Within minutes, the gnome city fell into chaos.
The one who started it this time wasn’t Kairos.
Relestia had taken the most direct route towards the home of several high nobility and with mechanical precision, she destroyed safes and retrieved crucial documents of gnomish national security but more importantly private information and hidden secrets.
With a cultivator’s advantage, Relestia easily entered and exited guarded homes without much issue.
The only requirements are to move fast and follow the plan.
Most places only guard against spells and auras. Cultivators that have superhuman abilities yet do not use either of those two energies fall into a loophole of most protection networks.
While the princess is collecting documents, Kairos is sneaking into maximum security offices.
Advancements in economics, tax plans, foreign diplomacy and new research on spells are all meticulously documented if you know where to look.
The two youths ignored the guards but any officials that step in their way were knocked unconscious.
In less than an hour, Kairos and Relestia regrouped at the inn. Clef and Boink are stirring just so, and Lulatia’s overloaded mana conduits have mostly recovered.
Kairos did not await them to wake up naturally. He used some smelling salts and pulled back the two guys from dreamland.
When the Hyena Mage and bodyguard came to, Kairos was looking at them with wide-eyes.
The two ladies also stared, their expressions revealing their sentiments about how feeble the two gentlemen appeared.
Overlooking their embarrassment, Kairos did not give the guys any time to rest and immediately assigned jobs.
In a flash, hundreds of pamphlets were written with the Octopid Coil spell.
This magic can be used in more ways than flipping books. After receiving a pile of pamphlets, Clef rushed out with a pouch of coins. He will look around for people to help distribute down the papers in exchange for some money.
Minutes after he left, Boink also gotten a heap of freshly written propaganda and left to do the same.
Of course, Aisa and the three dragonlings helped out as well. With their superior speed and the dragons’ natural resistance to all magic, they can remain unobserved.
One by one they were sent out. Soon, papers drifted down like rain from every corner of the city.
On each, a different piece of information, rumour, or schematic was written.
There are dirty little secrets, money-grubbing plans, and other unsightly truths.
“Hey, did you read this? The tax raise recently implemented was formulated during the strongest gnomish economic growth period. The writer pulled out several figures proving how we are doing better than ever.”
“Then why do they still want to raise the taxes and tell us that we are facing an economic downturn so we need to tighten our bucklers up?”
“Hah… You’ll want to read this for yourself,” the gnome passed the paper over and a group quickly gathered to read it.
Glued on this long scroll are official ministerial letters written to each other regarding how the noble gnomish families fear the lower caste doing too well will threaten their position. In order to slow down the people’s growth, they wanted to take funds from them and discourage citizens from raising up.
Funds gathered from this round of tax are used to take over newly sprung businesses so that all financial vehicles can be controlled in the nobles’ hands.
“You chaps ain’t seen nothing yet! Look at this paper I got. The finance minister is actually illiterate. He received his post by sleeping with the duchess!”
“What? Which duchess?”
“The duchess of Woodwiff! The wife of the trade minister.”
“No way! Does the trade minister know?”
“Haha, you won’t believe this! It is the trade minister who cheated on the duchess first, so she revenged it this way. Guess who it was with?”
“Don’t stop mid-way, say it out!”
“The red elder’s daughter and the finance minister’s fiancé!”
“My goodness. Is he trying to ditch his wife for more power?”
“Probably so! It is written here that under the duchess of Woodwiff’s introduction, the finance minister became the red elder’s sworn brother and godfather to the elder’s children. That means, if the trade minister marries over, he might have to call his ex-wife… Mom.”
“What an absolute mess! I don’t understand why someone with money, fame, and power, will do all these just to get a little more.”
More than gossips and exposed conspiracies, some things written chilled those who read it to their core.
“Here it is written, the prisoners claimed to be executed are actually being kept in a hidden place.”
“For what?”
“They are forced to produce fruits to brew wine, create jam, and other things. How utterly inhumane!”
The gnomes are a race that turned humanoid after gaining sentience, but this also changed the way they reproduce.
It is still by pollination, otherwise gnomes will not bear fruit. The difference lies in their need for insects or animals to help them with the process is no longer needed. That means, gnomes can choose their own partners to bear fruits for, and this had become the core essence of their civilisation.
This right is given even to criminals with the death penalty, yet now it is written on a pamphlet that the nobles never uphold this belief of theirs.
What does this mean?
Do those higher ups not look at their citizens as gnomes? To treat their fellows this way, does the nobles see lesser gnomes as mere vegetation?
Rage quickly spread through the city, but this is not the worst of news.
Just minutes after, a new batch of pamphlets are littered throughout the city.
“Oh my! Mother, take a look at this! Someone says that our king controls all the ministers using some kind of forbidden racial magic. Can it be true?”
“Who knows? His majesty is the Strangleweed’s ancestral patriarch. That species has another name…”
“Shh! You mustn’t speak of it aloud. Do you want to get us all executed?”
“What’s there to fear? These papers are already flooding our city, what can one more rumour do?”
“I found it! The back of this pamphlet says the Strangleweed is a parasitic species that can siphon energy and command other plants. When it originally appeared in the Celestial Garden, it was thought to be an invasive and harmful plant known as the Vampire Plant and Devil's Hair. The gods tried rooting it out but a lone one survived and over a long time it turned into a gnome like the other sisters and brothers of the garden.
Few gnomes can resist its inherent powers to control them, and soon the whole garden crowned it king… Oh my lord!”
The Strangleweed is not a member of the gnomes!
The godlings of the garden wanted to weed it out but in the end it became king of all the gnomes.
This news immediately rose to the top as the most terrifying of all, spreading like an avalanche across the city.
The things said are not just there for entertainment. These revelations shattered centuries-old façades and shattered the confidence between civilians and aristocrats.
The gentry reacted swiftly, declaring those pamphlets to be false for the purpose of creating anarchy.
At this time, a new rumour hit the city like a meteor.
High Gnome Thunderstalk had signed a deal with Royal Elf Lynr Dainsfon, and High King Blectt Rowan, to attack the Elf King Veritus.
In the process, they summoned heroes from another world, and now a particular pair who had escaped are being targeted.
Instead of getting captured, the human kingdoms lost a Jarl and his castle, a Circle 9, and plenty of Circle 8 and below.
Most of those that were involved or took action against the two had been all been cleared out.
The two persons were also quickly identified. Supreme Commander of the Snowdrifts Army, Earl Kairos Astroire, and Princess Relestia Vestimore of the Saint Empire.
Books providing information on Gaia, as well as introductions to the two, have also been disseminated.
While Kairos intends to write books of his past experiences for the inhabitants of Axis Mundi to read, his goal is to utilise stories to gradually ease the people into accepting the ways of another world. To encourage people look forward to witnessing Gaia's majesty, and to regard the people of Snowdrifts as if they were ancient sagas. This way perhaps Axis Mundi can truly become a part of the Snowdrifts one day.
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But for the gnomes, he did not intent to let them slowly acclimate and get comfortable with the idea.
Kairos and Relestia are high nobles of another world so the actions taken against them are no different from acts of war.
It may be a kingdom against seven but this is war.
Against enemies, Kairos’ policy is to destroy, convert, or neutralise. There is no sympathy; for conversion is not acceptance.
Yet, these people are not guilty.
At this time, a grand spot light shone above the city.
A platform created with mana hovered above. All who look over can see clearly Kairos and Relestia standing in the middle. The bearing of these two youths are no less regal than their own king.
Their faces expressionless.
Rightfully, those at the edge of the gnomish city should not be able to see so far. Kairos and Relestia should be no larger than specks of dust.
There are no artefact or magic that could cover such a wide area.
Mages could create such a spell, but the problem is the scale.
But there are geniuses that reached beyond what others thought is impossible.
To create a new spell like this isn’t too difficult for Kairos.
In fact, this magic cannot be technically regarded as novel.
The surveillance spell he made could pick up information from across the city. Just by reversing some things, a broadcasting spell that send visual and audio information across the city is formed.
More importantly, he had experience of making formations to gather energy from thin air, allowing him to use it on making spells of grander scale.
The three training stratagems that he made for the Snowdrifts, the Vestimore royal family, and the inhabitants of Saint City can siphon Heavenly Energy and purify them for easier cultivating.
But relying on his background and extensive knowledge wouldn’t make Kairos unique.
Why are there so many practitioners of magic and cultivation yet so few who can create their own techniques?
Using or creating Combat techniques, Cultivation Methods, and spells is actually just like solving equations. One must first know how to resolve a problem sum but even after resolving that, one must finish it step-by-step with proper workings.
However, if given an arithmetic calculator, many of those steps could be skipped to straight to the results.
For mages and cultivators alike, such tools are crucial to ensure the energy units are precise.
Otherwise, spells may backfire, and cultivation methods or combat techniques could rebound.
In the eyes of the strong, everything must be meticulously calculated and controlled.
The truth is, brutes that don’t want to use their brains will never reach the peak. It is impossible for those people on the Axis, as well as those from Gaia, or any world for that matter.
Tools like Heaven Titan Grade weapons, or magical wands, they are all to aid such calculations during battle.
But, what happens if someone’s brain is so developed he can arrive at the answer faster than those using tools?
Those people - and they do exist - are called geniuses, prodigies, or freaks.
Many of the things that Kairos did is new for the inhabitants of Axis Mundi. New spells or abilities that were never seen before, or thought to be impossible.
Because of this, those that were after him and the princess cannot think up any effective ways to capture them. Instead, every single contest they had fell into Kairos’ plots.
The broadcasting spell is something necessary to disrupt and take over an entire city. Something like this is unthinkable before today, and unsurprisingly, the gnome king could not have predicted how things are turning out.
“Ahem.”
The sound cut across Royal Garden City like a clap of thunder and those that have yet to see the spectacle were aroused to attention.
“Maybe a tad too loud,” Relestia smiled.
“As you will, my princess,” Kairos said, all-serious, as he tuned the spell’s volume down.
He gave her a nod, indicating that everything is ready and then stepped back and positioned himself diagonally behind.
Relestia muffled a giggle.
“Relestia be serious! I am a princess. I am a princess.”
Steeling herself, she took a small step forward and smiled brilliantly at the gnomes.
“Dear citizens of Royal Garden City. I am Relestia Vestimore, crown princess of Saint Empire of Gaia.”
She paused a little.
“As you might have heard by now, we were summoned from another world. One much alike your own.
Unfortunately, the people of Axis Mundi do not seem hospitable.
No, quite far from welcoming, the leaders of the human kingdoms, the elves, and the gnomes sought violence rather than peace.”
The gnomes stirred their murmurs flooded the city.
“Who is this missy?”
“Her words, is she serious?”
“To treat foreign dignitaries with such disrespect is to trample on the honour of a foreign empire,” Relestia continued, her voice hardening.
At this time, mages of the gnome city started reacting.
“Stop this broadcast immediately!”
They formed groups that started throwing spells into the air trying to break apart the giant floating image. Fireballs, forked lightning, and all kinds of spell flew upwards, but they struck nothing and only continued flying higher and higher until they fizzled out.
A few mages with the rare talent to affect sound or light tried to cover up the broadcast. Those were successful, but only for a little while and with very limited range.
A smile appeared on Relestia’s lips, “It’s inevitable that people who drew their blades against a princess of another land will be punished by the laws of another land.
General Kairos made certain of that, but there are still people who need to be held accountable.”
The scene flickered and the image changed to a room with three gnomes watching a holographic replication of Kairos fighting the ambassadors of the three kingdoms.
At first, most people were focused on the fight scene. It cannot be helped when a young lad challenged a dozen enemies at one go. Moreover, his enemies are all at least grade 7.
However, the focus quickly turned to the three gnomes watching the hologram.
The Gnome King, the Red Elder, and the Black Elder.
The murmurs in the streets grew louder. Many began to realise the seriousness of what is happening.
The two could garner the full attention of the king and their two strongest elders, not only that, they are now here making speeches yet the king has not appeared.
Soon, the scene changed again. The three gnomes had seen Kairos defeat all the representatives of the three kingdoms.
Their stern expressions reflect how grim things are, and it frightened the gnome citizens watching.
Very quickly, the three leaders made their decision.
Assassins were sent out. Not just a few, but the whole group.
“Oh no, there’s so many! Did they die?” someone in the crowd asked.
Those who heard it turned about looking for the speaker.
A young lad about as old as Kairos laughed unnaturally. Why are everyone looking at him?
The whole mood turned stale from the unwitting comment. He is not too far away for a cultivator to hear.
Even Relestia’s speech jammed up a little.
The princess gave the guy an exasperated look then in a manner much alike a girl her age, she floated up from the platform with her long hair flowing down and covered much of her face.
She suddenly appeared right before the lad.
A creepy smile on her lips.
“Boo!”
“ARGHHH!!!”
Above them, Kairos stood alone on the platform, hurriedly adjusting his broadcasting spell.
With lightning speed, the image flickered briefly before become static at the last view scene with Crown Princess Relestia still facing the crowd with a stern look.
Kairos secretly breathed out in relief. This girl!
Relestia quickly returned to the platform with an impish grin on her face.
That’d teach you to think I’m a ghost!
Her little nose wrinkled as she made a face at the young lad before shooting Kairos with a smile.
Her tongue stuck out a tiny bit and Kairos laughed.
The mood instantly lightened up.
Not only was he captivated, but so was the rest of the audience.
Everyone around the young lad laughed. Someone helped pull him up. The youth was red-faced with bashfulness as he realised the answer to his question, but he had been used to such folly and had minded little. Instead, the crowd started viewing everything from Relestia’s perspective. Those that wanted to hunt down a little girl like her are too despicable.
For the regular folks, a princess with royal bearing can only make others view her at a respectful distance. But a princess with a twinkle in her eye can make everyone love her.
Even, if she had come seeking repatriations, there are few this day that were immune to Relestia’s charm.
The infectious joy from her caused the smile on Kairos’ face to beam like sunlight.
All along, the burden on his shoulder had been hefty.
As he grew up, the things that mattered to him seemed to increase.
His own survival, the friends he made along the way, his father, teachers, the little ones that followed him, the guild he created, and the empire that he belongs to; all along he remained as the crux.
If he dies, then very soon everything will scatter.
Alan, Edward, Tommy, and Jim had grown used to depending on him. Even though they are beginning to take up the mantle, it is still far from Kairos’ level of leadership.
Maybe for a few years it might be fine but anything longer and the guild will hardly be able to hold together. Their standing in Saint Empire will also take a hit. People supporting them like Lord Yue, Grand Elder Feng, Thief King Rielon, and the various noble families are all there because of Kairos.
On Axis Mundi, while battling his wounds and protecting Relestia, Kairos had been almost driven insane trying to find a path of survival.
No, not just for staying alive. Who knows what would happen if he failed to return to Gaia in time?
He is shielding too many precious people behind him for him to fail.
Relestia’s playfulness was not a wilful act. As a princess, even if she is still young, she held immense control over her own self. To step out of line and tease the audience is unseemly for her, yet she did it.
Kairos laughed, because he had not seen her so lively, and so, so vibrant, since her father Galahad Vestimore had disappeared.
But also, he laughed because the burden was lifted considerable.
She had reminded him that she is strong!
To address over a million gnomes without fear, and still entertain a joke in the middle.
It is vastly different from him, yet it granted him relief. Because there are things he felt lacking in but can entrust his partner to do.
Kairos never thought of himself as eager when it comes to gaining power. When he first stepped forward into the leadership role, it was under the pressure of death. At that time, George had been ejected out of the match while the red team is targeted by Orcs.
He was uncomfortable being the new leader, and never felt any thrill of gaining power over others. Instead, all he experienced were pressure.
Relestia, on the other hand, is a born leader.
Her charm, her light gait, and her control over the crowd, those are all things that sparkled.
Kairos knows from now on, he can just step back and let her handle this type of situations, for she is much more than adequate.
No, not just in front of a crowd. She has a good sword arm and a good person to trust his back with.
Even her swift movement from the platform to the young lad and back was precise and silent. Just like a ghost.
Yet aren’t those movements even trained assassins can hardly do?
The Gentleman’s steps are indeed Heaven Titan Grade movement techniques.
If the princess wants me to remember she is someone worthy to share to burden with, I will not be overly courteous. Otherwise, to turn away her generosity is far too narrow.
Relestia gave Kairos a small wink.
In return he signalled a thumbs up.
The scene quickly changed.
The lad’s question was public, but Kairos had paused the broadcast.
Now the spell reflected what happened during the silent gap, allowing everyone to see Relestia engaging the youth with her playful side.
The young lad who saw his embarrassment replayed shouted, “Unfair!”
Much to everyone’s amusement.
Relestia looked at the guy with apology in her eyes. Although the gnomes are on the opposite side, most of them aren’t involved.
“I made a prank at your expense. Sorry,” she said sincerely in the broadcast.
“Uhh, gimme a kiss and we’re square,” the lad suddenly yelled.
“Oh my. But I am already taken,” she replied while glancing towards Kairos, “Perhaps something else?”
That exchange melted the hearts of everyone.
Who still remembered that Relestia is here to demand justice?
Will anyone think a young girl in love be the bad guy here?
This time, Kairos is the one that blushed without restrain.
He looked left and right as if seeking a place to hide, but every direction there are gnomes staring at him.
The girls are looking with stars in their eyes, as if hankering for the same romance.
The guys are madly jealous.
On Axis Mundi, because the races are all living intermingled, not many restrictions are there for gnomes and humans to be in a relationship.
So, for Relestia to be taken caused Kairos to be the enemy.
The throng whistled or booed openly, not fearing Kairos and Relestia’s presences.
Giving the lad a bag of magic crystals for his forgiveness, Relestia spoke again, which at her voice the people fell attentively quiet, “Citizens of Royal Garden City. Most, if not all of you are innocent of the attacks on my life. The ones behind this are the Royal Elf Lynr Dainsfon and his ambition to become king of elves, the High King Blectt Rowan who wanted to conquer Axis Mundi, and High Gnome Thunderstalk that fell into greed.
I may not blame the Gnome King and his two elders for falling into the snare of evil ministers, but it is true that they had taken up the sword against me. And, I have to protect myself.
Yet, I bear the honour of the royal Vestimore family of Saint Empire. Reparations must be made, but I prefer to seek it only from those mentioned.
Now, I would like to ask suggestions so that you who are not involved will not bear the cost.”
The people quickly understood. If the reparations are money, in the end it will be the innocent gnomish citizens that will be taxed and those who trespassed against the princess will be able to avoid their punishments. How can there be justice served?
In just a couple of minutes, the gnomes that were on the opposite side are now thinking for her.
Relestia gave Kairos an elfin wink with slightly pursed lips. The battle had been won.