Chapter 656: Act 18 – May, History and Visitors
The events that unfolded after Princess Grifian and Mister Brendel left Wood Manor were mostly predictable.
The Crown Prince was reinstated as Duke of Siphai, symbolizing yet another compromise by the royal family towards the local powers. This kind of compromise had been a recurring theme in the history of this kingdom, forming a vicious cycle since the Year of Thunder, when local powers had become increasingly strong.
History seemed to repeat itself; however, at least for the time being, with the intervention of the Temple of Fire and the Crown Prince’s own appeasement, the tumultuous winds brewing from the north had calmed down, returning to a state of tranquility.
Privately, there were reports of nobles celebrating a rare victory after the battle of Ampere Seale. The chaotic situation in the locality resembled the days surrounding the astrologers, reminiscent of when the kingdom was rife with turbulence. Signs of thievery appeared to resurface, and merchants were vocal in their complaints; yet beneath this surface, silent transformations were quietly occurring.
Mister Brendel understood that Her Highness could not allow Prince Levin to grow too powerful in the north, even if they had made secret pacts, and even if he was her nominal brother. Politics could not afford private feelings, especially since the Temple of Fire did not wish to see a resurgence of division in Erluin before the holy war’s conclusion—at least, the Crusian people hoped for a retention of superficial stability for this ancient kingdom.
But it was only superficial.
Beyond these official reasons, there were more direct conflicts of interests influencing this situation. In the north, apart from the Siphai family’s inherent territories, there were also the lands of the Corvado royal family, as well as regions such as Yan Fort and Yaneira. The faction of the princess was unlikely to yield these complex territorial disputes willingly.
Therefore, as part of this exchange, Her Highness regained control over the White Lion army as expected. Yet perhaps the Crown Prince himself was unwilling to command such a disloyal force. Since the reappearance of the Lionheart Sword, a strong faction within the White Lion army had begun to lean towards the princess.
This aspect was slightly different from history. In another timeline, the White Lion army had not truly aligned with the royalist faction until Freya gained complete control over it.
However, this time, the old white lion, having lost its two commanders, had clearly lost its former vigor.
Brensen, Joko, and Enroch, who had barely survived the battle of Ampere Seale, were ordered to head north to receive this army. The new commander was the grandson of the kingdom’s mighty lion, who fell during the battle. But Mister Brendel knew that this unfortunate soul would likely not remain in this position for long.
Everyone understood that there was only one person capable of leading this army. That person was Freya, the one who wielded the Lionheart Sword.
But now was not the right time. Nemeses also crossed Freya’s name off the original list—she reasoned that the girl from the countryside of Buche needed more training.
This was also Mister Brendel’s view. Perhaps in the future, she would have the ability to command an army, but currently, she was far from ready. In his opinion, the White Lion army would enter a long period of dormancy until the officer corps under Kargris formed, at which point he could establish a true White Lion infantry that mirrored the splendor of that era.
By then, it would be the time for the Valkyrie to play her part.
Before that, there were more important tasks awaiting this future Valkyrie.
In contrast to these issues, a few significant events on the surface attracted the attention of ordinary people. Particularly, the ultimate involvement of the People of Silver in the investigation of the battle of Ampere Seale. Upon the requests of the Bud people and the Silver Elves, the Temple of Fire was compelled to give up its control over Ampere Seale.
The hidden drivers behind all this were naturally Mister Brendel and a certain elven lady.
A human and an elf had pushed what would be regarded as the most significant event between Erluin and Cruz in the eyes of the general populace during the Year of the Sword. In the middle of Shuo Hua Month, from that day onward, this port city would no longer exist under the guise of autonomy but would serve as a trade harbor for Erluin.
Once this news spread, it sent shockwaves across the southern region of Vaunte.
But regardless of how the news circulated, one truth would always remain unchanged. That is, after centuries have passed, this Saintly White harbor would ultimately return to the embrace of its ancient mother.
That evening, Her Highness made an exception by allowing Mister Brendel to escort her along the outer walls of the harbor.
The half-elf princess gazed at the distant forest edges and the bay beneath the gold-tinged clouds of sunset, quietly watching without speaking, her gaze extending to the horizons where the sunlight formed a line of golden threads.
Her position mirrored that of her ancestor Eke a thousand years ago.
As she descended the city tower, the princess softly thanked Brendel, her voice so faint and delicate that it almost made him doubt his own senses.
Regardless, he at least remembered the princess’s sparkling eyes as she gazed into the distance. She must have felt very proud; otherwise, that reflection of swirling clouds in her bright golden eyes would not have been hiding such excitement.
She was not Erluin’s king, but she was the princess who loved this land the most.
The tumult of significant affairs encircling this harbor resonated like roaring sea waves, making the diverse lives of everyone become mere reflections that adorned it over the past month.
Meanwhile, the trivial matters amid these significant events turned into comic interludes.
For instance, the recovery of Mage Gherlok drew considerable excitement when this kingdom’s chief court wizard and hero of Ampere Seale reappeared in public view. After all, in contrast to the obscure Mister Brendel, Gherlok’s name was already a legend in this kingdom.
That day, celebrations in Ampere Seale lasted for a whole day, to the extent that Her Highness even teased Brendel, asking if he felt envious.
Brendel was not envious at all.
What he was more concerned about was whether Gherlok would, as he previously mentioned, take Antinna on as his apprentice. According to the archmage himself, such a high talent would be too much of a waste if she settled for being an ordinary person.
Mister Brendel deeply agreed with this sentiment.
But compared to this, he respected Antinna’s own opinions even more. Fortunately, the aide bore no resentment; on the contrary, she had long wished to learn magic, but had lacked both opportunity and time since her family’s downfall.
Thus, Antinna officially became Gherlok’s only apprentice.
According to Her Highness, she could very likely become the future court sorceress.
The third widely circulated event of the month also related to Gherlok. It originated from a group of youngsters’ curiosity regarding the legendary story of how this archmage survived on the battlefield. However, when the man himself put on a master’s demeanor and refused to speak, it only sparked everyone’s interest further.
Soon, a ridiculous rumor circulated through the market—that Gherlok had luckily escaped danger by hiding among a pile of demon corpses.
Indeed, for a court’s archmage, such an experience was rather embarrassing. Thus, for some benevolence, the harbor authorities quickly prohibited the spread of similar rumors.
Still, there was one time when Mister Brendel encountered this master in the forecourt of the reconstructed Andefulle Grand Cathedral, inadvertently overhearing him muttering as he walked with a distracted demeanor: “Damn manure, this damn manure!”
Time seemed to fly.
At least for Brendel and everyone around him, their time spent in Ampere Seale port seemed to pass swiftly amid a multitude of events.
The mild Shuo Hua Month floated like pieces of wood sticking out from a river, twisting and disappearing from people’s views as the weather grew hotter day by day. The storms off Ampere Seale’s coast gradually subsided, and the greenery in the mountains and forests started to exhibit increasingly captivating hues, as if the people in the harbor had yet to notice the subtle changes around them while the wilderness had already blossomed, heralding the arrival of summer.
The Naga and Silver Elves departed one after another from Ampere Seale, making the harbor briefly seem desolate. Mister Brendel had asked the Naga to convey his gratitude from the Kingdom of Erluin, hoping that the historically renowned Queen of Frost could understand his meaning.
Erluin needed an ally, and the Naga beneath the Glimmering Sea needed one as well.
However, another matter left Brendel somewhat vexed. As agreed, the Silver Elves took away their token—the precious ginkgo leaf. This loss was perhaps the most painful aspect of Brendel’s involvement in this war; had it not been to save Her Highness, he would never have squandered such a valuable opportunity.
In his previous life, a player had traded this item for an entire dragon’s nest, where the treasures contained could easily buy and destroy Rendener before reconstructing it. But Brendel exchanged it merely for an ambiguous title of Earl of Toniger.
Although Her Highness allowed him to attack Rendener, it could be said that power in Erluin would concentrate in the central government sooner or later; thus, this de facto lord would inevitably have his authority reclaimed.
Mister Brendel thought and thought, feeling he was just creating unnecessary trouble for himself.
Fortunately, the Silver Elves seemed to have considered Medisa’s perspective and did not cause him much trouble. On the contrary, they had resolutely stood by his side from the start, quickly driving the reach of the Temple of Fire out of Ampere Seale; from that perspective, it was worth the price.
Yet, with the departure of the Silver Elves, officials of all ranks in Ampere Seale could not help but feel that everything seemed to lighten considerably. Particularly, those disputes that often arose due to the differences in habits between humans and Silver Elves seemed to vanish without a trace.
As all matters settled upon entering the hot month of Xia Long, Mister Brendel soon realized there was just one thing left he had not completed in this harbor.
The date progressed steadily.
Just like a well-marked date on a precise schedule, the expected guests arrived on a sunny afternoon.
It was a letter adorned with a silver feather, the cover inscribed with flowing script:
“To Mister Brendel, personally opened.”
The same letter was also delivered to Her Highness’s desk.
The envoy from Bud had arrived.
…
“Brendel, Brendel, look at me!”
A light voice pierced through the woods, full of the joy of a child. When Brendel looked up, he saw several beams of sunlight filtering down from the trees, lighting up the dry leaves and moss, creating a scatter of light patterns. Amidst these jagged rocks, a piece of deadwood lay horizontally, and the Business Lady was balancing herself on it with arms extended, swaying in delight over her own equilibrium.
Then she jumped off the deadwood, right in front of Brendel and Antinna, boasting, “What do you think? Impressive, right?”
Super impressive! Brendel sighed helplessly, “Roman, aren’t you tired?” The forest outside the harbor was hot, filled with a damp heat, akin to steam rising from a steamer. Everyone was sweating profusely, except for a few energetic individuals.
What irritated him was that the elven lady had clearly informed him that the wizards from Bud had specifically chosen a refreshingly cool cloudy day. Now it seemed that either the People of Silver had a different understanding of cloudy days, or the astrologers from the artisan wizards were downright unreliable.
Brendel glanced back, noticing Xi, Freya, Kargris, and even the lady countess from Yan Fort had been summoned. The countess was whispering something with Her Highness in the back, while Kargris was mingling with the young men from Toniger, and Charles’s mercenary group formed a perimeter for security. Only Xi sat beneath a poplar tree, earnestly reading a book with a red cover, her long ponytail drooping onto the moss.
In fact, Xi had never been particularly literate; she was merely far above the average mountain dweller in reading skills—not that mountain dwellers were particularly well-read. Nevertheless, ever since Antinna took on the role of her teacher, this typically quiet mountain girl seemed to increasingly find some quiet joy in reading.
However, Brendel worried that if she only read knight novels all day, she might end up just like Roman.
He looked back at the Business Lady again.
The Merchant Miss had already linked her arm with his and sat beside him. Finally settling down for a moment, Brendel could breathe a sigh of relief. But before long, rustling sounds suddenly came from a nearby thicket, drawing everyone’s attention. They looked up to see Makarolo, Overwell, and Earl Ouding stepping out with neat appearances.
They clearly had just arrived.
Makarolo was the first to notice Princess Grifian beside Dierphir, momentarily taken aback, and turned to Brendel: “Mister Brendel, what guests are we meeting today, and why is Her Highness here…?”
They had actually received the news the day before, and Makarolo first thought of the dragon clan behind Brendel. It was precisely because of the potential presence of those golden folk behind the princess that the royalist faction had been tightly tied to her chariot of war after the conflict.
Of course, the death of Livwz had also somewhat dissolved the misunderstandings between the two sides.
Anyway, the chief court wizard of the kingdom was still considered to be Princess Grifian’s teacher.
But for Makarolo, his last news indicated that the mother dragon named Alorze had caused quite a ruckus in the harbor one day, simulating a grand scene of a fire dragon attacking the city before disappearing without a trace. Everyone assumed that the dreadful dragon girl had left, but he did not think so; he stubbornly believed she was merely hiding.
And that young man, Brendel, who had a unique relationship with the dragons, was evidently the greatest support behind the princess.
Yet he also did not know that the answer to the question he had been steadfastly holding onto was quite simple for Brendel. After listening to him recount the story of the Loop of Trade Winds, that ill-tempered young dragon girl had reportedly already run back to Toniger to check on his ‘Heroic Hall.’
Today, they were set to meet another group of people.
But before Brendel could respond, the bushes parted again.
This time, an old man in a silver robe stepped forward. Upon seeing Brendel, the elder was momentarily startled and then broke into a familiar smile.
“I’ve come to get a glimpse of Erluin today for my old friend. I didn’t expect to see you again, young friend Brendel.”
“Damn!” Brendel nearly jumped up. He had thought the visitors from Bud would be Tanyia and Turiman, as their relationships with the kingdom were much deeper. He never dreamed that such a figure would arrive.
William Piester.
The so-called Silver Storm of the world, the leader wizard of the Silver Alliance.
He instinctively turned back and noticed that Her Highness, Makarolo, and Overwell were all looking at him with strange expressions, as if they were gazing at some legendary monster.
The meaning in their eyes was unmistakable.
“Brendel, just who are you?”
…
(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please support it on Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendations or monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
