Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 559, Section 20: The Emperor's Illusion and the Solar Expedition

The Storm Sea is a region of sea located in a remote part of the Endless Sea.

It is called that for a reason; this sea area is surrounded by strange weather, with high winds and rough seas all year round, accompanied by dangerous tides.

Although the climate is quite extreme, it is strangely stable around the sea, preventing the land in the storm sea from being washed away, but cutting off all possibilities for the people here to travel to the outside world by fleet.

But the adventurous spirit of exploration cannot be restricted, and the people of this continent have developed their own unique tools for exploration.

Moreover, the countries on this continent were not born here.

They are "immigrants" from the outside world.

In the distant past, thousands of years ago, in the chaos that destroyed the old empire, their ancestors chose to set sail in despair, only to be tragically trapped in this isolated sea by fate.

The Arathi here call their region the "New World," while their homeland beyond the Storm Sea, which they can never return to, is called the "Old World."

The Thoradin Empire continues its civilization here, and to distinguish itself from the old civilization they believe to be destroyed, the people here call themselves the "Arathi Empire," while the emperor who now sits on the Throne of Holy Flame is revered as "Thoradin IX."

The emperor in an empire is by no means merely a symbol of power.

To sit on the throne, one must not only possess noble lineage, extraordinary courage, extensive knowledge, and unwavering will, but also have an extremely high sensitivity to the sacred flame.

All candidates must be able to interpret the "prophecy" from the changes in the sacred flame.

It is actually the "prophet" talent, and specifically a "prophet" talent that targets the power of Holy Light.

This is clearly a rare talent, but for the Arathi Empire, which has regarded the belief in "Holy Flame" as its state religion for thousands of years, such "prophet" can be born in every generation.

The Arathi Empire has been able to withstand threats time and again over the course of a thousand years thanks to the command of an emperor with prophetic abilities.

This isolated continent is no different from the other continents of Azeroth; it is also home to evil and dark forces that lurk in the shadows, watching over the prosperous people of the empire.

However, although the Holy Flame faith originated from the Holy Light, it is completely different from the original Holy Light faith.

The people of the Arathi Empire worship more than just light!
They also worship fire.

They regard "light" and "fire" as the source of all things, and combine holy light with flames to create their rather unique Holy Flame State Religion.

In this country, burning flames are considered auspicious, and lighting a fire in the Shadowlands is a symbol of courage. If a warrior can burn the enemies of the Empire with holy flames, he will be promoted to "Arathi Flame Warrior".

The priests of the state religion possessed both the piety of light and the passion of fire.

They are by no means weak chanters; in fact, to become a state priest, one must first become a "Holy Flame Warrior," meaning that the martial virtue of the Holy Flame State Religion is exceptionally abundant.

Even junior priests are heroes who have personally set fire to the enemies of the empire, not to mention the martial virtue of the abbots and deacons of those monasteries.

He's the kind of hero whose eyes light up when he sees a demon, and who then charges forward to unleash a solar storm.

The state religion of the Arathi Empire may not be as large as the Church of the Holy Light in the old world, after all, it is an elite organization. However, the fighting power of the Church of the Holy Flame is estimated to be enough to easily defeat the Church of the Holy Light.

The empire has continued to this day in this atmosphere of being illuminated and blessed by holy flames, making this place a natural place of faith.

Fanaticism is not a flaw here, but a virtue!

But on this day, when the Empire's valiant explorer and National Guard Colonel Vilisia Stitek was summoned to the Imperial Throne, things seemed to have taken an unexpected turn.

"Why were you in such a hurry to summon me?"

The valiant colonel stared blankly at the State priest who was waiting for her outside the Imperial Throne, maintaining the usual silence and vigilance of the members of the Church.

Beneath the headdress adorned with golden flame patterns, sharp, fiery eyes scanned the entire body of the empire's renowned explorer.

The stern Anglican priest smiled with satisfaction after noticing that Ms. Stiteck's religious emblem was placed in the correct position and that her "Holy Flame Tinder Box" was also carefully maintained.

Alas, people's hearts have changed.

With the retreat of the dark enemies surrounding the empire, there has been no war for decades, which has tarnished the piety of the empire's people.

During this period, more and more people have disregarded religious doctrines and norms, and some even dare to go out without wearing tinderboxes.

This is utterly outrageous!
So arrogant and reckless, so willful and unruly!
They didn't even consider that if the enemy of darkness suddenly descended and viciously extinguished the sacred flames set up in various towns and districts of the empire, and the empire needed its people to rekindle the sacred flames, how could they ignite the light of faith without the sacred tinderbox in hand?

It's not that the Holy Flame needs the Empire's protection, it's that the Empire needs the Holy Flame to envelop it!
It was faith that allowed our ancestors to take root in this treacherous land, and it was faith that protected the empire's legacy. Today's young people have not experienced the arduous pioneering work of our ancestors, nor have they witnessed the fierce struggles between the empire and foreign enemies. They can no longer understand the importance of faith.

Alas, the moral order has collapsed.

The Catholic priest sighed inwardly, but grew increasingly pleased with the explorer and valiant officer before him who strictly adhered to Catholic rituals.

She made a slightly different religious gesture from that of the Holy Light Church on her chest, and said softly in the quiet tone befitting a clergyman:
“Just hours ago, the Emperor deciphered a prophecy from the changes in the sacred flames, which His Majesty called the ‘Sun Vision.’ He is convinced that the ‘Hand of the Sun’ touched him and brought him important enlightenment.”

"what?"

Ms. Stiteck was even more bewildered.

What use is it for you to come to me, a junior officer, for such an important matter?

There are so many generals on vacation in New Stromgarde; any one of them would be more useful than a colonel like me.

But Ms. Stitek was no fool. Since she wasn't summoned for military reasons, it must be because of another label associated with her that needed to be given special attention in the upcoming operations.

She reacted quickly, and with a hint of expectation, asked in a low voice:

"The Emperor needs explorers to venture beyond the Storm Sea? That's great news! Our newest airships broke through the very edge of the Storm Sea in our last attempt."

If it weren't for the constraints of the state religious code and the stability of the empire, we would have sailed out of the Storm Sea that time.

"You are wise, but too wise."

The pastor disliked this prying remark and said in a low voice:

“We are all children of the divine flame. We need not spy, but simply do what the flame shines.”

“Granny, this is not for personal gain. Since it is a sacred prophecy that requires me to assume my responsibilities, I must understand some of the contents of my responsibilities so as not to waste everyone’s precious time during the audience later.”

Ms. Stiteck explained:
"The emperor's affairs are numerous and complex. His Majesty has to govern the country and interpret the signs of the flames. Every minute of his time is precious. How dare we, his servants of faith, waste His Majesty's time?"

"quibble!"

The Church minister led Ms. Stietheck toward the Imperial Throne, explaining along the way:
"This vision is different from others; it doesn't reveal anything about the Empire. Instead, it brings us news of the 'Old World'."

"By the Holy Flame, does the Old World truly still exist?"

The explorer clenched his fist tightly.

If she weren't currently seated on the sacred throne of the emperor, she would have jumped up and cheered.

Perhaps in the future, Ms. Stitek will grow into a steady, strong, and charismatic commander, but for now, she is just a young woman who has just gotten married and is discussing having her first child with her half-elf husband.

Yes, she has a half-elf husband, which is quite common in the Arathi Empire.

Although the First Men arrived on this strange continent guided by fate and protected by the sacred flames, they were originally pure humans and some Quel'dorei elves who were forced to evacuate, over two thousand years of intermarriage have made half-elves a part of the Empire's citizens.

This is not just about reproduction and humans' strange "sexual fetish" towards elves, but also about a necessary act of salvation.

The elves' addiction to magic is a major problem. The New World doesn't have a wonder like the Sunwell. To ensure that the addiction is reduced to a tolerable level, large-scale intermarriage and bloodline dilution become necessary measures.

This proved to be effective; the half-elves of the Arathi Empire's addiction to magic had diminished to the point where they could resist it through faith, and the Holy Flame's ability to suppress addiction was indeed very strong. Even the older pure-blooded elves could protect themselves through devout faith when their addiction flared up.

The prosperity of the state religion across several eras and dozens of emperors is largely due to the lifestyle of these half-elves.

Unfortunately, Ms. Stitek comes from a pure-blooded human family, and she doesn't have beautiful, delicate pointed ears, which disappointed her as a child. But now she can assure her son or daughter that they will have such cute little ears and more delicate features in the future.

Faced with Ms. Stittek's indescribable excitement, the Anglican pastor sighed.

She clearly didn't see this as a good thing, at least not with the explorer's pure desire to return to the Old World and find the empire's roots.

"The Old World was not destroyed. After our ancestors left, many complicated things happened there. The First Empire collapsed, but it did not fall into the hands of foreign enemies. Instead, it split into seven countries and city-states and continued to live on the land established by Emperor Thoradin."

They possessed different traditions, yet they fought each other because of a lack of faith. The Church of England pastor gritted his teeth and said:

"Although the Holy Light shines there, you and I both know that the Holy Light of the Old World did not embrace the passion of the flames, leaving it lacking the necessary power, which has led to the continuous weakening of humanity amidst constant division."

But two years ago, things changed.

Evil orcs from another world invaded the Eastern Kingdoms, forcing humanity to unite. Subsequently, a plague swept across the land, demons invaded, Void creatures roamed the human territory, and strange forms of life also emerged.

Although the homeland of the First Men is now filled with strange creatures such as werewolves, dragonborn, and demi-humans, the bloodline of Emperor Thoradin still accomplishes incredible feats in adversity.

Just over a month ago, he and his warriors reunited the human realm, and they planned to establish a new empire.

"This is indeed a good thing."

Ms. Stielike, lacking political sensitivity, asked with a puzzled look:
"The descendants of our ancestors are brothers of the same bloodline as us. They rebuilt the empire, and we should feel gratified. Why do you look so serious?"

"Then let me ask you, Stitek."

The pastor said solemnly:

"Who is the rightful heir to the Arathor Empire, them or us?"

"what?"

The explorer was stumped by the question.

Then I realized that the question was absurd. The Arathor Empire was almost three thousand years ago. Even for elves, that was a very distant matter, let alone humans who had already multiplied for many generations.
That's just a legend.

The people of the Arathi Empire were born on the continent of the Storm Sea. Are they really going to fight their way back to the Old World just for the sake of legitimacy?

You know, the Empire has always been propagating that the old world's human civilization has been destroyed.

"You really are not suited to be a manager."

Seeing Stitek's bewildered expression, the Church priest felt a sense of despair. Was it really appropriate to entrust such an important matter to such a brave explorer who had no political sensitivity whatsoever?

However, she still briefly explained the reason:
"That 'Lothar' wields Emperor Thoradin's 'Sword of the Emperor'."

"Sdomka the Destroyer? By the Holy Flame!"

Ms. Stiteck finally understood.

She looked at the magnificent Imperial Throne prayer hall ahead, and for a moment she even felt a little apprehensive. She couldn't help but whisper:
“If the true Emperor’s Sword is in the hands of His Majesty Lothar, then the Holy Sword we use to pass on the throne is... Heavens! No wonder you value it so much; it concerns the very foundation of the empire.”

"Yes, this is a mistake that has persisted for three thousand years."

The Catholic pastor also looked somewhat dejected.

She sighed and said:

"Initially, the lie was fabricated by our ancestors to stabilize people's hearts. It should not have been exposed and there was no need to care. However, changes in the outside world have forced us to confront this lie."

"So, this is my mission?"

Stitek said somewhat uneasily:

"Bring that sword back?"

"It's one of your optional tasks, but not your main task."

The pastor gestured for the pastor to proceed and said:

"His Majesty will explain the rest to you."

Also, your expedition team will include members of the Lothar family, so be sure to protect them.

Although the Lothar family has been in decline in the Arathi Empire for many years, even losing their titles and becoming merchants and scholars, their bloodline as 'ancient nobles' remains pure.

Taking them to the Old World might allow you to establish friendly diplomatic relations with the 'Sdomka Empire'.

Robbing is the worst method.

This instruction made the explorer blink.

She felt relieved; as long as the state religion didn't mandate it, there was still room for maneuver.

With that thought in mind, Lady Stitek chanted the scripture of the Holy Flame, pushed open the door to the meditation hall of the Emperor's Throne, and strode forward under the indifferent and majestic gaze of the Holy Flame Warriors. She knelt on one knee before Emperor Thoradin IX to listen to the divine decree.

“Ms. Stitek, you are the Empire’s most outstanding explorer and most valiant soldier. I must entrust this matter to you. Considering the sensitivities of the Old World, this news will not be announced to the entire nation until you return.”

In addition to its usual weariness, the emperor's voice now carried a strange resonance.

This prompted Ms. Stitek, who had been keeping her head down, to steal a glance, only to be astonished to discover that their Emperor had "transformed."

Although he still possessed the robust physique of a standard Arathi, a pulsating halo now surrounded the Emperor, much like the blessing of holy flame left behind after the Touch of the Sun.

This is truly a divine blessing.

At this moment, the emperor sat majestically in the sunlight, like a god. No wonder the state priests were so excited; such a clear prophecy and oracle had never been seen in the past three thousand years.

"You will be promoted to general and given a well-trained expeditionary force!"
The high command of the State Church will send Reverend 'The Exalted One' Kellon and Lady 'The Holy Flame Scholar' Halshi Mupre as your companions, while a team of State Church priests of monastic standard will serve as guardians of your faith.

Besides that, you can list everything you need for this expedition, and I will fully support all your needs. My only requirement is that you must set off as soon as possible!

The emperor rubbed his temples. In that sacred touch of massive information he had just received, he had discerned the hidden dangers facing the old world.

He said in a deep voice:

"You do not need to return to Stromgarde along the route taken by the First Men, but rather head to Kul Tiras, the former frontier of the Empire, where the monsters of the Void have built the corrupted castle."

Our brotherly kingdoms are about to launch an attack there; His Majesty Lothar yearns to reclaim the ancient lands, a desire shared by the Arathi Empire.

We will participate in the Holy War of the Stromka Empire as supporters and in the name of the 'Bloodline Alliance,' which is our honor and the will of the Holy Flame.

Furthermore, the Touch of the Sun granted the Empire the secret to shaping true 'Chosen Ones'.

You and your commanders will be among the first 'Children of the Sun.' Go back and prepare; this sacred ceremony must be completed before you depart."

“But Your Majesty, I know I shouldn’t ask, but as an explorer carrying out the mandate of the Arathi Empire, I must understand how I should communicate with His Majesty Lothar.”

Ms. Stiteck asked in a low voice:

"I must get your guidance, otherwise I will jeopardize the great affairs of the empire."

"You must have heard the warning from the state priests. Heh, don't worry about their vigilance. Whether the Holy Sword of Stromka can return is not the priority."

The emperor sighed:
"It is all because we have a legacy more precious than the Holy Sword. The Sun God will enlighten us, General Stitek. Do you know that although the contact with the Sun God was only for a moment, I saw the magnificent gate of the 'High Heaven'?"

Holy angels ascend the path, welcoming the devout souls on both sides as they ascend and receive their ascension.

After we, the Sons of the Sun, have completed our journey through life, we will ascend to the High Heavens to embrace the ascension of the Holy Flame. Is such an honor not as great as a holy sword that lost its meaning when the Old World collapsed?
The Arathi Empire was not established based on the fame of that holy sword, General. It was the ancestors who built this nation brick by brick. What we should remember is not the holy sword, but the hardships and perseverance of our ancestors.

Therefore, if you insist on asking about my style of doing things, then I will tell you.”

The emperor stroked his chin, feeling the warmth of the sun's fire, and said softly:

"Invite His Majesty Lothar to visit the 'New Stromgarde' of the Arathi Empire, or send me an invitation in advance when he ascends the throne."

We share the same civilization with them on different lands, which in itself forms the basis of our unbreakable alliance.

Oh, right, there's one more important thing.

You must send the secret of the Holy Flame's ability to suppress mana addiction back to the Old World, to the Sun King of Quel'Thalas, also a 'brotherly nation' of the Arathi Empire.

"As ordered."

(End of this chapter)