Extraordinary Voyage-Chapter 807 - 692: The Approaching Crisis

Hilus Empire's capital, St. Cruz, Dome Palace.

A finely crafted, gilded luxurious coffin engraved with the national bird, the white egret emblem, had been set up in the grand council hall for a whole week.

Though Prince Manolo was assassinated, the body's freezing through the rune technique, along with the excellent sealing of the top-rated coffin, prevented any unpleasant odor from emanating.

However, the atmosphere in the great hall remained cold and austere.

A group of subordinates, including the Prime Minister, the Marshal of the Army, the Navy Marshal—the three leaders of military and political affairs—and the chief confidant of the think tank, Great Wizard Anduin, all lowered their heads with tacit understanding, not daring to look at His Majesty the Emperor seated on the throne.

"Are they... still not found?"

It was impossible to discern any joy or fury from Philip II's face, but those familiar with him knew that such an expressionless state was in fact the most terrifying. Like a powder keg with its fuse already lit, it could explode at any moment.

Anduin had no choice but to brace himself and step forward:

"Your Majesty, it can be confirmed that they are still alive, but all efforts to find any trace of them have been in vain, even using a medium to cast a curse has returned nothing.

We suspect it must be the doing of a high-level Extraordinary and a very capable Divination Master."

On the mysteriously blood-washed flagship "St. Cruz Pearl," most of the personnel's bodies could be found, and the entire ship was immediately sent back to Hilus by two terrified escort ships.

However, among the main members of the mission, two of the strongest in combat power, Sword Master Pedro and the Official Wizard "Spider," were uniquely missing.

Only by finding these two can the truth of the entire event be truly traced back, yet it took the leading Great Wizard Anduin a whole week, and they were still nowhere closer. Clearly, the situation was far more complicated than a mere looting.

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall immediately fell into a silence akin to the calm before a storm, where even the air seemed about to congeal.

Though many elites present had strengths exceeding Philip II himself, even a Peak Grand Knight struggled to breathe under an inexplicable pressure—such is the power of mundane royal authority.

Until acquiring Tier 4 Extraordinary power, no one can disregard this kind of authority.

And at that moment, His Majesty the Emperor had more than ample reason to be enraged.

While the powerful bloodline of the Titled Knights transmitted blessings down generations, the royal families' direct descendants of various kingdoms were somewhat sparse.

In this generation of Philip II, the entire Kingdom of Hilus, even counting his cousin Prince Manolo, merely had three male members. Moreover, due to some indescribable reason, this art-loving prince had not left any heirs to this day.

This is significant to the continuation of the royal family, and regardless of the hidden agendas of those subordinates with their respective schemes, Philip II absolutely did not wish for such a thing to happen.

For the royal family, the assassination of a prince was already a catastrophic loss.

Time dragged on.

In this strained atmosphere, some of the older and weaker subordinates were already breaking out in sweat, some even beginning to look unsteady.

Suddenly.

Click... click... click...

The crisp sound of high heels was heard, and a slender, beautiful figure, dressed in a luxurious low-cut court gown, appeared at the entrance of the hall alongside a lady-in-waiting.

"Teresa, why are you here?"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Philip II's otherwise expressionless face relaxed slightly, quickly standing up to carefully support his Empress to sit with him on the broad throne.

The manner in which he treated her was as if she were a fragile, precious piece of porcelain, and indeed, this was not an inaccurate comparison for Her Majesty's current status. Although her limbs remained slender, the slight protrusion of her stomach easily indicated that she was on the brink of gaining a new identity. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Your Majesty, don't mind me, I just wanted to sit with you for a moment when you're unhappy."

The young empress, just turned twenty-three, was thin as paper with a pitiable look in her eyes, perfectly matching the current nobles' aesthetic. Extending her delicate hand like a little girl, she gently smoothed the deep frown on Philip II's brow, which was very endearing.

The nearly frozen tension in the great hall instantly eased, with a group of subordinates finally able to catch their breath.

Though Teresa had come, doing and saying nothing, the subordinates couldn't help casting grateful glimpses her way.

"Alright, alright, alright, it's good to get out and see some people and clear your mind."

Philip II, from initially arranging a political marriage—only intrigued by the Habsburg Princess's status to gain the emperor's throne—had, after more than three years of companionship, changed his attitude dramatically.

He had genuinely come to adore this wife nearly half his age.

Whether due to this Teresa Princess's concealed grace and charm, the Frisia Kingdom's substantial financial backing, or the fact that after two previous marriages, he had gained his first offspring—Crown Prince Audric—remains uncertain.

Indeed, this fortunate male heir had been granted a name before his birth and had been directly inaugurated as the Crown Prince of the Hilus Empire, destined to inherit the Emperor of the Empire.

Having received the blessing of the former Archbishop of "Eternal Flame," now the Pope of the "Tinder Sect"—Tier 4 Holy Professional Wycliffe, there is almost no concern of prematurely dying like a commoner.

If most royal families can produce two or three offspring, it is already cause for national celebration.

Although it took three years of marriage to have the first offspring, within the entire Hilus Empire, no one could compare in status with Her Majesty the Empress.

After a brief interlude, back to the main topic,

Just having Her Majesty the Empress here, Philip II naturally restrained his temper, and the atmosphere was clearly less oppressive than before.

"Since the incident happened in the Tulip territorial waters, they cannot evade responsibility for the prince's assassination. Issue a diplomatic note demanding they hand over the murderer within two months!"

Without keeping his subjects in suspense, the emperor who seemed to have regained his cool directly stated his intention.

The people who could stand here might be greedy, might be cruel, but none are fools; national power is not a reckless impulse, and the likelihood of acting on emotions is extremely low.

Even though the Tulip People might feel indignant due to the "marriage proposal" demand, they have absolutely no motive to send at least a Titled Knight-level Extraordinary to assassinate a non-threatening prince.

However.

Whoever took action must elicit a response. If the assassination of a prince passes without any indication, the name of the world's first power would soon become a joke, and Hilus Empire's dominion worldwide would be undermined.

Upon hearing the deadline, the subjects below were simultaneously startled; everyone was sensitive to that timing, as it coincided precisely with the shipping duration from the Old Continent to the New Continent!

If on the Old Continent, an accidental escalation into total war could happen, clearly His Majesty the Emperor plans to open a breach in their strongest position—the New Continent.

Dressed in military attire with his chest adorned with sparkling medals, Marshal of the Army Fafman had already grasped Philip II's intent, stepping forward like a towering wall and greeting:

"Your Majesty, although the 'Eternal Flame' Church stationed in the Holy City of Novigrad has not ceased struggling, perhaps there is still one last decisive battle to face, but withdrawing a certain amount of troops remains manageable."

Seated high on the throne, Philip II slowly nodded, turning again towards the chief advisor who had recently botched a task:

"Hmm, Mr. Anduin, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty, according to the intelligence, Phaletis's Navy Base has permanently stationed one Quasi-Legendary ship, two Level 2 Battleships, and six Level 4 and above Battleships. Besides Phaletis, the power of Tulip Countries in the New Continent is not particularly strong.

Moreover, intelligence officers have reported back that the new Legendary Battleship Jade Coronet and Steam Fortress are both on the Phaletis mainland.

In the New Continent, there should be one Legendary Battleship, which had appeared during the Ilya Kingdom era, whose mysterious name we still don't know.

According to eyewitness intelligence, its Legendary Battleship Skill likely involves long-range bombardment capabilities. If we dispatch Flame Bright Light, the strongest in attack among our five Legendary Battleships, capable in certain aspects to resist cannon fire, it should be foolproof."

After a pause, Anduin continued:

"The most troublesome in the Phaletis colony should be the naval vice admiral, Aiven Galliot, nicknamed the White Knight who single-handedly established the Dragon Cavalry Pirate Gang, and a low-profile Grand Wizard of the Gem School within the Far Sails Territory.

By then, our Curse School's chief Peak Grand Witch, Death Messenger, will personally act.

From the Flame Court wielding Holy Sword: Leivodin, who rendered significant services during the religious reform, Peak Grand Knight Mark Lunn can accompany the fleet.

Plus, to deal with the High-Rank Totem God, Mother of Water Melro, located on the West Coast, Thorny Fire has already gone to the New Continent.

In terms of top-tier Extraordinary power, it's sufficient to crush them!"

Navy Marshal and Minister of the Navy Bankrot also stepped forward, bowing and saying:

"Your Majesty, regarding the regular fleet, the Church's forces within the Invincible Fleet have been thoroughly purged. Dispatching half of the main battleships from the Third Squadron should easily defeat Tulip."

Now Hilus's Invincible Fleet boasted over three hundred and ten Level 3 or above main battleships, with the fleet's total size exceeding two thousand two hundred ships. Bringing forth half of the Third Squadron, it would still be over fifty Level 3 Battleships!

"Alright, it's settled then! If they can hand over the prince's killer and yield enough benefits to the Empire, maybe this time we can let them off the hook. If they remain oblivious, we will expel them completely from the New Continent!"

BANG!

Philip II slapped the armrest of the throne firmly, decisively setting the action plan.

At this moment, Aiven and Liweina, across the ocean, were still unaware.

Just two days ago, they were plotting on how to outwit others, but little did they know, those crafty bankers had already seized the initiative.

Moreover, when the formidable Hilus Empire acts, it strikes with thunderous force.

To show everyone that the world's first power remains the existence everyone must look up to!