[Vol. 8] Chapter 284: The Eastern Sea War
The eastern side of the Austre Empire had been restless lately. Violet had heard about it before. This was actually the main reason the Austre Empire couldn’t gather all its forces on the western front and was stuck in a stalemate with the Holy Empire.
But as for exactly what kind of unrest it was, she had never really looked into it.
Now it seemed… the sea tribes were the ones causing trouble.
The Endless Sea was vast and boundless, home to so many creatures that their total number might even exceed those living on land.
Most of them spent their lives entirely underwater, but some races, like the merfolk, could live both in water and on land, using various islands as their homes.
The Austre Empire, being an imperialist power, naturally took an extremely dominant stance toward the eastern sea tribes. They had long wanted to expand further, claiming many coastal islands and taking the intelligent beings living there into their territory.
After all, the sea was full of treasures. Many islands beyond the Eastern Sea were especially rich, producing rare resources hard to find on land. If the Austre Empire could truly bring all the islands within several thousand kilometers of the coast under its rule, the benefits would be beyond calculation.
Because of this, the Austre Empire had spent a fortune building several naval fleets and training a powerful navy capable of fighting the sea tribes.
However, from what Violet knew, even though the Austre Empire was usually unstoppable in its conquests, it had failed to fully conquer the coastal islands. Instead, it had run into major trouble.
The overseas environment was simply too complex. Even the most skilled imperial sailors still had to rely on ships for battle, unlike true amphibious races who could dive into the deep sea at will.
The islands of the Endless Sea were scattered and ancient, many hid ruins from long ago, and even a small mistake could mean those who landed never returned. It was extremely dangerous.
Because of these challenges, the Austre Empire’s forces kept being slowed down at sea. Sometimes, after finally taking an island, the natives would retreat into the deep sea to avoid defeat, only to come back later with a fierce counterattack after the main imperial force left.
Against this, the Austre Empire could do almost nothing.
After more than ten years of repeated back-and-forth fighting, the Austre Empire finally gave up its plan to conquer all the coastal islands. Instead, they limited their control to the shoreline and a few resource-rich islands close to the mainland.
They switched from offense to defense, strictly guarding against the outer sea tribes, while shifting their focus back to their homeland.
Although the two sides had constant small clashes, it had never reached the level of full-scale war. But now, it seemed the situation there had changed since the last time Violet left the Coastal Layla City.
“Master, should we make a move?”
Xiao Guang and Light, two halves of the same being who shared all memories, naturally knew about Violet’s history with a certain Mingjiao princess. The Mingjiao tribe had close ties with Violet, and since they had come here to stir things up anyway, there was no reason to miss such a chance to trip up the Austre Empire.
The priestess stared at the convoy for a moment, thinking. After a pause, she shook her head.
“Not yet. Let’s follow them first and see where they’re taking the prisoners.”
The convoy was marching openly down the street, attracting plenty of attention, so there was no need for stealth. The two girls blended into the crowd, using special means to hide their presence and faces. Even walking straight behind the convoy, they drew little notice.
They followed the imperial soldiers as they escorted the dozen Mingjiao prisoners for nearly half a street before the group finally turned onto the main road, heading into the inner district of the imperial palace, guarded by the royal guards and off-limits to outsiders.
At that point, the two girls finally stopped.
“Master, we’re not going further?”
“Mhm. This is far enough.”
Watching as the convoy disappeared behind the high palace walls, the priestess shook her head and did not follow any further.
Climbing over that wall wouldn’t be hard for the two of them, but there was no need. The Mingjiao prisoners in this convoy weren’t high-ranking in their tribe, most of them were just ordinary members with only a single pair of “tear marks.” Only one young girl had two pairs. So no matter what reason the Austre Empire had for sending them into the palace, it definitely wasn’t anything too important.
Even if they rescued them now, it wouldn’t really hurt the Austre Empire. Worse, it might reveal their presence too early. And if that happened, how could they keep watching the show, ahem, I mean, dealing with the Austre Empire’s schemes?
“Xiao Guang, did you notice anything?”
Hearing her master’s question, which clearly carried a hint of testing her, the dragon girl nodded without hesitation and answered directly.
“The route this convoy took is strange. If they really wanted to bring the Mingjiaos into the palace, there were several quicker and easier ways to get there. But just now, they went far out of their way, making the whole thing look big and flashy. Almost like they wanted all the city residents to see it. Maybe the publicity and symbolic meaning are more important than the prisoners themselves.”
“Not bad. You’ve really improved lately~”
The priestess smiled, nodding slightly, and gently rubbed the dragon girl’s smooth, silky hair. Seeing the girl’s slightly proud look, she suddenly changed the topic.
“But you’re still missing part of the picture. Making such a big show of parading these prisoners is probably not just for publicity.”
“Uh… then what else could it be for?”
“Plenty.”
With a puzzled look, the dragon god turned back the way they came, following Violet as she walked and spoke.
“Didn’t you notice? The soldiers guarding the prisoner carts were only about a hundred in number, and they were all Imperial Navy troops from far away. Normally, if prisoners were being brought into the palace, that job should be done by the City Guard or the Royal Guard, forces that are elite, stationed here, and directly serving the royal family.”
“Xiao Guang, think, why didn’t the Royal Guard take over these prisoners? And in that crowd of onlookers earlier… didn’t some of their auras feel way too strong?”
The dragon girl froze for a second.
“You mean… the palace guards didn’t show up on purpose, and instead they hid in the crowd wearing plain clothes… This is a trap? No, wait, so you’re saying someone is planning to rescue the Mingjiaos?”
“Yes. And this trap isn’t even trying to hide itself. Even newcomers like us, who know nothing about the situation, could spot something wrong just by watching carefully. That’s why it’s better to call it an open scheme.”
“Most likely, the captured Mingjiaos themselves aren’t important. The Austre Empire’s real goal is to use them to lure out something, or someone, else. Even if their enemies see through the plan and don’t take the bait, it doesn’t matter. By openly sending the prisoners into the palace and revealing their exact location, it’s like handing over an invitation. Sooner or later, the other side won’t be able to resist taking action.”
Hearing the priestess calmly lay out her reasoning, the dragon god couldn’t help clicking her tongue in surprise.
“There’s that much going on behind this? Whoever set this up is really sneaky… Master, could it be that guy with the name that starts with ‘Leo’ again?”
“Hard to say. But we’ve seen tricks like this more than once. Other than Emperor Leonis Frederick himself, I don’t think anyone else in the capital could set up something like this so easily~”
The black-haired girl chuckled softly, but the smile on her face was anything but kind.
“Come on. Let’s go have a little talk with a certain princess first.”