Above the mage

Chapter 208 Change of Fortune

The location of the Erther family mansion.

Quincy Ursus sat down and talked with the vice chairman.

"Gaud has already moved from the dungeon of the Seres Mage Tower to the Saint Sein Mage Prison, as instructed by the Dean."

"Now it's up to you to see how things go. If you don't handle this properly, Dean Sher won't give you a friendly look anymore," the vice chairman warned.

Quincy Erther smiled with confidence, "Once we get to the Saint Sein Mage Prison, I'll have many more ways to use him, and I'll definitely make him confess everything."

"That would be for the best. I've heard that the mage you sent suffered a crushing defeat at his hands," the vice chairman added.

Quincy Ursus's eyes twitched involuntarily upon hearing this; even now, he still found the idea too outrageous.

A mage who had just advanced to the first ring was actually able to withstand a second-ring spell [screaming in agony].

"This kid must be naturally thick-skinned, so he has an extremely high pain tolerance," Quincy Uther analyzed.

"However, I have other methods that I'm sure will work on him and make him confess everything," he said confidently.

Upon hearing this, the Vice Chairman did not ask any further questions.

"When you're done, remember to clean up the mess." He simply added one more reminder.

"Don't worry, do you think I don't understand these things?" Quincy Ursus's eyes flashed with a fierce light.

A highly talented mage has already offended him severely. If he lets him go, the mage will surely take revenge when he becomes stronger.

It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark.

You have to be ruthless when you strike.

"What a pity for such a genius," the vice chairman remarked, though he didn't actually feel much genuine sympathy.

There are many geniuses, but the benefits are limited.

In Zone 1, inside Gerica's dormitory building.

"Was Gao De taken away from the Mage Tower today and sent to Saint Sein Mage Prison?" Upon hearing the news from the butler, Gerica frowned deeply.

The butler shook his head and said tactfully, "There's nothing we can do. Not to mention that the family's influence doesn't extend that far, it's highly unlikely that this action could have been made without Dean Sher's approval."

Gerica's expression was somewhat unpleasant.

Born into nobility, she was naturally not so naive as to clearly understand what signal this action represented.

Having the deepest connection with Gaode Maps, she thought it over and over again, and in the end could only sigh inwardly.

A genius mage, who could have made a name for himself, has ended up in prison.

She didn't know exactly what had happened, but she understood that it certainly wasn't the so-called "deliberate damage to college assets."

Faced with the will of the Duchy's higher-ups and those high-ranking mages, not to mention commoner mages like God, even noble genius mages like Jelica, with extraordinary backgrounds, have limited power.

Inside the prison.

[Your ability to see in the dark is increased by 35.5%].

As one gradually adapts to the darkness, the runes and patterns that were previously indistinct become visible.

Gao De glanced around casually, without deliberately trying to study anything.

The runes and patterns naturally separated in his vision, transforming into one basic rune after another.

Gao De's gaze lingered on the runes for a long time, his mind following the patterns on the runes.

Waiting to die is a very sad thing.

People in this situation often break down before death even arrives.

Fortunately, Gaode now has runes to accompany him.

As has happened many times before, once he enters the "problem-solving" state, he becomes completely absorbed, unable to perceive the flow of things around him, or even the passage of time, entering a state of "obsession".

Therefore, Gaode is now exceptionally peaceful and focused.

Nolan calendar year 9656, month of fog and frost, day 22.

To many, this was just an ordinary day.

But in history, this is a day worth recording.

That's it.

It wasn't until many years later that people truly understood its significance.

……

The majestic city walls of Saint-Sien.

"Captain... what... what is that?!"

The soldiers on the city walls were completely stunned.

Or rather, they were deeply shocked by the scene before them.

Outside the city of Saint Sein, the flock of birds that had been circling in the sky above the great river were startled and scattered in all directions.

A terrifying, enormous creature emerged abruptly from the clouds.

It appeared suddenly in the sky, as if it were something from outer space.

It was an airship, a huge war airship.

The surface is covered with a layer of metal with a cold luster, making the entire airship look like a steel fortress floating in the sky.

The row of alchemical cannons that were exposed was even more ferocious.

A flag fluttered at the very top of the airship.

A bright red flag.

At the center of the flag is a heart of flame burning fiercely.

The flames were deep red with a golden glow, as if they could devour all darkness.

The flames were surrounded by delicate silver patterns that formed a pair of outstretched wings.

The flag's background color is a deep, frosty blue, which contrasts sharply with the burning heart of fire pattern, making it even more eye-catching.

The soldiers looked up, speechless, at the airship, their eyes filled with awe.

"It's the Iceflame Legion from the western border of the Holy Empire," the mage, referred to as the captain, murmured.

Even a war airship like this is enough to send chills down one's spine.

However, the mage captain understood that the war airship could never have appeared alone.

The same is true.

One after another, huge airships emerged from the clouds.

They are connected end to end, like a giant steel dragon stretching across the sky for tens of kilometers, and the shadow they form is like a curtain that blocks out the sunlight.

Such a sight was enough to numb the nerves of all the soldiers on the city wall, leaving them both shocked and numb.

The wheels of history roll ever forward, and the tides of the times surge ever onward.

The wheels of history never turn because of individual will.

It doesn't care what you're doing, whether you're in jail or plotting some amazing conspiracy.

It will simply rumble and crush you indiscriminately, changing your fate without a second thought.

This change has both advantages and disadvantages.

"It's over," the mage captain muttered to himself.

This is the end. It's not just Saint Sein City that's finished, but the entire Duchy of Sein.

The Holy Empire's army was the largest known in the world, comprising hundreds of independently operating legions.

Each legion has its own leader or marshal, and possesses its own unique culture and fighting style.

These legions had almost no consistency.

This characteristic resulted in a large number of military forces in the Holy Empire, each with its own distinct tactics.

The Iceflame Legion, though insignificant among the hundreds of legions in the Holy Empire, is not even among the top fifty in terms of overall strength.

But for the Duchy of Sean, the Ice Flame Legion was an absolute prehistoric behemoth.

Even if the entire army of the Duchy of Sien were gathered and concentrated in Saint Sien City, relying on the city's defensive advantage to confront the Iceflame Legion, it would be impossible to hold them off for even half a day.

The continuous line of warships made no attempt to conceal their presence as they stopped outside the city of Saint-Sien.

That enormous shadow blotted out the sky.

All the residents of Saint Sein City can see the steel fortress bearing the banner of the Holy Empire Legion simply by looking up.

Everyone's face turned pale.

The Holy Empire's army has arrived!

Red smoke billowed into the sky.

Inside the Royal Palace of Saint-Sien.

Upon receiving the news, King Jerous XIII, along with all the renowned nobles and ministers of Saint Sein, gathered together.

This includes the second prince and the eldest prince.

Everyone's face was deathly pale.

Everyone was gripped by immense fear.

The Holy Empire's warships are surrounding Saint Sein City in an extremely domineering manner.

"Not just passing by." Everyone present recalled the message reported by the border scout mage two weeks ago:

The shadow of a Holy Empire Legion mage has been spotted.

However, after two weeks of heightened suspicion, they found no other suspicious traces and quickly lifted the alert, attributing the incident to a few mages from the Holy Empire Legion who happened to be passing by.

Now, reality has shown them that they were naive.

The legions of the Holy Empire have truly arrived.

"What did Commander Fleming say?" asked the very old Jeros XIII.

"I did not meet with Commander Fleming; I was only received by a young officer from the Iceflame Legion," the minister sent to negotiate with the Iceflame Legion solemnly conveyed.

He only said three sentences to me.

"First, we can surrender, but only before the first rays of sunlight reach the walls of Saint Sein tomorrow."

"Second, surrender before the time they specify. All nobles, ministers, and members of the royal family in the city will lose all their original status, but their lives and property will be preserved."

"Third, swear allegiance to the Holy Empire and then you will be judged solely on your worth, which will determine your status; otherwise, you will be destroyed."

After the three sentences were conveyed, everyone in the room, these people who were once high above and seemed to have always controlled everything, all changed their expressions drastically.

It turns out that people in high positions don't necessarily have better mental fortitude; it's just that there are very few things in their positions that can cause them to experience emotional fluctuations.

But once such a thing happens, many people may behave worse than ordinary people.

"How could this be? How could this be?" some noble ministers asked, puzzled.

The Duchy of Sien does not share a border with the Holy Empire.

On the contrary, they actually bordered parts of the Plantagenet dynasty's territory.

So from any perspective, in this land of numerous duchies, the Duchy of Sien should not have been the first to suffer such a severe blow.

Such a strategic approach would result in the Holy Empire making the Duchy of Sien an exclave within its vast territory after conquering it.

"We've all overlooked one point: what if the Holy Empire had truly followed a methodical approach, conquering one duchy after another in order of proximity..."

"Their territorial expansion had not even reached the Plantagenet dynasty when the Plantagenet dynasty was already able to react and take appropriate measures."

"By then, the price they would have to pay to take over the territories directly adjacent to the Plantagenet dynasty's territory would be much higher."

"Therefore, the Holy Empire's first target will inevitably be one of the three countries that border the Plantagenet Dynasty: Sien, Aden, and Ovoga."

"It's even possible that multiple legions could be mobilized simultaneously, launching a blitzkrieg against the armies of the three duchies," a senior general from the Duchy of Sien said.

"As for the so-called enclaves, that's just from our own perspective. As far as the Holy Empire is concerned, if they wanted to, they could wipe out all the duchies between Sean and the Holy Empire's territory in just one month."

"Is it too late to activate the magic array to defend Saint Sein City and send someone to request aid from the Golden Flower Dynasty?" a noble minister asked helplessly.

"The Holy Empire is clearly targeting the Plantagenet Dynasty, and is only using our Xin'en as a strategic frontline point. Surely the Plantagenet Dynasty will send reinforcements to help, right?"

The senior general calmly spoke, ruthlessly shattering the noble minister's illusions about seeking help: "Once we activate the magic array to prepare for defense, the Ice Flame Legion outside the city will immediately take action."

"With just one salvo from the alchemical cannons of those Furious Shark-class warships, the walls of Saint Sein will be reduced to ruins."

The Holy Empire's warships are divided into several classes, from highest to lowest: Holy Dragon, Lion, Furious Shark, and Mad Wolf.

Even the most powerful airships in Saint Sein City are decades or even centuries behind the lowest-level Mad Wolf-class war airships of the Holy Empire in terms of technology.

"Not to mention that if their high-level military mages were to make a move, their destructive power would far surpass that of a war airship," the head mage of the Saint Sein Palace Mage Corps calmly stated.

"We have absolutely no chance against the legions of the Holy Empire."

Everyone fell silent.

"Gentlemen, prepare to surrender. We have no right to let innocent civilians in the city die in vain. It is unwise to try to stop a chariot with our bare hands."

After a long while, Jeros XIII sighed softly and said in a trembling voice.

Making this decision was difficult for him.

This means that the Principality of Xin, which has been passed down for thousands of years, will become a speck of dust in history from this day forward.

And he, Jeros XIII, will become a monarch of a fallen kingdom.

An hour later.

The city gates swung open, welcoming the soldiers of the Holy Empire's Iceflame Legion into the city.

Meanwhile, the Jeros royal family, which had ruled the Duchy of Sien for thousands of years, issued a statement to all its subjects throughout the country:

From this day forward, the Duchy of Sien officially joins the Holy Empire, transforming from an independent nation into the Sien Province under the jurisdiction of the Western Governor of the Holy Empire.

After issuing this statement, the Principality of Sien ceased to exist.

The Principality of Sien has demonstrated through its actions why the Holy Empire is the most powerful nation in the world.

Under the siege of the Holy Empire's Iceflame Legion, they held out for only one hour before surrendering.

The Duchy of Sien was founded in the year 7349 of the Norlan calendar, on the 1st of the Frost Month.

He died on the 22nd of the Frosty Month in the Nolan calendar year 9656.

A total of 2307 years.

For many ordinary people, this may be a tragedy or a comedy.

In short, it was just an ordinary day. They lived their lives as usual, and then inexplicably found themselves with a different nationality.

As the sun set, everyone became subjects of the Holy Empire.

The hand of fate has not yet stopped.

The day after the Iceflame Legion occupied Saint Sein City, on the 23rd of Frostmoon.

To demonstrate the Holy Empire's benevolence and care for its new subjects, to eliminate the estrangement between the former subjects of the Principality of West and the Holy Empire, and to convey the message of the new regime's benevolent governance and tolerance.

The Iceflame Legion has declared a general amnesty.

(End of this chapter)