Novel Lived
867. Liberation of Grandis
867. Liberation of Grandis
No one expected to liberate Grandis.
The remark Galia made of liberating it was supposed to be no more than a veil of false hope to boost morale. The Beholders believed this to be the case, as did many Moons and Stars. It was an ambitious prospect, but it was never their primary goal.
Nothing past the lands of the Bellum Empire was supposed to be freed from the corrosion that ate Grandis from the inside out. Deeply entrenched monsters, the Impuritas presence, and the practiced barbarism of the humans of Grandis were impossible to uproot
Doing so would result in more damage to Grandis than if they were left untouched.
But that pipe dream became a reality when a Star graced their world.
What Michaela did fast forwarded what would have likely taken Frost and the Nexus years to cleanse Grandis. Frost had only expected to gain a foothold in Grandis.
She did not expect to gain the entirety of that Region.
Of course, this didn’t mean that it was completely free of danger. There was no such thing.
However, there was nothing holding the development of Grandis back anymore.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
The Impuritas were gone as were the Sins. The monsters that made traversing through Grandis so treacherous retreated into the isolated depths of the Region. But the monsters were not the only threats.
Humans themselves were as much of a threat as they were.
Gerina Aztra – the Third Princess of the Bellum Empire – vowed to establish order across Grandis. The Bellum Empire was the last remaining faction with both the manpower and the civility to enforce change.
However, Gerina was well versed in how the public viewed her. She was a woman who understood the intricacies of politics like the back of her hand. Merely being the sole living successor to the throne would not be enough to sway the opinion of the public.
She had been persecuted by the Royal Family for years. Her face had been on countless flyers. Gerina reached a level of infamy would understandably cause an uproar the moment her name was spoken.
Despite this, the crowds who emerged from the safety of their underground harbors listened to her voice. Some were in awe; others were draped with suspicion. There was an unspoken sentiment shared amongst the many faces that gazed upwards at the palace.
The reason was because Gerina had saved them.
Were it not for her soldiers warning of an impending attack, then countless would have perished.
Still, it was not enough for them to completely join her side. She had no direct power to sway the masses unlike her sisters who granted them unlimited luxuries, nor could she make false promises like her parents to temporarily ease their hearts.
What she needed to do was to clear her name. To shed light on the Royal Family. She had a voice that could reach the ends of the entirety of the Bellum Empire now that the Arcana Towers were under her control.
And not only that –
“Daddy… who are those people?” A child asked as thousands held their breaths.
Her shaken father gulped and whispered beneath his breath: “Golden Middle soldiers. What are Atelier soldiers doing here…?”
Atelier personnel were universally recognized no matter where they were, so their appearance should not have roused so much shock. It was normal to see them in other parts of the world.
But never in this quantity, nor in Grandis to begin with.
Indeed. What Gerina wanted to show them was that she was not only suitable to rule the Bellum Empire due to her bloodline, but she had been ordained by agents of the Nexus itself.
“At long last, after 15 years of alienation, the Nexus had lent itself to save our country.”
Her voice boomed in the skies. The Adorned Tale that was left with her by the Amalgam further amplified her authority.
The citizens of the Bellum Empire were familiar with the Golden Middle’s personnel, but the members of Inflow Direct was what truly caused them to marvel. Gerina relayed a speech as half-human machines marched through the streets of the city.
“Let them be the proof of my anointment. The Nexus offered us a hand. I was the only one who was willing to take it. Our city did not fall because of them. Our country did not become another ruin like Puritas. We only have them to thank.”
Thousands of Liquidators, Eradicators, Transporters and relevant Inflow Direct personnel moved like the cogs of a collective machine. Every stride carried purpose. Liquidators equipped with Healing Serums worked methodically on the injured, injecting them with a clean stab before departing to the next unassuming client.
A large, lumbering six-legged machine decorated with roles of inscribed scrolls peered over the buildings. The machine was powered by a complex system of hydraulics. Blue liquid glowed across the transparent pipework that ran across the machine like veins.
It was the centerpiece of the Atelier march, and riding above was a machine that carried a brain encased in a vat of blue liquid.
Surrounding it were beings that were more machine than human unlike the Liquidators that aided the citizens of the Bellum Empire.
“A machine? Do they worship it?” Someone wondered.
“There’s a human brain floating in there. Is it… alive?”
“Impossible… What is this presence? No normal being is ever given that degree of devotion. That must be… It must be one of the Gods of the Nexus.”
“Here!?”
“A machine god…!”
“A God… fought for us…?”
Beholder E. could hear them clearly, but he did not entertain them. Neither did his personnel. They weren’t wrong, however. Beholder E. was indeed one of the ‘Gods’ of the Nexus. Beholders were seen as untouchable deities that seldomly interacted with the world.
Suffice to say, seeing one in person – in Grandis of all places – bestowed a level of reverence that caused hundreds to drop to their hands and knees. Not even Frost had this presence, although that was mostly due to the existence of the Archetypes being ill-known.
“To reject me is to reject the Nexus!”
Gerina used the Nexus’ name to its fullest extent. Beholder E. was not bothered by this. Even if it was said by another ruler, he would not raise a brow. The reason was because the Nexus had never endorsed nor been affiliated with a Kingdom before, nor was it a nation or a recognized country.
But this had now changed.
“The Amalgam has appointed an Empress of the Bellum Empire.” Beholder E. spoke to himself. “Fascinating. The Nexus has existed as a neutral power since its inception. Our conflicts and wars did not steer it to favor one of our own or the world. It was always Atlas’ role to mediate the lesser powers of Elysia.”
The ramifications of bringing the Nexus directly into the politics of the world were uncertain. There were certainly other major powers who would be looking to exploit the Bellum Empire’s weakness to take Grandis for their own. But if they knew that the Nexus were backing them, then they would have no choice but to back down.
“Manpower prevents the Nexus from taking Grandis into its hands. For that reason, the Nexus must instill its power through vassals to avoid widespread unrest. I see. Impressive, Amalgam. To think you have thought this far ahead. Grandis will be controlled by the Bellum Empire, but in truth, it will be commanded by the Nexus.”
Truth be told, Frost did not plan this far ahead. She simply saved the Bellum Empire to stop the Impuritas from using them as a resource. Gerina was entirely unaccounted for. She happened to be at the right place at the right time.
“The Empress of the Bellum Empire. I did not think that there were still rulers who concerned themselves with the plight of the common folk. It will be best to see if Knalzark and Descartes can arrive at an agreement to aid in this country’s restoration. What value does a nation with less than a percent of the power of an Atelier hold? That value is not for us to decide… The sooner we accept it, the slower our Gifts will devour us.”
Beholder E. was uncertain of what the future held.
Ateliers carried a different ethos compared to Kingdoms and Empires. The thoughts of a Beholder regarding their own were incomparable to a king’s. One would be thinking of: “How many of this product do we require? Do we have the Nex to sustain ourselves?”. The other would be heavily concerned about whether they had enough crops to survive the harsher seasons.
That was not so say that there weren’t kingdoms who functioned similarly to an Atelier. The main difference in the end was that they were a civilization whereas an Atelier was an organization.
“They tend to lack the ‘civil’ part of their name. The idea of unification is a grand endeavor, Amalgam. There is a reason why my Chapters had to be separated… But, at the bare minimum, it may be a good idea to bring them back into the heart of Inflow Direct.”
Beholder E. admired the roars that erupted suddenly for Gerina. The clanging, the tears and cheers reminded him of a time when he too was once a ruler a thousand years ago before the era of the Advents. He had lived during the BA years (Before Advent), a time when there were only kingdoms and monsters.
Would it be easy for the new Empress of the Bellum Empire? Certainly not. There would be no shortage of enemies.
Gerina vowed to shoulder it together with her people, as she had done with her soldiers. The burden not solely placed on her, but on the Bellum Empire as a collective. Restoration was not an easy road. Grief was a weed that could not be uprooted without significant effort and, most of all, time.
She was a ray of light in a world of uncertainty. So much had already been undone that it would take years, if not decades to restore it to its former, pre-Impuritas glory. Her vision may not have been universally shared. After all, these people had overindulged for years under the previous rulership. But it cost them greatly. Librarians lived false lives as humans. They anguished over their manipulated lives and lamented.
Most of these if not all were the Librarians who could now bleed.