Chapter 34 — Negotiation
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 4
Francis II began to converse in low tones with his First Minister and the Grand Duchess of the North, and several others bowed their heads in discussion as well. It was plain they were not treating Rebecca's tidings as empty air. For this they had to thank the ceaselessly circulating rumors, the secret letters from the south, and the very existence of Gao Yang Cecil. Without these, a decayed southern country noble running before the king to say her family's territory had been destroyed by monsters and a dragon would have earned nothing but mockery; far from provoking discussion, it might well have brought punishment down on her head.
But just how seriously they would take it, and how much they would actually do in response—that was hard to say.
After all, the world had been at peace for seven hundred years.
"Duke Cecil," said a tall, lean man seated several places to Gao Yang's left. He was Bai Yu Franklin, Grand Duke of the West, a refined and scholarly gentleman to look at. "I do not doubt your descendant's honesty in this matter, but the thing is truly beyond belief. Forgive me for speaking out of turn—are those monsters really the... same creatures as those of the Dark Tide seven hundred years ago?"
"I dealt with them for twenty years, right up until I died. I'd know them even in ashes," Gao Yang said gravely. "And I have crossed blades with them once more, so I can confirm those monsters are the very things that poured out of the Dark Tide. Unfortunately, they disintegrate swiftly once killed, so no corpse specimen can be preserved; and the dragon afterward burned the whole territory, so there is no way now to send men to the Cecil lands to inspect the situation."
Bai Yu Franklin exchanged a glance with Silas Loren, Grand Duke of the East, at his side. Seeing this, Gao Yang said, "If you believe the Cecil family is deliberately exaggerating the truth to win sympathy and seize this chance to return to the center of power, then say so plainly."
"No, no, we would never think such a thing," Grand Duke Bai Yu said hurriedly. "We merely need... to verify these matters. After all, it concerns the Dark Tide of seven hundred years ago, and the magnitude of this affair... exceeds even what any single human kingdom could face alone..."
"But they have already struck at our gates!" Rebecca rose, unable to contain herself. "I saw them with my own eyes!"
"Easy now, calm yourself," Gao Yang said, pressing her shoulder and easing her back into her seat. He turned to Francis II. "I understand your caution is justified—entering a state of war exacts a great price. I have also brought evidence: weapons and equipment our warriors used in the southern border. Though the monsters' corpses cannot be preserved, gear used in fighting them is inevitably tainted by the elements, and the lingering aura of corrosion on those pieces should give you some reference. I am confident that even the most accomplished royal scholar could not find anything in the real world that matches those traces of corrosion."
Two sturdy attendants carried up a large chest. When it was opened, several battered swords and blades along with fragments of warped, deformed armor were laid out before everyone.
The things looked as though they had been soaked in strong acid. The once-smooth metal surfaces were pitted and mottled, bearing a foul discoloration; the metal most severely eroded by elemental force had even taken on a texture like rotten wood—rub it lightly with your fingers and great flakes of debris came away.
"They are harmless now, safe to touch directly. But until half a month ago, this steel was still ceaselessly crumbling away," Gao Cen explained from the side as he watched the king and nobles inspect the samples. "If the historians of these seven hundred years have not been utterly slack, there must be records of this in the chronicles."
"There are, there are..." Francis II said, nodding.