Above The Sky
Chapter 89 - 89 85 Peace and Tranquility

89: Chapter 85: Peace and Tranquility 89: Chapter 85: Peace and Tranquility “You killed that surviving member of the guard squad.

Even if it was just to be cautious, it was too brutal.

At the very least, you should have allowed me to question him.

Perhaps we could have gotten more information,”

Yamm’s criticism was quite harsh and uncompromising, “If he could have led us to the ‘Holy Ground’ he escaped from, perhaps we could have achieved our goal years ago, and wouldn’t be fighting this maddening battle with the natives now—losing so many carefully trained fine young men.”

“Indeed, that was my mistake,”

There was silence for a while until Viscount Grant waved his hand wearily, “I know what you mean by saying that—it’s to prevent me from acting impulsively and alerting the natives that we’ve discovered the existence of their true holy land…

but it might already be too late.”

He shook his head and said, “Morin, that lucky fellow who ran back from the great storm.

He’s a devout Embrace Light Believer—he said he was going to report the discovery of the Native Holy Land to the bishop and then set out together to destroy that perverse place, full of traps and sacrificial altars.”

“I didn’t want to kill him at first, I even planned to reward him generously after the fact, but when I ordered him to keep silent and was preparing to have you come and detain him, the bastard tried to run…”

At this point, the viscount clicked his tongue, “Brutal?

I even think I was quite reasonable!

Couldn’t he see that this matter was way out of his league?”

“Do you think I don’t want to save the possible surviving members of the guard squad?

They’re all knights I personally trained!

They’re all young lads that I’ve watched grow up!”

Only then, from Viscount Grant’s weary tone, could one tell that he was a man nearing sixty years old, “But if the Huai Guang Church, or even the Imperial Capital gets wind of this…

my father’s instructions, the former emperor’s mission, the family’s cause, and my dreams…

everything will be gone…

”

“But, sir, you could have spared his life…”

Yamm didn’t really want to reproach his lord; he was just hinting to Viscount Grant not to be impulsive, “The bishop seems to already know something.

If push comes to shove, we might be able to ‘personally’ cooperate with him.”

The knight stressed the word ‘personally’, clearly intending to bypass the Huai Guang Church and cooperate directly with the bishop.

“Yamm, it’s not that simple,”

Grant spoke helplessly, “Unlike the Spiritual Tool Church, Retrospection Sect, and Hall of Ten Thousand Spirits, it’s impossible for Huai Guang’s clergy to betray the sect.”

“Their Spirit Energy comes from faith in the ‘Light of Huai Guang’ and their ‘unwavering belief’ in the ‘Maxims’.

They absolutely do not lie, they uphold justice, they are free of desire and selfless, and they absolutely stick to their creeds.”

“And precisely because of this, they can never be ‘our people’.”

“That complicates things,”

Knowing the strict nature of this Spirit Energy, Yamm frowned deeply, “It seems we can only postpone.”

“Yes, let’s postpone our plans,”

Closing his eyes, Viscount Grant sat back down in his seat and fell into recollection.

Since the Dark Moon turmoil more than twenty years ago, the once thriving empire was on the brink of internal strife.

But when the former emperor, Inega II, passed away, and the crown prince died, along with two princes, a duke, and heaven knows how many noble knights and high-level ascendants returned to the Nether Sea,

The current emperor, ‘Guardian’ Axel, backed by the Eastern Frontier Iron Cavalry, defeated his several brothers and sisters and took the throne.

He stabilized the situation in a very short time, reorganized the military and political core, so much so that even with such a major shake-up of the empire, not a single piece of land was lost under the scrutiny of any foreign enemies.

However, the empire’s power could not be unaffected.

During his reign, the former emperor undertook massive construction projects and dispatched a large number of pioneering immigrant groups to the southwest and northeast…

This was indeed a drain on resources and labor, but it was also the first time since the Third Dark Mountain Range turmoil that the empire had opened up new territories.

Harrison Port, located at the very edge of the Southern Territory, was one of these places and shouldered an extremely important mission.

“Southern Sea Relic Cluster…”

Viscount murmured.

The Grant Family was a close confidant of the Former Emperor, entrusted with the secret task of developing the Southern Territory.

While constructing ports for the expansion of the Distant Frontier, they also had to prepare for the subsequent development of the ruins.

This was a long-term mission spanning more than thirty years, but it wasn’t too arduous, for with the covert support of the Emperor, they could skip directly over the most difficult initial accumulation phase.

However, no one had anticipated that Inega II, who was at the zenith of his power, intimidating the entire Terra Continent, would suddenly pass away…

Even the Seven Cities Alliance, which had the closest relationship with The Empire, and the Fiery Flame Countries, which had been in opposition for many years, found it hard to believe, deeming it an overly exaggerated strategic deception.

With the Emperor’s death, the secret task truly became a secret, especially as the Dark Moon turmoil had nearly annihilated all the nobles and ministers in the court from the very beginning.

The Grant Family, which was entrusted with the mission, truly had hardships they couldn’t speak of.

——These people have died, who knows of their identity and hardships!

Years later, no one knew why Harrison Port was established.

The development of South Ridge was attributed to ‘yet another grand but costly and laborious plan of the good old Emperor’ and hence was continually overlooked.

Only recently, perhaps with the Imperial Capital’s interest in constructing a maritime trade route in the south, attention was reverted back to Harrison Port.

“The Redwood Forest Natives cannot be annihilated.”

Opening his eyes, Viscount Grant solidified his thoughts, “Otherwise, our construction and merits will be easily snatched away by visitors from the Imperial Capital — I, and my father, have fought on this land for fifty years, and don’t mind fighting for another fifty, but we absolutely cannot let those brainless fat cats from the Imperial Capital think that this place is an easy piece of meat.”

“Until we find the true entrance to the Southern Sea Relic Cluster, everything remains as usual.

Yamm, I trust no one but you.”

“My lord.” The knight let out a long sigh as well, weary in his expression, but just as resolute, “I will fight for you.”

On September 18 of Terra Calendar Year 766, a great storm began from the far seas to the south, successively hitting Harrison Port, the Great Redwood Forest, Ivorybone Mountain, Sigh Cliff, and upon colliding with Polatrol Peak of the Bison Mountain Range, drifted toward the Wandering Ocean in the northwest.

The colossal waves it raised destroyed seven coastal fishing villages in the Frodo Autonomous Region, and both the Odor and Mordor Colonies of The Empire were struck by flash floods and mudslides, suffering exceptionally heavy losses.

On the day the storm began, the Sequoia Forest Tribes, under the call of Great Shaman Animu Marsh, formed a coalition army to attack Harrison Port, Sanhe City, and Amor Town simultaneously.

Under the valiant counterattack of Governor Viscount Grant of Harrison Port, the Native coalition army was repelled, and the Totem Master Spirit of the Mountain Tide was severely injured.

But as the main battlefield, the losses in Harrison Port were severe, with over three hundred soldiers perishing, and over two thousand civilians ending up dead or missing.

Interrogation of prisoners later revealed that the ‘Flash Mosquito Disease’ plague in Midra Mountain People’s Autonomous Region and the Odor Colony was also deliberately spread by the Natives.

Sufferers would sporadically see points of light like flying mosquitos in their field of vision, accompanied by intense, mosquito-like buzzing hallucinations.

Although it was not life-threatening, those affected were unable to work or move properly.

On September 21 of Terra Calendar Year 766, the great storm completely merged into the Wandering Ocean, and the massive rainfall it brought created several barrier lakes and new marshlands in the northwest of the Bison Mountain Range, the climatic impacts of which were even sensed by the Fiery Flame Land beyond the distant Abassalom Mountain Range.

On September 22, the far seas calmed, the clouds dissipated, and sunlight once again shone upon the land.

The storm thus came to an end.

And Harrison Port, a city that had endured storms and battle, although now damaged by the relentless fighting and ravaged by the storms,

At this very moment, it still welcomed its final victory, and with it came peace and tranquility.