Merchant From Earth in the Magical World-Chapter 529 - 374: Night in Dawnspirit City_2

The maid brought over red wine. Yan Xing picked up his glass and gestured to Karol, "Here’s to a successful military parade and to the Queen’s good health."

Karol lifted her glass to touch Yan Xing’s. "Thank you, and to your good health as well."

On the night of Yan Xing’s arrival in Dawnspirit City, Elf King Erelado also arrived.

Erelado sought an audience with Yan Xing that very night, and the two spoke deep into the night before he departed.

The next day, Yan Xing conducted business as usual, receiving visitors, discussing deals, and signing agreements, much as he had done on previous visits to Dawnspirit City.

As the day of the parade drew near, Dawnspirit City quickly bustled with activity. The last time so many nobles had come to Dawnspirit City was the day Duke Silvermane announced the establishment of the kingdom.

A year had already flown by.

Queen Karol had carried on the late king’s wishes and propelled the kingdom to unprecedented heights. And this might just be the beginning of another ascent to greater heights.

If such a day truly came, then the nobles could look forward to another round of promotions and peerage advancements.

The city was decorated with lights and festive banners.

A great number of traveling performers were allowed into the city, adding significantly to the celebratory atmosphere.

The army, preparing for inspection, rehearsed day and night. They were determined to present themselves with the utmost discipline and vigor for Her Majesty’s review.

When the cannons of the salute echoed across the city, the citizens of Dawnspirit City all flocked to the newly refurbished Kingdom Square.

Queen Karol, along with Lord Yan Xing and King Erelado, ascended the viewing stand and declared through the loudspeakers placed throughout the square, "The military parade begins!"

The marching music played, and the troops being inspected marched past Kingdom Square in column formation.

Infantry columns, engineer columns, machine gunner columns, artillery columns, armored vehicle columns, tank columns...

And columns of troops in traditional armor and weaponry: militia columns, Archer columns, infantry columns, Cavalry columns...

In the sky: Griffons, fighter planes, Dive Bombers, transport ships, bombers, airships...

Everyone was awestruck by the military might of the Kingdom of Silvermane.

The people cheered exuberantly for these heroic troops.

They had fended off enemies several times their number at the borders, not conceding a single inch of the kingdom’s land.

The crowds shouted, "Long live Queen Karol!"

She had brought the Kingdom of Silvermane honor like never before, as well as unprecedented strength.

Amidst such a grand spectacle, the troops being inspected were even more confident and proud.

Fifty thousand troops participated. It took several hours for the entire procession to complete its passage, yet the people’s enthusiasm remained undiminished, leaving them still wanting more.

Fortunately, the aerial performance quickly followed, allowing the people to thoroughly enjoy a dazzling array of aerial acrobatics.

「Back in the palace.」

Queen Karol, seated upon the throne in the grand hall, personally decorated heroes of distinguished service with the Kingdom’s Medal of Valor.

She encouraged them to continue contributing to the greatness of the kingdom.

The award ceremony lasted until evening.

With all the palace lights ablaze, the celebratory feast officially began.

「In the Imperial Chamber.」

Deep within the palace, Karol, Yan Xing, Erelado, and the kingdom’s important ministers sat around the conference table.

Even before the meeting began, the atmosphere was already very lively.

The ministers spoke in low voices, discussing the day’s parade and celebrations, and speculating on the content of this meeting. In truth, everyone seated here already had a clear understanding of the situation.

The recent war had laid bare the hollow core of the Gryphon Heart Empire.

The military lacked weapons and suffered from low morale. Logistics were utterly chaotic. Internally, severe shortages of various supplies, coupled with continually increasing taxes, had caused widespread unrest throughout the Empire’s territory.

If before the war, some still harbored illusions or blind loyalty to this once mighty Empire, now all were just awaiting its fall.

In contrast, the Kingdom of Silvermane had not only avoided being overly burdened by the war but, on the contrary, saw its domestic economy continually soar due to the consumption of supplies at the front.

Of course, this was primarily thanks to the support from the Eternal Domain.

Those substantial loans had made the Kingdom of Silvermane what it was today.

When the Gryphon Heart Empire truly collapsed, the Kingdom of Silvermane would undoubtedly be the best successor. That was clear to everyone.

The same problem also existed within the territory of the Barbaric Orcs.

The victory at the border, while achieved, had been rather awkward.

Not only did it fail to completely annihilate the main force of the Elf border troops, but it also allowed Erelado to escape from the encirclement.

Now, Snowland was relying on the support of the Eternal Domain to regroup its border army.

Can the Barbaric Orcs hold off the Elves’ next attack?

This meeting was expected to be about dividing the future world’s territories—a discussion on how this immense cake should be sliced.

Some nobles were already considering the lush lands they could secure for their families.

Some were pondering what new noble coronet they might receive.

"Silence!"

When the Queen spoke, the chamber immediately fell quiet.

Karol now possessed that kind of authority.

"This day will surely be recorded in human history. I and my allies gather here to collectively envision the future of the world.

The two years of war have seen us through much.

We’ve moved from doubting the choices in our country’s path to now bearing unshakable confidence to undertake the responsibilities history is about to bestow upon us.

Here, I must thank my most beloved brother, Lord Yan Xing of the Eternal Domain. Without his unwavering support for the Kingdom of Silvermane, today’s grand celebration would not have been possible.

Let us thank Lord Yan Xing."

The ministers chorused in unison, "Let us thank Lord Yan Xing."

Sitting next to Karol, Yan Xing nodded in acknowledgment. "The Kingdom of Silvermane has received what its efforts have earned. The Eternal Domain and Thunderous Swamp likewise thank the Kingdom of Silvermane for its enduring support from beginning to end.

I believe that together, the Eternal Domain, the Kingdom of Silvermane, and Snowland can certainly forge a better future for this world."

After this official exchange of pleasantries between Karol and Yan Xing, Karol said, "The state the Gryphon Heart Empire has fallen into should serve as a stark warning for us. The former king always said that there were corrupt officials around His Majesty the Emperor who were like termites, gnawing the Empire full of holes.

The commoners have no food, yet they face heavy taxation.

Soldiers are sent to battlefields only to find they have no weapons.

Meanwhile, the Empire’s nobility indulge daily in fine food, wine, and women...

This is extremely unfair to those who have contributed to their country.

If our nation hadn’t had the near-limitless support of the Eternal Domain, if the war contracting companies hadn’t supplied the front lines with weapons and materials almost to their fullest capacity, I fear our situation wouldn’t be much better than that of the Empire, would it?"

The noble ministers felt something was off about the meeting.

Why discuss such disheartening matters at this moment?

What is Karol up to?

The Imperial Chamber fell extremely quiet; only Karol’s voice, slow yet filled with supreme authority, resonated within it.

"Lord Yan Xing and I have discussed it. As the war enters the next stage, the kingdom’s army will march on the Empire’s capital. One empire will fall, and a new one will rise.

But the new empire absolutely cannot be like this; otherwise, what difference would there be from the old one? Its successor would likely appear very soon.

Lords and Ministers, in the name of the Queen of the Kingdom of Silvermane: I relieve you of all your duties and charge you with crimes. You will be detained and will receive a fair trial!"

After Karol had finished speaking, a large group of fully armed soldiers burst through the doors of the chamber.

Leading them were the very young officers whom Karol had just personally decorated.

They used Magic to control the ministers, who had not yet reacted, and then, along with the soldiers, began tying them up one by one.

「Outside.」

The entire royal palace was in chaos.

Large squads of soldiers stormed in from outside the palace, surrounding the nobles attending the banquet with their guns raised.

They arrested people according to a list.

The whole of Dawnspirit City had also been taken over by the troops from the review, who had not yet left the city.

With the Queen’s orders, they sealed off the city gates, seized the streets and high ground, set up machine guns and cannons, and enforced a curfew.

Then, they began arresting people throughout the city.

「Meanwhile, in the Imperial Chamber.」

As the entire city plunged into chaos, only Yan Xing, Karol, and Erelado remained.

Facing the empty table, Yan Xing lit a cigarette for himself.

"Now we can talk about what the future world should look like..."