Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  The wine flask was too small, so everyone on the bridge only took a small sip to moisten their lips. Nevertheless, their eyes brightened from the bitter taste of the alcohol in their mouth. They felt as if they were on fire.

  Sylvaine drew his sword and raised it high before declaring to everyone, “In that case, let us swear to our ancestors that we are willing to fight to our deaths for the kingdom!”

  “Blood of honor can never be stained,” all 142 members screamed at the top of their lungs at their impending doom. The sole iron warship, the Sovereign, charged towards the Stronghold on Sea!

  The high-pitched whistle sounded, just like the horn on the battlefield that signified the start of war.

  …

  “Only… one ship? Confirmed?” In the command center of Stronghold on Sea, the commander stared at the sole enemy that was launching an attack in their direction. He wanted to laugh but he could not. “Are they kidding me?! Or is there some sort of devious plan?”

  What other plan could there be? By leaving behind only one ship, even if it was to self-destruct, it would never be able to breach the defenses of the warships that patrolled around the Stronghold on Sea, much less the Stronghold itself. For some reason, the situation might be in his favor, but the commander could not help but feel confused. These damned Anglos, just what are they thinking!

  Just as the Asgardians were still reeling in shock, the Sovereign pierced through the foreign region, which was a distortion of the Stronghold on Sea, like a sharp knife. The ship glowed with golden light and as the royal musicians performed, the ship was shrouded in Firebird, as if an invisible pair of wings have spread open. They produced a massive power that continued to accelerate the ship ahead, despite the enemy’s barrage of retaliatory attacks.

  In the midst of the daze, there was suddenly a strange hallucination. It was as if the earth was shaking. When the whistle shrieked, it was like a horn blowing. Its roar could be heard in all directions and it reverberated on the seven seas.

  A hurricane swept across the deck of the Sovereign as Sylvaine drew his sword and stared at the glorious light on the surface of the sea. He softly chanted the secret verse for initiation, “Anglo hopes everyone will carry out their duties with dedication!”

  With that, the seven seas roared. The majestic melody blasted from the alchemy formation on Anglo lands and Anglo seas. They prayed to the Emperor that there would be a miracle and an arrival of undefeated legend!

  The sound of metal grating against metal could be heard from the depths of the sea. Amidst the waves that have been sliced through by the Sovereign, there were suddenly countless undercurrents. Turbulent aether began to surge and shred the ocean, such that the broken gigantic sail rose from the sea.

  The gigantic sail was mending rapidly, and soon, the signet of a red dragon and rose danced and flapped loudly in the wind. The glorious light filled the entire sea, as if God had descended. The light lit up the gigantic warship that was floating up from the depths of the sea. King, Revenge, Resolution, Ramillies, Royal Oak…

  In the end, the Sovereign merged with the light as well. Its iron body trembled as it transformed rapidly by expanding more than twice its original size. In the end, it transformed into an iron monster with sharp edges. It was ‘Royal Pride’!”

  With the blessing and permission of the lord, the Sovereign had transformed into a flagship that patrolled for the queen, the legendary Royal Pride!

  “We sacrifice our lives for the almighty Emperor!” Sylvaine raised his knife and pointed at the enemy ahead as he gave the order to attack.

  The silent fleet replied in unison, “May heaven protect the kingdom, and may the Emperor protect me!”

  With Royal Pride leading the way, the legendary fleet, which had been in hibernation for a very long time, finally appeared once again. The first generation of Royal Fleet that cruised the seven seas had returned!

  717 Surprise Attack

  Late at night, on the sea fortress among the waves, hot and dry breath radiated into the night sky, carrying the scent of ash and sulfur.

  Terrible scars crisscrossed the small town behind the fortress, and several blocks had already collapsed under the assault of Asgard’s weapons during the daytime and had caught on fire.

  The scent of blood was wafted by the flames, hanging thick in the air. Even in the middle of the night, there were still laborers on the wall working overtime to repair the cracks in it.

  The side of the wall facing out had already been completely burned. The alloy coated outer shell had melted, and molten steel flowed and coagulated, forming unpleasant veins of what looked like sludge.

  Sometimes they used hammers to pry off the dried sludge off of the stone, and could then see the lava slurry that had not yet congealed inside.

  As for what lay beneath the wall, it was completely unrecognizable.

  Even the mountains that had been reinforced on both sides had largely crumbled. Gravel was piled up under the cliffs, covering broken armor and half of a burnt corpse. The other half of the corpse was covered in dust.

  In the fissures formed by the large-scale bombardments, the eyes of the dead looked up from the dust towards the night sky.

  In the midst of the din someone was playing the flute, and its faint, sad dirge echoed around the battlefield.

  In the tightly sealed construction site just behind the small town, dozens of construction vehicles were making hundreds of guide rails that slanted up towards the night sky. It was like they were preparing to welcome a train that was coming from the sky.

  But under the rails, armored knights lined up silently to receive the fixed chain, and then bent down, in formation, to insert it into the “small boxes”.

  Even though the space was large when compared to an ordinary person, even for knights who were only wearing powered exoskeletons and not outer armor it was still so narrow they could hardly move. After he squeezed in and sat on the chair, and then firmly locked his armor to the iron chair, a knight could not even bend at the waist.

  The members of the squad looked at each other helplessly.

  The din outside the construction site continued unabated.

  “The angle measurement is complete, and the guide rails are in place.”

  “The mechanical system has been loaded, and testing is in process.”

  These emotionless voices rang out continuously, making everyone feel more and more disturbed.

  Finally, a figure that was thinner than everyone else entered. After he closed the hatch, the voices ceased.

  But the pure silence made them even more uneasy.

  Galahad sat silently in his position, his armor fixed firmly to his chair. He closed his eyes without speaking.

  Everyone looked at him, and one of them dared to say, “Is this thing really reliable, sir?”

  “Why are you so worried?” Christine rebuked him coldly. “If you’re going to die, you should die for your country!”

  “Uh…” The one who had asked the question had no choice but to stop talking. He hadn’t expected to be reprimanded. Seeing how his hands were gripping the armrests so tightly that his gauntlets had almost deformed the armrests, the others couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Hahahaha!”

  Christine glanced at them coldly. Although she was annoyed, she didn’t say anything.

  There was nothing they could do. Although the Royal Institute of Research had guaranteed that there were no problems with the system, who could really sit there with no worries? If there really weren’t any problems, why would they call this d*mn box the “Hell Parachute”?

  A group of knights would sit in this iron box and be launched into the enemy’s center. When they thought about it, it seemed as if every step in the process from beginning to end had problems.

  Even Christine was scared…

  Amid the silence, someone else raised their hand. “Sir?”

  “Speak.”

  The person with the question hesitated a bit, then said h
elplessly, “Even though the Asgardians would never think that we would launch this surprise attack, couldn’t we at least wear some light armor?”

  In order to reduce the weight, everyone’s armor had been lightened as much as possible. Although they all wore heavy powered exoskeletons, there was no armor on top of them. They had even removed most of the defensive modules.

  Even though it would be difficult for a normal person to hurt them with an ordinary sword, the enemy also had powered halberds. Facing a frost giant knight with a shocking ax with this kind of equipment would be equivalent to doing it naked.

  “You don’t need to worry about this issue.” Christine looked at him seriously. “It will solve itself when we get there.”

  Solve itself… how? Would they airdrop armor?

  Even if they did, it would take more than five minutes for a skilled engineer to put it on them. In that time, everyone would have already been killed by the frost giants while they were still getting dressed.

  Everyone smiled bitterly. Although they were uneasy, it was a knight’s fate to follow orders. Their respect for dogma and command had been instilled in them from an early age, from the time they had started training as knights until they had officially been knighted.

  A qualified knight would not have any hesitation in the face of orders, even if they were ordered to jump into a fire pit. Although fear was inevitable, their sword-tempered bodies would have no hesitation.

  It was a little embarrassing to admit, but it had to be said, these so-called knights’ brains would only be put to work when they were needed. Most of the time, they were rough-and-ready creatures of instinct.

  As they waited for the countdown, Galahad said in a hoarse voice, “Sir, it’s time.”

  Christine was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Geraint, your turn. You will be the commander for this operation.”

  “Then…” The Knight of the Round Table known as Geraint took off his helmet, revealing a face covered in scars. He looked at his remaining six squad members. “The operation will begin in five minutes. The plan has already been sent to everyone. Stick to it.”

  He raised his hand and touched the scabs that had recently formed on his scars. His eyes went hard and his voice was cold. “Remember, this is the counterattack on Asgard that we have been waiting for. No, I should say that it is revenge for the 46,000 people who have died in battle over the last few days. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! I want each of you to come back with the ID cards of ten Frost Knights, or else die carrying 11! Understood?”

  “Understood!”

  “Then God bless the Kingdom.” Geraint put his helmet back on.

  “May the Queen bless us!” the Knights of the Round Table replied.

  The powerful sound of scraping iron rang out, and everyone felt their “iron box” being lifted up by the crane and placed on the track.

  Then, the disturbing sound a gear turning rang out.

  The countdown started.

  Five… four… three… two…

  One!

  The instant the countdown ended, dozens of overlapping roars sounded from all around the construction site. Everyone felt their vision go dark, and a massive force pressed them into their seats. The small box they were in was writhing wildly and emitting the sharp sound of steel grinding on steel.

  After a moment, they could no longer feel gravity.

  In that instant, the friction between the steel cables and the guide rails sent out a shower of sparks, and the “iron coffins” hanging from the guide rails were sent whistling through the air by the tremendous kinetic energy.

  After breaking free of the 60-meter long guide rails, the “iron coffins” swiftly tore through the air, setting off a fierce scream as they flew through the sky.

  In a flash, it had already cleared the city and the sea fortress, and were high in the sky.

  They were like dozens of stars rising in the sky, and then, they descended upon the Asgardian camp!

  Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The alchemy arrays on the iron coffins ignited. Before the Asgardian alarms could sound they had already entered their threat range. As they met the counterattack movements preset by countless enchantments, the defensive shields on the iron coffins were activated.

  They were like ships that were tossed by a storm.

  Pieces of debris were falling off the burning iron coffins and scattering in the wind, until finally, through the continuous loud noises they smashed into warehouses and crashed to the ground. Numerous pieces of iron went flying in all directions, and the shockwave smashed directly into the two walls, collapsing them and burying the sentries in the rubble.

  Amid the flying particles and dust, the knights walked out of the broken iron coffins. They coughed fiercely, feeling the weakness caused by the violent impact. But even though they felt faint, they pulled out their longswords without hesitation and spread out according to the plan.

  Syringes under the armor had already injected stimulants and painkillers into the knights’ veins. Amidst their heavy breathing, their eyes were burning red.

  In just a few seconds, the artificial organs implanted in their bodies had awakened. Their muscles bulged wildly and adrenaline surged through their veins, but their brains were plunged into a state of mechanical calmness.

  The roars continued one after another as more iron coffins fell from the sky and one by one, squads of Knights of the Round Table were sent into the Asgardian camp.

  Some of them smashed into the drilling grounds, some into the workshops, some in front of sentry posts. The most fortunate smashed into the barracks.

  Ignoring the dizziness caused by the high-speed landing, the knights pulled out their weapons at the moment of impact and threw themselves at any living thing around them. With the scouts’ infrared vision, there was no use in hiding.

  Even though they were wearing the lightest armor and were not equipped with any additional functions or weapons modules, the swords that they carried were enough to cleave a person in two even if they used their bed as a shield.

  The lightest of the swords that came equipped with the power armor was 80 kilograms, heavier than a person!

  In less than a minute, all the soldiers in the barracks had been slaughtered before they could even wake up to the massive din. Fragile flesh could simply not compare to the power of steel.

  The massacre had begun!

  718 God Bless the Kingdom

  At the same time, it was noisy in the Royal Institute of Research.

  From the sixth floor underground all the way up to the tenth floor, countless people were rushing about. The six elevators were running at full power, but the staircases were still full of people running up and down, sweating profusely.

  Meanwhile, at the entrance of the freight elevator, a group of people almost started hitting each other while fighting over a position.

  “Give way! Give way! Let the spare interface allocator go up first!”

  “Get lost! I still have six units of codes of notes to upload!”

  “Friends from the management division, do me a favor, let me move the music theory relay distribution valve up first, I’m almost late!”

  “If you’re late, go take the stairs!”

  “The stairway has been blocked by the storage crystal from the third laboratory! It’s even more jammed than the situation here!”

  “It’s too late! Open a hole in the floor first! Send the things down, and leave two people here to help me repair the floor!”

  As one of the researchers said so, a rumble sounded.

  The group of research musicians who would usually hide in the labs, never stepping out of the doors, had begun demolishing the building. In order to put the spare equipment in place, the group of researchers was already going crazy.

  The building could be rebuilt anytime, but at the moment, if the equipment were to be delayed for five minutes, they would probably be trampled to death by an angry boss? Among the shrill cue tone, the atmosphere was sol
emn in the central control room, and hot sweat seeped out from all the musicians’ foreheads.

  “What are you dumbly waiting for? Check every single step again, I will hold you all responsible if any problems occur!” Newton rolled up his sleeves and revealed two hairy arms, like an old monkey jumping up and down due to being agitated by the heat.

  Meanwhile, beside him, the burly prelate was silent, his eyes closed. But contrary to expectations, when they saw him acting this way, the remaining Chainsaw clergy all became more and more diligent, not daring to slack in the slightest bit, like they were under high pressure.

  Unlike the Royal Institute of Research, which implemented a loose management system, the Chainsaw Fraternity had always been governed under classical canon law, and it was the cruelest version even. Such was the foundation that enabled the Fraternity to continue existing for centuries in the southern desert region. In other words, making a blunder at such a critical juncture was definitely not something that could be resolved by taking thirty lashes.

  To put it bluntly, a barking dog doesn’t bite. Blundering as an employee of the Institute of Research would at most result in a fine or being fired, or worse comes to worst, a prison sentence. But if a clergy of the Fraternity was to mess up, sorry…

  Thinking of the blades hanging threateningly behind their heads, everyone immediately moved rapidly.

  “The connection of the Net of Aether is free of problems.”

  “The third level of authority has been granted!”

  “The Royal Musicians are already in place!”

  “The download application has been uploaded! The outer layer of the Net of Aether is operating. The aether quota for 4,000 official musicians is ready to be issued, and the sixth, eighth and ninth pools of aether are already in place!”

  “The second verification is complete!”

  Noisy reports sounded constantly.

  The complicated processes advanced rapidly until no more sound was produced in the end. In the silence, Newton sat in his chair, sweat dripping from his forehead. Even though the preparations made were sufficient to the max, and none of the aspects posed any problem, he still couldn’t dispel the panic and anxiety in his heart.