In the year 1519 of the Sea Circle Calendar, the staggering news that all of West Blue had come under the Black Bird Flag swept across the world like a raging tidal wave. An immense sea had been conquered in twenty days. This was no ordinary struggle for supremacy among pirates, but the forceful rise of a vast empire with overwhelming might! All eyes turned toward the newly established metropolis-Chang'an.
Today, a coronation ceremony watched by the entire world would take place here, proclaiming the birth of an "emperor" who stood above the kings of the Four Blues.
A storm was coming, and Hua Country would greet its own era with the grandest rites and the greatest confidence.
On this day, Chang'an City basked in the brilliant morning sun. Atop the gate tower of Xuanwu Gate, which rose a hundred zhang high, the Dark Bird Imperial Banner snapped in the wind. Extending from the imperial city's main gate, the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Avenue, two hundred paces wide and paved with the most precious white marble, ran straight toward Chengtian Gate Square at the edge of sight.
On either side of the avenue, Imperial Guards clad in black armor stood as motionless as statues, hands resting on their sabers, their eyes sharp and their killing intent restrained, silently displaying the empire's martial achievements and majesty. Countless citizens in festive finery craned their necks in anticipation. The crowds were as vast as a sea, yet perfectly orderly, every face brimming with pride and expectation.
At the center of Chengtian Gate Square, the towering Nine-Tier Heaven Altar rose into the clouds. Its foundation was built from soil of five colors, symbolizing the state; each tier bore reliefs depicting the Hua Kingdom's campaigns in every direction and its governance of the land, surrounded by