Chapter 627: Dynasty

In the second year of the New Calendar of Conqueror King.

In the battle of Coldice City, Chief Carter of the Winter Wolf Tribe submitted and later presented the city.

The original city lord, Earl Veron Wellington, was executed for treason by the Conqueror King and his body hanged in front of Coldice City as a warning to future generations.

Chief Carter, after receiving the title of Earl of Celia from the Conqueror King and with his approval and support, began his campaign to conquer the Storm Cape.

Unfortunately, unlike what he had imagined, every inch of land he conquered now belonged to the Conqueror King.

In Wu Ming’s mind, he already had a plan for dealing with Storm Cape, this barbaric and uncivilized land. First, he would divide it, ideally by appointing a dozen Storm Kings, positioning himself as the suzerain power holding the moral high ground, then gradually colonizing, draining resources, weakening them, and finally either assimilating them or completely annihilating them if assimilation proved impossible.

However, given the harsh environment and conditions of Storm Cape, this was destined to be a long process.

Luckily, Chief Carter was there to serve as his vanguard.

Regardless of whether the man had his own agenda, as long as Storm Cape became chaotic, Wu Ming would have time to develop his lands from behind, and with the terrain of the Highlands and Windglow Plains, the gap between him and his enemies would only widen.

By then, even if a new Storm King emerged, he would still fall at the feet of the Conqueror King.

…

Time flew by, and soon it was the fourth year of the New Calendar.

During these three years, Wu Ming quietly developed his lands. After figuring out the rules of the world, he introduced several techniques that led to massive agricultural harvests in the Windglow Plains and Highlands.

Meanwhile, systems such as land surveying, population census, and household registration began to be implemented methodically throughout the realm of the Wallace Kingdom.

The military system combining conscripts and professional soldiers began to modernize the army under Conqueror William, improving its combat effectiveness and increasing its numbers to over one hundred thousand.

The reputation of the Wallace Kingdom caused the entire continent of Sear to tremble with fear.

At this time, Earl Celia Carter also sent news that most of the tribes in Storm Cape had already been conquered and were willing to accept the Conqueror King as their master, except for the Storm Tribe in the Storm Fortress. Like the dwarves of legend, they were stubborn and unyielding, relying on the formidable defenses of the fortress to reject all commands from the Conqueror King.

Faced with such defiance, the Conqueror King naturally could not tolerate it. By Wu Ming’s command, a force of fifty thousand troops from the Highlands and Windglow marched into Storm Cape.

Before the Storm Fortress, the Storm Tribe made a final stand, gathering all the tribes unwilling to submit to the Conqueror King. It was said that no fewer than five thousand Storm Warriors were assembled, with various vassal forces exceeding fifty thousand.

However, the outcome of the war was beyond the expectations of all the tribes in Storm Cape.

Before the Storm Fortress, the army of the Conqueror King demonstrated what true siege weapons were. The fortress’s supposedly impregnable defenses were completely destroyed in just one day. The Conqueror King himself displayed unmatched power, single-handedly charging onto the walls and beheading the Storm Tribe’s High Chief and High Priest!

Afterward, the entire Storm Tribe was massacred, with all males taller than a chariot wheel executed, and the rest reduced to slavery.

Other tribes that resisted were also purged, with at least a dozen major and minor tribes erased from existence. The barbarian forces of Storm Cape suffered a devastating blow.

The chiefs, represented by Carter, were even more thoroughly subdued under Wu Ming’s banner, trembling with fear as they offered their loyalty.

Thus, the entire Storm Cape was completely subdued and incorporated into the rule of the Wallace Kingdom.

Wu Ming ordered someone to bring him a map of Storm Cape and with a sweep of his hand, claimed all the arable and governable lands in the southern part for his own domain. The remaining lands were divided into eight sections, granted to eight earls among the surrendering factions, including Carter.

They were deeply grateful and even presented Wu Ming with an unexpected gift: the ancient Storm King’s Royal Insignia—the Storm Scepter.

“This was discovered among the Storm Tribe. No wonder they suddenly had the audacity to resist me!”

Wu Ming looked at the earls below him, who were bowing respectfully, while playing with a blue scepter in his hand.

It was of ancient design, only one foot long, as if it were a toy casually carried by the Storm King.

Wu Ming also sensed a faint supernatural power emanating from the Storm Scepter, although it was damaged.

“This scepter has already been damaged once. Only a trace of its former power remains, and it no longer possesses the legendary ability to summon storms…”

Wu Ming nodded inwardly, finally understanding why these earls below had presented it to him.

If it were truly functional, they would have hidden it away at all costs, preserving it as hope for rebellion in the future.

But a scepter that had lost its power was only valuable for its name, so it was better to offer it as a gesture of loyalty.

“I am very pleased with your gift and shall accept it!”

As for Wu Ming, he only needed its symbolic value, so his face showed genuine delight, causing Earls like Carter to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

“To repair the Storm Scepter would not be an easy task. Even if it were restored and gained the power to summon storms, unless it could summon the world-energy storms of the northernmost reaches of Storm Cape, what use would it be to me?”

As Wu Ming watched Carter and the others leave, he ordered Kalitan to store the Storm Scepter carefully. Looking at the now empty hall, his eyes revealed deep contemplation.

His journey to Storm Cape had not only completely conquered the region but had also taken him to the legendary World’s End in the far north, the Energy Storm.

Even he had been shaken to his core upon first seeing the scene where walls of wind separated the sky and earth, and primal forces of the world raged uncontrollably.

“That truly is the edge of the world. With the distortion of space and time, and the violent surges of primal energy, even a sixth-tier cultivator would likely struggle to survive in such storms…”

Wu Ming couldn’t help but recall the legends of the Sear continent.

Such edges of the world were not unique to the north alone.

According to the information gathered by his intelligence agents, beyond the island chains of the Emerald Port in the east, if one continued sailing eastward, one would reach the edge of the ocean.

It was said that this edge was a terrifying waterfall, where the entire world seemed to be abruptly severed, with massive amounts of seawater thunderously cascading down, leaving no ship unscathed.

There were similar legends about the edges of the world in the south and west as well.

All these rumors and the strange phenomena of this universe inevitably led Wu Ming to speculate.

…

The submission of Storm Cape caused even greater unrest across the Sear continent.

With the Church acting as an intermediary, the City of Wisdom and Knowledge, the University City in the south, had already sent envoys representing the various loosely connected mountain federations, offering their loyalty to the Conqueror King.

By the fifth year of the New Calendar, the entire continent, except for the Emerald Archipelago, had submitted to the banner of the Conqueror King’s blue dragon.

In the sixth year of the New Calendar, the Conqueror King sent envoys to the Emerald Port, demanding that all island nobles, merchant guilds, ports, and fleets submit.

However, they were unwilling to accept the rule of the kingdom and pay heavy taxes, so they secretly united and gathered a massive fleet.

A descendant of the Emerald Queen was found and declared her coronation as queen, establishing a maritime kingdom that would not bow to the Conqueror King’s rule.

The new Emerald Queen was also a woman, reportedly only eighteen years old, yet she had gained the recognition of the Emerald Cloak. She dispatched her fleet to patrol the coasts of the Wallace Kingdom, demonstrating her formidable naval power, and sent envoys to the Conqueror King, saying: “You are the ruler of the land, and I am the ruler of the sea. A king who already possesses the land should restrain his greed and not covet the seas, or else he will surely incur the wrath of the Sea God!”

The Conqueror King did not respond, but instead brought the envoy to his naval port.

To conquer the last remaining territory, Wu Ming had begun preparations since his coronation. At this time, the sea was filled with many large ships, strangely designed, not only armored with iron plating but also equipped with over a dozen wooden cannons on each ship, making them appear like invincible fortresses on the sea.

The envoy left in a daze, but the maritime nobles still refused to submit.

They gathered the largest fleet in history, calling it the Invincible Fleet, intending to crush the navy of the Wallace Kingdom in one fell swoop.

The Conqueror King was unafraid, even directly boarding his flagship and declaring that even the sea could not stop his path of conquest.

The two fleets met at the Coral Island sea and soon engaged in a monumental naval battle.

Under cannon fire, the Emerald Queen’s fleet suffered a devastating defeat, with ship after ship sent to the ocean floor. The sea surface was littered with debris and Emerald flags, the blood staining the waters. Even centuries later, the wreckage from this battle had not been completely cleared, becoming a famous maritime attraction.

After winning the naval battle, the Conqueror King immediately led his massive fleet to the Emerald Port.

It was said that at that time, the smoke rising from the ships and the many flags seemed to blot out the entire sky.

Under such immense intimidation, the Emerald Queen had no choice but to submit.

She ordered her royal robes and crown to be removed, and barefoot, dressed only in a coarse robe, she came to the dock to submit to Conqueror William.

The newly established Emerald Kingdom, which had existed for less than a year, was declared dissolved. The Queen herself was granted merciful clemency by the Conqueror King after offering the Emerald Cloak, and she would be sent to a convent to spend the rest of her life as a penitent.

For a puppet who had been pushed forward, Wu Ming could still show mercy, but for the masterminds behind the scenes, he was far less forgiving.

The Iron Fleet swept through, destroying many island nobles and major merchant guilds, thereby obtaining an enormous amount of wealth, greatly enriching the treasury of the nascent kingdom.

Thus, Wu Ming had achieved a feat that even the five ancient kings had not accomplished. He had conquered the entire continent of Sear, making every region tremble under the banner of the blue dragon. History had turned a new page, entering a glorious era where the Wallace Kingdom reigned supreme over the continent…