Chapter 561 Bloody Rose
Ellie held her head high, her scarlet cloak rustling in the biting wind.
The soles of her boots stepped on the worn black stone pavement under the city gate, and every step carried the pride of the Warwick family.
This family, which is famous for its dark-grained steel, is not as prominent as the several nobles at the founding of the empire, but it is firmly ranked among the veteran families of the empire by virtue of its hard power of controlling the dark-grained steel veins for generations.
Passing through the heavy city gate, a gloomy picture unfolded in front of Ellie's eyes.
The tone of the entire city is cold black and fiery red.
The black ones are the building walls made of black stones, and the red ones are the waving flags.
A gust of hot wind blew in my face.
The hot air is mixed with the smell of the workshop.
In the workshops of the Holy Empire, not a single forge is cold.
Although the street is spacious, it seems claustrophobic due to the tall buildings on both sides.
Those four or five-story stone buildings have wall stacks on each floor and hidden arrow holes hidden under the window sills.
Even the low houses inhabited by civilians have roofs covered with iron plates that can be removed at any time, as if they can be turned into fortresses to resist attacks in the next second.
This is Iron City.
The capital of the Holy Empire, the most powerful country in the plane, is the heart of this huge empire and is also a fortress that will never be broken.
It was the first city captured by the barbarian tribe after they emerged from the wilderness.
The Holy Empire made the captured city their capital.
Just like most cities in the Holy Empire, the architectural style in Iron City is solemn, the streets are narrow and claustrophobic, the eaves have wall stacks, and the city gates are majestic.
—Cities in this country place great emphasis on power and control, so the architecture usually has little to do with elegance or comfort, but is very suitable for defensive operations.
Any enemy who wants to occupy a Holy Empire city by force will face stiff resistance.
Because even the simplest house will be built like a fortress, and when necessary, it will be turned into a fortress.
Guards in black steel armor patrolled neatly through the spacious streets.
Ellie's eyes glanced past them, and a gleam flashed in her eyes.
Because the ore for forging this black steel armor comes from her hometown and her family.
As early as the period of Emperor V of the Holy Empire, her hometown was conquered by the Holy Empire's expeditionary force and included in the territory of this great empire, and it has been like this ever since.
Her family used the first batch of refined dark-grained steel to create indestructible armor for the expeditionary force, and has been bound to the empire ever since.
As for her, Ellie Warwick, as one of the most talented children of this generation in her family, was placed high hopes by the clan elders. When she came to Iron City this time, she received an order from the chief mage of the empire.
Ellie followed the guard who led the way toward the city center. The streets gradually sank downwards. The black stones on the road were worn smooth by time, but dents of varying depths could still be seen.
Those are the marks left by the crushing of chariots, the trampling of horse hooves, and the collision of weapons.
Each passage tells the history of the empire's conquests.
When the building in front suddenly rose, a giant castle occupied the field of vision like a crouching ancient beast.
Allie's breathing couldn't help but stagnate.
That is the Iron Throne, the heart of the Holy Empire, and the end of her journey.
The Iron Throne is not an isolated castle, but a behemoth that coexists with the entire Iron City.
The core of the Blackstone Mountains seems to have been chewed off a piece of it. The foundation of the castle goes deep into the heart of the mountains, and the buildings on the surface extend in all directions like the limbs of a giant beast.
The street radiates from it as its origin, but sinks layer by layer in its shadow. Some areas are even lower than the surface, like folds depressed by this giant.
Looking from where Ellie stood, the main tower of the castle pierced the leaden sky, its edges and corners were like a knife cutting an axe, without any extra curvature.
The black stone walls are covered with dents and arrow holes left by the war, and some arrow holes have rusted arrowheads embedded in them. Every trace is engraved with the history of the expansion of the empire from barbarism to strength.
As we approach the Iron Throne, the feeling of oppression becomes even stronger.
The outer wall is made of ink-colored boulders taken from the deepest part of the Blackstone Mountains. Molten iron mixed with dragon lizard scale powder is poured between the stones. It glows with a cold metallic luster in the sun. Even the wind passing by the wall makes a dull sound like the collision of iron tools.
The walls are arranged in a zigzag pattern, and every ten steps there is a stone puppet holding a giant crossbow.
The puppet is not an ordinary human form, but looks like a barbarian animal-headed mask with its fangs exposed.
The eyes are inlaid with rubies, shining in the shadows, as if they are about to pull the trigger at any time.
The dome in the middle of the castle is supported by six dark iron columns as thick as ancient wood. The columns are wrapped with etched rune chains and magic words.
Those twisted magical words were carved by the first-generation wizards of the empire. Every rainy day, they would emit a faint dark red light, as if they were guarding some secret.
Walking up the wide stone steps, the soles of Ellie's boots made a crisp echo when they stepped on the steps made of black stone.
This staircase is also unusual.
It is called the Staircase of Triumph.
· Every twelve steps on the steps, there would be guards in uniforms standing on both sides of the steps, but she remained unmoved and did not look sideways.
Although it was the first time for Ellie to come to Iron City and the Iron Throne, she did not want to show any shock.
Inferior people who have never seen the world will be stunned.
She is from Warwick and has noble blood in her body.
The hall on the top floor is raised like a skull's head, and the huge obsidian windows are like empty eye sockets, giving a panoramic view of every movement in the city.
There is a line of primitive barbarian writing engraved above the main entrance.
That is the motto of the empire:
Strength creates eternity.
The font is extremely sharp, eye-catching, and has a cold temperament, as if these six words are meant to be engraved into the bone marrow of every visitor.
In fact, these six words have long become a creed engraved in the bones of every Holy Empire person.
Everything will change, only strength can last forever.
Two soldiers wrapped in black steel armor were waiting outside the metal gate.
The armor covered every inch of their skin, and even their faces were obscured by the helmets, leaving only a pair of coldly gleaming eye slits exposed.
The dark red cloak swaying slightly in the wind, with a dark golden rose embroidered on the hem of the cloak
Ellie of the Rose Legion breathed out softly, and her high head subconsciously lowered a little.
In the Holy Empire, the Legion of Roses is a more awe-inspiring name than "Death".
They are the first legion of the empire, established at the beginning of the empire.
They are mysterious, powerful and cruel. They not only fight against foreign enemies, but even clean up the cancer within the empire.
So not only the enemies, but also the people of the empire did not want to see them.
The soldiers of the Legion of Roses did not speak, but raised their hands to push open the heavy metal door.
The door shaft makes a "crunching" sound when it rotates, like the roar of a giant beast.
Allie nodded slightly to thank the two of them, and walked in calmly.
The light inside the door suddenly dimmed, as if it had fallen from daylight into an abyss.
Inside the dark stone-carved door frame was an extremely spacious hall, filled with deeper darkness.
This is a huge hall that can accommodate a thousand people, but it is so empty that only echoes remain.
At the end of the dark hall, there is a huge object.
It is carved from a single piece of obsidian. It is rough and angular, without the slightest modification, and even retains the traces of the excavation.
Countless red and black flags hang next to it. The flags are embroidered with the emblem of the empire. Some flags still have scorch marks and holes on the edges, which are the marks left by previous wars.
Tall columns form sharp angles.
That is a throne, the throne of the Emperor of the Holy Empire, the Iron Throne, which is a symbol of the power of the Holy Empire.
But now there is no one on the Iron Throne.
The Holy Empire has been like this on the Iron Throne since the death of the last emperor.
There will be no more.
Because the previous emperor did not die normally, but was executed.
The Holy Empire has changed from an emperor system to a giant state.
Today's Holy Empire is a tripartite body, jointly controlled by the three giants, the Empire's Chief Mage Mei Qiang, the Grand Commander Mordred Augustine, and the Imperial Expeditionary Force Grand Marshal Du Adolfo.
· When the emperor was still in office, the hall was often extremely busy. There were so many talents in the empire that the hall could fill up a thousand people.
But now it is empty.
On the high platform at the foot of the throne, a simple black stone table was placed at some point. The tabletop was as smooth as a mirror, and there were three black stone chairs around it.
A map is suspended above the stone table.
A large map covering the entire mage plane, including Nolan Continent, Atrium Continent, and Terra Continent.
The map was not drawn on sheepskin, but just suspended on the black stone table. It was three-dimensional, and you could see the undulating mountains and surging rivers.
Allie straightened her back and her eyes fell on the black stone chair inlaid with small rubies in the middle.
Rubys are like coagulated blood drops, glowing dark red under the blue light.
And sitting on the chair was a figure wearing a black robe.
The collar and cuffs of the robe are embroidered with a dark red rose pattern, which has the same origin as the emblem of the Legion of Roses. The corners of the robe hang down to the ground, as if blending into the surrounding darkness.
Hair hanging down like ink, covering half of his face, only revealing a pair of eyes glowing with purple light.
In his hand, he held a staff wrapped with chains. There seemed to be countless tiny shadows squirming in the crystal on the top of the staff, like imprisoned souls.
Even across the empty hall, Ellie could feel the oppression emanating from that man.
It is not just the crushing power, but a strange aura that seems to see through people's hearts, like a prey being locked by a poisonous snake, even breathing becomes cautious.
This person is Mei Qiang, one of the three giants of the empire.
Mei Qiang is also known as the One with Thousand Faces.
Because everyone sees Mei Qiang’s face differently.
Some people see Mei Qiang as a white-haired old man, some people see Mei Qiang as a burly man, and some people see Mei Qiang as a beautiful girl.
No one knows what his true appearance is, and no one can even be sure of his gender.
"Ellie from the Warwick family?" A female voice came from the black stone chair. The voice was not high and had no fluctuations, but it carried the power that penetrated people's hearts.
as The descendant is also the most talented mage among the young people of this generation in the Warwick family. He is called Iron Rose. Even among all the young people in the empire, there are almost no mage who can compare with you." Mei Qiang calmly narrated in a mechanical female voice.
"Yes." Ellie responded simply, without any humility.
In the Empire, cowardice is the original sin despised.
Those who are capable never need to be humble.
Acknowledging one's own strength is compliance with the law of supremacy of imperial power.
"I need you to lead the team and sweep away all the mages of the same generation from the Plantagenet Dynasty." Mei Qiang said.
Allie was silent for a moment, then she made a fist with her right hand and hit the clan emblem on her chest hard.
This is the military salute of the Holy Empire.
"The mission must be completed." She made a sonorous and powerful voice.
"Haha." Mei Qiang, who was sitting on the ruby black stone chair, raised her chin imperceptibly, "That's it. Someone will inform you of the specific details of the mission."
"Copy that." Ellie gave another military salute, took six steps back, turned around and retreated without any delay.
Coming all the way from my hometown to Tiecheng, I met him and had no more than ten conversations.
But Ellie has no dissatisfaction, nor does she dare to.
It is an honor to be assigned a task by an imperial giant.
When the black stone door closed again, the hall fell into a thicker darkness than before, with only the suspended map glowing with light.
The black stone chair to the right of Mei Qiang is empty. There is no ruby on the back of the chair, but a lifelike black crow is engraved on it.
The crow's beak is as sharp as a knife, and the feathers on its wings are clearly patterned, as if it will flap its wings and fly out in the next second.
Suddenly, the air above the Crow Chair rippled.
Amidst the distortion of light and shadow, a hazy figure emerged.
The figure was shrouded in black fog, and the outline could not be seen clearly, but it exuded an irresistible sense of oppression.
"Plum rose." He said.
"My Commander-in-Chief, have you got it done here?" Mei Qiang's voice suddenly changed, the mechanical feeling disappeared without a trace, replaced by a charming and gentle tone, entwining people's hearts like a vine.
If he were not in the Iron Throne Hall, others would probably think that this was the mistress of some noble family acting coquettishly.
But as the commander-in-chief of the empire, Mordred had no reaction to this, and his tone was as calm as the black stone ground: "We are still negotiating. Plantagenet is also very interested in the Nolan French Fighting Competition, but because it was us who proposed it, they remained vigilant and did not agree easily."
"They are afraid that there are some traps in it."
"That's why I said from the beginning that Linhai City should also be involved. It is a Nolan French Fighting Competition, not a two-country French Fighting Competition."
"They will agree if the water is muddied." The charming female voice affirmed.
"The empire is raging, and Plantagenet has always been conservative. At this time, not only their vassals, but also many voices within the dynasty. Liszt is very troubled by this, but he cannot violate tradition. and family training. "
"This Nolan French Fighting Competition is an opportunity for them to show their muscles and regain their momentum. They will not refuse." Mordred is as optimistic about this as Mei Qiang.
‖ That's right.'
"It's just, is it really necessary? For one person, such a big fanfare." Mordred asked.
"Commander, look." Mei Qiang chuckled, pointed to the map floating on the stone table, and lightly snapped her fingers.
The next moment.
With the Iron Throne as the center on the map, a dark red light suddenly lit up.
That is the bud of a rose. The petals are rich in blood, the calyx glows with a cold light like black steel, and the bud slowly blooms.
The first layer of petals unfolded, covering the city-states surrounding the imperial capital.
The second layer of petals stretched out and spread to the plains in the eastern part of the Norland continent. Wherever it passed, the area originally marked "neutral" was instantly covered in blood.
When the third layer of petals exploded, the speed suddenly accelerated, sweeping across the Nolan continent like a tide.
But in an instant, the Bloody Rose occupied two-thirds of the Nolan Continent.
The petals are layered in layers, like a huge bloody spider web, tightly covering the empire's sphere of influence.
Not only on the Norland continent, but also on the coastline of the Terra continent, there are also bloody roses sprouting from the ground, with petals extending along the coastline.
Wherever he passed, many neutral city-states or tribes lit up with faint blood-colored light spots. They were traces of the empire's secret infiltration and the seeds of rose flowers.
On the Atrium Continent, a bloody rose bloomed quietly, extending towards the center of the Atrium Continent.
However, when the bloody rose bloomed, a bit of gold suddenly lit up in the westernmost part of the Norland continent.
It was the bud of a gorse flower. The petals were a brilliant gilt color, as if they were made of molten gold.
The calyx is bronze in color, with a simple texture that has accumulated over time, and the edges are engraved with fine patterns.
Different from the aggressiveness of the bloody rose, the gorse blooms slowly.
Although the speed is slow, it carries a calm power.
It occupies only a quarter of the Nolan Continent, but it is extremely strong, like a golden barrier, blocking the spread of the bloody rose.
"Did you see it?" Mei Qiang's voice became cold.
Mordred narrowed his eyes.
In the area where the gorse is blooming, in the northernmost location of Liuge County, a bright light suddenly lights up.
The light is a pure, vibrant silvery white, like a small sun shining among the petals of the gorse.
The light was very weak when it first appeared, but became brighter and brighter in just a few breaths, and even began to send energy to the surrounding gorse petals.
(End of this chapter)