Chapter 649 — Crisis, Turmoil, and the Arrangement of Affairs

Night gradually descended, and the lamps within Saint Frostfall City kindled one after another in the darkness.

This ancient city that had weathered a crisis of annihilation seemed especially quiet in the night. After many days, it had finally welcomed an evening without the cries of slaughter and the roar of explosions. Saint Sunil was like a giant beast covered in wounds, quietly licking its injuries in this rare stretch of tranquil darkness.

The lamps of Xuanque City were far fewer than those of Xuanyao City, and the bright magic-crystal lights were largely confined to the castle district and the inner city. Beyond those areas, the streets and alleys were lit by dimmer candles and flickering braziers. Yet it was precisely this insufficient light that conjured a thread of peace and serenity in the night.

Victoria stood by the window, gazing at the distant scenery. Only after a long while did she turn back. "When do you intend to hold the coronation? Or rather... some other ceremony to proclaim the founding of the Empire?"

"Tomorrow, the news of the Empire's establishment will be sent across the realm to stabilize the situation everywhere. As for the so-called coronation..." Gao Yang shook his head. "No rush. Let us first resolve the greatest crisis."

"You mean the crystal-cluster monsters still remaining in the southeastern part of the Plains of the Holy Spirit?" Victoria blinked. "Their main force has already suffered a heavy blow, and they seem to have lost the capacity to launch another general offensive... What other threat do you mean?"

Gao Yan nodded. Here, at this moment, he felt it was time to let the two Lord Protectors know of that "time bomb."

"I suspect the Church of All Things' End has activated a legacy of an ancient god. The crystal-cluster monsters falling into frenzy was caused by this ancient legacy suddenly going out of control. I have obtained relatively solid evidence confirming that this divine legacy possesses 'activity,' and it lies deep in the eastern part of the Plains of the Holy Spirit... near the Eastern Border. My legion is now trying to gather intelligence on the relevant area, but so far no clues have been found. Its energy reaction is growing by the day. Detonation is only a matter of time... and not a long time."

Victoria and Bai Yu instinctively exchanged a glance, both seeing astonishment in each other's eyes.

This disaster... this disaster that had already destroyed Ansul, actually had an even deeper crisis behind it?!

"I know what you want to say—the soldiers gave everything they had to preserve Saint Sunil amid the disaster, at enormous sacrifice, yet they only blocked the first wave of this calamity. Now to suddenly learn that it is far from over, and that an even greater crisis looms, is certainly hard to accept. But fate never caters to our capacity for acceptance," Gao You said before either Lord Protector could speak. "What we are about to face is a challenge that may affect the destiny of humankind—not only the crisis manufactured by the Church of All Things' End, but also the situation over the long period to come.

"The shadows upon the Gondor Wasteland are stirring restlessly. The omens of the magic tide have already faintly emerged. The silhouette of dragons has appeared in the world. Of the three great dark cults, two still move within the shadows...

"Our neighbor, Typhon, has already risen, and it too is a tremendous threat. In the future, in order to survive—to survive amid disaster, to survive amid competition—we too must rise, and we must become the strongest of all...

"I can confess to you here that establishing an empire is not the optimal plan for carrying out reform. It will leave reform with many hidden dangers, many remnants. I can think of more thorough methods of transformation and more advanced social systems. But there is no time left. We have no time to choose the best; we can only first choose the most suitable for the moment.

"We must survive—I am prepared, and I hope you will be prepared as well."

Faced with this sudden long speech from Gao Yang, the two Lord Protectors fell into a brief silence.

This was not the first time they had heard words of this kind from Gao Yang. At the very earliest, when this founding hero had just been resurrected, he had brought warnings about the magic tide. After that, he had reminded people from various angles to heed the crisis before their eyes—but at the time, no one had taken those warnings seriously.

Today, no one would ever again dismiss these matters as alarmist talk.

"We should restart research on the magic tide and the wasteland. Restart those ancient libraries and archives," Bai Yu said. "It is time to awaken from our numbness—compared to this world, we have slept far too long."

"The crisis of the Church of All Things' End is the pressing priority," Victoria also said. "But now the Royal Army and the Northern and Western Legions have almost no combat strength left. Relying on the Cecil Legion... can it resolve the crisis you mentioned?"

"I have already made arrangements. There will not be too great an accident," Gao Dai said. "What I need from you is to maintain stability. By whatever means, before the dust settles, the western plains and Saint Sunil absolutely must not fall into chaos—this year is already half over. The coming Harvest Moon will be the key to whether we can safely get through this winter. We have already lost half our grain-producing lands and a great deal of stored grain. If bandits and large-scale refugees appear in the western plains as well... then even if the Cecil Legion resolves the cult crisis, we will still face a winter crisis."

The two Lord Protectors nodded solemnly, and Gao Yang then looked toward Victoria. "How much reserve strength does the North still have?"

"The Mountain Legion has suffered severe losses. Even counting the reserves previously left in the North and not committed to battle, only four to five thousand remain. If we add conscripts, private soldiers, and mercenaries from various places, perhaps ten thousand to fifteen thousand."

"Excluding the troops guarding the border?"

"Excluded—the corps defending against the northern kingdoms will under no circumstances be transferred away from the North."

"Over ten thousand... not enough, but I cannot demand too much," Gao Yang sighed. "Send reliable people, lead troops to the Eastern Border, going by way of the hills north of Fort Solin. The Cecil Legion has already carved out a safe passage there—before summer ends, take over the Changfeng Fortress in the Eastern Border and guard against Typhon. In addition, I will dispatch my Second Legion to the vicinity of the border to guard alongside them. Let the reorganization and modernization of the Mountain Legion be carried out in the Eastern Border. Our time is limited; we must fight for every second."

Victoria nodded lightly. "I understand."

"The Western Legion will remain on the Plains of the Holy Spirit, to recuperate and at the same time maintain order in the grain-producing lands," Gao Yang said, turning to Duke Bai Yu. "The reorganization and modernization of the Western Legion will likewise be carried out on the plains."

Bai Yu lowered his head. "This arrangement is most appropriate."

Gao Yang looked at the two of them. When the reorganization and modernization of the troops were mentioned, the expressions on both Lord Protectors' faces were utterly calm.

"I hope you understand that the process of reorganizing and transforming the Northern and Western Legions is a process of reclaiming your military authority," Gao Dai said. "I will replace their command systems and rebuild their discipline and order. They will change from being loyal to you to being loyal to the Cecil Empire—of course, considering the stability of morale and your personal capabilities, the reorganized legions will still be commanded by you. But by then they will no longer be private soldiers..."