Chapter 844: Messages Arriving at the Same Time


    Trantor: TransN Editor: Meh


    The decision to have the Ministry of Agriculture farm rubber worms was not Rnd’stest flight of fancy. In his opinion, farming rubber worms was as important as exploiting oil, so he naturally wanted to have that industry under his control. If it was not for the potential threats the worms might bring to people, he would not have any intention to ce the feedlot in the Third Border City.


    After discussing with Barov, Edith and other people, he decided to adopt the exnation of "herdyship and the fallen city", which would be more eptable to people than the saying of "the witch empire". As now, only the City Hall’s senior officials and the main force of the First Army knew the truth of the Battle of Divine Will and Taqu, so it was very difficult to make the uing war known to the world. However, they worried about a blunt announcement would make people panic, so they had to rephrase their promation before unveiling the truth to the public. A good way to do so was to slowly send the reworded information out to minimize subsequent shock created among the public.


    Rnd would rather keep the dark history of the witch empire covered forever for the sake of the stability of the united front. If humans were fortunate to win the Battle of Divine Will, it would be easier to make them ept that unique period of history by the time archaeologists unearthed the lost record.


    Knight Elk was left alone in the wormhole to do the research on his own, while Rnd, invited by Pasha, entered the subterranean hall.


    "They’re back, Your Majesty."


    "Who?" Confused by the random words, Rnd could not help raising his eyebrow,


    Pasha did not reply. She raised her tentacles and pointed at the deep, secluded passage on the other side of the hall, looking enigmatic.


    He looked over his shoulder at the dark passage where there was a sh of white shadow swinging by. Momentster, two giant devouring worms crept out and crawled towards him, wriggling, their mouths wide open, revealing tusks and fangs.


    "Your Majesty, do you remember us?"


    One of them greeted Rnd merrily.


    Rnd, slightly surprised, asked, "Are you Jasmine... and Lyra?"


    How could Rnd forget them? He could still remember the moment they had bade farewell and the calm look when they had said that they harbored no regrets before boarding the concrete boat heading to Great Snow Mountain. Even now, Rnd could still feel their unfailing determination in their tones.


    "Yes, we are. You do remember us!"


    "Mind your manner!" Another worm poked herpanion with its tail. "Whatever we looked like, do remember we are the Taqu..."


    "Worm?" Jasmine finished the sentence for Lyra deliberately.


    "Witch!" Lyra cried.


    "They just arrived at Neverwinter. They persist in seeing you before their dormancy, so I have to keep them waiting beside the hall. I hope I didn’t frighten you." Pasha drooped her main tentacles. "Thanks again for your assistance."


    "No, you didn’t frighten me. Honestly, I’ve been waiting for the good news of the sessful transfer too." Rnd waved one hand and did not take it seriously. "Why... do they have to go dormant?"


    "For we couldn’t afford to sustain the worm carrier, Your Majesty," Lyra said solemnly. "Fran alone is capable of handling the daily tunneling and transportation. There‘s no need to keep all three carriers awake. Even Fran was dormant for the most of her time beforeing here."


    Rnd remembered that Lyra had the same bright and bubbly personality as Jasmine’s before her transfer. But now she gave him an impression of maturity as if she really grew up instantly after the Soul Transfer.


    After staying with Phyllis and the other witches for a long time, Rnd learned that not all Taqu witches had lived a long life. At the very beginning, due to theck of carriers and God’s Punishment Warriors’ shells, they were forced to either to merge with Eleanor, one of the Three Chiefs, or to be transferred to a soul container and enter a state of dormancy.


    In other words, only a few witches had lived for centuries. Most witches waited for a long time until the church was established in the Starfall City that could provide shells for them. Phyllis had changed two shells so far and had stayed awake for merely 150 years. The actual time when she was conscious was indeed shorter as there was a period of time at the very beginning when she felt bewildered and had to adjust herself to the new environment. Still, she was regarded as "the elder" among the Taqu survivors.


    Jasmine and Lyra were among the youngest transferer. Apart from the time they spent in getting familiar with their shells, they were often asleep. So, their mental age was close to their real age. Rnd was really impressed with the change in their mentality.


    Moreover, the most estimable thing was that they still kept their spirits up even in the shells of devouring worms, which, as far as Rnd could see, exceeded many people.


    Now it seemed that there was a good reason for the Union to unify the continent. Apart from its absolute power, they had many other merits worth noting as well.


    "If I intend to turn the Impassable Mountain Range into a defensive barrier, three worm carriers aren’t a lot," Rnd said while looking at Pasha. "Keep them awake. They’ll be very helpful to the uing new project. In addition, there’re also many ces in Neverwinter that need reconstruction. No need to worry about food. The City Hall will take care of it."


    "Really?" Jasmine yelled excitedly.


    No one liked to spend most of their time sleeping, especially the Taqu witches. They had slept too long.


    "As long as you don’t ask for meat for every meal." Rnd spread out his hands. "If they have Fran’s stomach, I estimate they would just need the same amount of food as those for 100 people."


    "Now that you’ve got a n, I will leave them to you." Pasha, who seemed to have already known the answer, said with a smile.


    ...


    Rnd felt more rxed after the encounter with Jasmine and Lyra. As he returned to the castle, he received a message from the First Army.


    They had sessfully aplished the task to blow up the snow mountain. The passage that connected the underground river and the sea had been blockedpletely by the explosion, and the rising water would head to the west after the ruins submerged. Most of the men would return to Neverwinter shortly except the Gun Battalion, who would stay at the snow mountain and monitor the change of the watercourse.


    Things had turned out as Rnd had expected. As the Taqu witches finished searching the underground ruins and gained the devouring worms, their exploration was approaching an end.


    Thus, there was nothing Rnd needed to worry about as far as the Western Region was concerned for the time being.


    When Rnd unsealed the other letter, the content surprised him.


    It was from the Northern Region, not sent by a carrier pigeon but by a rider under Duke Kant’s order entrusted by the garrison. With full four pages, it detailed what had happened in the Holy City of Hermes and the copse of the Tower of Babel. Eagle Face, themander of the garrison believed it was the perfect time tounch an attack. After taking the thick wall around the city and the huge mangonel into ount, he asked for an reinforcement from one or two cannon teams. He wished to gain the first victory in the new year for his King.


    After Rnd finished reading the letter, he could not believe that the church jointly built by the Union and Starfall City hade to its end like this.


    Rnd could not help wondering whether this information was true or false.


    Doubtlessly, the church still had a number of God’s Punishment soldiers, and it might make a desperate attempt to save itself by involving the First Army in a street battle. Rnd had nned to let the God’s Punishment Witches participate in the battle to provide close-range attacks that the First Army was inck of. In the meantime, the new mortar would be put into use as well to further drive enemies into a corner. Although it was advertised that the goal of the war was to unify the whole kingdom, the real purpose was actually to exterminate the church.


    But now came the signs that the Holy City was fraying at the edges from inside.


    Just as he was about to summon people to have a discussion, he heard a tapping sound from the French window behind him.


    He turned around and saw Nightingale pull the bird directly through the ss into the room.


    Rnd took the letter off the carrier pigeon’s leg. The bird was apparently at a loss. When he spread the letter out and nced at the content, he immediately stood up.


    "How dare he?"


    There was only one sentence on the paper.


    "Appen, the King of Dawn, schemes to disturb the Eastern Region of Graycastle. The situation in the Holy City is vtile. Otto Luoxi has been imprisoned."