Free Web NovelChapter 454: Chapter 56: The Dust Settles (Part 2)
"I know. I knew at a glance."
Duke Qinghui adjusted his breathing, then looked at Ailorus and smiled.
"Yes, Xiao Ai. You did very well... exceptionally well. Far, far better than I ever imagined."
Westheid spoke from the heart. He had brought Ailorus along with no great expectations, thinking it would be enough for her to use her status and power as the Wind Law Queen to hold the defensive line and gain some experience in Tuning.
When he had first learned that a Demon Demigod was launching a sneak attack on their home base, Westheid had truly panicked. He never thought Ailorus would actually be able to pummel a Holy Spirit Incarnation. It wasn’t that it was impossible—as long as one mastered Ten Thousand Wind Melodies, they would have an absolute advantage over the Holy Spirits of the Land of Thousand Lakes, even if they were below the Legend Tier.
The key was willpower and courage. Being able to win and daring to fight were two different things. To face a Demon Demigod head-on... aside from the Yonglan Knights, a group of War Frenzies who lived for the thrill of battle and had no regard for their own lives, any other person of high status and power would have to weigh the risks and rewards.
’Perhaps I shouldn’t have treated the Wind Law Queen like a fledgling child anymore. Thinking about it now, Ailorus actually knew everything. She just didn’t say it.’
Westheid met her smiling, holy-cyan eyes for a long moment before nodding.
"Thanks to your contribution, the outcome of this war is no longer in doubt. Although there’s still some cleanup work to do, it won’t be difficult. Rest up, then we will advance slowly."
"Duke Qinghui! Are you serious?! I thought there was still another Demon Demigod! The one in Serralis... That one is... the Divine Ancestor’s..."
The Elf Military Officer’s eyes lit up as he immediately stepped forward.
"As for the Master of Greedy Banquet, I have already dealt with her. Otherwise, what do you think I left for?"
The Royal Court Soldiers were filled with awe and respect. "So that’s how it is! Did you defeat both Demon Demigods in this one campaign?"
"Strictly speaking, it was more a case of the fisherman reaping the rewards of their conflict. In any case, I will take full responsibility for handling matters related to the Master of Greedy Banquet from now on. You don’t need to worry."
Westheid said humbly. He also wished he were strong enough to crush two Demigods by himself, but boasting about unrealistic achievements was of no benefit to him. It was better to be pragmatic.
"Exploiting the animosity between archenemy Demons? That makes sense. As expected of you, sir, a man of both wisdom and courage."
Everyone easily accepted this explanation, praising him one after another. After all, there was no other reasonable explanation.
Only Ailorus kept her hands elegantly clasped before her stomach, tilting her head and smiling at Westheid.
The smile seemed to hold a deeper meaning. Westheid didn’t know if the Elf Lolita had realized something, but it seemed the Wind Law Queen had no intention of digging any deeper.
Harboring the Divine Ancestor’s Celestial God’s Shadow was an extremely serious offense in the Realm of Order. But rules were rigid, and people were flexible. With Westheid’s prestige and accomplishments, as long as the matter wasn’t publicized, the Royal Court would most likely turn a blind eye to him taking Anise and her retainers away.
Through scheming, fierce battles, and a bit of luck, the final and greatest obstacle of the Demon’s Frenzy Banquet had been removed. The Master of Armor Tomb was stripped of most of its Divinity and suffered a grievous, nigh-unhealable wound; it would likely struggle to even maintain its sanity.
Meanwhile, Anise honored their contract and left with her most loyal retainers—several hundred, perhaps a thousand people in all, mostly various experts in preparing banquets. Under Westheid’s arrangements, they slipped past the Thousand Laws Royal Court. When Westheid returned, he would bring them with him to Su Yue.
Thanks to the Demons’ prior infighting, the path through the extended Domain of the Forest of Serenity had been mostly cleared of obstacles. The Royal Court Legion advanced irresistibly. Although they still encountered some skirmishes, they were nothing to the current Royal Court Alliance Army.
"This isn’t a war of reclamation, it’s a military stroll!"
Westheid didn’t even have to act again. Only Ailorus moved with the front lines during this final cleanup phase, happily farming a nice wave of experience. Surrounded by the legions loudly singing the music of the Grand Ensemble, Ailorus even used this momentum to soar straight up, stepping into the Legendary Celestial Rank.
"She just advanced to the Hero Tier not long ago, and now she’s already a Legend... Speaking of which, this doesn’t break my record, does it?"
Westheid clicked his tongue in amazement upon hearing the news.
Yolanda shook her head. "It doesn’t. How can you compare humans and Elves? If we must be precise, the Wind Law Queen took much longer than you, brother, to become a Transcendent."
"Besides, don’t forget, Her Majesty Ailorus is the pinnacle of the Jade Royal Family, the Celestial God’s Deputy in the Mortal World."
"That’s true."
As the Wind Law Queen, leading her forces to reclaim a homeland torn apart by rampaging Demons was a "merit" that could already be called a Great Enterprise, certainly enough to qualify for the Legend rank. And as for her own Energy Level leap... are you forgetting about the Thousand Laws Ceremony?
Just by infusing herself with Wind Law, she could easily complete the accumulation that would take an ordinary Transcendent years or even decades. This wasn’t even cheating; it was a standard benefit granted by the Divine Ancestor to the King of Wind Law. It was just that Ailorus was only now able to enjoy it.
’It’s finally... over. Next, as long as I can obtain, or even transplant, the Thousand Laws Ceremony, then all the goals of this trip will be achieved.’
Westheid’s struggle in the Thousand Laws Royal Court had been incredibly arduous and bitter. Setting aside the difficulty, the sheer intensity of the fighting had far surpassed anything he had ever experienced before.
And his initial, most important objective had been to covet the very foundation of the Royal Court: the Thousand Laws Ceremony, which unified the concert of all things in the Land of Rhythm and harmonized the sound of the ensemble.
It was a miracle left behind by a Celestial God, a relic that could be analyzed and used by mortals. Because of its similarity to Bright Radiance Manifested in the World, it could absolutely help Bright Radiance Manifested in the World advance in rank. At that time, Westheid would ascend to the Demigod Realm, taking the most solid step yet on the Ascension Ladder.
’My three cornerstones are almost established. If I keep developing like this, Ascension will be a natural next step.’
He now shared Ten Thousand Wind Melodies and had gained a certain subtle understanding and use for the Thousand Laws Ceremony. But no matter how much he studied it, the thing ultimately wasn’t his. How could a miracle branded by Emperor Qianlu become the foundation for a mortal’s divine ascension?
First, it would have to be heavily modified before he could safely receive this Celestial God’s Relic.
The only problem was how to pull off such a grand deception. Hiding it from the common people of the Royal Court wouldn’t be an issue; they didn’t know the specifics of the Thousand Laws Ceremony. As long as he provided a passable substitute, the populace would have no objections.
The only ones who could detect a change in the Thousand Laws Ceremony were the High-tier Tuners and the Wind Law Queen. Westheid had specifically targeted Eilvette and the others precisely because they would never agree to this.
But now, the upper echelons in charge of the Tuner Group were all people like Faticia, who had been thoroughly put in their place by Westheid and wouldn’t dare to utter a single word of dissent against Duke Qinghui.
Given the depths of Ailorus’s infatuation, it probably wouldn’t take much effort. The Little Queen should agree.
However, Westheid didn’t impatiently bring up the matter of "borrowing" the Thousand Laws Ceremony. After all, the Thousand Laws Royal Court had just been liberated, and the nodes of the Grand Ensemble had been damaged and corrupted into a complete mess. He would have to at least wait until the reconstruction was complete.
Moreover, the destruction caused by the Demon’s Frenzy Banquet over the past few years was staggering. The population lost to war, disaster, disease, and famine actually accounted for one-third of the Royal Court’s pre-war population!
In the districts ruled by certain brutal Demons, one could barely find a few living people. Only regions like the Central Royal Court remained intact.
Such catastrophic casualties and losses, proportionally speaking, had already surpassed those of the calamity-ridden Empire, making it the most tragic Realm of Order in the Mortal World.
It was precisely because of these grievous losses and casualties that even the joy of liberating the entire territory was considerably diluted.
No victory banquet was held, and the bestowing of rewards for meritorious service was done perfunctorily. Afterward, the entire Royal Court’s focus shifted to post-war reconstruction.
