leonardwarren Chapter 171 September 7st
Chapter 171 September 7st
Chapter 171 July 7th
The team members spoke in turn, and Li Ang was responsible for piecing together the scattered information:
Elisa began by saying, "I've learned that all the changes concerning the King point to one point in time: two years ago, shortly after Sandramea was exiled. The King, for various reasons, exiled her two brothers one after another, followed by a group of old ministers and close attendants like Mr. Bronzebeard, and then began to appoint a large number of new people."
Miguel added, "Moreover, the actual administrative structure of the royal court has become very complicated. The original regent, Grun Maxwell, is still in power, but about a year and a half ago, His Majesty the King appointed a new regent, resulting in the current situation where the kingdom is nominally governed jointly by the King and two regents. Moreover, this new regent is very mysterious and almost never appears in public. Many controversial new decrees are said to have been spearheaded by him, with Grun seemingly assisting him as well."
Remus continued, "Regarding the issue of the royal coat of arms repair that Ludick mentioned earlier, I've inquired about it. About a year ago, due to a sudden increase in taxes and the forced relocation of many skilled craftsmen from their original workshops to carry out some kind of secret mission," many people became dissatisfied, leading to several small-scale disturbances. The royal coat of arms on some public buildings was damaged at that time, and was only repaired after the secret mission ended.
"Taxes? Conscripting artisans?" Li Ang murmured, repeating these two keywords, his eyes sharpening. The two strangely structured drilling vehicles that had attacked the wizard's tower—devoid of magical energy yet capable of burrowing underground—flashed into his mind instantly.
Helena concluded by saying, "There's another piece of information: I heard that His Majesty the King abolished the position of astrologer within the royal palace."
Leon nodded. He realized that things seemed to be developing in a direction he didn't want to see; the dwarven royal family seemed to be really involved in the attack.
He picked up his pen and crossed out the third point of doubt—the issue of the restoration of the royal emblem—in his notebook, then wrote down new questions on the side.
What is the true identity and purpose of the new regent? Is the secret mission involving the large-scale mobilization of craftsmen related to the equipment used in the attack on the Wizard's Tower? What roles do the king and the regent play in this affair?
After the intelligence was gathered, the atmosphere in the meeting room became somewhat tense.
Li Ang pondered for a moment, then looked at Celia, who had been sitting quietly by the window, seemingly detached from the situation.
"Witch Celia," Li Ang said, his tone filled with anticipation.
"With your prophetic abilities, can you foresee the truth behind the recent changes in the dwarf kingdom? For example, what exactly happened to the king, or the true identity of the new regent?"
Upon hearing this, Celia turned her golden eyes away from the window and onto Li Ang. A half-smile played on her lips as she said, "Li Ang, do you really think I'm omniscient and omnipotent?"
She shook her head slightly, her tone carrying a rare hint of helplessness: "My eyes can only glimpse the trajectory of a single target's fate. Even my aunt couldn't do something like this, which involves the fate of the entire kingdom. Perhaps only those legendary prophets could do it."
Her words dashed the little hope that had just risen in everyone's mind.
However, Celia's tone shifted abruptly, her voice calm yet carrying an undeniable eeriness: "While I cannot see the whole picture, I can observe some—unusual commonalities. Just now, while you were discussing, I casually observed the fates of a few passing dwarf citizens."
She paused, her golden eyes, brimming with starlight, sweeping over everyone present, and slowly said, "I randomly looked at five people—whether it was the innkeeper, the blacksmith on the street, or the children playing—"
Their destinies all mysteriously ended at the same point in time: next year, July 7th.
"July 7th next year?" Rudik subconsciously pushed up his glasses, a thoughtful look on his face, and murmured, "This date—it's recorded in the [Great Encyclopedia of All Things], and it's said to be the day when the gates of the underworld are most closely connected to the mortal world, and the whispers of the dead are exceptionally clear—"
Helena's face paled slightly: "Lady Celia, do you mean they will all die on the same day next year?"
Celia nodded firmly: "That's right, it's July 7th next year. This means that on that day, Ironforge, or rather the Dwarven Kingdom, will likely be hit by a massive catastrophe that will engulf the vast majority of people."
The news sent a chill down everyone's spine. Li Ang took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
He laid out the points of doubt he had summarized in his notebook, and combined them with Celia's terrifying prophecy and the intelligence gathered by his team members, the outline of the incident gradually became clear.
"Everyone," Li Ang's voice was low and serious.
Based on the existing clues, we can deduce a general conclusion.
"The Dwarven Kingdom, or rather certain forces within the royal court, most likely colluded with the Dark Wizards, providing them with those drilling vehicles that lack magical fluctuations and can penetrate underground. And the mastermind behind all this is very likely the newly appointed Regent."
He pointed to the notes in the notebook: "To carry out this plan, they banished Princess Maya and her brothers, who might oppose it, and purged old ministers like Mr. Bronzebeard. A large number of skilled craftsmen were transferred, most likely to make that vehicle for the Dark Wizard."
"And this incident is not over yet. They are still planning something—" Leon's gaze swept over Celia and continued, "and this is very likely the root cause of the mass deaths of dwarves on July 7th next year."
Upon hearing the results of the discussion, Sandra Meyer's face turned deathly pale.
Although she didn't want to believe it, the current clues cruelly pointed to her people and her kingdom, which had not only betrayed the ancient covenant but might also be brewing a self-destructive tragedy.
Looking at the distraught Maya, Li Ang felt a pang of pity and comforted her, "Your Highness, the current clues mainly point to your uncle, Gron, and the new regent. Perhaps—His Majesty the King isn't fully aware of this, or perhaps he's currently under house arrest and has lost his freedom?"
Of course, Li Ang knew that the king could not possibly be completely unaware of such a large-scale personnel relocation and policy change.
Maya pursed her lips tightly, a resolute glint in her eyes: "Regardless of whether Father knows or not, no matter how cruel the truth may be, I, the princess, will never allow the worst outcome to happen."
Her words were resounding, and Li Ang knew that this declaration contained both her desire to prevent the unknown disaster of July 7th next year and her determination to avoid incurring the wrath of the Wizarding Alliance for betraying the covenant.