Chapter 1453: Chapter 1451: Big Reform
On the fourth day after the London Game ended.
The area where the Expeditionary Army’s base was located unexpectedly began to experience a bizarre white rain.
The raindrops were white and translucent, shaped in perfect regular dodecahedrons.
When such rain made contact with the knights, it was immediately absorbed by their armor or body.
A pure magical energy spread through the structure of the armor, repairing it while enhancing its grade.
When absorbed by the body, it not only replenished internal energy but also improved the energy’s purity.
Just as the strange white rain was about to stop.
A massive white egg enveloped by crystal clusters descended from the heavens and crashed heavily into the central clearing of the camp.
As the shell of the egg gradually cracked.
A Great Demon Leader, crowned with a pure white crown, stepped out from within. Though his appearance hadn’t significantly changed, his presence was completely transformed—an utterly pure demon physique emitting waves of genuine regal aura.
“Return to the city!”
Due to the fall of London City, the Expeditionary Army’s mobile buildings were likewise consumed in the explosion.
The entire army would head to the nearby Demon Manor.
Using the transfer matrix established by demons on Earth’s surface, they would head to the area nearest the Holy City—a process somewhat akin to Pandora’s “station system.”
Blessed by Eternal Night, the Expeditionary Army received a warm welcome from the local demons.
Beyond various sashimi-style delicacies,
some demons approached proactively to express affection, hoping to reproduce offspring with humans.
Though a few knights were tempted, they remained mindful of the Holy City waiting for their return. Future opportunities for such interbreeding, which could strengthen human-demon ties, were certainly worth considering.
[Gaine Forest]
Teleported here, the Expeditionary Army found it hard to hide their excitement, even glimpsing the outline of the Holy City’s expansions through the dense leaves.
The rhythm of hoofbeats grew more rapid with time.
During this time, numerous Crowmen escorted them from above the forest canopy.
Of course, the Crowmen’s actions were closely tied to a particular young knight.
[Two and a half years]
Although shorter than the expected expedition duration, this was humanity’s first instance of being away from the Holy City for so long.
The mere act of treading on Gaine Forest’s lands brought tears of joy to many knights.
Riding in one of the carriages, Han Dong couldn’t help but stick his head out of the window, vivid memories playing rapidly in his mind.
The instant they emerged from the forest.
Han Dong’s expression changed abruptly—from anticipation and excitement to a look of unexpected astonishment.
The earlier warning from Dumps resurfaced in his mind: the Holy City was undergoing a [Great Reformation].
A large number of steam-powered mechanical workers, densely packed, were crawling over the surface of the city walls. The original bronze alloy walls designed to repel demons were nowhere to be found.
All materials containing [bronze] had been entirely discarded.
The original city walls were dismantled completely, replaced with a modernized wall built from cutting-edge steam technology—laced with countless metallic pipelines. The loud sounds of mechanical operations could be heard from kilometers away.
Where once smooth walls stood were now lined with tubular patterns,
and certain hubs featured mysterious devices that Han Dong couldn’t decipher.
Apart from the unchanged expressions of a few commanders, the rest of the knights were all shocked by the wall’s modifications… Moreover, this transformation was just the city wall; there seemed to be even greater changes within the Holy City.
Accompanying the rotation of gigantic gears.
The city gates swung open.
As the army entered the city at full speed, there was no anticipated triumphant fanfare.
Shockingly, no civilians came to welcome the returning Knight Regiment; instead, mechanical knights lined the streets in neat rows… Indeed, knights made entirely of machinery, with no flesh components.
“What is that… Steam City?”
Not long after entering the city, the entire Expeditionary Army’s gazes turned toward the [pinnacle] of the Holy City.
It must be noted that the Holy City’s foundational structure was divided into four parts, based on the “Three Gods Steps.”
The outermost lower-level civilian area,
The inner-ring middle area above the First Gods Step (at an altitude of 200 meters), which included the Knight Academy, Noble Residential Area, and zones where Knight Regiment families resided, among others,
The core area above the Second Gods Step (at an altitude of 500 meters), which housed the headquarters of the various Knight Orders, association headquarters, the Church, and the Royal Family,
And the [pinnacle] above the Third Gods Step (at an altitude of 1000 meters)—managed as a constitutional monarchy, with the pinnacle area serving as the highest legislative and governing body of the Holy City, the [Council].
However… the scene before them directly proclaimed the end of the Council’s constitutional monarchy.
The “Steam City,” previously enveloped within the inner layers and hailed as the Heart of the Holy City, had now burst forth.
The unique structure providing fundamental energy for the entire Holy City, the “Steam Pillar (The-Column-of-steam),” had broken through the topmost level of the Council.
Its height surpassed the Council entirely, with the peak of the pillar reaching an altitude of 1500 meters.
Simultaneously.
[Holy Ring], the core sanctuary of the Mechanical God Sect, encircled the pillar and emerged, replacing the Council as the new topmost domain.
The Holy Ring was also the critical area under Mr. Newton’s management.
“What is going on!?”
Han Dong recalled the moments prior to the Big Expedition, when Mr. Newton, acting as a Middleman, privately arranged a meeting with [Mr. Black White] in the Holy Ring area of the Steam City.
Shifting focus from the pinnacle to the surrounding areas, one would discover:
The civilian areas had undergone a complete transformation. Advanced steam-powered facilities were installed in every household, and the civilians living there could only gaze at the triumphant Expeditionary Army through their windows.
They seemed to be under some form of mandatory decree, temporarily prohibited from stepping outside.
Such massive changes, coupled with the peculiar atmosphere lingering in the air, swiftly eroded the joy in the Expeditionary Army’s hearts.
What had started as the excitement of returning home morphed into a more radical sentiment: a belief that the [Steam Knights] had taken advantage of the Expedition’s absence to implement sweeping reforms.
Some knights even adopted battle-ready postures in response to the sight before them.
At that moment.
The voice of the Great Demon Leader resonated in everyone’s ears.
“Do not panic.
The scenes you are currently witnessing align with the blueprint conceived by our leaders before the Big Expedition—a new era naturally demands a brand-new Holy City.
The fundamental purpose of the ‘Big Expedition’ was to lead us into a new era, one of freedom and collective development.
We, as the chosen Expeditionary Army, are tasked with demonstrating humanity’s worth to the world, reclaiming the autonomy we deserve, so we may stand on equal footing with the demons.
The knights who remained in the city were responsible for carrying out comprehensive reforms of the Holy City, abolishing, discarding, and eradicating elements no longer needed, and constructing a capital tailored to human development—one capable of adapting to the new era.
This decision was made collectively by the Thirteen Knight Orders, so please remain calm… Now, we shall proceed to the Council sector to share in our victory and launch humanity’s new chapter.”