Chapter 446 — Broadcast

The soldiers standing guard in formation seemed proof that the lord really was coming — but they were guarding an arcane device... that made no sense at all.

More and more people filled the square.

Horsman City at this moment was still an old-fashioned town, with only a limited district of streets around the castle; moreover, the soldiers had only notified those residents nearby who could reach the square quickly. So before long, the residents who had received word — full of curiosity and nerves — had all gathered in the square. Those who arrived late could not even find a spot and had to climb onto the rooftops of nearby buildings. And those standing near the center of the square could not help but count themselves lucky—

Lucky they had come early to gawk, and now held the best positions.

The townsfolk of Horsman City gathered and watched, many of them gripped by nervousness and awe: the name of Gao Yang Cecil was known to all throughout Anzu, and this legendary hero had recently conquered Horsman and become their lord — and now he was about to speak to them. This was no ordinary affair; quite apart from anything else, their ancestors for generations had never had such a chance...

After all, even the heirs of the Cecil family got only a glimpse of Gao Yang Cecil's coffin when they went to sweep the tomb.

But the lord still had not appeared. Only a group of soldiers stood guard in the open space at the center of the square, while a dozen or so arcanotechnicians bustled about.

Those on the outer edge of the square could not even see what was happening inside, and people kept shouting questions at those in front: "Has the lord arrived? Has he? What does he look like?"

"The lord's not here yet — but I see Consul Daedalus! So he must be coming soon, right?"

After a while longer, the arcanotechnicians finally completed all their adjustments and successfully finished every test.

Daedalus, Consul of Horsman City, arrived at the square with several of his colleagues. An arcanotechnician came up to him: "Consul — the tests are complete. The signal is connected."

The young consul drew a mechanical watch from his breast, glanced at the time, then drew a deep breath to steady his somewhat tense emotions. "Begin — let us witness it together."

The arcanotechnician nodded, turned, and gave instructions to his assistants: "Switch to broadcast mode — sound and image, third-level amplification. Connect!"

The device's power was engaged.

Under the gradually dimming light of the sky, beneath the curious gaze of countless eyes in the square, a faint humming sound suddenly arose, and then a hazy, chaotic radiance burst into being in midair at the center of the square.

That mass of light floated high above, like a curtain of aurora shuddering without cease, and in an instant it drew a chorus of gasps and cries — and before those cries had died down, the image within the curtain of light trembled and slowly steadied.

The figure of Gao Yang Cecil appeared there, projected within the vast holographic display.

Even those standing at the farthest edge of the square could see their lord with perfect clarity.

Amplified by magic, a deep and commanding voice rang out across the entire square:

"Good afternoon, honorable citizens of Cecil. I am your lord.

.