Release That Witch - Chapter 517

Chapter 517: The Real Alchemy

..

When Kyle Sichi returned home, he immediately saw a dark envelope on the dinner table.

“What’s this?” He looked at his wife Cerra, who was busy at work in the kitchen.

“Oh, by the way, City Hall’s officials came around this afternoon.” His wife wiped her hands clean and placed an appetizing bowl of meat broth onto the table. “They said His Highness wants you to go to King’s City, and a boat will come in two days to escort you there.”

“Isn’t he going there to confront his brother? Why would he want me there? What a complete waste of time,” said Kyle with a frown. “It’ll take at least a week’s journey. His demands are really going too far.”

“He’s your prince, Lord of the City of Neverwinter, dear,” said Cerra, shaking her head with a smile. “Also, City Hall’s officials said that he wrote you a personal letter to show how important this trip was. That’s quite an honor, isn’t it? You should keep this letter safe after you finish reading it, so we can probably pass it on as a family heirloom.”

“Family heirloom? If only it were the complete edition of ‘Intermediate Chemistry’.” Kyle curled his lip. “Let’s discuss this after dinner… He’d better have a good reason.”

After his simple meal, he ducked into his study and opened the envelope.

A small strip of paper as long as a finger fell out. This was obviously a secret letter sent by a carrier pigeon, which was then placed in an envelope by the City Hall officials.

Kyle used one hand to press the paper and the other to fumble around the table for his monocle and placed it on the bridge of the nose. Due to reading over a long period of time under faint candlelight, his vision was getting worse day by day. Luckily, his life in the town has been improved a lot, and he could light five or six candles at a time in his office, but he did not know when his house could be installed with the kind of bright lights that lit up the chemical plant.

There was only one short sentence on the strip of paper:

“Do you still remember the Alchemist Workshop of King’s City? Now it’s your chance to show them what the real alchemy is.”

Kyle gasped.

The Alchemist Workshop of King’s City was the ultimate dream position for all aspiring alchemists who searched for the truth of all things, and he was no exception when young.

Only his wife knew that he had once applied to the Alchemist Workshop of the King’s City. He had planned to gain admission using the “gold-dissolving liquid” that he had invented by himself at the age of 20. However, Kyle’s formula unexpectedly failed during the review process, and he could not produce the smoking brown acid liquor even after two attempts. The reviewing alchemist Retnin was outraged and accused Kyle of intentionally wasting the Workshop’s valuable ingredients. He denied Kyle a third try and even ordered the guards to seize his purse and kick him out.

Outside the Workshop, Retnin coldly tossed five silver royals from the purse to Kyle, saying that he should buy a trip back to Redwater City, while the rest of the purse was compensation for the Workshop’s loss. He left as soon as he was done talking, leaving Kyle with only rejection and a great shame. This left a gaping scar in his heart, and he never told anyone about it except his wife.

Kyle returned to Redwater City full of rage, but he continued to pursue alchemy and spent all his time in his workshop, trying to find a new formula to prove the Alchemist Workshop of King’s City wrong. Finally, after ten years, when he was 30 years old, he developed a second formula. For this reason, he was promoted as an alchemist in Redwater City. It took him another six years to become the chair.

Kyle had always viewed the Alchemist Workshop of King’s City as his greatest enemy, and he interacted with them a couple times in his work, as well. But their alchemists were always extremely haughty and did not recognize any other alchemist organizations except their own. They believed that Redwater City’s alchemists were only as good as their apprentices and students and did not deserve the title of an alchemist. Their supposedly newfound alchemy formulas were mostly discovered by the Alchemist Workshop of King’s City dozen years ago.

The Workshop chair even said other cities did not need to build alchemical workshops because this line of work required a great amount of money and manpower, which regular lords could not afford at all. If people needed the help of alchemists, they could seek it directly from King’s City. If the lords invested tens of thousands of gold royals into their own workshops, they would probably make no progress with the end of a bunch of useless men.

Embarrassingly, Kyle knew that only the Alchemic Workshop of Redwater City saw the workshop of King’s City as a competitor, but the latter did not care about him at all. He was overjoyed by his success in the double-stone acid-making method and the production of crystal glass because he could produce large amounts of valuable acid with the former, and the latter was the most highly demanded alchemic product on the market. Even the proud Alchemist Workshop could not ignore his two accomplishments.

In an unexpected and theatrical turn of events, Roland Wimbledon of Border Town found him and opened his eyes to a whole world of possibilities with “Elementary Chemistry”.

From then on, Kyle realized that everything he had learned was meaningless. The alchemy itself was a backward practice and doomed for extinction, while a new path of exploration lay ahead of him—this time, the relationship between all things was no longer murky, but clear and organized. His past squabbles were also pointless, and he let go of his vendetta with the Alchemist Workshop of King’s City and the formulas that had taken him so much effort to develop.

It’s reasonable to do so.

However, when His Highness mentioned this word again, Kyle Sichi’s heart still raced, and an indescribable excitement crept back into his heart.

Kyle’s mind recalled the cold figure, the muddy silver royals, the door that slammed shut, and the outrageous claim that there was no need for other alchemic workshops except the Alchemist Workshop of King’s City to exist.

“Now it’s your chance to show them what the real alchemy is.”

Kyle scanned the strip of paper one last time, stood up, and walked out of his office. “Cerra…”

He paused in the middle of his sentence and noticed that his wife was bending over, packing his clothes into an open bag in the living room.

“What’s this?”

“It’s for your journey to King’s City. I knew that even if His Highness didn’t write you a letter, you’d still go,” said Cerra with a smile. “Do you still remember the stories you told me? There are things that you’re owed in that city.”

Kyle stared at her blankly for a while and then burst out in laughter.

“Take good care of our home. I have to pay a visit to King’s City.”

Chapter 518: The New Journey of Magic Hand

t was a bright and sunny day in King’s City, making it perfect for a sentencing day.

A cannon would sound on the square every hour, signaling that another formerly “prominent and important” figure received his deserved verdict.

Their convictions had actually already been decided, so this process was mostly used as a propaganda for the citizens. It especially condemned the church and Timothy for conspiring against the king and stealing the throne. After a week of preparation, the evidence collected against them proved their guilt without a doubt—of course, Roland did not actually give them a chance to argue for themselves.

Only a few of the nobles were sentenced to hanging. Besides Timothy, his henchmen, the Prime Minister, and judge, all the other sentenced men were the church believers. Even the church of King’s City was completely uprooted, and Roland made sure that everyone who was involved in spreading the demonic plague got what they deserved.

These scumbags will surely be met by cheers from the audience when they’re brought to the gallows.

“Are you not going to watch it in person?” asked Nightingale, standing by the window.

“Iron Axe and Theo will take care of everything,” replied Roland without even raising his head. Public trials helped excite and unite the subjects in Border Town, but they would not have the same effect here. The people would not automatically side with Roland as soon as he killed Timothy, just like they did not side with Timothy after King Wimbledon III and Gerald died.

He did not have enough support among the citizens here.

He was also concerned about his own safety. Sylvie eventually found the gem list Roland remembered, which Timothy had hidden in a secret compartment in his closet. However, there were twelve more names than the gems there, four of which were hidden in King’s City. It meant that they had all received Timothy’s orders. Although they were not necessarily the assassination orders, Roland still kept his guard up. Execution grounds were too disorderly and unsuitable for him to visit, and he had no interest in watching executions.

He had much more important things to deal with.

For example, the army.

The casualties in capturing King’s City were finally calculated, revealing that the First Army lost 33 men, which was their worst loss so far. Although they killed a much larger amount of enemies than that, Roland still noticed many flaws in their street battle tactics, especially in house demolition—most of the First Army’s casualties were caused when enchanted soldiers surprised them by leaping out from civilian houses. If his soldiers could use rifle grenades or blasting cartridges to demolish suspicious houses in their way, there would definitely be lighter casualties.

His other concern was the size of the army. The First Army could take on the entire Kingdom of Graycastle with its 3,000 men, but it was not enough to conquer everything in his sights. He would have to leave at least 500 men behind to maintain order in King’s City, and after conquering Fallen Dragon Ridge and the Southernmost Region, the army would be too small to maintain a peace war. He needed to expand his army.

Roland wrote down the plans for death benefits and army expansion and handed them to his guards. He ordered them to take the plans back to the City of Neverwinter, where the City Hall would carry them out.

After that, the prince directed his attention to the lower-level nobles.

They did not have any substantial political power, but they were all well-educated and desperately wanted to be promoted. All the great nobles in King’s City had already been cleared out. They were either exiled from the territory or sent to the Neverwinter mines, leaving many vacancies in the office. In order for King’s City to run normally, the most effective tactic was to have these lower nobles work for him.

Barov had years of experience in King’s City and definitely knew some of these men, so he would be in charge of organizing a temporary ruling system.

These men were willing to serve him, so giving them greater responsibilities would increase their eagerness. Yorko was Roland’s first try.

Over the past few days, he finally decided where he should assign his “old friend”.

…

Yorko shouted as soon as he entered Roland’s office, “Oh God, you really killed all of the church scoundrels! I would never have guessed that they spread the demonic plague, and I couldn’t even believe my ears when High Priest Ferry confessed to it. What a disgrace to the deities! Right now, the crowds on the square are praising your name and saying that you saved them six months ago.”

Roland smiled. Theo had ordered the Rats to spread this news to corroborate the refugee camps from six months ago. It seemed that it was quite effective. However, Yorko probably made up the part about praising his name to flatter him.

He did not question his words and handed a delicate lambskin letter to Yorko.

“Take a look at this.”

Yorko opened the letter, glanced at it, and widened his eyes. “You’re, you’re making me the ambassador of the Kingdom of Graycastle?”

“Yes, and a permanent one,” said Roland with a nod. “You’ll have an official letter of appointment, scepter, and seal, and you’ll reside in the City of Glow in the Kingdom of Dawn. What do you think?”

This position had taken a great amount of consideration—as the famed “Magic Hand” in King’s City, Yorko had a bad reputation, just like Prince Roland did in the past.

No one wanted to be made a cuckold, including the nobles. While their wives cheated on them with other men, instead of simply catching them in the act, the husbands also meddled in brothels and bars—but it was all in secrecy.

If Yorko was given an important position, or if Roland openly gave the Magic Hand a job in the City Hall, it would have an unimaginable influence… All the nobles and merchants would be worried that their wives would begin to openly pursue Yorko, and the women that Yorko had slept with would all try to take advantage of him. Roland did not want this to happen.

His best option was to place him in a foreign country. Kingdom ambassadors were different from traveling emissary delegations, and they had similar authority as Earls, so even foreign kings treated them with respect. This was an important-sounding title that was perfect as a promotion. He also did not have to give him any land, and he would not worry any of the other noble.

Let him go bother the Kingdom of Dawn. I heard that their noblewomen are exotic and outstanding, so he might be able to make a new name for himself there.

Yorko obviously also realized this point. He knelt down without any hesitation and replied excitedly, “I accept… my lord!” He was so eager as if he was worried that Roland would regret his decision.

“Then it’s decided,” said Roland with a smile. “Before you leave, I’ll have a ceremonial officer to train you.”

Besides Yorko, he also needed to send some of his own men to the Kingdom of Dawn, so he could keep an eye on his neighbor and also form an alliance with them to fight the church.

Chapter 519: The Secret within the Stars

oland shook his head with a smile as he watched Yorko excitedly bowed and left.

He did not mind helping the people who had helped Prince Roland in the past, as long as they did not have any bad intentions.

“Where’s Wendy right now?” He turned around and asked Nightingale after taking care of this matter.

“She’s probably on the top of the tower practicing her ability. Do you want me to summon her?”

“Yes, and get Sylvie, Lightning, and Maggie as well… we’re going to visit the astrologers,” said Roland. “And we’ll be flying to them.”

“I understand.” Nightingale’s eyes lit up.

“Even if someone wants to attack me, they can’t pose a threat against a hydrogen balloon, so this is the best way to travel.”

Roland had learned via carrier pigeon that Kyle was on his way, so he postponed his visit to the Alchemist Workshop. He was very curious about the Astrology Association, the other main academic organization in King’s City.

Roland also had a great point of confusion that needed to be confirmed.

…

The Astrology Association was located on a mountain in the northern area of the outer city, and it was only the second in height to the twin towers of the palace. The Astrology Hall had a pretty unique design and it looked like a hexagonal stone tower with a flat top from above. It had a wide base and narrow top, and its silhouette was precisely symmetrical.

Roland knew what symmetry implied in that era.

Without advanced measuring and positioning methods, it was nearly impossible to build such a large yet perfect stone structure, a process even more difficult than building a giant city wall.

The guards had left earlier and surrounded the stone tower. As the hydrogen balloon released the air and slowly landed on the tower roof, its passengers were immediately greeted by Brian, Sean and Alva Taber.

“Your Majesty, this area has been completely sealed, and I promise that not a single rat will escape!”

“We have also confiscated all the astrologers’ God’s Stones of Retaliation, allowing Miss Sylvie to use her magic power, so you can interact with them freely.”

“Good job. Stay alert.” Roland nodded in approval and shifted his sight to the row of men in gray robes standing behind the guards. They were all aged over 30 years old, and they kept peeking at the hydrogen balloon in panic. They were obviously still rattled by his sudden appearance from the sky.

Roland turned to Alva. “Who’s in charge around here? Tell him to come see me.”

“Yes, my lord!” Alva spoke briefly with two old men in robes, and one of them cautiously walked to Roland with him. “Your Majesty, this is King’s City’s Chief Astrologer, Astrologer of Dispersion Star.”

“Your Majesty Roland Wimbledon, your honored presence makes all the stars shine brighter.”

“Why don’t you use your real name?” asked Roland, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s a tradition of the Astrology Association,” explained Alva hastily. “Every astrologer dreams of naming themselves after a star image… and only people who discover new star images are allowed such an honor.”

“So you discovered… the Dispersion Star?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” said the old man with his hand on his chest. “It forms a Dispersion Star ring with three other Dark Stars, and it represents death and rebirth.”

“What about them?” Roland pointed at the other men in gray robes.

“These eight are star image masters of the Astrological Station, so they all made their own discoveries.” Dispersion Star respectfully described them one by one. “They can explain the meaning behind anything from changes in the stars to dusk and dawn… of course, so can I.”

“I’m not here to have my fortune explained.”

The old man paused in shock. “Then… Your Majesty, may I ask why you’re here?”

“I’m here to explore the stars.” Roland shrugged. “Let’s continue this conversation indoors. By the way, bring the diagrams of all the star images you’ve discovered. You have records for these, right? Mark the brightest stars and connect them with a thin line—yes, those things.”

…

Stacks of parchment piled up on the table in the hall, some tinged with yellow due to their age.

Roland took a deep breath and used a pen to draw a “spoon” and “hourglass” on a piece of paper, and connecting the bright stars with lines according to the stars diagram.

“Your Majesty, what’re these?” asked the scholar confusedly.

“They’re two star images.” He picked up the paper and showed it to the group of astrologers. “Have you ever seen images like these before?”

They all shook their heads.

“Search for similar images in all of these parchments,” ordered Roland. “Everyone, takes a pile, and be sure to look at every single one.”

His great confusion was: “Am I on a different side of the same planet?

It’s not surprising that this place also has a sun and a moon. The sun is just a regular fixed star. There’re billions of fixed stars in the Milky Way, and there’re billions of galaxies like the Milky Way in the universe, so it’s not unlikely that there’s another fixed star system in the infinitely large universe.

However, I’m not sure about species’ similarities. Biological evolution occurred by the coincidental outbreak, so there could be completely different organisms produced in the same environment. Whether it’s demonic beasts or demons, I don’t think they evolved from the same natural world as earth’s.”

He decided to use star images to address this confusion.

Fixed stars had life spans of billions of years, and their location barely ever changed, so they had always been used to determine the direction or hold symbolic meaning. Roland only remembered two star images: the commonly-known Big Dipper, and Orion. If he could find them among the constellations, he would be able to determine his location.

After an hour, no one had found the constellations.

Roland also used this time to ask Astrologer of Dispersion Star about a few of this world’s most famous star images, but he had never heard of any of them. The Kingdom of Graycastle astrologers also did not know of the Zodiac star images.

In general, the Bright Stars on these star images were far denser than the star images he knew, which meant he was closer to the center of the galaxy. This was because fixed stars were closer together towards the galaxy’s center.

Then it’s very likely that I’m not on Earth.

This answer slightly disappointed Roland. He sighed and glanced around the hall. “How many members are there in the Astrology Association?”

“Your Majesty, there’re 9 astrologers, 156 apprentices, and 67 handymen and masons,” replied Astrologer of Dispersion Star.

“I plan to shut down the Astrological Station. Pack your bags and return to the City of Neverwinter with me.”

The words instantly changed the expression on everyone’s face. Alva said in a terrified tone, “Your Majesty, how, how could you…”

“I don’t believe in astrology. I only believe in personal choice,” said Roland nonchalantly. “And I’m the King of Graycastle, so I can shut this down if I wish to. You’ll learn the truth about star images in the Western Region, and you won’t see them as the meaningless pathways for fate anymore.”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty Wimbledon, you can’t do this.” The Chief Astrologer slowly rose and said, “We have to watch the stars at all times without interruption—this order was passed by your ancestors.”

Chapter 520: The Star of Extinction

Ancestor?” Roland blurted out, “What the hell?” He noticed everyone staring at him astonished. Roland cleared his throat and said, “No, I mean… who knows if it’s true.”

Then he felt his left shoulder being gently pinched.

“Your Majesty, it’s true, and I can prove it,” the Chief lowered his head and said. “But you are the only one who can see it.”

When the rest of the astrologers heard what the Chief said, they got up and left the room on their own. Roland thought for a moment and nodded to the witches and the guards, saying, “I’m fine. You guys go as well.”

He would still have Nightingale with him as a last line of defense in case of any emergency.

The Chief Astrologer, Dispersion Star, entered a chamber next to the hall. After a long time, he returned to the long table with an iron box in his hands. He respectfully placed it in front of Roland.

“What’s this?”

“It is the instruction left by your ancestor. He’d expected that this kind of thing would happen.”

“You mean closing the Astrological Station?” Roland asked surprised.

“Yes, Your Majesty, and such a thing did happen before,” the Chief said with a wry smile. “Although astrology and alchemy are both called the academics of sages, they are different. Alchemists can bring big profit to the kingdom while we have little output. Besides, the Astrology Association consumes many gold royals every year to purchase high-quality crystal and hire craftsmen. In order to prevent frugal future generations from dismissing the Astrology Association, your ancestor engraved the instruction and demanded that nobody interfere with it.”

Roland opened the box. Unexpectedly, what he saw was a stack of gold sheets. It seemed that the Wimbledon Family had been willing to spend heavily on preserving this instruction.

He laid out the gold sheets on the table and counted. There were eight of them. Each one was about 3 millimeters thick and 2 palms wide, heavy in his hands.

What the Chief Astrologer said just now was engraved on the first sheet. “Nobody should interfere with the members of the Astrological Station in looking at the night sky, where lay mysteries which can show the fate of the world.”

The latter part of the words caught Roland’s attention and he became lost in thought.

In fact, this association itself was very strange. If the astrology really worked, King Wimbledon III must not be replaced by the church without any preparation. Instead, he should kill the High Priest first. Just now even the Astrologer of Dispersion Star himself had mentioned the Astrological Station had ‘little output’… that meant he did not regard the divination as a product. Now he seemed helpless, totally different from the first time Roland had met him when he had looked like a church scoundrel.

As for the ancestor who had expended considerable funds and manpower to establish such an association and engraved instruction on the gold sheet at all cost to deter post-generations from closing it (for it had no practical use), Roland did not believe that he was simply an astrophile keen on studying things outside of the planet while his kingdom was so underdeveloped. Obviously, the astrologers must hold a task that had nothing to do with divination, but was very likely related to the latter part of the sentence.

He checked the other gold sheets again and again, only to find records of the basic star observation methods and the history of the Astrology Association. The last sheet even recorded the principle of enlarging crystal lenses and referred to a supreme commander. It seemed that the ancestor of the Wimbledon Family had also been Chief Astrologer of this association at the time. Roland recalled the Wimbledon Family history but could not think of anything related to the description on this sheet.

He picked up the first sheet again, pointing to the latter part of the sentence. “What does this mean?”

“I don’t know,” the chief shook his head as he spoke.

Roland felt a pinch on his right shoulder before the Chief had barely finished his words.

He could not help chuckling, saying, “Listen, the man is more flexible than the rigid rule, and this order left by an ancestor was probably correct while he was alive, but the times have changed, and I don’t want to be bound by this rule from hundreds of years ago. I’m the king of the Kingdom of Graycastle, and I can do what I want. Do you understand?”

“What? No, you -” The chief stared at Roland.

“You yourself know it clearly. You’re only wasting money. You remain ignorant about the mysteries of the fate of the world. Besides, when my father was murdered by the church, you couldn’t even give him a warning. Why should I keep you here to stare at the sky? You can’t exchange the stars for gold royals. So, please pack up and come with me to the Western Region.”

Hearing Roland’s words, Dispersion Star, who already had an unfavorable opinion of Prince Roland, who had been intractable and unscrupulous in the King’s City, suddenly looked dour.

After a long time, the chief said reluctantly, “You’ll probably regret knowing this secret.”

“How do I know if you don’t tell me?” Roland smiled. It was really advantageous sometimes to intimidate others by pretending to be like the foppery Prince Roland. With these old men, this was the only way to get an answer for it was impossible to ask Iron Axe to grill them.

“We’ve been undertaking a mission that lasts for hundreds of years. It began when the first lord Wimbledon arrived in this region.” The Chief calmed down and said, “This secret can only be revealed to the successor of the royal family when he becomes King, and has reached the age of 30.”

“Why?”

“Because your ancestor thought that the successors might be too confused and panic if they knew it ahead of time and lead to the decline of the Kingdom.” He hesitated for a moment and confessed, “In fact, we’re looking for the Star of Extinction.”

“What’s that?” Roland asked in surprise.

“A scarlet star, or the Bloody Moon. When it comes, the world will fall into a disaster beyond redemption.”

The prince suddenly felt a shock and began to wonder. The coming of the Bloody Moon had been mentioned not only in the ancient book of the remains but also by Agatha of the Union. Why did a secular association also pay attention to this? Did the Astrology Association have inextricable links with the Union? “Please be specific!” Roland demanded.

“What I know is all from the former Chief,” Dispersion Star said in a deep voice. “It’s said that there’s a red star floating in the night sky. When it comes out like the crescent moon, the world will be destroyed. What we’re going to do is to find it before it becomes a crescent moon. If its orbit can be found, we can predict the doomsday in advance. This is also the intention of the horoscope.”

“Become a crescent moon?”

“Actually, it’s natural that you don’t know the star image,” the chief explained. “The stars are always following a fixed path, such as the sun and the moon, and they appear at a fixed time. When they disappear, it doesn’t mean they’re gone. They just temporarily move to a position where we can’t see. We call this path Orbit. In fact, most stars have an orbit of their own.”

Chapter 521: The Star Watcher

hough most of the astrologers’ findings were just common sense in the modern world, Roland still could not help being surprised by the fact that the astrologers could be able to tell the orbital motions of the stars without any modern observation techniques.

“The Star of Extinction also moves along a certain path,” he said, “and it appears every 400 to 500 years. That means, it must orbit within a much larger area than the sun and the moon that are near us in space and can run a circle around us in a day and a night.” He panted for breath and continued. “Given that an object appears big when it’s near and small when far, the Star of Extinction in the sky will change from dark to bright and then turn into a crescent when it’s getting closer and closer to us.”

“Have you found it?”

Dispersion Star shook his head. “The secret mission has been passed down for hundreds of years but doesn’t specify the exact time when the Star of Extinction will come. Maybe it’s still in some distant position we can’t observe.”

“For decades… you’ve buried yourselves in this job?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The old man sounded very tired. “I became an apprentice in the Astrological Association 40 years ago. Since then, I’ve been watching the little changed starry sky every night. However, I had no idea of this secret mission until I became the Chief Astrologer. Besides observing the stars and recording the time and seasons, astrologers also work as fortune tellers in festivals and celebrations, but we only say what the king orders us to, instead of truly predicting the future. It’s a secret between the king and us. Astrologers need to be venerated as sages, in order for our association to recruit more apprentices.”

“You regret it?”

Dispersion Star shook his head. “I would regret that ten years ago, but since I became the Chief Astrologer and received this secret mission from my predecessor, Meteorite Astrologer, I’ve understood what I’m doing is meaningful and it’s really about astrology and foretelling the future. The significance of the job is beyond compare, but unfortunately, I don’t have much time left.”

Looking at his gray hairs, heavily wrinkled face and countless brown spots on his forehead, Roland had to agree with him and thought, “That’s true. I’m afraid he can only survive for another two or three years.”

“Is there any strategy left by your predecessors we can take to fight against or escape from the devastating disaster?

“No, that’s your problem, Your Majesty.” Dispersion Star gave Roland a weak smile. “You’re the one who leads the people to get through hard times. The Astrological Station is just your eye and will warn you about the coming disasters, thus increasing the chance of survival for the people. Given that, you can’t close it.”

The Chief Astrologer’s attentiveness to his duty commanded Roland’s respect. For most people, it was hard to persevere with such a boring job, but this elderly man had searched for the Star of Extinction in the sky night after night for decades without flinching. Roland now guessed the reason why ancestors of the Wimbledon Family made the rule that the confidential information about the star should never be revealed to the new king before he turned 30. If young successors of the royal family knew about it, they would probably indulge themselves and do everything in their power to enjoy the rest of their lives.

After a long silence, Roland raised his last question. “What about Astrological Associations of the other three kingdoms’? They’re searching for the Star of Extinction, too?”

“I’ve no idea… I’ve never left the King’s City and they’ve never contacted us here in the Kingdom of Graycastle.”

“I see, and that’s all for today.”

“You… decide not to close the Astrological Station?”

“No, let’s keep it,” Roland answered, stood up and then walked towards the hall outside. Before he left the room, he turned around to look at the Chief Astrologer and said, “I’ll send you better equipment for observing stars and tell you about the real knowledge of star image.”

“What?” The chief astrologer looked confused.

Without explaining anything to him, Roland continued. “Besides, even when the Bloody Moon comes, it’s not our end.” He paused a bit and spoke assertively, “We’ll survive it.”

…

The hydrogen balloon was blown up. Roland and the witches got in the basket and flew towards the palace.

“What were you talking about?” Lightning asked, clutching the basket from outside.

“I want to know, too, coo!”

“It’s a story about a man who left his work half done,” Nightingale said and shrugged.

“In that condition, how could I insist on closing it now?” Roland rolled his eyes and described what had happened in the hall to them. “I planned to send them to the Western Region, but let them finish what they’re doing now at the Astrological Station. They’ve remained loyal to their duties for decades.”

“You’re indeed a merciful king,” Wendy said with a smile.

“Coo, a kind man!” Maggie flapped her wings and crowed, stretching her neck.

“Ahem.” Roland quickly changed the subject. “The Star of Extinction they’re searching for should be the Bloody Moon mentioned by Agatha. When it appears, the world is going to come to an end. This prophecy must have something to do with witches.”

“I think so, too,” Sylvie said after a thought, “and there’s an obvious proof. This used to be called the Barbarian Land. There were only villages and no cities at all. How could the people here suddenly start to pursue something so impractical? It must be the survivors from the Union. When they came here to rebuild their homes, they brought the information about the Bloody Moon here and then passed the task on to the earliest astrologers.”

“And one of them is His Majesty Roland’s ancestor?” Lightning said, excited. “What a wonderful adventure!”

“An adventure? Where’s the danger, coo?”

“You fool, not every adventure is dangerous. Finding out a secret is rewarding enough for an explorer.”

“Coo? But you’ve said that an explorer should pay more attention to the experience than the results.” Maggie blinked her eyes innocently.

“Uh… A great explorer can choose either to focus on the experience or to search for the results. That’s how we make each exploration enjoyable.” Lightning said in a low growl. “You’re a long way from being an explorer!”

“Coo…” The pigeon gloomily fell on Roland’s head. “Is that true?”

The witches burst into laughter.

After they went back to the palace, Roland immediately went through the records of the Wimbledon Family history he found and then could not help frowning.

“What happened?” asked Nightingale.

“There’s no record about astrologers in the family history.” He pointed at the yellowing page. “The first ancestor is Monde Wimbledon and the first king is Taraq Wimbledon. Nothing about the Astrological Station or the supreme commander… Their recordings were erased.”

“Who did it?” She was surprised. “The writers of the book must be the kings in the past, right?”

“Yes, recordings written by each king will be added to the family history. Nothing should be left out,” Roland said slowly, “and when the people started to build the cities here, he or she already had the ability to have the orders carved on metal sheets, but why are there no recordings about that person at all?”

Did someone try to conceal something? But why did that person leave a trail of clues in the Astrology Association? Every king or queen of the Wimbledon Family should know the real purpose of the Astrological Station… What happened to the family 400 years ago?

Chapter 522: A Drastic Change in the Northern Region

.

“What?”

Calvin Kant, the Lord of the City of Evernight and Duke of the Northern Region shouted. He rose suddenly and stared at the messenger with disapproval, toppling his water cup from the side table. The cup hit the floor with a smash, making a crisp, clear sound.

“Your Grace, I saw it with my own eyes!” said the messenger, further lowering his head. “The rebel king breached the city wall of King’s City in just one day. Even the king himself failed to escape. I’m afraid he’s probably dead now.”

“How… could this happen?” Calvin murmured. “It’s King’s City!”

Its blue stone city wall is more than 54 yards high and guarded by thousands of soldiers equipped with catapults and snow powder. No one can break through that city’s defenses unless he has an army of 20 to 30 thousands. Even if Prince Roland had such a huge army, it’s still hard to believe that he captured the city in merely one day!

“They had invincible firearms,” the messenger said in a trembling voice possibly caused by tiredness from traveling the whole night or the shock he had experienced in the battlefield. “They could fire without a break. Their weapons were just too powerful for the knights and even the crazed army of the king. No one could stop them. Anyone who got close to them died or was severely wounded… Compared to their firearms, the king’s flintlocks were cheap, useless iron sticks.”

Calvin’s mind was a blank. His whole world was turned upside down. He felt it was all over.

He had received an order from Timothy, which had required that he should send an army to support King’s City. As the new Duke of the Northern Region, he must follow the king’s order and after some discussion, he had assembled an army of 2,500 by choosing soldiers from troops of the Horsehead Hawes, the Snow Fox Lista and his own families. This army had been planning to set out after the snow melted and to arrive at the King’s City two to three weeks after he had received the order. He had never thought that the army would miss the war in King’s City as a siege warfare usually took months.

The army was mostly comprised of mercenary and freemen. Not many knights or serfs were in it, since the plowing season was about to start. However, no matter what kind of army he had sent out, he had already done something that the rebel king would consider guilty of rebellion. He was afraid that his good days were going to be over very soon.

“Edith!” Calvin suddenly thought of his brilliant daughter. “Maybe she can think of something to save us.”

“Go! Bring my eldest daughter to my room!” he shouted to a guard by his side.

Edith soon walked into the study, wearing fitting clothes and carrying a training sword. Her hair was done up in a bun, and her nose was dotted with small beads of sweat. She had been practicing with her sword as usual and now seemed slightly displeased. “I’ve asked you not to disturb me when I’m practicing.”

“I know I promised but we’re in big trouble!” Calvin urgently repeated what the messenger had told him and asked her, “What should we do?”

He looked at his daughter, eager to hear a solution. Edith Kant, the brightest Pearl of the Northern Region, was not only a beauty but also a naturally talented politician and strategist. She had contributed greatly to the success of her father’s rising from an Earl to the Duke of the Northern Region and even the sons of the Kant Family were overshadowed by her.

She was startled hearing that Prince Roland had conquered King’s City in just a day but quickly recovered and said calmly, “Now you understand why I didn’t agree to marry Timothy?”

Calvin stared in surprise and asked, “You knew that he would end up like this?” Timothy had stayed in the Northern Region after he defeated the rebellious Duke Ise and like many other men, had his eyes on the Pearl of the Northern Region. But she skillfully turned down the messenger he sent to her. Her father was confused and even blamed her for refusing the king since if she had married Timothy and become the queen as many girls had dreamed of, the Kant Family’s status would have been further secured.

“You mean his city was occupied in one day? No, I didn’t expect that.” Edith untied her hair band to let her long green hair down. “I just felt he was not the right person.”

“Not the right person… Who is the right person is for you? Though his reign turned out to be quite short, he was still the king of the Kingdom of Graycastle at that time!” Calvin complained in his heart but did not tell his daughter what he thought. He had made his mind to pass his Duke title to Edith who he believed would bring a brighter future to the family, compared with her two brothers, if she refused to marry anyone.

“Anyway,” Edith bent to pick up some broken pieces of the porcelain water cup. “First, you have to order the army to retreat.”

“But they’ve been out for four days, and I’ve no idea which route they took. I’m afraid it’s too late.”

“That’s not a problem,” she arranged the broken pieces of the cup to represent the three locations and said. “You can send someone to Deepvalley Town today. If he sets out now from here, he’ll arrive at the town by evening. Tomorrow, he can take a boat to King’s City and reach it at least one day before the army. No matter which route the army took, they’ll end up on the main road leading to the city’s north gate, so if the one you send walks in the opposite direction to the army, he’ll meet and stop them in the suburbs of King’s City.”

“I see.” The Duke patted his head heavily and thought, “I should have thought of this solution. The news was just too sudden and astonishing for me to react calmly and quickly.” He said, “I’ll write a letter now! No, I’ll send out a guard with my keepsake to deliver the command! Guard!”

A guard came to receive the order and then quickly left. Edith said slowly, “Father, do you think we can withstand Prince Roland’s attack?”

A shiver went through Calvin. He knew that the outer wall of King’s City, which had been twice as sturdy as that of his City of Evernight could not stand long in the suppression of Roland’s powerful firearms. He replied, “I don’t think we can.”

“So, it’s not enough just to withdraw the army.” She shrugged and added, “Don’t forget that it was Timothy who made you a Duke. It’s natural for Prince Roland to consider us his enemies and it’s just a matter of time for him to destroy us. Under such circumstances, we have to be more proactive.”

You mean that I should swing to Prince Roland?” Calvin hesitated. “But why should he trust me?”

“Show your sincerity,” Edith said softly. “Most nobles hearing the news will be intimidated by Prince Roland’s overwhelming victory over Timothy and won’t be able to fight in unison against him. Given that, we would have to surrender to him as early as possible. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks this way, so we have to show sincerity great enough to impress him.”

“But… how?”

Before Calvin could work out what she meant, Edith drew out her wooden training sword and smashed two of the broken pieces of the water cup with a smile.

“I think the Hawes Family and the Lista Family would make great presents. What do you think, father?”

Chapter 523: The Blood Pearl

n the evening, Calvin Kant summoned the nobles of the Northern Region to the castle.

The fireplace in the banquet room burned brightly with swaying flames, causing the guests’ shadows on the walls to dance up and down as if they formed a very unusual painting.

Four long tables traversed the hall, each placed full of steaming hot meat dishes and wine. It appeared to be a highly sumptuous dinner, yet the atmosphere was not relaxed at all. This was even more so after the Duke announced that King’s City had been seized.

“I’ve dispatched men to rescue the platoon that was sent out four days ago. Thankfully, they’ve returned alive,” he declared in a deep voice while sitting on the host’s seat. “But today, the question I want to ask you is… what should we do about the Northern Region?”

The nobles looked around the room blankly. Perhaps, the news that Timothy was defeated in a day was so astonishing that everyone in the hall was speechless and afraid to reply. Calvin could see the fear and regret in the eyes of the lower nobles. “Edith was right. We can’t depend on these people to defend against Roland Wimbledon. Dividing the land was never an option from the beginning—there’s only one path ahead.”

However, for the nobles who had only recently sought refuge with Timothy, it was rather embarrassing to openly turn around and switch allegiance.

“Why don’t we send a spy to eavesdrop on Prince Roland?” Someone in the room suggested after a long period of silence.

“If he doesn’t disturb the Northern Region, we may as well endorse him as the new king.” These words immediately garnered the approval of another noble. “These are the Wimbledon Family’s issues. It doesn’t make a difference to us who becomes the king.”

Upon hearing this, Earl of Lista laughed grimly. “No difference?”

Calvin frowned slightly and knew that the keynote was coming.

Indeed, after the Earl spoke, everyone in the room became silent, and this made Calvin feel a little uncomfortable. In reality, the three families were equal in strength, while the Kant Family was slightly inferior to the others. It was only because he had heeded his daughter’s advice and was first to play up to Timothy that he was able to obtain the position of Duke.

Of course, he also understood that this was one of the new king’s balancing tactics. Timothy was probably glad that the other two families belittled and were dissatisfied with him.

“Have you forgotten about Duke Ise? He was arrested for treason and executed.” Lista asked the room callously. “He didn’t actively provoke Timothy. If we admit defeat so early on, the noose may be tied around our necks at any time, and it would then be too late to struggle! In Prince Roland’s view, we’ve already participated in treason and none of us can deny our relations with Timothy!”

“What else can we do but admit defeat? If King’s City couldn’t even last a day, we would simply be throwing eggs at a rock…” One of Calvin’s feudatories, who looked like he had lost his usual vigor, retorted softly, in accordance with the agreement. Under the incensed gaze of the Earl, he was unable to enunciate the latter half of his sentence.

“Even if we only have eggs, I’ll try my best,” Ed Hawes proclaimed. “The rebel king murdered my elder brother! He has to pay for it!”

“It may not be us holding the eggs. The Northern Region’s full of hills and mountains, and dangerous roads are all over. Roland’s army may be able to travel quickly over plains and rivers, but it’ll be a whole new game here.” Earl Hawes followed up swiftly. “At worst, the Horsehead Family will retreat to Coldwind Ridge, where I don’t believe that his army will be able to reach.”

“That’s as good as baring your entire back to the church,” Calvin silently thought. “Those f*ckers don’t harbor any good intention for the Northern Region either.” He had heard about what happened to the eldest son of the Hawes Family. “It appears that he died in a fight against the lord of the Western Region… but death is inevitable in any war. If shouting could injure or kill enemies, there won’t be a need for weapons and armor.”

The hall started to become rowdy. As the Lista and Hawes families stated their opinions, the voices which proposed to “halt the troops and get ready to fight the advancing enemy” gradually suppressed the ones which proposed to “actively pry on Prince Roland’s position and express friendliness.” Although Calvin remained silent throughout this discussion, he was beginning to feel quite anxious.

Surely Edith hasn’t run into trouble?

“What does the Honorable Duke think?” His long silence had become suspicious, and Earl Lista was now staring straight at him.

Calvin’s heart froze when he knew it was his turn to say something. “I brought all of you here tonight because I wanted to listen to everyone’s opinion. This matter is important to the future of the Northern Region and we can’t be too careful…”

Earl Hawes interrupted him impatiently. “Enough! I’ve got a feeling that you’ve already planned to swear allegiance to Prince Roland. Why else would all those who expressed cowardly opinions happen to be your feudatories? If we’re to hand over power meekly now, we’ll just become lambs to the slaughter!”

“You…” Calvin felt an urge to toss his wine glass at the Earl but managed to refrain himself in time.

“Since that’s the case, we have nothing else to discuss.” Lista stood up and headed towards the banquet hall’s exit. “By the way, if you want Prince Roland to spare your pathetic life, you may offer Edith, all tied up, to him. I’ve heard that he highly appreciates beauty… ugh…”

The audience’s laughter ceased as the Earl turned silent unexpectedly. A sword tip visibly protruded out of his back. The blood stains on the blade seemed to shimmer dimly under the light from the fireplace.

“Are you talking about me, Sir Snow Fox? I can’t pretend that I didn’t hear what you said.”

The Earl’s body collapsed onto the floor feebly. The tall and lean figure of an armored warrior appeared in front of everyone. She pulled her sword out nonchalantly, stepped over the Earl who was still squirming in utter pain, and walked into the hall.

It was none other than Edith Kant herself.

Calvin immediately felt a great sense of relief.

Her armor plates were stained full of blood, an evidence that she had just been in a violent fight. Even so, she was as composed and elegant as ever—she had the face of a beautiful smiling assassin. A platoon of warriors followed behind her and surrounded the hall in the blink of an eye. By now, everyone that was present understood what had happened.

“The guards!” Earl Hawes’ eyes widened as he spoke. “What have you done to the guards outside…”

“How can I deal with you lot if I hadn’t disposed of them first?” Calvin exhaled a sigh of relief and smashed his glass on the floor. “You seem to have forgotten that I’m the one in charge here!”

He had long awaited this moment. This kind of banquet was held every once in a few days, and as such, most of the nobles did not take many precautions. They were each accompanied by less than 100 servants, most of whom they instructed to keep watch outside the castle area. It was the perfect opportunity to capture all of them together. After the guards had been taken care of, the rest was easy.

Of course, the person who planned and executed this trap was his daughter—the Pearl of the Northern Region, Edith.

As the exit doors of the banquet hall were slowly shut, the flames in the fireplace seemed to wobble for the last time.

The feudatories of the other two families pulled out their swords. By contrast, the lower nobles seemed shell-shocked.

“Are you out of your mind?” Ed Hawes snapped angrily.

But Calvin had no time for a war of words. “If you put down your weapons and surrender, you’ll be spared.” All resistors will be killed!”

As the words left his tongue, two factions of people began to brawl.

Chapter 524: A Night of Bloodshed

haos and confusion erupted in the hall. Wooden tables were flipped, while bowls and dishes fell all over the floor, creating a symphony of clanking and cracking noises. Spilled soup flowed along the crevices in the stone slabs until it was everywhere.

It was the first time for the Duke’s two sons to witness such a life-and-death fight from such a close distance. The older son, Cole, held out his sword and stood in a rigid posture to defend his father. It was completely unlike his carefree attitude during training sessions. Meanwhile, the younger son, 17-year-old Lance, cowered behind his chair.

Calvin sighed in silence. If he did not have Edith, his sons would probably not look so useless by comparison. The gulf of ability between her and them could not be bigger. Perhaps, they were already resigned to this fact and had long lost the courage and motivation to catch up with her.

The Duke looked towards the center of the banquet hall. His wunderkind eldest daughter already had her eyes fixed on Ed Hawes, the strongest challenger around.

First, she took a bottle of ale and flung it at her opponent, forcing him to turn away. Next, she leaped up onto one of the long wooden tables and dived straight at him with her sword. Her quick and agile movements were like those of a cat. Ed adeptly parried her blows, and the clashing of swords caused sparks to fly.

She struck out half a dozen times within a split second, and her sword came together with Ed’s to form a continuous clinking sound which seemed to signal the impending arrival of death. In this critical situation, Ed displayed frightening technique and strength to negate every one of her strikes. It was hard to pick a winner. While they fought around the long tables, many of the Hawes Family’s knights had already succumbed in battle. Yet, Ed did not flinch or cower but instead became increasingly aggressive.

Calvin began to worry.

As evident from the blood stains on her armor, Edith had earlier been involved in another tough fight. Even if she was not wounded, her physical strength had been expended considerably. Furthermore, as a female, she was naturally disadvantaged in terms of strength. It would be unfavorable to her if the tussle drags on.

However, there was not a trace of fear on Edith’s face.

Her eyes were fully focused on her opponent—her bright pupils were like twinkling stars that could illuminate the world. Beads of sweat flung out of her hair ends with every strike she made. Although her energy was visibly diminishing, she continued to thrust relentlessly at her opponent, forcibly keeping him in a defensive stance.

Ed seemed to take notice of this. With a loud roar, he changed to a technique which would deal great injury to both of them. However, Edith was not keen on exchanging blood with blood, and became the one deflecting attacks. The disparity in strength between them finally told. Edith lost her balance as her sword was sliced into two, causing her to fall off the long table.

The Duke’s heart jumped into his throat. “F*ck, help her now!”

However, even the nearest guard was not able to assist—everything happened too quickly.

Instead of attempting to stand up immediately, Edith astutely used the remainder of her sword to slice off the legs of the long table. At this moment, Ed jumped onto the table with both of his arms raised, intending to finish her off with a powerful blow. He completely did not notice what she had just done.

Calvin stared in disbelief at what followed. The table, missing a leg, caused the knight to lose his balance. If the table toppled normally, he would have been able to leap off easily. But just at that instant, all of his strength was concentrated in his arms, while his feet were fixed on top of the table, and his body was hunched forward in the chopping posture. As such, he fell headfirst onto the floor with a loud thud.

There was no chance of a comeback.

Edith jumped onto her opponent’s back and pulled out a dagger from her waist. She plunged it straight into his neck and twisted it. The knight’s body began to spasm.

“Was it… a matter of luck? Probably not…” the Duke realized that Ed had fallen into his daughter’s trap the moment he jumped onto the table. When Ed took over his opponent’s high position, it made him feel as though he had turned defeat into victory. The advantage that he built up over the course of the fight caused him to think that strength and power alone would decide the outcome, and his confidence grew at the sight of his opponent’s weakening resistance. This was why he placed all of his strength into his final blow. Under normal circumstances, Edith would not have been able to survive it.

But this turned out to be the perfect opportunity to trick him into losing his balance completely.

The resistance of the two families did not last very long in the face of opponents who outnumbered them by three to one. After less than 10 minutes, the hall quietened down again. The fireplace continued to burn calmly, while the only noticeable difference in the hall was the strong smell of blood that mixed together with the smell of spilled alcohol and other drinks.

The Duke returned to his seat and looked around the room. The lower nobles hurriedly lowered their heads and did not dare to look straight at him.

“Earl Lista and Earl Hawes conspired against King Wimbledon and have been duly punished. Right now, you all have a choice. Do you all want to serve these two corpses or the new king?”

This time, the responses were uniform and there were no extra remarks.

…

“So, it’s settled?” In the study, Calvin used a handkerchief to wipe off the blood stains on his daughter’s forehead. “Will His Majesty Roland Wimbledon accept us?”

“You were calling him a rebel king only yesterday,” Edith quipped teasingly. “Are you going to pledge homage to him so soon?”

“Wasn’t this what you said?” The Duke glared at his daughter. “Since we can’t beat him, we may as well surrender earlier. If we don’t win his trust, the nobles will hate us too!”

In fact, the execution of the two great noblemen without going through due process violated the bottom line agreed among the noble. If it was not for the fact that the Kingdom of Graycastle had been at war for two years and the lords of various lands had changed rapidly, as well as Timothy being a bad example, Calvin would never have dared to do things as his daughter had suggested.

“I don’t know if we can.”

“Wh-what?” The Duke quivered and nearly dropped his handkerchief. “You don’t know?”

“Indeed. All we can do is to display our sincerity, but ultimately it’ll be Prince Roland who decides the fate of Northern Region. You should know this, Dad,” Edith said almost nonchalantly. “There’s a chance he’ll send his own people to take over Northern Region, and it won’t be surprising if your rank is lowered. But I know that if we don’t try, our Kant family won’t have a chance to survive.”

Calvin stood rooted for a long time before he sat back down, looking extremely displeased. He knew that his daughter was right, but yet he found it hard to accept her reply.

He did not want to lose the position of Duke.

Just then, Edith laughed. “Don’t lose heart, Dad. You still have much work to do tomorrow. We’ll seize the mansions and fiefs of the two Earls. Besides, the outcome of this matter will heavily depend on the level of competence we display to His Majesty.” She paused for a while, before continuing. “Sincerity is our ticket into the negotiation, but ability is what will decide the outcome of the negotiation.”

Calvin frowned in incomprehension. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll bring these two heads to King’s City, Dad.” She laughed in a charming yet wicked way. “Let me be your messenger to His Majesty.”