Strange Voyage: Summoning the Fourth Disaster.

Chapter 822 The Urgency of the Gulad Empire
August Chang'an was not surprised to hear Hagram's words.

After all, based on the information that Candlelight Island currently possesses, neither the humanoid beings in the dungeon nor the "NPCs" in the dynamic storyline know anything about the Eternal Altar.

Among them, there are quite a few at the level of Fire Saint.

It's perfectly normal that Hagram didn't know.

"Does the Empire... still exist?" Hagram looked towards August Chang'an, his tone filled with hope.

Although his previous words suggested he had anticipated this, he still couldn't help but hold onto a sliver of hope.

August Chang'an was silent for a moment: "We have not yet heard any news about the continued existence of the Gulad Empire."

Actually, he was being tactful in saying that.

The game "Spirit Candle" has long since moved beyond its early stages. Most of the dynamic story factions, even if they don't appear directly like the Church of Storms, have at least been mentioned indirectly.

But the Gulad Empire... had none of that.

Therefore, the possibility that the Gulad Empire still exists is probably very slim.

"That's it..."

Hagram muttered to himself.

August Chang'an felt conflicted; he had no idea what Hagram was thinking at that moment.

However, given that Hagram was likely to die soon, August Chang'an had no choice but to continue inquiring about the Emperor of the Gulad Empire.

That is, Herzaken Gulaad.

Hagram said he had forgotten everything about the other person?
How is this going?

Could it be that Emperor Goulard was also closely connected to the cause of the world's collapse?
Thinking of this, August Chang'an asked again, and Hagram quickly responded.

The earlier statement about forgetting everything was not an exaggeration.

If it weren't for August Chang'an mentioning it, Hagram wouldn't even know his name.

It is clear that the collapse of the world has swallowed up many of his memories.

Or perhaps, compared to other people and events, these high-ranking members of the Gulad Empire were more affected by the "memory erasure."

However, this also confirms one thing about Chang'an in August.

That was Herzaken Gulad, the emperor of the Gulad Empire. He must have been involved in the collapse of the world. Otherwise, a loyal high-ranking official like Hagram, even if he forgot himself, would never forget the memory of the other party.

After answering August Chang'an's question, Hagram's breathing grew weaker and weaker. He sighed, removed his blindfold, and turned his gaze to the other person.

It was only then that August Chang'an noticed that the other party no longer had eyes in their eye sockets, only black and gold mist-like law power.

This is probably why he was able to remain so familiar with his surroundings even when blindfolded.

"You came here for power, didn't you?"

Hagram looked back at the dead Huzhu, and at the same time retracted the suspended spine and put it back into his body, which greatly slowed down the speed at which his aura was about to completely extinguish.

Seeing this, August Chang'an breathed a sigh of relief, as he no longer needed to be in such a hurry.

"Yes, and also to explore and understand what's happening here. If you can tell me, that would be best."

August Chang'an readily admitted that Hagram was clearly not someone to be easily fooled, and that even if something unexpected happened, they could simply fight another battle.

"I see……"

Hagram nodded and then briefly recounted what had happened at Coral Atoll.

Overall, the situation was largely the same as what August Chang'an had explored and speculated, but there were some discrepancies in the details.

First of all, Hagram did come to suppress the Lord, but the Lord's attitude was not as inflexible as it seemed.

After being awakened by the sacrificial rituals of the Coral Dwarves, the Coral Lord immediately planned to reap the rewards.

But when Hagram arrived, it abandoned that idea, because it knew the Gulad Empire quite well.

This is not something it can afford to mess with.

So the Coral Lord decided to leave and told Hagram, "We're all brothers here. If you want to plant a flag, here you go. It's just a bunch of Coral Dwarves and Coral Ring Island. Here you go."

Yes, the innate talent of the Huzhu is not in fighting; he can grow stronger by self-circulation.

It can still create coral atolls and continue to reap the rewards in another location, so there's no need for it to clash with a powerful Gulad Empire... It's not some mindless beast; it has this kind of consideration and weighing of options.

But... Hagram did not allow it.

He forbade the Lord of the Sacred Tree to leave.

The reason is that once the Lord of the Coral leaves, these Coral Dwarves will also die.

Yes, while Coral Atoll isn't small, it's not very large either, so it's clearly unreasonable to support an entire population there.

The key lies in the vomit of the Huzhu (a mythical creature), the substances of which greatly benefit the Hudiao people, providing them with abundant nutrients.

This is why the Coral Atoll has the Coral Dwarf tribe.

With the departure of the Coral Lord, the number of Coral Dwarves on Coral Atoll will not only decrease, but they may even become extinct.

What the Gulad Empire will get in the end is just an empty dead island, so what use is it?

This was unacceptable to Hagram. The Empire sent him to suppress the rebellion and add a new piece of land to the Gulad Empire, and not a single one of the Empire's subjects on that land should be lost.

Therefore, Hagram cannot let the Lord leave.

The Lord of the Coral must remain here and cannot continue to reap the lives of the Coral Dwarves.

"what?"

August Chang'an was completely taken aback.

When he heard the Hu Lord shouting something like "What does this have to do with your Gulad Empire?", he subconsciously assumed that the conflict was because the Hu Lord was unhappy that the Gulad Empire had planted its flag and invaded his territory.

But now it seems that the Lord of the Sea clearly did not tell the whole story.

The real reason for the conflict was that the Gulad Empire not only prevented him from harvesting the Hu dwarves, but also wanted him to stay there indefinitely.

From the perspective of the owner, this really sounds like bullying an honest person.

The Lord Hu here is self-sufficient, cooking his own meals without bothering or offending anyone.

Your Gulad Empire is now trying to plant its flag on the "rice bowl" I created and claim it as your territory. Fine, I'll back down. You can have this rice bowl, and I'll leave, okay?

what?
Not yet?
You expect me to keep cooking for you, and I can't even eat it myself?
Who can bear this?

As the saying goes, cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents.

The Coral Lord created the Coral Atoll not for wealth, but to become stronger. The Gulard Empire's decision to prevent it from "eating" was tantamount to cutting off its path to power, a move even more ruthless than cutting off its wealth.

and so……

August Chang'an couldn't help but think that the Gulad Empire was indeed a bit too domineering, no wonder the Hu Lord would go against Hagram...

Seemingly having noticed August Chang'an's gaze and expression, Hagram understood what he was thinking, yet his own expression remained unchanged.

"You think the empire is too domineering and forces people to do things against their will, right?"

"Hagram asked."

August Chang'an did not respond, but silence is its own response.

Seeing his tacit agreement, Hagram did not explain directly, but instead brought up another matter.

"The laws of the empire are not static."

"As sworn members of the Empire and guardians of the Codex, we naturally have the right to act expediently."

"This world is vast and beautiful, and there is also an inextricable gray between its black and white."

“I have dealt with many similar cases, some of which were contrary to the law.”

"But I cannot tolerate this matter."

Hagram's tone was calm, yet unusually firm. "I am not trying to take its life away."

"Because even if it stays here and doesn't devour the Coral Dwarfs, it can still survive and continue to burn."

"And I also promise that once I find a replacement, I will let it go."

“But the Lord of the Coral felt that I was insulting it and wanted to leave by force.”

"Therefore, in order to protect the lives of the people of the Empire from threat, I must leave it behind. Even if I kill it, leaving its body is acceptable. The Empire can also use secret methods to preserve the lives of the Coral Ring Island Dwarfs."

Hagram said calmly.

"The reason you think I'm going too far is simply because you're thinking from the perspective of the Lord of the Sea."

"It treats the coral dwarves of the coral atoll as its own crops, and can harvest them at will."

"The reason for handing this place over to the Empire and leaving was precisely because of a balancing act, treating the Hu Dwarves as objects, rather than because they were generous or righteous."

"If you think about it from a different perspective, considering the Lord of Hu as your parents and the Hu dwarves as the infants they gave birth to, then you will understand..."

"Even if life is created... it does not equate to having the right to arbitrarily take life."

Hear this.

August Chang'an paused, suddenly realizing where her thinking had gone wrong.

The reason he felt the Hu Lord was innocent was because he subconsciously regarded the Hu Dwarves as mere prey to the Hu Lord, rather than as individual lives.

Think about what Hagram just said.

So, this is the Lord of the Sea, who gave birth to "children" just to eat... Is that right?

Being imprisoned while eating is indeed an innocent act.

But this coral master eats living beings, and has been doing so for who knows how many years.

Generation after generation of Hu Dwarves have been devoured, and the idea of ​​eating them has become deeply ingrained in their hearts. The name of the "Hu Lord" has become a nightmare etched into the blood of the Hu Dwarves!
This is the premise.

Hagram's willingness to negotiate first, and only resorting to fighting when negotiations failed... was probably all out of consideration for the well-being of the Hu dwarves and their initial attitude...

“Under other circumstances, there might have been a better solution to this problem, but at that time, for the sake of the empire, I had no other choice.”

Hagram added.

Upon hearing his words, August Chang'an suddenly thought of something else.

So, the Gulad Empire didn't communicate with the Hu Dwarves at the beginning and didn't know about the existence of the Hu Lord?

For an empire with extensive experience in conquest, making such a mistake seems highly improbable.

In addition to what Hagram just said, "but at the time," "it was a last resort"...

The Gulaid Empire seemed to be in a bit of a hurry at the time?
why?
"I don't know." Hagram shook his head. "Perhaps it's some unknown influence, or perhaps I'm not qualified to know."

"In short, my past tells me that we had to conquer faster and suppress everything as quickly as possible."

really.

Although the reason is unknown, the Gulad Empire is certainly very anxious.

However, even if she understands this, the underlying reasons are still unknown to August Chang'an.

Now, we have basically learned everything we need to know.

Then what needs to be done next is very simple...

Although it was somewhat unethical, August Chang'an had to speak up.

"I……"

"You need my power, don't you?" Hagram asked calmly, as if he had expected this.

Upon hearing this, August Chang'an felt even more ashamed. To be honest, if it weren't for Hagram, he probably wouldn't have been able to kill the Huzhu.

Moreover, judging from what happened on Coral Atoll, Hagram is a good person who is wholeheartedly devoted to the people and has a strong sense of justice.

Seeing the guilt on his face, Hagram smiled with relief.

"good."

"It seems that my power after death will not aid evildoers, and that's enough."

"It just so happens that you are using the power of the law... In that case, I will use my crippled body to lend you a hand."

"Come forward and start the war."

Hagram's smile faded, and he said seriously.

This is……

Upon hearing this, August Chang'an had some doubts, but she still stepped forward and did as instructed.

The next moment, Hagram placed his hand on his chest, and the power of the law manifested in his chest, pouring all the few remaining flames in his body into the flames of war in Chang'an in August.

In an instant, the flames of war in Chang'an in August intensified, and the body also became stronger at this time.

At the same time, a series of message notifications came in.

You have received a voluntary sacrificial fire from the "Oath of Gulad".

[The flame's advancement is complete.]

[Fire Seed - Law Enforcer (Intermediate) - Fire Seed - Oath of Gulad (High)]

Your faith level +50.

……

[Your fire-wielding power has been infused with a similar force!]

[Blazing Flames of Prayer: If suppressed by the power of the Fire of Offering, its effect will be reduced. When using the power of the Fire of Offering, it greatly increases the power and speed of prayer, and the Blazing Flames possesses the user, greatly reducing the damage taken.]

……

Your body has been modified by a benevolent force!

Your Constitution +3, Faith +5, Strength +5.

……

You have gained experience and skills from the outside world!

[Learn to pray: Raise the prison (burning spirit), burn the judgment (burning spirit).]

……

A series of prompts dazzled August Chang'an, each one suggesting an enhancement to her strength.

And after doing all that.

Hagram's aura had become so weak that it was almost imperceptible, his body was withered and emaciated, and the power of law in his eyes had disappeared, leaving them empty.

"remember……"

"To burn for justice and fairness..."

Hagram bowed his head and knelt helplessly on the water.

August Chang'an was startled and quickly reached out to hold him.

However, its body turned into dust and ashes the moment he touched it, dissipating into the wind...

The empire may have collapsed, and the laws may have been destroyed.

But the will of the empire remains steadfast.

(End of this chapter)