"Hmm? Looking at you, it seems things over there have been settled?"
Seeing Mohg slowly stand up, Lansseax's face immediately lit up with curiosity. As someone who understood Mohg's true identity and the situation in the sewers, she was dying to know what had just transpired between him and his brothers.
"Temporarily settled. However, I likely won't be able to reclaim that projection. I'll need to find a way to prepare a new one," Mohg replied, casting a glance at her.
"If you can just prepare another one, why didn't you do that from the start?" Lansseax asked.
"Partly a matter of time, partly a matter of difficulty. Besides, I have no desire to create a weak projection; if it lacks strength, there's no point in wasting the time and effort to make it."
After explaining, Mohg withdrew the majority of his consciousness from the subterranean shunning-grounds. Unless someone actively sought him out for conversation or something significant happened near his location, the projection in the sewers would now remain as still and hollow as a soulless puppet.
"Now that the sewer business is handled, what's next for you?"
"Hmm... I'll likely begin arranging personnel to take control of certain areas in Caelid and establish contact with the forces there. Since you're here, why don't you head over?"
"Eh?!" Lansseax's eyes widened, and she pointed at herself. "Me?"
"Yes. Who else? At the very least, your appearance and stature are quite intimidating."
"Hey, hey, hey! Aren't you forgetting the most important part? My strength! My prowess!"
"Oh, right. And your strength."
"What's with that tone?!" Lansseax snapped, a bit miffed by Mohg's perfunctory attitude.
"Regardless, I'm entrusting you with the task of establishing a connection with the Eternal City in that region. I wouldn't feel at ease sending anyone else."
"Hmph. Since you put it that way, leave it to this dragon," Lansseax said, shaking her head after a light snort.
In truth, the primary reason Mohg wasn't sending anyone else was the concern of whether they could escape if a conflict broke out. With Lansseax, he didn't have to worry about such things. After all... there wasn't much over there that could truly threaten her.
Well... unless you count Asimi... but they shouldn't have reached their final form yet, right?
Mohg shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside for the moment. He had another matter to attend to: recovering his reserves of Faith and resting the power of the Great Rune within him. Essentially, he needed to return to his peak as quickly as possible, because he planned to make contact with another powerhouse.
And if he wasn't in top form during that encounter, the negotiations would likely fall through before they even began.
As for who this powerhouse was... it was none other than the Storm King, Engvall!
Since Mohg had temporarily defined the Mohgwyn Dynasty as a mercenary group, he naturally needed to find a high-quality client. Although he had previously mentioned the risks of dealing with the Storm Dynasty, the rewards were equally massive. As a collaborator and comrade-in-arms to the Storm King, once the Storm Dynasty was eventually annexed, he could "legitimately" absorb a significant portion of their remnants.
"Lord Mohg, should we begin the construction of the Spirit-Descent Altars?"
Pilar approached slowly, dropping to one knee to seek Mohg's instruction.
"Hmm... You may. By the way, Pilar, as a priest, I assume you are familiar with the process of the Spirit-Descent Ritual?"
"Well... to be honest, while my memories haven't been entirely lost, many have become... blurred."
"What a shame..." A look of regret appeared on Mohg's face.
"However, I do still remember the actual process of the Spirit-Descent Ritual."
Mohg's face showed a brief moment of helplessness before he broke into a laugh. "I see. Then proceed. I didn't realize you had a sense of humor, Pilar."
"...It is all thanks to your influence, my King." The corners of Pilar's mouth lifted slightly as he offered another bow.
Mohg's actions had allowed him to see the possibility of the Dynasty's reconstruction and prosperity. Although it might still take a long time, he could finally see the light of hope.
"By the way, how are Nibla's arrangements coming along?"
"Lord Nibla has been busy dealing with pressure from the Limgrave side recently, so he hasn't spent much time at the Dynasty's base. However, regarding your instructions, he has already completed the preparations."
"Pressure from Limgrave?" Mohg looked at Pilar with curiosity.
"Yes. Because Lord Nibla has recently been using the Runes within his territory to buy up large quantities of grain and supplies, he has drawn the attention of the Storm Dynasty..."
"...That was an oversight on my part," Mohg said, frowning. After all, Nibla was only following his direct orders. "Is the situation serious? If it isn't manageable, tell him to abandon his territory and influence there and relocate immediately."
"Lord Nibla says the situation is manageable for now. The Storm Dynasty hasn't focused their full attention on him yet; he has only caused a slight stir."
"Oh? Is that so... Ah, I see. The great battle in the Lake District must have drawn the Storm Dynasty's focus. Most of their scouts have likely been dispatched to Liurnia to investigate..."
Mohg understood the logic after a moment's thought. From the Storm Dynasty's perspective, Nibla's small movements were insignificant compared to the threat of their true enemy, the Golden Order. Furthermore, their current impression of Nibla was that of a crippled, heavily injured man, so they wouldn't take him too seriously.
"Even so, relay my words to him. He is far more important to me than the territory or influence he holds. If he is worried about losing his lands, tell him I will compensate him tenfold in Caelid."
"I understand. I shall take my leave then."
"Go on." Mohg nodded to Pilar.
Shortly after Pilar left, Liana walked in, looking quite sheepish and fidgety.
"Liana? Why are you here?" Mohg asked, confused. He hadn't summoned his Finger Maiden, though he had sent word for Horuf.
"T-That... I am so sorry, Lord Mohg! T-That night... I was... I was far too bold! So..."
"Oh, that. Liana, you don't need to be like this. I have no intention of blaming you. On the contrary, I'm quite happy that you feel comfortable enough to be close to someone like me."
Mohg couldn't help but chuckle at her bashfulness.
"Please do not speak of yourself that way!"
Mohg blinked, surprised by Liana's sudden outburst. He wasn't sure why she was so agitated.
"What do you mean 'someone like you'? To me, you are the sun! You are just like Lord Godwyn is to those other people! Being an Omen was never your fault! It is all the fault of the Golden Order!" Liana walked right up to Mohg, her voice trembling with emotion.
"If you hadn't existed, I would have likely become just another nameless corpse in the sewers. No one would have remembered my name; no one would have cared. My fate would have been to be a meal for the rats. It was your presence that saved me!"
Mohg was momentarily stunned. He slowly walked up to Liana and reached out to pat her head.
"Hahaha. Having all of you here makes me very happy, Liana. For your sake, if nothing else, I will continue down this path. But if that's all, you should head back. Horuf is already here."
Mohg pointed toward Horuf, who had been standing outside for some time. Seeing Liana look over, Horuf offered her a smile. Liana's face turned bright red, and she quickly scurried away.
"My King, the task you assigned us has been completed."
"Well done. Have you established contact with the Jars of Jarburg?"
"In a manner of speaking?" Horuf gave an uncertain answer, prompting Mohg to look at him inquisitively. "Well, while we were attacking a group of Jar-poachers, we happened upon a Warrior Jar being surrounded. we stepped in and saved him. However, we haven't officially visited Jarburg yet, so..."
"I see. What was the Warrior Jar's name?"
"I believe he was called... Boru?"
"That's not bad. You can use this as an opportunity to visit Jarburg officially. Since he was attacked by poachers, he'll likely need to return to a Jar-Shaman for repairs. It's a perfect opening."
"I understand. I will arrange for men to accompany me there immediately."
"There's no rush. Jarburg is just a secondary venture. For now, Caelid, which lies directly above us, is more important. That is the base we need to secure."
Horuf scratched his head, looking a bit lost on what his priority should be.
"Arrange a squad to support our comrades currently establishing outposts in Caelid first. Then, establish the link with Jarburg. I don't expect all of them to join us, but our main goal is to draw some of their warriors to our side."
"Understood." Horuf nodded.
"Good. If there's nothing else, you may go. I'm entering a period of rest to recover my strength. During this time, unless it's an absolute emergency, do not disturb me—just keep the supplies of blood coming."
"Yes, Sire. I shall pass the word. Does this apply to Lady Lansseax as well?"
"Unless there is progress from Nokron, the same applies."
"Understood."
"My King, what should be our next move?"
Oleg looked at Engvall beside him, unable to suppress his curiosity—especially after receiving reports of the battle between Caria and the Erdtree.
Though Caria had emerged the victor, any keen observer could see that without the sudden intervention of the mysterious Mohgwyn Dynasty, Caria would have had almost no chance of winning. And that was just the expeditionary force of the Golden Order; their true main strength was still split between the Mountaintops and the Capital.
"...We wait."
"Wait?" Oleg was stunned by the response.
"Yes. We wait. We have no other choice. Caria has made their stance clear. In a battle of such high intensity, involving a figure as powerful as the Blood Lord, neither Radagon nor Messmer was killed. That speaks volumes."
"You mean... Caria never intended to fight the Golden Order to the death?"
"Exactly. Their conflict with the Golden Order isn't as deep-seated as ours. And the relationship between Gold and Moon... is far from simple."
Engvall slowly closed his eyes.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
"Accumulate strength, gather intelligence, and get our internal affairs in order. And then..."
"We wait for the Blood Lord to contact us. I suspect his conflict with the Golden Order is irreconcilable. Given the scale of his intervention, he must be unsatisfied with his current gains. He will come looking for us. I am certain of it."
"Understood. I shall inform Engwir to handle the nobles within our territory and the matters in Caelid."
"Go. And if we can utilize some of the power in Caelid, don't hesitate to recruit them. There is no shortage of people there who harbor hatred for the Erdtree."
"Yes, Sire."
Meanwhile, across the Lands Between, information regarding the Mohgwyn Dynasty was spreading rapidly. Just as Engvall suspected, there was no shortage of those who held grudges against the Golden Order.
The strength Mohg had displayed placed him among the strongest of the demigods. Naturally, many were drawn to this suddenly emerging power.
There were the survivors of ancient dynasties, the hex-casters of Gelmir, practitioners of necromancy, and the lingering faithful of the Deathbirds. And, of course, there were those who were simply drawn to slaughter. To them, a faction following the Mother of Truth was the perfect haven—especially one that could protect them from their status as criminals of the Golden Order.
Beyond these were his natural supporters: the Omens exiled across the land. Some Omens hadn't completely detached themselves from society and were able to receive the news. And with the aura Mohg had projected during his debut...
The Omens scattered throughout the Lake District knew exactly who Mohg was. They began to seek out the trail of the Mohgwyn Dynasty, yearning to join its ranks.
----Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
If you'd like to read ahead, you can subscribe for early access. I also have several other novels in my collection that you might enjoy!
Also, if there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patreon, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on updating it.
Join the journey and become part of the story!