Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 649 - 648: Crisis and Turmoil, Arrangements for the Situation

Night gradually descended, and the lamps in St. Soniel city lit up one after another in the night.

This ancient city, which has experienced the crisis of obliteration, appeared particularly quiet in the night. After many days, it finally welcomed a night without shouts of killing and explosions. St. Soniel, like a scarred giant beast, quietly licked its wounds in this rare quiet night.

The lights in this city are much fewer than those in Cecil Castle, and the bright magic crystal lamps mainly only maintain their glow in the castle area and Inner City District. Beyond these areas, the streets and alleys are illuminated by dim candlelight and flickering fire pans. Yet, it is this insufficient brightness that creates a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere in the night.

Victoria stood by the window, looking at the distant scenery. After a long time, she turned back, "When do you plan to hold the coronation ceremony? Or some other ceremony to declare the establishment of the Empire?"

"Tomorrow, we will send the news of the Empire’s establishment throughout the realm to stabilize the situation everywhere. As for the so-called coronation..." Gawain shook his head, "No need to hurry. Let’s solve the biggest crisis first."

"Are you referring to the remaining Crystal Cluster Monsters in the southeastern part of the Plains of Holy Spirits?" Victoria blinked, "Their main force has been severely hit, and they don’t seem to have the ability to launch another assault... Are you referring to some other threat?"

Gawain nodded. Here, at this moment, he felt it was time to let the two Guardian Dukes know about the existence of this "time bomb".

"I suspect the Oblivion Association has activated an ancient Divine Heritage. The frenzy of those Crystal Cluster Monsters was caused by the sudden loss of control of this ancient heritage. I have relatively certain evidence confirming that this Divine Heritage is ’active’ and it’s located deep in the eastern part of the Plains of Holy Spirits... near the area of the East. My legion is now trying to gather information about the relevant area, but we haven’t found any clues yet. Its energy reaction is increasing day by day, and an outbreak is just a matter of time... and not too far away."

Victoria and Baldwin instinctively exchanged glances, and each saw the astonishment in the other’s eyes.

This disaster... A disaster that has already ravaged Anzu, still holds a deeper crisis?!

"I know what you want to say—the soldiers have already exhausted all their efforts to protect St. Soniel in the catastrophe, with great sacrifices, only blocking the first wave of this disaster. Now suddenly realizing it is far from over, with an even greater crisis, is certainly hard to accept, but fate never accommodates our ability to accept," Gawain said before the two Guardian Dukes could speak, "What we are going to face is a challenge that may affect the fate of humanity—not only the crisis created by the Oblivion Association but also the situation in the long term."

"The shadow in the Gondor wasteland is stirring, the foreboding of the chaotic wave has already faintly appeared, the sight of dragons emerges in the world, and two of the Three Great Dark Sects are still moving in the shadows...

"Our neighbor, Typhon, has already risen, it is also a huge threat. In the future, to survive, to endure the disasters, to survive the competition, we must also rise and become the strongest...

"I can be frank with you here; establishing an Empire is not the best plan for undertaking reform—there will be many hidden dangers and remnants left by the reform. I could envision more thorough ways of change and more advanced social systems, but time already does not permit. We can’t choose the best; we can only choose what is temporarily most suitable."

"We have to survive—I’ve already made preparations, and I hope you are ready too."

Faced with such a lengthy statement from Gawain, the two Guardian Dukes fell into a brief silence.

This wasn’t the first time they heard similar words from Gawain. At the very beginning, when this founding hero had just woken, he had brought warnings about the chaotic wave. Since then, he had reminded people from various angles to be aware of the crisis at hand—but at that time, no one took these warnings seriously.

Today, no one would consider these things as mere alarmist talk.

"We should restart research on the chaotic waves and the wasteland, reopen those old libraries and archives," Baldwin said, "It’s time to wake up from numbness—compared to this world, we have indeed been asleep for too long."

"The crisis of the Oblivion Association is urgent," Victoria also said, "But now the Kingdom’s military and the northern parts, West Frontier Corps almost have no fighting capacity, relying on Cecil Legion... Can it resolve the crisis you mentioned?"

"I’ve already made arrangements, there won’t be too many accidents," Gawain said, "What I need you to do is maintain stability, use whatever method you must. Before the dust settles, the western Plains and St. Soniel absolutely cannot fall into chaos—this year’s harvest month will be critical in determining whether we can safely pass through this winter. We’ve already lost half of our fertile lands and much of our stored grain. If there are bandits and large-scale refugees in the western Plains... even if the Cecil Legion resolves the dark sect’s crisis, we will also face the winter crisis."

The two Guardian Dukes solemnly nodded, and then Gawain looked towards Victoria, "How many reserve troops are there in the northern parts?"

"The Mountain Legion has been heavily damaged, counting the reserve forces previously left in the northern parts that were not deployed in battle, only four to five thousand soldiers remain. If adding conscription soldiers, private soldiers, mercenaries from various places, there might be around ten thousand to fifteen thousand."

"Have you deducted the troops guarding the borders?"

"Yes—The corps defending the northern states cannot be transferred from the northern parts under any circumstances."

"More than ten thousand... It’s not enough, but can’t ask for too much," Gawain sighed, "You deploy reliable men, take soldiers to the eastern borders, travel from the hills north of Sorinburg. The Cecil Legion has already created a safe passage there—before summer ends, take control of Longwind Fortress at the eastern borders, guard against Typhon. Also, I will dispatch my Second Legion to the nearby borders to guard together. The reorganization and modernization of the Mountain Legion will be conducted in the eastern borders. We have limited time and must strive every second."

Victoria nodded gently, "I understand."

"The West Frontier Corps will stay in the Plains of the Holy Spirits, recuperate while maintaining order in the fertile lands," Gawain then looked at Duke Baldwin, "The reorganization and modernization of the West Frontier Corps will likewise be conducted in the Plains."

Baldwin lowered his head, "This arrangement is quite appropriate."

Gawain looked at the two of them, as he discussed the reorganization and modernization of the troops, the expression on the faces of both Guardian Dukes remained indifferent.

"I hope you understand that the process of reorganization and modernization of the northern parts and the West Frontier Corps is also the process of reclaiming military power from you," Gawain said, "I will replace their command system, rebuild their disciplinary order. From being loyal to you, they will become loyal to the Cecil Empire—Of course, considering the stability of the army’s morale and the capabilities you have, the restructured troops will still be under your command, but at that point, they will no longer be private soldiers..."

There are some things he must make clearer, even though the content of the military reform was already discussed and clarified earlier. When it concerns the two Guardian Dukes specifically, he must emphasize the points again, because the issue is both sensitive and important. Additionally, due to practical constraints, he cannot completely strip the two Guardian Dukes of their command over their original legions—on one hand, because he can’t find capable people to replace these two Dukes, and on the other hand, to maintain the morale of the original legions.

If it were a time of peace, he would of course choose a reform plan that leaves no hidden dangers, but now, with both internal and external troubles, the Empire’s available forces are scarce to begin with. He must avoid any decline in the combat power of the existing legions, even if it’s only temporary.

After all, the weakest phase of a country is not before the reform, but during the reform.

And given the retention of this significant risk, he must ensure Victoria and Baldwin’s reliability and cooperation, at least within the constraints of the rules.

After all, he does not wish to see warlords emerging within the newly established Empire.

"Of course, we understand," Duke Baldwin laughed, "and we will also ensure that every family in the northern and western regions understands this point."

Gawain nodded slightly, then, before ending today’s long talk, he brought up one final matter.

"Lastly, regarding the capital of the Empire—once the dust has settled, the center of governance for this country will be moved to Cecil City."

Victoria and Baldwin exchanged a glance, but they weren’t particularly surprised.

"To more thoroughly cut off the foundations of the old powers, isn’t it?" Victoria’s expression was calm, her voice cold as she spoke.

"It’s not just that; there are several other factors," Gawain said, "St. Soniel is severely damaged, and its functioning as a capital is now essentially paralyzed—the old aristocratic system has collapsed, military power has nearly vanished, and many key transportation routes are covered by polluted areas that cannot be recovered in the short term, continuing to use it as the capital holds little significance; that’s one factor.

"Secondly, the new order of the Empire is built on magical industry, and the high output of the magical industry is key to ensuring the rapid restoration of social operations and the foundation of our rise, whereas the industrial foundation in St. Soniel is practically nonexistent—even though there are some new factories, they’ve all shut down, and while there are several Magic Web sites, they are not systematic. Cecil City is already a relatively mature industrial center and a developed commercial and cultural hub. It is surrounded by many operationally complete new cities, making it more suitable as the capital of the new Empire compared to St. Soniel.

"Lastly, as you just mentioned, Victoria, it’s about completely severing the roots of the old powers."

The various families in St. Soniel have operated for many years, their genealogies complex and intertwined, their influence even reaching the street thugs and scoundrels. This tangled mess will not dissipate in a short time, and Gawain does not have time for a battle of wits in a crumbling ancient city. Directly moving the capital is the most time-saving and labor-efficient solution.

"But if the capital is in the southern borders, wouldn’t it be too far south geographically?" Baldwin pondered for a moment and voiced his concern, "On one hand, it distances us from the northern population centers, and on the other, it is too close to the wasteland..."

"Proximity to the wasteland is not an issue because I am already expanding further south and constructing a multi-tiered defensive line. One day, we will reclaim the lands south of the Dark Mountain Range. To be frank, the southern regions themselves are more suitable for living than the north—the soil is fertile, the climate comparatively mild. If not abandoned, it should have become a better grain-producing area than the Plains of the Holy Spirits, whereas the north... is simply too cold.

"As for the other point, if you understand the new means of transportation in the southern borders, you wouldn’t have such concerns. On the map, St. Soniel is located at the crossroads of Anzu due to the past circumstances and the subsequent technological regression. Without convenient transportation, the capital had to be in the center of the territory. But if the transportation issue is resolved, geographical location won’t be so crucial anymore."

Duke Baldwin thought for a moment and nodded slightly: "If that’s indeed the case, I have no concerns."

The night deepened, a cool breeze blowing through the study. Gawain rubbed his temples and then exhaled deeply: "The matters we’ve discussed today aren’t going to be completed overnight. Beyond the broad framework, there are still many details to be negotiated. Let’s leave it at that for today; everyone should get some rest..."

"Dong... dong... dong..."

A melodious and somewhat sacred-sounding chime suddenly echoed from afar, cutting off Gawain’s sentence.

It was the sound of the bells coming from the direction of the Cathedral of the Holy Light.

The three people in the room (Aunt Heidi had already disconnected from the communication) simultaneously raised their heads and looked towards the source of the chime.

"The blockade of the Cathedral of the Holy Light is lifted," Baldwin said, "...it seems we won’t be resting just yet."

"Let’s go take a look," Gawain said, gazing out the window, his thoughts drifting, "I wonder what the people in the cathedral will think after learning of the changes outside..."

After the divine descent ritual ended, probably to stabilize the volatile Holy Light energy, or because the severely depleted priest Clergy needed to recuperate, the Cathedral of the Holy Light had remained in a state of lockdown until now, when it was finally lifted.

This situation prompted Gawain to make some interesting connections—

Before the doors closed, the King of Anzu was still commanding the defense.

After the doors opened, let alone the King, Anzu itself was gone.

The people in the cathedral are likely in for a big shock.