Chapter 1053 - Autumn Scenery (1/2)
Late autumn.
The green layer of coating covering the tall, uneven mountain ranges had withdrawn and was replaced by a dress of crimson. Rhode sauntered across the field of red maple leaves, his footsteps resounding in the cracking of the dried leaves. In a single glance, he was surrounded by complete redness. Even though the vast prairie that grew over the land was about to step down from the main stage, the scattered maple leaves were as though stage curtains stopping the perfect actors from exiting. The curtains waited quietly for the actors to return to the stage for another magnificent performance. This was the cycle of the world. From beginning to end, the rhythm never changed.
The aromatic scent of chestnut wafted in the air. Its fragrance left one salivating.
“Everything will eventually grow and mature, Your Majesty Rhode.”
Strolling in the maple forest alongside Rhode, Lydia raised her head and gazed at the beautiful, mesmerizing scenery. A gentle breeze wafted across the forest, silently sweeping leaves off the branches. In an instant, the forest before their eyes was as though experiencing a ‘rainstorm and violent winds’. All around them were red maple leaves twirling and drifting in the wind, before landing on the ground gently. Time was as though a dream turning into reality, covering up everything in this world.
“I once thought that these children would not be able to survive this autumn. After all, what we faced earlier was anything but great with the howling winds, torrential rains, untimely hails, and intense heat. But it all seems like everything has its laws of nature. These pitiful and adorable little fellas survived the devastating storms and once again showed us the mature side of them. A little sapling begins growing from spring, gradually experiencing the summer heat and feeling the cleansing of the autumn winds. Finally, it has to face the harsh test of winter. But I believe that it will get through the winter safely.”
Lydia said, turning around with a smile and gazing at Rhode who wasn’t far behind.
“Your Majesty Rhode, thanks to your help this time, the young, fragile saplings are able to grow and mature gradually. This isn’t a simple task; you’re perfect to be a gardener.”
“You’re welcome, Your Highness Lydia. Besides, I don’t find it troublesome at all. After all, fiddling with the motherland’s flowers is also one of my hobbies.”
Rhode replied and spread his arms apart. He lifted his head and followed Lydia’s gaze toward the azure sky above. It was late autumn, the harvesting season, be it for the Void Territory or Munn Kingdom. Although the boundless sky of stars in the Void Territory gave a unique flavor to the late autumn scenery, Rhode had to admit that Lydia was truly a master of enjoyment: gazing at the falling red leaves, listening to the sound of clear water flowing down the creek, and admiring the boundless, golden wheat field from above was enough to give one a pleasing sense of comfort. Even Rhode had to admit that this was the first time he discovered that admiring the scenery could make him relax so much. Of course, the roasted chestnuts were also delicious; green and pure from any contamination and whatnot… There were still some benefits to being a transmigrator, wasn’t it?
Of course, Rhode wasn’t being modest. In fact, fiddling with the flowers of the motherland was indeed one of his favorite hobbies.
But it was a pity that he had no intention of becoming a gardener. With his personality, it would be bad if he accidentally committed some mistakes in principles…
“But I still have to thank you; Her Majesty Lilian looks so much better now. She became more confident and understands what she has to do. Perhaps…” Lydia turned around and looked towards the north in the distance, before letting out a subtle sigh. “… Serene will be glad to see Lilian doing well.”
Serene wasn’t doing great. Back then, after she was gravely injured by Chaos’s trap, she rushed to Casabianca before her wounds were healed and fought against Boulder using all her strength. At that point in time, she was basically at death’s door. If it weren’t for the fact that she was one of the archangels, perhaps now, Lilian could only recite poetry at her tombstone…
“Besides, it was also thanks to you, Your Majesty, that my operations in the Light Mainland were successful.”
Lydia said, switching the topic and turning around with a grin. She gazed at Rhode wittily and proudly. Rhode realized the meaning behind her words and the corners of his lips perked up. His eyes glinted with an undetectable smile.
It could also be said that after Casabianca was destroyed, only Lydia was left to shoulder this responsibility. Even though Sonia was closer to Lilian in person, her identity was more like a secretary and nanny. On the other hand, Lydia was the only true, worthy person who grasped the entire situation. As of now, she was slowly annexing and reshaping the various regions and forces of the Light Mainland using the strength of the Munn Kingdom as well as the anti-parliament forces. It could also be said that right now, she held the highest authority in the entire Light Mainland, her power and prestige as the archangel reaching an unprecedented peak. But it was a pity that even though she seemed impressive, it wasn’t able to change the fact that the forces in the Light Mainland were weakening drastically. Even though most battle angels were in her control and this core strength didn’t suffer tragically in the previous calamity, apart from this, there wasn’t any good news as there was only one archangel with battle strength left. The initial three archangels were already at a disadvantage in numbers going up against four of the legendary generals. Now that there was only one archangel, Lydia was at a disadvantage in all aspects. With Lydia alone, it was impossible for her to take on the four legendary generals. Meanwhile, Serene wouldn’t be recovering her battle strength anytime soon, which left Lydia with a hard time.
One thing fortunate for her was that the massacre in Casabianca baffled the ambitious people who tried to take advantage of the crisis for personal gains. Initially, these people couldn’t wait to announce their objectives of establishing an independent country to fulfill their desires. However, every single one of them shut their mouths completely after the war in Casabianca happened as they were afraid that Rhode would eradicate them by sending magic warships for a spin above their new city. The parliament failed to resist the magic warships using the devils, so how was it possible that those people could defend against Rhode?
Taking Rhode’s original world for comparison, the current Void Territory was as though a strong military country with nuclear weapons, while Casabianca was as though the Hiroshima and Nagasaki that were bombed during World War II. The power of nuclear deterrence wasn’t about how strong they were, but if they dared to drop them. And now, Rhode had clearly announced to the world that no matter if one was willing or forced, implicated or wronged, as long as one resisted the rule of the Creator Dragons, one would be killed. There would be no trials or wrongful execution. He would rather kill 99 innocent people than to let that one person off. That was the professionalism of the Void Territory.
Under such ‘nuclear deterrence’, those ambitious people were scared witless as they went around begging for help to express their respect for the Light Dragon, surging forward like an endless river and overflowing like the Yellow River, unable to be stopped…
What made things better was Rhode’s identity. Even though anyone would be afraid of a huge massacre or the demon king’s bloody cruelty, Lydia neither attacked nor participated in it, which allowed her to maintain a good reputation and image. As a result, it made working with her less pressurizing. If it were Rhode… those people would surely stay away from him as far as possible. But Rhode wasn’t mindful at all as having others fearing him was better than them belittling him. He looked forward to the day when everyone in the continent was fearful of the Void Territory’s threat as this would prove how powerful he was. On the contrary, who would even be afraid of a remote place like Barce that survived on their people being whistle blowers?
“I’m sure you didn’t invite me here to only admire the view, right, Your Highness Lydia?”
Upon hearing Lydia’s words, Rhode asked, returning to the main topic. Previously, after Lydia visited Lilian, she invited Rhode to the Golden City to admire the captivating scenery of autumn. Of course, Rhode didn’t mind despite knowing that she definitely had an ulterior motive. He also didn’t want to be a workaholic like Ion and wasn’t interested in dominating a country. Judging from the description of the Void Territory as a ‘territory’, it clearly showed his attitude toward this. Therefore, he didn’t refuse Lydia’s invitation and came here to admire the scenery.
He had to admit that the view was indeed magnificent. The chestnuts were delicious too.
But that was the end of it. It was time to talk business.
Upon sensing the meaning behind his words, Lydia chuckled and extended her arm. Along with her movement, the fallen leaves and dust above the stone table and chairs glided off the surface cleanly. Then, a maid silently carried a tray with piping hot red tea, placing them on the table respectfully. Rhode took the opposite seat from Lydia, narrowing his eyes at her.
“Your Majesty, take a look at this vast, golden wheat field. Even though it faced disasters, it continues to welcome the harvest season. But even so, we need to be careful. After all, apart from the often changing weather, poisonous bugs and wild animals are also eyeing the crops. They can’t wait to taste and gorge on them to ensure they can get through winter. This is the natural behavior of all living creatures, isn’t it?”
“Of course, that is why we need to take precautionary measures. The livestock that the farmers raised painstakingly aren’t meant to be fed to the pack of wolves and a faithful sheepdog is the guarantee of a shepherd’s life…” Rhode said and came to a pause. Then, he gazed at the chuckling Lydia who, upon sensing his gaze, crossed her arms and squinted.
“That’s right, Your Majesty. But of course, the pack of sly wolves will not launch their attacks on a herd of sheep. Instead, they will hide in the shadow patiently, stare at the sheep that was left out of the herd, and pounce altogether… In the darkness, they are more capable than anyone else because they are the most outstanding hunters.”