Chapter 873
Avalon’s Second Legion
April 6th, Avalon.
Isabel sat serenely in her study, flipping through the letters that had been sent back.
“How interesting.”
She flicked a finger against the paper and chuckled, “What do you think, Lord Hermes?”
A week ago, Isabel had sent a letter to Star Antinomy, expressing her intention for a “formal state visit.”
Star Antinomy had not responded immediately.
Although Avalon and Star Antinomy were separated by the sea, this did not easily affect the transmission of information.
This was because international-level correspondence was handled by the church. The Candlemaster’s disciple, “Fiery Wings of Life,” was enthusiastic about sending packages, and letters delivered by disciples and transported by the church ensured maximum information security. Therefore, there was no possibility of “lost letters” or “letters sent but not yet arrived.”
After such a long time, Star Antinomy had not replied… yet they had sent a reply immediately after the church began conscription yesterday.
Isabel was neither angry nor upset, her eyes merely smiling, her demeanor relaxed.
Her eyes grew brighter, already possessing the calm temperament of a monarch.
“They are afraid, Your Majesty,” Mycroft Hermes said without looking up.
He wore a thin sweater and a white shirt, sitting opposite Isabel and leisurely organizing documents.
Compared to last year, this man, as plump as a seal, had visibly shed two stone.
Partly due to exhaustion… and partly because this reason had weakened his adaptability to the Twilight Path. The distinctly abnormal “calm and solid obesity” was largely caused by physical sluggishness resulting from the overflow of his Twilight Path’s adaptability.
After all, neither his and Sherlock’s father or mother, nor other members of the family were fat. Mycroft himself was quite self-disciplined, showing no signs of gluttony or excessive drinking.
He had become so fat simply because his Twilight Path’s adaptability had exceeded his current Energy Level – this was a typical type of Path’s loss of control. Not all loss of control drove people mad or turned them into deformed monsters. Becoming fat was a relatively mild form of losing control.
Now, as his workload gradually increased, Mycroft’s Twilight Path’s adaptability was receding.
Much of the flesh on his face had receded, revealing a hint of Sherlock’s features. He had become much more handsome than before, looking like a proper person. Compared to Sherlock’s slender youth, Mycroft’s face remained square-faced, exuding a steady righteousness.
He let out a breath, then, while holding the file upright, lightly tapped it on the desk to align and tidy it away, and said slowly, “It is evident that the Church’s… small actions have frightened them.
“Originally, they might have had reservations about Your Majesty’s visit. But now that the Church has begun conscription, they dare not refuse your visit. Or rather… they are desperate for you to arrive in Star Antinomy quickly. Preferably before the elves arrive.”
Mycroft looked at the Queen’s Guard in the corner of the room and softly asked, smiling, “Do you think I am right?”
“Although we do not know why the Church suddenly lifted its neutrality and resumed conscription…”
The oldest of the Queen’s Guard replied casually, “But since it is the joint decision of His Majesty the Pope and the Cardinals, it must be correct.
“Those humans should have replied in the first place; it is a matter of courtesy. Moreover, the ruler of that country is now the Empress Dowager, not the King. To reply after hearing about the Church’s conscription… it seems quite comical. As if the Church’s conscription was meant to punish them.”
“They are not worthy enough!”
Another elf, who appeared much younger than Isabel, laughed and said in a clear voice, “Far from it! My instructor once said that if the elves were ever to form a Paladin Legion again, we would be standing against an enemy of the world.”
“Indeed,” the Queen’s Guard who appeared to be in her thirties, with the most mature demeanor, nodded. “The Church would not need to conscript soldiers just to deal with a fragmented Hrasal. Those Imperials always overestimate themselves – even at Hrasal’s peak, they could never have made His Majesty the Pope alter the Church’s traditions for such a matter.
“Based on my understanding of the Church, this is most likely to counter enemies of the Apostle or even Heavenly Envoy level. Lifting neutrality in advance is merely to prevent chaos and fear among the people at a critical moment, allowing them to adapt beforehand.”
She was the eldest of these guards, and thus had never had a clear and concrete understanding of Star Antinomy, but was quite knowledgeable about the Empire. She always felt it was still a part of the Hrasal Empire… and didn’t even know how many pieces the Hrasal Empire had split into or what their names were.
“Since they are in such a hurry, we won’t be.”
Isabel did not correct her words, simply folding the letter leisurely. “Let’s set the date for a week from now. Let them stew for a bit. Besides, Eivass intends to go over and do something first… to avoid giving him trouble.”
After having a child, her way of doing things had become noticeably more stable.
After Eivass merged with Alistair and took off the Supreme Holy Crown, Eivass would be able to meet Isabel again in the Dream Realm.
Knowing that Eivass was safe and sound, Isabel finally let go of her worries.
Through communication in the Dream Realm, Isabel also learned of Eivass’s plans.
Eivass intended to go to the Daffodil Duchy in advance to rendezvous with his mentor – Master Amber had issued a recruitment notice for archaeologists a long time ago. Eivass’s archaeology mentor, Bard, had already been dispatched by Isabel, and Eivass should also be on his way by now.
It was said that the ruins contained residual power from a Heavenly Envoy, which Eivass was very interested in.
However, as one of the very few Fifth Tier individuals with dual paths in this world, Eivass would undoubtedly be fine.
Moreover, Eivass had said that a Cardinal would be accompanying him this time.
“But it’s normal for Star Antinomy to panic,” Isabel said casually to Mycroft, “I heard they had some… White Tide there?”
“Yes, a type of undead disaster. It is said that Valentine VII raised himself from the dead because he didn’t prepare a funeral when he died. Some also say he became an Earthly Disciple of the Winter Envoy… after all, they are related by blood.”
Mycroft nodded. “It hasn’t spread widely yet, only affecting a small area. The undead transformed by this former king possess a unique trait… that is, they do not lose much of their original Extraordinary Abilities and retain almost complete sanity and memory.
“I think this is another kind of Child of the Moon – a cold Child of the Moon. Perhaps it can be called a Child of Winter? Heh…”
Mycroft chuckled as he spoke.
If this had happened in Avalon, he would have been in a terrible predicament – the previous queen, filled with resentment, would have risen from the dead, seeking to reclaim the royal power. Her actions would have involved killing others and transforming them into high-intelligence undead like herself. This situation would have been troublesome whether he intervened or not, and any handling of it would have drawn criticism…
But since it happened in Star Antinomy, Mycroft was happy to watch the show.
He tapped on the table and asked Isabel, who could communicate privately with Eivass, “I heard that was a conspiracy by the Spirit Tower? That it was the price for the Winter Maiden to ascend to Winter Envoy in order to counter the Red Phase. Now that the Red Phase is dead… what does the Spirit Tower say?”
“The Spirit Tower does not intend to deal with this matter; they plan to distance themselves from the Winter Maiden to some extent.”
Isabel actually knew about this. She said directly, “On April 9th, the Spirit Tower will rise from the ground and fly to Avalon. I have already prepared a place for them… they will be stationed directly in Eagle Cape Village. They will like the death aura and Twilight energy of Eagle Cape Village… and the King of the Wild Hunt can form a barrier to prevent any leaked undead from entering the world of ordinary people.”
This was something she and Eivass had discussed.
Mycroft clicked his tongue, “If I hadn’t asked, you really wouldn’t have said anything, would you, Your Majesty!”
“Because in the short term, there’s nothing to deal with. Most people won’t know the Spirit Tower has arrived in Avalon, and recruitment isn’t urgent yet. We don’t yet have a sufficiently complete foundation that can accept necromancy… Last month I had the Glass Steps Herald subtly influence public opinion, but it will take a few special events for people to accept coexisting with Necromancers.”
Isabel smiled, with a hint of pride, “I am also working, Lord Hermes. Not everything relies on you.”
Mycroft shook his head.
He felt a mixture of helplessness and relief.
“Oh, and one more thing—”
Isabel suddenly spoke, “Do you know about the ‘Second Legion’?”
As is well known, Avalon only had one Gryphon Legion.
Mycroft hesitated slightly, nodding and then shaking his head, saying tactfully, “I may know, or I may not.”
“Don’t worry, Lord Hermes,” Isabel said briskly. “It’s not a bad thing. It’s people who Lixia took away from me.
“Among them are Haina and David. After Haina became a Royal Guard, David, who had already become a warrior, re-obtained a new profession from the Transcendent Path at the end of the month – ‘Dark Knight.’ Eivass said he had long wanted to step onto the Transcendent Path… now he is finally satisfied. This profession suits him better than Demon Scholar.”
Mycroft certainly knew what a Dark Knight was—
It was a new profession created by the dissenting Heavenly Envoy ‘Ranmalok.’
That was truly their ‘ancestor’—although not from the same direct lineage, after so many years, they could be considered distant relatives.
“I plan to form a brand-new legion. The era of warriors has arrived, and we cannot hold onto our air cavalry. And Dark Knights, this Transcendent Path profession, will have the opportunity to be transferred to Lixia’s profession later. I plan to expand recruitment, and the end of the month has already passed… the first batch of Dark Knights should have appeared by now.”
Isabel said smilingly, “Can you help me with this, Lord Hermes?”
“…Then which department should these Dark Knights work in?”
Mycroft realized an enormous workload was approaching and clutched his forehead in pain.
“The Inspection Department. Compared to Inspectors who are inclined towards discipline and surveillance due to their abilities and personalities, Dark Knights, who are devoted to revenge and righteousness, are more suited to overseeing power itself… and more suited to doing things that are not appropriate to do openly.”
Isabel narrowed her eyes slightly, “As Avalon’s Paths become more diverse, various voices will increase. We certainly want people to no longer be bound as they were in the past, unable to freely display their Paths… but we also do not want those who are incited or bought off to mingle with the crowd and cause chaos.
“With the diversification of Paths, society will become relatively freer, but it will also become more chaotic – as both Hrasal and Star Antinomy have proven.
“The people of Avalon are also people of Hrasal, and we have the opportunity to revive Hrasal’s glory. But at the same time… we must also guard against Hrasal’s fall.
“‘With bronze as a mirror, one can correct one’s cap and gown; with history as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall; with people as a mirror, one can discern gains and losses’ – this is what Eivass told me.”
Isabel said calmly, “Although difficult, this is the right path. So we must walk it, but we cannot walk it carelessly. We must walk it with caution – correctness implies difficulty, for there are no easy matters in this world.”
Staring at Isabel for a long time, Mycroft suddenly let out a sigh of relief and burst into laughter.
For a moment, he seemed to see the shadow of the Old Queen in Isabel…
This little princess… no, this young Queen, was growing up so fast.
It had only been a few months.
“…So fast.”
Mycroft murmured.
He felt a sense of wistfulness, and a touch of emotion.
(End of chapter)
