In Von Zhukov's castle, Emperor Karl-franz of the Empire had a serious expression on his face. He listened carefully to Luther Hus and Volten's description of Galt. He even wore a nightcap on his head, which made him look rather comical, but at the same time, he was full of bitterness.
After three days of continuous travel, Luther Hus was exhausted. The reformer of the Church of Justice, the mentor of the Chosen One champion, was always on the verge of exploding. He did not even realize that he was yelling at the Emperor. He just kept repeating that the great alchemist had betrayed the Empire, that he was a spy in our army, that he was an emissary of some evil god, that he was not a believer of Charlemagne, that he never was. Everything was a lie.
Seeing that the emperor did not believe in his judgment, Luther Huss became even more incoherent and incoherent. What he did not know was that as the best politician, the more Emperor Karl Franz saw that Luther Huss was agitated, the more he did not believe what Luther Huss was saying. Gelt's loyalty had been proven dozens of times. He was also the chief wizard of the royal family personally promoted by the emperor. The emperor did not believe that Gelt would betray him.
Fortunately, there was still one person who was sober. Charlemagne's Chosen One champion, Volten, was not as agitated as his mentor. Volten only reported everything that happened to Galt to the Emperor. He clearly pointed out that while it was impossible to confirm that Galt was a believer of Chaos, there was no doubt that his loyalty to the Empire was not as firm as his loyalty to a certain supreme being in the subspace. He obeyed the orders of that supreme being and used that will as his absolute yardstick. Volten believed that whether Galt betrayed the Empire or not, everything must be investigated clearly.
Volten's analysis was not only meticulous and logical, but also evoked two doubts in Emperor Karl-franz's mind. The first was the miracle of the Golden Fortress. Galt was the creator of the miracle, but he could not explain how he achieved the miracle and the principle behind the Golden Fortress. Secondly, the Emperor once again recalled Galt's abnormality and the adventures and changes during the trip to Nord.
Even though he still believed that Galt was loyal, the Emperor still hesitated. He knew that he could not ignore the possibility of Galt's betrayal. Moreover, there was indeed something about Galt that could not be explained. Karl-franz thought for a moment and said, "Understood, Volten and Huss. Thank you for coming all the way here to describe this problem. I understand. Now, you can go and rest."
"Your Majesty! This is an extremely urgent matter. Does Your Majesty intend to do nothing? " Watson was still calm, but Huss pressed forward. The Battle Priest asked loudly, "Your Majesty, do you plan to pretend that nothing happened?"
"I don't intend to pretend that nothing happened." Emperor Karl-franz maintained his composure, but there was a hint of impatience in his eyes. "But all of this is just your side of the story. Of course, I believe you. But Galt has been an old minister of the Empire for decades. He has saved this country from countless crises. He is not someone who can be taken down just because of a small matter! You can go and rest first. I will hold a meeting overnight to discuss this matter. "
Luther Huss wanted to say something, but Watson signaled for him to leave it to the Emperor. The two of them then left.
Von Zhukov's peaceful night was broken by the arrival of Huss and Watson. After the two of them left, Karl-franz could no longer enter the dream. While the Emperor was still thinking, Marshal Rick, Helberg, walked in from outside. The old marshal was obviously a light sleeper, or rather, he did not sleep at all. He asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, what happened? Has Aulfen's defense line been breached? Otherwise, why would Huss and Watson, who were originally there, appear here? "
The Emperor's rationality told him that he could not tell Helberg about this at this time. Marshal Rick was a loner, stubborn, and lacked any human emotions. As long as he told Helberg about Huss and Watson, Marshal Rick would definitely lead his troops to Aulfen to take down Galt. He would also definitely interrogate him with torture.
After persuading Helberg to leave, Karl-franz personally wrote a letter. He signaled the messenger to deliver this letter to Rudenhoff in Aulfen as soon as possible. The Emperor believed that at this moment, whether it was Watson or Galt, it was all one-sided. Only Rudenhoff, the Kurfürst of Hocke, who did not stand on any side, might be able to provide a reasonable reply. He knew Rudenhoff well. This Kurfürst would not be bought off easily. His beliefs were firm but not fanatical.
There was still too little information. The Emperor could only stop everything at hand and wait for the results of the investigation.
At the same time, the Emperor continued to urge Boris Todbringer and Emmanuelle to come to Von Zhukov Castle as soon as possible. In this darkest era, the Empire could not do without the help of these two powerful Kurfürst.
Boris Todbringer was only focused on his White Wolf City. The countless Orc tribes in the Black Forest of Drakoward had indeed distracted the attention of Middleton Hill.
As for Emmanuelle … The Duchess of the Empire could not help the Empire's army much, but she could get food from Brittany! The 500 carts of food that the Empire ordered from Brittany were already on the way. The Empire's Duchess would personally deliver it to the frontline.
It was worth mentioning that the Duchess of the Empire was pregnant again. This would be her fourth child, and it was said that it was also a daughter. Laing planned to name his daughter from Paimon, Keqing, and Gan Yu, but Emmanuelle wanted to name her third daughter and fourth child Eugenie. Emmanuelle was very stubborn on this point, so Laing could only let her be.
Emmanuelle was really good at giving birth, Karl-franz thought to himself. For this, Laing not only sent out a main battalion of the Coldstream Guards, led by the Holy Grail Guard Udino, he also sent out three Grey Knight recruits (known to the outside world as the sons of Brittany), Captain Petain, Captain Fuchs, and Xiafei, who were responsible for escorting Emmanuelle.
Now, everything could only wait for Kurfürst Rudenhoff's answer.
The messenger quickly rode away and disappeared into the wilderness under the cover of the night.
Three days later, an urgent letter with the Emperor's golden seal was sent to Kurfürst Rudenhoff. After reading the contents of the letter, Kurfürst Rudenhoff could not believe that Gelt was actually a traitor?
It didn't seem like it at all!
As the Kurfürst Rudenhoff of Rudenhoff, he was a powerful hunter and a very determined but not brainless fanatic believer of Tal. After receiving the news from the Emperor, Rudenhoff barely managed to keep his calm. He brought his own small team of Kurfürst guards and embarked on the road to the noble's manor in the suburbs of Aldefen.
The noble's manor in the suburbs was very easy to recognize, and Rudenhoff was not stopped at all.
It was not that the great alchemist did not notice that Huss and Wo Teng had left, but at this time, Gelt did not care about anything else. The great alchemist and the metal wizards under his command were feeling the blessing of the Emperor with incomparable fanaticism. The knowledge and mysteries of the ancient sages brought by the Emperor was something that most metal wizards would never be able to touch. Even Gelt, the great alchemist who had amazing talent and was chosen by the Emperor, was shocked by the technology of the Thunder Weapon bestowed by the Emperor. He had not slept for three days and three nights. Every minute and every second, he was studying how to carry out the Thunder Weapon, using the body, flesh, and soul of a mortal to stitch together with the magic of the metal wind and the power of faith to create a warrior that could fight against the Warriors of Chaos.
At this time, the metal wizards no longer hid themselves. Gelt had been the dean of the Golden Academy for decades, and the corruption called loyalty had long been spread throughout the Golden Academy. Now, there was not a single metal wizard who was not a loyal believer of the Emperor. When the battle priests were here, these metal wizards would more or less hide themselves. But with the departure of Huss and Wo Teng, under the relative isolation of the manor and the blessing of the Emperor, every metal wizard was crazily excited and happy. They decided to turn this holy land of the Emperor into an indestructible monastery and pilgrimage sanctuary.
When Ludendorff and his Kurfürst guards entered the manor, the Kurfürst was already stunned by the changes in the manor. Strong golden walls rose from the ground, and holy emblems of irises, golden double-headed eagles, skulls, and laurel crowns were everywhere on the walls. Every few meters, the Emperor's holy words were branded on the walls. In the middle of the manor, a holy statue of the Emperor had been erected, and the soldiers of Sol Domain and Ostmark Domain were praying and worshipping to the holy statue.
Ludendorff didn't know what the holy statue was. It didn't look like Chaos, but it was definitely not one of the nine gods officially recognized by the Empire or any of the gods of the old world. It was definitely not even the Elven God or the Dwarf God!
Then it could only be the Chaos God! The Kurfürst was shocked.
Gelt really betrayed the Emperor!
When they approached the courtyard of the manor, Ludendorff no longer doubted Gelt's betrayal. The Kurfürst saw with his own eyes that Gelt and a few metal wizards under his command were refining human bodies!
A few corpses were being melted back and forth by magic! Under Galt's control, the metal torrents were molded into human shapes, failed, and then molded again. The ground was full of metal residues and fragments that were vaguely recognizable as human limbs. Ludendorff's face was pale, and the Kurfürst was terrified. He was not a sorcerer and did not understand magic, but what Galt was doing was undoubtedly playing with the dead and horrifying blasphemy.
There was no doubt that Gelt had fallen. While the Kurfürst himself was still thinking about how to bring the great alchemist back to the right path, he saw the holy statue of the Emperor standing in the middle of the manor. There seemed to be some kind of mockery on the statue.
Ludendorff's heart was filled with anger and grief. The Kurfürst didn't go in to see Gelt. He could no longer hide his disgust. He walked to the statue and questioned the dozen or so wizards of the Golden Academy who were present. What made them betray the Empire? What made them choose to fall into depravity? Why did the Empire give them such a high status and power, but they became evil wizards who loved to play with human lives?
The wizards of the Golden Academy who were in a frenzy didn't listen at all. A few of them who were reasonable told Ludendorff that they didn't betray the Empire. They were just looking for a path that they had never thought of before. They were trying to save mankind from the disaster. If they really understood the faith of the God Emperor, his power, and his greatness, they would definitely choose to join them.
Join? This fake God? Are you kidding me? The infuriated Ludendorff drew his sword and chopped off the head of the statue. Stepping on the face of the statue with his military boots, the Kurfürst roared, "Get the hell out of the Imperium with your fake gods! Heresy! "
To be fair, the Holy Emperor Statue that was smelted by the wizards of the Golden Academy was not something that could be easily chopped off. However, the Rune Tooth in Ludendorff's hand was not an ordinary item. When the head of the Holy Emperor Statue fell on the grass of the manor and rolled a few times, everyone lost their minds. The wizards of the Golden Academy saw the Kurfürst as their enemy the moment Ludendorff drew his sword. In a fit of rage, they raised their wands. The powerful Wind of Piety spell condensed in the air and turned into a torrent of hot metal and a golden hound, sweeping towards the Kurfürst and his Kurfürst guards.
At this time, the Wind of Magic also showed a very strange change. The magic that was originally a warning turned into a destructive magic. Caught off guard, a dozen great swordsmen and knights of the Kurfürst's guards were hit by the metal torrents and melted in the super high temperature. The golden hounds tore their limbs and flesh into pieces.
After a round of magic attacks, only the Kurfürst was left alive. Ludendorff blocked the magic with his rune tooth. The Kurfürst said goodbye to Tarr, Charlemagne, Emperor Karl-franz, his wife, and his two sons for the last time. Then, he waved his sword and charged towards the wizards of the Golden Academy. After killing six wizards in a row, Ludendorff, who was exhausted and didn't bring any magic amulets, fell into a pool of blood.
When Gert heard the news and came out of the manor, the great alchemist realized the seriousness of the problem.
Gert and his men killed a Kurfürst!
Seeing the disdain and hatred on Ludendorff's face, Gert finally retreated from the fanaticism of the past few days. The great alchemist and chief wizard of the Empire's royal family scolded his metal wizards in disbelief. Then, he thought about what he should do.
Should he blame the Kurfürst's death on the assassination and sabotage of the North Sea?
No, that was impossible! Gert immediately denied this idea. There were too many people who saw Rudenhoff enter his manor!
Was the disguised Ludendorff attacked on the road?
That was not possible. Ludendorff's army was in the Skarlan Castle, which was only half a day's journey away! When the Kurfürst's cavalry was attacked, there was no reason for them not to retreat or look for nearby reinforcements! Moreover, Chaos was blocked outside the Golden Fortress. Other than the Orcs and a small number of Green Dwarfs, how could there be such a powerful attack?
Confess to the Emperor?
How was that possible?! If he still had some confidence before, now that the Kurfürst and Ludendorff were dead, wouldn't confess to the Emperor be like walking into a trap?
In the end, Gert could only clumsily raise his staff and try to reforge Ludendorff's body and soul according to the knowledge of the Thunder God Weapon given by the Emperor. However, how could Gert master the technique of the Thunder God Weapon? After spending a few hours and emptying his magic, Gert did not succeed and was exhausted.
In the end, the great alchemist could only order a fake attack scene and blame it on the attack of the Venomous Spider and the Goblin tribe in the nearby forest. He waited in fear for the Emperor's reply and prayed to the God Emperor that he could hide it.
The Emperor's reply came quickly. Karl-franz's messenger brought a document with harsh words and questions. The Emperor expressed that he did not believe Gert's reply. He did not believe that Ludendorff died in the attack of the Goblins. However, out of trust for Gert and recognition of his contribution, the Emperor and the Empire's War Council were willing to give Gert a chance to explain and gave him five days to come to the Von Zhukov Castle to explain himself.
Gert knew that he would not be able to explain himself, because he was the one who killed Ludendorff!
Everything was shattered. Everything that Galt had painstakingly worked on over the past few decades had turned into a grain of sand that flowed through his fingers. The great alchemist wept in pain. If not for his faith and loyalty to the Emperor supporting his will, his world would have collapsed long ago.
After thinking for a long time, Gert left a letter. In the letter, the great alchemist admitted his stupidity and the truth that he accidentally killed Ludendorff during a magic experiment. He also left behind the spell and spell model on how to continue maintaining the Golden Fortress. However, he did not mention the part about the Emperor's faith. After finishing all this, the great alchemist immediately led the Saul army and the wizards of the Golden Academy, who were still loyal to him, to leave Aldefen overnight and retreat to the south.
He chose to escape and become a coward, because this was the only way to avoid a battle with Karl-franz. The great alchemist planned to retreat to Saul territory, where there were still troops and people loyal to him. He wanted to hide there for a while. Gert was very clear that at this moment, the Empire absolutely did not have the energy to send troops to Saul territory.
Eight days later, when the Emperor's second wave of messengers arrived at Aldefen, they saw an empty noble's manor and a letter left in the manor. All the Saul army and the wizards of the Golden Academy had already left for several days.
In the chaotic subspace, the Crystal Maze echoed with the crazy laughter of a certain evil god.
The strongest fortress was indeed the easiest to break from the inside!
The plan worked!
The unbreakable Golden Fortress defense line had shown a flaw. Now, it's our turn!
The gates of the Crystal Maze opened, and three legions of Tzeentch's army under the lead of two great demons moved out.
"Praise Saint Tzeentch!"
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