Chapter 1 When the War Started

Just as the Imperial Strait Allied Fleet and the Celestial God Realm's magic corps were engaged in a fierce battle, in Lingdun City, now the capital of the United Empire.

Number 19, Holy Radiance Avenue, was the residence of Duke Reginald Roberts of Mist Mountain.

The Roberts family had once been one of the six Grand Councilors of the Lu Ying Empire, and now Duke Roberts held the position of Minister of War in the United Empire.

Half a month ago, the imperial intelligence organization obtained top-secret information that the mages of the Celestial God Realm had a secret plan to cross the sea. The Imperial Command immediately made a decision to send the Allied Fleet, led by Marshals "Thunder Tiger" Meredith Ben Moses and General Rostov, to secretly set sail and launch a surprise attack on their port while the enemy's fleet was still being assembled.

If the surprise attack succeeded, it would not only greatly delay the time it would take for those guys from the Celestial God Realm to invade Lu Ying, but also bring a tremendous boost to the morale that was currently at a low ebb.

Although the risk was not small, they had to take the gamble.

However, unexpectedly, the bad news came last night.

The Allied Fleet had suddenly lost contact before it even reached its intended sea area.

People speculated that it might have encountered a storm or a special magnetic field... a temporary loss of contact.

But as one of the decision-makers of the entire surprise attack operation, Duke Roberts had an increasingly bad feeling that the fleet might have been ambushed.

To make a well-equipped fleet of more than 200,000 men lose contact, there was no need to think about it; the only ones capable of doing so were those enemies from the Celestial God Realm.

But such a top-secret plan was known to very few people in Lu Ying, yet it had been exposed in advance. This was very strange.

And this situation also meant that there might be a major problem among some of their internal high-level officials.

Noon, the sun was shining brightly.

In the manor's garden, Duke Roberts, sporting a graying mustache, was drinking coffee and looking at the nautical chart he had been studying all night, the worry between his brows never fading.

At this time, a handsome young man in a neat military uniform walked into the garden from a distance, concerned: "Father, you haven't rested all night. I think you should get some sleep, instead of drinking more coffee."

This was Alex, the eldest son of the Roberts family.

Duke Roberts looked at his son, and a slight smile finally appeared on his face.

He did not respond to the coffee issue, but instead asked: "Alex, when do you plan to hold your wedding with Kama?"

As if the father and son had a tacit understanding, Alex did not answer this question, but instead spoke about another matter that was unrelated: "Father, I am here to bid you farewell. I am preparing to join the reinforcement fleet heading to the Imperial Strait and will set sail tonight."

Hearing this, Duke Roberts was not surprised.

He had watched his son grow up, so how could he not know what he was thinking? He simply said: "Your mother's intention is..."

Before he could finish speaking, Alex, thinking that his father wanted to dissuade him, interrupted: "No, Father, my mind is made up. I am a soldier of the Empire, and our Roberts family is also a member of the Alchemy Civilization. We, these former nobles, have mastered the best resources and have the best equipment. In the face of this civilization's disaster, I should not shrink back at the end under any circumstances, but should be at the forefront of the battlefield now!"

His words were powerful and resounding.

Hearing this, Duke Roberts looked at his son with satisfaction: "Worthy of being the eldest son of our Roberts family. But I am not trying to dissuade you."

After a pause, he added: "My meaning is, it would be best to hold the wedding before you go to the front lines.

You must not let down such a good girl."

Alex listened to his father's words, and his face showed some surprise as he said: "I asked Kama what she thought. Now that the Empire is in danger, she said that everything should be simple. And I also told her about my going to the front lines, and she strongly supports my decision."

"Mm."

Duke Roberts listened and didn't say much more. "Then be careful."

If the building collapses, no one can escape unscathed.

Moreover, as the Minister of War's eldest son, he could not retreat at this sensitive moment.

Alex nodded: "I understand, Father."

......

The father and son were chatting in the garden when suddenly, a flash of light and shadow appeared in the courtyard, and an extra figure appeared out of nowhere.

To be able to avoid the manor's guards, this was obviously an assassin-type professional with high stealth skills.

Duke Roberts' gaze narrowed slightly, as if he was not surprised, and his expression remained calm.

Alex, on the other hand, frowned and looked at this uninvited guest, coldly questioning: "Who are you?!"

The person did not take off his hood, giving the feeling of being as cold and mysterious as a viper.

He looked at the father and son and said coldly: "Who I am is not important. But what is important is that I can now bring His Grace the Duke a piece of news that you are probably very interested in."

Duke Roberts' expression flickered for a moment, as if he had guessed the identity of the person, and he said lightly: "Oh? Tell me about it."

The mysterious man saw that the other party was interested in listening and seemed to chuckle, saying: "I can responsibly tell Your Grace some intelligence: this time, the Allied Fleet is destined not to return. I heard that your noble son is going to reinforce the front lines... Consider this news a reminder for you."

As soon as he heard this, before Duke Roberts could speak, Alex's expression suddenly changed.

For this guy to dare say such a thing, that meant it was confirmed... the fleet had been ambushed!

Sure enough, there were internal spies among them, and someone had leaked the fleet's surprise attack plan to the people of the Celestial God Realm.

And this guy in front of him was one of those internal spies!

He wanted to summon the manor's guards to capture this guy for interrogation, but he glanced at his father beside him and suppressed his anger, standing in place.

Duke Roberts listened and his expression remained calm.

He pondered for a moment, and then asked: "Is Your Excellency a member of the Heavenly Eye Sect?"

The mysterious man seemed to laugh: "Duke, who I am is not important. What is important is that I can give you some advice."

Duke Roberts glanced at him, looking interested.

The mysterious man then said: "If Your Grace is willing to cooperate, someone else will come to discuss the details with you. Of course, you should have guessed that I am just a small character, and behind me is a force that no one in this realm can resist. So I can guarantee that once you agree to cooperate, you and your Roberts family will be protected at all times."

As Duke Roberts listened, he already knew that he would not be able to extract any useful information.

But he laughed and said: "Tsk, tsk... I'm very curious, betraying the Alchemy Civilization and surrendering to become slaves—do you people really not feel any shame at all?"

Hearing this, the mysterious man's tone became murderous: "Is Your Grace refusing?"

Duke Roberts was not afraid at all and had already guessed the identity of the person. Instead, he sneered: "Carlo Meredith, the former 'Top Ten Legendary Bounty Hunter', 'Thief Emperor', has actually become a slave of the Outer God Sect. How laughable, how laughable."

As he spoke, he added: "If I were you, I would run away quickly. Maybe you can survive a few more days. Tsk, tsk, a Seventh-Order Assassin really thinks that Lingdun is a place where you can go wherever you want?"

As soon as these words came out, the mysterious man seemed to realize something, and the expression under his hood changed drastically.

He didn't dare to linger at all, and his figure was gradually becoming transparent.

However, before leaving, he did not forget to threaten: "Hmph, you don't know what's good for you! You and your family will regret your decision today!"

Duke Roberts did not try to stop the other party from escaping, his expression still indifferent, but there was a bit more contemplation in his eyes.

......

Lu Ying and Mafa had now formed the United Empire. After Yekaterina ascended the throne, she carried out a series of sweeping reforms.

It could be said that the overall national strength of the current United Empire was much stronger than it had been during the Bonaparte dynasty.

And with the Imperial Strait as a natural barrier, even if those guys from the Celestial God Realm wanted to dismantle the Alchemy Civilization, it would be impossible in the short term.

So Duke Roberts was not surprised that someone would come to his door.

As the Minister of War, he controlled information and resources that could almost be said to be the lifeblood of half the empire, so the enemy would naturally not give up on him as a breakthrough point.

Watching the enemy escape, Alex asked: "Father, aren't we going to chase him?"

Duke Roberts shook his head, as if everything was under control: "He can't escape. Her Majesty has already guessed that someone would come to our door at this juncture, and she was prepared for it."

Alex: "Her Majesty?"

"Yes. Her Majesty has the Military Intelligence Department, the largest intelligence organization, under her control. How could she not know the situation in Lingdun?"

As Duke Roberts spoke, a hint of surprise also appeared in his eyes.

Although Yekaterina used to call him uncle, he had to admit that she was an emperor worthy of respect.

He couldn't help but sigh: "Empress Yekaterina is the most talented monarch I have ever seen, a hundred times better than Queen Charlotte. If she were in power, it wouldn't be long before the Alchemy Civilization would have a golden age that it hasn't seen in thousands of years. It's a pity that the realm invasion came too suddenly, and this situation is not easy to deal with..."

Alex's expression also became complicated for a moment as he listened.

In terms of seniority, Yekaterina was still his junior from the first class, but he never expected that she would be an emperor with such great talent and vision.

However, this emperor's skills and courage were obvious to all, and this was also the most important reason why the Empire was still stable in this time of crisis.

Obviously, this was not the time to be sentimental about this. Alex pondered for a moment and then asked: "Father, are you saying that the guy just now was a member of the Heavenly Eye Sect?"

A bounty hunter was nothing special, even a famous "Top Ten Legend" was nothing in front of the Roberts family.

In comparison, the force behind him was crucial.

"It must be."

Duke Roberts said with a rather complicated expression: "Queen Charlotte's 'Freedom of Religion Act' not only led to the invasion of the Celestial God Realm, but also left behind some believers of the Outer Gods. They were not completely eradicated at the time, and now the hidden danger has been revealed. What's worse is that if they can come to our door, they will naturally go to others as well. It seems that some high-level officials in the Empire have also become 'surrenderers' and have sided with the Celestial God Realm."

When it came to this topic, the father and son both looked solemn.

Alex frowned and said: "Should we report the situation to Her Majesty the Queen? It seems that the Allied Fleet was betrayed by an internal spy and is likely in great danger. The enemy may even be using a tactic of encircling and striking reinforcements, wanting to devour more Imperial fleets."

"It's too late."

Duke Roberts shook his head.

This was also why he had not slept all night.

Because he had already guessed that this was possible. Now, he had only confirmed the worst-case scenario from the mouth of a stranger.

He added: "Since the other party dared to say it, they must be confident that the matter has been decided. After all, in the face of absolute strength, all strategies are futile. The Allied Fleet is probably in great danger."

It was this feeling of knowing the enemy's conspiracy but feeling like anything they did would be wrong that made them feel like a heavy stone was pressing on their hearts.

Alex asked anxiously: "But are we not going to do anything? Should the fleet go to reinforce them now? If we don't go, what if Marshals Meredith and Rostov need rescuing, and we don't go..."

Hearing this, Duke Roberts suddenly looked up at the sky, his eyes gradually becoming deep.

He also seemed to be full of doubts.

After pondering for a moment, he said: "Last night, I sent a letter to Her Majesty, and she replied with a sentence: 'Even in the darkest night, there will be stars all over the sky.'"

Alex looked confused as he listened.

Just then, the sound of fighting suddenly erupted in the distant street.

The fighting was intense, and even in the manor, they could feel the vibrations.

Duke Roberts knew that the assassin who had left earlier had been blocked by the Military Intelligence Department.

From the beginning, this assassin was destined to have this ending.

Remembering last night's communication, Roberts felt more at ease.

He glanced at his son again and said: "Alex, do you know that even yesterday, Her Majesty had already guessed that the person who would come to our door would be this 'Thief Emperor' Carlo Meredith and told me to be extra careful."

Alex was obviously also surprised. No wonder his old man was not flustered at all; it turned out that he was prepared: "Has the Military Intelligence Department's intelligence become so powerful?"

Duke Roberts shook his head: "No, it's not just that. Few people know that Her Majesty is an unfathomable 'Astrologer'. So she may not know what is happening now and what will happen in the future. Her Majesty's foresight is something you and I cannot imagine."

Alex's eyes were also complicated as he listened, and he then said: "But... shouldn't we do something?"

Duke Roberts obviously couldn't figure it out either and shook his head: "I don't know either. Her Majesty hasn't made any statements and is letting the Council make the decisions. I guess that this time, she seems to want to let those rats hiding in the sewers of Lingdun appear in the sun. As for the Allied Fleet, I feel like she has other plans, and things may turn around."

Alex said: "Ah... But with such powerful enemies from the Celestial God Realm, how can we reverse the situation without the main force of the Imperial Fleet going to rescue them?"

Duke Roberts was also puzzled and shook his head: "Let's do what we should do and do what we can within our capabilities to have a clear conscience. Those guys from the Celestial God Realm will definitely not spare the Alchemy Civilization. Even if someone chooses to live as a slave, our Roberts family will never betray the family's honor and the Alchemy Civilization! If the Allied Fleet has really been ambushed, it will take the nearest reinforcements half a month to reach the area where the incident occurred, so there's no need to rush these one or two days. But I think there will be major changes in this matter."

Alex listened and gave a solemn military salute, saying: "Yes, Father!"

At this time, the sound of the battle outside the street suddenly disappeared.

It had erupted abruptly and ended quickly.

However, just as someone was visiting the Roberts family's manor, some mysterious people were also going to the residences of other ministers.

Now, almost all the high-level officials in Lingdun knew that the Allied Fleet might have been annihilated, and for a time, a gloomy atmosphere pervaded the imperial capital.

For those of the Heavenly Eye Sect, it was a pre-victory celebration.

Once the Allied Fleet was destroyed, breaking through the mainland of Lu Ying would be just around the corner.

Under this atmosphere of impending collapse, there were some in the United Empire who firmly chose to coexist and die with the Alchemy Civilization, like the Roberts family, and there were also some who chose to join the "surrender faction," choosing to betray their civilization and their compatriots.

For a time, all kinds of turbulent forces emerged in Lingdun.

However, most of this was under the surveillance of the Military Intelligence Department.

As Duke Roberts had guessed, the one in the palace also planned to take this opportunity to deal with those rats hiding in the sewers.

......

In the evening, Frederick Palace.

In the solemn palace, the original emergency meeting had turned into a fierce quarrel among the ministers.

Now that the Allied Fleet had lost contact, it was basically confirmed that it had been ambushed.

The conservative and rescue factions of ministers were arguing red-faced over whether to launch a large-scale rescue.

"The enemy has blocked the signal, which is obviously a tactic of 'encircling and striking reinforcements'. We must not send any more troops to their deaths! The best option now is to hold our ground! The enemy doesn't have large warships, so holding our ground is the best option."

"Even if the Allied Fleet has really encountered misfortune, I believe that Marshals Meredith and Rostov, with their rich experience, will definitely not leave a single good warship for the enemy. We still have a naval advantage. If we rashly attack and lose some more fleets, our advantage will be completely gone!"

"The tactic of defense is correct, but if we don't go to rescue them, we will lose two grand marshals and more than 200,000 elite soldiers. This is not only a loss of equipment and personnel but also a loss of morale! If we don't go to rescue them, how disheartened do you think the soldiers on the front lines will be?"

"That's right! General Tussaud is right. Moreover, the enemy's layout on the west coast of Mafa is still very simple, and now is the best opportunity to launch a surprise attack. If we don't take action and wait for them to establish a defense line, there will be no more opportunities. I agree to continue supporting the surprise attack!"

"I agree too!"

"..."

Everyone knew that the fleet sent to reinforce them would also be at great risk, but not reinforcing them would also be wrong.

This was a debate that was destined to be fruitless.

On the throne, Yekaterina, wearing a gold-embroidered imperial robe, watched silently, her purple hair piled high, with both a cold and beautiful appearance and the majesty of an emperor.

She had not spoken the entire time, stroking two meteorites in her hand and silently watching everything before her.

The ministers were also puzzled as to why Her Majesty, the empress, who used to do things with great efficiency, was silent today and allowed the ministers to argue.

But judging from the fact that the chaos in Lingdun City today had been suppressed before it could even arise, the emperor obviously had an accurate judgment and control over the situation.

No one knew what Yekaterina was thinking.

At this time, an old voice suddenly spoke: "Your Majesty, I believe that it is meaningless to continue arguing like this. What do you think?"

The speaker was Merlin Gregory, a man in a gray mage robe.

He was the current Chief Court Enshrinement Master and the only Ninth-Order professional in Lingdun.

Merlin had once been an Eighth-Order enshrinement of a Bonaparte royal prince, Karl Nap, but later, because the realm passage had opened, the upper limit of the laws of heaven and earth had been raised, and the threshold for advancement had been greatly lowered.

No one had expected that the prince would have a piece of cosmic source matter treasured away, which allowed Merlin to successfully advance to the Ninth Order.

But this Merlin was also a typical "old school."

This faction consisted of old nobles who supported the old-style nobles' rights to hereditary fiefdoms and secretly opposed the new policies.

Now that Yekaterina had ascended the throne, a series of new policies had abolished the rights of the royal family and nobles to hereditary fiefdoms.

These "old school" members were now a force for the empire, but also a major obstacle.

After all, he was a Ninth-Order Alchemist, and now that it was a critical time for foreign affairs, no one could do anything to him. This Merlin had a great deal of influence in the court, and there were even signs that he was using his power to manipulate things.

Hearing the question, Yekaterina said indifferently: "Let the Council vote to decide."

Master Merlin was not very satisfied and said: "Your Majesty, I think we should send heavy troops to rescue them. This is the best option."

Yekaterina listened and, without changing her expression, said indifferently: "As you wish."

Hearing this, a barely perceptible look of smugness flashed across Master Merlin's eyes: "Good. Since that's the case, I believe we should send a fleet to reinforce them immediately!"

The ministers listened and said nothing more.

Although Yekaterina had only ascended the throne recently, everyone realized that she was an emperor with great talent and vision. In this situation, no one could do better than her.

The ministers also thought that she needed the support of the "old school" and had made the necessary compromises.

Naturally, no one could say anything more.

However, just when everyone thought that the meeting had come to an end.

Suddenly, a messenger guard broke in, shouting excitedly: "Emergency intelligence! Emergency intelligence!"

Normally, no matter what emergency intelligence it was, it had to be transmitted through a dedicated intelligence department or even transmitted in secret.

Not like this, barging into the palace in such a blatant way.

But there was one exception.

That was a victory report!

The ministers looked at the messenger guard who had broken in, feeling puzzled.

Since the start of the war with those invaders from the Celestial God Realm, they had suffered defeat after defeat. Even if there were small victories, they were pyrrhic victories. Where did this victory report come from?

However, no one noticed that Yekaterina on the throne murmured in a voice that only she could hear: "Has it finally come..."

The messenger guard was so excited that his face was flushed, and he quickly reported: "Your Majesty, a great victory! A great victory! The Allied Fleet has sent an urgent message that from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM today, our fleet completely annihilated eight ten-thousand-mage corps from the Celestial God Realm near the Lahr Mann Islands in the Imperial Strait!"

His voice was as loud as a bell, echoing throughout the entire palace hall.

But the hundreds of ministers in the palace hall were stunned as they listened, seemingly unable to believe what they had heard.

Some of the older ministers even rubbed their eyes and ears, thinking that they were hallucinating.

For a time, the huge palace was silent, with only increasingly heavy breathing.

Yekaterina's clear purple eyes trembled slightly as she listened. Although she had divined some favorable results using astrology, she had never expected such a great victory.

She said with majesty: "Report in detail."

The messenger guard spread out the documents in his hand and reported again in a loud voice: "We have just received intelligence that the Imperial Allied Fleet received support from the Dawn Mercenary Corps. The two sides joined forces to completely annihilate eight ten-thousand-mage corps from the Celestial God Realm, killing more than 80,000 enemies and destroying more than 500 enemy warships. Our army only lost one warship, with 32 deaths and 700 injuries..."

As he said this, everyone in the palace heard clearly.

However, precisely because they heard clearly, it was even more unbelievable.

What!

Completely annihilated eight ten-thousand-mage corps, with such small losses?

If it had been said that the Allied Fleet had paid a heavy price and repelled the enemy, they would have already considered it a great victory.

After all, no one knew better than them now how powerful the ten-thousand-mage corps from the Celestial God Realm were.

But it just so happened that the fleet, with extremely low casualties, had actually "completely annihilated" 80,000 people?

How was that possible!

Was this a false report?

But everyone secretly hoped that it was true.

Even if it was a dream, they didn't want to wake up.

At this time, Yekaterina on the throne suddenly understood when she heard "Dawn Mercenary Corps" and murmured in her heart: "So that's how it is."

As more and more detailed battle reports came in, the ministers scrambled to read them before daring to believe that it was true.

In an instant, the palace was filled with tears of joy and a carnival of jubilation!

......

Before long, the news of the "Great Victory in the Imperial Strait" spread throughout Lingdun through extra editions of newspapers, and then quickly spread throughout the entire empire.

This victory injected a shot in the arm for everyone in the Alchemy Realm, and the morale of the army was greatly boosted.

At the same time, the Dawn Mercenary Corps also powerfully entered everyone's field of vision.