Elden: Ring of Calamity

Chapter 496 Fortunately
"Your Highness." Norton bowed half a step behind Ratan, then turned to look in the direction Marlenia had left and smiled, "It is truly fortunate that Princess Marlenia, with her unparalleled talent and straightforward nature, is still willing to stand on our side."

“It’s not ‘us’ side,” Rataen rolled her eyes. “She and her brother both chose Lucia’s side—but then again, so do we.”

"As for us?" Norton paused for a moment, then sighed, "Your Highness may have made up your mind long ago, but to be honest, if we hadn't heard that Your Highness was willing to put yourself in a life-or-death situation and lead three hundred warriors to defeat Stoneville, the Moen people might not have been able to get to where they are today. After all, Fam Azra's betrayal back then cost us too much."

“Although it may be presumptuous to say this, it was not Fam Azra who betrayed you, but rather the Elder Keronisa, the second-in-command of the Ancient Dragons,” Ratan shook his head and said. “At least in that war between the Dragons, the Moon, and the Storm against the Golden Tree, it was High Priest Gransanx who gave his life to bring about the current situation of three dynasties standing side by side. If the walls of Rodel had not fallen, there would not even be the concept of ‘remnants’ of various countries today. What would remain would only be the noble Golden People and their slaves.”

Norton nodded and said, "Your Highness is right. That's precisely why we're hesitant about this battle. Prince Lucia has exceeded most of the Moen people's expectations of him, except for one thing—"

He paused for a few seconds, the words about to come out of his mouth were the blood oath that Norton Stanley had sworn with gritted teeth when he was young, and also the undying wish of Duke Moen, the Lord of the Weeping Peninsula, throughout his life.

"The loyalty of the Moen people is dedicated only to the Ancient Dragon King, a true Ancient Dragon King."

Ratahn did not ask what the true king was. Both sides knew perfectly well that even though Lucia had gained the recognition of the vast majority of people, including his enemies, he had not done enough.

A king who has never set foot on the summit of Sky City, eradicated internal ailments, or subdued the world externally, can never be considered a true king.

“Give him some more time, and give us some more time,” Ratahn said softly. “I firmly believe he will come back alive from there, and I’m sure he also believes we can win this war.”

This time, Norton nodded heavily.

Next, the two discussed a series of details regarding the defense of the Golden Dynasty fleet in the direction of the Hoslau Islands. When it came to the treatment of former Southern Legion prisoners, Norton proposed a different solution from Rataen.

"Your Highness's intention is to judge those who are most guilty of their sins and send the rest to the Eastern Territory to serve as laborers to repair the towns damaged during the Shattered Star Wars and for the subsequent construction of the Eastern Territory. Theoretically, there is no problem with this, but I think it is still too slow."

"Slow down," Rattan keenly grasped the deeper meaning in Norton's words. "You mean..."

"Doesn't Your Highness think that the response from the Asian altar has been far too slow since the start of the war?"

“Stoneville was indeed Prince Godwin’s fiefdom, and it is procedurally justifiable to order Grik to lead the Southern Legion to fight this battle. However, given your father’s abilities, he would never place all his bets on Grik alone.”

Norton placed his hands on the rough bricks of the city wall, his expression solemn, and said, "I have carefully studied the intelligence and clues about all parties before and after the Shattered Star Wars. Before those spies known as 'Secret Envoys' made their move, did Your Highness hear of their existence?"

Ratahn shook his head and said, "Never."

"Two weeks ago, a second-level leader of the secret envoy appeared in my bedroom in the middle of the night. Although I killed him before he could react, his strength was clearly beyond that of an ordinary hero. It is illogical that such a force is in your father's hands but has not played any role since the start of the war."

"In other words, the fundamentalist New Party, as the initiator of the war, must still be making plans in some unknown areas that they believe will be able to turn the tide of the war. While we cannot predict the contents of these plans in advance, we must at least make all preparations before they surface. Therefore, I say that Your Highness's arrangement of those prisoners is not wrong, but it is too slow to take effect."

"Those who survive the public trial are not the most heinous criminals. In the Southern Legion, these people are either mid- to low-ranking officers or ordinary soldiers. Ironically, the remaining fighting force of the Southern Legion rests on their shoulders. Your Highness's plan is probably to punish them as a warning and then reintegrate the usable ones into the army in the future. In that case, why don't we give them a chance to redeem themselves now?"

Rataen's eyes flashed like lightning, and he suddenly understood, "You're planning to send them to wipe out those demi-human and hybrid armed forces who haven't yet surrendered?"

“That’s right,” Norton replied. “Currently, their loyalty and strength are insufficient to deal with a direct battle in the direction of the Storm Sea. Fortunately, the long-standing rebellion in the peninsula mountains needs manpower to suppress it. Let them fight against those stubborn rebels. Those who survive and are willing to submit will have the opportunity to join the Southern Army. This is our best option.”

Even with the resilience honed by two wars, Rataen couldn't help but waver slightly in the face of Norton's cold and ruthless proposal. The Weeping Peninsula is vast, far exceeding the city of Moen and the dozen or so towns under the Stanley family's control; continuous mountain ranges and dense forests are the main components of this land.

Long before Stanley ruled the peninsula, many barbarians and bandits gathered in the mountains and forests, forming strongholds and roaming the area. This phenomenon became even more serious in the later stages of the unification war.

Hybrids, demi-humans, troll tribes, the remnants of fallen nations lost during the unification war, bandits and outlaws from the Storm Sea, followers of heretical sects, and even wandering mercenaries and warriors from beyond the Fog Sea—these outcasts ostracized by the Golden Law took root in this fertile yet rugged mountainous region, thus giving rise to waves of rebellions after the unification war.

While the Golden Law certainly played a role, especially the fundamentalist New Deal's extreme approach to dealing with other ethnic groups, which forced many who could not survive to rebel, there were also those with ulterior motives who attempted to take advantage of the chaos and seize power.

The Golden Dynasty chose to appoint Godwin as Stoneville to govern the Southern Territory and to lead troops to quell rebellions multiple times over the 40 years of the Golden Calendar, precisely to eliminate these remnants of heresy who refused to submit. But they were like moss growing in damp land; no matter how fierce the fires raged outside, as long as the soil beneath their feet remained unchanged, they could grow again and again.

In a sense, the Moen people are the largest of these local bullies. Therefore, when facing the Stanley family, these local armed forces, which are mainly composed of mixed races and demi-human settlements, mostly choose to keep to themselves. However, when facing the Golden Dynasty, they unite like never before, fighting tooth and nail in round after round of encirclement and suppression to survive to this day.

After the Eastern Army conquered the Southern Territory, Norton, while heading north to respond to Rataen, quickly contacted a group of local armed leaders who maintained contact with Stanlis, promising them the same status as the subjects of both Dragon Moon and the Southern Territory after the change of control. In exchange, they would also accept reorganization and come under the jurisdiction of Kalia and Sky City.

Most of the local armed forces that received the news were overjoyed and even offered to send troops to assist Moen's army in heading north to surround the Southern Legion. At the very least, they were willing to help the Stanley family maintain civilian order during the war. When Grek fled overseas and the Southern Legion surrendered, these people were among the first to join them.

Meanwhile, another group of armed leaders, in their self-righteousness, believed that the Eastern Frontier Army was too weak and that the Moen were overwhelmed. They began to collude with each other, attempting to take advantage of the chaos to plunder a group of wealthy people and form an armed group that would stand alongside Rataen and Norton. This would allow them to either advance to seize control of the Chirping Peninsula or, if necessary, ensure that they retained their current status as "local tyrants."

Ratahn, Michaela, Marlene, and Norton Stanley all agreed on one thing regarding these idiots: kill them.

As for the specifics of how to kill them, Rataen had previously considered stabilizing the northern coastal defenses first, and then transferring troops from the East to quell the rebellion after the fighting had subsided. After all, the Golden Dynasty no longer ruled the South, and the rebels had lost their former habitat. With the assistance of other local armed forces that had been reorganized, it was only a matter of time before they were completely wiped out, and there was no need to suffer too many casualties.

Norton's plan was more ruthless, faster, and more effective—the families, wealth, and even the personal futures of the surrendered soldiers in the Southern Reach were all in the hands of the newly established Southern Reach Legion Command, so there was absolutely no possibility of them joining forces with the rebels.

He was about to throw two bloodthirsty wolves into a cage full of spikes, where each would have to kill the other to survive. And whoever survived would only have a breath left, and their only way to live would be to be loyal to them.

"Do as you say," Ratan said after a long silence.

In the days since, after crossing the ocean from Lucia and no longer being able to fight side by side, he has come to understand more deeply the path his dearest friend has chosen. And why ruthless men like Norton Stanley and the former Storm King Odis would choose to pledge their loyalty to the Ancient Dragon Dynasty.

Whether it's the dragon or the moon, what they fight and struggle for should never be the defense of the rights of "heretics" outside the Golden People, but rather the establishment of a new order that is completely different from fundamentalism.

In this process, people like Lucia and Norton Stanley saw no distinction between races or civilizations; they only cared whether the groups standing before them were willing to submit to the order they had established and become their subjects.

Therefore, Lucia could ruthlessly order his subordinates to use dragonfire to annihilate the three thousand alien rebels outside Karen City, and he could also fight Garrick to the death for one hundred thousand alien slaves in Rodel. The order and era they created were like a mighty torrent that could not be stopped. Under this trend, those who followed it prospered, and those who opposed it perished.

Ratahn knew that he had only just come to understand these issues today, and that he still had a long way to go. This decision might be difficult, but it was an indispensable beginning.

"Yes." Norton placed his hand on his chest and bowed deeply.

He didn't think Ratahn was naive. On the contrary, a being with such astonishing power and talent could still see the suffering of mortals as a dangerous boundary, and after seeing the bloody price behind this decision, still choose to shoulder this responsibility and continue forward—such magnanimity is rare indeed.

How fortunate it is for this world to have more than one such being in the same era.
(End of this chapter)