Chapter 117: A Certain Scientific Dark Night Guard
Dio Brando returned to the capital of mysteries, and the commoner cabinet that had recently gained fame reappeared.
Not only was Tutor Tianming paying close attention, but the empire’s nobles and officials were also casting a significant amount of their gaze.
Although the young master of the Charles family was the hottest topic recently, Dio’s compilation of “History of the Azurevine Empire,” his entry into the cabinet as a trusted aide to the Empress of Eternal Night, and his swift capture of the culprit behind the capital’s blood night series of major actions were enough to leave a deep impression on everyone.
Now that he was back, did it signify new turmoil in the ever-changing political landscape of the capital?
In the eyes of some, Dio represented the rise of commoners, standing in stark contrast to the noble class whose power was being restricted.
Whether the two forces would clash, whether Dio would unveil new strategies, or if he would simply remain as a low-key Minister of History, became a much-anticipated point of interest.
However, for the nobles caught in the middle, the situation was far from a casual spectator’s game.
In the southern part of the Azurevine Empire, the Duchy of Fergus.
This was once one of the seventeen kingdoms, bordering the Elf Empire and the Beast Mountain Range. Merchants and adventurers were active, leading to a very prosperous commercial environment, which also fostered an extremely rampant slave trade.
The current Grand Duke of Fergus, an elderly noble who had some peculiar events with his daughter-in-law, had been in a perpetual foul mood since returning from the capital of mysteries, feeling his dignity had been greatly trampled.
Inside his castle, messengers from various factions came and went like ants, presumably plotting something unknown.
In the past few days, the imperial noble class felt as though they were experiencing an earthquake, with unease and sleepless nights.
Although the Empress of Eternal Night took no further action, after that night’s high-profile move, most nobles remembered their Empress’s past decisive ruthlessness, with heads rolling.
But now she had become even more unpredictable, always smiling vaguely, leaving everyone wondering about her true attitude even after returning to their own territories.
The more this was the case, the more anxious they became, fearing that a meteor shower would fall upon their estates the very next moment.
Then there were the newly established Dark Night Guards, who were nominally responsible for overseeing the nobles. These past few days had been filled with continuous large-scale actions.
One powerful individual after another joined with great fanfare, extensively selecting elite cadres from the army, causing those nobles who had once called for Roger’s expulsion to tremble…
It seemed that Roger Charles was indeed the apple of the Empress of Eternal Night’s eye, given such immense support; who knew how many hidden powers would appear in the Dark Night Guards.
This force was certainly not something any noble could counter solely with private armies, even in territories they had managed for a hundred years.
A new official takes office with great enthusiasm, and Roger, with the strong support of the Empress of Eternal Night, was likely to direct this fervor towards those nobles who had offended him soon…
No one could have predicted that the nobles, arrogant for tens of thousands of years, with the backing of the most powerful empire of the time, the Azurevine Empire, should have been living carefree lives, would suddenly find themselves with a “father” in the form of the Empress of Eternal Night…
The most painful part was that this “father” seemed to have been created by their own doing.
The victory celebration, which should have been a mere occasion for drinking and dancing, had been manipulated, inexplicably becoming the turning point of their destiny.
Who could they turn to for justice in this matter?
The key was that the nobles could not withstand investigation!
The great nobles of this era, who hadn’t committed any illegal or disciplinary acts within their territories, or engaged in prohibited imperial trade in secret? Few of them had clean records.
Under this pressure, a considerable number of nobles, led by Duke Nancarneton, chose to secretly flee.
Taking their families and wealth, they were off!
Before the Empress of Eternal Night could relegate the nobles to the sewers, they aimed to preserve their last shred of dignity and property, opting to become carefree wealthy gentlemen elsewhere!
Of course, there were those who refused to submit, such as the Grand Duke of Fergus, who was unwilling to abandon everything he currently possessed.
Wealth could be taken with him, but the land could not be taken, and within his territory, he was fearless and unrestrained.
In a secret conference room within the castle, over a dozen gorgeously dressed great nobles, after two days of discussion, finally reached a difficult decision:
“A mere Azurevine is not worth serving!”
The Grand Duke of Fergus, in conjunction with many southern nobles, representing those present and many more absent, announced the formation of the Free Duchy Alliance, thus independence from the rule of the Azurevine Empire.
The Free Duchy Alliance summoned ninety-nine nobles, large and small, from the southern part of the empire to participate, outwardly calling themselves the “Alliance of Hundred Nations.”
Each noble’s territory had independent finances, laws, and military, and they signed mutual defense agreements.
Within their territory, the churches of the God of Knowledge, the God of Music, and the Goddess of War were permitted to proselytize. These three churches were deities who had been quite active in the southern human kingdoms previously.
Of course, the Free Duchy Alliance merely declared independence and seceded from the Azurevine Empire; they did not declare war on the Azurevine Empire, nor did they issue slogans like “Down with Azurevine tyranny.”
They knew their own limitations. Taking this step was merely a premonition that the Empress of Eternal Night’s restrictions on nobles would become increasingly severe, and they did not wish to sit idly by. They hoped to secure their family legacy through this method…
Therefore, the Free Duchy Alliance not only did not oppose the Azurevine Empire but even prepared to proactively reach trade agreements and defensive alliances with the Azurevine Empire to obtain military assistance.
This reflected the hesitation and weakness of these nobles: independent, but not entirely independent.
They wanted to maintain the eternal noble authority, while also being a vassal state of the Azurevine Empire for protection, and to gain the support of the churches, thus securing all possible benefits in the world.
They believed that the empire had just concluded a war with the Orc Tribe and was now recuperating after a great battle, so it wouldn’t move against its “own people” so quickly, would it?
They diligently developed themselves, with the support of the churches providing sufficient strategic depth. By the time the Azurevine Empire was free to deal with them, the Free Duchy Alliance would have already established a firm footing.
The churches and surrounding church states also intended to support this southern duchy alliance, creating trouble for the Azurevine Empire.
And when the Azurevine Empire clashed with the church states, their ambiguous stance might allow them to play both sides…
The Grand Duke of Fergus and others analyzed the situation, coupled with the churches’ persuasion. With a gritted teeth and a stomp of the foot, they indeed announced the establishment of the Free Duchy Alliance to the outside world.
The Alliance established a Noble Council, with the Grand Duke of Fergus serving as the first chairman, leading a band of “brothers” to oppose the extreme policies of the Azurevine Empire.
And less than ten minutes after the declaration of the Free Duchy Alliance, imperial envoys arrived at Fergus Castle, bringing a decree already written by the Empress of Eternal Night:
“Those who intend to split the empire shall be killed without mercy.”
The Grand Duke of Fergus took the decree, his hand trembling.
It wasn’t the content, but the date signed on the decree that was problematic.
The text and the Empress’s signature were written long ago; only the date was filled in today. The font was different, and it was a little wet.
Could it be that the envoy casually filled in the date outside the door?
Could it be that the Empress had foreseen them taking this step and was waiting for them?
No way, right? We didn’t just walk into a trap, did we?
Beside him, a great noble serving as an alliance councilor asked the envoy with a trembling voice: “Esteemed sir, if we announce the dissolution of the alliance and return to the embrace of the Azurevine Empire now, is it still too late?”
The imperial envoy replied with great composure: “That depends on the transmission speed of the Dark Night Guards.”
…
…
Outside the capital of mysteries, at a secret camp.
Roger, wearing the stand-collar uniform he personally designed for the Dark Night Guards, scanned the first assembled battalion of the Dark Night Guards with sharp eyes.
He discovered something very rewarding: excluding Tutor Tianming and the Player characters, the paper strength of this Dark Night Guard force under his command was comparable to the number of strong individuals in the early Tianming Army.
With the Empress’s support this time, his sister’s help, and his own recruitment of future renowned powerhouses, the final result was twenty-six legendary-level combatants, one hundred and thirty magister-level combatants, and over three hundred high-level mages and equivalent professionals.
The rest were elites drawn from various armies, all professionals with good growth potential, young, battle-hardened, and immensely loyal to the empire and the Empress, willing to carry out any order.
Such an elite battalion with an exceptionally high proportion of powerful individuals could not only execute special combat operations and intelligence gathering in squads but also engage in a small-scale war when assembled.
After all, this was a world with vast differences in individual combat power; one legendary powerhouse was equivalent to thousands of soldiers.
And the empire, still at its peak, produced powerhouses endlessly, gathering centuries of human elites. A force like this could be assembled with a little integration, making Roger inwardly gasp.
If the empire already possessed such heritage, how many powerhouses were hidden within the churches of races with even longer accumulations and lives?
Those arrogant nobles had merely staged a farce under their control. Compared to true warfare, there was a vast difference.
But such a stage was also a good testing ground, capable of consolidating the morale of this force and experimenting with the effects of the latest equipment.
Roger came back to his senses. On the flip side of such formidable combat power, there was some lingering distrust from these subordinates towards him, a mere “watered-down” powerhouse.
However, he held the Empress’s Edict, allowing him to leverage the Empress of Eternal Night’s authority to ensure the entire Dark Night Guard obeyed his command. Simultaneously, the obedience of the powerhouses trained by the imperial military system was beyond reproach.
Nevertheless, to truly hold this force in his hands, Roger would need considerable time and effort.
He spoke calmly, his voice reaching everyone’s ears: “I believe everyone is already aware of the events in the south. The so-called Free Duchy Alliance has effectively betrayed and split the empire, causing immense damage to the empire’s prestige. We must resolve this enemy as quickly as possible.”
The enemy is not strong. Compared to our strength, they can be considered quite weak. This is a battle we will win even without me. However, the purpose of my existence is to lead you to win beautifully, win decisively, win in a way that shocks the world… And then, to continue winning, to be remembered and sung about by the people of the empire, and to become the eternal nightmare of the disloyal!”
Excitement appeared on many faces.
Achieving merit, serving the country with loyalty, and gaining renown throughout the land – what capable man could refuse this?
But many older powerhouses were not easily swayed by their immediate superior and still harbored a ‘wait and see’ attitude.
How far could this young man, rumored to be only a novice mage, lead them?
Without hard-won, independently achieved combat achievements, Roger Charles was still a green child in the eyes of the proudest imperial citizens.
Roger stood on the high platform, able to see the expressions on a thousand varied faces. He let out a dismissive smile:
“Whether you are convinced or not, it doesn’t matter. In one hour, we will gather in the Grand Duke of Fergus’s banquet hall to discuss further.”
“In one hour, to capture a Grand Duke’s territory?” A one-eyed swordsman grinned with amusement. “Boss, aren’t you setting the bar too high for yourself?”
Roger did not answer directly: “For now, we will go to the Chapter of Imbalance to obtain equipment, and then teleport to the Duchy of Fergus.”
As soon as he said this, regardless of their professional level, everyone’s breathing quickened.
The Chapter of Imbalance, the sacred land of the empire’s alchemists.
And alchemists represented…
The best weapons, the best armor, the best enchanted equipment… even legendary items!
They said the Dark Night Guards had good benefits, but now they were being allowed to go directly to the Chapter of Imbalance to choose their equipment?
Roger maintained an expression as if this were routine, but he couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.
This was the benefit of completely fooling Frankenstein, wasn’t it?
He had spoken with the mechanical girl about industrial production, convincing her that all current alchemical equipment could be mass-produced on assembly lines in the future and were thus worthless.
Frankenstein, looking at the good equipment she had stockpiled, immediately became concerned.
Therefore, she agreed to provide more assistance to the Dark Night Guards beyond what the Empress of Eternal Night had provided.
After all, once it was taken away, it would be produced a hundredfold, a thousandfold in the future, right?
And this benefit, offered upon joining, was reserved by Roger for before the battle as a morale-boosting tool.
Currently, it seemed to be effective.
Next, it was time to back up his grand claims with victory.
…
…
The light of the teleportation array flickered, and Roger, leading a thousand Dark Night Guards, appeared on a mountain thirty kilometers from Fergus Castle.
The majestic castle in the distance had already lit up with the defensive magic array’s glow.
They had received confirmed intelligence: over a dozen great nobles, along with their guards and private armies, were making a last stand in this castle.
The nobles were not stupid, knowing that the Dark Night Guards were formidable and would not let them off. Defending individually would likely not be sustainable for any single family.
But united, they might stand a chance.
The south had always been prosperous, supporting many strong individuals. Their integration now meant that the number of legendary powerhouses was not an advantage for Roger’s side.
Moreover, they had the advantage of being backed by an easily defensible castle and the magic array that Grand Duke Fergus had painstakingly maintained and repaired for centuries, making it a definitely tough nut to crack.
The one-eyed swordsman observed the enemy’s strength and scoffed, “Boss, is it still one hour?”
“You can start the timer.”
Roger took out an hourglass, and the fine sand began to flow slowly.
Several Dark Night Guards opened a large cage, and a flock of birds took flight, soaring towards Fergus Castle.
The technical personnel of the Arcane Society had many mirrors in front of them, displaying what these birds saw, as well as information scanned by many invisible lights.
There were no magic fluctuations; it was a fusion of biological modification and radio technology, combined with multiple detection techniques.
Soon, the technical experts reconstructed an accurate map of Fergus Castle and deciphered the structure of the protective magic array.
This Dark Night Guard unit was not only equipped with powerful magical abilities but also with technologically advanced equipment.
Its combat effectiveness on the battlefield would surely surprise those nobles huddling together for protection.
And it would also surprise these arrogant and valiant warriors.
Roger watched the sand dripping down, very curious as to what level he could achieve this time.
