Dead Ash Mountain Range.
Trolian Royal City, Upper City.
Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground.
The King gazed up at the Holy Fire burning fiercely before him.
That golden and intense flame was so vast that it almost occupied half of the sacrificial altar, making people standing before it seem insignificant, not even amounting to dust.
The rollicking blaze obscured all vision, as if the entire universe should burn , filled with fire and light.
But the truth was quite the opposite; cold, darkness, desolation, and death were the everlasting themes.
And this small interlude of life was brought about by the miracle before their eyes.
No matter how many times he looked up, the King always marveled at its magic and greatness.
The existence of the Holy Fire was the foundation for the existence of the Trolian Royal City, the reason for the Trolian Kingdom, the faith for the survival of its tens of millions of people.
But now, it was about to extinguish.
This was something only the King could perceive.
The power of the Holy Fire was irreversibly weakening, its source was waning, and this had been the case since three years ago.
The King extended his hand, gently touching the Holy Fire.
It surged and swelled, showing no sign of dying out.
But this was only an illusion; if not for the injection of spirituality, even if more Fuel Elements and firewood were added, the Black Fog would gradually erode the city, turning all living beings into living dead.
Once the Royal City sunk into darkness, all the towns outside the Royal City, all the fortresses, everything that existed by its dependence, would extinguish like scattered sparks.
On this land, there would be no more discordant noises, and silence would become its unchanging main tune for billions of years.
And the only thing that could save it was one method, one possibility, one hope.
I will definitely succeed.
The King clenched his hand, flames streaming through his fingers, gently caressing his skin like an old friend, an old brother, an old predecessor.
"King, everyone is already assembled,"
Archbishop Horus said respectfully.
"The Council is only awaiting your arrival."
Startled from his thoughts, the King turned his head and smiled, "Let’s go, Little Horus."
A resemblance to dry old wood, "Little Horus" twitched the corners of his mouth, but wisely chose not to argue with the King’s eccentricity, silently following behind the King, walking out of the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground.
Outside the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground stood the Royal City’s most elite Fire Guardians and Fire Priests, forming an unshakable defensive line to safeguard the security of the Holy Fire.
Even the appearance of the King and the Archbishop did not cause them to avert their gaze for half a second.
For the sake of guarding the Holy Fire, they had given up everything, their lives now dedicated solely to this duty; the Holy Fire was their light of life, their Soul Fire, their everything.
Whenever the King saw these beloved warriors, he was filled with confidence and voiced loudly, "My spirit is in the sacrificial altar, you all can go rest, return at night."
A hint of confusion flashed in the eyes of Fire Guardians and Fire Priests.
But this was not the first time, they bowed to the King one after another and headed out.
The King said, "Remember to bring gifts and blessings to your wives and children, only with hearts full of love will the Holy Fire eternally burn."
Not until everyone had left did Horus speak with slight dissatisfaction, "King, the guardians of the Holy Fire do not need thoughts; only thus can their absolute loyalty be assured, completely cutting off the incursion of Doomsday believers."
The King laughed, "Little Horus, what you said is not right. I am the one closest to the Holy Fire, should I then become the most mechanical puppet? Otherwise, how can you assure that I will not be infected with Doomsday thoughts?"
Horus choked, "But, but, that’s not according to the rules."
The King laughed, "I am the King, my rules are the rules."
Horus was at a loss for words.
The two walked toward the east of the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground.
The center of the Upper City was the Royal District, naturally at the center was the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground.
Around the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground, in its four cardinal directions, were the Royal City’s four most important institutions.
The Royal City Supreme Council, representing the apex of the power structure, occupied the east position.
The Royal City Governance Hall, representing the highest administrative authority, occupied the west position.
The Holy Church, representing the supreme ecclesiastical authority, occupied the south position.
And the Military War Department, overseeing all military warfare, occupied the north position.
This time the meeting regarding war, due to its high importance and complexity, was to be discussed within the Council.
The King entered the central hall of the Council and immediately saw the seven Fire Sons sitting at the forefront.
They were the strongest of the Royal City, the highest combat power humanity could muster, ranking just beneath the King, holding the greatest say apart from the King himself.
At the Fire Sons’ side were the four Knight Captains, who also possessed extraordinary power and status.
These eleven people were the Royal City’s eleven colossal pillars, the hope and faith of tens of millions, the role model and ultimate dream of all Fire Holders.
Behind them were the Commanders of the great legions, the Bishops of the Holy Church, and the Guardians of various defense zones.
They too were the backbone of the Royal City, the support beside the colossal pillars.
Further back, there were leaders of important institutions, governors of administrative regions, and Elders of the Council.
They were in charge of maintaining and repairing the colossal pillars.
The invisible tens of thousands of Combatants, millions of workers, and tens of millions of diligent citizens were the foundation on which the Trolian Kingdom existed.