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Chapter 93 Latest News on the White Walkers

Olivia Crossos was arrested on suspicion of murder.

If it were vote-rigging gangsters, and their organizers were arrested during negotiations, these guys would immediately go berserk and would smash and destroy all the surrounding buildings.

Unfortunately, most of the people who besieged the Beijing court were members of the Amazon Association.

Upon hearing that Olivia had been arrested, these members immediately realized that the iron fist had fallen, and before the surrounding vote thugs could stir things up, they quickly scattered in panic and fear.

In a sense, Grand's judgment was not wrong: these people were indeed a mob.

The poor secretary to the Minister of Law is currently being urgently resuscitated in the temple of the priest of life, and is still in critical condition.

Meanwhile, Law Minister Harvey also met with misfortune at home, when a chandelier with a broken hinge fell and struck him on the head, fracturing his skull and causing his immediate death.

These two pieces of news caused a great shock in the court. If the minister's death was merely an accident, then the minister's secretary was undoubtedly murdered, and the mastermind behind the murder was most likely that Amazon Society.

The most vehement reaction came from the empire's civil servants, who used a very crude method to protest against the court: collectively submitting their resignations to their superiors.

Nobles have plenty of guards at home, but we civil servants are generally poor. If the capital can't even guarantee our basic personal safety, then what's the point of us working here?
The emperor, of course, could not allow all these civil servants to resign, so he had no choice but to summon the commander of the Imperial Capital Guard, Rein Fahre, to the palace and hold him accountable in front of all the ministers.

“Your Majesty, it’s not that the capital’s guards are neglecting their duties, but rather that as parties involved in this incident, if we were to appear before those demonstrating citizens, it would inevitably provoke a fierce conflict with them,” Raine explained, seemingly prepared for this. “Maintaining distance at the scene is also to avoid escalating the situation.”

"Isn't the duty of the Imperial Capital Guards to maintain order in the capital?" Minister of Administration Helgen asked authoritatively. "If you simply avoid responsibility because of public criticism, then what is the Empire supposed to do with you?"

“I can answer your question,” Ryan said confidently. “Actually, a month ago, let alone demonstrators, even mobs armed with knives and guns, would not have deterred the Imperial Guards. But the Amazon Association is almost entirely composed of women… So, if someone’s clothes are torn during a fight, should the guards be charged with indecent assault? As long as this issue remains unresolved, the guards will inevitably become hesitant and timid in similar incidents, because law enforcers must never be lawbreakers.”

“Even in the previous cases, the guards of the capital were not convicted, were they?” Chancellor Brown said with a smile. “Moreover, I spoke with Harvey privately, and he tends to believe that the guards are innocent.”

"The Minister of Law has not made any public statement on this matter, otherwise the guards wouldn't be so collectively anxious," Rein replied. "Moreover, the general public opinion in the capital believes that both the guards and the thief are guilty. Would you like me to recite the evaluations of the major newspapers on this matter for you, Your Excellency?"

"Enough," Emperor Nilocas said coldly. "Raine, you are the commander of the Imperial Capital Garrison, not a newspaper reader on the street! If you are going to do nothing just because public opinion is against you, then you should resign as commander and go back to the River Bend Province!"

“Your Majesty is wise.” Raine immediately nodded and said, “In failing to resolve the issue of the courthouse blockade in a timely manner, our Imperial Capital Guards do indeed bear an unshirkable responsibility, and I am willing to take the blame.”

The ministers exchanged glances, while secretly observing the emperor's expression.

This heinous incident is completely different from the previous death of Duke Dacros in the street. The murderer was received by Grand, the secretary to the Minister of Justice, and the court guards were responsible for guarding the scene. The Imperial Guard did not interfere at all. Therefore, it is unreasonable for Renn to only admit to "incompetence" but not to "failure to protect the minister's secretary."

Emperor Nilocas called him "Rain" instead of the more distant "Fahel," which also suggests that he did not intend to hold Rain accountable.

"Then you tell me," Nilocas asked calmly. "If the assassination of the minister's secretary was not the responsibility of the capital's guards, then whose responsibility is it?"

“It is clearly the perpetrator Olivia’s responsibility,” Rein replied without hesitation. “The crime scene is not within the jurisdiction of the Imperial Capital Garrison, and I believe the court guards are not entirely at fault either. After all, no one would expect a lady to be carrying a murder weapon and harboring murderous intent. Lord Gurenfield’s goodwill has been exploited and his compassion trampled upon. I suggest that the perpetrator be severely punished to restore order to the capital.”

The emperor's tightly furrowed brows finally began to relax.

The most urgent task now is naturally to appease the agitated imperial civil servants. Objectively speaking, it is clearly the fault of Grand, the minister's secretary, because the court guards did intend to search the murderer, and it was Grand himself who stopped them.

But the victim must not be guilty, otherwise public opinion will inevitably become more and more uncontrollable. Therefore, Ryan gave a second solution: to bring the murderer to the forefront for execution and let her bear the anger of the public officials.

To the emperor's great satisfaction, Raine did not attempt to involve the queen's Amazon Society, but instead stated that "this was the murderer's personal act."

This was a very measured statement. Because in this incident, the Imperial Guard and the Amazon Association are adversaries. From an outsider's perspective, since even the Imperial Guard doesn't intend to take advantage of the situation, others certainly have no right to relentlessly pursue the Amazon Association.

From then on, it was clear that no one would regard the Amazon Society as "a bunch of ignorant noblewomen" anymore.

Don't forget, Grand is still lying in the Temple of the Life Priest, his fate uncertain!
Emperor Nilocas tapped his fingers on the armrest of his throne, and finally slowly asked:
"What do you all think of Ryan Fahre's suggestion?"

“The murderer must be severely punished,” said Executive Minister Helgen. “As for whether someone else was behind it all…”

"Mental illness." The drowsy Imperial Prime Minister, Kasmail, suddenly blurted out, "I heard the murderer is mentally ill?"

The ministers remained silent for a moment, then began to echo their sentiments:

"That's right, it should be a mental illness, and there is no one else behind it."

In any case, if a mentally ill person stabbed the secretary of the Minister of Justice, the citizens of the capital would only call for stronger control over the mentally ill. But if the murderer was backed by an organization with tens of thousands of members, ready to kill anyone who opposed him at any time... that would be far too alarming and would definitely cause unrest throughout the entire capital.

Therefore, Olivia must be a mentally ill person without any motive for committing the crime, and there is absolutely no possibility that she would collude with anyone.

After definitively determining the nature of the incident, Emperor Nilocas, looking at the silent ministers, felt smug and began to value the young man, Renn, even more.

In past court meetings, reaching a swift consensus was extremely rare. Prime Minister Kasmer was old and frail, often feigning ignorance; Minister of State Helgen, though a royalist, was inflexible and frequently argued with other ministers; Minister of Finance Brown was a representative of the aristocratic faction… Each faction treated the meetings like a card table, scheming and plotting against each other without restraint. Nilocas lacked the prestige of his father and grandfather, often failing to fully control the situation and resorting to endless wrangling with everyone.

Where else could things be going so smoothly?

He even considered recruiting Raine away from the Queen and giving him a higher court position.

It's a pity that this young man has only served as the commander of the capital's garrison for less than half a year. Rapid promotion is never a good thing; once it arouses the jealousy of most people around him, his future will inevitably be difficult.

Nilocas intended to give Rein a more important role, so it was inconvenient for him to reward him too much. He only gave the Imperial Guards a few mild reprimands for their poor performance in this incident and then let them off lightly.

Afterwards, the court meeting discussed other matters.

Raine sat quietly in his seat, listening intently. Given his current position and rank, he was not qualified to speak at court meetings, so he merely observed the positions and attitudes of all the ministers.

The Second Human Empire's governing bodies are divided into the House of Representatives and the Senate. House members are elected from among the citizens of the capital and decide the passage of proposals through voting. Senate members are elected by the Noble Council, and their main responsibility is to initiate proposals, which are then decided by the Court Council to be sent to the House of Representatives for a vote. The former is essentially the citizens' assembly of the First Human Empire, while the latter was originally the Imperial Senate.

On the surface, the House of Representatives is the highest authority; if they veto a proposal, even the emperor cannot force it to pass.

In reality, proposals sent to the House of Representatives for voting by the court council almost always pass in one hundred percent of cases. The saying "the grand council decides small matters, and the small council decides big matters" best describes the current decision-making level of the empire.

The reason is not complicated: the House of Representatives is divided into many factions, and the leaders of the most powerful factions are sitting in the court meeting at this time.

Raine closed his eyes, feeling drowsy, when he suddenly heard the emperor's attendant say:

"Next, it is the audience with Marquis Prandtl of Nashima."

Ryan suddenly opened his eyes: They're here!
The Marquis of Pear Island in Changshui Province has a similar duty to the Faher family in River Bend Province. Their territory is located in the sea south of Changshui Province, and they are responsible for monitoring the movements of the southern rainforest peninsula for the Empire.

The rainforest peninsula, a tropical wasteland, is only suitable for the lizard people to survive in the long term, but that doesn't mean they like staying there. Historically, they have invaded the north three times, attempting to occupy the lower section of the Snake and Insect Mountains in southern Changshui Province, and almost all of them were resisted and fought off by Lidao alone.

The ministers were somewhat surprised. Why come to the imperial court instead of seeking help from Grand Duke Dann of Changshui Province when there was trouble on the rainforest peninsula?
"The rainforest peninsula has been destroyed." Marquis Plante said this as soon as he arrived at the meeting.

This was a dark-skinned, lean, and wiry middle-aged man with sharp, hawk-like eyes—the typical appearance of a military aristocrat. The old Marquis Fahre was like that in his youth, but as he aged, he began to hide his true intentions behind a smile, ultimately leading to his own demise.

"Our scouts have discovered some strange monsters appearing on the rainforest peninsula," the Marquis continued. "They come in hordes, densely packed, and have already destroyed Dragon Plains City on the rainforest peninsula. Thousands upon thousands of lizardman refugees have been displaced and forced to migrate north in order to escape, some of whom have wandered into my territory, but many more have reportedly gone to the Salt Island of the Faher family." The emperor and his ministers all turned their gazes to Rein, who was also present.

“That’s right.” Raine bowed slightly and said, “Shortly after the rainy season ended, many lizardman refugees crossed the ocean to Salt Island, trying to find a job in my territory that would allow them to make a living.”

“You mean,” Helgen asked in a deep voice, “that this could be a natural disaster?”

"The Scourge of the Undead? It's not impossible." Renn pondered for a moment. "Of course, it could also be demons from Purgatory. I don't know much about undead and hellish creatures, so I can't make a distinction. What does the Spellcasters' Guild say?"

"They have determined that it is neither an undead creature nor a hellish creature, but some kind of entirely new and unknown monster," Marquis Plant replied. "I cannot guarantee when they will enter Changshui Province, but the Empire must be fully prepared for war."

The people at the palace meeting fell silent.

This is not good news. It means that in addition to the undead scourge, the invasion of the Infernal, local rebellions, large-scale famine, epidemics, border conflicts, savage invasions, the southward shift of the ice line, droughts, floods, and earthquakes, another high-threat factor has emerged that could potentially destroy the human empire.

"What does Grand Duke Dann mean?" Helgen continued to ask.

"The Grand Duke thinks that if these monsters can wipe out the savages in the Serpent Mountains, that would be a good thing," Marquis Plant said helplessly. "I think his idea is too idealistic, because if the monsters can easily destroy the rainforest peninsula, then they may also have the ability to wipe out the entire Changshui Province."

"Is the Marquis of Pear Island perhaps overthinking things?" Finance Minister Brown asked with a smile. "How many lizardmen are there on the Rainforest Peninsula? Perhaps one year the rainy season will bring an unusually high amount of rainfall, which might wipe out the lizardmen. It doesn't prove that these monsters have the ability to invade Changshui Province."

“But…” Marquis Plant wanted to argue, but Brown interrupted him again:
"Also, has Rishima been invaded by these monsters?"

"That's because these monsters can't swim, and my navy has blockaded all ports, preventing foreign merchant ships from landing on Pear Island!" Marquis Plant said angrily. "Is there a strait separating Changshui Province and the Rainforest Peninsula?"

“But there’s no proof that these monsters are capable of leaving the rainforest peninsula,” Brown said, spreading his hands. “The rainforest peninsula has many rare medicinal herbs, and attempts to transplant them outside the peninsula have yielded a zero survival rate so far. After all, the peninsula’s extreme hot and humid climate is difficult to replicate elsewhere on the continent. Perhaps these monsters are also only suited to surviving on the rainforest peninsula…”

“That’s enough.” Emperor Nilocas interrupted his rambling. “There is no need to deploy the Imperial Legion before these monsters officially invade the Imperial homeland. Maintain surveillance of the Rainforest Peninsula, and if necessary, have the Dane family provide the necessary supplies.”

Marquis Plant's expression turned ashen; he realized that neither the emperor nor the court ministers clearly took the monsters of the rainforest peninsula seriously.

Or, to consider a deeper level, the only things the capital truly cares about are the four most elite territories of the empire. As for Changshui Province? Isn't that the territory of the Dann family? Let the Grand Duke worry about it!
After the court meeting ended, the disheartened marquis strode out of the palace, preparing to return to Pear Island as soon as possible to reorganize his troops and prepare for war, but was stopped by someone from behind.

“Marquis Plant,” Renn said slowly, “I’m very interested in the monsters of the rainforest peninsula. Could you tell me more about them?”

“The Faher family’s territory isn’t exactly close to the rainforest peninsula.” Marquis Pear Island was instinctively wary, but quickly realized, “It was those lizardman refugees who told you something, right?”

“I don’t have more information than you do.” Renn simply smiled slightly. “Want to talk?”

“Perhaps we can find a tavern,” Marquis Plant nodded.

Inside the tavern, after a few drinks, Marquis Nagashima visibly relaxed and told Renn everything about the scouts' reconnaissance.

The White Walkers erected numerous obelisks of bone throughout the rainforest peninsula, deeply troubling the Marquis of Pear Island. Initially believing it to be some kind of large-scale evil sorcery ritual, he dispatched an elite squad of knights to sail upstream along the Red River estuary into the interior, intending to destroy one of the obelisks and bring the fragments back to the Spellcasters' Guild for research.

However, the Cavaliers did not make a successful return.

Undeterred, Marquis Pear Island once again dispatched a squad of knights to the rainforest peninsula, hiring many bounty hunters to accompany and protect them.

This time, the entire army was not wiped out; only one bounty hunter managed to escape back to Pear Island. It was the intelligence he provided that led the Marquis to conclude that these monsters were a threat to the human empire.

The number of White Walkers surrounding the obelisk was so great that it was almost comparable to an entire Imperial army.

Among them were endless sea cockroaches, shipworms that could burrow into the ground and destroy fortresses, dung monsters covered in corrosive toxins, and tyrants with immense strength and lightning speed who could easily shatter the heavy armor of knights... Whether knights or bounty hunters, none could last more than a few minutes against the army of White Walkers. Only he, seeing the situation was not good, turned around and jumped into the Red River, swimming all the way back to the mouth of the sea, where he was rescued by the Marquis's fleet that was stationed near the seashore.

“Now it seems that the only weakness of these monsters is that they can’t swim.” The Marquis downed another glass of whiskey and said drunkenly, “My territory is on Pear Island, and no matter how powerful they are, they can’t threaten me. But it’s different in Changshui Province.”

“Hopefully, the Serpent Mountains will hold these monsters back long enough,” Raine said, clinking glasses with him. “At least enough to give the Empire time to react.”

“I hope so,” the Marquis sighed. “They have already entered the Serpent Mountain Range. We will soon have the answer about this.”

The White Walkers have already entered the Serpent Mountains? Raine's heart skipped a beat.

The Serpent Mountain Range, which sits on the southeastern coast of the continent, extends from the northeast to the southwest. Its upper and lower sections are located in the provinces of Hewan and Changshui, respectively. It is full of various poisonous insects and beasts, wild man tribes, strange monsters, and dangerous ruins. It can indeed temporarily hold back the White Walkers for a while—but not for long.

As the White Walkers invade the Serpent Mountains in large numbers, the wildling tribes there will sooner or later be forced to flee their homes. The wildlings of the lower mountains will invade the Thousand Lakes of Longwater Province, while the wildlings of the upper mountains will storm the Fertile Lands. At that time, the Fahl family's territory will be the first to bear the brunt and will inevitably suffer.

It seems I can't stay in the capital for too long. After the election season ends, I'll have to find a reason to go back.

After seeing off the Marquis of Rijima, Renn walked alone in the street, looking at the marching and propaganda teams around him, and couldn't help but find it increasingly absurd and ridiculous.

It's like a pond that's about to dry up, but the little fish in it are completely oblivious, still fighting over the meager amount of food...

Back in the military camp, the golden-robed guards who were training nearby couldn't help but stop in their tracks when they saw the commander, their expressions a mixture of awe and admiration.

Someone shouted "Loyalty!" and then everyone else joined in.

"loyalty!!!"

In the military camps of the capital city these days, chanting slogans of loyalty has become a kind of routine. Although the captain didn't order the guards to do so, everyone else is chanting them, so why aren't you? Do you have some kind of problem with the Commander?

However, the guards' shouts of loyalty at this moment were entirely sincere and heartfelt.

Because the commander had only been in office for less than a month, he had managed to bring down the Amazon Association, which had previously left the Golden Robes helpless and even overwhelmed, to the point that it was shut down yesterday—of course, to avoid the recent palace turmoil, but this did not prevent the guards from having a godlike reverence for Raine.

Those who can do what ordinary people like us can't, that's what makes a true noble! What kind of nobles are those who hang out in bars all day? They're just nobles whose ancestors were once powerful. If we're talking about who's doing better, they're not even as good as us Golden Robes!

Raine returned to the commander's study, called Berthalia to his side, and asked:

"What's the situation with the association lately?"

“We’ve temporarily suspended the weekly events,” Bersalia said smugly. “All those women who used to fawn over Olivia are now scrambling to distance themselves from her… Hahaha, I really want to see what kind of expression she’ll have when she finds out!”

"That's enough. She's in the royal dungeon right now. If you want to see her, I can arrange it for you," Renn said impatiently. "I'm asking you, what is the Association's stance on this matter?"

“I don’t know,” Bersalia said in a deep voice. “Her Majesty the Queen has forbidden us from discussing this matter, clearly intending to make Olivia bear all the responsibility. I thought some people might privately sympathize with Olivia… but actually no one has. Most people think she brought it on herself, and that she dragged the entire association into it. There are also a few slightly eccentric individuals who think this is the best proof that Amazons can defeat Imperials.”

"However, I've noticed a recent trend of arguing that the Amazons should also have their own representatives in the House of Representatives. While it's unclear whether the Queen is aware of this, based on my understanding of her, she..."

“They will definitely be deeply moved.” After a moment of contemplation, a sudden inspiration struck him, and he asked with a smile:

"Besalia, would you like to be a member of the Imperial House of Representatives?"

(End of this chapter)