Chapter 948: Act 119 – Shadows of the Fleet (Part 1)
(Do you feel like I’ve become stronger?)
Valhalla is no longer what it used to be. This emerald-like tree city has grown day by day under the careful maintenance of the Light Spirit, flourishing with lush branches and leaves. It can be seen in many places in Mintai, Cold Fir Territory, and even throughout the eastern part of the Earl of Toniger, with this giant tree towering into the clouds. However, locals believe that unlike four months ago, the changes in this giant tree have become more intense since the arrival of the “mysterious wizards from the sky.”
Amidst the puzzled and even fearful gazes of the people, horizontal branches began to sprout from the emerald canopy of the giant tree, curling downward to form door-like shapes. Dressed in silver robes, the wizards began inscribing dense runes along the tree trunks. By nightfall, these glowing magical texts could be seen emanating multicolored light from over ten miles away.
Just as people were still trying to comprehend what was happening, an even more astonishing sight descended upon this land.
It was airships.
Those ships that truly floated in the air, the levitating vessels that locals had only heard of in legends—laden with people and supplies, sailing in with their billowing sails from the north, starting with a few here and there, and soon forming a massive fleet. Some of these airships came and went, while others docked alongside the giant tree. In just half a month, Valhalla had taken on the embryonic form of an airport—at this moment, everyone realized what those mysterious wizards were actually doing.
The airport bridge formed by the tree trunk of Valhalla naturally held an advantage over the high towers of human-built airports. It resembled a dock built by the Bud people in the floating cities, making it easier for the wizards from the Silver Society to design such an airport. The construction of this airport for mutual trade was progressing rapidly. Wizard Manede stood on the bridge, watching the completed Dock 11 and the initial shapes of Docks 12 and 13, but his gaze was not to admire the busy colleagues at the airport—instead, he was intently focused on the swirling spatial ripples emanating between the curled tree doors.
“The anchor point coordinates are located south of the Sublime Sea of Andrea!” At the moment he was in a daze, a silver-robed wizard accurately reported a series of data. Manede suddenly snapped back to attention, his silver eyes glinting as he turned to command, “Go summon Lady Antinna.”
He hesitated for a moment:
“And Minister Tania.”
“At once!”
He added with emphasis—
…
A gust of cold wind swept over the city walls from the sea, carrying the scent of abundant rainwater. Despite being in the midst of summer, the coastal region of the Sublime Sea was still experiencing the rainy season, and such sea winds usually heralded an approaching storm. The young prince sneezed softly in the cold wind, and Brendel patted his shoulder casually, understanding that only a few had likely anticipated this. He raised his head and glanced at the nearby Cruz nobles; the earlier discussions about the revival of the Duskgazer Dragon sounded frightening, yet it remained too distant for mortals. After a brief moment of panic and astonishment, the Cruz nobles quickly settled down.
After all, even if the Dawn War was indeed on the horizon, living in constant fear was futile, especially since the current predicament was more pressing than the future of Vaunte. Enjoying indulgence and seizing the moment was inherently a privilege of the noble gentlemen.
Brendel even saw some nobles trying to compliment Laisimeka: “I’m really sorry to hear about your unfortunate experiences, beautiful… uh, lady, but at least you escaped and made it to the surface world, right? That’s something to be thankful for, isn’t it?” The speaker was a suave middle-aged nobleman—complimenting a beautiful lady—whether she had snake hair or slitted pupils, it was not considered shameful in any noble circle on the continent of Vaunte; rather, it demonstrated their gentlemanly demeanor.
Brendel shook his head slightly, while Lady Medusa seemed to genuinely enjoy such compliments as she smiled softly. “That’s true, but to be slightly more correct, I am here not merely because of the favor of fortune…”
Upon hearing this, Brendel instinctively frowned and glanced in the direction from which Laisimeka was looking at him with a somewhat inexplicable gaze.
“My appearance here and getting acquainted with all of you gentlemen is thanks to a valiant knight who rescued me. The demons that enslaved my clan were summoned by certain evil forces from the surface world and invaded the Kingdom of Erluin. It was this gentleman who led your human army to defeat the demon force and saved me; in fact, I haven’t had the chance to thank him in person yet.”
Laisimeka’s melodious voice rang out, sounding beguiling and pleasant, but to Brendel, it only deepened his frown. He could already feel several envious gazes directed at him from that direction. The battle involving Ampere Seale had not been long ago, and it was a conflict that entangled the Temple, the Erluin people, and several enormous entities within the Empire, even featuring eye-catching terms like “demon invasion.” Therefore, within the span of just half a year, it had become well known among the Empire’s nobility, and they were naturally familiar with the legendary young noble who served the Erluin princess during that war. They knew exactly who Laisimeka was referring to.
Receiving gratitude from such a beauty was naturally enviable.
Yet Brendel remained frowning; the gratitude from a Medusa sounded off. Though Laisimeka painted herself as a delicate and vulnerable woman, Brendel remained calm in his mind. The followers of the matriarchal clans underground were not necessarily kind-hearted. The surface world had another term for them: snake-haired demon ladies, which described these beings’ cold selfishness and fondness for manipulating schemes and intrigues.
Especially since he also knew these creatures, while not on good terms with the dark elves from Ashes’ Spire, shared a similar cultural vein. Aside from conflicts in faith, their temperaments were quite akin.
Of course, this was not particularly surprising as it was a fundamental survival rule within the underground world, where mutual scheming was as common as everyday life.
“She has been asking Prince Haruz about you for a long time,” at that moment, Nemeses reminded quietly after glancing in that direction.
Brendel was taken aback, not expecting Nemeses to take the initiative to caution him, and he couldn’t help but feel somewhat flattered. “Why would you allow this woman to be near the young prince? She clearly has ulterior motives.”
“It was the decision of His Highness the young prince, and Her Highness the princess did not oppose it.”
Brendel turned back and looked at her in surprise. “You didn’t oppose it either?”
Nemeses stared into his eyes, not responding.
“I understand, this is your attitude as a subject, but I don’t think so,” Brendel shook his head involuntarily.
“Thus, in the eyes of the royal party, you also have ulterior motives,” Nemeses answered flatly.
Brendel paused for a moment, realizing that this senior was subtly reminding him: indeed, no matter how he integrated into this world, he was still himself. The half of Sophie’s soul made him feel out of place among many in this world, but Brendel did not intend to change himself; he wanted to change this world and this ancient kingdom. “Being conservative is not necessarily the right course; I don’t want to repeat past mistakes,” he answered softly.
“Suit yourself.”
That was the response he received.
When Brendel turned back again, he cast a wary glance at Laisimeka, who was evidently aware of his gaze. However, she did not seem to mind, still smiling kindly and gazing at him from afar. Her slitted pupils held deep meaning, as if carrying an inscrutable implication. Brendel frowned slightly, but unexpectedly, Laisimeka did not approach but soon shifted her gaze away, as if everything before had been simply a gesture of gratitude.
“Is this a ploy of feigned capture?” Brendel was somewhat astonished. However, if that were indeed the woman’s intention, she would be disappointed because he currently had no mind to question her motives. Moreover, he was not worried about what this woman could do alone—if she aimed at him, he naturally wouldn’t fear anything; if her intention was toward the young prince or the princess, he believed his senior wouldn’t remain oblivious.
At that moment, he felt a gentle warmth in his palm and hurriedly opened his hand—there was a magic rune for communication left by him and Charles.
…
Moments later, Brendel turned back with a serious expression, his gaze falling on Earl Orkans. The latter had obviously already noticed Brendel’s earlier use of the communication spell. Although both were Cruz nobles, Orkans, being in a high position, could be counted among the few who thought somewhat further ahead. While others may have been indulging, Orkans understood the predicament they were facing, especially since he had nearly fallen into the hands of the Jotungrund people. He certainly did not want to experience that again, so when Brendel’s gaze landed on him, the stern Earl immediately got the message, turning back to command, “Vorlas, come here.”
Upon hearing this summons, Viscount Vorlas shuddered visibly and respectfully approached Brendel, asking humbly, “What is your command, my lord?”
Brendel couldn’t help but cast a look of appreciation at Earl Orkans before responding, “My wizards are ready; please lead us to the dock area, for the burrowers regard this as a rear base and will clearly not allow Ruin Port to remain in the Empire’s hands for long. Our time is short.”
Vorlas was momentarily taken aback, as if stunned for a moment to comprehend what this young earl was saying. Although he had heard similar words before, he never expected that the other would be serious—initially, he thought Brendel was merely adopting a tough stance to intimidate them Cruz nobles into correctly handing over command of Ruin Port. The problem was, he hadn’t lied at any point; there was truly not a single vessel to be found in Ruin Port at that very moment.
Recalling this, the viscount couldn’t help but sweat profusely, asking, “My lord, are you saying your wizards have cleared the docks? But my lord, we… we truly haven’t deceived you; there isn’t a single ship in the port!”
Perhaps because he desperately wanted to convey his message, Vorlas unconsciously raised his voice, immediately attracting the attention of other nobles on the city wall. Most of these nobles had not participated in the decision-making, and only a few had been involved in earlier negotiations with Vorlas. The vast majority were under the assumption that Brendel had confidently assured them the port still had vessels available, so they naively thought that the real task was merely to requisition those ships and leave together. They were unaware that, at this very moment, nearly all ships in the port had already sunk to the bottom of the gulf.
Hearing Vorlas’s words, disbelief and incredulity washed over the nobles, and after a brief moment of silence, someone immediately shouted:
“What nonsense are you talking about, Mr. Vorlas? What do you mean there are no ships?”
“No ships? How are we supposed to leave this wretched place?”
The nobles became increasingly anxious, their voices rising in a clamor. However, they were still clear about who held their fate in their hands at this moment. The experience of being captives had taught them that this man was the true authority, so few dared to challenge Brendel. Even so, Brendel frowned deeply as he couldn’t help but cast a cold glance at everyone present, angrily stating, “Shut up!”
Suddenly, the city wall fell silent, and after a while, a noble meekly asked, “But, my lord…”
“Be quiet,” Brendel interrupted unsparingly: “It is now my responsibility to lead you out of this place, not for you to find a way to get us out. I have not asked for your opinions; you should all keep quiet.”
He met their skeptical gazes with an icy stare before turning back to Vorlas, who clearly understood he had messed up, burying his head deeply with beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Brendel shot him a look, then coldly replied, “When did I say I wanted you to prepare ships? Or did I speak in a language you don’t understand? Viscount, I asked you to lead these gentlemen to the dock area. Do I need to repeat it for the third time?”
“But…” Vorlas trembled as he replied, evidently unable to fathom how this young earl could conjure ships out of thin air, especially considering that not just one or two ships were needed; to evacuate Ruin Port and take all present with them would require an entire fleet. The poor viscount felt that this young earl, unwilling to lose face, had clearly intended to find a scapegoat and that scapegoat was him, which naturally filled him with terror.
“There’s no ‘but,’” Earl Orkans interjected, cutting him off: “Proceed as this earl has instructed, immediately.”
“This…” Vorlas’s face turned sour, but since his lord had already given the order, he naturally had no grounds for rebuttal. He could only sigh heavily and sulkily walk down from the city wall.
Earl Orkans noticed the change in the expressions of his subordinates. He nonchalantly glanced at Brendel: “Earl Toniger…”
“Rest assured,” Brendel understood what the steward of Ruin Port wanted to say: “I won’t be joking around at this time. You go to the dock area first; I will follow shortly.”
Upon hearing Brendel’s response, Orkans no longer pressed the issue, nodding lightly before turning to leave. The other nobles on the wall had clearly noticed the exchange between the two, but since the leading figure, Earl Orkans, had made such a statement, the rest naturally did not dare to easily oppose it. One by one, they left the city wall, leaving only Nemeses still beside Brendel.
“Is there something wrong?” The Lady Knight stared at Brendel and asked.
Brendel was slightly taken aback, not expecting her to be so observant. He was unsure whether she had picked up on something from his earlier expression or from his final words. After a brief pause, he replied, “It’s nothing, it’s not a big deal; you can go now.”
Nemeses scrutinized him with her dark eyes, saying nothing, but after a moment, she calmly stated, “Is it the Bud people?”
Brendel’s eyes widened in surprise. How could she guess that? For a moment, he almost found a familiar feeling akin to Sophie’s essence in this serious Lady Knight.
Nemeses studied Brendel’s expression, seemingly arriving at an answer from his changing demeanor. Without requiring further elaboration, she softly turned and commented, “You better hurry; there’s a sulfur scent in the air.”
The Queen of Dragons had apparently sensed their entry into Ruin Port, and the faint smell of sulfur in the air heralded the approach of a dragon beast horde. Brendel gazed at Nemeses’s retreating figure for a while before turning back and opening his palm, where the connection rune shimmered brightly. However, the image that appeared in his palm was not Charles’s projection but rather a delicate and beautiful little figure—in fact, a full image of the fairy lady Tania.
“Lady Tania, why have you personally come? What happened?” Brendel furrowed his brow, looking at the little one.
“What, surprised to see me? I had Mr. Charles magically relay my contact with him, to reach you directly—Mr. Brendel, or shall I say Lord?” The fairy lady responded flatly.
“Get to the point; I’m using my money here,” Brendel replied irritably, knowing that the energy consumption for locating coordinates was enormous, with every second burning money.
“To sum it up, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”
“I just want to know if the things you promised me are ready!” Brendel replied through gritted teeth.
Tania paused for a moment.
“Of course, the Bud people never go back on their word.”
