The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 930 - 30 The Beginning of the Empire - 1: Non-Violence

Chapter 930: 30 The Beginning of the Empire Chapter 1: Non-Violence

Seemingly aged by ten years, Zellin Stolten’s figure appeared especially faltering at this moment. The thorough defeat at the Plovdiv battle nearly eradicated Galle’s potential for war, and the collapse of both the Golden Oak Legion and the Blue Dove Corps led to Hoffman’s resignation and retreat, meaning Galle lost one of its few supports. Now, it seemed nothing could stop the power coming from the east.

Zellin knew it wasn’t fair to blame Susanov; under these circumstances, the fact that Susanov had managed to bring back so much of the Galle Army was already quite remarkable. As the master, the Galle Army had suffered much less than the Golden Oak and Blue Dove corps, which were but guests. This was both ironic and somewhat comforting; after all, what remained were Galleian.

The bizarre retreat of the Thunderhorse Knights led to the defeat in this war. Zellin was speechless; he had no control over nor could he influence these Church powers, only amazed at their abnormal behavior. He didn’t understand why the Knights of the Church of Light, after supporting him enthusiastically initially, turned against him at a critical moment. If this was a plot, the signs didn’t quite fit.

Undoubtedly, Deneby was the key figure in all this. Exactly what caused this situation seemed only clear to him. But none of it mattered anymore. Now, the issue before Zellin was how he was supposed to face the unstoppable Homer People, or more precisely, Komer.

The influence of St. Vasily Church in Nicosia could almost be declared dead after this battle. The continuous failures, coupled with the poor performance in the battle of Marco, ended at the hand of one opponent—a contrast that made it hard for the Nicosian to believe this power, this faith, could help stave off foreign aggression, especially under immense pressure from the Beastmen, where they saw little use of St. Vasily Church.

"Is there not even a glimmer of hope left?"

Lowering his head in awkward pain, Susanov, as an old military man, really didn’t want to face such a bleak question from the Duke. He would have liked to confidently shout no, but the reality was so cruel—the current state of the Galle Army couldn’t even properly be called an army anymore. They might still be numerous, but an army without spirit or dignity wasn’t really an army, a fact Susanov knew better than anyone else.

"Duke, there is no hope left. The Galle Army now isn’t even as good as a private army. The battle of Plovdiv has completely destroyed their confidence and pride. The barbarous bravery and fearlessness displayed by the barbarian armies also surpassed ours. The general from Myron Duchy is indeed talented; he has trained those barbaric and undisciplined Beastmen into such an army. I truly admire that. We no longer have the strength to compete with them."

"We still have the Nirvana Knights and the impregnable Gutenberg; we can………………"

Susanov shook his head and rudely interrupted Zellin, "Duke, it’s useless. The Nirvana Knights won’t help us hold Gutenberg. No matter how sturdy Gutenberg is, a single city can’t hold out forever—six months, a year, it’s bound to fall unless we’re sure of external reinforcements coming. But who will come to aid us now?"

Seeing Zellin fall silent, Susanov sighed and added, "Komer’s power is already very strong. Even if we could get support from Basarabia or the Northern Alliance, I doubt we could last until then. We saw the power of magic equipment in the battle of Plovdiv; its potency far exceeded our expectations. Even a fort as robust as Gutenberg can’t last long against this sort of magic equipment. I’m not trying to scare you—Lehman and Sate have also felt the lethal power of that magic equipment firsthand."

"Are we to be captured without lifting a hand? The Stolten Family’s hundred years of honor will be buried by my hands?" Zellin’s face turned ashen, his eyes flashing with a mad glow, "Philip is done for, the Heine Family has vanished, and the Ferdinand Family’s good days are also over. Will all four great families be destroyed by this man? Is the Stolten Family destined to end up like those families now begging on the streets of Jazair?"

Susanov found himself at a loss for words; as a mere career soldier, the honor and lineage of noble families wasn’t his responsibility. He was merely objectively analyzing the current situation for the other party, though at times, playing the role of an advisor didn’t seem too far out of line for him.

"Duke, I’ve heard that Princess Vero has good relations with Komer. The Homer People haven’t yet crossed the Plovdiv line; it’s as if they are waiting for something. Why not send Princess Vero to Plovdiv? Perhaps we could have an unexpected surprise," Susanov suggested.

"Do you think the current Komer would still be tender-hearted over such things?" Zellin couldn’t believe there would be such a fool in the world, especially if Komer was naturally a romantic.

"No, no, I don’t think so, destroying Gutenberg, erasing the name of the Stolten family from the lands of Nicosia, he could do all that, but would such actions truly benefit him immensely?" Susanov shook his head, "Princess Vero’s journey is merely a chance. If Komer is a rational and far-sighted person, I believe he can see that."

Zellin seemed to understand something, but he hoped Susanov could explain it more clearly to him.

"Duke, Komer too comes from a prominent family, and although he is illegitimate, he knows that ruling Nicosia isn’t something that can be resolved just by conquest with barbarian soldiers. To perfectly integrate Nicosia into his hands, without the support of the nobles and gentlemen, he could only gain another desolate and savage Cordillera Wilderness."

Zellin was moved; Susanov’s words indeed carried deep philosophy. Komer was no fool, and his ambition also proved that he wanted to replace the Romanov family as the new ruler of Nicosia. He did not wish to destroy everything in Nicosia; otherwise, he could only gain a land filled with violence and chaos. He needed people to help him restore order, as was the case with Homer, Poznan, and the entire Nicosia, including Galle.

Perhaps sending Vero to Plovdiv was indeed a good idea? Zellin hesitated, not because he feared unfounded gossip. Compared to the survival of the Stolten family, even Vero herself could be sacrificed; what was there to fear from external rumors? Zellin was just worried whether now was the best time, or perhaps using Gutenberg to demonstrate Galle’s unwavering resistance might be better?

Zellin eventually dismissed his thoughts; they were not of much significance. If Komer truly needed him, needed the Stolten family, Galleian courage alone couldn’t change his impression. Compared to those barbarian warriors from whom death was nothing, the bravery of the Galleians seemed hardly significant.

Komer was indeed caught in a moment of hesitant contradiction. Undoubtedly, no one could now stop his advancements toward Galle, Silesia, and even Godeburg; Katya’s influence over the Southwest Region wouldn’t last too long either. Under such a trend, any wise person would understand that holding on would be futile. Komer believed it wouldn’t be long before Katya would willingly come to him to discuss all issues amicably.

The question was, was this situation really what he needed? Was he really prepared to accept everything? Or rather, was Nicosia truly prepared to accept him? Komer was unsure.

Successful conquest did not mean perfect control, as Cyprus had proven. Komer knew that, to this day, the Cyprus people still hadn’t accepted him internally, although he might actually be considered a true Cypriote, yet here, he remained unacknowledged.

Though the Rock Corps soldiers forced the Cyprus people to bow their heads, it was merely a superficial situation. Those nobles and merchants still refused to accept him, forcing him to support the Odessa people in retaliation against their disdain.

In contrast, the situation in Poznan was much better. Cooperation with Ebson significantly reduced the hostility of the Poznan people, and his own low profile played a certain part. The impeccable performances of Renta in that area also played a significant role in conquering the aristocrats of Poznan; the blood relations between the Romanov and Anson families were hugely beneficial.

Now it was Silesia’s and Galle’s turn, and even Gutenberg’s, to unknot this difficult situation.

Komer would not accept a status quo like that of the past Four Great Lords within his control areas. That was also built on his commands being unimpeded, but under this premise, there were still many flexible ways to solve practical problems.

Compromise, maybe a form of compromise to some extent, was needed to solve his problems. Komer furrowed his brow; was he still supposed to use force first and then push for reforms? Komer did not think force was the best method; it seemed he needed a bridge for communication. (To be continued. For further details, please log on to www.qidian.com. More Chapters available, support the author, support authorized reading!)"