When the knights launched a heroic charge under the leadership of the princess, Hao Ren stirred up a storm of flames and explosions in front of Fort West, and the western gate of the kingdom wailed under the impact of the Chaos, the hinterland of the ancient kingdom was still calm. But the calm was brewing an oppressive atmosphere.
White City. Nearly three centuries ago, Taros the First led his followers to build this magnificent city on the plains. It was the moment when the tide of Chaos receded and the Year of Troubles ended. Ansu Continent, like other continents, had many things to do. The Eagle Empire, which once dominated the southern part of the continent, was destroyed by the impact of the Chaos. The Eagle Empire and the survivors of several nearby mountain kingdoms formed a new tribe, and Taros the First was the leader of this tribe. When he built this city, he just wanted to provide a shelter for his people. But he did not expect that after the tide of Chaos ended, the continent quickly ushered in an era of prosperity, and he became the founding king of a dynasty.
The former sanctuary had become the sacred capital of Taros after many renovations and expansions.
The name White City came from its color: 80% of the buildings in the city were holy white. When the Chaos receded and the sun shone on the earth again, White City shone like a holy white gem on the earth. This unique style had made it the most prestigious and magnificent city on the Ansu Continent. Even the envoy from the Theocracy of the Sanctum had once exclaimed, "This small border country in the corner of the continent has a pearl-like capital." Although this evaluation was full of the arrogance of the people of the Sanctum, the people of Taros still thought that it was enough to prove how proud their capital was.
The earliest cornerstone of White City was the white rock from the Tassili Valley in the east of the plains. In historical records, the Tassili Valley appeared out of thin air a month after the end of the War of Chaos. So scholars believed that the rock was the product of the reshuffling of the power of Chaos and the power of Order. In Collow, this incredible thing was part of the law of nature. It was the constant reshuffling of Chaos and Order that allowed the world to continue to exist. Today, the rock field in the Tassili Valley had long been closed, and the main building materials of the city had changed from stone to magic and alchemy materials. But the people of White City still did not change the color of their city. They collected white clay from the plains as paint for their houses, continuing to maintain the pride of White City.
Or more precisely, it was the pride of the noble class in the city. Civilians did not care about the color of their houses, but the nobles hoped that the name of the 'holy white gem of southern Ansu' could last forever. So they wrote 'maintaining the holy color of the city' into the decree. White clay had also become one of the means of these proud nobles to amass wealth.
"Their pride should be thrown to the front line of the Chaos. I'd like to see if the face of those good-for-nothings can stop the claws of the monsters if it is stuck to the city wall!"
A loud shout broke the silence in the Palace of the Golden Roses in the royal city. A middle-aged man with short fiery red hair and a scar on his face, dressed in the kingdom's military uniform, threw the parchment in his hand to the ground and then paced up and down angrily in the room. This rather rugged man was qualified to make a ruckus in the royal city because he was the most famous war hero of the country, the supreme commander of the Royal Knights, Eagle General Gloen Modrick. Modrick.
He was used to shouting in front of the king. This habit had been there since he and the king secretly climbed trees in the palace.
Of course, at that time, he and Rudolph III were only in their teens.
There were several other people in the room. A middle-aged man in a lavender robe with slightly gray purple hair and a dignified face was sitting on a gorgeous chair in the middle of the room. His indifferent face showed no expression. Next to the middle-aged man stood a girl who looked only 16 or 17 years old. The girl had bright lavender long hair and wore a white princess dress. She looked elegant and dignified, calm and quiet. If Hao Ren were here, he would be surprised to find that the girl looked almost exactly like Veronica.
The last person stood at a place far away from everyone. He was wearing a dark red, thick, and luxurious robe that nobles often wore. His two rows of copper buttons shone brightly. His figure was thin and his face was serious. His light brown curly hair hung close to his cheeks, making his thin and long face look even more inhuman.
"Gloen, be quiet. I know at least half of them are good-for-nothings, but nobles are still necessary for this country." The middle-aged man on the chair finally spoke when General Gloen made his third round. His voice was calm and powerful. "Including the good-for-nothings."
"What can they do?" Gloen replied rudely, but he still quieted down. Although he was known for his lack of etiquette when he was with the king, as a general of the kingdom, he still knew when to obey.
"At least they can let you vent your anger," the man on the chair, Rudolph III, joked. "And they have a point. The kingdom's defeat in the Western Region has disgraced us in Ansu, and even in the entire world of Collow. Although face is meaningless to the monsters of Chaos, it is a real benefit and opportunity for politicians. If we can't defend the last land of order in the south of the continent, then there are countries willing to 'help' us defend it. In the Radiant Continent, the Violet Empire's magic-powered airship fleet has begun to assemble. "
"These guys," the scars on Gloen's face trembled with anger. "The Radiant Continent is close to the sanctum. The Tide of Chaos always ends the earliest, and each time, the damage is the least. And then they always extend their claws into other people's homes!"
"The thicker the darkness, the closer it is to decline. The power of the Tide of Chaos has reached its peak, which means that the disaster is about to end, and the Year of Fertility is coming soon. Every country must plan for the future. The bodies of the dead will be eaten by the living, and the survivors are obliged to become stronger to face the next war. This has been the iron law of Collow since ancient times, and we have come through it."
Rudolph III spoke of the cruel reality quietly. But the reality was that the last few years of the War of Chaos were the biggest tests that the mortal kingdoms had to face. Most of the kingdoms that eventually collapsed were unable to withstand the last few years. Those powerful kingdoms that had the strength to spare would wait for a long time. Once a country was about to collapse, they would immediately take action. First, they would rescue it, and then they would annex it as a matter of course.
This was not despicable at all. Annexation and restructuring of a country was always more resource-saving and time-consuming than rebuilding civilization from the ruins. The once-in-a-century Tide of Chaos would not give people time to negotiate slowly. How to complete the resource redistribution and reconstruction work after the war as soon as possible was the law of the jungle that the people of Collow had to master since ancient times. This was even a unique spirit of unity and dedication in this world.
Now the western defense line of Taros was a mess. If the forces of Chaos went straight in, this ancient kingdom that had survived two Wars of Chaos would be in jeopardy. In this case, it was reasonable for any surrounding countries to take any action, including their staunch allies. If the kingdom really collapsed, then the people of Taros would not have any conflict with the "receiver," and everything would be completed peacefully.
But the fallen party would not be so willing. This was the case with General Gloen.
"The situation in the western forest is a mess, and what has happened cannot be reversed." At this time, the thin man who had been standing at the farthest suddenly said, "It's just a pity for Princess Veronica. I heard that she fought bravely, but she was defeated by the situation."
"Grand Duke Loen, don't say it as if it has nothing to do with you." Gloen stared at the thin Grand Duke Loen, the most powerful man in the kingdom other than the king. "Princess Veronica went to the western front because of you."
"There is no personal feelings in the military plan of the kingdom —"
"Enough," Rudolph III suddenly raised his voice and interrupted the quarrel. The king's face was angry, and his voice was cold. "You are discussing the death of my daughter here! Think about how a father feels at this moment! "
"I am guilty," General Gloen immediately bowed to Rudolph III and apologized. "But I think the Theocracy should take the main responsibility for this matter, including the current situation in the western territory of the kingdom. The Theocracy needs to give an explanation."
Grand Duke Loen was expressionless, and no one knew what he was thinking.
"The Theocracy must give an explanation," Rudolph III's face was livid. "Those people from Sanctum —"
There was a moment of silence in the room, and the one who broke the silence was the girl standing next to Rudolph III. The girl, who looked exactly like Veronica, said softly, "Father, the scholars have some theories about what happened in the Western Region and what happened outside the border of Chaos."
"Theories?" Rudolph III looked up at his daughter, who was famous for her intelligence. "Ania, what have they studied?"
"Some are the observations of scholars, some are news from the border, including unconfirmed ones," Princess Ania said softly. "For example, there is a new flow of energy in the Chaos, and the dark side of the Sea of Carnos has expanded to the whole of Collow. There are also strange changes on the floating islands in the south of the kingdom. The beasts on the islands are carrying out organized large-scale activities, and there is also a rumor about the alpha."
(I am getting married today! This chapter will be published regularly.)
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