Dimensional Invasion: I Can Fish for All Heavens

Chapter 284 Joan of Arc, the Savior Given to Gaul by Heaven: The Significance of Gaul
However, Alice was genuinely grateful to "Dimensional Descent" for bringing Joan of Arc back to their side.

Just as King Arthur held a special significance for the British Empire, Joan of Arc's role in Gaul transcended that of a mere historical figure.

She is a symbol of faith engraved deep in the soul of this nation, a savior bestowed upon Gaul by God.

Before Joan of Arc appeared, Gaul was experiencing one of the darkest periods in its history.

A century-long war left this land devastated.

Vast territories in the north were occupied by the British Empire, and these regions were on the verge of being permanently separated from Gaul under the name of the "Second Kingdom".

The royal family was in utter chaos. Charles VI, suffering from mental illness, was unable to govern. The Dukes of Burgundy and Orléans were locked in a power struggle, forming the irreconcilable Burgundian and Armagnac factions.

The British Empire seized this opportunity to launch a large-scale invasion.

By 1429, almost all of northern Gaul had fallen, and the southwest was also in grave danger.

The British occupied Paris, while the Burgundians controlled Reims, the sacred site where Gallic kings had been crowned.

Orléans, a strategic stronghold on the Loire River, is under siege. If it falls, the rest of Gaul will be defenseless.

The fate of the entire kingdom rested on Orleans.

Just when life and death were at stake, a country girl from Domremy appeared.

She claimed to have seen the Archangels Michael, Margaret, and Catherine, and was commanded to drive out the British Empire and lead the Crown Prince to Reims for his coronation.

What an absurd declaration.

However, through a series of coincidences, Joan of Arc still gained important positions.

Why were they willing to believe this rural girl at the time?
There are many reasons, but it is definitely not because they believed that she had received divine revelation.

Modern historians have provided the answer.

After year after year of shameful defeats on the battlefield, the Gallic Rooster had lost morale and its reputation as the leader of the army and the people.

When Prince Charles agreed to let Joan of Arc lead his army and prepare for war, he had likely tried all the conventional, rational strategic options, but all of them failed.

Only a regime that has reached the final moment of its survival and is completely helpless would, in desperation, believe in a rural illiterate girl who claims to be instructed by God and allow her to command the country's army.

But this seemingly absurd decision completely rewrote the trajectory of Gaul's fate.

In the Battle of Orléans, Joan of Arc, clad in silver armor and carrying a battle banner, lifted the seven-month siege in just nine days.

When the horns of victory resounded through the walls of Orléans, the whole of Gaul was shaken; this nation, ravaged by war for too long, finally saw a glimmer of hope.

In the months that followed, miraculous good news kept coming in:
In the Battle of Parthia, Joan of Arc's army, with fewer troops, defeated the most elite longbowmen of the British Empire.
During the reconquest of Reims, she led the charge into a hail of arrows, ultimately enabling the crown prince to be crowned king in this holy city.
Even during a strategic retreat, she was able to turn the tide of battle beneath the walls of Troyes with astonishing tactical intuition.
Every victory was like a miracle, and Joan of Arc seemed to be a messenger sent by heaven.

She didn't understand military strategy, but she could see through the ever-changing situation on the battlefield; she couldn't write, but she could ignite the soldiers' fighting spirit with the simplest language.

Since her appearance, the restoration of the homeland has no longer been just the responsibility of the nobles, but the mission of the entire nation.

Joan of Arc's convictions swept through Gaul like wildfire, reuniting this long-divided land; an almost indescribable sense of national pride was reawakened in the hearts of this nation on the verge of extinction.

However, in the cold winter of 1430, beneath the walls of Compiègne, history revealed its most monstrous face.

When Joan of Arc was captured by the Burgundians, Charles VII, to whom she had sworn allegiance, did not send a single soldier to rescue her.
When she was brought before the Inquisition by the British, the French bishops she had once saved vied to act as judges.
As the flames of the stake consumed her frail body, the bells of Reims Cathedral tolled in silence.
Gaul betrayed her saint.

Joan of Arc died.

The flames engulfed her frail body, and thick smoke obscured the sky above the square; her lips were cracked, and her skin curled in the heat, but her blue eyes remained as bright as ever.

"Jesus!"

Her final cry pierced the sky. Before her death, she did not beg for mercy or curse, but remained steadfast in her faith.

Flames surged at her feet, illuminating her figure as if she were a martyred angel.

Even among the onlookers, a mob that mocked Joan of Arc shed tears at that moment.

Gaul betrayed her.

The king broke his oath, the church abandoned its believers, and the nobles were busy making peace with their enemies.

But the people of Gaul, the peasants, soldiers, and merchants for whom she fought, never forgot her sacrifice.

The miracles continued after her death.

The war was ultimately won, and Joan of Arc's achievements were later rehabilitated.

Her influence was no longer limited to Gaul, but expanded to the whole Western world and even across the ocean, becoming a spiritual symbol in the hearts of countless people.

Her story has been passed down, interpreted, and engraved on the monument of history, inspiring generations.

And now.

When spiritual energy revived, dimensional rifts tore through reality, mutated creatures ravaged the land, and Gaul once again stood on the brink of life and death.

Joan of Arc has returned.

Alice gazed at the praying figure before her.

She didn't believe in a nonexistent God, but she believed in Joan of Arc.

That girl who stepped forward in dire straits, that leader who led the Gallic people to defeat the enemy time and time again, that saint who rekindled the flame of hope in the entire country in a short period of time.

She was so beautiful, so sacred, so radiant. Her faith burned like a flame, her will was as strong as steel.

She led the Gaulish warriors to recapture one fallen city after another, and to reclaim land after land occupied by mutated creatures.

Her name became a symbol of faith in the hearts of the Gallic people.

Men, women, the elderly, children—everyone saw her as a light.

Joan of Arc was the savior of Gaul.

This time, history will not repeat itself.

This time, the people of Gaul will fight to the death to protect their saint.

Joan of Arc was unaware of Alice's thoughts. She knelt before the altar, her hands clasped in front of her chest.

"Merciful Lord"

"Please accept the souls of those brave warriors who sacrificed their lives to protect their homeland, and grant them eternal rest; please comfort the orphans and widows who have lost their loved ones, and let their tears become the strength to move forward;"

"May you bless those who are still fighting, and grant them courage and hope."

To the people of Gaul, Joan of Arc was a saint who saved the country, a saint canonized by the Catholic Church, and a miracle that came from the brink of despair.

But for Joan of Arc herself, she was always just that peasant girl from Domrémy, following the Lord's guidance and doing what she believed was right.

Even now, as she leads her army to recapture city after city, she believes that it is everyone's courage that has won the victory.

After the prayer, Joan of Arc slowly rose and turned to Alice behind her.

"The Lord has answered my prayer."

She gave a gentle smile, but a barely perceptible hint of regret flashed in her blue eyes.

"only."

"My strength is still too weak."

There are still too many people I cannot save, too much suffering I am powerless to change.

Joan of Arc looked down at her hands and said softly.

It's hard to imagine that this saint who rewrote the fate of Gaul would show such an expression; but the next second, she raised her head again, the light in her eyes more resolute than ever before.

"Therefore, I must become stronger."

She spoke softly, as if making a vow to herself.

According to the Great Xia's standards for judging strength, her current power is still some distance from the fifth rank. Although with her current strength, she is already capable of clearing out the mutated creatures she encounters while leading the Gallic army, it is far from enough to truly protect the country.

The crux of the problem is that she is the only strong one, but she is not strong enough to protect the whole of Gaul by herself.

With her current strength, she simply cannot deal with all the threats at the same time, including the mutated beasts roaming the wilderness and the dimensional life forms that could descend at any moment.

If she possessed the strength of a sixth-tier being, she might be able to single-handedly build a barrier to protect the entire Gaul, preventing the people from being harassed by mutated creatures.

As for whether such protection will cause Gaul to lose its drive to move forward, or whether the country will become dependent on her and stagnate, remains to be seen.
Joan of Arc never considered these issues.

She was never good at those complex political considerations and planning, nor did she think she should think about them.

In her view, her duty was simple: to save Gaul, liberate its people from the threat of mutated creatures, and allow them to live and work in peace as before.

As for how things should develop in the future, that's something the people of Gaul need to decide for themselves.

"Alice."

Joan of Arc suddenly called out, her gaze falling on the girl.

"Gather the soldiers; we will depart for the northern border tomorrow."

“There are still people there who need our rescue.”

"Yes."

Alice nodded solemnly, unable to help but sigh inwardly.

How wonderful, Gaul has Joan of Arc.

Although other countries also have powerful holders of celestial treasures, and even the Great Xia has a sixth-tier powerhouse with even more terrifying strength, for Gaul, having Lady Joan of Arc is enough.

Alice thought to herself.

Since the arrival of the saintess, the gloom that had shrouded this land seems to have been dispelled.

Even if Gaul had no other powerful dimensional beings to assist them, and even if the future remained uncertain, Joan of Arc's very existence was enough to give everyone hope for tomorrow.

Outside the church, the morning light was just right.

A flock of white doves took flight from the top of the clock tower, tracing gentle arcs in the blue sky.

On the streets, early risers have already started setting up their stalls, and children are laughing and chasing each other.

These ordinary daily routines are the treasures they are willing to protect with their lives.

(End of this chapter)