Chapter 670 The Queen's Address
With expectant expressions on their faces, all of the sovereigns who were present were seated around a large display trinket that was patched into an input being directly sent from the Kingdom of Arafell, that had requested for an announcement to be made on the Network.
This request was even been worded quite stiffly, as if daring Lanthanor to reject it, which would show that Daneel was afraid of enabling the Queen to win. This was almost a childish sentiment, and if this hadn't been something that was happening because of Daneel's machinations anyway, he might have rejected the request outright as no sane person would want to help their opponent achieve victory.
Clearly, even the Queen hadn't really been expecting that Daneel would agree, and it had only been something to distract him. That was because new spies whom Daneel had obtained after taking control of Jordan and his network of servants had found out that the Kingdom had gone ahead and contacted all of the establishments that were claiming that they had formations and trinkets that would patch into the Network and make it so that the Network of Angaria would not be the only thing displayed on the hugely successful Network Trinkets of both kinds.
These few establishments, who, of course, existed because Daneel allowed them to exist after giving them the plans in the first place, were waiting for the continent-wide launch of the Network, which would soon happen. After all, creating tens of thousands of trinkets was no small feat, and the mages of Eldinor were still hard at work in that task
If the Queen could have known that Daneel could have stopped her from using the Network broadcast medium if he wanted to anyway, she would definitely have spit out blood, as it really looked like she had been prepared to go that route and then gloat that Daneel hadn't been able to stop her.
Of course, all of that was scrapped as soon as a positive reply was sent from Lanthanor, which made the Kingdom of Arafell scramble and get ready to broadcast.
And that… Had led to this moment, where all those present knew what was coming, but still wanted to see it in with their eyes before rejoicing that their plan had worked.
A few seconds during which the silence was only punctured by Aran nervously popping his fingers, which was an irritating habit of his that was usually stopped by Cassandra discreetly setting his hands on fire and then feigning ignorance, the display trinket finally flashed brightly before the blank imagine on it was replaced by a beautiful background of the city.
The location looked like it had been hand-picked in order to show a paradise on earth. There were numerous fountains here and there, and if one looked really closely, they could see people chatting happily and moving among the artistic pathways. There were also lush green parks arranged neatly, and even marketplaces could be spotted which were bustling.
Daneel had only been to Arafell in the form of a rat when he had had to go in order to spy on the Queen, and although he had heard that the capital city was beautiful, he couldn't have expected that it was this scenic.
He had to give props to the Queen for using this image, which would definitely evoke interest even in those who hadn't been forcibly swayed using a spell.
Slowly, the image started zooming out, and soon, it became clear that this was what one would see through a window.
With that window still occupying three-fourths of the screen, a dazzling figure walked into the shot.
She was wearing a dress very similar to one that Daneel had first seen her in - it was tight in all the right places and graceful in all the others. If others were wearing it, it might have seemed a bit vulgar, but the grace and elegance that was present in the Queen of Arafell's stunning face allowed her to carry it off amazingly. It was also red in color, which made sure that it would linger in anyone's eyes, as if her extraordinary beauty wasn't enough to make both men and women wonder whether the stories were true, and that she was really some kind of fairy that had descended from the heavens.
Even when she spoke, her voice was like that of a Nightingale - one that anyone would be ready to listen to for no matter how long the one who possessed it went on for.
"Arafell. I really believe that there is no better word to describe this magical place other than 'Paradise'. Where others offer you dreams that might not be fulfilled, I offer… a promise. A promise… That if you trust me, I will give you the greatest life possible on this beautiful continent. So choose wisely, and if you're still on the fence, then I invite you to the grand gathering that will soon take place inside the Kingdom of Arafell to welcome all those who have already made the right choice. Even the Kings of the other Kingdoms are invited, as I hope that at least seeing what you do not have will allow you to learn what you can do to give a better life to your citizens. I, your Queen, look forward to seeing you all then. For now, farewell."
As the transmission cut off, even the sovereigns could not help but sit in their place and marvel at what had just happened.
Unlike what one would think, this was actually not because they were feeling extremely happy that their plan had worked out, and that the Queen had called for a gathering.
No, it was because…the Queen was still lingering in their eyes, and her words were still echoing in their minds.
Each word had been enunciated so clearly, and each sentence had its own unique gesture, such as her opening her arms wide in order to show her welcoming nature when she had uttered the statement about the 'promise'.
Her ethereal beauty seemed to strike one's heart and soul in a manner that made them want to keep watching, and after she left, Eloise even got a distressed expression on her face.
After that, even Aran, Keller and the rest also got the same expressions.
Faxul was the first one to break out of it, and when he did, it was as if a cloud that had somehow drifted over him and had covered his vision had been lifted. He had been able to resist using the power of his blood, which he had been practicing with for the past few days and which had fascinated him more and more with the amount of strength it possessed.
Of course, it was not something that would allow him to come under the effect of whatever was happening here, and as he looked around to see Daneel with a very serious expression on his face, he realized that he was right.
This wasn't natural, at all.
As if he had seen enough, Daneel flicked his fingers, which allowed all the others to also escape the 'spell' as that flick of his had allowed sound waves to vibrate in such a way that made them feel as if their heads were ringing like bells.
As they all turned around with shock to look at the King, he said, "She has mastered the Art of Enthrallment much more than I thought. Enthrallment is… A complex thing, and there were always very strict norms for anyone to be able to use it. One of them was that anyone who even tried to use it had to be very charismatic, or should have had some other feature that would set them apart and make them look unique and unforgettable to all those who saw them. In the case of the ancient one whom the Emperor went up against, it was his ferocious nature to go forth and get what he wanted, no matter what it was, that attracted many to him. In her case… It's obvious."
Kellor was the first one to express his thoughts.
"Isn't that… A bit too scary? So…has she already captivated everyone who was watching? We should stop the replay!"
The others also nodded frantically, because if what the king was saying was true, then the Queen of Arafell was much more of a threat that they had thought. Moving millions using mere words was something that was only supposed to happen in the Legends, but they had just experienced it by themselves, and they were still pretty shaken up by it.
Thankfully, the king's answer allowed them to relax.
"Calm down. Nothing can be that powerful. Even if I hadn't snapped my fingers, all of you would have broken out in a matter of a few more seconds. As for common people, at most, for a minute, they would have been 'enthralled'. The true purpose of this is not to completely manipulate everyone, because if that were possible, she would have used this route instead of the risky one where she sent emissaries with trinkets. No, this is something that was purely based on how the minds of humans and other species work, and it will only have this much effect for a little time before completely fading. The only case in which this is different, is if someone already had a little bit of a notion to go to her. If that is true, they will be convinced to take part in the gathering. But if it isn't, it won't bring that much of a change, other than what would have been brought if she had talked normally."
Daneel didn't add that he had heard of leaders on Earth, too, who could achieve a similar effect.
After a brief silence hung over the meeting for a few seconds, Elanev spoke up.
"Does this change anything?"
After thinking for a bit, Daneel answered, "Not really. If anything, I feel even more glad now that I'm using this route. Anyway, let's go ahead. All of you have your duties laid out. As for me, I'll be personally checking up on the Healer's Academy and the National School, as they will be featured quite heavily in our own gathering. Well, even if we called ours just to make her call one, we still have this to hit it out of the park, as it has to look like that is the reason why people will be shifting their allegiance, later on. Disperse."
…
Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Arafell, the Queen was happily smiling to herself after the announcement.
The fact of the matter was that even the one who had been handling the communication eye during the broadcast had been struck speechless by her act, which had led the little girl to ask, "Queen, I can tell that you are using some form of the Enthrallment spell. But, won't the Big Four notice that?"
Chuckling, she answered, "Oh, that's alright. The Big Four have always known that this kingdom has a form of that spell, but they never knew the true power of it. Even now, I'm not using any form of magic, so even though this was only made possible because of extensive research during the age of the Empire by the creator of the spell, it will look as if it is all because of my natural charisma."
After answering in this way inside her mind, the Queen turned to the minister who was waiting for her.
Seeing that he had her attention, he said, "My Queen, regarding the resources that we need…"
The Giants were excellent additions to any Kingdom, but they also cost a lot to maintain. Hence, the Treasury of the kingdom had always never been too flush, but that had never been a problem.
Until now.
The grand scale of the gathering that the Queen was planning needed a lot more resources than they had, and when the Chief Financial Minister, who was in front of her, had asked her about it before, she had said that it would be solved in good time.
Now, seeing him ask again, she said, "It has begun. Just give it a little bit of time, and we will have more than we need."
The Minister didn't understand what 'thing' had begun, but he bowed and left.
In fact, even the little girl didn't understand, but she held her tongue as the Queen had said that everything would become clear in good time.
An hour after that, the Queen sent a peculiar message.
The entire army in the capital was supposed to retreat, and no matter who entered the palace, they were not supposed to interfere.
Although there were protests, they acquiesced, and soon, the Queen was practically defenseless.
For the last 30 minutes, the little girl had been struggling with the urge to go ahead and ask even though she had told herself that she shouldn't bug the Queen. After all, in these 30 minutes, they had done nothing except sit and stare at the door.
Right when she made the decision to just do it, a loud sound stopped her.
BANG!
"Haha! Queen, clearly, you know you are no match, so you didn't put up any resistance! Or maybe you trust your formations, but nothing can stop me, a formation master! If I had known of your beauty, I would have come a lot sooner, but it's not too late now! Be my Queen, and I will allow you to become even more powerful while we…"
BANG!
With another loud sound that made the little girl shriek, the man who had just entered the throne room was squished into a red paste by a huge hand that descended from above.
It was so fast that it hadn't given him any time to react, but the Queen sat unflinching, as if this was exactly what she had been waiting for.
Opening her palm, she made a pouch filled with Ker gems flow to her.
As she counted the ones inside, she remarked, "Pfft, a formation master? With just 20 Ker Gems? A beggar is more like it. Well, I hope the others are richer…"
As the little girl realized how they would be getting their resources, she couldn't help but gasp inwardly with horror.
With another motion of her palm, the red past disappeared, and the stage was set for another 'pursuer' to enter.
So, while looking forward to King Daneel's expression which she would soon see when he lost, the Queen patiently prepared to 'welcome' the next exiled Warrior who had been captivated by her address.