When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 712 - 670: 2 New Witches

As March of 1447 arrived, the temperature in Black Snake Bay seemed to multiply geometrically every day. By mid-month, even wearing the thinnest linen shirt felt unbearably hot.

Unbuttoning his collar, Horn leaned against the pavilion's column like a bear rubbing against a tree, using the ancient serpent patterns carved into the column to scratch his back, entirely unbothered by the presence of several ladies around him.

Sitting atop a mound by the Ibe River, the hexagonal pavilion cast a long shadow under the blazing sun.

Inside the cool pavilion, sat four witches, making it five if Horn was counted.

The simple pavilion roof was covered with thick green turf and dark red moss, filling the air with the moist scent of wood and a fishy odor from the river.

In the Central County, apart from a few witches who couldn't leave the battlefield, the remaining important ones were all here in this small pavilion, gathered around a round table for an outing.

Picking up a teacup, Horn pretended to drink coffee while actually surveying these witches before him.

It must be said, the witches' physique was truly exceptional; among the four witches present, each had a distinct style of beauty, capable of outshining many modern-day actresses.

Upon entering the Central County, Horn had not been able to meet all the witches of the Witch Council; they were either stuck on the front lines or refused to meet Horn.

The only ones he truly met were the new witches, Ottatila and Novia.

Beyond Louise, who sat demurely on a stone bench with her knees hugged, alternating between a pipe and coffee, sat a witch who appeared around sixteen but was actually over fifty, Novia.

Half of her hair was pink, while the other half was black; at first, Horn thought it was a spell causing it, like how Jeanne had golden-tipped hair.

However, it was dyed, with the upper half black simply being her new hair growing out.

Currently, she was studying a small brass spring warehouse, even inserting her fingers into the gears to fiddle with them, making Horn nervous, yet she was entirely unconcerned.

Annoyed by Horn's words, she would occasionally turn away and secretly whisper to the mechanical soul inside the spring warehouse.

This witch had a unique ability: she could manipulate metal, changing its shape or controlling its movement.

Unfortunately, this manipulation required her physical touch, and she couldn't apply it to metals that were too dense or large in volume.

As for her flying ability, it came from a special artifact, the mithril armor.

This meant that Novia wasn't flying herself but rather manipulating the mithril armor to fly, merely enveloping herself within it.

Of course, there was only one mithril armor, and the mana to drive it belonged solely to Novia.

But regardless, being able to fly by stepping on one's own feet was quite a feat.

Sitting directly opposite Horn was Jeanne, who, with her back to him, was using a spyglass, observing the training of new troops below the hill.

Amidst the commands and clanging of weapons audible even atop the mound, soldiers from the Black Snake Bay's Divine Punishment Battle Group, each carrying a stone, were running clumsily in loose ranks along the river.

Beyond the soldiers in front, the distant forest and river bend were shrouded in billowing yellow-green smoke and faint wailing sounds.

Yet the distant rumble of the Griffin Cannon did nothing to disturb Ottatila's mood as she read "The Truth" newspaper.

This scholarly witch rested her chin on one hand, while the other moved continuously over the newspaper's text.

This mysterious chairwoman of the Witch Council was reported by Cheka as a bodily oriented witch, though few had seen her use spells—she was a rather enigmatic witch.

Yet Ottatila was perceptive; after one conversation with Horn and Louise, she swiftly changed her mentality, joining the Holy Axis.

The swiftness of her change in attitude and the smooth progress of the events surprised even Horn.

However, it was unclear why Ottatila's gaze always held a hint of strangeness and curiosity whenever she met eyes with Horn.

Perhaps seeing Horn watching her from the corner of her eye, Ottatila adjusted her hair by her temples, pointing to an article on the page, "I've finished reading the recent issues of 'The Truth.' Can I confirm with you to ensure I haven't misunderstood?"

Peeking over, Horn saw that the article Ottatila was pointing to was the front-page article of the latest issue of "The Truth" titled "Why Only the Holy Axis Can Be Called a Nation?"

The basic content of the article discussed the Empire Kingdom's system, its essence, and what the Thousand River Valley and the Holy Axis were like, why this was advanced, and why the Imperial People lacked freedom...

The article seemed informative on the surface, but in reality, it subtly criticized the Empire for its lack of freedom and inequality, using a propaganda campaign to clandestinely increase support for the war while also building a national consensus within the Holy Axis.

This was Horn's campaign to construct an imagined community; unfortunately, the imagined community does not precede the notion of "I," but rather follows the notion of "you."

If there wasn't an "imaginary enemy" to distinguish differences, internal cohesion couldn't be achieved.

After the ideological reform during the winter issues of "The Truth" and the subsequent dissemination, the Thousand River Valley People had gradually formed certain "common knowledge" of modern states.

Together, these pieces of common knowledge formed the public's imagination of the nation and their own self-identity.

It is impossible to govern a modern state solely by bureaucracy.

After listening to Horn's explanation, Ottatila calmly asked, "So, can I understand that the citizens of the Holy Axis are actually regarded as the true elect of the Holy Father?"

Horn was taken aback at first, then looked Ottatila up and down, "You are smarter than I thought."

Just as Ottatila was about to modestly respond, a sound of footsteps came from beside the pavilion.

She looked up and immediately saw Mormon saluting Horn.

"Your Eminence, you summoned me?"

Turning with a smile, Horn scrutinized Mormon, "How is the effect of the bombardment?"

Standing up straight, Mormon replied firmly, "It's very effective. Part of the castle's outer wall has already collapsed, and the fortress on the east bank has lost its ability to counterattack outside the city.

However, I must say, the force of the Griffin Cannon is too strong; each shot causes the ship's stern to tilt upward, causing severe rocking. Fortunately, the water here is calm; otherwise, in turbulent waters, there would be a risk of capsizing."

Horn furrowed his brow slightly and murmured, "Recoil..."

It's true that these wooden artillery boats were temporary conversions from barges, and indeed couldn't handle it.

He had considered creating temporary mortar boats earlier; he just wasn't sure if there was enough steel frame reserve, and whether oak could be used as a substitute if not.

"I will submit the issue to the Engineering Institute." Nodding, Horn continued to ask, "What is the situation at the Double-Headed Serpent Fortress? Can our fleet pass through en masse?"

Mormon's heart skipped a beat, but he still answered truthfully, "Though the fortress still stands, it has lost its counterattack capability, and the fleet can indeed pass through on a large scale."

"Very well." After pondering for a moment, Horn softly said, "Take a day off tomorrow."

Mormon's heart sank upon hearing the word "holiday." He raised his head and, after a moment of hesitation, mustered the courage to ask, "Your Eminence... are we heading south?"

Horn smiled faintly, his tone unhurried, "Aside from Athena and a few others, Lady Phoenix has already signed the Black Snake Bay Joint Declaration.

I can now basically officially announce that the future Black Snake Bay Federation will be a part of the Holy Axis.

However, as you know, the formation of a nation is not without bloodshed, so before that, we must first expel and judge those greedy devils in the Southern County."