The emperor’s eldest grandson vanished in the blaze, leaving no trace behind.
Seraphina said, “In truth, Prince Julian did not die back then. He came to Aethelgard. With my father’s help, he established another Amerosia here, which exists to this day.”
Hearing this, Chris suddenly understood.
Now it all made sense-why there was an Amerosia in the world of Earth and another in Aethelgard. The two Amerosias were, in fact, connected by bloodline!
The next day, Chris prepared to head to the northern borders. Before leaving Pinkshire, however, he made a point to visit the Wainwright family to apologize to Mara Wainwright.
“Mr. Shelby, are you really leaving?”
Upon learning of Chris’s departure, Mara Wainwright’s eyes turned red with emotion.
Chris nodded and said, “Yes, I must leave to find my master.”
Mara Wainwright, her face filled with hope, asked, “Will you come back someday?”
Chris thought for a moment and replied, “I’m not sure, but if I do return, I will definitely come to see you.”
Hearing this, Mara Wainwright’s expression grew complicated.
Though reluctant to see Chris leave, she knew she couldn’t stop him. Fighting back her emotions, she said, “Mr. Shelby, I will wait for you to come back!”
“Alright,” Chris responded.
After a few more words with Mara Wainwright, Chris left Pinkshire. Watching his figure fade into the distance, Mara Wainwright could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down her face.
—
In the northern region of Amerosia, near Havenford, three major factions held sway: the Flower Clan, the Sword Clan, and the Jefferson family. All three were under Amerosia’s jurisdiction.
Great Lyria, located north of Amerosia and bordering Havenford, had long been a threat. Great Lyria often launched invasions into Amerosia, but this time was different-it seemed determined to capture Havenford.
To safeguard Havenford, the Flower Clan, Sword Clan, and Jefferson family had dispatched their cultivators to the frontlines. Chris had learned all this from Seraphina.
“I never would have guessed that the Flower Clan, Sword Clan, and Jefferson family were tied to Amerosia,” Chris mused. “I wonder if Lindsay Windson came to Aethelgard, too?”
Lindsay Windson had joined the Jefferson family and once told Chris she might travel to a dangerous place. If his guess was correct, that place was Aethelgard.
Now that Great Lyria was warring with Amerosia, and the Jefferson family was part of Amerosia’s forces, it was highly likely Lindsay Windson had been sent to the battlefield.
Heading north, Chris also recalled Elias Dorneles of the Flower Clan and Alexandre Leite of the Sword Clan. Back when he was with the Jefferson family, Elias and Alexandre had humiliated him.
At the time, Chris had been too weak to do anything about it. Now, his strength rivaled the Pinnacle stage, and he could even hold his own against someone in the early Solstice stage.
Clenching his fists, Chris muttered to himself, “Elias Dorneles, Alexandre Leite-you humiliated me before. I’ll return the favor!”
—
After a journey of over ten days, Chris arrived at Shoreline Gate, a northern border city of Amerosia.
The situation was dire. Refugees were fleeing the area in droves. From what Chris had gathered, the relationship between Amerosia and Great Lyria was akin to that of Earth’s Amerosia and Quartz Ridge. The key difference was that Great Lyria was a rising power, having emerged only a few decades ago.
Great Lyria’s strength had grown rapidly, while Amerosia’s influence had waned. Over the years, Great Lyria had been eyeing Amerosia’s fertile lands with increasing aggression.
Amerosia’s northern border featured a desert-steppe climate, with vast stretches of sand and grasslands. Chris learned that Amerosia’s and Great Lyria’s armies were locked in a standoff at Shoreline Gate. If Great Lyria breached the gate, it could march straight to Pinkshire, Amerosia’s capital.
For Amerosia, Shoreline Gate was a line that could not be crossed.
Determined, Chris entered the city. Shoreline Gate was a natural barrier between Amerosia and Great Lyria, with treacherous terrain that made it easy to defend and difficult to attack.
Over the years, countless battles had been fought over Shoreline Gate, with untold numbers of lives lost. Now, once again, the two nations were deadlocked there.
Seraphina, the Princess of Monroe and daughter of Archer Wintersong, commanded Amerosia’s forces. Leading an army of a million, she stood as the vanguard against Great Lyria.
Despite several clashes, neither side had been able to gain the upper hand. The war had reached a stalemate, and neither dared to let their guard down.
Chris spent his first day in Shoreline Gate resting at an inn. The city was heavily fortified, with soldiers patrolling the streets. He saw many powerful Aetherbinding cultivators along the way.
The next morning, Chris ventured outside the city walls. The area around Shoreline Gate was covered in a sea of tents, with countless warriors armed with swords, spears, and other weapons patrolling the campgrounds.
Frowning, Chris realized it would not be easy to find Seraphina amidst so many people. He decided to infiltrate the army to get closer to her.
Great Lyria was a harsh land, perpetually covered in snow and ice. Its people had endured hardship for generations, and their survival depended on taking what they could from others.
With winter approaching, Great Lyria was under pressure to capture Shoreline Gate before the snow made further advances impossible. Once winter arrived, the northeastern region would be buried under endless snow, rendering warfare impossible and forcing Great Lyria to retreat.
—
In the Amerosia camp, a woman clad in white armor stood at the center of a large tent, surrounded by over a hundred generals. If Chris were present, he would have recognized her instantly-it was Seraphina.
Sweeping her gaze across the room, Seraphina said, “In a few days, if Great Lyria hasn’t taken Shoreline Gate, the snow will block their path, and they’ll have no choice but to retreat. But until then, they’ll launch their fiercest attacks against us.”
A woman in a floral dress frowned and said, “If Great Lyria launches a final assault, we’ll be under immense pressure.”
This woman, the holy maiden of the Flower Clan, was Elias Dorneles. Representing the Flower Clan, she had joined the fight against Great Lyria.
Seraphina smiled and said, “Exactly. That’s why we must secure advantageous positions before they attack. Only then can we defeat them.”