Chapter 142: Chapter 107: Olive Branches from Great Powers, A Chance Encounter with an Old Acquaintance
A Wizard’s steel warship traversed a Radiant Channel—or rather, a Net Path constructed by Ancient Wizards throughout the vast Cosmos—and descended upon the Desolate Wasteland Ruins.
That ancient technology, surpassing the Human Empire’s steam age, was like a vast floating city, blotting out the sun!
Gothic spires covered the ship itself.
Streams of high-temperature energy and Ancient Wizard technology allowed this behemoth to ignore the planet’s gravity and hover above the Desolate Wasteland Ruins.
The surviving soldiers and civilians stared in terror at the massive warship that had appeared above their heads.
This incomprehensible ancient technology, with its unparalleled visual impact, shattered their shallow understanding of the Empire and the world.
Afterward, a squad of Wizards in ceremonial-style robes descended from the sky, landing in Caster Monastery, right in front of Reinhardt.
A pale man with long hair looked down, his gaze filled with contempt for Mortals and Imperial Knights. He regarded them as if they were a pack of uncivilized primitives, his expression haughty and his tone arrogant.
"By order of Lord Anatol, young Knight, surrender your Radiant Holy Artifact. I can guarantee that no one here will be harmed.
Furthermore, the Great Lord promises he will protect this world for three hundred years.
I imagine you have already gained a tangible understanding of the Knight Warlords’ invasion, and the horrors of the Demon Legion."
Raphael supported Reinhardt.
His brow was furrowed tightly, and the blood on his face had dried into scabs.
When he had spoken with Ullrich before, the Provincial Governor had mentioned this very concern.
The Ash Soil Star Zone had too many powerful Wizard Lords, and some were bound to be interested in the Radiant Holy Artifact in Reinhardt’s hands. It wasn’t just Wizards; some of the Empire’s Merchant Nobility might also try to seize it by force.
Of course, that was assuming they could survive.
Now the war was briefly over, but Raphael hadn’t expected a power to descend upon their world so quickly, attempting to pluck the fruits of their victory.
Before he could answer, another steel warship arrived above the Desolate Wasteland Ruins.
It seemed that too many eyes had been silently watching their war from the shadows, waiting for an opportunity.
Likewise, a group of people left the ship and landed before them.
This time, however, they were not agents of a Wizard Great Lord, but members of the former Imperial Merchant Nobility.
They wore matching black robes of the utmost luxury, adorned with gold thread and gemstones.
Even the guard following them was a powerful being—an Earth Knight!
The woman in the lead had her black hair done up in a style once popular among the noble circles of the Holy City. Her posture was ramrod straight and her figure slender. Her eyes, however, held none of the gentleness expected of a noble lady; instead, they were cold and ruthless.
She glanced at the Wizards who had arrived before them and snorted with disdain. She walked up to Reinhardt, scrutinized him for a moment, and said indifferently, "I am a representative of the Onore Merchant Family. You may call me Lady Aimo, Imperial Knight. I have witnessed your Mighty Power and courage.
On behalf of the Onore Family, I extend an invitation for you to join our family. Wealth, status, glory—anything you desire, I can help you achieve."
It was the same old story.
In the darkness of the Cosmos, dignity was built on martial prowess, and strength was the only language that mattered.
Whether it was the Wizard Lords or the Merchant Nobility, they would of course have noticed when Grand Lord Kles mobilized a thousand-strong Knight Battle Group and an eight-hundred-thousand-man Infantry Legion to airdrop onto Seventeenth at any cost.
However, making an enemy of the powerful Grand Lord Kles for a single Radiant Holy Artifact was not worth the risk, and they had long heard rumors that Grand Lord Kles might have the backing of a Void Realm Great Demon.
However, when Reinhardt and this world’s Defense Army fought relentlessly and achieved victory through their own strength in a war that should have been a death sentence—especially after Reinhardt wounded a newly ascended Demon Prince with a single blow—both he and Seventeenth had proven their worth. Therefore, these high-and-mighty bastards wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to show a little ’goodwill’.
They could not only pluck the fruits of victory and recruit an incredibly powerful Empire’s Chosen Knight, but also obtain the Radiant Holy Artifact.
It was a chance to extend a favor that cost them nothing, so why not take it?
Once they declared that Seventeenth was under their rule, even if Grand Lord Kles wanted revenge, he would have to think twice.
Raphael took a deep breath. He didn’t just want to talk back; he wanted to punch these arrogant bigwigs right in their condescending faces!
’When we were here resisting the Demon invasion, bleeding and dying, where were you bastards?! Now you just show up and demand the Radiant Holy Artifact, trying to steal the fruits of our victory...’
However, facing the disparity in strength between them, he could only silently endure the humiliation, his right hand clenched into a tight fist.
Reinhardt had no interest in the olive branches extended by these two factions. His gaze passed over the woman standing before him, over the Wizard representing the Great Lord, and landed on an old acquaintance who still had the appearance of a young girl.
Why say "still"?
Because she looked exactly like Eliza Hearn.
Likewise, this ’girl’ with a fair face, standing at the very back in a crimson robe from which threads of energy flowed, was also silently watching Reinhardt.
However, the two of them were merely acquaintances.
Time had flown, and much had changed.
Years later, they met again by chance. The once-scheming favored daughter of heaven now lay low under the command of a Wizard Great Lord. Meanwhile, the young follower from Frostfire Fortress had grown so powerful that Great Lords and Merchant Nobility now sent their own confidants just to express their sincerity.
But Reinhardt’s blatant disregard for the self-proclaimed Lady Aimo had clearly infuriated her.
She snorted coldly and said bluntly, "You can choose to refuse, young Knight, but this is not the Radiant Star Realm, nor is it territory under the Holy Capital’s direct jurisdiction.
You’d best think it over carefully."
It was both a threat and a statement of fact.
Void Storms had blocked the Empire’s travel routes, and the Great Rebellion had caused the Empire to fall apart.
In the Ash Soil Star Zone, anyone holding a Radiant Holy Artifact without a powerful backer was doomed to die.
The Wizard Lord’s representative snorted coldly and said, "Imperial Knight, you need not worry about her threats. Lord Anatol has instructed that if you are unwilling to surrender the Radiant Holy Artifact, you may also choose to join us."
Reinhardt had no interest in the veiled power struggle between the two factions.
After a moment of silence, Reinhardt’s gaze swept over both of their faces.
His gaze, fresh from the battlefield and filled with bloody slaughter and ruthless cruelty, startled even these two high-ranking individuals.
"If you want the Radiant Holy Artifact, have your masters come and take it themselves."
