The former king buried his sword here, and now, more warriors will be buried here.

This is a funeral.

“…”

After walking for ten minutes, Pace arrived at the army array in front of the fortress. There were people from the Kingdom, Thebites, Dila, Wilkins, and a very small number of I-Tran people. They were neatly lined up, with solemn faces, standing motionless on the main battlefield of the Second Academy War.

As soon as Pace and his group approached, Yelena came to meet them. She was seriously injured in the forest of Lavis, and one of her arms was still hanging in front of her chest, but her dress was meticulously worn.

This was the highest respect the savage Thebittian woman could pay.

“They have all taken their seats, and you are the only one left.” Yelena said to Pace.

Pace nodded, and then, surrounded by Yelena and the old butler, he climbed up the fortress step by step and reached the top.

On the top of the fortress, the broken throne still faced the west, towards the direction of the Academi Federation. There was no one on the throne, only a crown.

It was the crown that had once belonged to Rosides ad Persipune, and the allied forces found it in the Academie Museum in Vizère.

There was a stone table in front of the throne, and sitting next to it were people that Pace was very familiar with: Ayane Akihara, Ashlia Yard Pershipons, Grace Wallace, and Harry Smith.

These people have different identities, but now they are all spokespersons for their countries.

According to the information known to Pace, Ogi’s [Canghuang] died in the East China Sea landing battle, and the current representative of Ogi is the newly appointed Cabinet Minister Akihara Ayane.

Eshilia represents both the kingdom and Wilkin. During the Battle of Aston Plains, Wilkin’s Prince Aloi Aziz sacrificed himself to stop the spread of the black water. After the death of the last descendant of the Aziz family, Eshilia was temporarily crowned as the Queen of Wilkin. This inauguration was supported by most of the Wilkin people – most of them didn’t care who their ruler was anyway.

As for Grace Wallace, he is the only federal who holds a high position in the coalition, but he has no intention of becoming a member of the ruling class. His current identity is just to serve as a bridge of communication between the coalition and the remnants of the [Academy].

The reason why Harry Smith is here is even simpler – E.T.Lan has no successors, and the few remaining residents are on a deserted island, and he must speak for those residents.

Next to these people that Pace was familiar with, a man in black brocade clothes was standing. He stood with the throne, but his back was facing the group. According to the old butler’s introduction before coming, that was the representative of Qi Langfang, Dugu Bahuo, who was called [Brocade Guard], and a [Protector of the Great Wall].

“…”

Pace’s eyes swept over the people at the table one by one. He nodded towards the crown on the throne and then sat down at the table.

After taking his seat, he first turned to look at Harry and asked:

“How are your injuries?”

Hearing Pace’s question, Harry Smith took off the sleeves of his black windbreaker and showed Pace the bandages inside:

“Miss Angela said that I have many wounds on my body caused by the penetration of black water. According to the infectiousness of black water, I should have been hopeless, but unexpectedly, the black water did not seem to infect me…”

“It seems you have to thank her medical skills.” Pace nodded.

“No, it has nothing to do with medical skills. Miss Angela said it’s more like…some kind of miracle…”

Harry’s eyes suddenly became a little dazed. After being possessed by Zu Chumen, colorful fragments kept flashing through his mind. Those were not his memories, but more like another world he saw through a pair of black eyes.

In those fragmented memories, he seemed to see the familiar man again: he was half-kneeling on the ground with a proud attitude, red light bursting out from his steam armor, and his sculptured face showed no sign of compromise until the last moment.

Harry took a deep breath and calmed his heartbeat:

“Let’s talk business. My injury is not a big deal. The people of the islands are still living in the open air. I need to find a home for them.”

“Okay,” Pace nodded, and then looked at Dugu Bahuo beside him, “But our friends from the East haven’t taken their seats yet.”

“I am just a messenger, not a ruler, so I should not take this seat.”

Dugu Bahuo turned his head, and Pace saw his pair of eyes that were weathered but sharp as knives, and his heart tightened slightly.

He cleared his throat calmly and nodded:

“I respect your choice. Then, let the funeral begin.”

The orchestra began to play, a melodious and sad ensemble sounded, and the deep melody rippled around the ancient stone steps of the Freedom Attack Fortress.

Suddenly, yellow sand rose up from the wasteland, and the soldiers of the coalition army carried coffins into the archway under the fortress. Most of the coffins were cenotaphs, containing only some relics left by the deceased. Most of them had no remains, and the glory of the Tower of Babel obliterated the evidence of their existence.

But memories will never fade away.

After about half an hour, all the coffins were moved into the interior of the fortress.

Seeing that the time had come, Pace stood up, slowly walked to the stone platform on the top of the fortress, pulled out [Svarog] from his back, and held it high.

“Om-“

The raging flames burned up the sword inch by inch, flickering like a lighthouse in the yellow sand.

Everyone around the fortress looked up at the spark, with different expressions on their faces: some serious, some sad, and some numb.

“Rest in peace, soul.”

Pace whispered familiar words, then swung the giant sword and cut the rope above the stone platform.

“Boom——”

The stone fell, locking the archway and trapping the dead inside the fortress forever.

This fortress is their tomb.

“…”

Pace leaned on his sword and looked towards the west. In the blurred vision of the yellow sand, he vaguely saw the outline of the tall tower.

The war against the tower has come to an end, but he always feels that it is still a long way from the end of the story.

He closed his eyes and mourned for those who had passed away.

Everyone around the stone table was also mourning silently. They had lost too much in this war.

The world has changed, but those who changed the world are gone.

Ashilia sobbed softly. She knew that she was on the fortress of the former king, and the old guard she was most familiar with had the dream of his life to come here again and swing his silver sword towards the tower.

Your Highness… Your Majesty the Queen… Ryan… I did it… She whispered in her heart.

Sharduo took a deep breath, calmed her trembling breath, and calmed her heartbeat.

When she opened her eyes, Pace had returned to the stone table and was slowly taking a seat. Looking around, everyone’s face was covered with a layer of haze.

The joy of victory has long gone, and the tide of sadness comes in layers at the time of farewell, like the eternal waves on the sea.

“We need to have a good talk,” Ashlia stood up, “about the future.”

She is the heir to the kingdom and is currently in the kingdom’s territory, so she is the actual convener of the meeting.

On the side, Pace nodded and said:

“Let’s talk about the Federation’s approach first.”

“We still have control over the Federation,” Ayane said softly, “After Laplace was arrested, the Odin Council has compromised and accepted control, but there is no sign of surrender yet.”

“I will work with them on this,” said Grace. “But I don’t think we need to worry about them. Those old guys are almost dead. After being controlled by Laplace for so many years, they just want a quiet retirement life.”

“It seems that they are also overwhelmed by the tower,” Pace nodded. “As for Laplace, I remember that Ashlia suggested that a formal trial be held?”

“He must pay for his crimes, and this process must be seen by everyone in the world,” Ashlia said. “We need to give him a public trial. The people of the Federation need to know the truth. We can’t rule a Federation by violence forever.”

“I agree.” Ayane nodded.

“But he must die,” Harry said suddenly. “The people of E.Tran are stranded on a deserted island. He must pay the price for this.”

“I think we all have no objection.” Grace said in a low voice.

After the topic ended, everyone paused, as if they were thinking about something.

Soon, Pace took the initiative to break the silence:

“Then about the new alliance… um… I don’t know how to speak in official language, and I’m sure you don’t like to hear it. In short, in the face of everything that may happen next, we need an unprecedented alliance. Is there any objection to this?”

“This is the wisest choice,” Ayane nodded gently, “Everything Laplace fears is not groundless. In order to maximize our strength, an alliance is necessary.”

“Let’s call it the Union,” Ashlia said. “As for the location, it’s right under our feet. Is that the same as before?”

Everyone nodded. Although they all knew the necessity of the alliance, when Ashlia mentioned the word “Alliance Union”, they all felt more or less uneasy.

Because the “previous civilization” that Laplace came from was called the [Great Union].

Their degree of unity was higher, but they were still destroyed, and in fact a large part of the reason for their destruction was attributed to their unity.

Will there be a second tower raised? Will there be a second man with a gun?

The people at the table looked at each other. In this war, they were companions who had been through life and death together, but what would happen after the war?

No one knows what will happen in the future.

“Next, comes the most important question.”

When Pace said this, the sandstorm just ended, the horizon of Aston Plain became clear again, and the silver-white tower came into everyone’s sight almost at the same time.

“About the Tower of Babel.”

When it comes to this topic, Dugu Bahuo, who had remained silent, opened his mouth and said:

“Qi Langfang’s suggestion is to destroy it directly. It is the source of hegemony and an inhuman creation. It should never be preserved.”

“I totally agree.” Harry Smith’s tone seemed a little vicious.

“Let me interrupt,” Grace raised his hand, “If… um… the ‘starry sky’ that Laplace fears really comes one day, at that time, will the [Tower of Babel] be one of our better means of self-defense?”

“What are you thinking! That tower killed everyone in the grave under your feet! And you want to keep it?” Harry stood up, his tone excited, “As expected! The Federation people can never resist the temptation of power!”

“Calm down. Power itself is neither right nor wrong. It depends on who holds the power.” Grace waved his hands quickly.

“Then how do you prove that you are not an ambitious person like Laplace? Huh? Why should I believe the words of a Federation man!” Harry almost shouted.

In just a few words, the atmosphere around the stone table became tense, and the atmosphere of suspicion spread from Gleeson and Harry.

Ayane was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Dugu Bahuo and said:

“Excuse me, if the Tower of Babel is destroyed, Qi Lang’s Eye of the Sky will become the only destructive weapon on the entire planet of Ursa. If we destroy the tower, the deterrence will be broken. How can you guarantee that you will not use this to become a new superpower and rule us like Laplace?”

Ayane’s words poured cold water on everyone present. It was obvious that if Qi Lang really intended to use the [Eye of the Sky] to threaten them, they would not have any chance of fighting back – the storm sea between the Admir Continent and the East Continent basically cut off the significance of the army. With the barrier of the sea, the Qi Lang people had an absolute advantage in the war.

For a moment, everyone’s eyes were focused on Dugu Bahuo, who was the first to propose destroying the [Tower of Babel], but this [Protector of the Great Wall] just shook his head:

“The Qilang people have never had the ambition to dominate. This is the foundation of our existence after the Judgment Day.”

“If I remember correctly, all the authority of [Sky Eye] is in the hands of General Yan Chu, right?” Ayane smiled softly, “Highly centralized, don’t you think this is very similar to Laplace?”

“After the threat from the Federation and the Black Tide faded, General Yan Chu has transferred the authority of the [Sky Eye] to the [Symbolic Society], and he has retreated to the second line,” Dugu Bahuo said calmly, “Please rest assured that the [Sky Eye], or the [Dust Star Ring Star Missile Positioning System] related technology will be passed on to everyone in the Alliance later. Before facing a greater threat, we should stop fighting among ourselves and focus on the real threat.”

“But how can we be sure that your technology will be passed on without reservation?” Ashilia asked, “I don’t mean to distrust you, but… we have lived in the shadow of the Tower of Babel for too long.”

Yes, everyone grew up under the shadow of that tower. Even if that tower is toppled, the haze will never dissipate.

Power turns people into monsters.

Everyone was arguing, presupposing various possibilities, and sharp arguments were thrown out one by one, like flying artillery fire on the battlefield.

Only one person remained silent.

Pace crossed his fingers, leaned his elbows on the table, and listened to the argument silently.

The last second, they were at the funeral with sad faces, shedding tears for the deceased.

The next second, they raised their thorns and screamed to keep a distance.

They are afraid, they are scared because the shadow of the tower is too deep, and children who grow up in the shadow are destined to lack a sense of security.

Pace suddenly felt a little tired. Although he had known that things would not end so easily, he was still a little tired facing this situation.

He thought of Pearlis again. If the little girl with white hair was here, what would she say?

Oh…she might just flip the table and make everyone do what she says.

Sometimes, Perlis is so decisive and ruthless, and sometimes she is as soft as a naive little girl, making people want to protect her.

She is the real hero of this war… but no one seems to mention her… If she hadn’t destroyed [Immothalos], Laplace would have won, right? Then the alliance wouldn’t be able to sit here and discuss how to deal with the tower.

What’s more…she actually appeared on the battlefield, right?

Pace remembered the time when he joined the coalition forces. In that rainstorm, he joined the coalition forces and together they crossed the forest and attacked the base of the Tower of Babel.

When they were about to enter the gate of the Tower of Babel, the sky above them was suddenly covered by a deep red. Pace looked up in the rainstorm and saw a red light that was brighter than ever before.

At that moment, the fear from deep within his genes burst out, making him want to turn around and run away.

He felt the ground beneath his feet shaking, as if a river was gushing out from underground, flowing from the base of the tower into the interior, extending all the way to the peak above the clouds.

At that time, he had no choice but to rush into the gate of the Tower of Babel and lead the coalition forces to fight the final decisive battle with the federal troops stationed in the tower.

But when Pace arrived at the [Final Control Room] on the Tower of Babel, the red light on the top of the Tower of Babel had already dissipated.

He saw Laplace standing in front of the French window in a mess, his face grim, as if he had just vented his anger.