Chapter 198
Avril mingled within the Knights Order. Elvian's task for her was simply to stay within the Knights Order and never risk venturing deep into enemy territory, since her value alone was equivalent to that of a thousand soldiers.
However, Avril didn't listen to a word and charged forward as soon as she entered the battlefield. She was originally an adjutant, and the main commander was a fifth-tier Moonlight Knight. As a result, the latter protected her with sparks and lightning all the way, for fear that some bullet might accidentally hurt Avril.
Not only that, wherever Avril is, the Moonlight Cavalry's combat power instantly skyrockets. Besides the Starry Knight's skill bonus, there's a high probability that it's because Avril's popularity is just too high.
Ryan finally understood what the celebrity effect meant, and this scene made him realize once again that it was a pity that Avril wasn't a key figure in his career.
Faced with the Moonlight Knight Order's charge, the Kingdom of Casolda's army showed no will to resist. In fact, even if they had the will, it wouldn't have mattered; the difference in strength between the two sides was too great. Moreover, the Federation had only recently been established, and its army wasn't even under unified command, unlike Wildea, which had been planning this for a long time.
Only after Casaldar lost three cities in succession did the Northern Federation's army finally assemble.
Having more countries has the advantage of having more people. Ten countries each contributed 20,000, and a total of 200,000 troops were assembled in the blink of an eye. With Motis's order, they charged towards the Moonlight Knight Order.
She herself continued to delve into the Chaos Space to Advancement Quest.
"Even if these 200,000 troops are wiped out, the Moonlight Knight Order will still pay a heavy price. Then they'll have to deal with Monica's 30,000 Moonlight Cavalry..."
Once the Moonlight Knight Order are wiped out, the remaining army of Veldja will be no threat.
Ryan's ultimate goal is to elevate the Northern Federation to become the second largest power in the Northern Continent.
He did not intend to merge the Northern Federation into Augustus for a simple reason: if a power becomes too large, it is easy for various problems to arise internally.
And they are also more likely to be feared by others.
For example, it was feared by Gate of Janus.
Dividing the Northern Continent in two would solve the problem, since that's the original situation, and that's also the reason Lin Qi could use to persuade the Gate of Janus to help the Northern Federation.
Although 'Lin Qi' is also High Lord of Augustus, no one stipulates that High Lord should work for the empire, right? Look at Magana, she's also High Lord, and she's always thinking about killing the Empress and becoming empress herself!
"Since they're all under my command anyway, it's even better if they're split into two. In the future, the Northern Federation will openly fight against Augustus, while the two Empress can secretly work together to make money. It's perfect."
On the other side.
On the way from Baron to the Northern Federation.
Inside a luxurious car, 'Lin Qi' stood in front of a mirror, talking to a phantom image reflected in it.
"... You mean, we can use this opportunity to secretly support the Northern Federation and replace Wilder?" the illusory figure in the mirror said.
Her features were not clearly visible; one could only vaguely discern that she was tall and large.
"Yes, Your Holiness." Lin Qi lowered his head slightly. "With the establishment of the Verdea Federation, Queen Elvian's ambitions are obvious. If she takes over the Northern Federation, the situation in the Northern Continent will change. When Augustus and Wilder go to war, no matter who wins, a behemoth that even the Church will find difficult to suppress will emerge in the Northern Continent."
"But even if the Northern Federation wins, who can guarantee they won't end up like Wildea? Besides, the Holy Blood Army of the Augustus Empire has already made its move; will they be content with that?"
"Your Holiness can rest assured. The person in charge of the Northern Federation has already contacted me secretly and asked for my help."
"The person in charge? Queen Diana?"
"Yes."
"She... she's not from the City of Desire?"
"She is not. Although the people of the City of Desire did want to kill her, Queen Diana countered them with a clever plan and turned the tables on them. Now she has infiltrated the city, and the people of the City of Desire think she is one of them."
"Oh? Interesting, a man of ambition and cunning." The Pope chuckled. "She's in a predicament, and the Church can certainly step in. What about the Augustus Empire?"
"There's no need to worry about that. I will propose to Emperor Vainay, in my capacity as High Lord, that he stop sending troops against the Northern Federation. It's not wise for the Empire to be on a westward expedition, then southward, and then eastward."
"You alone? I'm afraid that won't work."
"And Ryan, he's my friend, he should agree, and persuade Magana to agree too, since Magana doesn't want to watch Vainay become more and more powerful."
"Ryan... I heard from Lia that you two met back in Berman City? And you were very close?"
"..."
"Don't worry, I'm not punishing you. Even Saintess can't do without having more friends. Just do as you say, and I'll make sure Lillard fully cooperates with you."
The Pope's voice was calm and ethereal, as if it were from another time and space.
"Lin Qi, this world is changing. I have glimpsed some earth-shattering secrets from the distant past. Perhaps one day, the isolation between the present world and the Chaos Space will be broken. At that time, a new era will dawn. The Gate of Janus must ensure that its current position is not shaken. Do you understand?"
"Your Holiness, what did you see?"
Sylvia parted her lips slightly. "A corner of the war of the gods."
She vaguely remembered that in that grand scene, there was a name that transcended time and space, a name that even surpassed Janus!
Yes, Janus is very likely not the beginning of everything on the Rhea Continent, and very likely not the Creation God!
"Baalshatt of the Gods... that's a forbidden name."
"Lilvia murmured."
Sorry for the late update... I have a bit of a fever, took an ibuprofen and slept a little in between, but I'm not feeling well. I might need to get an IV drip tonight. The character design artists in the group have made a lot; I'll post them later when I have time.
Possible leave
As shown in the picture, I was already receiving IV fluids yesterday; everyone in the group knows that. I managed to write one chapter yesterday. I had a high fever of 39.5°C in the middle of the night, took fever reducer, and then the fever spiked to 39°C again at noon. I just finished my IV fluids and went home to rest. I'll see how I feel this afternoon.
I might finish writing one chapter, but I'll have to slow down my updates for the next few days. I'll try to write around 10,000 words, and then use the rest of the time to rest or save up some drafts. That's all.
I've created three character designs and posted them in the related section. I'm not entirely satisfied with the others yet. Thanks to Blessing Wind, 2bb, Mass Production White Hair, and other great artists for their help.
Chapter 133 The Witch's Palace - Shally Tier 5: There's a kind of beauty called stats! [1w1]
"Balshatt again? What the hell?"
Ryan watched his first wife and the Pope's conversation and was curious about which part of the so-called War of the Gods this was. However, although 'Lin Qi' asked, Lilvia seemed to intend to be a riddle teller.
You'll find out later.
As expected, the riddle master's standard answer will be revealed in the future.
The riddle-maker can't get a house!
"Never mind, at least we can get through the Gate of Janus smoothly."
With the Pope's permission, Ryan's next plan became much easier.
After Lin Qi finished talking with Lilvia, he immediately launched a Cloud Piercing Arrow, secretly dispatching the forces of Gate of Janus to the Northern Coalition.
At the same time, 'Motis' also summoned the kings of the various federal countries, setting the time for three days later, that is, to have those councilors gather in Adechis, the reason being the 'Ancient Ruins' search plan.
Because Motis received a message from the City of Desire, the elder asked her to find the Ruins of Desire. According to the clues provided by the latter, the Ruins of Desire are located within the territory under the jurisdiction of the Northern Federation... In fact, Ryan knew that this was the place where Jonathan had been sent before.
Ryan naturally didn't intend for 'Motis' to search for any ancient sites, but he certainly had the audacity to use the pretext of searching for ancient sites to summon and kill those councilors.
Only when these congressmen are dead can 'Motis' clean up the mess with the Northern Federation.
As for the executioner, Ryan, he's all ready—that is, 'Shally'.
Just then, 'Shally's' fifth-tier Advancement Quest arrived, and it involved killing people. However, unlike the previous quest where she had to kill 88,888 people, this time she only needed to kill 8... well, 8 fifth-tier demons or Supernatural Being.
So far, 'Shally' has only killed three demons, and those were demons she found after searching for a long time in the rifts of the Inner World. High-level demons are not easy to find, and they are very intelligent, so they won't easily come out to fight you.
Why would someone in the Chaos Space want to fight you one-on-one? With a wave of his hand, a horde of the Demon Legion charged over.
It has to be said that the Blood Knight's stats are truly impressive. Although it hasn't advanced to Tier 5 yet, the combined attributes from its numerous skill effects even surpass those of many Sixth Tier Supernatural Being.
However, after 'Shally' wiped out the entire Demon Legion in a counterattack, the high-ranking demons, seeing that the situation was not good, hid away, leaving them with nowhere to kill.
These three were only killed after 'Shally' had swept through two Chaos Space, emptying them completely.
The efficiency is far too low, which is not in line with 'Shally's' usual style.
Isn't that a coincidence? All those Desire Congressmen in the Northern Federation happen to be at the fifth rank.
I'm going to kill someone at level five, and you need to be at level five to become a councilor. What a coincidence!
Whether or not she could kill him was not even on Ryan's radar. To put it bluntly, even if it were Fifth Tier Transcendent like Kant, it would be like a father beating his son if 'Shally' went to fight him.
Ryan was actually quite puzzled. Both were Chosen of the Gods, but 'Shally's' attributes far surpassed 'Lin Qi's'. Although 'Lin Qi's' strengths were indeed different, in terms of combat power, the combination of Blood Knight and Blood God's Chosen was simply too overpowered.
Ryan had previously hoped that Motis would be able to compete with Shally after leveling up, since the Wild Hunt was Race God and she was a natural-born chosen one after her class change.
Unfortunately, it seems there's still a significant gap in their attributes. Unless Motis directly advances to the Wild Hunt, it's unlikely he'll catch up.
So, Blood God is the most awesome. Who agrees? Who disagrees?
'Shally' arrived in Silvermoon City in the afternoon, and the atmosphere in the city immediately changed when the five thousand Holy Blood Army were stationed there.
The blood-red armor was outlined with mysterious patterns, and the banner of the Holy Blood Army flew high in the sky. Wherever they went, it seemed that even the air became thick and sticky, and even children dared not cry loudly.
However, under 'Shally's' strict orders, the Holy Blood Army simply stationed themselves in the city in an orderly manner, without taking a single needle or thread from the citizens of Silvermoon City.
In fact, due to the disintegration of the Northern Coalition and the outbreak of civil war, the country that is doing the best now is the Kingdom of Lotte, a member state that was kicked out long ago, and the Holy Blood Army has indeed made an indelible contribution to maintaining the order of the kingdom.
Amabena naturally welcomed 'Shally's' arrival with open arms. Angiya, who had witnessed the strength of the Holy Blood Army, also had no such thoughts. However, Monica was hiding in the city, was eager to try. She secretly found Ryan and asked if they should take this opportunity to get rid of 'Shally'.
Her 30,000 Moonlight Knight Order have already dispersed and secretly infiltrated the Kingdom of Lotte. Under Ryan's cover, no one knows where they are. As long as Monica gives the order, the Moonlight Knight Order will be able to surround Silvermoon City by this time tomorrow.
After eliminating 'Shally', the Holy Blood Army collapsed, and Monica was indeed tempted.
"She's only below rank 5!" Monica declared with high spirits. "I'm Sixth Tier, and I have 30,000 Moonlight Knight. If we work together from the inside, 30,000 against 5,000, the advantage is on our side!"
"Lady Monica, don't you have any ideas? Doesn't he have something to protect himself? What if you fail to defeat him, and then you take down the Holy Blood Army first, and then the Augustus Empire's army marches east, leaving Wilderia vulnerable from both sides?"
"I've gone through so much trouble to finally stabilize the Augustus Empire's offensive momentum. Let's not cause any trouble for Her Majesty the Queen."
After Ryan's reasonable analysis, Monica finally decided not to act rashly.
After all, Wildea is currently engaged in a fierce battle with the Northern Federation, with its main forces on the front lines. If the Augustus Empire were to get involved at this time, it would indeed be detrimental to them.
Actually, Ryan really wanted to say that someone like you might not be able to beat 'Shally'. If 'Shally' successfully advances, then she can basically crush you at will.
However, Ryan didn't plan to make a move against Monica right now, as 'Shally' needed to rush to Adechis for Advancement Quest.
Next, 'Shally' will cooperate with 'Motis' to eliminate the councilors of the City of Desire. At the same time, the Gate of Janus forces led by 'Lin Qi' will also strike at the forces of desire in the ten federal member states. Once this wave is over, the Northern Federation will basically be able to completely clear its name.
It will definitely cause significant damage, since all the leaders have been eliminated at once, which will surely lead to chaos. However, with the federation already established and Gate of Janus in charge, it shouldn't fall apart immediately.
"Once the Federation is completely exonerated, the next step is to deal with Wildea... Hmm, after taking Wildea, I can enter the Moon God Relic Site and get my hands on the Advancement Fragment."
Although Ryan had considered finding an excuse to get Elvian to let him into the ruins, it would probably be troublesome if the secret were discovered. Anyway, Wildea would be captured sooner or later, so it was better to wait until the situation stabilized.
There are also fragments of Janus's headquarters. Lilvia is being mysterious and talkative, and Ryan doesn't want to be targeted by her at this time.
Beep beep beep.
"Sir Ryan, the Aisha you mentioned has arrived!"
Amabena's voice came from outside the door.
After three days of development, Aisha had reached Tier 2, so Ryan arranged for her to take up a position in the Lot army.
The main problem is that the Kingdom of Lotte is simply too poor. This poverty is not only reflected in its economy, but also in its lack of talent and resource reserves.
Because of the recent rumors that "Lotte is doomed," a large number of outstanding talents have been lost. This includes Supernatural Being, but look at the mediocre people the city government is recruiting in other fields!
Having seen the comparison with the Augustus Empire, Ryan's blood pressure soared after reading it.
The most important thing now is to arm the army. We'll figure out how to make money later. Although the country is poor, the nobles in the various territories are still quite wealthy. Ryan will find an opportunity to have Amabena treat him to a meal and take her in as his dog.
Unwilling to take it?
You can give it a try.
Money is not the issue, but only an excellent general can improve the quality of the army. After all, Angiya is a talent in political administration, and her value lies more in city development. Therefore, Ryan decided to let 'Aisha' manage the army of the Kingdom of Lotte.
Although... Aisha isn't quite the right fit in terms of her profession, she still has the strength and potential. It doesn't matter if she turns the Kingdom of Lotte into a succubus army, as long as she can fight.
Once we improve the quality of our troops, they'll have guns and cannons and stand tall. Then we'll see who dares to say, 'Lotte is doomed with Amabena around.'
However, Ryan was still quite speechless. He really wanted to know what kind of person Amabena's father was, that he could manage the kingdom so 'terribly'. Why didn't he ask someone for help?
As expected, Amabena's assessment of him as a "spendthrift father" was not without reason. Although Amabena herself was not much better, this father and daughter pair managed to squander the entire foundation of the Augustus Empire. No wonder the people of Lot had no thoughts and just wanted to wait and see when the country would be destroyed.
"Ryan, where did she come from?"
Inviting Aisha into the castle, Amabena looked her up and down and whispered in amazement, "She's so beautiful."
Beauty isn't just about appearance; Aisha's charm comes from within. What is the charm of a mature older sister? She can captivate people with just a word or a smile, truly winning over both men and women.
"Queen, you are beautiful too," Aisha chuckled.
"Oh, I'm nowhere near as pretty as you, hehe~"