Chapter 474 The Sanctuary Project, a Strategic Weapon of the Kingdom of Aura
Dawn finally pierced the long night.
The first rays of dawn flowed slowly across the rugged spine of the Cui Luan Mountains, painting the ruins of Duanlong Pass.
However, the smoke of battle had not completely dissipated, lingering in the cool morning breeze.
Red Iron Dragon did not inspect the Aura army, which had already begun to take over the pass and gather the prisoners.
He retracted his fighting stance, shrunk in size, and returned to his normal state of about forty meters long.
Even so, with its still enormous size, dark red and black scales with a metallic sheen, and the natural dragon aura it exudes, it is impossible to ignore simply by existing quietly.
At this moment, the red iron dragon is standing on one of the peaks.
Looking down from this vantage point, the shattered walls resemble toppled building blocks, while the verdant mountains stretch out to both sides beneath its iron-like claws, forming a massive natural barrier. Further away, beyond the last undulating mountain ridge, lies the vast and flat heartland of the Kingdom of Theo, bathed in the morning light.
"Unless Theo is willing to fight to the last drop of blood for the destruction of his country and the extinction of his race, the battle between the two Theos will come to an end."
Galus gazed into the distance, lost in thought.
After the Battle of Norton Pass, the Kingdom of Theo had no more formidable natural defenses to rely on.
The Cui Luan Mountains, the fortress they had placed so much hope in, have now been breached.
Even more fatally, most of Theo's legends were either killed or captured in this battle, with only a very few managing to escape by special means or luck.
This means that Theo has lost his spearhead for a counterattack.
On the other hand, the situation is completely different for Aura.
The Red Emperor twice personally led his troops into battle, turning Theo's toughest challenge into ashes and slag.
None of the legends under his command have died.
Thanks to the emperor's bravery and sound strategy, the losses of the subordinate lords and generals were far less than expected. Instead, they gained valuable combat experience in this battle. The casualties among the lower-ranking soldiers were also kept within an acceptable range. The entire legion remained intact, with its core strength intact, and it still maintained its vigorous fighting capacity.
Most importantly, the continuous victories, especially His Majesty the Emperor's near-invincible image, pushed the morale of the entire army to an unprecedented peak.
This high morale can maximize the power of the army.
"Winning the battle for both Olympics and seizing all the territory north of the Cui Luan Mountains would be a huge gain."
Galos silently considered to himself, "Aura should no longer directly and on a large scale participate in the wars between other kingdoms."
He looked up slightly, as if he could see several other burning battlefields on the Romanian plains.
The clash between Lorthorn and Reipos, the fierce battle between Sack and Lane, the conflict between Matner and Cambrook...
"If Lortherne or Matna requests support in the name of the alliance, we can send legendaries or troops to participate as appropriate, just to show our stance, but we cannot get involved and get bogged down in another war."
“Excessive military spending will deplete the kingdom’s potential and also attract unnecessary vigilance.”
In this war between the two Auras that has lasted for some time, Aura has already reaped considerable gains.
The area north of the Cui Luan Mountains, including this region itself, was thus incorporated into the territory of Aura.
Moreover, if Theo wanted to cease hostilities and seek peace, in addition to ceding territory, he would inevitably have to pay huge war reparations and sign a series of unequal treaties that might include restrictions on trade and military affairs.
Stabilize the situation, digest these gains, and truly transform the new territory into Aura's power.
This is the most important thing to do right now.
As for taking advantage of Theo's weakness to annex its entire territory, or turning the tide to launch a fierce attack on other kingdoms that seemed to have an opportunity... Galos rejected these seemingly tempting ideas.
Too much of a good thing is bad.
Now is not the time.
Aura's capacity to assimilate is not limitless, and the integration of the old and new within its territory takes time. Resistance in newly occupied areas also requires suppression and appeasement.
More importantly, although he is powerful, he is not truly invincible.
Which of those ancient kingdoms doesn't have a few trump cards up its sleeve?
He knew very well that the current victory and the people's fervent cheers were just the beginning, the first deep stake that Aura had planted on this plain.
The real challenges will only emerge when the curtain falls on the Second War between Nations and the dust begins to settle.
The Romanian kingdoms, whether human-dominated Lorthion and Repos, the dwarven kingdom skilled in forging, or the goblin kingdom renowned for its alchemical engineering, are all essentially classified as "humanoid races."
Although their cultures, social structures, and ethical values differ, they share fundamental commonalities.
The Kingdom of Aura... from the emperor down to his subjects, is teeming with dragonborn, gnolls, trolls, ogres, and even more ferocious monster races.
In the eyes of mainstream humanoid races, their composition is nothing short of alien, a terrifying monster kingdom.
Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts.
This statement often stems not only from prejudice, but also from a fear of the unknown and different ways of life.
Aura's rapid and violent rise to power is bound to make other nations uneasy.
Feeling like sitting on pins and needles, like having a thorn in my back, like having a fishbone stuck in my throat!
This unease will not only come from the long-time enemy Reibos, but may also gradually spread to their current ally Lorthen, and even to all countries that cooperate with Aura.
Between nations, there are only eternal interests, not eternal friends or enemies.
Galos's identity allowed him to understand this more thoroughly than even the human monarchs.
Even assuming, hypothetically, that the current king of Lorthorn, O'Brien, harbors genuine goodwill towards Aura, and that his trust and cooperation stem from a heartfelt sincerity, without the slightest resentment arising from racial differences.
But how long can this last?
What about the next generation?
What about the next generation?
Human lifespan is as fleeting as morning dew, while the lifespan of dragons is as long as mountains and rivers.
If nothing unexpected happens, the Red Emperor will witness firsthand the birth, growth, aging, and death of generation after generation of human monarchs.
With changing monarchs and shifting policies, who can guarantee that the Lor'thon of the future will be the same as the Lor'thon of today? Who can guarantee that future Lor'thon rulers will maintain this fragile trust?
What Garos needs to do now is to take advantage of the fact that the war between the two kingdoms has settled down and the other kingdoms are still entangled in their own grudges to help the Kingdom of Aura develop as quickly as possible.
What he needs is to proceed steadily, consolidate his foundation, and digest the newly occupied territories, rather than making enemies everywhere and inviting excessive vigilance and joint targeting.
He hasn't reached the point where he can do whatever he wants yet.
For example, the recently concluded Battle of Dragon Pass actually contained considerable risks for Galos.
Now, standing in the victor's position and looking back, he can better analyze the dangers involved.
"If the enemy legends could truly share the same goal, abandon selfishness and suspicion, and unite completely, they might really pose a fatal threat to me."
Galos narrowed his eyes, and the scenes of last night's fierce battle quickly replayed in his mind.
Percival, the hunter of life in Theo, could inflict real damage on Garos with his arrows, but he was too eager to end the life of a dragon emperor with his own hands and too eager to claim that glory and fame for himself.
Therefore, in the most crucial initial stage of the encirclement and suppression.
He chose to stand by and watch, without immediately joining forces with other legends.
However, what the siege of Galos lacked was precisely an attacker capable of consistently inflicting high damage, forcing Galos to divert its attention to deal with him.
The legendary female dwarf wielding a giant axe is a threat.
However, as a melee fighter, she must always be on guard against Garos's counterattacks and dare not get too close, which inevitably restricts her offensive capabilities and limits her attack frequency.
But Bosivar was different.
As a powerful archer-class high-level legend, if he had decisively joined the encirclement from the beginning, he could have stood at a relatively safe distance and continuously fired those deadly arrows.
This will cause Garos a lot of trouble, as the possibility of gaps in the defense will increase greatly if one cannot attend to all aspects of the situation.
In that case, the attitude of Ripos, the shapeshifter whom Garros intuitively believed still had many hidden cards and tricks up his sleeve, might be completely different.
When the encirclement and suppression efforts proved effective, and when the Red Iron Dragon began to show signs of fatigue or vulnerability under the combined attacks, it was clear that the situation was under control.
The wavering and hesitation that a high-level spellcaster feels is likely to be suppressed.
He will be more determined to use his true skills to participate in this promising dragon-slaying war, hoping to secure more benefits for Reibers after the war, or simply to eliminate Aura, a potentially huge threat.
"If that kind of situation were to occur..."
Galos calmly pondered, "I might be forced into a desperate situation, and I might even be worn down to death. Then I'll have to use the 'fight to the death' technique to break through the dead end and create an opening."
"However, even so, the battle that follows will still be a tough one."
"Unless I disregard everything and push my wildness to an extremely high level, even to the point of losing my mind, it will be difficult to win such a crushing victory as we have now."
Galos's eyes flickered, and he did not shy away from the difficulties involved.
However, after considering all the possibilities, he remained convinced that he would ultimately be the victor.
The reason is simple.
He is not fighting alone in this desperate battle.
No matter how well Theo's legends cooperated, they had no chance of killing him, or even defeating him, in a short time.
On the periphery, the defensive line formed by the Unyielding Barrier will inevitably be broken first by the Aura Legion's relentless attacks.
Once the defenses are breached, the legends of Aura's side will arrive to provide immediate support.
By then, Theo's legends will either be caught in a pincer movement, awaiting defeat, or they will have no choice but to abandon the fight, scatter and flee, and utterly destroy the fate of Duanlong Pass and Theo's nation.
However, if things had really developed that way, Galus's victory would never have been as illustrious as it is now.
Even if Theo surrenders, he will have more bargaining chips.
However, history has no "what ifs," and time cannot be reversed. Bosiva's arrogance and greed for credit, along with the change master's hesitation, together led to last night's disastrous defeat for Theo.
"We need to be more cautious in the future, or acquire new skills and methods as soon as possible."
"My second life has been completely exposed, and the enemy is unaware of the true situation. If they still want to target me, in order to ensure that I don't revive a third time or even more, they will definitely bring out a terrifying lineup."
Galos took a deep breath.
In this battle, he exposed one of his trump cards, so he can't rely too much on the Dragon Jade anymore. Otherwise, if he relies too much on a skill that has already been exposed, he might run into big trouble.
Whew! Whew!
The heavy flapping of wings interrupted his thoughts.
Iron Dragon Sorog and Red Dragon Samantha, one on the left and one on the right, flapped their broad dragon wings and slowly landed on a rock not far from the Red Iron Dragon, folding their wings.
"Hey, now it's time to make those Theo humans officially bow down and submit, isn't it?"
Samantha, still reeking of gunpowder and blood, said excitedly, "With their remaining legends, they can't stop our army from advancing. Theo's Silvershine City is like a ripe fruit waiting for us to pick."
The battle between the two legends has continued to this day, with a total of nine legends participating in the Theo tournament.
Apart from Balna, who was captured by the Glutton in Ash Plains, the other eight all appeared in the Emerald Mountains last night.
It is worth mentioning that after wavering and hesitating, Barna ultimately did not reveal any key information.
However, Galos paid no attention to this.
His true strength always came from himself; everything else was just icing on the cake.
Last night's battle saw the eight legends who fought against Theo suffer a dismal defeat.
Percival and Hosander were killed instantly, their bodies never to be found; one of them was killed on the spot by the Gluttonous Demon Karu while guarding the Unyielding Fortress.
When the pass completely collapsed, the remaining Theo legends began to flee desperately in different directions.
Galos captured three more during the pursuit.
Two other legends, either possessing unique life-saving techniques or utilizing precious artifacts, managed to escape this deadly battlefield during a brief lull in their companions' pursuit.
The Kingdom of Theo openly possesses twelve legendary figures.
In this battle, three died on the spot, three were captured, two escaped back, and one exhausted his life and turned into a stone statue.
Including Barna, who was captured earlier, Theo only has four legends left on the surface.
Even if there are still some hidden legends in the country, it will be difficult to reverse the disadvantage.
Moreover, it had not been long since the end of the first civil war, and the legendary powers of the various countries were almost all in the open, with few hidden forces remaining.
"Theo is indeed unable to stop our advance, both militarily and psychologically."
Iron Dragon Sorog took over the conversation.
He first glanced in the direction of Theo's interior, then turned to look at his increasingly imposing blood brother beside him.
"But our current goal should be to force Theo to cede the land north of the Green Mountain Range and pay huge war reparations, while signing a series of treaties that restrict his armaments and open up trade and passage rights."
"As for further ideas..."
"We need to wait until you, Garos, have completed your next slumber and your strength has stabilized to reach the level of advanced legend before we have enough confidence and strength to plan and implement this plan."
Galos nodded slightly, the scales on its neck rubbing together with a soft clanging sound.
He agreed with Tielong's analysis.
"Oh, right, there's one more thing I need to report to you."
Tie Long seemed to remember something and said.
"explain."
"The human commander-in-chief, known as the 'Shield of Theos' by the Theos, committed suicide after surrendering to us with his last remaining troops."
"He was not a legend, and his soul strength was limited. After his physical body died, he was not immediately and forcibly absorbed by other planes."
“I used the Hall of Heroes that you entrusted to me to keep in order to capture his soul in time.”
The souls of legendary beings are powerful and rare, making them an extremely attractive resource for many outer planes.
Typically, at the moment a legendary body dies, the dimensional rules will spontaneously activate, generating a powerful pull.
Unless a legendary soul has an extremely strong obsession to resist or has special protective measures, it is difficult for it to remain. It will be quickly guided to the corresponding plane, where its memories and past will be wiped away, and it will be transformed into various new plane life forms.
As for the souls beneath the legends, those planes are much less interested, and their attraction is less timely and intense.
While it's difficult for the Hall of Heroes to forcibly seize souls from other planes, there are two ways to collect them.
Firstly, it involves preemptively collecting the goods.
Before other planes notice and before the attraction fully takes effect, collect the newly dead souls.
Secondly, there is a prior agreement.
While the target life is still alive, guide it to voluntarily leave a spiritual imprint in Valhalla, which is equivalent to signing a soul-level contract. After signing, when the life dies, its soul can stay in the material world for a longer period of time, and its existence will be partially concealed by the power of Valhalla, thereby greatly reducing the probability of being instantly pulled away by the outer plane, creating a window for Valhalla to collect it.
Rodrigo's soul was found through the first method.
In addition, about one-fifth of the leaders and generals of the Kingdom of Aura, as well as some individuals who are particularly outstanding in terms of skill, courage or loyalty, have signed the Heroic Spirit Agreement.
Following the battle between the two heroes, the number of Servants is expected to increase significantly.
The spiritual space that accommodates and nurtures heroic spirits is not infinite and is already somewhat crowded.
However, the good news is that Valhalla itself has the potential for growth.
Over the past period of time, the Kingdom of Aura has collected some high-grade spiritual crystals.
After absorbing these high-level spiritual crystals and upgrading them with certain specific materials, the Hall of Heroes can not only expand its internal space to accommodate more legendary and mortal heroic spirits, but also support the signing of heroic spirit agreements with more life forms.
"Hmm, you specifically mentioned Rodrigo's soul, it seems you're not just reporting on the collection?"
Garros looked toward the Iron Dragon Sorog.
He knew his brother well; Sorog was very purposeful and wouldn't bring up trivial details without a reason.
Sorog nodded, acknowledging, "Yes."
"The Theos' tactic of using magical satellites to launch surprise attacks in the early stages of the war gave me some inspiration."
"I'm conceiving of a plan to create a lightning strike force for Aura, and this envisioned force will need an experienced commander."
Galos did not immediately respond, but nodded again, signaling Iron Dragon to continue explaining his complete thoughts.
Sorog carefully considered his words before beginning his explanation.
"One of the current drawbacks of the Hall of Heroes is that it cannot guarantee the immediate collection of souls, especially on the fierce and chaotic battlefield where there are too many unexpected events. We have already witnessed the deployment and teleportation skills of the magic satellites."
"Then, what if we could combine the magic satellite with Valhalla?"
"Imagine if our warriors who signed the Heroic Spirit Pact die, their souls can be immediately guided by the satellite's teleportation beams and brought back to Valhalla in high orbit, thus avoiding most of the risks."
"And our heroic spirits can also be deployed from space to any corner of the battlefield via satellite platforms."
"They are spirits, so their energy consumption for teleportation is far lower than that of physical units. Moreover, they are not afraid of death and can be resurrected multiple times. They are simply the most ideal commando team."
The more Tielong spoke, the smoother his train of thought became.
"Moreover, if the people and ordinary warriors of Aura can witness their heroes returning to Valhalla after their deaths, and then see their spirits descend from the sky to aid them in the fight at crucial moments, the boost to morale and loyalty to the kingdom will be immeasurable."
"Therefore, I want to prepare an important alchemical project, codenamed 'Sanctuary'."
"The aim is to create a space platform that integrates soul reception, heroic spirit storage, and rapid projection."
Galos listened quietly, his gaze filled with interest.
"The idea of using a satellite to carry Valhalla is feasible, but it's still just a theory at the moment."
"Whether this sanctuary project is feasible or not, and what problems it might encounter during implementation, needs to be verified step by step. However, practice makes perfect, so let's go for it."
He approved Tielong's idea.
While the magic satellite is powerful, it is a technology mastered by multiple kingdoms and cannot be considered a unique advantage.
Gun and cannon fortresses like those of the Kingdom of Matna are true strategic assets, unique and powerful, and the Sanctuary Project is undoubtedly moving in that direction.
(End of this chapter)
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