Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?
Chapter 57 - 57 47 Aid from the West

57: Chapter 47: Aid from the West 57: Chapter 47: Aid from the West “Based on current results, both your spirituality and mind appear to be unharmed, Your Majesty.”

After a week of careful examination, Court Mage Deloyips chose his words carefully and responded to Her Majesty Theodora:

“It seems unlikely that the other side has left anything malicious on you.

To be on the safe side, we will continue to observe you for three more days.”

Standing on the palace balcony, Theodora peered down at the grid of grey rooftops below and frowned:

“That island…

what exactly is it?”

“The most likely possibility is that it represents the world of the collective subconscious,” Deloyips mused in response.

“The grey fog you saw around the island’s perimeter is probably the boundary between the subconscious and its physical manifestation.”

“The next possibility is the Spirit Realm, a space similar to the Main Plane opened through an array in the Spirit Realm, where the grey fog might stem from the effects of the array.”

“The third possibility is that you did, in fact, stay on the Main Plane, but were teleported to some location.

In the Mediterranean and Atlantis Ocean, there are many such islands, and it’s possible that someone could control one, although the ability for ultra-long-distance teleportation is quite rare.”

“Of course, as for the legendary half-planes, as well as the three major sub-planes of the Abyss, Purgatory, and Netherworld, since they are purely fantastical we’ll dismiss those for now.”

“I see.” Theodora slowly nodded and, noticing Lady Varomina, her in-waiting Clerk of the Signet, nearby, gave a nod, “You may leave us now.”

“Yes.” Deloyips bowed and departed.

“Your Majesty.” Varomina curtsied slightly, “There’s a reply from the West.

Empress Zoe is waiting for you at the Golden Governance Palace.”

“Lead the way,” replied Theodora.

Upon arriving at the Golden Governance Palace, Theodora soon learned of the West’s response to her request for military assistance.

First came the bad news from the Holy Solomon Empire.

Emperor Otto seemed determined to intervene in the changing of the high ranks of the Solomon Church.

The Church’s countermeasure was to instigate Duke Wolf of the Kirchberg Territory within the Empire to quietly oppose and obstruct Emperor Otto.

Although there has not been an outbreak of large-scale conflict between the two sides, they are both covertly preparing their troops, and therefore the Divine Luo Empire genuinely cannot afford to send support to the Eastern Solomon conflict.

Next was the Church’s reply; they had already invested all their resources in the struggle against Emperor Otto and were unable to dispatch any Temple Knights to support their Solomon brothers in the East.

Unrest had broken out within the country of Hangli, the messenger had lost contact within its borders, and it was clear they could not be counted on for support in the short term.

The only piece of good news seemed to come from Venice; although the Church was unable to deploy troops, Holy See Innocent himself had signed a Holy War order.

He called upon a group of Frank Knights with their own provisions and equipment who, after negotiating with the Venetians, planned to use naval vessels to come to their aid.

These Frank Knights were originally minor lords of the Holy Solomon Empire and the West Frank Kingdom.

Because Emperor Otto and the Church were almost openly in conflict, each encouraging their respective dukes to expand their territories and increase their power, these barons and viscounts who once possessed a castle, a town, or even a village were overwhelmed or defeated overnight, losing their ancestral lands.

They had no choice but to come East in search of adventure and livelihood.

For the Franks, as long as there was a battle to fight and wealth to plunder, no additional terms were needed from the Empire.

However, what was difficult to accept was the price quoted by the Venetians:

To transport these Frank Knights and their retainers, a large number of ships needed to be constructed.

The Venetians’ shipping quote was 50,000 silver marks, amounting to about 25,000 pounds in Imperial currency, payable in four installments.

The down payment required from Constantinople was 7,500 pounds, as the Venetians insisted on seeing the money before setting sail.

“How outrageous!” If not for the presence of her elder sister, Theodora would have liked to tear the diplomatic documents to shreds right then and there.

It wasn’t that East Solomon Empire couldn’t afford this sum, but the Venetians’ attitude of exploiting a crisis was simply intolerable.

Since when did the noble people of Solomon have to submit to such shameless diplomatic extortion?

“Negotiations are like this.

They start by asking for the moon, and we pay what’s due on the ground,” Zoe said in contrast to her sister, not nearly as incensed, and casually continued, “The Venetian envoys are also here to discuss the specific terms.”

“Sister,” Theodora had yet to calm her anger, “do you really plan to collaborate with the Venetians?

We don’t necessarily have to use the Venetian navy, do we?

Since these Frank Knights are willing to support us, why not let them travel by land and collect tolls on the way?”

“These knights are already gathered in Venice,” Zoe revealed, her expression troubled as she sighed.

“If you ask them to travel by land, it’s possible Emperor Otto could intercept half of them, and then the Wolf Family could detain the other half to take part in the Divine Luo Empire’s civil war.”

“Besides, we need the Venetian navy to besiege the western coast of Anatolia, otherwise if we lose Nicaea City, the Seljuks could use maritime routes to deploy forces to Thrace Plain.”

The Chancellor and Cabinet members also rushed to the Governor Palace, and soon the hall was filled with the vigorous debate between the two empresses and their subjects until, by 3 am, a preliminary consensus was reached.

By the time the Venetian envoy was called to the palace, it was already 8 am.

Dressed in a classic red and white toga that made him look like a prosperous, amiable merchant, the envoy’s speech contained an underlying forcefulness.

Not until noon did the two sides finalise the terms for a bargain that both could temporarily accept.

“A down payment of 5,000 pounds worth of gold, the remaining 2,500 pounds to be collected through a fundraiser initiated by the Church, but the Empire must sign a loan agreement with the Venetian bank…” After Theodora finished reading the details, she let out a quiet sigh.

Faced with the Venetians’ exorbitant demands, this was the lowest possible price they could negotiate.

“Let’s sign,” she said, stamping her purple seal on the document, making four copies, before passing the contract to her sister Zoe.

“I’ve left my seal behind,” Zoe frowned, “it’s probably at the Buchnera Palace, I’ll take it and affix my seal later.”

She tucked the contract into her sleeve, and together with Clerk of the Signet Varomina, left the Golden Governance Palace.

Walking through the corridors of the palace, Zoe suddenly mentioned in what seemed like an offhand manner,

“Last week, I heard that the emperor’s sister experienced an illusion?”

“Yes.” Valomina, an imperial ink officer, did not dare to conceal the truth and reported, “Your Majesty Theodora mysteriously disappeared for half an hour last week after meeting the heir of the Achilles family at a tavern in the city.”

“Upon her return, Her Majesty claimed to have been teleported to an island in the middle of the ocean.

Court Mage Advisor Deloyips analyzed and believes that it is very likely Her Majesty was sent to the world of the collective unconscious.”

“The Achilles family, that’s the one with ancestors from the Dragon Country, right?” Zoe pondered for a moment, “I remember this family was supposed to have been completely wiped out 40 years ago during Scoleru’s rebellion.”

“At that time, a branch of the Achilles family stayed in Constantinople, supporting His Majesty Emperor Basil,” Valomina added, “That’s why, despite the Achilles family being severely hit and now almost reduced to a single lineage, there are still no nobles who dare to covet their wealth.”

“Even the late Emperor Constantine (Emperor Basil’s brother) took good care of the Achilles family.”

“I see,” Zoe said coolly, “Find this heir of the Achilles family, clarify the situation of that day.”

“If he really possesses the mind power to create worlds within the collective unconscious…

ask him if he would be willing to serve the Royal Family as my personal advisor on esoteric matters.”

“Understood, Your Majesty,” Valomina nodded slightly, instinctively understanding the underlying message in Zoe’s words.

If he is willing to serve the Royal Family, then the matter of Her Majesty Theodora’s disappearance can be temporarily set aside.

If not, there will naturally be other measures to handle the situation.

…

“Attack!” At the peak of Fire Island’s mountain, a battle axe clashed with a long spear, drawing a long string of sparks from the metal blades.

Sigrdrifa took a heavy step forward, extending her arms, her dual axes swirling like a tempest.

Tornado Slash!

Eleanor lifted her shield and turned around.

Under the onslaught of Sigrdrifa’s fierce attack, her shield trembled as if wailing, but it never flew from her grip.

Suddenly, she thrust her shield forward, finding a gap between the swings of the two battle axes, and struck Sigrdrifa in the chest.

As she staggered back, a glint of cold light emerged from behind the shield: a spear, dragon-like, thrust straight at Sigrdrifa’s belly.

Sigrdrifa’s body was knocked back, and in the split second of electric sparks, she disregarded balance and chopped down with her axes with ferocity.

A loud clang of steel meeting steel resounded, and Eleanor’s right hand holding the long spear was deflected, while her left hand steadfastly guarded her chest with the shield.

Sigrdrifa fell to the ground, back first, gasping for breath, and then suddenly burst into great laughter.

“What are you laughing at?” Aske approached, looking at her as if she were an idiot.

“So exhilarating,” Sigrdrifa exclaimed.

“Your Tornado Slash took too long,” Aske chided her, “Why spin so many circles?

What are you, an electric fan?

You must learn to actively stop your skills!”

“When the enemy is not under your control, never extend any skill use beyond three seconds, or it will be too easy for opponents to see through and counter it!”

With that, he turned back and gave advice to Eleanor:

“Your timing with the Shield Strike was quite good, but the follow-up Dragon Spear was not executed well.

An enemy isn’t a puppet that can’t fight back; every time you attack, you must consider what to do if your attack is dodged, blocked, or parried.”

“If you had been a little more refined in your execution, you could have canceled the follow-up Dragon Spear when her battle axes swung wide, waiting for that moment to thrust one more time, and she would have been unable to parry.

With your current strength, this detail is not difficult to master, but you must have that awareness.”

“Alright,” Eleanor nodded, and then she sat down to the side for meditation.

This had become her recent custom: during meditation, she would replay the finer details of the combat in her mind, verifying and summarizing each one.

After resting on the ground for a while, Sigrdrifa energetically got up again and began practicing the launch and stop of the Tornado Slash.

After pondering for a moment, Aske suddenly asked:

“Made up your mind?”

“About what?” Sigrdrifa was momentarily stunned, “You mean, about becoming Transcendent?”

“I mentioned it to you yesterday,” Aske reminded her, “Two main output and burst-focused bloodline pathways.”

“The first is the Barbarian pathway.

It will endow you with the ability to wield dual-handed weapons, allowing you to tap into your spirituality and enter a controllable frenzy state where your physical power will increase significantly for a short time.”

“It will also give you the power of Bloodthirst; every time you successfully slay an enemy, your spirituality will be satisfied, your wounds will heal to an extent, and your combat abilities will receive a temporary boost.”

“The second path is that of the Titan.” Aske continued, “You will have the bloodline of the frost giant, which, upon activation, will cause you to grow over three meters tall, and your skin will have strong resistance to physical attacks and magic.”

“You will master the powers of frost and thunder; any enemy attacking you will be damaged by frost, and your thunder will jump among your enemies, paralyzing them and searing their insides.”

“You will also possess an ancient aura that allows you to automatically recognize ancient relics and spirit objects, making you less susceptible to illusions and mental influences.”