by Feng Yue
The worst thing was that although Asgard was huge, its distribution of resources was concentrated on the other side of their territory. The industrial, manufacturing and even grain producing areas were distributed around the Golden Palace. If they went to war with the Commonwealth of Caucasian they would have to rely on sea transportation to stay supplied.
What was even worse was that if Asgard dared to go through the Anglo Kingdom in order to make war on the Commonwealth of Caucasian, the Anglos could rely on the Avalon effect which accumulated in the ocean currents and the Homeland Defense Front to interfere with the Asgardian supply lines to a freaking ridiculous extent.
Thus, the logical choice was very simple.
War was inevitable.
And once war broke out, it would be long and drawn-out.
Once it had lasted for a long time, the competition would be between national reserves and supplies. In order to guarantee supply replenishment, they had to control the sea.
In order to control the sea, they had to destroy the Anglos first.
They had to destroy them utterly.
Even if the Anglos had only Avalon left, they could still strike at the heart of the Asgardians through the Homeland Defense Front.
Therefore, the first battle would inevitably be between the Anglos and the Asgardians.
And the beginning of the war would be at sea.
This war over sea routes would determine the future of the whole world.
“Be ready, Your Excellency.” Shi Dong lowered his eyes. “Winter is coming.”
“It’s not Winter.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head as he stared out the window at the Net of Aether that hung high up in the night sky. The crystals reflected the sunshine that emerged from far across the dark, distant sea, magnificent and tranquil.
“It’s daybreak.”
706 Value
Morning had just arrived.
In the bustling region of midtown Avalon, the apartment district, a few pedestrians going to work in the morning walked along the streets. The bakery had opened for the day. The awnings, as well as the tables and chairs outside, had been set up, and a sign advertising half-priced set meals and coffee was hung outside.
A carriage quietly stopped at the door of the six-story apartment. Several men in black uniform climbed up and down the stairs, carrying boxes of luggage down, and put them in the trailer. Their movements were consistent, but their uniform had no logo on it. Also, unlike trained soldiers, they didn’t look burly. Although they were thin, they carried the heavy luggage effortlessly. Whenever someone looked their way, they would look back, as if they could sense the gaze, sizing the people around them up with a cold look in their eyes.
In the carriage, the man named Richard opened the curtains and looked at a window on the fifth floor. “Is our guest done packing up?”
The assistant outside the carriage shook his head. “There’s still a bit left. The good sir refused our help, and it seems that he resents it quite a bit.”
“It’s the same,” Richard said calmly. “After studying hard for five years, just before graduation, he was given a notice to pack his luggage up in two days and be escorted out of the country. Surely, anyone would feel upset. Plus, no one is at fault for such a predicament, who can he blame?”
The assistant said nothing. He just sighed and looked down at his pocket watch to tell the time.
“Don’t look at it, just wait.” Richard leaned back on the seat of the carriage. “At least leave him some time to say goodbye.”
…
On the fifth floor, the room was already empty.
Although it was one of the best apartments in midtown Avalon, the interior was still simple, and there wasn’t much furniture of bigger size, to the extent that only a few chairs and a bed were left after all the luggage had been taken away.
A huge easel was also among the things left. The unfinished painting on it was still covered with a damp cloth, and many completed portraits were put at a corner. Unfortunately, the Royal Hounds were rather rough when carrying the luggage, and many paintings had fallen onto the ground, stained with dust.
And their creator couldn’t be bothered about them anymore.
“Thaler, aren’t you bringing these along?” the girl who lived next door said. She came to Avalon to study just like him. Having been classmates for four years, she came to help him move out.
“Forget it, I can’t bring them along, just leave them here.” The thin young man cast a final look at the products of his hard work and withdrew his gaze. “If I get a chance, I’ll come back and pack them up.” Thaler lifted the last suitcase, got up, and looked at the girl next to him, forcing out a smile.
“Time to leave?” she asked.
“Yeah.” Thaler nodded, wanting to say something, but no words came out.
“It’s a pity, you are just one year short of finishing your studies.” The girl smiled, a complicated look on her face. She reached out and hugged him gently. “I won’t be sending you off then.”
“Mhmm.” Thaler nodded, looked at her one last time, and walked towards the door. But after walking to the door, he turned back and opened the suitcase. He took out a wrapped painting and handed it to her. “This is for you.”
It was a portrait that looked just like her.
“I always wanted to give it to you.” Thaler smiled regretfully. “If I don’t give you now, I’ll have no chance to do so.” Having said so, he lifted the suitcase and left, as if he was running away from something.
Only the girl was left standing in the room, looking at the emptiness.
It wasn’t until the carriage started moving that Thaler heard the shouts from behind him. He poked his head out of the window of the carriage and saw the girl shouting at him from the window on the fifth floor.
But Thaler could not make out what she was saying.
The carriage didn’t stop, and as the driver whipped the horse, the carriage gradually went further and further away from the apartment, until it turned onto Queen’s Road, and he couldn’t see where she was anymore. She had been swallowed up by the city.
Thaler sat back in the carriage, collapsing on the seat, his eyes somewhat red.
“I’m sorry.” Richard handed him a handkerchief. “I know that the decision is cruel to you, but I hope you can understand that you going back to Asgard is the best for everyone.”
Thaler said nothing, nor did he look up at Richard.
“If you really miss her, come back here after the war.” Richard took back the handkerchief that was ignored, and said calmly, “Waiting is always pleasant as compared to separating, isn’t it?”
After a silence, Thaler looked up, took a deep breath, and shook his head. “No, I probably won’t come back.”
“That’s a pity.” Richard said calmly, “When the war is over, I do welcome people like you to visit Avalon, be it for traveling or studying. Avalon is a good place, I’ve grown up here since I was young. Sometimes it throws a fit, making it difficult for outsiders to like it, but in the end, I believe that outsiders will all find their own place here.”
Thaler shook his head, his expression complicated. He didn’t look like an Asgardian, as he was neither burly nor boorish. His face was handsome, and he was very different from his father and several brothers.
He was feeble and quiet.
He seemed like he couldn’t even kill a mouse.
Having been in Avalon for a few years, no one knew that he was the son of the patriarch of the Fire River Clan, and he never told anyone about his hometown.
“After returning to Asgard, will you set foot on the battlefield?” Richard asked.
“Only father’s successor is qualified to go on the battlefield, and it will never be my turn. I have been considered a lost cause from the moment I left Asgard.” Thaler said coldly, “In Asgard, glorious deaths are never for weaklings like me.”
“There’s nothing bad about being able to survive.” Richard shook his head. “Be it victory or
defeat, war is always cruel. I also hope that it will not come, but now it seems that it is merely wild wishes.”
Thaler said no more.
He closed his eyes.
It wasn’t long before the carriage slowed down, as they had neared the port.
One could vaguely see the bustling port. Compared to the orderliness in the past, everything had sped up by a lot. Ships entered the harbor constantly, and ships were leaving as well. For the well-informed, word had it that war was nearing, and many people who had no business in it were reluctant to stay here.
Just within sight, a huge passenger ship was leaving amid horn blasts. It even had the logo of the Asgard Marine Company on it.
“It seems that your family has given up on you. The Asgardian Embassy didn’t even know about you when evacuating nationals.” Richard sighed and patted Thaler’s shoulder. “Sorry that we have to send you back. Please believe me when I say that it is the best solution — We have notified Asga–”
Boom! Before he even finished speaking, a roar burst forth. It sounded right outside the window of the carriage.
The next moment, countless pieces of iron burst out of the broken cargo box, and a forlorn whistling tore one’s eardrums apart. The iron pieces scraped against each other in midair until they became red, tearing the air apart and smashing the carriage into pieces. They pierced through the steel plates in the middle layer of the walls and flew into the carriage.
The force applied to the pieces of iron wasn’t enough for them to penetrate the other wall and exit the carriage, and they bounced back upon hitting the steel plates. In the violent shaking, they continued bouncing around the carriage.
Then, a fire engulfed everything.
After staring stunned for a short moment, countless people screamed and fled in all directions.
“God’s wrath! Did you see it? It is God’s wrath!” Behind the cargo box, a pale-faced musician laughed wildly, playing a movement, madly attacking everything around him. “Go to hell! You cowards! Traitors! Go to hell! Asgard must pay the price for everything they have done to me! Hahahahaha…” Five minutes later, the mad musician was shot dead on the spot, and a proof of identity belonging to a royal musician was found on him.
As the guard looked on with a ghastly pale face, the burning carriage shattered, and Richard, who had almost been burnt, climbed out from the inside difficultly, holding on tightly to the blood-stained young man.
“Help!” He hoarsely shouted, “Help! Doctor! Where is the doctor!”
Hoarse coughs sounded, beside him, the young man who was missing half of his body opened his eyes with difficulty. “Don’t waste your time.”
His broken face had a complicated look. “I can’t be saved.”
Richard was stunned and looked down at him in a shock. In a flash, he suddenly understood. “You’ve known all along?”
“I have already told you, glorious deaths are never for the weak.” Thaler difficultly forced out a smile on his burnt face, and it was full of self-mockery. “The weak… can only die in shame, creating… value for the strong…” Thaler coughed violently, blood foam rising from the throat, blocking his respiratory pathway.
As if he had understood that death had come, he no longer struggled. He simply propped his body up with his broken arms, turned back with difficulty, and gazed at the city behind him.
It was as if he could see the little window.
Someone was waiting for him there.
I’m sorry.
He closed his eyes and his breathing ceased.
…
20 minutes later, Ye Qingxuan was awakened by mad knocking on the door. He climbed up from his desk and saw Richard sitting in a wheelchair, with bandages on him.
“I messed up.” Richard’s expression was bitter. “The fourth heir to the Fire River Clan of Asgard has just been assassinated at the port.”
“Who is the assassin?” Ye Qingxuan asked.
“A royal musician,” Richard replied hoarsely. “It was a premeditated assassination. He already knew that he would die. Boss, we are in trouble.”
Ye Qingxuan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, opened them again, and exhaled the anger from his lungs. “Noted.” He patted Richard’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault, it’s already fortunate that you can come back. Go and see the chorale doctor first.”
Five minutes later, the harsh ringtone from the emergency communication of the Privy Council rang from the desk. “Get me on the line with the Prince, now!”
“You may speak, I am listening.” Behind the desk, Ye Qingxuan smoked a cigarette, his expression dark.
“Two minutes ago, the Asgardians claimed that the only heir of the Fire River Clan had been murdered in a despicable assassination attempt in our country, and Asgard officially declared war on Anglo!”
“Noted.” Ye Qingxuan lowered his eyes and extinguished the cigarette. “Please inform Her Majesty to hold an emergency meeting in court, gather all the members of the Privy Council, inform everyone to make the necessary preparations.”
He put on his coat and buckled the last button. “War is coming.”
Outside the window, the morning sun rose from the sea, illuminating the dark clouds slowly spreading from the distance.
The world was quiet.
707 The Crux of the Issue
Amidst the roar, the cable suddenly tightened and the air let out a low hum, like the sound made by chords, as it was being lashed. Under the hot searchlights, the gigantic armor was being lifted gradually. With every signal made by the commander, the armor inched closer to the huge object, until iron had made contact with the bloody flesh.
Shortly after, screws that were as huge as spears were inserted into the sockets of the armor, thereby piercing through the bloody flesh. The body underneath the armor trembled and fresh blood spurted out. Nevertheless, the screw continued to drill deep into the flesh until it was inserted into the bones. Then, the welding musicians stepped forward and wielded their flames to weld the armor and rivets together. It was as if the giant was wearing a coat of metal now.
“Higher, higher!” Captain Egor was shouting at the top of his lungs to direct everyone else in the hot and humid environment. In the gigantic workshop, pieces of armor were being pasted onto the flesh and blood of the Mountain of Nomadism. This was the final step.
The last time the Mountain of Nomadism had undergone debugging was four days ago. After being dismantled and assembled again and again, the Mountain of Nomadism had already expanded by more than half of its original size. The bloody flesh wrapped around bone plates that acted as internal armors. Artificial muscles, that were the size of a human, wrapped around alchemy formations and were devouring aether and were pounding like blood vessels.
Until now, the hidden power that had originally been left behind by the Mountain of Nomadism had been fully developed. Besides, it was infused with new power by the queen, which was Firebird.
After the gigantic sea monster, with the blood of Leviathan, had been modified by the Chapter of the Golden Victory, its bestiality had finally been awakened and it had transcended into a hundred-percent dragon. It was as if the red dragon had transformed into metal before destroying itself and turning into a warship. Beneath the skull-shaped bow of the ship, a pair of gigantic eyes opened slowly. Red-colored eyeballs stared straight ahead as it tried desperately to put up with its pain and suffering. Its heartbeat was as loud as a drum, echoing throughout the hot and steaming workshop, leaving everyone swaying with fear and admiration.
“Bad news has just come in.” Shi Dong’s voice sounded very thick through the gas mask. “Asgard and Burgundy have formed an alliance. The rights to develop four black gold mines in exchange for Burgundy opening up its borders and seas.”
“At least we can confirm their objectives now.” Ye Qingxuan nodded and gestured for Shi Dong to catch up. The both of them left the upper-level deck and returned to Ye Qingxuan’s office. Ye Qingxuan picked up the plan that had been delivered to h
im by the military and threw it over to Shi Dong. Shi Dong flipped through it before putting it back down. He was silent for some time before breathing out heavily.
“Any thoughts?”
“This is tough…” Shi Dong touched his chin and his voice was hoarse. “If my guess is correct, Asgard’s next course of action will most likely be a sudden attack on both fronts.”
Although Anglo was a country by the sea, its lands were split up into four zones with a total of 27 counties, and more than half of them were on land. Now that Burgundy had opened up its borders, Asgard would be able to pass through the Blanc Mountains directly, thereby posing a threat to industrial cities and agricultural lands of Anglo. By then, Anglo would have to face the Scarlet Bird clan, which had been named by Asgard as one of the three pillars of the empire.
After going through the battle of Nebucha, personally forcing the heavy-armored knights off the altar and kickstarting the generation of automated armors, the Scarlet Bird clan managed to climb up to the top of the empire. It was under the leadership of that Emperor that Asgard became so deeply passionate about developing automated armors. A century later, an armored army that bore the totem of scarlet birds would become the nightmare of all armies. Even till this day, the Scarlet Bird army was still the biggest armored army of Asgard. No, of the entire world. Amongst the 160,000 members, 100,000 of them were soldiers that specialized in other areas while the remaining 60,000 would surround the automated armors.
In order to maintain the operation of the army, heavy industrial cities and more than 14,000 mechanical engineers worked for the military. This figure would probably increase drastically in times of war.
There were 20,000 automated armors that would be on alert, of which at least 4,000 automated armors were famously known as Asgard’s ‘frost giants.’ Incredible amounts of effort and money were invested in the development of frost giant knights but even so, there was still less than 4,000 of them now in total. They had been said to be capable of fighting against enemies of the same level, even if they might be outnumbered by three times.