Chapter 497 — The Aftermath Subsides

The crystal truly was already "dead," yet it still gave off a faint warmth and light. Within that glimmer, countless shifting phantoms could vaguely be seen, as though Fallen Baelang's hollow soul were still echoing inside the crystal, vainly refusing to acknowledge its own death. And when Gao Yang held the translucent crystal up toward the sun, he could see through it a faint ripple spread across the surface of the giant sun—

This phenomenon—ripples appearing when the solar disc was observed through the crystal—proved that the crystal possessed strong magical coherence. It was a crystallization born in an environment of powerful magic, and it itself contained stable magical energy.

Could human flesh and blood truly produce a crystal of this kind?

Or else... had Fallen Baelang tried to use some crystal-form holy relic to enhance his own power, and the ritual's failure and backlash had turned him into that monster of mingled flesh and crystal?

Or perhaps... Fallen Baelang had simply been standing behind the door clutching a crystal-made ritual implement, planning to ambush the intruders when they pushed the door open—and then the door opened and the White Knights, without so much as a by-your-leave, hurled a heap of explosives inside, blowing him and the crystal into an even blend...

Gao Yang could not help but shudder. He felt his third hypothesis was far too wicked and grotesque; true, running his thoughts in that direction had a certain thrill to it, but in a world of swords and magic like this, it was best to think according to local style.

Seeing Gao Yang's expression shift ceaselessly, Wright could not help stepping forward to ask: "Do you have some idea, my lord?"

"Nothing comes to mind for now..." Gao Dai said, but halfway through, a sudden flash of insight struck him, as though he had seized a clue he had nearly overlooked. "Wait... I think I remember..."

Amber and Wright fell silent at once, and after a moment's thought Gao You finally caught hold of that fleeting piece of information: "Do you recall—both Camille and Nixidan described the early 'godspawn' the Gondor Empire created. The first failed 'godspawn' had one characteristic: crystals growing out of human flesh..."

"Godspawn?" Amber's eyes went wide. "You mean... Fallen Baelang tried to transform himself into a godspawn?"

Gao Yang thought it over carefully: "Not necessarily... I suspect this is only a byproduct of some failed attempt. According to the intelligence Camille provided, all descendants of Gondor humanity actually carry godspawn genetic factors. In other words, given the right external stimulus, perhaps any human could 'godspawn-ize'... It is only that the Gondor Empire's godspawn technology eventually succeeded back then; they stabilized and rendered these genetic factors harmless, safely implanting them in the human body. That is why for a thousand years no uncontrolled godspawn phenomenon has ever appeared among ordinary people. But who can guarantee it will never mutate again?"

Amber and Wright both wore thoughtful expressions, while Gao Yang sighed softly: "What a pity... not a single clue was left behind. I'm afraid we may never know exactly what happened to Fallen Baelang... A mere mid-rank priest—how did he suddenly gain such power?"

A trace of apology appeared on Wright's face: "My lord, our actions were too reckless..."

"No, your actions were fine—that really was the best plan, and the destruction of clues was unavoidable. It was a battlefield, after all," Gao Yang waved a hand. "And saying Fallen Baelang godspawn-ized is only my conjecture—thank goodness you found this crystal. I can take it back and have Camille appraise it. We may yet find some clues."

With that matter set aside for the moment, Gao Yang let out a breath. He looked at Amber and Wright before him, and a smile surfaced on his face.

"All in all, everything went smoothly. You two did well."

Wright immediately straightened up and declared solemnly, "The Holy Light guides me."

Amber, by contrast, gave a wave of her hand. "This isn't over yet. Frostgate is bound to see more turmoil in the days ahead, and those rookies are in for a busy time of it."

Gao Yun nodded slightly. He knew it was exactly as Amber said: the incident at Frostgate might be drawing to a close, but the work of soothing tempers and rebuilding had only just begun.

The furious populace had, in a storm of action, shattered the oppression of the priestly orders; yet without timely and effective follow-up guidance and the establishment of order, such action could easily degenerate into rampaging violence and prolonged unrest. Now, through the efforts of the White Knights, the Cecil soldiers, and the representatives of the common folk, the first phase of stabilizing order had been carried out smoothly, and the action had not on the spot spiraled into uncontrolled savagery. Whether Xuanque City would afterward sink into protracted turmoil, however, would depend on the work of Military Intelligence operatives and the propaganda departments.

They had to restore Frostgate's core urban functions in the shortest possible time, establish a new governing body that the locals would accept, and incorporate Xuanque City into the Cecil system as quickly as possible. Beyond that, they needed to spread word of the Frostgate affair throughout the whole realm as soon as might be, wringing every last ounce of positive influence from this operation, while remaining vigilant against sabotage and counterattack by diehard elements of the old Church.

There was a mountain of work to be done, but fortunately the hardest part had already been overcome.

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