Chapter 35 — Reaching an Agreement
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
Everything went just as Gao Yang had foreseen.
The news from the south would make the king and the nobles nervous, and coupled with the warning of a resurrected ancient, that nerves might escalate into something close to panic—but no further than that.
These people who had never lived through a Dark Tide, who could not even imagine one, would not react in any dramatic way to mere words and reports. Even if Gao Yang had brought along swords and armor corroded by elemental power as evidence, it still could not have induced them to take any higher level of response.
After all, while "anomalous natural phenomena" capable of corroding swords and armor with magical power were not many, they were not nonexistent either—they could hardly serve as ironclad proof that a Dark Tide was about to return. In fact, even Gao Yang himself had only made some bold speculations based on records in his memory; even he would not thump his chest and swear that doomsday was at hand.
Francis II's response was not wrong. He could not plunge the entire kingdom into a state of war readiness on the strength of these sudden reports—even if he wished to, the bloated and antiquated feudal system of noble enfeoffment would not permit it. And even if the Dark Tide truly was coming, nationwide war preparation at this moment would be unwise. The monsters in the south and the surge of magical power were merely omens—not even the vanguard of a Dark Tide. The true Dark Tide might not appear for several months, or even several years (if it appeared at all), and until then, all was calm and still.
To demand nationwide war preparation when all was calm and no evidence could be found—perhaps the House of Morne in its heyday could have managed it, but the Second Dynasty of today... no longer possessed such influence.
Francis II could not even give orders to the Duke of the Eastern Marches.
A resurrected founding grand duke might carry great weight in terms of prestige, but to use that prestige to interfere with the kingdom's present order was wishful thinking. On this point Gao Yang was quite clear—he knew that his say here amounted to nothing more than a flower-topped scepter, magnificent and ornate but utterly powerless. The foundations of the Cecil family were gone: no land, no people, no soldiers, no generals—even the travel expenses to the royal capital had been borrowed from others. To the ever-pragmatic circle of nobles, this was a deeply awkward position.
So Gao Yang held back Rebecca, who still wanted to speak, and looked across at the king. "We have delivered our message and issued our warning. As for the specific response that follows—that is your affair."
"We will certainly take your warning seriously," said Duchess Victoria Wilde, her voice cool and clear. "All investigations will begin immediately after this meeting concludes, and you will be informed at the earliest opportunity."
"Investigations... I suppose that will have to do," Gao Yang nodded, then shifted tack. "Then let this matter rest here. Now let us discuss the private affairs of the Cecil family."
This time, the atmosphere genuinely tensed in an instant.
"Relax, don't look like 'the Xuanmai Sect has clawed its way out of the coffin to demand repayment of all the paper money burned over the years,'" Gao Yang said with a wave of his hand and a laugh—then realized that no one understood his little joke...
How awkward.
"I know what happened a hundred years ago. Frankly, I'd quite like to wring the neck of that unworthy descendant myself," Gao Yang's face twitched as he cut straight to the point. "So I have no intention of overturning that verdict. I've come only to reclaim certain things that ought to belong to me personally."