no food can grow for years. My people have to live under the protection of Viscount Grumman." Rebecca had stood up, clenching her fists. Her previous timidity and nervousness had disappeared. "Your Majesty, and your Excellencies, although Cecil's territory is small, the disaster is a signal. The dragon's purpose may be unknown, but the monsters are a real disaster. Those monsters appeared 700 years ago, and they led to the destruction of the Kingdom of Gondor — my ancestors experienced it personally."
Francis II began to talk to his prime minister and the Grand Duke of the North in a low voice. The others also lowered their heads and discussed. It was obvious that they did not treat the news brought by Rebecca as air. They had to thank the constant spreading of the news, the secret letters from the south, and the existence of Gawain Cecil himself. If it were not for those, a declining noble from the southern countryside would only be laughed at when he came to the king and said that his territory was destroyed by monsters and dragons. It was possible that he would be punished, not to mention causing a discussion.
But it was hard to say how seriously they would take the news and how much they would respond.
After all, the world had been peaceful for 700 years.
"Your Excellency, Duke Cecil," said a tall and thin man sitting a few seats to the left of Gwen. He was the Grand Duke of the Western Region, Baldwin Franklin. He looked like a refined gentleman. "I believe that your descendant is honest about this matter, but this matter is really unbelievable. Forgive me for asking, but are those monsters really the monsters from the Dark Tide 700 years ago?"
"I've been dealing with them for 20 years. I'll recognize them even if they turn into ashes," Gawain said solemnly. "And I've fought them again. I can confirm that those monsters are the same ones that emerged from the Dark Demonic Tide. Unfortunately, they disintegrated quickly after they were killed, and there was no way to leave behind a specimen. Later, the dragon burned down the whole territory. Now, there's no way to send people to Cecil's territory to check the situation. "
Baldwin Franklin and Silas Loren, the Grand Duke of the Eastern Region, looked at each other. Gwen said, "If you think that the Cecil family is deliberately exaggerating the truth to gain sympathy and want to take this opportunity to return to the center of power, you can say so directly."
"No, no, no, we don't have such thoughts," Grand Duke Baldwin hurriedly said. "We just need to... confirm these things. After all, it involves the Dark Tide 700 years ago. The importance of this matter... is even beyond the scope of what any human kingdom can face alone... "
"But they have already attacked us!" Rebecca stood up somewhat impatiently. "I saw them with my own eyes!"
"Don't worry, calm down." Gwen pressed Rebecca's shoulder and pushed her back to her seat. He then turned to look at Francis II. "I know that your caution is reasonable. After all, entering a state of war has a high price to pay. I also brought some evidence, the weapons and equipment used by our soldiers in the Southern Region. Although the bodies of those monsters can't be preserved, the equipment will inevitably be contaminated by elements when fighting them. The residual corrosive smell on the equipment should provide you with some reference. I believe that even the most brilliant royal scholar can't find a corresponding sample from the corrosive smell that corresponds to the real world. "
Two strong attendants carried a large box up. After opening the box, several tattered swords and some twisted remains of armor were placed in front of everyone.
Those things seemed to have been soaked in strong acid. The originally smooth metal surface was full of potholes and had a dirty color. The metal that was most seriously corroded by the elemental power had even turned into a texture similar to rotten wood. With a gentle rub, large pieces of debris could be rubbed out.
"Now they are harmless and can be touched directly with hands. But until half a month ago, these steel were still disintegrating," Gwen explained as he watched the king and the nobles examine the samples. "If the historians haven't slacked off in the past 700 years, there must be records of this in the history books."
"There are, there are..." Francis II nodded.
"In addition, we also found the notes of a rogue mage by coincidence. His notes mentioned the eruption of the sun's red spot and the signs of magic upwelling..."
Gawain shared all the information he could provide, but it was obvious that the information in the notes of the rogue Magician did not attract much attention.
To most of the people present, those things were not even as convincing as the fragments of swords and armors on the table.
"Do you know where the dragon went?" Finally, Victoria Werde, the Duchess of the Northern Region, broke the silence. She seemed to be more concerned about the dragon's whereabouts than the monsters. "Or can you guess its purpose?"
Gawain shook his head. "I don't know about that."
Although he was the senior, it did not mean that he was more knowledgeable than the people present. 700 years ago, Gwen Cecil had never dealt with a dragon.
Well, at least not in his memory.
After seeing the crystals last night, Gawain no longer believed in the memories he had inherited.
"In fact... three months ago, there were rumors about dragons in my territory," the Duchess said word by word. "Someone claimed to have seen a dragon flying from the cold mountains in the north. But in the end, no other witnesses were found. The person who spread the rumor was also proved to be drunk. He mistook the wind and snow in the mountains for a dragon."
Gwen immediately asked, "Did the person describe the dragon in detail?"
"No." The Duchess shook her head. "But I can continue to investigate when I go back."
"You must investigate, not only the dragon, but also those monsters," Francis II said. "See if there are similar things in other places in the country, or if there are any abnormal signs of magic upwelling."
Rebecca could not help but speak up again. "But just investigating isn't enough. We have to be prepared for battle. Those monsters will appear out of nowhere without warning. If we don't prepare beforehand, we won't be able to defend against them in time. By the time the investigators discover their tracks, it will be too late …"
Duke Silas Lorren, who was stationed at the eastern border, glanced at Rebecca with some dissatisfaction. "Are we going to let all the soldiers in the country be prepared for battle and wait for those monsters that might pop up at any time? Or maybe they won't?"
Rebecca replied instinctively, "Of course, it would be best if that were the case."
"That's impossible. We can't mobilize the soldiers all over the country because of an illusory possibility. The local nobles will rebel, and the credibility of the royal family will also be damaged," Duke Silas said with a straight face. He was strong and tall, and had the temperament of a typical warrior. "What's more, we have to deal with the threat of the Empire of Typhon in the east. That country is a jackal, waiting to take a bite of the Ansu's flesh and blood."
After the destruction of the former Kingdom of Gondor, the survivors of the former Kingdom of Gondor broke out in four directions and finally established new countries in the east, south, west, and north of the continent. The Empire of Typhon was a country in the east of the continent, and it was the most powerful of the four countries.
The human countries in the north, south, and west coexisted with the original kingdoms or races. Only the Typhon was now the only country in the east of the continent. Its strength and style were imaginable.
Ansu and Typhon were adjacent to each other, and there was a large area of fertile land and rich mines on the border between the two countries. It was a natural point of conflict.
In the first few hundred years, the human countries could still remember the brotherhood and maintain peace. But long-term peace was unrealistic. A hundred years ago, there was civil strife in Ansu, and the Empire of Typhon took the opportunity to "tamper" with the border. The relationship between the two countries began to deteriorate rapidly. Until now, there were few days of peace.
There were no major head-on wars, but small skirmishes never stopped.
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