West Sacland, over the Gem River.

Brandon de Salion, who was in a good mood, stood on the edge of the parapet of the floating city of Fort Clarion, holding on to the battlements and constantly sticking his head out and shouting, making Edward behind him tremble all the way.

After all, what they were standing on at the moment was not land, but two hundred meters in the air! Even with their thick cloaks, the night watchman felt the cold wind on his cheeks, ten times colder than on land, similar to the Broken Boundary Mountain.

Not only that, but Edward also discovered an extremely serious problem - he actually has a fear of heights!

As soon as he gets close to the edge of the parapet, he gets dizzy, nauseous, and his body shudders and convulsions uncontrollably... After a whole month of "air travel", I finally got a little better, but I still feel cold and numb in my hands and feet, and I feel like I can't breathe.

Without this last restraint, Brandon was completely unscrupulous, tossing and turning around the floating city like a wild dog on the loose, and the dwarven craftsmen and soldiers who had bowed to him at first gradually became accustomed to ignoring His Royal Highness the prince who had no slightest pretensions.

This was very puzzling to Edward - as the "Dragon Rider", Brandon de Salion should have no new feeling about flying for a long time, but why did he still like to shout so much when he landed in the floating city?

Castle in the sky, city in the clouds, kingdom floating in the clouds...... No matter how many words popped out of Brandon's mouth, Edward, who had struggled to survive in the slums and gutters since he was a child, was completely incomprehensible.

"Yo, Brandon!"

The hearty and cheerful voice, with a bit of master-like pride, unceremoniously wrapped his elbow around the neck of His Royal Highness the Prince: "Why did you get up so early, there will be a while before sunset!"

"Good afternoon, Isaac!" His Royal Highness smiled as brightly as the sun, "although I would still like to wait until sunset... Still, I was so surprised!"

"Let a castle, a real castle fly into the sky! In fact, half of the empire knew about it a few months ago, but no one believed it was true!"

"But that's true!" Isaac's eyes widened with pride, "And I can not only let her fly into the sky, but also like a real castle - in six months, you can circle the entire empire in the sky, and you don't have to land!"

"Six months?really?!"

"It's true!" Isaac said with a sinister expression, "And that's just a small part of my work, to fulfill the dreams of some foolish alchemist!"

"So... What other use could your theory have?" Brandon's eyes lit up.

Isaac snorted coldly, expressing great disdain: "What else is it for? Let me tell you... With just a few runes and two lines of text, I can change the entire empire! Give me fifty years and a bunch of real wizards and craftsmen, and I can give you back a new world!"

"For example, I'm working on a brand new projection weapon to be mounted on a floating city - while Loren told me it would be best to cut costs, I think something super-sized still needs to exist......"

Looking at the two who were shouting on the parapet wall, provoking the surrounding soldiers to dare not approach, the black-haired wizard standing at the top of the tower shook his head and couldn't help but sigh.

Why didn't you find the two of them so compatible before?

"Message from the lookout at the top of the tower, Lord Duke. The voice of Count Eckert of Fort Fury sounded behind him, as calm as a rock:

"We're almost there. ”

Oh?

Loren, who was shining in front of him, immediately looked in the direction pointed by the other party, and through the sight of the clouds and the cold wind, he could already vaguely see the magnificent city walls of the imperial capital Golovin, as well as the Heavenly Dome Palace towering at the top.

"Inform the dwarven craftsman at the landing gear to prepare for landing... Well, by the way, prepare for that 'just in case' crash landing. Loren, who suddenly remembered the last landing experience, tugged at the corners of his mouth and added:

"According to the original plan, go directly through the city wall and enter the inner city, and land in front of the main gate of the Heavenly Dome Palace!"

Count Eckert immediately gave orders, and his calm, clear voice sounded again and again at the top of the tower, each time short and sonorous.

It was indeed the right choice to let the experienced, experienced and unobtrusive Count Eckert be his lieutenant.

Although this mission was nominally to go to the imperial capital and pledge allegiance to the "new emperor", in fact, it was not necessary or possible to have all the earls of the thirteen collars present, and there must be someone left behind to be responsible for the normal operation of the Round Table Council.

As for what Charlotte and not Earl Eckert are left behind, on the one hand, of course, because Charlotte is better at internal affairs, and on the other hand... It was because Loren did not follow the script she had painstakingly written at the mobilization ceremony, but "played freely" once.

For the sake of his own safety, Loren still chooses Count Eckert, who has just lost his heir and needs to be distracted and cheered up urgently - I hope that this trip to the imperial capital will ease his pain a little.

"Why, do you have to land in front of the main gate of the Heavenly Dome Palace?"

Count Eckert, who came again, finally showed a slight expression on his still stiff face: "According to your plan, this time our purpose is to show the enemy to be weak and retreat to advance;

Eckert was puzzled, for Loren Turin in his impression was probably the most special of Turin—cautious and confident, unassuming, and lacking interest in rituals and spectacle.

In this case, why did he have to choose such a provocative way on such an occasion when he needed to lower his profile?

"If it's just Conod, of course it shouldn't be done, and it's not necessary. The black-haired wizard chuckled and nodded, "But the problem is that we have to face not only him, but also the forces and forces behind him." ”

"Only let them truly feel the strength of Byrne's current and unusual, the Holy Cross Church, the old imperial capital nobles, the royal family of de Salion... They will put us on an equal footing with them, not so arrogant that they really feel that we have bowed our heads and surrendered. ”

"And on top of that, we also need to let His Highness Brandon's supporters in the imperial capital see some hope. Count Eckert took over and looked at Loren, "Is that so?"

"That's it. Loren nodded, and couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth:

"In addition, a long time ago an elder once told me that hidden treasures are worthless, and unnoticed talents are the same as none, and that whatever you want to show, you have to be in a crowded place to have fun!"

................................................

“...... It's finally here. ”

Squinting slightly, Conrad de Salion raised his head slightly, looking at the castle floating in the sky in the clouds.

The Imperial Capital was already full of alarm bells, from the farthest edge of the city wall to the towers of the Heavenly Dome Palace, all the bell towers were ringing rapidly;

In the Heavenly Dome Palace, the legionnaires who had just been transferred by the Minister of War to garrison stood on the city wall nervously, whether it was the shield in their hands or the city wall under their feet, they could not bring them the slightest sense of security in front of the floating city.

"So, the rumors are true - Duke Loren Turin used his floating city to capture the capital of the dwarven kingdom in just one day, the cloud peak that claims to never fall?"

The Lord Keeper of the Seals, standing side by side with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Metternich Leopold, sighed softly: "What an astonishing achievement... I thought that at this age, there would be nothing in this world that would shock me. ”

"Your Royal Highness, why do you think that Duke Byrne, who has always been cautious, chose to come to the imperial capital in such a flamboyant way?"

The Minister of the Seals, who was looking sideways, looked at Conod with a meaningful expression.

"I think you're knowingly asking, Master Metternich Leopold. Conod snorted coldly, obviously not interested in accompanying the old man to play dumb riddles:

"In addition, if you are really well-informed, you should know that it is not only such a floating city that has captured the peak of the clouds, but also the rebels of the dwarven kingdom, and thousands of corrupted demons. ”

"These... is the real reason for the fall of the cloud peak. ”

As soon as the words fell, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince regretted it - a sly smile appeared on Metternich's face.

"I see, the cloud peak, which was originally known as never falling, will still fall under the double attack of rebels and monsters. The Minister of the Seals looked suddenly enlightened:

"So... No matter how strong a fortress is, no matter how powerful a country is, if it faces both internal and external troubles, it will not be spared... I have really learned, and it seems that my life is far from the point where I have stopped learning. ”

His Royal Highness, who had been "deceived", did not change his color, but turned around and left silently, and walked towards the Heavenly Dome Palace with the eldest princess of Fetronai who came with him.

Looking at the back of Conod leaving, the old man with a smile in the corner of his eyes sighed and shook his head gently.

It seems that no matter how similar he is to the previous emperor, His Royal Highness is still His Royal Highness, and it is far from His Majesty's level.

Of course, if it were His Majesty, Metternich would not have the guts to deliberately fight ... Of course, this kind of thing is not in the scope of the old man's consideration.

"Why bother, even if you are willing to advise, this boy will not be grateful to you. "The Minister of War, Severin de Salion, a strong man in armor and a beard—stepped forward and said in a lazy voice:

"He's going to be the emperor of the empire soon, and when the time comes, you'll have to look at him... Don't you worry about being deposed?"

"In that case, I'll be glad I don't have to serve a tyrant, and lament the future of the Empire. Metternich still joked, "But at least for now, His Highness Connad can't do without me." ”

Hearing this, Severine de Salion nodded, for this was indeed the case.

Conod was the legitimate prince with numerous conservative forces and factions behind him, but on the other hand, these people also wanted to see a monarch "who lived up to their expectations", and Metternich's presence was crucial in order to reconcile the balance between these forces and factions.

Compete for the throne between two highnesses, and maintain a semblance of stability and peace in a time of turmoil in the empire.

That's probably the only reason why His Majesty Eckhart II wants to live, right?

A bitter smile appeared on the corner of the Seal's mouth.

Can you really do it yourself?

His Royal Highness Brandon, who retreats as his advance, and His Highness Conrad, who puts righteousness first... Because of the invasion of the Azorean elves, the empire finally avoided a civil war, but this was not because of the unity and understanding of the two sides, but for the sake of their own interests.

Cooperation is not for stability, it is for the sake of keeping third parties out.

This is His Majesty's strategy - profit and threat, even after he leaves this world, the Sakran Empire is still operating according to his ideas, and can explode with far more power than before.

Because both His Highness Conrad and His Highness Brandon, for the sake of the interests and prestige of their respective camps, must defend against the threat of invasion and the enemy at all costs, and even have to abandon each other's prejudices for this, because they all need each other's support.

The death of the Emperor did not divide the empire, but rather united it... It's a great irony.

"But I still have some questions... Loren Turin, what means did he use to convince His Highness Brandon?" Severin looked up at the floating city in the sky and sighed:

"According to that kid's temperament, I was originally ready to lead the army to quell the rebellion. ”

"Who knows? Perhaps it was the wisdom inherited from the previous emperor that made His Royal Highness the prince a little more restrained, and finally understood the importance of hiding the sword in the sheath. Smiling indifferently, the Minister of the Palm Seal shook his head very leisurely:

"Either way, it's great that this dispute can be put on hold in this way. ”

That's when ......

"Boom ——————!!!!"

In the distant clouds, a thunderclap suddenly sounded, shaking the sky!

Before the stunned two had time to stand firmly, they had already subconsciously looked up, and the black shadow was like a sharp blade, roaring out from the dense clouds, and the elegant and hideous figure was hovering around the floating city in the sky above the imperial capital.

Dragon... Mirasis!

"It seems that even if you know how to tolerate, nature is still not so easy to change. Sevelin de Salion was startled at first, and then laughed out loud: "Today's Heavenly Dome Palace should not be too quiet. ”

"Or... The Heavenly Dome Palace has never really been quiet. With a meaningful expression, the minister of the seal, who was quite emotional, looked at the floating city that was slowly descending in the air, and couldn't help but sigh:

"But no matter how noisy those who like to break the status quo and break the rules, the imperial capital still stands here, and the Heavenly Dome Palace still stands here. ”

"The restless voices will eventually dissipate, and the temple will live forever!"