Ch.407The Light of Resistance. Ortolan (4)

“So it failed.”

“I didn’t have particularly high expectations, but I thought we could at least slow them down.”

In a dimly lit communications room, hundreds of people were communicating through video conference.

However, their intentions were as sinister as the room’s lighting, for it was their scheme that had led to the engagement with the Sky Warden on the high seas.

“How much did it cost?”

“Since not a single person returned alive… about 6 million gold coins.”

“Ha! Good thing we haggled it down.”

Thousands of fighter aircraft, dozens of warships, and tens of thousands of combat troops were certainly expensive, but when hundreds of sovereign rulers gathered together, assembling such forces wasn’t particularly difficult.

In the human world, 90% of problems can be solved with money, and the remaining 10% with force. Since these were disposable assets, they cost only one-fifth of what regular military forces would have required.

“Even without any Aura users, this is… just slowing down their sailing speed? That’s shocking. We didn’t just send fighters or just a fleet. We attacked simultaneously from sea and air, infiltrated with over 30,000 infantry, and all we managed was a delay of a few days…”

Four days.

That was the delay purchased with 6 million gold coins.

It was an astonishingly poor return on investment, to put it mildly. Honestly, these rulers of the Shadow Alliance had expected to sink the Sky Warden or at least damage it enough to immobilize it for several months.

They couldn’t keep sending hundreds of thousands of gold coins. Even gods don’t fall for the same trick twice. If the attacks continued for about a year, they would eventually have no choice but to unleash the ancient weapons sleeping in orbit.

The rulers of the Shadow Alliance were well aware that Viktor was “choosing not to” rather than “being unable to” act.

So why were they gathering like this, essentially inviting punishment when they couldn’t stop him anyway? Simply put, they didn’t want to die.

“By the way… where are Edward and Sherin? Are they absent?”

“Edward was overthrown by rebellion, and Sherin had her throat slit by her wife.”

“Rebellion, you say?”

“The Two Moons cult. Seems they had many grievances built up over time.”

“Damn it…”

The nature of rulership, thrones and crowns inevitably provokes human desire. Even for the position of village chief, intricate schemes unfold that would make magistrates shake their heads—how much more so for the highest position under heaven?

But positions entangled with desire are inevitably entangled with sin. Those who commit all manner of vile, dirty, and despicable acts to seize the throne constantly find their lives under threat. Even with strong royal authority, sitting on the throne was essentially like having a blade held to one’s neck.

And when an empire is established with such precarious power, the anger of subordinates—previously suppressed under the pretext of being a sovereign ruler—suddenly turns against the ruler.

The world is full of monarchs who refuse to relinquish power even at the cost of their lives, yet find it too late to extend friendly gestures to their subjects. Naturally, when the cause of discontent is suppressed with bribes and force rather than addressed, this is the result.

“Anyway… where is the Sun now?”

“According to our spies, he’s in Ortolan. The flagship remains intact.”

“Damn it. We can’t do anything there.”

Attacking the Sun in a territory under a nation’s jurisdiction, rather than in unclaimed land between cities and countries, would incur Ortolan’s wrath for perhaps a century. With its population of 20 billion giving it considerable regional influence, any average nation that dared to interfere would be utterly destroyed without even leaving bones to collect.

Attacks against terrorists have always been considered justified, and if a diplomatic guest were to be attacked, it would create a historical disgrace. It would symbolize a nation’s inability to protect even a single person (figuratively speaking, of course).

“Since there’s nothing we can do now, let’s discuss what to do when he enters unclaimed territory. We need to delay him by at least a month for our necks to be safer.”

“Damn… we’re supposed to be rulers of nations, yet here we are trembling at the movements of a god.”

The rulers wore gloomy expressions, but their very behavior was proof that the Sun was moving forward righteously.

Where there is light and heat, cold and darkness cannot enter. Those who seized power unjustly and dishonorably have no right to behold the brilliant light. Those who refuse to be generous and correct their miserly nature, ultimately earning the hatred of their people, will not be permitted even the warmth to heat their bodies.

What is fervor? It is light and heat, the sole and most powerful elements protecting the human world from darkness.

Beauty in the world is created from light; without light, darkness returns. Warmth and wisdom come from heat; without heat, the age of barbarism arrives.

Their appearance is the same. Despite occupying the most prestigious positions in their nations, do they not fail to share that glory with others?

Therefore, no matter how splendidly they dress or how they dance under colorful chandeliers, their souls remain dark and blind. They cannot warm their frozen bodies even if they burn countless logs and light a hundred braziers and a thousand stoves.

Their true punishment is not death. The ultimate penalty for their evil deeds is the corruption of their souls, which have become numb to evil and incapable of feeling compassion for the pitiful and wretched.

It can be declared with certainty that the souls of wicked rulers will never find solace in the Sun.

*

And regardless of the whining of tyrants hiding in shadows, the Iron Walker party finished touring Ortolan’s historical museum over five hours and prepared to return to the flagship.

“Are you leaving? There is still much to see in this city…”

“Though I would like to stay longer, the times urge me onward. In fact, I was attacked before coming here. They seemed to be mercenaries, likely hired by someone.”

“Attacked? How blasphemous!”

“I do not wish to see this beautiful city defiled by such dishonorable hands. I tell you, dark times are approaching. Not from divine madness but from human greed, dark clouds will soon cover the sky. Be fearful and prepare.”

“As the god speaks, we shall follow.”

The President and Vice President were not fools. They weren’t the highest elected officials for nothing.

Even a child with a runny nose eating ice cream in the marketplace could tell who was trying to prevent the establishment of the empire. But without clear evidence, and unable to wage war recklessly in these times, everyone was watching with folded arms.

“The preservation and management of artifacts from 100,000 years ago and the legacy left by ancestors is itself a great achievement. Ortolan is the place that kindled the first hope that humanity could overcome the dark times. Therefore, my blessing shall rest upon this land. No malevolent entity shall mar the glory of this place.”

“Thank you for bestowing your blessing upon these ignorant beings.”

“Be fruitful, multiply, and prosper. Though the Empire of the Sun has set, the Empire of Humanity is now rising. The day is not far off when thousands upon thousands of cities like this one will be established with their flags. When that time comes, I shall look upon the flags of all cities from my throne. Until then, I have given you the strength to protect your flag.”

“By the eternal heavens, we swear this city will not decline until our loyalty ends.”

“Then go and carry out my will.”

The President and Vice President knelt, bowed, and then gave three cheers before departing.

Their vacant spots were filled by honor guards moving in more densely, signaling it was time to leave this city.

“Everyone board! We depart for our next destination!”

“Yes, sir!”

White uniforms with epaulets and emblems, and flags fluttering as they head toward the Sky Warden.

Their uniforms and flags originated from a single source; their souls, purified through dedication, will go to the Sun’s side when they die.