Chapter 797: Chapter 147 Surrender and Post-war

“Boom!”

Cassius swung his broad dragon wings, and his mountain-like enormous body thunderously landed on the top of Collins City, heavily crushing the city walls and causing the ground to tremble.

As the former military stronghold of the Empire of Fadlan, the walls of Collins were exceptionally majestic and sturdy, built of rock and obsidian, standing tens of meters high, easily capable of withstanding Hill Giants and Orc invasions.

But in front of this fifty-meter-long Red Dragon, the walls of Collins seemed particularly low, like fragile toys.

“God…”

“Amanata above…”

The rustling sound arose, and from inside and outside of Collins City, countless gazes moved from below upwards, casting their sights on this majestic Red Dragon.

“Mommy, is that…”

“Shush, don’t make a sound, don’t look over there…”

An adult covered the curious boy’s eyes and the mouth of a crying baby girl, not daring to make any slight noise, fearful of inadvertently provoking the giant dragon’s wrath.

People’s faces were filled with tension and fear; they looked almost like criminals awaiting judgment, quietly waiting for the pronouncement of their fate.

For a hundred years, the Fadlan People had never felt such a way.

They had always been the victorious conquerors in wars and were the upholders of justice; they had never imagined that one day they would also become victims of war, hiding in their homes shaking uncontrollably in fear, not daring to speak out.

“Boom…boom…”

Cassius walked around the city ramparts, his massive body stepping on the wall, moving quite nimbly as each step caused rubble to roll and made the wall emit an overwhelmed gloomy sound.

This sound, like the beating of people’s hearts, thumped and caused even greater tension in the hearts of those inside and outside the city, making them hold their breath and perspire profusely.

Finally, the Red Dragon leapt to the very top of the city tower, stepping on the Sun God Tower that symbolized the sovereign power of Fadlan.

Cassius lowered his head, glancing around like a lion surveying his territory, and then slowly declared: “In the name of the Ashen Empire’s Emperor, I hereby announce — from now on, North Aisier belongs to the Ashen Empire!

And you, those who submit to the Empire’s rule and accept the new order, will become citizens of the Empire, protected by the Ashen Empire’s laws and military might!”

Cassius’s voice was forceful and resonant, echoing within the devastated city of Collins and across the flat expansive land.

This voice seemed to possess a mysterious magic power, making people feel an inner conviction as if this was the truth of the world — even though it came from a terrifying Red Dragon.

The Red Dragon perched atop the city, slowly unfolding its sky-obscuring dragon wings, casting a vast shadow and shrouding many of Collins City’s guards and citizens within it.

Somehow, under the shade of its dragon wings, people, despite tremors of terror and profusely gulping, also felt a strange sense of security.

Even some elders recalled a scene decades ago when the Empire of Fadlan similarly powerfully occupied North Aisier, bringing them a prosperous and wealthy life.

And now, with Holy Fadlan dead, why couldn’t the Ashen Empire become the lord of this land?

But at this moment, the air inside and outside Collins was thick with tension; no one dared take the risk of being seen as a human traitor by being the first to speak.

And inside the houses of Collins City, people began to whisper fearfully, discussing their uncertain futures.

“It’s said that the evil dragons’ Retainers will massacre the city, devour women and children…”

“Lord Walter said, that Red Dragon is a well-known lecher, favouring transforming into a human form to conduct inhumane…”

“If we surrender, can they really guarantee our safety?”

Cassius looked down from above, observing the crowd below with a semblance of a kind smile on his commanding dragon face under the sunlight: “Humans, have you not surrendered yet? Are you truly intent on being enemies of the Empire?

Being enemies with the Ashen Empire, there will be only one outcome — just like your pitiful Duke, you will lose your life, not even a whole corpse left behind, turned to ashes.”

Despite the Red Dragon’s immensely gentle tone, the content was alarmingly disturbing, carrying an undisguised threat and the terrifying pressure of Dragon’s Might, exerting a strong psychological pressure.

“Clang!”

A longsword fell to the ground with a clear sound.

The Guard Commander of Collins City collapsed onto the ground, tears streaming down, his throat trembling spasmodically: “I, I…surrender!”

He buried his head deep into the ground, as if the other party hadn’t heard him, he sobbed and repeated: “Your Majesty Cassius, I surrender!” This time it was smoother.

At this moment, the crowd was like a disorganized flock of sheep. With the first “lead sheep,” naturally, a second, a third followed, until all the lambs were aligned…

Suddenly, the crowd became restless.

The Guard Commander’s action seemed to open a floodgate, and people’s emotions poured out like a deluge, the last straw in their hearts completely crushed.

“I also surrender!”

“As long as you spare my family, I’m willing to do anything!”

“I…I am willing to follow His Majesty Cassius and become a part of the Ashen Empire!”

“I am willing too; Fadlan has been destroyed, only the Ashen Empire has the strength to protect North Aisier…”

The originally silent crowd suddenly erupted with earth-shaking cries and pleas, a large number of soldiers threw down their weapons, trembling as they collapsed on the ground, and some knelt and kept bowing towards the direction of the Red Dragon.