Chapter 24: Royal Capital: Joy
"I hope that Terra will become Lucien's fiefdom, because when Lucien was a child, he and his parents lived in the Little Palace of Love by Lake Lilia, and Terra is opposite the Little Palace of Love. Besides—"
"What's more?"
"Magar City is one of my territories. Terra City, as a sister city of Magar City, is more suitable to be my brother's fiefdom than any other city in the empire."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Edmund breathed rapidly: "Lake Lilia is the most important lake in the southern part of the empire. It cannot become the private property of the Holy Family!"
"I never thought—"
“I figured it out!”
Edmund interrupted Yaris and ordered Ulysses to unfold the map. He pointed to a large area of land near the border with the Dalavian Autonomous Region and said, "How about this land? It's not as fertile or humid as Terra, but it's five times the size and has well-developed river irrigation."
"This land?"
Yaris frowned his delicate eyebrows.
"This area does have abundant water, but unfortunately, over 80% of it is wetlands and swamps, making it unsuitable for settlement, farming, or urban construction. Furthermore, Duke Dalavia has always disliked me. If Lucien's fiefdom were near Dalavia, the Dalavian Knights, renowned throughout the Western Continent, and the large and small mercenary groups and bandit organizations active on the Empire's borders would surely frequently trouble Lucien."
[Brother, Duke Dalavia's only son, Adrian, and I have a very good relationship. With him around, Duke Dalavia won't—]
[I know you have a good relationship, but this piece of land does not meet my requirements.]
【……】
"...Lucien, you are a lucky brother to have such a doting brother."
Edmund said sourly when he noticed that Jarris and Lucien were secretly communicating with each other through telepathy.
"However, in my experience, excessive love often becomes an unbearable burden. Moreover, my dear cousin Yaris is self-righteous and has a malicious penchant for manipulating the fate of others."
"Lucien, are you planning to stay under your brother's wings for the rest of your life?"
"Your Majesty, if my brother wants to dictate my fate, I will stand right here and let him do it."
"At your mercy? Four years ago—"
"Outsiders will never understand the blood bond between us brothers."
"All right!"
Edmund's face gradually twisted: "How is Gaola?"
"Gora?"
Yaris was stunned.
Edmund enjoyed watching the astonishment slowly appear on the fair face and sneered, "Six thousand years ago, Gaola was the most prosperous city in the Eternal Empire, second only to the capital."
"...After a day and a night of blood and fire, a vast desert of death stretched three thousand miles, centered on the Eternal Empire's capital... At least one hundred million people lost their lives... Transformed into pillars of scorching white salt... The survivors said, 'Let's go to Gorra! Let's go to Gorra and rebuild the empire...'"
They rushed to Gola, their bodies horribly distorted as they crossed the Great Desert of Death... They became ghouls, fleeing into the forests near Gola, feeding on decaying animal carcasses... They bathed in the river, whose pus boiled it and from it crawled deformed fish and shrimp; they lived underground, their venom seeping into the soil with their breath, producing tumorous seeds... They brought a fate more terrible than death to Gola..."
"The end of Gora began here... The sky was blood red day and night, a green poisonous mist flowed, and the river shimmered with colorful lights. People forgot their language and only ate a foul diet made from mutated fish and shrimp and poisonous grains... They degenerated into a tribe of ape-like barbarians..."
"...Even if the magnificent buildings of civilization are worn away by time, the ghost of eternity still lingers over Gola... That is Gola's end... A never-ending elegy under the moonlight..."
After reciting the ancient poem "The End of Gaura", Yaris raised his long eyelashes and asked Edmund with great sadness: "Why Gaura?"
"Lucien only has two options, Gora or the wetlands and swamps near Dalavia!"
Edmund grinned: "Terra? Don't even think about it!"
"Edmund—"
"If he can rebuild Gaula, I will enthrone Lucien as the Grand Duke of Gaula and allow him to establish the Duchy of Gaula."
"The Principality of Gaura?"
"Yes, the Principality of Gora."
Edmund looked at Jarris provocatively, "I heard you want your brother to wear the monarch's crown?"
(If someone like you can wear a crown, why can't I!)
Xiao Yun secretly complained.
He now fully understood Jarris's dislike for Edmund.
"—are you unwilling to accept the Grand Marquis of Gaura?"
"I--"
"I accept!"
Xiao Yun blurted out.
"Lucien—"
"The title of Grand Marquis of Gaura suits me quite well."
Xiao Yun tried hard to force a smile.
The description of destruction in the poem "The End of Gaura" reminded him of the prehistoric nuclear explosions, nuclear radiation, and mutation pollution mentioned in street literature such as "Unsolved Mysteries of the World", and his curiosity arose.
As for the radiation and mutation pollution called the Cursed Ghost that still lingers in the air, land, and water of Gaola—
(LA, you'll help me, right?)
[After this period of accumulation, the master has accumulated enough energy to draw a second card and can enter the time stop state at any time.]
The system wizard "LA" answered in a serious tone.
[…Lucien, are you really ready to accept the title of Marquis de Gaula?]
Yaris sent out confused thoughts.
[Brother, you said that we don't have enough strength yet and we must be patient.]
[But Gaola——]
[Gora is located far from the border, adjacent to the Great Desert of Death, making it a great place to develop strength. Furthermore, the fact that Gora became the most prosperous city in the Eternal Empire six thousand years ago demonstrates its excellent geographical and climatic conditions... As long as we can find a way to lift the curse, Gora will surely become a prosperous place again...]
[Gora, indeed... Since you've made your decision, I can only...]
Yaris let go of Lucien's hand, his eyes, as bright as a night lake, flashing with heartbreak.
"Edmund, you win."
"Poor Yaris, how much do you cherish your little lamb brother? You can't even bear to let him become the Grand Marquis of Gaura!"
Edmund tried to suppress his pride, but the corners of his mouth curled up high.
"If the blood of the Holy Family can dispel the curse of Gola, your brother will become the first Grand Duke of the Principality of Gola. This time, I promise to keep my word."
"I don't believe it?"
"I've always been—"
"My chest hurts so much, I need to go back to the lounge and take medicine immediately..."
Yaris interrupted Edmund and walked out of the flower-filled hall in a dejected manner like a ghost.
Xiao Yun quickly chased after him.
Edmund was intoxicated by the afterglow of victory and his mind was wandering in the sky.
…
…
"Brother, I'm sorry..."
"You did a great job just now."
Sitting on the reception sofa in the lounge, Yaris held a wine glass, his lips and eyes sparkling with joy.
"The six-thousand-year curse is indeed troublesome, but the millennium-long monitoring of the Gola region by the Magic Guild and the Science Guild indicates that the toxicity in Gola's soil and water has been decreasing exponentially, with the rate of decline in the last twenty years exceeding that of the previous five hundred years combined. The orbits of the stars are shifting, and Gola is about to shed its curse and return to the prosperous city it once was six thousand years ago."
"Don't worry about the ghouls for now. They're few in number and mainly live in the forests. They won't pose a threat... As for the barbarians in the dense forests and mountains... If we can successfully subjugate them..."
"They are ignorant, blank slates. You can indoctrinate them with whatever ideas you wish. Furthermore, they have no ties to any interest groups in the empire. They can be trained to become your most loyal and combat-savvy troops... to make up for our inherent deficiencies in military strength..."
Yaris said calmly with a cold smile.
Xiao Yun felt an indescribable strange feeling.
"So, brother, from the very beginning—"
"From the beginning to the end, Edmund danced in my palm, but he thought these were his own thoughts and his own will. And I——"
Yaris suddenly put down his glass.
He stood up and smiled brightly at Kairusha, who was hesitantly wandering behind the half-open door of the inner room.
"Why don't you come in?"
"I'm leaving the capital tonight."
"Edmund has prepared for you—"
"I have no interest in his banquets."
Kairusha walked out of the inner room and into the reception area. He glanced at Lucien and the half-drunk wine on the table and said, "I heard everything that happened just now."
"Are you angry?"
"Well, I'm angry."
Kairusha looked at Yaris sternly: "It's a bad hobby to cover up lies with lies! One day, you will fall into hell because of piling up too many lies."
"I'm already in hell."
"I want to pull you out of hell."
Kairusha sighed sadly, "I plan to go to the Great Desert of Death."
"What did you say?"
"I will enter the Great Desert of Death and search the ruins of the Eternal Empire's capital for the things you mentioned in your ravings. Perhaps, only by uncovering the true origins of the Holy Family and the High Priest can I prevent you from falling deeper into hell."
“Hell… Hell…”
Yaris had a gloomy expression on his face, just like the evil concubine in the legend who destroyed a great hero and the magnificent empire built by the hero with a song.
At this moment, Kairusha suddenly drew his sword.
He knelt on one knee before Yaris, holding the sword in both hands.
"This sword should have been given to you four years ago."
"The sword of loyalty? Or the sword of fidelity?"
Yaris's smile was a little frivolous.
"Which one do you want?"
"I……"
A rare look of genuine confusion slowly appeared on Yaris's face, as he was being told something unfamiliar.
Kairusha looked up at him with pity, muttering to himself, "Four years ago, I couldn't save you... Now, I still can't save you... But I hope... I really hope that you can be saved... No matter what means..."
"I see."
Yaris smiled, took the sword from Kairusha's hand, kissed the hilt, and whispered, "Thank you, thank you for wanting to save me after seeing my dark and ugly heart... Even if I fall into the lowest level of hell, I will never forget your tenderness at this moment..."
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