Elden: Ring of Calamity

Chapter 542 Black Melts into Blue
"What do you plan to do with the remnants of the Holy Temple after this is all over?" Carter asked casually on the way to the core area.

"We can't just set up some kind of Fire Sanctuary and leave people in the North, can we? Back then, they abandoned the gold and extinguished the fire—ha, it's not surprising that lost souls who have lost their faith will go mad at any time."

She seemed to be asking casually, not expecting any rigorous answer, but Lucia pondered seriously for a long time before speaking: "Actually, it's not just the remnants of the Holy Church. How to sever their past faith, politics, and cultural affiliation, how to find a new and suitable position under my rule, and how to conduct themselves when facing the inevitable conflict with the Golden Dynasty in the future. These are the questions that all those who have submitted to me must face."

"The vast majority of the earliest Rodel Ancient Dragon Knights who pledged allegiance to me were Lance's direct descendants, handpicked and refined from the common people. All they had to do was make a superficial shift from 'simultaneously pledging allegiance to the Golden Tree and the Ancient Dragon faith' to 'continuing to uphold the Ancient Dragon faith while pledging allegiance to the Ancient Dragon Royal Family.' Those who couldn't accept it or had ulterior motives didn't need to be bothered; they could simply leave on their own. With a knight as outstanding as Christopher as a role model to guide us, that consolidation of power wasn't difficult overall."

"Next up are the Rhea Lucaria Origin School and the Seria Magic Town. Their situation is even simpler. Even disregarding the excellent academic environment provided for them by the Ancient Dragon Dynasty, the outcome of the Shattered Star battle alone is enough to ensure that they will become my loyal followers. The problems mentioned earlier simply do not exist for them."

“Other factions, such as the Storm Legion of Thor and the Storm Remnants of the Southern Territory, have the connection between the Ancient Dragon Dynasty and the Storm Dynasty, and the years of dedication and hard work of former high-ranking officials such as General Neo, Knight Oreg, and Knight Ingwell. It is only natural for them to submit to Sky City. But people like the Flame Monks, and the Golden Army and civilians remaining in the Eastern and Northern Territories, are different.”

"The Golden Dynasty has been established for fifty years, using the wealth of the world to support Rodel, and in return, it bestows blessings and countless technological achievements upon Rodel to benefit the other realms. Its influence in the three continents of the North, East, and South, the Storm Sea Islands, and even the countries beyond the Mist Sea far exceeds that of the Dragon Moon Kingdom. As a result, eight or nine out of ten nobles in the three realms are related to Yatan by marriage, and the people of both sides have countless relatives and friends. It is impossible and inappropriate for them to completely sever their ties."

He gazed at the lava veins winding deep into the earth, as if observing the unstoppable, overwhelming force of the world, and solemnly said, "Today's events are just the beginning. From now on, as our conflict with the Golden Tree intensifies, more and more people will have to choose sides again. I don't want those who have contributed to this golden age to have to draw their swords against each other for the sake of those in power, using the blood of mortal beings to prove who is right. In the end, it will only be another war of gods and a war of unification."

“I used to think the same way,” Katpela, who had been silent all along, suddenly said softly, “to distinguish friend from foe, seek common ground while reserving differences, unite all local forces in the borderlands, sweep away the gloom brought by the three thousand years of the Outer Gods’ occupation, and reshape this world into an order that is dominated by ourselves.”

"But she...they...betrayed me."

"Not everyone can choose between interests and positions, and not everyone has the courage to draw their swords against the gods with the body of an ant, especially after that forbidden war that destroyed most of the border region—giving them the right to choose. On one hand, they stand and die, their bones crushed and ashes scattered, becoming a 'taboo' that even history dares not record; on the other hand, they kneel and enjoy wealth and glory, bearing the will of the gods, bestowing their 'gifts' upon hundreds of millions of believers, and perhaps even having a few golden statues erected in various temples and shrines, with the word 'saint' added before their names. What will mortals choose? Isn't the result obvious?"

Lucia's lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

"Don't argue with me, and you can't argue with me either, because I once firmly believed in everything you believed, but what was the result?"

The Queen slightly raised her jade-like face, as bright as the moon, and smiled self-deprecatingly, a smile colder than the moonlight.

“I gambled everything with them, but they didn’t even have the courage to look at the gods’ cards before turning their attention to my principal. But honestly, I don’t blame most of them.”

“If I were not the Holy Maiden of the Eternal City, and had not experienced the Star and Moon Era, which was countless times more glorious and prosperous than the Golden Age, just as you were not the son of the Dragon King and the Dragon God, the born king of Fam Azra, but just an ordinary descendant of the soldiers of the Eastern Expeditionary Army like in your inexplicable dream, we would probably choose to kneel down like them.”

"The Dragon King, the Dragon God, the Moon God, and the Eternal City have all lost. What can we, mere mortals, change? Instead of protecting our parents, wives, and lands, are we to follow your rebellious ways and oppose the gods, only to lose and die like you?" "Maintaining the status quo will only lead to further decline. Millions of years from now, there will be no more golden age, only a legend of 'mortals' greedy exploitation exhausting the gods' grace, turning the once prosperous borderlands into a desolate wasteland.' All the history of this world will be altered, stigmatized, and reduced to a cautionary tale written in the scriptures to be scorned by future generations when they bewitch the next world—what does such a principle have to do with mortals who can only survive for a hundred years? Whether the sky collapses or the earth sinks, I cannot see it, so what does it matter to me?"

Lucia stopped, her voice weary and heavy. "So, you chose to control everything with power and killing, forcing everyone to join you on the path of resistance."

“If it really could ‘force’ everyone onto the right path, as you say, I would certainly be willing to do it—” Katpera turned her gaze away, moved a few steps forward, leaving him with only a desolate back view.

"However, by the time I actually started doing that, I had already lost everything. All I wanted was to wrest back the principal from them and continue that hopeless rebellion."

When will it be considered taken back?

"After today, we'll consider it taken back."

Lucia frowned slightly as he thought of the Death Rune sealed within the Black Sword of Maricus.

Doesn't the "principal" she mentioned include those eyes?

But the Queen clearly didn't want to delve deeper into the topic of herself, so he could only offer a brief answer, taking a step back to stand beside her and saying, "Using swords to unite the front is not entirely unacceptable; my future battle against the Golden Dynasty is for this purpose. But if we only have swords in our hands, our comrades who have been kidnapped are ultimately unreliable, and one day they will face blades from behind."

"I think that after the Northern War ends, we should return to Sky City and establish an academy there, so that the Templar monks will not have to face the Golden Dynasty on the battlefield in the short term, but can instead study academics in the rear, spread their knowledge and experience, and let it become part of the foundation of this world."

"Whether the military and civilians in the eastern and northern borders should join the army is their own decision. Those who wish to join the army will undergo an examination, while those who do not wish to join the army will be incorporated into production in accordance with the policies for the remnants of foreign tribes and gradually integrated into the system of the ancient dragon people."

"As for other, more complex and far-reaching issues, let's take it slow and see how things go. After today, we'll figure out a solution together, okay?"

The Queen raised her head and stared at him for a long time, until his dark pupils were reflected in his icy blue eyes, as if they were both tinged with a purplish-blue light, before she softly said, "Hmm."

(End of this chapter)