Above the mage

Chapter 846 City Under Full Guard

The Holy Empire exhausted enormous human and material resources to secretly excavate underground tunnels that ran through the heart of the desert, leading directly to the city of Nashlamay.

This was not a small-scale infiltration at all, but a long-planned and earth-shattering operation.

"An underground passage leading to Nashlame City, with bait laid inside to attract sandworm swarms, connecting to several insect nests along the way..." General Lorne quickly synthesized the information provided by God.

"If these are true, these sandworm swarms could very well appear directly in the city, and no city wall could stop this swarm."

"Once the swarm of insects surges into the city from underground, Nashlame will become a second barren desert canyon in a very short time."

"I knew it. The Holy Empire would never so easily cede Nashlamay to the dynasty."

"In their hearts, Terra is already their own territory. How could they allow us to establish ourselves on Terra? A huge sense of crisis looms over this matter. Lorne has already determined this to be the highest priority emergency military matter and dares not delay it in the slightest."

"This matter must be dealt with immediately." General Lorne turned and walked towards the door, his pace much faster than before.

As he reached the door, General Lorne turned and glanced at God: "If your discovery is true, I will list your merits separately and submit them to higher authorities after the assessment..."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "By the way, is your accusation outside that Ge Fang is colluding with the Holy Empire also true?"

Gao De looked at General Lorne and remained silent for about a moment: "It's true, but there's no evidence."

Lorne's lips twitched slightly, and a knowing glint flashed in his eyes.

He nodded and assured Gao De, "There will be evidence, and it will become a fact. Don't worry."

If the Holy Empire's plot is true, completing the chain of evidence against a traitor would be a piece of cake.

After saying this, Lorne pushed open the door and left the room.

Outside the temple, the garrison of mages that Seville had summoned had already dispersed.

The moment Admiral Lorne led God into the temple, which was the temporary military headquarters, Seville knew that his plan to arrest and detain God on the spot and quickly convict him was doomed to fail.

But he was not prepared to give up so easily.

Murdering a colleague, especially in the street, is a very serious crime.

If this charge is proven true, even if Gao De is backed by the powerful Wang Mian family, at most he can only save Gao De's life.

Life.

Putting everything else aside, removing Gaode from the Light Sentinel ranks is inevitable.

Seville needed this result.

Because Gaode's performance in this year's Peerless French Bulldog Tournament was simply too outstanding.

After he chose to join the Sentinels of Light, most people firmly believed that as long as he continued to develop step by step, he would inevitably become one of the Sentinels of Light's future high-ranking members.

This was precisely what the Saladin family could not tolerate.

The dynasty's three major military mage organizations, one of which, the Silver Dragon Cavalry, was under the command of the Wang Mian family.

In fact, this is one of the important reasons why the Wang Mian family has been able to remain powerful for so many years and always be the most powerful noble family in the Golden Flower Dynasty.

The hereditary control of the Silver Dragon Cavalry acted like a moat, drawing an insurmountable line between the Wang Mian family and all other nobles of the dynasty.

Although the Saladin family and the Wang Mian family are the leaders of their respective factions, they lag far behind the Wang Mian family in terms of family heritage and strength.

A large part of the reason is that they do not have the powerful force to command the Silver Dragon Cavalry.

The Saladin family was fully aware of this and had been working towards it.

To truly rival the Wang Mian family, one must acquire equal leverage and control a top-tier military force.

Among the three major military mage systems, the Silver Dragon Cavalry, needless to say, certainly cannot infiltrate or go there.

Those members of the Saladin family who insist on joining the Silver Dragon Cavalry are just asking for trouble.

This is the Wang Mian family's private land.

The headquarters of the Vanguard of Justice is located in the City of Glory, where the royal family has a deep grip on it. They obey the royal family's orders and serve the royal family.

There's no room for intervention here either.

Only the Sentinels of Light have the best chance.

Although the Sentinels of Light are nominally under the direct control of the Royal Family.

However, one of them is the headquarters of the Light Sentinels, located in the southernmost part of the dynasty, which is geographically distant.

In comparison, the royal family's control over it is relatively loose.

Another point is that the missions of the Light Sentinels are mainly field missions outside the dynasty's territory.

This perfectly aligns with the Saladin family's long-held philosophy of abandoning ancestral traditions and expanding their territory through conquest.

Furthermore, as a long-established military and political aristocracy of the dynasty, the Saladin family's influence was rooted in the military and abroad.

Many of the field missions of the Sentinels of Light often require the Saladin family to provide intelligence, supplies, and transit support from abroad.

This gives them a natural basis for a deep bond with the Sentinels of Light.

Therefore, in recent years, the Saladin family has deployed a large number of outstanding young mages from their family to the Sentinels of Light.

The Sentinels of Light are the royal family's military mages, and the royal family would certainly not allow such important military power to fall into the hands of lower-ranking nobles.

If you reveal your true intentions, you will inevitably incur the wrath of the royal family.

So the Saladin family used a very clever method.

They didn't engage in any power struggles or schemes, nor did they forcibly place their own people in the upper echelons of the Light Sentinels, nor did they try to bribe the high-ranking military mages of the Light Sentinels.

They simply recruited their own family's mages into the Light Sentinels.

After joining the Light Sentinels, they can rely on their own abilities and the support of their family to follow the regular promotion path of the Light Sentinels.

At the same time, they also invested heavily in the Sentinel Mages of Light who were not of noble birth and whom they favored, providing support for those with potential.

The young monks were provided with resources and connections.

Establish long-term, mutually beneficial relationships during the other party's growth process, and cultivate pro-Saladin family power.

The Saladin family internally named this plan the Sowing Plan.

The underlying logic of the sowing plan is extremely simple.

It does not expect to gain control of the Sentinels of Light in a particular year or by a particular general; it relies on the power of time itself.

Young mages from the Saladin family continued to enter the Sentinels of Light.

Twenty years later, some of them will be promoted to three-star or even four-star Sentinels.

Forty years from now, some of them will become mid-level generals.

Sixty years later, some of them might even become lieutenant generals.

The non-family sentinel mages who received investment are also growing.

As batches of mages from or aligned with the Saladin family complete the regular promotion process within the Light Sentinel system and occupy a sufficient number of positions, the Light Sentinels are essentially controlled by the Saladin family.

Although this leadership is not hereditary like the Silver Dragon Cavalry leadership of the Wang Mian family, and does not involve absolute control.

It is also a net, with each knot corresponding to a Saladin family mage and each thread representing a bond of interest.

But when this network is dense enough, it will be able to put them on the table and make them qualified to face the Wang Mian family.

The Saladin family has been carrying out the seed-planting program for over two centuries with remarkable success.

The highest rank of the Sentinels of Light is Marshal, followed by General and Lieutenant General.

There are currently four generals in the Bright Sentinels, one of whom is expected to retire in the next few years.

There are eight lieutenant generals, each responsible for one of the eight areas where the Light Sentinels are primarily tasked with field operations.

Of these eight lieutenant generals, two are from the Saladin family, and two others are aligned with the Saladin family.

In terms of numbers, it has reached half.

If that general retires, the new general will inevitably have to be chosen from the existing eight lieutenant generals, and will most likely choose the mage from their Saladin family.

If successful, this would mean that the Saladin family would occupy a place in the high-level command structure of the Sentinels of Light and have a certain level of influence.

Moreover, the planting program has never stopped.

At this time, Gao De, backed by the Wang Mian family, abandoned the Silver Dragon Cavalry and instead joined the Light Sentinels, whom they already regarded as their own. How could they not have doubts? How could they not be on guard?

Although Gaode is still very young and has only just joined the Light Sentinels.

But Gaode's capabilities are undeniable.

In a few decades or a hundred years, who dares to say that Gao De will not be promoted to lieutenant general or even general and take charge of the core authority of the Light Sentinels?

That would be a huge blow to their planting plans.

Therefore, Seville was determined to convict God.

This is not simply about avenging Ge Fang; it's also about weeding out the weeds that would compete with the Saladin family for resources.

As for Gao De's accusation that Ge Fang colluded with the Holy Empire, that is utter nonsense.

According to Sewell, this was just a pretext that Gaode used to exonerate himself and implicate others.

Given the Saladin family's current influence among the Sentinels of Light, claims without evidence will not be effective.

With a heart full of certainty, Seville's mind stirred, and he looked up at the interior of the temple.

He heard footsteps.

The private conversation is over.

As expected, Admiral Lorne emerged from the temple.

"General Lorne, as a Sentinel, Ge Fang would never..." Seville suppressed the gloom in his eyes, quickly stepped forward, and spoke.

General Lorne ignored him, his expression solemn.

He raised his right palm in a gesture of interruption, and then issued a stern military order: "Immediately mobilize all available military mages and activate Level 1 alert, bringing the entire city to its highest state of alert."

Citywide alert?!

Upon hearing this, Seville was stunned.

The city is on high alert.

This is the highest-level military order, which is only triggered when the city faces a major crisis.

General Lorne would never joke about something like this.

But what exactly happened?

General Lorne was not having a private conversation with God, nor was he requesting a separate report from God on so-called classified military affairs.

Then they turned around and activated a city-wide alert?

What exactly did Gaode report...? Could Ge Fang have really been involved in something?

Seville was overwhelmed with a jumble of thoughts, and even began to genuinely doubt Ge Fang.

General Lorne did not explain anything to Seville, nor did he pay attention to Seville's astonishment.

The safety of the city is paramount.

Moreover, this was a matter for their military, and he had no interest in explaining further to a senator.

With General Lorne's order, countless commands swept through the entire city of Nashlamy, centered around the military headquarters.

The entire city is on high alert, meaning the city is immediately entering a state of war.

All official mages in the city, whether military mages, garrison mages, or others.

Regardless of their position, all personal matters must be immediately terminated, and they must either stand by or return to their posts immediately.

All the rune arrays in the city will be activated at full capacity.

The city defense rune array of Nashlame City is of the sixth rank.

A sixth-order rune array requires a massive amount of magic crystals to operate at full capacity.

Even in the event of small-scale unrest or beast tides, it will not be easily activated.

Once initiated, a reasonable explanation must be provided afterwards.

Furthermore, once the citywide alert is activated, Nashlamy will be under lockdown during the alert period, with no one allowed to leave or enter.

Nashlamy is unlike any other city; its characteristics are quite complex.

It was both a commercial city and a military stronghold.

There are very few ordinary residents in the city; most people are mages, or at least mage apprentices, and the population is quite diverse.

As a port city on the coast of Terra, the city is home to not only official mages from the Golden Flower Dynasty, but also many Terrans and mages from the continent of Nolan and even the continent of Midgard.

Such cities should never be easily locked down.

Because it can easily cause a disturbance.

The destructive power unleashed by a group of mages in a disturbance is astonishing; a single misstep could lead to serious consequences.

Squads of military mages, having completed their assembly and deployment, surged from all directions toward several key locations in the city, their footsteps hurried as they swiftly traversed the city's streets and alleys.

During breaks in their runs, they would ask their superiors, who were of higher rank, about the specifics, but the superiors were also clueless and could only shake their heads.

Aside from receiving orders to put the entire city on high alert, they knew nothing else.

Compared to the official mages, the reactions of other residents or "tourists" in the city were much more complex.

Some people immediately returned to their residences or hotels, closed the doors, and carefully observed the situation, waiting to see how things would develop.

Some people gathered together to exchange their guesses and information.

Some people were smarter and even started hoarding food immediately.

Some people looked flustered and worried.

Some of them needed to leave Nashlamay for some reason, but now they are suddenly under lockdown and don't know when it will be lifted.

Some are businessmen; the sudden lockdown means their travel plans are disrupted, and they will face huge losses.

Some people knew that a city lockdown must be due to an emergency, possibly involving war, and were afraid of being implicated.

All the high-level mages in the military headquarters, including other high-level official mages outside the military headquarters, had already arrived at the temporary military headquarters.

"General Lorne, what happened?" Talisin, the city lord of Nashlame, who arrived at the scene immediately, asked with a furrowed brow.