Chapter 619: The Continent

“Your Majesty, the Church has completed the reorganization according to your will. With the joint efforts of numerous monks and nuns, all the followers across the Windfirefly Plains now believe you are the incarnation of our God on earth, the heir of the Azure Dragon, and the future King of the continent!”

Inside Eagle Fortress, the Church representatives arrived the very next day. The Archbishop bowed respectfully to Wu Ming, his posture more humble than ever before: “I have also brought the Church’s new doctrines and scriptures. Please, Your Majesty, offer your suggestions.”

“Hmm…”

Wu Ming sat on the throne, carelessly gesturing with his hand for a page to take the bundle of parchment scrolls and thick books. His index finger tapped rhythmically on the armrest.

That regular sound, combined with an oppressive silence, immediately caused the Archbishop’s face to break into a sweat.

“You knew about Arthur and the Sword in the Stone… long ago!”

Wu Ming stated with certainty.

“Yes…”

The Archbishop bowed deeply, his voice tinged with bitterness.

For the Church, both King Lionheart and Conqueror King were ancient monarchs. Even with some prophetic abilities, when it came to such significant figures and the future direction of the world, even the Archbishop himself dared not make a definite judgment.

Therefore, the Church maintained a subtle silence during the Battle of Eagle Fortress.

It seemed they wanted to wait and see which of the two royal heirs would ultimately prevail.

However, even they couldn’t have imagined the result would emerge so quickly, almost leaving them no time to react or show favor.

After one battle, the heir of King Lionheart had already been defeated by the Conqueror King.

“So, what do you plan to offer to appease my anger?”

Wu Ming’s face bore a playful smile.

Although the Church was currently very useful, at critical moments, it still needed to be disciplined appropriately.

“We are willing to present you with several fragments of the ‘Book of Sages’ as proof of our submission!”

As if already prepared, the Archbishop carefully took out a scroll of parchment from his bosom and handed it to the page beside him.

“The Book of Sages?”

Wu Ming’s eyes lit up slightly.

In ancient times, there were Five Kings, among whom the Great Sage who founded the City of Universities was the most independent. He never actively expanded his territory by even an inch, but through wisdom and sharing, he attracted numerous federations and nobles to form alliances, earning the title of “King Without a Crown.”

He was also the only King who left behind no Royal Proof.

Legend has it that in the final years of his life, the Great Sage recorded all his wisdom and knowledge in the “Book of Sages.” However, due to conflicts and struggles, the book was scattered. Today, the Scholars’ Assembly in the City of Universities preserves the majority of its fragments and continues to pursue the remaining ones, regarding the completion of the “Book of Sages” as their greatest aspiration.

Wrapped carefully, the scroll was unfurled, revealing several aged pages. The scent of history told Wu Ming these were authentic.

Given the Church’s relationship with the Great Sage, it was indeed quite plausible for them to possess a few fragments.

“I guarantee, Your Majesty, these are the most suitable pages for you!”

The Archbishop said confidently.

Wu Ming pondered slightly before slowly spreading out the few fragments. Immediately, his pupils constricted slightly: “This is… a map of the continent of Sear?”

“Correct!”

The Archbishop took a deep breath: “This is the continental map drawn by the Great Sage during his era after traveling the entire world of Sear. Its accuracy and scale are the best. It is also covered with magical power, allowing automatic magnification and reduction of each area. Even with our Church’s power, we cannot fully replicate all the contents…”

“Can it magnify and reduce continuously? Like a satellite map?”

Wu Ming was similarly astonished inwardly, as a faint glow appeared on his hands.

Under his will, the map on those few fragments indeed began to magnify or reduce according to his thoughts: “Although it cannot show real-time conditions and is somewhat outdated, just the direction of these mountains and rivers, along with the locations of all the cities on the continent, already makes it an invaluable treasure!”

Continuously magnifying with his thoughts, Wu Ming even directly located his own Eagle Fortress, with the entire appearance of the Death Valley coming into view.

If the Wellington family had this map, it wouldn’t be impossible for them to find another path through the mountains, attempting to bypass the natural barrier.

“What about the continent of Sear?”

Wu Ming’s mind stirred, continuously adjusting the scale, until the entire world shrank and finally condensed onto the pages.

The entire appearance of the Sear continent clearly emerged before him.

At the heart of the continent lay the vast Windfirefly Plains, with the western highlands also very prominent.

To the south of the Windfirefly Plains were rugged mountains teeming with beasts and ogres. Even the strongest caravans would need to spend several years to pass through, suffering heavy losses.

After crossing this land of death, further south lay the City of Universities, composed of numerous self-governing principalities and small federations. Politically, it was the most relaxed region on the entire continent, home to a large number of free citizens and scholars. The City of Universities, founded by the Great Sage, held tremendous influence.

Looking east from the Windfirefly Plains was an ocean, with numerous island chains nearby. Emerald Harbor, like a brilliant pearl in the deep sea, was the largest port of call and trade settlement for all merchant ships, possessing immense wealth.

Finally, in the far north, a vast wilderness appeared on the map, shaped like a horn. This was the Storm Horn. Legend says that at the northernmost tip of the Storm Horn lay an endless storm spanning heaven and earth. Any scholar who saw this spectacle would deem it the edge of the world.

The Storm Warriors produced in the Storm Horn were the best warriors and gladiators, enjoying great renown across the Sear continent.

There, the lordship system changed. Numerous tribes were scattered across the wilderness, with the most powerful being the chieftains and tribal leaders who followed the law of the jungle. To the nobles, it was seen as the poorest and most barbaric of the wilderness regions.

“Excellent! You’ve done very well!”

A smile appeared on Wu Ming’s face.

In the hands of a monarch seeking expansion, this map was practically a divine artifact!

For example, preparing for the upcoming campaign in the highlands, Wu Ming had already confirmed the location of Lionheart City with just a quick glance and devised several marching routes.

He was truly tired of those distorted maps and the scouts’ fanciful reports.

“Your Majesty, may you soon unify the continent. We need a unified empire to face the impending catastrophe!”

The Archbishop’s expression was resolute, as if he had already placed all his bets on Wu Ming: “Our Church’s Honor Knights, along with all our warriors and mercenary groups, are willing to fight under the banner of the Azure Dragon!”

“Very good…”

For Wu Ming, keeping the Church around was still beneficial.

He pondered slightly: “I already have some confidence in conquering the highlands. The key is the City of Universities in the south. Can you influence their decision?”

“In the south, alliances and federations are prevalent. Even the City of Universities only has advisory power!”

The Archbishop was cautious regarding these matters: “I can write letters, encouraging the Scholars’ Assembly to consider accepting your existence, but this will require time and a certain amount of luck. You need to demonstrate to them that you possess the strength to unify the entire continent!”

“This issue will naturally be resolved after unifying the highlands.”

The Windfirefly Plains were famously known as the granary, while the highlands produced professional knights and soldiers renowned across the continent. Although they might not individually match the Storm Warriors in one-on-one combat, in large-scale engagements, those fiercely independent and savage Storm Warriors would inevitably suffer defeat!

The grain from the Windfirefly Plains combined with the soldiers from the highlands formed a powerful combination.

The Wellington family on the highlands had always longed to invade the Windfirefly Plains for this very reason.

However, the Red Lions couldn’t have imagined that a flock of sheep led by a blue dragon could easily defeat them.

“With the map and troops, the highlands are no longer a concern, and the City of Universities cannot hinder me either. So, tell me, where lies our next enemy?”

Wu Ming’s eyes seemed to blaze with fire.

Even the Five Kings of antiquity had only conquered one or a few of these five regions, commanding the nobles of other areas to swear fealty, with actual ruling power being quite questionable.

But what Wu Ming desired wasn’t merely nominal control—he wanted true rule!

“The ‘Book of Sages’ has already been scattered and holds no immediate power to change the tide of war. The only remaining enemies for Your Majesty are the Storm Horn and Emerald Harbor… these are territories controlled by barbarians and merchants. The former are belligerent and love fighting but don’t understand the concept of unity, while the latter are only interested in making money, willing to sell their swords for gold, even if it means killing themselves…”

“And the Storm Scepter passed down from the Storm King and the Cloak inherited by the Emerald Queen have long since vanished without a trace… To unite these two fragmented regions, even a King would find it extremely difficult.”

The Archbishop answered candidly.

It seemed this was the real reason for his recent sincere allegiance.

After defeating Arthur, Wu Ming was almost certain he could unify the entire continent!

“The Storm Scepter, the Emerald Cloak?”

Wu Ming silently pondered the names of these last two Royal Proofs: “I have a feeling… before the impending catastrophe arrives, they will certainly reappear. However… whoever the rising new King may be, he will already be out of time!”

In the struggle for supremacy under heaven, the key lies in seizing every opportunity, gaining the advantage, and capturing the momentum.

With the highlands’ defeat and the loss of their elite forces, they were already powerless to resist. The other three regions were also fragmented and difficult to unite.

With this opportunity, Wu Ming could calmly deal with the highlands, finally integrating the forces of these two regions to crush other resistances one by one.

This had almost formed an unstoppable snowball effect, one that no one could halt!