On February 26th, 1734 of the Human Common Calendar, the North, long spared the ravages of blizzards, finally welcomed early spring. The army of the Valeria Empire, led by Duke Charles, was the first to break into Grand Duke Grant’s private domain, and within twenty-four hours, they had completely taken control of the entire border city, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving through the gates without authorization.
Before long, news of the border’s collapse spread throughout the Kingdom of Velys.
Not only did the royal family in capital learn of it in full, even a portion of the rebel forces far to the southwest caught the wind of the situation.
They learned that the once-arrogant Grand Duke had fled the border city in panic, not even bothering to gather part of his troops and provisions, so miserable it was almost beneath a noble’s dignity.
For a time, the undercurrents within Velys surged even more violently. Speculators, warmongers, long-exploited adventurers, and kingdom nobles dissatisfied with the status quo all became unusually restless.
Everyone sensed that a major turning point was approaching. They were anxious that the established order would be overturned and that they themselves might become the victims of the coming changes.
At the same time, they secretly entertained the hope that they could take advantage of the upheaval and rise to an even higher position of power than they had held before.
Chaos meant opportunity. It meant the passage upward was no longer completely sealed.
As long as someone couldn’t keep their feet in the turbulent tide and drowned beneath the waves, the cake they’d been allotted in life would return to the table. For other nobles, taking even a small slice would be enough.
As for the crumbs that fell off, they could just satisfy those lower-class citizens discontent with the present, and, through this opportunity, tell them that all the previous injustices had come from the decayed royal family, not from the political system under the kingdom’s control. With a deft touch, the conflict will be shifted away and delayed.
For these nobles, what matters most now, aside from the royal family’s movements, is the Valeria Empire’s attitude. Were they a starving wolf that rushed in, devoured their fill, and left?
Or a colossal whale that intended to swallow the entire kingdom’s territory? Either way, there was room to talk. They held powerful mages, deep-rooted interests standing firmly on the land. If it came down to it, they could simply switch the object of their loyalty, nothing impossible to accept.
And on that basis, with Astrid quietly fanning the flames behind the scenes, the claim that the Valeria Empire intended only to punish the royal family gradually spread far and wide, easing the nerves of some nobles to a certain extent.
No matter what, millions of eyes were now fixed on the border. Everyone had seen the Valeria Empire’s military operations; From the army’s conduct, they could roughly analyze Astrid’s next step.
They had clearly captured the city, yet they did not indulge the troops in looting civilian property. Instead, they actively maintained production order and continuously absorbed manpower. It was obvious Astrid’s purpose was not simple, at the very least, she was certainly not acting merely for this patch of land now in her hands.
This regent was seeking more.
In fact, aside from the first lightning-fast offensive, the Valeria Empire’s advance gradually slowed. In the half-week after taking the border city, commerce had basically resumed. With news flowing again, it also allows the surrounding nobles to receive Astrid’s handwritten letters.
To Count Thorsen / To Marquis Mist / To Count Aelst...
A series of letters were delivered to the manors of the great nobles, and their main contents all revolved around one core line of thought.
Grand Duke Grant had once personally led his guards into the Empire, causing military and civilian casualties. The Valeria Empire’s attempts at peace talks had failed, leaving them no choice but to send troops. Their intention was not with him, but with the royal family, to punish the court and execute the chief culprit.
Their current occupation of Grant’s territory was truly unavoidable. They had to clear a route to ensure the safety of logistics and the army.
Looking at the cold, graceful handwriting on the surface of the letter, hands, some wearing luxurious gauze gloves, some just having touched warm, fragrant jade, some recently bathed in hot water, held the paper lightly, solemn expressions as they read.
To be honest, such words were not credible. But more or less, they revealed Astrid’s aim. This silver-haired regent would likely swallow up all of Grant’s lands next, in the name of "army security."
These statements in the letter were nothing more than forcing them to choose a side, warning them not to obstruct the Valeria Empire’s march so that Grant would be left isolated and helpless.
After all, in name, a formal war after condemnation was at least somewhat more legitimate than a sudden strike.
After Astrid had clearly told them not to get involved, anyone still aiding Grant would be openly slapping Amalia in the face. The Valeria Empire could then send troops and annex land with perfect justification, calmly saying: don’t say you weren’t warned.
This was an open scheme, meant to shake their will to resist.
After reading Astrid’s letter, one of the nobles, Count Thorsen, leaned back in his chair, hands clasped at the top of the desk, quietly thinking.
Grant held the rank of Grand Duke, yet before the Valeria Empire’s iron cavalry equipped with full magical weaponry, he hadn’t even held out for a single day. How could a mere count like himself, far inferior in strength, territory, and military power, possibly withstand them?
Even if he joined with neighboring nobles to fight, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t harbor ulterior motives.
Geographically, being close didn’t mean they had good private relations, quite the opposite.
Because Velys maintained a loose political system where Pope and King coexisted, where faith and royal authority stand side by side, nobles often clashed over precious mineral resources, hunting ranges for magical beasts, arable lands, and a series of similar issues.
Not to mention that even with cooperation they might still fail to resist the Empire’s army, assuming they could even reach a paper agreement. Negotiating the details alone would be enough for endless bickering.
His fingers tapped lightly against the desktop. The other nobles who had also received Astrid’s secret letter faced the same dilemma.
The letter’s arrival also means the King will soon issue an edict, ordering them to stand in front of the royal family and use their private troops and property to block the Valeria Empire’s invasion.
After all, nobles had a duty to protect the royal family, this was written into public law, something no one could deny.
They could refuse, like the southwestern nobles during the mid-stage of the plague who ignored the royal family’s decisions, opened their borders, and actively traded.
The price was that the King had legitimate grounds to send troops to suppress the rebellion and confiscate land and wealth.
If the Velys royal family had not lost its prestige and still retained some control over the whole country, such a choice might have been courted to death. But as things stood, the King likely had no ability to trouble them.
Forget providing the necessary supplies and manpower after these nearby nobles formed a defensive alliance, just look at the current anti-rebel campaign. The royal lords had done a disgraceful job. Where would they find the spare capacity to support anyone?
With plague to the west and powerful enemies invading to the east, unless heaven granted a hero, no one could save House Velys.
Pressing down on the envelope, Count Thorsen knew more or less what he should do. He rose and summoned a servant.
"Pass the word. Say I urgent have matters to discuss with Marquis Mist. The situation is pressing, have it done as soon as possible."
No doubt the other man was at this very moment arranged to send him a letter as well, to set up a meeting and discuss countermeasures.
"Yes, my lord."
Reality was indeed as Count Thorsen expected. Similar scenes were playing out in other noble estates. Far from capital, the royal capital, the mountains were high and the ruler far away, these nobles could not feel the royal family’s majesty or benevolence. They could only find their own way out.
"Also... is today the day for prayer?"
"In reply, my lord, His Grace the Bishop is currently praying in the church."
"I’ll go over in a moment."
Come to think of it, why did the Church of Light not react?
Although Astrid did not explicitly mention in her letter what she would do to the Church of Light after taking the Holy City, the Church of Light was, one way or another, the main force that had invaded the Valeria Empire. There was no reason she would let such a piece of fat meat go uneaten.
Moreover, could the Church of Light really swallow their anger so cleanly, allowing these so-called heretics into the Church’s sphere of influence?
Thorsen couldn’t quite understand what the Pope of Light was considering, but at the moment, he wasn’t qualified to worry about a vast Church of Light.
..................
"Your Highness, the experimental farmland you requested has been prepared. I’ve already arranged for prisoners of war to cultivate it."
"These days have been a burden to you, Grand Duke Charles."
"Loyalty to the Empire."
After discussing the relevant arrangements with Charles, Astrid and Lyra headed to the snowfields to inspect the first batch of pilot land.
They used earth-aspect crystal stones to turn over the frozen soil, then relied on the high heat provided by fire-element crystal stones to melt the ice and snow, letting water soak into the soil and giving seeds the necessary conditions to sprout.
Astrid wasn’t sure whether the first attempt would go smoothly. To ensure the highest success rate, she had specifically consulted an old farmer experienced in cultivation, letting him oversee the workers and regulate the indoor temperature, nothing could be better.
Inside the semi-transparent plantation, many hired laborers were gathered. They were soldiers left behind when Grant fled, too late to retreat. To survive, they had no choice but to lay down their weapons and surrender to the Valeria Empire. Astrid accepted this batch of surrendered captives and arranged for them to engage in production.
Those with lower strength were perfect for farming. Those somewhat stronger had already been sent into Valeria territory to work on city construction.
Astrid stood outside the plantation, watching the busy figures within, speaking softly with a servant who stepped forward to report.
The entire plantation uses transparent glass for insulation. The overall layout resembled a sunroom. As a pilot-type building, it didn’t cover a large area, and the cost wouldn’t be too high.
"If all goes well, this batch of crops will sprout soon."
"If we can really grow barley on frozen soil where not even grass grows, then those bitterly cold regions won’t need to buy all their grain from outside anymore."
Astrid and Lyra exchanged words as they toured the perimeter and then entered the plantation. Feeling the warm indoor temperature so different from the frozen wastes outside, Lyra’s trust in the deliberations of the cultivation plan rose by several more points.
"Now we just wait for it to sprout," Lyra said.
If it could sprout, it meant the environment was suitable enough. After that, there would be the possibility of forming ears. For Lyra, who had grown up in high-latitude cold regions and had seen how difficult farming was, the significance was extraordinary.
Hearing her words, Astrid nodded. Her gaze carried a hint of approval as her crimson eyes moved over the soft soil and the transparent glass walls on all sides. After a moment, she spoke.
"Once it succeeds, we’ll need to think about reducing costs and increasing efficiency."
She had seen it, this wasn’t only an issue of crystal stones. These glass walls alone had cost a great deal, and the planting efficiency was nowhere near that of the plastic greenhouses from her previous life.
But given the Valeria Empire’s current technology, creating translucent light-transmitting plastic was basically impossible. The later cost-cutting approach might have to follow the same route as when she designed magical airships, starting from biological materials and promoting domestic industrial development in parallel.
After staying in the plantation area for a while longer, Lyra and Astrid took a carriage back into the city. These past days of recuperation had allowed the soldiers to regain their vigor, and also allowed the letters meant to separate the Empire’s noble factions to reach their targets.
Once those nobles weigh the pros and cons, they will know where to stand.
At a stage when the Valeria Empire’s blade was so unstoppable, no one would jump out to speak for Grant, unless they wanted to become the next target pinned firmly to the board.
The most likely outcome was that the surrounding nobles would tacitly allow her invasion of Duke Grant, quietly watching the Empire’s iron cavalry gnaw away at their neighbors bit by bit.
Before their own interests were truly harmed, people were always prone to compromise, thinking that once others had eaten their fill, they would stop and spare them. History was full of such examples.
Short-sightedness and appeasement were the norm in the human world. To see a neighbor invaded and still sending troops in support with far-reaching strategy, that was rare wisdom.
But given the current situation, the Kingdom of Velys was unlikely to produce a hero who could unite the nobles against an enemy. She didn’t need to seek another path.
"In war, you want to press the advantage in one sustained surge. The second push loses momentum; the third is spent. Grant’s soldiers have endured days of constant fear ever since the border city fell. Their morale should be drained by now."
"Our soldiers, on the other hand, have been recuperating and preparing actively."
Astrid sat in the carriage, watching fine snow flutter past the window. The city’s residents still maintain their former lives. Soldiers and civilians did not violate each other in the slightest, as if war had never come to this city.
The silver-haired beauty reached out and caught a snowflake. Her voice was slightly low.
"The time has come. Tomorrow, we march straight into Coldwind City."
Coldwind City was the largest city in Grant’s territory, named for the howling winter winds that never cease each year. It controlled the economic lifeline of the entire fief, and was also the necessary pass for the Valeria Empire’s army on the way to the royal capital.
"I only hope Duke Grant, after losing all his lands and subjects and fleeing into exile, can still maintain the dignity of a noble kingdom."
Feeling the snow melt in her palm, Astrid crossed a pair of black-silk-clad legs, her shoe tip lifting slightly. Her gaze shifted from outside the window back into the carriage, landing on the pink-haired knight seated opposite her.
"If you lose your composure... you’ll be losing your head in full public view."
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