Elden: Ring of Calamity

Chapter 500 Imaginary Enemy

Lance's captain's cabin was very simply furnished, only a few steps in size. Apart from a simple single wooden bed, a washstand, a desk and two chairs, there was nothing else. As a result, when the tall and strong Fur walked in, the whole space seemed very cramped.

"Sister, you've worked hard for the dynasty for hundreds of years. It's really inappropriate for you to live like a common soldier at your age." As soon as Lance entered the room, Forl started nagging behind him.

Lance hadn't thought anything of it at first, but when she heard the words "at her age," her eyebrows furrowed, her expression turned cold, and she said unhappily, "If you have something to say, say it. If you have nothing to say, then get back to the front lines!"

"Oh."

Even though Lance was injured and his power fluctuations were far less than those of Forl, the moment he released even a fraction of his aura, the latter's legs trembled and he immediately became obedient.

Fell looked around, picked up a chair and gestured for a long time before finally managing to squeeze his buttocks into it. His burly body immediately filled the space between the armrests.

It's not that he's being extravagant to say his sister lives like a common soldier. The Sky Temple has a long tradition of frugality, from the High Priest of Gulan down to the priests. On the contrary, the soldiers of the dynasty are treated quite well. Even on warships where space is scarce, they share a room with two people, which is probably even bigger than this captain's cabin.

Fell had no intention of emulating the extravagant lifestyle of the nobles of the Golden Dynasty, who wished their toilets were inlaid with gold. However, whenever he saw such things and thought of the hardships his sister had endured over the years, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her.

Lance went to the washbasin and wet a towel with cold water to wipe his face. He still looked weak and pale, but he was somewhat better. At the same time, he asked, "How did you take care of the more than three thousand civilians in the Ahara caravan on your way back?"

"We originally intended to settle them within the territory of Kalia, but several leaders of the caravan insisted on coming to the Far East Islands no matter what, saying they wanted to do their part for Fam Azra to repay his kindness. Her Majesty Renara also felt that the situation in Kalia had just stabilized, and it would be risky to rashly introduce a large number of unfamiliar visitors from beyond the Mist. It would be fine for the royal family and commoners, but there was no guarantee that some nobles with ulterior motives would take the opportunity to cause trouble. So she sent one hundred Radiant Stone Dragons, together with the dragon warriors of the Ancient Dragon Temple, to carry them all back on their dragon bodies. They were just settled on Caster Island ten days ago."

"Housing, food, supplies, and work systems."

“Everything is arranged. I’m not stupid; I don’t need to concern myself with such trivial matters.”

After Lance finished washing up, he poured a glass of water for For and said with a smile, "You've made progress. It's good that you've spent all these years with Lucia."

"Tch, His Highness may be capable, but he doesn't need to teach me these trivial matters. It's only because you were prejudiced against my association with Prince Godwin in the past that you always treated me like a good-for-nothing." "Heh, your close friend is quite useful. This time, Radagan openly betrayed the alliance and attacked, and I didn't see him come out to stop it—don't say he was trapped in the Stone Stage to help Queen Marika heal her wounds. This situation is most likely exactly what our Eternal Queen wanted to see."

Lance poured himself a glass of water, tilted his fair neck back, and drank it all in one gulp. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "The two parties have been fighting for more than ten years. In the end, they transferred all the contradictions to us and the Kalia people to clean up their mess. After beating up that mother and son, they can still rule the world as usual. Maybe they can even break free from their shackles in one fell swoop. It's a sure win."

Even though Fuhr still maintains a deep personal friendship with Godwin, he has long since distinguished their positions. At this point, the true intentions of Marika and Godwin are no longer important. At least until either Radagan or Sky City falls completely, the two countries are locked in a life-or-death struggle. Therefore, Fuhr has no interest in defending them, and simply frowns, saying, "Let's leave Marika and Godwin aside for now. Radagan's outburst this time is utterly unreasonable."

"After the incident in the capital, on the way to escape from Yatan, I thought about it for seven days and seven nights, but I still couldn't figure out why he chose to start the war now. From their perspective, to put it bluntly, if it was just to coordinate with the giants and take advantage of His Highness being trapped in the North to attack us, why didn't they wait until the definite news of His Highness's death came out before launching the attack? Besides, were they so sure that those giants who suddenly appeared were capable of killing His Highness?"

"Furthermore, even if His Highness were to remain trapped in the North for an extended period, the New Party's current strength would be far from sufficient to shake the foundations of Fam Azra. The Forge Knights, the very foundation of the nation, cannot be mobilized, nor can the other half of the Blazing Sun Legion led by Widam. Even if Kalia does not participate in the war, how can Radagan possibly conquer the Far Eastern Islands? Relying on those secret envoys who only dare to engage in underhanded schemes?"

“Perhaps he just wants to clear our forces out of North Gelid first, and after we have established a firm foothold on the main body of the border region, it will not be too late to look into the Far East Islands,” Lance analyzed. “But you are also right. With the New Party’s current strength, this attack seems too hasty.”

"Before setting off this time, I learned in detail about the Rodel Plague case from the temple members who had returned in advance. Considering Rdagan's methods during the Holy Judgment Ceremony, I speculate that he reached some kind of agreement with Omega, or perhaps Alpha compromised with Omega first after both he and Marika were severely injured. No matter which one it is, Rdagan's attack must have been backed by the Will of Order and the Will of Chaos. Without the support of a real god, out of fear of His Majesty Pratonsanx, even if he goes mad, the entire New Party will not go mad with him to the end."

"However, the situation of the Supreme Will can be roughly deduced based on the intelligence that Lucia has obtained from various parties in recent years. Within the Asia Altar, Radagan is almost immortal and indestructible under the blessing of the Golden Tree. Only a complete and destined death can defeat it. In addition, with the Beast of Elden guarding the Stone Stage, it can be said to be in an invincible position. But outside the Asia Altar, it is far from being truly 'omnipotent,' at least not in its current state."

"On the other hand, given His style of doing things since ancient times, He always stirs things up from behind the scenes. He would rather use others as pawns than act personally. Now that the God of the Three Moons is showing signs of resurgence, and with the Crimson Corruption and the Mother of Truth watching from the sidelines, even if He temporarily bridges the conflict between order and chaos, the possibility of Him personally taking action is almost zero."

"To put it simply, the trump card that the Supreme Will provided to Rdagan to fight against His Majesty was not Himself. There are only two possibilities left: either Alpha has secretly cultivated several powerful beings comparable to monarchs over the years, or it has brought in reinforcements from the outside to restrain His Majesty, who may return from the spacetime storm if necessary. Even if it cannot ultimately achieve success, it is still good to test His Majesty's injuries."

"I have some guesses about the former. I heard from Marika years ago that several top-level envoys had long since become some kind of inhuman beings. Although she didn't go into details, it was probably a method that Alpha had laid out long ago. It wouldn't be surprising if they used it to deal with us 'heretics' at a critical moment. As for the latter, I really don't have any clues here."

After pondering for a moment, Fol said, "What did the three corrupt archbishops who intercepted my sister's support at the end of the last Shattered Star Wars say? Is it possible that the Golden Tree offered some bargaining chips to get them and the True Church to take action again?"

(End of this chapter)