Above The Sky
Chapter 910 - 910 68 The End of the Old Era

910: Chapter 68 The End of the Old Era…

(5800)_3 910: Chapter 68 The End of the Old Era…

(5800)_3 The Governorate of Nanling Province has characterized the incident as a serious act of treason involving ‘a small number of bad elements among the mountain people colluding with the Fiery Flame Lands to transport Constructed Knights into our territory.’

Yet the vast majority of the mountain people are sensible and loyal to the Empire.

It was these same mountain people who provided the clues, giving pivotal information and time to the mountain chieftains led by Ian and Man Cliff for the necessary interception.

The rebellion of the mountain people seems as if it never existed…

No, the mountain people had indeed never rebelled.

In official records, it was merely a ‘local event’ where a group of mountain tribes with independent tendencies took a daring gamble colluding with the Fiery Flame Lands, intending to harness the power of Constructed Knights to steal the power of the Mountaineer Sacred Land — and because of this incident, the loyal Naling Mountain People’s rather poor and bad circumstances have drawn serious attention from the officials in the Imperial Capital.

Under the advocacy of Marquis Barton, to ensure the stability of the Southwest Battle Zone, as well as to guarantee other supply areas for the Western Province apart from the central region, the Imperial Capital has decided to increase the construction and investment in the Nanling Province, developing the excellent veins in the western area of the Bison Mountain Range, building several new military-industrial production lines around Nauman City, and strengthening the intensity of the border defenses.

With the approval of the Imperial Capital, the Governorate of Nanling Province decided to forcefully dissolve the tribal organization of the mountain tribes like Jiamu, Sheyan, Zhenzhou, and Tiechen, to revoke the autonomous region status of Midra Autonomous Region, re-designating it as a direct-controlled district of the South Ridge Governor, supervised by the leader of the Avod Tribe, Manye Avode.

And the Lord of the Xia Hui Territory, Baron Ian Aljomun (not yet officially knighted), received an Imperial commendation, with the specifics of the reward still under discussion, but a Purple Dusk Medal is without a doubt.

But this is not a big deal.

In the last month of the year 773, the cold winds began to rise.

After Duke Sorin took the most loyal part of his people into ‘hell’, the area that was once Duke Sorin’s Domain became forbidden territory.

Although there are still some residents of the Grand Duchy who did not follow the Duke, the heavy fog that enveloped this place meant that nobody could come out after entering the mist without being personally led by the children of the Grand Duchy.

Having stabilized the chaos in the five Earldoms in the Western Region, the Empire has built a batch of permanent fortifications around the mouth of the Abassalom Mountain Range.

Throughout the entire Southwest District, the Knight Order of Inspectorate has been actively striking at all espionage activities of the Fiery Flame Lands — For a time, numerous news stories emerged of the Inspector Knights acting chivalrously, punishing corrupt officials and evil tyrants, with public opinion overwhelmingly positive.

However, only the astute and the local nobles understand that this deployment of the Inspector Knights has drastically swept away the lingering political influence left by Duke Sorin.

The area surrounding Duke Sorin’s Domain is becoming a brand new, directly-administered district of the Imperial Capital.

But even this is not the most important matter of December, and can even be said to be just a minor occurrence.

On December 28th, a highly valued heir of King Garenai of the Fiery Flame Countries, Prince Asu, was severely attacked by a mysterious force during a wilderness hunt and eventually succumbed to his grave injuries.

King Garenai found the Empire’s marks in the traces left by the surviving mysterious force.

King Garenai is one of the few Fiery Flame Kings with a relatively peaceful stance towards the Empire.

She has always disliked war, and it is said that her son, Prince Asu, had even gone to the Empire for a secret meeting recently.

But not even a week after his return, he encountered assassination.

Truth be told, anyone with a bit of insider knowledge knows there is something fishy about this incident.

The Empire also has to protest its innocence, but given the current public opinion, and the subtle tensions and threats between the two major bloodlines, everyone can only direct their fire at the Empire.

Even King Garenai herself couldn’t say much more — what exactly did Prince Asu discuss with the Empire?

To investigate his death, this issue must also be investigated.

And the Empire has neither considered defending itself, nor did it deign to justify its actions.

— If the Fiery Flame Lands want war, then so be it, let there be war!

Marked by the assassination of Prince Asu, both the Fiery Flame Lands and the Empire have been making considerable troop movements and reorganizations, contesting air rights over the territories near the junction between the Abassalom and Bison mountain ranges, with daily news of enemy Sky Armor being captured and one’s own losses.

Suddenly, Terra Nations all put forth numerous opinions.

The lifetime contributor to the renowned academic journal, “The Gate of Logos,” the great Alchemist Bart from the City of Knowledge, criticized in a personal channel the actions of the Fiery Flame Lands as ‘pretending everyone else is a fool.’ He does not support the Empire, but scorns the Fiery Flame Lands for such actions as suppressing internal instability before waging war.

The editor-in-chief of the Azure Sky Royal Court newspaper “The Cosmic News,” Kurbarov, known for taking an anti-Empire stance, published articles harshly criticizing the despicable and shameless assassination conducted by the Empire, symbolizing both the Empire’s obstinance and decay, and the gradual degeneration of its military.

At this rate, he claimed, the Empire would collapse within five years.

As representatives, people from all walks of life in Terra discussed the assassination of Prince Asu, either supporting the Fiery Flame Lands or the Empire, or hoping to see both sides knock each other out, with many fanning the flames in both obvious and subtle ways.

In summary, by the end of the year, it provided much material for the Terra people and ballad poets, giving a perfect end to the year of 773.

Whether they were merchants from the Seven Cities Alliance or mercenaries from Whale Song Cliff, whether they were pirates from Canaan Moore or tavern owners from Gantreignum, everyone was ardently discussing the conflict between the Empire and the Fiery Flame Lands.

But just a few short days later, on January 1st of Terra Year 774,

the moment the Fiery Flame King’s legion boldly crossed the national border, emerging from what had become the misty realm of Duke Sorin’s Domain into the inner side of the Western Province of the Empire, the Far Flame Fortress Cluster almost simultaneously declared its independence.

The deputy legion commander of the Far Flame Fortress, a Fourth Level powerhouse, ‘Yanflame’ Ibea, after slaying the legion commander ‘Sky Ravine’ Kawaga in the heat of battle, fiercely denounced the decades of neglect and contempt that Fiery Flame Land had shown toward the fortress cluster and the regions responsible for supplying it with materials.

In particular, in the last ten years, Fiery Flame Land had all but abandoned them, leaving them to fend for themselves.

Many soldiers had become the personal servants and slaves of officers.

The once ambitiously planned desert greening project had been halted for a long time, leaving all the military and civilians of the fortress cluster to live amid the pervasive sands and scorching heat, their suffering beyond words.

His declaration of independence was not a rebellion, but a fair and just ‘repayment’ aimed at the Fiery Flame Land that had already betrayed the fortress cluster!

The Empire immediately publicly expressed full support for Legion Commander Yanflame Ibea’s act of independence, undoubtedly a righteous measure, a matter of human rights, order, and a humanitarian and reasonable action — Crown Princess Alegria Setar, as the official envoy, swiftly established diplomatic relations with the region tentatively named ‘Fierce Mountain Land,’ offering a large supply of materials and gifts to the fortress cluster.

How could the kings of Nemasases endure such humiliation?

While the legions of the Kings of Abassalom advanced into the Empire to meet the allied forces of the five earls of the Western Territory, their own forces would also head towards the fortress cluster to wage war on two fronts.

Full-scale war had begun…

Only then did ordinary people realize…

this was real.

It was not about diverting domestic scrutiny or conducting a trivial regional war around the fortress cluster…

The Sertar Empire was aiming for an all-out, comprehensive war with Fiery Flame Land!

And the high-level leaders of various nations, already aware of this, waited in silence.

In a Terra with but a single continent, war never spares anyone…

It concerns everyone intimately.

A corner of history was slowly being unfolded.

In comparison to such momentous events, the minor incident in Nanling Province of the Empire, where merely three Constructed Knights attempted a secret raid on the Mountaineer Sacred Land, was nothing more than a minor morale-booster, hardly noteworthy.

But a grain of sand from the times, when it falls upon one person’s head, weighs as heavy as a mountain.

For the mountain people, everything had already changed.

Terra Year 773, January 1st, morning.

When the news of the all-out war had not yet spread far and wide.

On this first dawn of the new year, Ian stood atop the summit of Qiang Steel Sacred Mountain, his back to the leaning tower, surveying the mountain ranges around him, the hundreds of mountain tribe chieftains and priests who had come to this place, and the thousands of mountain people who had gathered here.

—He was about to deliver a speech, make a declaration, a prophecy, and a coronation.

—He was about to become the sovereign of the mountain people, to become the leading Prophet, the new Guide.

And…

to become the star guiding the future.

Right at this moment.