189: running around

Ailan Empire, Gale Fortress.

This fortress city, which guarded the northern throat of the Ailan Empire, was currently shrouded in a sudden downpour.

Cold rain washed over the ancient bluestone roads, soaking the banners on the city walls that represented glory and conquest, leaving them hanging limply from their poles.

Gareth rode alone on a fast horse through the muddy streets, heading straight for the City Lord's mansion.

He wore the silver combat armor gifted by Ilya, which integrated nanotechnology and fluid armor; the rain slid off it automatically, leaving no trace.

The high-frequency vibration particle greatsword on his back, though wrapped in coarse cloth, still exuded a chilling aura.

However, compared to this set of divine equipment that would make any knight envious, Gareth's heart was filled with urgency.

"Must warn them... must let them know..."

He muttered to himself as he pushed open the heavy oak doors of the City Lord's mansion.

...Half an hour later, inside the council hall of Gale Fortress.

"You mean... ships from the stars? Steel fortresses larger than mountains? And weapons capable of destroying a city in an instant?"

The Lord of Gale Fortress, a famous guardian of the Ailan Empire's northern territory, the old Duke Orlando, sat before the fireplace with a glass of hot wine, eyeing the world-renowned 【Dawn's Champion】 with the look one might give a madman or a drunkard.

"Gareth, my child, I know you have been adventuring for many years and are well-traveled." The old Duke smiled, a touch of tolerance for a junior's "ramblings" in his expression, "But these stories you tell are simply too... bizarre."

"It's true, Duke!" Gareth stepped forward eagerly, his voice filled with anxiety, "I saw it with my own eyes! One of their spaceships is parked above the clouds! That is a power beyond our comprehension; our city walls, our magic, are as fragile as paper before them!"

"They are coming! With the will to conquer! We must unite all nations, all races, and prepare for war immediately! Evacuate the civilians! Hide in the deep mountains! Otherwise..."

"Enough!"

The old Duke interrupted him impatiently, the smile on his face replaced by the arrogance and indifference typical of nobility.

"Gareth, has some illusion spell ruined your brain?"

The old Duke stood up, walked to the map, and pointed to the stretch of azure sea.

"You say they come from the Star Sea? What is the Star Sea? Is it the other side of the Storm Ocean? If some emerging overseas empire wanted to invade, I might send scouts to investigate."

"But you say they come from the sky? From those little twinkling dots?"

"Ha! Stop joking!"

The surrounding knights and advisors also burst into laughter. In their understanding, the sky was the domain of gods; except for dragons and birds, nothing could stay there for long, let alone build some "flying city".

"Gareth, I still admire your courage, but your sanity seems to have left home." The old Duke waved his hand, dismissing him, "Go back and rest. If you come to your senses and are willing to serve the Empire against the Bearmen of the Northwind Snowfield, I will always welcome you. As for those stories about the stars... leave them to the bards to sing."

Gareth was "invited" out of the hall.

He stood in the rain, watching the heavy doors close in front of him, feeling a sense of powerlessness.

He didn't blame the Duke.

If it were himself ten years ago, he would have treated such words as the ravings of a madman.

Summer insects cannot speak of ice.

For a group of people who didn't even know the earth was round and had never heard of physical laws, how could one make them understand concepts like light-years, warships, and orbital bombardment?

This was a cognitive chasm.

Gareth did not give up.

In the following months, he traveled to every corner of Mana Star.

He went to the Southern Commercial Alliance, trying to persuade those shrewd merchants with the logic of profit, telling them that if they didn't prepare for war, their wealth would be worthless. The merchants just smiled and asked him: "Do those visitors from beyond have gold? If not, why are they coming?"

He also went to the Orcish Iron-Blood Court, showing the Orc King, who championed martial power, the power of a particle sword cutting through rock, trying to prove the enemy's strength. The Orc King laughed and patted his chest: "Only the weak rely on such strange weapons! If they dare to come, my battle axe will chop off their heads!"

He even ventured into the sacred land of the Centaur tribe, seeking help from the prophet said to be able to predict the future. However, the prophet just glanced at him indifferently and said: "The stars show that everything is normal; there is no steel torrent in the long river of fate as you describe."

Rejection after rejection, mockery after mockery.

Gareth felt like a madman standing on a volcano about to erupt, shouting at the top of his lungs, while the villagers at the foot of the mountain were dancing and singing, mocking his panic.

The pain of being the only one awake while everyone else is drunk was more tormenting than any lost battle.

He finally understood why Ilya said "resistance is meaningless".

It was not just because of the disparity in power, but because this world was simply not prepared to face a higher-level civilization.

...Heartbroken, Gareth finally returned to the secret base of the 【Dawn】 squad, a camp deep in the forest.

He hoped to find some comfort here, to find the partners who had once lived and died with him.

Pushing open the door, warm firelight came into view.

Alice, Roger, the assassin Kent, and the priestess Elanie were all there.

Alice was not studying magic books, but wearing a pair of AR tactical glasses gifted by Ilya, her fingers moving rapidly in the void, muttering: "...This model can still be optimized, the casting time can be reduced by at least 0.1 seconds."

Roger was not polishing his shield, but was shirtless, letting two small medical drones scan and repair old injuries on his body, a look of enjoyment on his face: "This thing is much easier to use than the church's healing spells; it even cured the rheumatism I've had for over a decade."

Kent was playing with a high-frequency vibration dagger, and the priestess was reading an e-book on 《Basic Medicine and Pathology》, which was also left behind by Ilya.

Seeing Gareth come in, the four looked up, but their eyes no longer held the tacit understanding and passion of the past, but rather a sense of alienation that was hard to describe.

"Captain, you're back." Alice took off her glasses, her tone flat, "Heard you went to warn those kings? How did it go?"

"They don't believe it." Gareth walked to the fire and sat down, his voice weary, "No one believes a fleet will fall from the sky."

"Expected." Alice shrugged, "With their cognitive level, how could they understand the concept of an Interstellar Fleet? It's like trying to explain the ocean to a frog."

"Alice!" Gareth frowned, "Those are our compatriots, our country!"

"So what?" Alice retorted, her eyes cold—a look Gareth was very familiar with; it was Ilya's look.

"Gareth, haven't the ten years on the Wanderer taught you anything?"

Alice stood up, revealing the boots reinforced with nanomaterials under her mage robe.

"The magic we used to be proud of is full of holes in the face of science, and the empire we swore to defend is nothing but backward feudal dross."

"The arrival of the Human Federation is not an invasion."

Alice's words were shocking.

"It is the gospel."

"What did you say?" Gareth stood up abruptly, looking at his old partner in disbelief.

"Alice is right, Captain."

Roger, who was usually reticent, also spoke up. He patted his strong chest, "Look at our power now, look at this equipment. The nation where our teacher resides holds the truth."

"If they ruled here, our compatriots might not have to starve, might not have to be oppressed by kings and nobles, might not have to worry about the occasional invasion of orc tribes. Isn't that good?" Alice retorted.

"Instead of fighting over ridiculous territory on this backward planet, why not join them and become part of a higher civilization! Isn't this the best choice?"

"You..." Gareth looked at these familiar faces, and suddenly felt goosebumps.

"Have you forgotten who we are? We are citizens of the Ailan Empire, subjects of His Majesty the Emperor! We have our own dignity!"

"Dignity is built on the foundation of strength." Kent interjected coldly, "Dignity without strength is just ridiculous arrogance. Captain, you've seen it too; this world is rotten to the core. Nobles exploit commoners, wars are endless. If the Human Federation can bring order, even imposed order is better than the current chaos."

"And," the priestess closed the e-book and said softly, "Under the guidance of Dr. Ilya, I realized that illnesses that magic cannot cure are not terminal. The Human Federation's medical system showed me that everyone has the right to be treated and to live. This is something the gods could not give us."

"Since the gods cannot bestow it, why can't we follow those who truly possess the power?"

Gareth staggered back two steps.

These four comrades, to whom he could once entrust his back—their bodies were the same as before, but their souls...

Their souls had been completely "alienated" by these ten years of interstellar experience, by Ilya's subtle scientific indoctrination, and by the absolute superiority displayed by the higher civilization.

They no longer identified as humans of Mana Star; they had spiritually converted to the Human Federation that had not yet arrived.

This was a conquest more terrifying than physical extermination: the assimilation of culture and cognition.

"You... are all crazy."

Gareth shook his head in pain.

"No, Captain, you are the one who is too stubborn." Alice looked at him, her eyes even holding a hint of pity, "You are still holding on to the chivalry of the old era, trying to be a martyr destined to fail."

"Wake up, Gareth. When the shadow of the teacher's fleet covers the sky, you will find that our choice today is the only way to survive."

"We won't help you organize any resistance army." Roger said in a muffled voice, "That is suicide, and meaningless suicide at that. We will wait for the Federation to take over, and then use the knowledge we have learned to secure a good position in the new world."

"This is also what Teacher Ilya hopes to see."

"Teacher..."

Gareth laughed miserably.

Yes, she was the teacher.

She not only taught them power but also taught them "truth".

It was just that this truth was deadly poison to the old world of Mana Star.

Gareth grabbed his greatsword and turned towards the door.

"Captain, where are you going?" Alice shouted behind him.

"To do what I must."

Gareth did not look back.

"Even if it is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, even if it is like a moth flying into a flame."

"I am just... such an old-fashioned and stubborn person."