Chapter 657 Rise of the Alliance 2
If Angaria had still been the same as it once was, news of incredible changes like these would have taken at least a few days to proliferate in the continent.
However, now, with the existence of the Network, the continent woke up the next day and gawked at their screens or the Network Trinkets that they had, while they listened to or watched an explosive piece of news that they never thought would happen in their lifetimes.
And the whole thing was covered in a section that was aptly named "Rise of the Alliance."
In the Kingdom of Arafell, the Queen was sitting alone in her throne room while also viewing the Network Trinket's display in front of her.
In it, a view from above could be seen in which the land of the continent had a long, circular scar running through it that looked as if it was quite deep.
She could estimate that the depth was at least 10 meters, and work was still continuing to extend this line more and more, with mages repeatedly blasting the ground beneath them and lifting up the soil that was loosened in the process.
She had already blocked out the voice of the announcer, as she had already heard everything regarding the matter. Instead, she waited for the other sight that was shocking the netizens all over Angaria.
Soon enough, a blank image appeared, and then the trinket showed a different scene.
BANG!
It was a wall that was being bombarded by large stones that were being picked up and thrown by mages who looked all too happy that they were doing such a fun task.
Behind the wall, in the distance, a colosseum could be seen, which let everyone realize that this was the Black Raven Kingdom, where Battle Royales were famous.
The image switched again, and this was a different wall - a slightly shabby one, but it looked as if it had been protected by some sort of formations till now.
These formations had been deactivated, as this wall was also being pelted by humongous stones.
Lastly, the image switched once again to show the biggest wall yet.
Anyone who was knowledgeable in the continent would recognize that these were the legendary Impenetrable Walls of Lanthanor, which had protected the Kingdom from invaders for thousands of years. As one of the most impressive feats of construction in modern history, many had even visited them in order to see their incredible height and undefeatable might. Possessing the record of not allowing any sort of army inside since they had been built, these walls also boasted of being the tallest, standing at 30 m tall.
Only… Even these were being destroyed, but instead of using violent means like in the other cases, mages were carefully dismantling the blocks and putting them on carts as if they were to be transported somewhere.
Each greyish-black block was huge, bigger than a human, and it was only because these mages who were able to use telekinesis spells that they were able to safely transport them.
Over all, this was actually the sight which shocked people the most. The famous Walls of Lanthanor… Were actually being destroyed? Why? And what the hell was the purpose of all that work?
The answer was given by the voice of the announcer, whose statement was put in a loop while these images were repeatedly shown.
"Breaking News! The First Alliance of Angaria has begun consolidating the land of all three of its kingdoms in order to make one united force which is not divided by any walls within itself. The goal is to create a unified land where people can go freely where they wish, without any barriers to separate them. This is only a small press release that has been given by the alliance leader, and the man who has set everything in motion has yet to make his address. But, for now, you can see that all three kingdoms have agreed to this, which is why their walls are also being demolished. As for the scar you see, that will be a wall that will be built to encompass the three kingdoms: Lanthanor, the Black Raven Kingdom and Eldinor. In order not to incite panic, we have also been told to spread the news that the settlements in between these kingdoms, which were not under the control of any force till now, can leave if they wish, or stay independent. This step is only to make development easier for the Alliance, and it is not meant to violently seize these huge tracts of land that have remained free till now. Whatever the case, history is being made, so we encourage all of you to take a part in it and watch."
"History is being made"
The whole reason Arafell did not want to hear the broadcast was this quote, which brought back a lot of memories from the time of the Empire.
True, she was a great admirer of the Emperor, but that didn't mean that she didn't have a competitive spirit.
She wanted to win this contest between them, and she thought that she had used a masterstroke to take the advantage when he was absent.
Yet… She had forgotten that he was the one with the advantage, and that she had only been able to get lucky.
She could even tell that this wasn't the only thing he had planned. If he was going this grand, then he must definitely also have begun other plans so that he could pull all the settlements to himself.
However… She was definitely not out of the running yet.
"Now, it's a contest. A one-sided beatdown is boring, anyway. Let's see if you really do deserve to be regarded by me at the same level as the Emperor."
"Miss, are you saying it to me? I always get confused when you speak out loud in an empty room…"
Having the moment spoiled by the little girl whose body she was inhabiting, Arafell snapped, "For the umpteenth time, it's what rulers do! Whether anyone is there are not, such things should be said out loud as it looks impressive! Got it?"
…
Meanwhile, Daneel and Faxul were standing above one section of the wall that was being built.
"I was surprised that the council didn't put up much resistance. In fact, they seemed… Stifled by my words."
Faxul said this, recalling how his announcement that they would be doing this had been greeted by almost everyone agreeing almost instantly, as if his words had contained some sort of power.
Chuckling, Daniel said, "You must have unconsciously used the natural command over the world that a Champion possesses after the break through. Those poor Humans and Warriors must have been pretty scared. Anyway, I'm glad it all worked out. Your kingdom would have been the main problem, as Eldinor didn't have much of a wall to speak about in the first place. As soon as I promise them that they will be getting a lot of interesting formations to play with and that they will also be responsible for the construction of these magical walls that will exceed even the fame of those of Lanthanor, they were in."
Daneel couldn't help but snigger to himself a little bit as he said this, which led Faxul to say, "Exploitation just comes naturally to you, huh. You already knew that they attach a lot of significance to being at the forefront in magic, and they were robbed of the title after they stopped being the trinket capital of the continent. They had also always been jealous of the walls of Lanthanor, so now that they got the chance to get the glory of constructing something even greater, and also put their name at the forefront in magic, they must have jumped at it."
Daneel only nodded in response, as that was exactly what had happened.
"So… What else? All of us can tell that this is not the only thing you have planned, as walls are just flashy yet simple things, after all."
In response, Daneel said, "Oh, thank you for reminding. I was just going to set off."
Saying so, he teleported away and began the second set of announcements that once again made Angarians all over the continent widen their eyes and wonder just how many more shocks they would be subject to today.
First, it started with something that concerned each and every one.
Money.
"We have just received news that the alliance will also be introducing a new currency, whose name is yet to be determined. However, its specialty is that it will hold the same value in all three kingdoms, which means that anyone will be able to buy a loaf of bread for the same rate no matter where they are, as opposed to before where bread was cheaper in Lanthanor and costlier elsewhere because it was made locally. Folks, for the first time, this currency will be stable, which will allow you all to safely earn and spend without worrying about how the value might change the next day. The exact value used to be set by traders, but soon, there will be a commission that will take care of the set value that will be enforced throughout the alliance. We go now to a special panel of traders, who all believe that this will result in a haven for trade and development, and that they now wish to move their businesses from other kingdoms to the alliance as well…"
A unified currency!
This appealed to all, as it really was the case that even though a general metric was present that hundred silver Lans in Lanthanor would allow a family of four to survive a year, this could vary according to what price a seller might set for certain goods based on how much demand and supply was there. This kind of volatility had always been present, and everyone had gotten accustomed to it. So, now, when they heard that it would not be so anymore… Many couldn't even believe it.
A haven. Yes, that was exactly the word.
If these two were already explosive, then the third blew everyone away, causing them to look for support to lean on as their hearts and minds couldn't take it.
"Another news has just reached us! In the alliance, employment will be guaranteed to each and every able-bodied man and woman! All you have to do is reach out, and you will be allotted a job with a guaranteed payment! Also, education will be free for all, no matter what the age! We will keep you posted if there are any more developments, but we seriously don't know if it can get any better! At this moment, I, the newscaster, am personally risking my job by saying that I am so glad that I live inside the alliance! Praise be to the alliance leader, King Daneel!"
…
Meanwhile, unaware of the tumultuous changes rocking the continent, Percy was pacing around his room, desperately looking for an answer regarding how he was supposed to get out of his situation.
He had gone through each and every option available to him, but none of them would work.
Finally, he leaned against a wall and slid to the ground, while clutching his head in deep frustration and resisting the urge to scream out loud.
Wait…
This position of his, and these extreme feelings, reminded him of a moment that had affected him a lot.
He had thought that he had forsaken the only man who cared about him, but…
"When I accept a disciple, it's for life"
These words echoed in his mind, and he suddenly realized something.
A man with the means of his master must definitely have set up something to keep track of him!
After all, he had found out about his 'betrayel' before, so this was definitely plausible.
But…after thinking for a bit, Percy understood the problem.
The Sect formation.
After the recent scares, the sect formations had been upgraded, so it was possible that the spells of his master weren't able to transmit information to the outside.
So…all he would have to do was leave the sect.
But how? That f*cker had told him not to!
The answer came to him in barely a second. That guy didn't want him to do so by himself. But what if he was escorted out by a Hero?
Yes. This would work.
Well, if it didn't, he would at least die knowing that he had done everything he could.
Bracing himself, Percy made two fire arrows appear in front of his eyes.
SWISH!
Not wanting to allow any time for him to doubt his decision, he made them move, and crumpled to the floor with agony before sending a message to the medical bay.
Only blackened holes were present where his eyes had once been, and there was only one person on the continent who could heal an injury like this.
And to get to her…he would have to be taken outside the sect.
Hoping that his sorry face which he had seen in the mirror right before plunging those fire arrows in would not be the last sight he would see in his life, Percy fainted, and entered the land of his dreams.