novelraw Chapter 226 - 225 - Fall of Altair
Chapter 226 - 225 - Fall of Altair
Lind sat in his chair in his quarters as the sun shone brightly from a blue sky with bright white clouds cheerfully floating along. The breeze was bearable and he could just make out the waving of the very few trees at the edge of the city.
It should have been a day to enjoy the good weather and the banquet roaring on below but Lind felt heavy in his soul. Fighting an enemy felt clean. The battle of life and death was clear but politics and revenge left a sour taste in his mouth.
He would gladly wash his hands of it forever if he could but he suspected he could never completely escape it. Cultivators live long lives and are prideful creatures. Also, the powers formed over millions of years would not like someone disrupting their flow of goods and resources even if it could be beneficial.
Lavender hands began to rub his shoulders and he smiled as he looked up to see Cyntilla looking down at him with a smile.
"What did I do to not be a training dummy?" A quick pinch told him she did not like his jab but her smile was beautiful. He suddenly realized she did not smile much outside of intimate times like these.
"You sent out the Shadow Sect. You are not a cold hearted man so I knew it would weigh on you." Lind smiled but then looked grim as he took in the pavilions below.
"I can't put it off anymore. I have to take the final step." Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and he smelled something close to cinnamon or possibly simply it was her smell as he had come to know it when they slept together.
"We are gathering and are ready. You have raised a good core for what is to come." Lind smirked but knew Reya would likely choose to follow him. The others, he was not sure despite their gratitude. Reya was almost a fanatic which worried him.
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"You are looking a little stronger than the last time we met." A rather large pavilion held the Darkmoor contingent led by Crown Prince Ryu but he was currently hosting a rather contentious guest.
Spiky blonde hair stood out in the visiting group of demons but the aura of low Diamond Tier was clear to all. His cocky tone made Ryu and the others clearly feel riled but a voice cut through the crowd.
"No fighting you 2." A Sky Realm aura swept the area as a blue skinned woman arrived in a pristine white robe. Her vertical slit golden eyes made both princes back down from their verbal confrontation. They both bowed low to her as she bowed back.
An older man with gray and black hair stood next to her looking slightly drunk but the aura of cutting was all around him. He was only a Peak Stone Tier but all recognized the Divine Sword Sect member by his sword.
Ryu bowed very low to Master Bord but Yor simply bowed what the sect behind the old man demanded. While Elder Tyr frowned it was not wrong of Yor to be a bit belligerent to the Divine Sword Sect.
"I see you are all gathering so he must have signaled you as well." All bowed low to Dan as he floated down. His golden robes of fire marked him as the current head of Starfire House. He had also accepted representing the Stardust Emporium for the current meeting.
"How long has it been since the various powers gathered with war not in the offing? Before I was born to be sure!" Yor's words made Ryu roll his eyes but the others took a dim view of it. Yor was not bothered at all.
The Demon Empire was always gearing for war.
"Let's not muddy the waters today. We are all here for the same reason. The remarkable young man that continues to defy all expectations." Dan's position was unassailable as a neutral, but extremely powerful, party.
"I will not take up much of your time, honored seniors." Lind came up with 4 beautiful women trailing behind him. The pristine white on 3 of them marked the Maidens but the demoness on his right clearly was in charge of the banquet grounds until just a while ago.
All of them bowed to Lind but he noted a few were more sincere than others, or at least they were keeping things professional. One, for sure, had no such time for formality.
"Lind, my boy! Where have you been hiding?" Bord happily pulled Lind into a hug and he could not help but notice no one even tried to stop him from among his fiances. Still, he smiled and enjoyed Bord's friendliness.
"I had some duties to attend to and that is why I have come. Altair is over." Lind felt no need to dance around the subject but aside from Ryu, all the others looked surprised. Lind pushed Bord back and put his hands behind his back as the 4 women stood to either side of him.
His solemn face seemed to convey the serious conversation. Annabelle dropped several formation plates that isolated the pavilion effectively. More than a few of the people who had not seen her work in person were impressed by her effectiveness.
"As we speak, the nobles, their heirs, functionaries that moderate the various cities and functions of Altair as well as a few merchants and their partners have been given a choice. Regardless of what they choose, Altair is effectively crippled." Tyr looked shocked at him, Dan was not far behind her, but the rest hardly seemed bothered.
"Long overdue!" Bord's surprising support caught Lind off guard but the usually irreverent sword master was gone and a serious warrior was in his place. It was as if all the alcohol was flushed from his systems.
"I was unaware the Divine Sword Sect had an opinion on such a backwater power, Master Bord?" Yor seemed amused but Bord turned in all seriousness to the Imperial Crown Prince. The others were also curious.
"Many of our outer and inner disciples have gotten missions to rescue women that were kidnapped or last reported in Altair. If not for our treaty with Darkmoor, we would have taken a more direct resolution millennia ago." Bord's eyes were dead serious.
Ryu was not surprised anymore but he made a note to look into any other powers garnering such attention from the Divine Sword Sect. Yor actually looked interested but Lind coughed to bring them back to him.
"I have not had anyone killed but without all those cultivators, Altair will collapse. As such, I have requested Crown Prince Ryu and Qing work together to free any captured women or incarcerated men from other powers to return them to where they belong." Tyr and Bord nodded while Dan frowned slightly.
"While that is a very good thing, you can't just dissolve a power even as weak as this one, Master Frey. The Kingdom of Altair has treaties with Darkmoor–" Dan was simply acting as an arbiter but Ryu waved him to stop.
"Master Frey and my mother have come to an understanding. Darkmoor Kingdom renounces any claim to this land under the flag of Altair but retain access to the Relics located here." Yor now frowned as Relics were precious opportunities and resources not to be lost if at all possible.
"This land is Darkmoor's originally and I have no desire to hoard Relics myself. Of course I compensated them but I also will not abandon the mortals here." Lind then summoned several jade slips. He gave them to each and all examined them.
As Lind expected, Tyr and Bord nodded right away but Dan looked at him as if he was insane. Yor laughed while Ryu did not react at all. While the mortals were his people in theory, Darkmoor had a very hands off approach. Lind could do what he liked with mortals.
"You want crops that follow this criteria and then start a flow of resources to allow the mortals to eventually cultivate? Without a power to protect them, they will be easily picked off or snatched up by various powers! How is that not abandoning them?!" Dan's questions addressed some issues but then Lind looked pointedly to the Sarth powers.
"Master Frey has asked that we test them if they are willing to join us. I assume he did the same for Master Bord?" Tyr piped up and Dan became less concerned but the protection matter still remained.
"Darkmoor Kingdom will oversee this area until such time a new kingdom wishes to rise. There will be one condition, however, that Master Frey insisted on. The policies of Altair will die with it to never return." Dan now stared at Lind while Yor was shaking from laughter.
"It is done, sir." A man with white hair suddenly appeared next to Lind to the surprise of all but Lind, himself. Bord frowned hard as he recognized the robes' effects but made no comment. Lind accepted a jade slip and simply nodded before the man disappeared.
"Their efficiency is frightening, as always." Yor had become serious as he seemed to grasp to what lengths Lind had gone to achieve his goals. The Shadow Sect gave the Demon Empire pause nearly as much as the Heavenly Maiden Sect.
"I have already implemented some plans but I want to give the mortals a choice as well. Some may want to stay simply because they know nothing else, but others dream of leaving. I will be having a meeting with someone else on that issue." Lind finally gave off the aura of a leader to them. The weight of what he carried was clear and Tyr nodded in pride as her concerns were laid to rest.
The kind boy was still there but he was now tempered by the cultivator he would become. She hoped he would not lose himself in the long journey ahead.
"Please review the slips I gave you and Imperial Crown Prince Yor, Crown Prince Ryu will be having a negotiation with you on one condition." Lind looked coldly at Yor but the demon only seemed to get excited at the fierce look. "All crimes and bounties on Cyntilla will be dropped and I will allow Darkmoor to sell your Empire something I think you know I can make."
Yor's smile was wiped from his face as he looked solemnly at Ryu who now looked like the cat that ate the canary. Tyr was shaking while Bord suddenly became drunk once more in joy! Dan's eyebrow twitched but felt Lind had approached it wisely.
Skyfire House would not profit for a time, but eventually that could change once things reached a point of negotiation and leverage was needed. Dan noted it down for the future as the conversation turned to other things but it was surreal to be standing in a Kingdom that already did not exist.
Lind Frey had destroyed the Kingdom of Altair and salted the earth while he was at it.