Chapter 1315 — After the Fall
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
The single sentence Milmina blurted out plunged the entire room into silence.
Everyone present was a high-ranking figure of the Empire; they knew perfectly well who the figure that had suddenly appeared in the room was, and even better, whom the "old stag" she spoke of referred to.
The silence lasted several seconds. The first to break it was Gao Yang, whose reaction was far calmer and more detached than Milmina had expected. He merely regarded her avatar quietly for a moment, then asked, "About when did this happen?"
"...Just now. But he was moving fast—you won't be able to catch up with him," Milmina coughed softly. Beneath the gaze of Gao Yang, this mortal emperor, the expression on the face of the former god was somewhat strange as she said, "He's headed toward the Silver Empire—I tried to stop him, but I couldn't..."
"So he sensed the current state of his old believers," Gao Yang nodded slightly. "How are things on the Silver Empire's side?"
Milmina was a little surprised—evidently she had not expected Gao Yang to steer the conversation in this direction—but she quickly caught on and nodded. "He sensed a massive loss of life in a very short time and extremely violent fluctuations in the collective emotions of the population. The situation in the south is not good—but the fighting continues, and the defensive line still holds. That's all. Right now he can only sense what's happening over there in the vaguest terms; anything more detailed he cannot say."
Gao Yang rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought. "Is that so... The line still holding is the best news we could ask for—the enemy's assault is ferocious, but their greatest advantage was surprise. As long as we weather the initial pressure, with the Silver Empire's reserves, they should be able to hold out..."
Seeing his reaction, Milmina finally could not contain herself. "Aren't you worried at all? Amorn has gone straight to the south to help the mortals—I thought..."
"He's already gone, hasn't he?" Gao Yang lifted his eyelids and glanced at Milmina. "He may even have arrived already—when you gods act of your own accord, your 'descents' have always been swift."
Milmina was momentarily at a loss for words, and only after a few seconds did she speak. "...That's true enough."
"He knows what he is doing, and he knows even better what he must not do," Gao Yang said with a slight shake of his head. Amorn's sudden move had in truth caught him greatly off guard as well, but at a moment like this he had to stand at a higher vantage point and make choices and judgments—and, moreover... extend trust. "We all know the rules governing the birth and operation of gods, and we know there are loopholes in that process that can be exploited. It's just that exploiting them is extremely risky; in peacetime no one would dare shoulder that risk—but now, what matters more is ensuring the survival of the entire civilized world. I hope Amorn can clearly recognize where that line lies, because if he cannot..."
Gao Yang could not help but stop there. Only after several seconds did he let out a soft sigh. "Then for the future Silver Elves and for himself, it will be a long catastrophe."
...
The distant frontier burned fiercely in the fires of war. The howl let out at the sentinel tower's destruction seemed to carry across the entire nation, sending uneasy air currents rippling through the dense forests of the Silver Empire—news from the front had returned to the elven royal city through various channels, some true and some false, and true or false, its content was equally grim. In the face of a sudden catastrophe, even the proud ancient race could not help but feel anxious and fearful.