Chapter 799: Chapter 149: Reaction and Promotion

After the Battle of North Aiselle ended, the vast forces of the Ashen Empire swept southward, swiftly taking control of the entire North Aisier Plain.

All the forces of the former North Aisier surrendered, with most of them released, a small number of senior officers arrested, and the disobedient swiftly executed, their corpses scattered across the wilderness.

There was once a Divine Descendant Count who feigned surrender, secretly rallying over a thousand Personal Guards, as well as associates of Duke Walter, in an attempt to make a final stand.

However, they were unlucky to encounter Misha, the Dragon Fire Maiden, tasked with managing the prisoners. With fierce Dragonflame, she incinerated the Divine Descendant to ashes, along with the thousand men under his command, who turned into fertilizer on the North Aisier Plain.

Afterward, to stabilize the situation, Duke Mezolash led the Imperial Army to station in various cities of North Aisier, adeptly occupying key locations such as the City Lord’s Mansion, City Defense Hall, and arsenals–activities they were well-practiced in.

During this period, the old powers of North Aisier mounted some resistance, the underground gangs started to make moves, and the private armies of the Nobles began counterattacks.

But under a hailstorm of bullets, these sporadic revolts flickered out like feeble flames, swiftly extinguished, and the families that attempted resistance faced brutal massacres.

The thick scent of blood and the pungent smell of gunpowder permeated the cities. Cries of agony often accompanied the sound of gunfire, leaving people anxious and trembling indoors, too afraid to venture out.

But soon, people realized that the armies made up of Monsters, Dragonborn, and Devil’s Offspring only cleared the old powers within the cities, and were indifferent towards Commoners, not harming a single hair–truly epitomizing strict discipline.

The Sheriffs and City Guard Army were not as savage as imagined; after several days of purging, the city’s law and order actually improved.

After repeated cleansings by the Imperial Army, the forces resisting the Ashen Empire went underground, lurking in the nooks and crannies of the cities.

A few days later, Empire Officials publicly posted a proclamation–informing that those who reported the resisting forces could obtain official citizenship, a substantial amount of Gold Coins, and safety guarantees.

After several city-dwellers tried and successfully gained rich rewards, the culture of anonymous reporting began to prevail in various cities of North Aisier, rooting out hidden organizations one after another.

Gradually, people became accustomed to the patrolling Soldiers with firearms on the streets, the iron beasts that shook the ground, the flying Wyverns in the sky, and the broadcasts boasting of the Ashen Empire’s Emperor, as well as the Starfallen roaming the streets and alleyways…

For the Empire’s officials and Soldiers, managing a city after conquest had become a systematized operation plan. All policies and Actions were familiar and only required minor adjustments according to local conditions for full adoption.

In just over ten days, the Empire’s Ruling gradually fell into place, social situations tended toward stability, and slowly aligned with the Ashen Empire.

However, the task of transforming the social Order was far from over and needed to be completed step by step, controlling the situation was just the first step. There was still much follow-up work to be done, enough to keep the Imperial administrative staff incredibly busy.

The former Collins City was renamed Dragon Head City, and Saint Theo City, named after a Church Saint of the Amanata Church, was changed to Golden Tooth City to memorialize the Kobold Marquis who died in the Abyss War.

The Imperial Army even began establishing new defenses at the borders, standing off against the border guards of the Thrace Kingdom.

The news of the Ashen Empire’s conquest of North Aisier sent global shock waves; no one had expected that in just over a month, the North Aisier Duchy would be completely occupied by the Ashen Empire.

This territory of nearly 700,000 square kilometers had become a bridgehead of the Ashen Empire, enabling them to threaten their surroundings at any time. It was known that the Empire’s “Blitzkrieg” had already become world-famous, astonishing countless self-proclaimed military experts.

The major powers of Fianso were shocked, whether it was the High Mountain Kingdom in the northeast, the Free Trade Federation in the west, the Thrace Kingdom in the South, or even Serinia thousands of miles away, all were seized with apprehension.

And after the footage of Red Dragon fighting against Balachiel and the other two mighty figures spread, people’s fear of the Emperor of the Crimson Dragon’s immense power grew even further.

Good forces like the Silver Moon Alliance, Harpist Alliance, and Arcane Priory all began to scramble, connecting with various factions. Even the churches of true gods like Amanata and Tyr were on edge, as if the “giant dragons calamity” of millennia ago was about to replay itself.

Since then, the Ashen Empire was no longer the “outsider” and “backdrop” that was previously isolated overseas, but truly stepped onto the stage of the Fianso Continent, becoming a significant factor affecting the continental politics, and hence, a part of the chaos and strife of the continent.

With the Ashen Empire joining the fray, it’s uncertain how many more conflicts and battles will occur on the vast expanse of the Fianso land, nor how many families will be shattered, nor how many more civilians will die in the turmoil.

But what can be anticipated is that with the addition of the Ashen Empire, the situation on Fianso Continent will become even more unpredictable and turbulent.

….

And as the object of concern for countless Humans, Dwarves, Elves, giant dragons–even Divine beings, Cassius lay leisurely on his side in a cave in North Aisier, cheerfully looking at his panel.