Chapter 243: Weilan Aaron, for the Same-Origin Nation (23)

Late at night.

Aaron Lion Castle.

Hall of Heroes.

Once, King Dange sat on the high golden Lion Throne, receiving foreign envoys.

At this moment, the one seated on the Lion Throne is no longer the Lion King, but the Dawn Duke from the Weilan Principality.

And the Lion King who once occupied the throne now stands beneath it, his face full of dejection, yet forced to listen to the Duke's words with utmost seriousness.

The Dawn Duke on the throne looks somewhat languid, as if weary after a great war, yet as indifferent as when facing ants.

But no one dares utter another word, not even daring to breathe freely, including the two Navat legendary mages seated on either side of the throne.

Because the Duke's power is truly terrifying, dazzling like a true god descending to the mortal world! The Duke's indifferent voice reverberates throughout the hall.

"Draft an announcement."

"First, King Dange the Nineteenth, due to mismanagement that plunged the nation into numerous crises, voluntarily removes his crown and steps down from the throne."

"Second, swear that you never intended to open the Giant Fortress; it is all slander from political enemies, and may Aaron and Weilan remain forever brotherly friendly nations."

Beside the throne, several civilian clerks crouch on the ground, writing swiftly, and soon draft several identical announcements.

One copy, the clearest and free of errors, is handed to King Dange.

Luosen continues: "Tomorrow at dawn, go to the King's podium in Lion Castle, gather as many commoners as possible, and read this announcement aloud before the crowd."

King Dange, like a wooden puppet, holds the document, and after a while regains his senses: "And after reading it?"

"After reading it, someone will escort you and your children to Aluk City on Aaron's northern coast, which I have prepared as a fief for the Dange family."

"As a voluntarily abdicated former king, you and your family will hold one-fifth of the seats on the City Management Council. Each year you will also receive an economic compensation of 100,000 Lion gold coins, lasting for a hundred years."

Although King Dange's wife has died, he has five children; now that he has lost the throne, this benefit becomes quite significant.

Aluk City may not be a large metropolis, but it is a coastal city with a fairly lucrative harbor, generating about 800,000 gold coins annually; one-fifth amounts to 160,000.

Adding the permanent compensation of 100,000 per year, it is enough for his family to live without worrying about livelihood.

Although it lacks the splendor and glory of a former king, for Dange, who has fallen into the abyss, this is the best ending.

King Dange looks up at the lofty young man and feels he is towering, as if grasping boundless great power.

This feeling fills his heart with a deep sense of dread.

He knows that his future fate now rests entirely on the other's mercy.

After swallowing a mouthful of saliva, he thinks he should make a flattering move: "Your Great Majesty, the Radiant First Fleet is currently approaching the Gilded Strait; perhaps you should make preparations."

At first he was a bit awkward, but he quickly learned.

【8】 Where did he learn it?

Where did you learn it?

Of course he learned from those jackals who once flattered him endlessly; he watched them daily, and after a brief study, he got it about eighty to ninety percent right.

Watching the Lion King's slightly awkward flattering gestures, Luosen feels a certain satisfaction and can't help thinking, "Making the king bow is truly a life's pleasure."

He can't help but think: "If someday Empress Zhuo Ya were to flatter me like this, even polishing my gun like Molly does—haha, I'm getting ahead of myself, Luosen, you're getting ahead of yourself."

Empress Zhuo Ya is an extraordinary woman of great talent and strategy; making her bow is no ordinary feat, and I am far from worthy at present.

Indeed, he displayed a wave of boundless crystal, but this can only be hidden from ordinary people, not from Empress Zhuo Ya.

Soon, the other side will discover the weak point.

Thus, Luosen quickly retracts his daydream.

"Thank you for the reminder, but I am already prepared."

At present, the Radiant Empire is still under the control of the Lord of Radiance.

The Lord of Radiance, when it comes to politics and cultivation, certainly has his own set of methods.

But when it comes to governing a nation, especially a new‑era empire, his skill is no more than that of a three‑legged cat.

Luosen has long calculated his reactions with crystal clarity.

At this moment, the shortcut of using a legendary mage to ambush and behead has failed, so the old fellow will surely consider a full‑scale army assault.

Luosen has also long prepared the corresponding countermeasures.

In this era, true great power lies in the army; a rising hegemon cannot succeed without a formidable military.

Weilan wishes to control the Natural Alliance, and must therefore clash with the Radiant Empire on the battlefield, at least to make the other side aware that they are not to be trifled with.

Thus, Luosen has long prepared his response.

Not only at sea, but on land as well.

King Dange can't help but ask, "The demon in the void, please Your Majesty be careful?"

"There's no need; I have already killed it."

King Dange feels his heart twitch slightly, his dread intensifying, yet curiosity arises: "What about the six legendary mages of the Radiant Empire?"

"Some have fled, others I have captured; they will no longer cause trouble."

"."

King Dange has nothing to say, lowers his head to glance at the announcement in his hand, and suddenly finds its contents not so unacceptable.

After all, he is not the only loser; countless people have been defeated by this young Duke.

Thus, he kindly reminds, "Your Great Majesty, shouldn't the announcement include an additional clause?"

"Which clause?"

"Declare that Aaron merges into Weilan, the two nations becoming one, with you as king?"

Luosen smiles: "Aaron and Weilan will merge, but this is the Natural Alliance after all. Such a proposal should come from the Natural Temple, not from you, an unqualified king."

"So, this has nothing to do with you; step down."

"Yes, Your Great Majesty."

A figure familiar to King Dange steps forward and says, "Sarlint, let's go; I'll take you to rest."

Dange recognized the voice at once as that of the Sage Sanchezter, the one he had once trusted most.

He felt some anger, but it quickly faded, for it was now meaningless. He followed Sanchezter out of the Glory Hall, then along the familiar road back to his chambers.

As they walked, he finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Sage, when did you give up on me?"

Sanchezter was already at peace, for he had won.

Thus he answered calmly.

"That night, I explained the final path to you, and you did not refuse."

"Ah~ so late? I thought you had given up long ago."

Sanchezter sighed lightly: "When some win in this world, others must lose. Accept defeat, exit with dignity; glory will naturally dim, but as long as one lives, it does not mean the end."

"Perhaps this generation fell, but the next, and the one after, may rise again. Yet His Majesty chose a path of total annihilation, so I could only give up."

Dange felt his cheeks burning hot: "Sage, I am the one who disappointed you."

"Not entirely disappointed, after all at the final moment you regained clarity."

As he spoke, he led Dange to the entrance of his former chambers: "Rest easy, Sarlint, have a good sleep."

Dange hesitated: "Do I still have the right to sleep here?"

Sanchezter smiled: "The Duke's goal is not the king of Aaron; his goal is to contend with the Lord of Radiance, and he won't mind this little overstepping."

Dange fully understood, feeling some regret, and couldn't help saying: "Back then, when he fought me for the Princess in Dawn City, I should have steeled my heart and put an end to it!"

Sanchezter did not argue, merely gave a faint smile: "Indeed, but there are no ifs in this world."

At the same time, the Glory Hall.

Luosen finally turned his gaze to the two legendary mages who had come to aid Navat.

"Kasading Mage, Lanbuluosi Mage, this time we owe it to your help."

"This is the legendary crystal staff left by Yasiding Mage, so please take it back to Navat."

The two legendary mages looked at the staff, feeling both shocked and somewhat worried.

They had previously been protecting the king, and for the battles on the outskirts of the city, they only observed through void vision.

They sensed the fighting was extremely intense, but were not clear on the details.

Luosen saw it and laughed: "All three mages are fine; by now they should have already returned to Navat."

"The reason we let them keep the staff was to fear they might backtrack and cause trouble."

Since that was the case, the two mages set aside their worries, yet grew even more shocked.

They couldn't understand why this Duke possessed such immense power; precisely because they couldn't grasp it, they sensed his unfathomable depth and found it terrifying.

Luosen wanted exactly this effect, so he naturally gave no further explanation.

He then produced two spellbooks, handing one to each.

One spellbook is titled "Some Improvement Suggestions on the Legendary Focus Technique", the other "Five Modifications to the Legendary Wall‑Breaking Technique".

"I have little to repay, so I'll share some of my cultivation insights. Additionally, I will also give both of you a batch of high‑quality legendary crystals."

His demeanor was truly courteous, and the two legendary mages felt a bit embarrassed.

After all, they hadn't really helped much; they merely protected the Aaron king.

But one thing was almost certain: this immensely powerful legendary Duke would soon control the Nature Alliance; it was only a matter of time.

The idea of forcing him to serve Navat also completely collapsed.

Even if this Duke were willing to go to Navat, they would not dare to receive him.

They could not even dare to use him, nor could they.

This Duke is too powerful.

Both his personal ability and his charisma are overwhelmingly strong.

If they let him join Navat's Guardian Council, he would surely rise within a short time, even seizing the council's supreme speaking authority.

That truly is pulling every possible means to invite a master back.

Afterwards, a night passed without a word.

Early the next morning, Sarlint Dange stood at the king's podium, before tens of thousands of Rhein City citizens, and announced his abdication.

In an instant, Aaron was leaderless, and the people of Rhein City were anxious and bewildered, not knowing where Aaron's future lay.

But this confusion lasted less than a morning.

That afternoon, after the announcement, at Rhein City's Saint Mongert Grand Temple, Gold‑clad High Priest Alard led fifty thousand devout followers of Nature on the temple's grand plaza, praying for Aaron's fate and beseeching Mother Nature for guidance.

Mother Nature indeed responded.

Before the tens of thousands of devout believers present, a divine miracle manifested.

A dense radiance descended from the heavens, its gold interwoven with emerald, like the golden hair and emerald eyes of the nature deity's offspring.

After the radiance fell, it expanded rapidly, eventually forming a pillar of light that reached sky and earth, making the entire Rhein City clearly visible.

Gold‑clad High Priest Alard was practically insane.

The fifty thousand devout believers were almost equally frenzied.

They sang hymns with wild fervor, and the power of faith surged to nearly ten times its usual intensity.

Amid this near‑frenzied religious atmosphere, Mother Nature descended a clear divine decree.

'Weilan Aaron, nation of shared origin. The Lord of Weilan is also the Lord of Aaron.'

Everything fell into place at once.

When the natural miracle appeared, Dange was packing his belongings to leave Lion Fortress, and he had initially felt a faint schadenfreude at the chaos of Aaron's leaderlessness.

Upon learning the decree's content, he was instantly stunned on the spot.

After being stunned for a long while, he sighed deeply again: "Mother Nature even chose him, sigh~~~"

With such a magnificent miracle and such a clear decree, Weilan and Aaron could not help but merge. The Duke of Weilan could not refuse the throne; the fervent Nature believers would desperately push him up.

(End of Chapter)