Chapter 880 - 234: Turning Point
The sound of the steam whistle echoed.
Wodan was still shrouded in fog at the harbor.
The anticipated war did not arrive. The streets bustled with people, a scene of peace, with flags flying on the tower, bearing the emblem of the Wodan Imperial Family.
Kasmin gathered an army from Maelon, along with more than a dozen Rune Warriors, ready to counterattack Wodan in one fell swoop.
But unexpectedly, the Duke of Jindola surrendered, holding his hat in his left hand, half-kneeling at the gates of the Imperial Tower.
It was a continuously rainy day.
Kasmin never expected such a result, considering the Duke of Jindola a formidable enemy, and yet he surrendered, claiming he was at her disposal.
Filled with doubts, she walked up to Jindola and asked sternly, "Why?"
In her heart, she did not accept such a victory; it felt like charity, like going through an arduous journey only to find it was unnecessary.
Jindola was slightly stout, though he was in his forties or fifties, he was well-maintained and still appeared young, especially with those spirited eyes.
What he did was unfathomable, no one would expect such a gentle and refined duke to choose rebellion.
Jindola looked at Kasmin with a calm demeanor and said slowly:
"If the Princess believes me, all of this is the Empress’ arrangement, and carrying such infamy means nothing."
Kasmin frowned, retorting coldly, "You’re talking nonsense. How could my mother arrange such a thing? Absurd."
Jindola remained calm, saying, "If not for this, how could I have taken the Imperial Tower so easily that day."
Indeed.
The Imperial Tower was heavily guarded, with a strong City Guard Army; even if Jindola had Rune Warriors, it wouldn’t be possible to conquer it so easily in such a short time.
Kasmin couldn’t be swayed by a few words from Jindola, sneeringly responding, "So what? There are countless means to achieve it, I won’t believe you."
Jindola seemed to anticipate Kasmin’s reaction, "If possible, take a look at this and you will understand."
He took out a black letter from his bosom, the envelope was jet-black, as if made from some animal’s fur.
"What is this?" Kasmin didn’t reach out to take it, showing doubt, thinking Jindola had ill intent, and considering these matters were too odd not to question.
Jindola took a deep breath, smiled and said calmly, "A letter from Her Majesty the Empress, written to you, entrusted for me to deliver. Now seems the right time."
Kasmin gave a nod, Weilian stepped forward, took the letter, examined it, and then nodded saying:
"No problem, it’s just a normal letter."
Kasmin took the letter, her hands trembling unconsciously, unsure if it was excitement or fear, the text on the letter was neat and majestic.
"It’s my mother’s handwriting."
Her expression while reading the letter changed from amazement to shock, and then to calm.
"If you are reading this letter, that means I am already dead. Do not mourn or question too much, this is my choice."
"The origin of all this stemmed from a deal, a transaction between your father and me, he showed me the truth of this world, and if I don’t make a change, the Empire’s fate is only destruction."
"This world seems calm, but in reality, it’s being devoured bit by bit. The western Holy Roman Empire disappeared into the black mist, completely without a trace, it has been like this since three years ago."
"So we need to break this deadlock with the hands of Divine Spirits, and indeed we have achieved this, the plague on the Southern Continent is the result."
"In the future, you will need to make decisions on your own, your father will guide you forward, he might be a Divine Spirit..."
Upon seeing this, Kasmin wasn’t too surprised, seeing all that Su Changxing had done, there seemed to be a sign beforehand.
At the same time.
She felt a deep sense of unease, feeling that she and the Empire were caught in a bottomless vortex that could lead to destruction at any moment.
The Empire was their family’s everything, and her everything, preserving the Empire was her duty and her mother’s last wish.
Kasmin closed the envelope, placed it in her bosom, even though she understood everything, she still found it difficult to let go.
She looked at Jindola and said calmly, "If that’s the case, you don’t have to die."
Jindola shook his head, "Princess, you know, I must die. Even if I don’t, I won’t live long."
"If the Empress can die for the Empire, why can’t I?"
He had already been influenced by Divine Spirits, staying sane was not easy, yet they had prepared beforehand.
Kasmin was silent for a while, finally saying, "Alright, execution tomorrow at noon."
Tomorrow, she would become the Empire’s true Empress, leading the Empire towards an unknown future.
Upon hearing this, Jindola smiled with relief, then stood up and walked into the Imperial Tower with Kasmin; this was probably his last day alive, and spending it here was an honor.
His loyalty to the Empire was unseen by outsiders and didn’t need to be shown, only the Empress needed to know.
Even the Divine Spirits were deceived by them, leading to such a situation.
"Bright and sunny weather in Wodan is rare, today is like that, and tomorrow will be like that."
Kasmin said with a forlorn expression, walking on familiar roads, looking towards the surrounding towers and walls, everything seemed dreamlike, as if not long ago she had been sailing at sea with Su Changxing.
Jindola stated confidently, "The Empire will surely have a bright future, I believe it, and Princess, you will surely be a wise ruler."
Kasmin nodded, "I will."
...
Blood continued to flow around, Adis staggered out from the Black Rope Sect area, recalling the events earlier, feeling a chill of fear.
"The Master saved me once again."
He felt all of this was unreal, "I must be the person in legend favored by Divine Spirits."
Returning to the church.
Angisun appeared astonished seeing him, "I thought you were already dead, how did you survive, oh, my Lord!"
Adis, seeing his expression, smiled faintly and said, "By the grace of the Master."
His injuries had largely healed, except for his severed left hand.
Until now, Yifa and others were still battling, likely due to the sudden appearance of werewolves, making the fight especially difficult.
Until midnight, the gunfire on the streets finally subsided.
The next morning.
The numerous werewolves had completely disappeared, and the Black Rope Sect itself was in chaos, with the Church’s upper echelon mostly dead overnight, leaving no organization.
"Your sacrifices are worthwhile, this will definitely prevent hundreds or thousands of deaths." Nobu affirmed, amazed that Adis and others could accomplish such a difficult task, considering the previous night they nearly couldn’t hold the line due to the surge of werewolves.
Adis placed his right hand over his chest and said humbly, "It is our honor."
Then.
Within a day, they dismantled the Black Rope Sect’s control over Du Lan, involving not just the All Beings Sect but also the cooperation of others, including the city government, City Guard, and ad-hoc resistance organizations.
Moreover, hundreds of criminal Black Rope Sect believers were sent to the guillotine.
Following that, the All Beings Sect built three churches in Du Lan, distributed across different city areas; in less than two days, the All Beings Sect’s faith spread throughout Du Lan.
At the same time, Nobu led a group to nearby cities to continue expanding faith and constructing churches, also aiming to purify the plague.
The longer it dragged, the more died, they had to hurry.
However.
Due to increasing distance from Maelon, the faith’s effect on plague purification weakened, so as the faith expanded, the speed gradually slowed down.