Chapter 272 — The Prologue of the Offensive
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
Cecil Territory was like a machine running at full power: once the order was given, every gear and every part of that machine began to spin at breakneck speed. Not everyone knew what was about to happen, but almost everyone knew what they ought to be doing at that very moment. Clear orders, rules, and regulations were the greatest bulwark that set Cecil Territory apart from other nobles' domains. People needed only to follow the orders and see to matters within their own scope, and this vast machine would run flawlessly, unleashing a force that left everyone dumbstruck.
In the space of a mere three days, the southern defensive line of the domain was once again reinforced and expanded. The great expanse of open ground between the Dark Mountains and the city walls was layered with barricades and fences, and between those barricades and fences minefields were sown everywhere. Of the thousand-odd soldiers, sixty percent were dispatched to the southern wall, while the remaining forty percent served as reserves and mobile forces patrolling the other defensive lines. A separate peacekeeping corps maintained order within the domain and stood ready at all times to relay new orders from the lord. Though a crisis was closing in, everything in the domain appeared orderly and disciplined, and this atmosphere of "everything is under control" swiftly calmed the faintly panicked mood within the city.
Cecil Territory's population had grown explosively. The great tide of refugees from outside had never lived through a first territorial defense, nor through a complete disaster drill; even with people reassuring them, they could not help but fall into panic. Under ordinary circumstances, nobles did not care whether these "lowly wretches" fell into a panic, for the only ones a noble trusted were the knights, mages, and private soldiers under his own command. Yet in Cecil Territory, the Civil Administration Hall issued clear instructions to everyone at the very first moment and had the peacekeeping corps broadcast the situation without pause—and the effect of these measures was astonishingly good. Even the panicked new immigrants quickly settled down once they received clear guidance from above. This transformation left even Hetty astonished.
On the southern wall of the domain, Gao Yang was inspecting the arrangement of the final line of defense with Hetty and the others at his side. When he heard the civil official's report on the situation within the city, he smiled and looked at Hetty: "In the end, people's fear comes from the unknown. It is precisely because they do not know what is about to happen that fear is magnified without limit in their hearts. And at such a time, so long as you give them some definite news—or even definite orders—they will easily settle down. Even if you tell them all to go move bricks, they will feel at ease. Having something to respond to means, at the very least, that the situation is still under control."
Just then a figure brimming with arcane radiance appeared upon the wall. The soldiers parted to make way, and Kamael walked straight through the crowd to stand before Gao Yang: "The two arcane obelisks have been activated. The entire stretch of wall is now covered by a mana field."
Gao Yang nodded. "Good work. It can't have been easy, adding two obelisks in such a short time."
"Actually, it wasn't too bad. Those mechanical devices you invented are all very easy to use. I had originally thought that without the Gondor Empire's arcane foundries, manufacturing things in this era would be rather more difficult for me. The situation now is far better than I expected," Kamael droned, then rose slightly into the air and gazed out over the whole stretch of wall. "This is truly... a sight I have never seen before."
Beside him, Hetty asked curiously, "You've never been on a battlefield?"