The atmosphere of the reception reached a climax after the Emperor finished his meal; many nobles began to dance gracefully in the temporary dance floor cleared by the servants, while the rest took their seats on both sides of the hall. Their conversations gradually turned to Feng Hua Xue Yue, as the so-called ‘serious business’ would never end, and complex exchanges of interests were not suitable for too much discussion on this occasion.
Mo and Ji Xiaodao remained in their original seats. During this time, no young person came to invite either of them for a dance, clearly indicating that Grand Duke Garros's previous words still carried considerable weight.
The Grand Duke was still with William at this time. The lower-ranking nobles had already dispersed, leaving only a few of the Emperor's trusted confidants and several powerful Grand Dukes. Although they were chatting and laughing, their expressions were not relaxed. Most people were intentionally or unintentionally paying attention to that direction. No one truly believed that this banquet was merely a sudden whim; everyone was observing and waiting…
But Mo did not pay attention to that side. He merely leaned lazily back in his seat, swirling the crimson liquid in his glass, appearing indifferent to everything.
In fact, he truly had no need to care, because Garros would soon relay the contents of the current discussion to him verbatim. Moreover, he could roughly guess what those people were currently discussing, and that was not the reason Mo came to the banquet tonight…
He was just waiting for someone, waiting for two people.
One person who needed to be killed, and one perfectly suitable executor.
…
Ten minutes later
“Quiet please, ladies and gentlemen.” The court mage beside William smiled and spoke through a small amplification spell: “His Majesty has something to say.”
It's here!
Everyone present instantly became solemn. The hall, which had been filled with laughter, fell silent in an instant, and everyone adopted an attentive posture.
“My apologies for interrupting everyone at this time~” The approachable Emperor raised his glass and smiled, then winked towards a certain direction in the hall: “Especially little Bock, I imagine you’ll be able to invite Miss Emma to the back garden very soon.”
A young Earl’s heir immediately stood up and bowed slightly to William: “Many thanks, my Emperor. With your words, I feel like I’ve already succeeded halfway~”
A noble girl sitting beside him covered her face with a small folding fan and shyly turned her head away.
A chorus of good-natured laughter erupted around them.
“Keep it up, young man.” William gave him a thumbs-up, then stood up and raised his glass to everyone, saying: “Let us toast, to Shavin.”
“To Shavin!” Everyone stood up straight, smiling as they repeated, then drained their glasses.
William nodded, slowly sat back in his seat, then took out a pearl of excellent quality from his pocket, and suddenly asked: “Does everyone know where this pearl comes from?”
Many people’s smiles disappeared. If this question had been asked a week ago, perhaps very few people would have guessed, as there were at least a dozen places in the Shavin Empire that could produce pearls. But at this moment, there could only be one possible answer…
No one spoke. Most lowered their heads, wearing expressions of sadness, whether genuine or feigned.
A few seconds later, a somewhat unfamiliar voice broke the silence.
“Lustrous Pearl.” The newly appointed masked Baron said softly: “One of the most renowned specialties of Banshee City, pure white throughout. After special treatment, it can retain at least five colors and has a certain elemental conductivity. It’s an excellent choice whether for ornamental purposes or as material for basic magic scrolls.”
The crowd immediately burst into an uproar. No one was unaware of the recent tragedy in Banshee City, and no one would be so naive as to believe that the pearl in William’s hand could have come from anywhere else. Yet, almost no one knew what that pearl was actually called, what it was used for, or what it could do…
But Sin Duke knew!
Not only did he know, he dared to say it even without knowing the Emperor’s intentions.
“That’s right, the Lustrous Pearl of Banshee City. Since I became Emperor, the Lustrous Pearls exported to various Mage Guilds and the Northern Continent have brought the Empire at least three million gold coins in profit annually. But now, Banshee City no longer exists.” William sighed deeply, then looked at the unfamiliar young man in the corner: “Sin Duke?”
Mo nodded lightly.
“You know a lot about Lustrous Pearls?” William asked him with interest: “Although many people understand this knowledge, most of them are merchants or professionals.”
A few magnates instinctively shrank their necks. They truly didn’t know that much; at most, they only knew how much a pearl was roughly worth.
“I didn’t know about it before, Your Majesty…” Mo’s lips curled into a bitter smile: “I only inadvertently remembered it while investigating in Banshee City. Although it didn’t help the investigation progress, I still hoped to remember that once prosperous and beautiful city from multiple perspectives.”
The genuine sorrow in his tone deeply moved many people who had initially been indifferent to the Banshee City tragedy, even making some feel ashamed…
“My dear Bart, you must have been immersed in the study and exploration of magic for too long, your mind has become a bit rigid, to actually bestow a Barony upon him.” William raised an eyebrow at Grand Duke Garros beside him, then turned and looked deeply at Mo, smiling: “At least the words ‘hereditary’ should have been added.”
Mo calmly bowed to the Emperor before him: “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
This attitude of being unaffected by honor or disgrace also moved those present. Perhaps a small hereditary Barony might not amount to much in the eyes of most here, but for a newly appointed noble whose ancestors had made mistakes, the weight of the words ‘hereditary’ was absolutely profound.
If a Baron is equivalent to a three-bedroom, one-living room apartment you rent, then when ‘hereditary’ is added before it, this house is completely yours.
The difference in treatment might seem small, but the meaning has completely changed.
“I believe the tragedy of Banshee City was not a natural disaster.” William turned his head and said solemnly to everyone after Mo sat back down: “The Shavin Empire has never done anything that would provoke the wrath of heaven and gods. Everyone must take this matter seriously. The lives of thirty-seven thousand imperial citizens are no trifling matter. I will thoroughly investigate it to the end. Fara's view is also the same. All of you must not hold a childish attitude of indifference. Unknown darkness is coming, and we must be prepared!”
The middle-aged man, who for the most part resembled a merchant rather than an Emperor, stood up, his face filled with solemnity, and said in a deep voice: “The investigation team will temporarily withdraw from Banshee City. Effective immediately, all cities, including the Capital, will be under martial law. All overseas trade activities will be temporarily suspended. The Empire will bear the losses of merchants during this period. Grand Duke Garros…”
“Here!” Grand Duke Garros stood up solemnly.
“Have all of Tyr’s people withdraw. Assemble your Hurricane Mage Group and await Fara's news.”
“Yes!”
“Forsai Duke.”
“Here!”
“Notify the Huiye Sect. We need more support from High-Rank clergy.”
“Yes!”
“Guild Master Arthur.”
“Here… here!”
“Notify all large-scale merchant guilds and financial groups. I do not wish to see a chaotic market and inflated prices during the martial law period. No one should try to play any tricks; know that your Emperor is also a shrewd merchant.”
“Absolutely!”
“And then…” William frowned slightly, looking to his left.
A gust of strong wind swept through.
“My apologies, I’m late.” A tall old knight appeared in the center of the hall. He wore a heavy and exquisite set of black armor, with a dark gold longsword embroidered on his wide black cloak. The old man’s hair and beard were white, yet he was still full of vigor. He knelt on one knee before William and said in a deep voice: “The Tsar's Sword Knights have been fully reorganized and are ready to depart at any time.”
Mo’s previously downcast eyes suddenly lit up. He had finally waited for the person before him.
The Commander of the Tsar's Sword Knights, Marshal Galahad Waldstein of the Shavin Empire!
He was once a lowly Half-Orc refugee, but by chance, he was rescued by William’s grandfather, the Emperor before last of the Shavin Empire, and became a free man.
Later, Galahad joined the Imperial Knight Order and earned numerous merits in countless wars against pirates and enemy nations. Twenty years later, he had risen to the position of Knight Order Commander.
Galahad was loyal and brave, and the old Emperor trusted Galahad implicitly, bestowing upon him the title of Shavin’s first Marshal and a hereditary Grand Duke before his death.
William could almost be said to have been raised under his watchful eye.
It could be said that in the Shavin Empire, besides the Emperor, who held the highest position, the next in line were this three-dynasty veteran and the mysterious and powerful God of Law, Fara.
And William’s most trusted people were also them.
Despite his advanced age, this Grand Lord-level knight was still the absolute military might of the Empire. Galahad and his Knight Order were definitely one of the existences that the various forces in the Southwest Continent least wanted to face.
“Rise, Grandpa Galahad.” William smiled affectionately: “With you here, I feel much more at ease.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Galahad nodded with a resounding voice, then stood up amidst a clang of armor: “My good lads in the Knight Order and I are ready.”
William nodded: “Now we just await news from Fara. Our Great Astrologer seems to have sensed something. If possible, I hope you can act with him when the time comes and resolve this crisis as quickly as possible while ensuring your own safety.”
“Alright.” The tall old Marshal smiled slightly: “I hope that old fellow Fara can figure this out. Your Tsar's Sword Knights are always fearless, as long as we know who the enemy is and where he is~”
A silver light curtain suddenly appeared beside Galahad. Fara, looking a bit weary, walked out with a bitter smile, first bowing to William, then glaring at the old knight beside him: “You’re the last person I want to be called ‘old fellow’ by, you old lion.”
Everyone present was a bit bewildered. It was well known that the God of Law and the Marshal, this pair of imperial powerhouses with extremely high average ages, rarely appeared in public anymore, which showed how much effort the Emperor was putting into the Banshee City matter.
“The crystal on his chest…” Ji Xiaodao whispered into Mo’s ear: “It’s exactly the same as the one that shattered when you activated ‘that’ before.”
The latter merely nodded faintly, saying nothing, then offered a smile to Fara, whose gaze had just happened to turn their way.
Fara also nodded back to him, then turned to William and said: “Your Majesty, I have foreseen a terrifying dark power. This is by no means an exaggeration. If possible, I hope that in three days, Marshal Galahad and I can immediately lead people to Banshee City to deploy the Great Reversal Array.”
“I have no objections.” Galahat shrugged: “As long as your contraption is reliable.”
Fara rolled his eyes at him, then continued to William: “I hope to obtain some spellcasting materials to set up the Great Reversal Spell and to enchant the warriors. If possible, it would be best for Grand Duke Garros and his Hurricane Mage Group to accompany us. The Grand Duke was previously in charge of the search party, and the Mage Corps can help me speed up my casting and fight the enemy when necessary.”
“No problem, I’ve already briefed Garros.” William nodded: “As for the spellcasting materials you need and the supplies and necessities for the Knight Order along the way, as long as they can be purchased, they are not an issue.”
Galahat sighed leisurely, muttering: “If your father, that stingy old man, had your foresight back then, how many years less would we knights have had to live in broken tents?”
Although he was muttering, the old knight’s voice was undeniably loud, and the hall immediately filled with coughs. Everyone awkwardly lowered their heads or blinked and looked around.
“What are you coughing for?” Marshal Galahad glared: “I’ll trim you!”
Immediately, no one dared to make a sound…
It was well known that if this man truly took action, even a High-Rank Archmage of Garros’s caliber would be thoroughly beaten. Besides Fara, absolutely no one in the entire Empire would be a match for this old knight.
“If possible…”
Just then, Sin Duke, whose presence had been quite prominent throughout the evening, stood up.
“I hope to go to Banshee City with Fara and Marshal Galahad.” Mo bowed to William, then lifted a corner of his mask, revealing a patch of skin shrouded in darkness beneath: “I was contaminated by that cursed land, and I was also the first person to set foot there after the incident. I should be able to help somewhat.”
His smile was clean, his voice gentle and sincere…
But the eye hidden behind the mask was filled with endless evil and madness…
Very simple, very clean evil…
Very pure, very gentle madness…
Chapter 80: The End