Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 483 The storm is rising
"What? Su Mu has merged with the Angel Alliance?"

"The darkening effect of Gaunt's Prophet's Sword has been removed? Didn't I hear that the Angel Necklace also had a seal?"

"Randall can no longer swing his hammer. It seems that Kuraki has trained a new blacksmith. Su Mu had this planned all along!"

Congress was the first to learn of the matter, and Dennis brought Gunter's body back, causing a great uproar in the royal family.

The eldest prince was executed on the spot, and Su Mu showed him no mercy. This is understandable, as war is extremely dangerous, and no one can be certain of victory. Given the atrocities committed by Gaunt, killing him on the battlefield was already giving the royal family a way out; otherwise, bringing him back would have made things even more difficult.

What's embarrassing for the royal family is that the Prophet's Sword was originally a royal treasure. After Su Mu killed Gaunt, he took the Prophet's Sword without any intention of returning it. Now he has even merged with the Angel Alliance. What is he planning to do?

This time, the parliament largely supported Sumu. The eldest prince stole the royal treasure, bringing devastating disaster to the heartland and further supporting the Crimson Rebellion, severely damaging the kingdom's foundation. Such a person deserves to be killed to appease public anger. As for the treasure, let the capable person claim it; there's no problem.

"The Angel Alliance is indeed somewhat different. Su Mu's prestige will likely reach its peak after obtaining this combination treasure."

Given his achievements, he has already reached the limit of what he could be granted. If he were to achieve further merit, I'm afraid…

In fact, Congress had been worried about this problem for a long time. The reason it had been suppressing Kuraki was because it feared it wouldn't be able to offer anything. Not providing troops was one thing, and Kuraki didn't care about resources either; now, even treasures were out of the question. When a ruling power cannot offer valuable rewards, its rule is essentially dead.

The debate raged on, with some accusing Kuraki of harboring ulterior motives and others criticizing the royal family's inadequate oversight; ultimately, there was no consensus. Over the years, the royal family's authority has essentially vanished, and members of parliament have come to recognize the situation and who truly cares for the nation.

Quentin sat in the main seat without saying a word. Only after everyone had fallen silent did he tap on the stone table.

"It's a very simple principle. Without Duke Kuraki, the Prophet's Sword could never have been retrieved. As for the Angel Alliance, it had been lost for a long time. Its reappearance in the hands of a human lord is something to celebrate, isn't it?"
This is the most coveted combination treasure among all forces; even the Arcane Empire and the Isildur Empire failed to collect it all, demonstrating its extreme difficulty.

With war raging and people suffering, this is precisely the time when unity is needed. I believe Kuraki and his team should be commended for their contributions in this battle.

Everyone stared in astonishment at the Speaker, who had unexpectedly changed his stance and now supported Kuraki. Did he truly feel he couldn't win and had given up the fight?

Regardless of Quentin's true intentions, the Speaker set the tone, and a large group of people behind him, quick to change their tune, immediately began praising Su Mu's achievements. As for the neutral nobles, they were already very grateful to Cang Mu for quelling the war, so naturally they didn't say much.

The royal family also split into two factions. Pragmatists like court minister Gwen Finaxia believed that as long as they could defend against foreign enemies, they were loyal to the monarch and loved their country.

Don't they have any idea what the royal family's current state is like? He was almost killed when he was sent as an envoy to the Arcane Empire, and that humiliation is still fresh in his mind. If they didn't have capable generals, Finaxia's fate would be absolutely miserable if the enemy invaded the capital. Su Mu is a proud and fierce general, but with the Duke's record, he has the right to be proud.

The other faction, naturally, consisted of conservative old-timers who felt that no matter what, Su Mu should give the royal family sufficient respect. Publicly killing the eldest prince and stealing the Prophet's Sword was no different from being a traitor, so they naturally didn't give him a friendly look.

Perri Finaksia, Gaunt's aunt, was the most critical of Sumu: "His utter disrespect for Finaksia is an act of treason. I recommend that Congress strip him of his title, expel him from the country, and reclaim the Angel Alliance."

Everyone stared at the princess as if she were a fool. Had Princess Peili been in the palace too long and lost her mind? Leaving aside the possibility that such punishment of a meritorious official would demoralize the soldiers, even if such an order were given, who would carry it out? Forcing a victorious general to the enemy's territory—only a fool would do that!
Quentin ignored Perry's nonsense, cleared his throat and said, "The Silver Peak City Legion fought against the three armies alone this time and made outstanding contributions. Therefore, Silver Peak City is hereby designated as the secondary capital of Cangmu, enjoying the status of a duchy, and still under the jurisdiction of Cangmu."

In addition, Kuraki was granted three marquis titles, with his salary to be paid by the Diet.

After transporting another 10 truckloads of boundary stones, the capital's reserves will be low, and Sumu will have to handle the rest himself.

"The Papacy will send a legion of priests of light to help Kuraki build the Temple of Light. We hope that the Duke can continue his efforts, drive out the barriers, and restore the land of Elton!"

This reward was mostly devoid of any substantial substance; it was simply a title and some praise. In reality, Kuraki no longer needed material rewards, only nominal recognition.

Quentin had basically come to terms with it. After talking with Kenway, he even gradually felt that Sumu was truly the savior of humanity, so he did him a favor.

There may be ambitious individuals who want to interfere, but in the face of the prevailing trend, they have virtually no chance to resist.

……

"Su Mu has gathered the Angel Alliance?"

Upon hearing the news, the bastion heroes at the Council of Isildur mostly fell silent.

The heroes of Isildur definitely contributed a lot to this powerful opponent's ability to gather the Angel Alliance, especially the Crown of Oracle, which was a great pity to lose. Such a component may not be found again on the entire continent.

But what's done is done, and further discussion is pointless. Now we need to figure out how to deal with Kuraki.

"The previous truce in the hill battle was due to the pressure from the kingdom's heartland. Now that he has dealt with the undead and the Crimson Rebels, he can free up his resources to deal with us. The Far Plains must prepare for battle!"

"What's there to be afraid of? There are hundreds of millions of people in the Far Plains. If he dares to come, we'll make sure he doesn't leave alive."

"Canglan Canyon is currently indefensible. The Cangmu Legion can enter whenever they want, which is really not a solution."

After much debate, an elder suddenly suggested, "That's the Angel Alliance! It's not just humanity's strongest combination treasure. If the Empire gets it and hands it over to a legendary hero, who on the continent can stop us?"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent instantly, clearly indicating that many people were tempted.

But many people felt this was an unreasonable idea. Before, even without the Angel Alliance, Su Mu had already routed the Imperial Legion. Dragon Knights and Divine Golden Dragons had all gone to the battlefield, showing no sign of underestimating them. Now that the enemy's strength had increased, how could they possibly take it?
"According to news from Dragon Cliff, there has been progress in the second divinity, and the golden dragon may soon undergo a transformation."

"If it's the Angel Alliance, recalling Lord Bloom from his old stomping grounds wouldn't be out of the question."

The resolution was met with immediate opposition as soon as it was proposed.

"No, the old territory is at a critical juncture. The Far Plains are so vast and well-defended; even if Su Mu is incredibly powerful, he can't possibly break through. We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater." "If the Land of Calamity gets out of control, we will face annihilation. Besides, Dragon Cliff is also affected by the old territory; we can't take the risk!"

The unrealistic idea was quickly dismissed, but they also knew that the hatred with the kingdom would not end there and they had to think of another way.

“Although we have no designs on the Angelic Alliance, it doesn’t mean other forces don’t. We can contact the Arcane Empire and the Emerald City. If they are interested, Isildur is willing to provide assistance!”

……

At the top of the tower, amidst the wind and snow, the Arcane Empire Congress also received intelligence from the Angel Alliance.

"We've explored most of the Void Ruins; it's time to test its power."

"Is someone like Su Mu worthy of possessing such a powerful combination treasure from the Angel Alliance?"

"We suspect that the Cult of Wisdom is secretly colluding with Silvertop City. Let's take this opportunity to teach them a lesson and settle both old and new scores!"

"Go and reply to the messenger of the barrier, and tell him that we are willing to join forces!"

……

Inside the Three Sacred Swamps, the Nine-Headed King looked at the new intelligence and remained silent for a long time.

Two heads popped out from behind him, staring at the letter, and actually began to communicate.

"It seems that sending Elton's princess back was a mistake; the other side is still very powerful."

"That's the Angel Alliance! Even in ancient times, only the most powerful overlords could gather it together. Even if others managed to combine it briefly, it would be divided up by other powerful figures. I wonder if Su Mu has the strength to protect this treasure?"

"If the Emerald Kingdom acquires the Angel Alliance, it can do even more!"

"It's not easy to seize, not easy to seize. Both Isildur and the Arcane Empire want it. The envoy has already arrived. How should we respond to them?"

Both snake heads turned around and looked at the head in the middle.

Although the Nine-Headed King is known for having nine heads, he actually merges his own heads after becoming a hero. To increase the number of heads, a special secret method is required, otherwise it is easy to lose control.

The current Hydra King has three heads, each capable of standing alone, making him one of the top heroes. Therefore, he wields considerable influence in the Emerald Lands.

"Angel Alliance? Good stuff. Let's wait and see if Su Mu really has the strength to take the treasure before we decide who to help."

“But Diana has already been jilted, and Elton will probably turn against us.”

"What is the royal family anyway? Believe me, I'll inform the Elton Parliament right now, and they'll obediently send the princess back. Ignore them and just watch Kuraki."

"There's only one truly capable team in Elton right now, and that's Kuraki!"

……

Each faction had its own ideas, but Kuraki remained unmoved.

Su Mu focused solely on the development of his own territory, and didn't care what other countries thought.

If you have the guts, come and challenge him. If you don't dare to make a move, then secretly plot against him. If he finds out, he will definitely seek revenge in the future. He should think twice.

The most important thing now is to prepare for Silvertop City's promotion to Parliament. The Kingdom has already agreed, and resources are being transported one after another. Now it's up to Forrest.

Prior to this, Su Mu had set another important task: to continue searching for the White Feather Sacred Bone.

"We have been in contact with the royal family and have consulted with Raven and Lady Gwen, but we still believe that Princess Diana is the most reliable person."

She is now abandoned in Highgarden; the royal family, disgusted by her perceived incompetence, has essentially ignored her, leaving her in a very awkward position.

“As long as we reach a cooperation agreement with her, she will definitely be willing to lend us a hand.”

"Okay, go and contact her, see what her conditions are. If it's feasible, bring Diana to Kuraki."

"Yes!"

After acquiring the Angel Alliance, the Prayer Altar suddenly paused briefly, as if it had received some information and was working on improving it.

Su Mu had a gut feeling that the clues to Cloud City should be found soon, and that the second divinity was the most important one.

He hopes to be able to do it simultaneously, if conditions permit.

(End of this chapter)