Chapter 1046 — Waking from a Great Dream
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
When Gao Yang walked into Office No. 1 of the Government Hall, Hedy, who was reviewing documents, immediately sensed something slightly off about him. This "Cecil's chief steward" looked up at Gao Song's expression. "Ancestor, did you not rest well last night?"
"...A bit of insomnia," Gao Yang said. It was hard to explain to Hedy his state of mind after being jolted awake in the middle of the night by an alarm from the satellite, then watching what looked like a mechanical dragon blaze across space and speed off into the distance. So he could only wave his hand with a trace of weariness. "It's nothing. I just need to adjust."
For a powerful Transcendent, fatigue from a bit of insomnia was naturally no great problem, but Hedy could not help feeling a little worried. "Do you need some calming medicine? Pi Yun should have some over there..."
"That really won't be necessary." Gao Shao waved his hand at once, then looked at the neat stacks of documents on Hedy's desk and swiftly changed the subject. "Any new messages?"
To be honest, his head was still full of the images he had observed last night through the space surveillance, still full of that mysterious silhouette streaking across the stars and the countless tangled thoughts that came with it. But he understood very well that he was in no position to conduct further investigation—at least not at this stage. The power of the Government Hall was of no use here, and the Empire's daily affairs still had to be handled.
Hedy looked at Gao Song's expression again, as if confirming the health of the Xuanmai Sect, and only after making sure the other party truly had no problem did she flip through the top few documents. Organizing her thoughts as she went, she answered, "Yes, we have received replies from the leaders of several nations or regions—including the Aurgel Tribal Nation, the Northern City-States, the Silver Empire, and also a reply from the Dwarf Kingdom. From the feedback, the leaders of these nations are all quite interested in the 'Community Alliance' you proposed..."
"As expected." Gao Rong's spirits lifted; this was at last good news, enough to dispel some of the bad mood brought on by insomnia. "These nations are either already within the Cecil settlement zone, or about to join the Northern Ring Continental Route, or else have technological exchange and close ties with us... The bridge has been built. Closer ties between nations are an inevitable trend."
"As you say." Hedy nodded, then took up a document that had been set aside by itself. "In addition, this is a long-distance letter forwarded this very morning through the Sentinel Tower—from Her Majesty Belanthea Morningstar of the Silver Empire. It is a private letter addressed specifically to you."
"Belanthea..." Gao Yang was briefly stunned, and memories from seven hundred years ago rose unbidden in his mind—a lively figure, always scrambling along behind him and causing trouble, flitting from camp to camp during the pioneer covenant meetings. But soon he shook his head and set aside this memory, outdated by seven hundred years, reaching out to take the letter Hedy handed him.
This letter was of course not the original, but a "copy" forwarded through the Sentinel Tower's communication link and the Magic Net communication system. Though the copied image was slightly distorted, the handwriting on the paper was still clear and familiar. The "Silver Empress's" script had not changed much from seven hundred years ago—only a little more mature and elegant:
"To His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Cecil, and to my Uncle Gao Yang, whom I have not seen in so long—"
Seeing this distinctive opening, Gao Song's eyebrows rose instinctively. Then he lowered his eyes and read the letter through carefully.
A few minutes later, he set the letter down, and Hedy cast him a curious look. "What did the Silver Empress say? Ah, of course, if it's private, I won't ask..."