Chapter 536: History of the Supernatural World War
Soon, the sedan carrying the representatives from the Fran Central and the Governor's Office pulled up in front of a café called 'Whisper of the Night.'
A simple wooden sign hung above the entrance, its name intricately carved. While the cafe's exterior wasn't particularly striking, the warm yellow light and soft music streaming through the open doors and windows seemed to convey its unique charm to passersby.
When the sedan pulled up, Captain Rene Guinomer and the Fran Central representative, Wordsworth, stepped out. Their arrival didn't seem to attract much attention.
"We're here."
The captain stood in front of the 'Whisper of the Night' café, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any unusual signs.
As a [Dominator], he was extremely sensitive to subtle changes in his environment, especially in situations like this where caution was required.
He whispered to Wordsworth beside him:
"There are quite a few officers from the Administration here."
There was a subtle hint of wariness in his tone. Wordsworth glanced around curiously. Although he searched the crowd carefully, he didn't find any obvious clues, but he didn't question the captain's judgment.
Da Da Da—
Just as the old man was curiously scanning the surroundings, a peculiar figure caught their attention.
The woman had a curvy figure and a beautiful face, most striking of all, a pair of lifelike bunny ears on her head. She was dressed casually as she opened the door of the cafe and walked directly towards them.
"Persiodactyly..." the captain said, frowning as he looked at the woman's bunny ears.
"From Oletin?" Wordsworth examined the woman's face and made his judgment.
"Both of you, follow me. Your appointment is here," Moon Rabbit calmly instructed them.
The two exchanged glances, then followed the Administration's operators.
********
In a hidden meeting room within the "Whisper of the Night" cafe, this place had once hosted the new leader of the Thousand Changes Family, and today, it would once again be the venue for the Administration's important guests.
Currently, Xia Xiu leisurely sipped a cup of full-sugar coffee, leaning on the sofa beside him, his silver cane, symbolizing the Miracle Fragment.
Despite the turmoil outside, he appeared remarkably composed at this moment.
"I didn't expect this cafe, disguised as a spy agency, to be so well-made. There truly are quite a few worldly talents among the Administration's operators," Xia Xiu sighed inwardly.
He was quite impressed with the coffee shop run by Moon Rabbit. The quality of the coffee in his hand reminded him of the coffee he had enjoyed at Mr. Philip's during his study abroad at Deer Academy.
He took a sip, the sweetness and bitterness of the coffee mingling on his tongue, creating a feast for the senses.
This coffee was truly a favorite of office workers.
Just as Xia Xiu was immersed in the pleasure brought by the coffee, his spiritual sense keenly sensed movement outside.
His golden eyes flickered, and his gaze directed towards the door.
His spiritual sense had already sensed that Moon Rabbit would arrive with the visiting Fran representatives.
Soon after Xia Xiu set his eyes on the door, it slowly opened.
Moon Rabbit walked in first, followed by Rene Guinomer and Wordsworth. Xia Xiu smiled at the two of them, set down his coffee cup, and slowly stood to greet the incoming guests.
To the captain and the Fran Central representative who had just entered the meeting room, the approaching blond youth gave off a gentle yet profound impression.
They could almost immediately sense the unique charm emanating from Xia Xiu, a charm derived not only from his appearance but also from his indescribable affability and his immense presence in the otherworldly world.
Xia Xiu walked up to them, extended his hand, and began shaking hands with each representative in turn.
"A very pleasant welcome to both of you."
"Yes," Captain René smiled politely before speaking in formal, diplomatic terms. "Director Abraham, thank you for taking the time to receive us. It is a great honor for us to meet you in person. We look forward to this meeting paving the way for our shared goals."
"I will," Xia Xiu smiled, releasing his hand. Even as he shook the captain's hand, he sensed the Fran man's extraordinary thaumaturgic rank and physical strength. This man was undoubtedly a dragoon from the Governor's Palace. He then extended his hand to Wordsworth, whom he had met briefly in the Central Alliance.
"Nice to meet again," Xia Xiu said to the old man with a smile.
"Indeed, Director. It's just that I didn't bring my Archaeopteryx this time—those poor creatures were terrified by you back then." Compared to the stern and rigid Dragoons of the Governor's Mansion, Wordsworth, representing the Fran Central Government, was more relaxed and easygoing in his negotiations.
"I'm truly sorry," Xia Xiu lowered his hand, unable to resist a smile.
The two exchanged a few more formalities, and their conversation became more natural, more like that of friends. As a representative of the Fran Central Government, Wordsworth had a rich record of overseas assignments. He had previously served as a representative of the Central Alliance, handling the Monte Carlo Transcendental Independence Incident. The Alliance and the Fran Central Government handed him Transcendental Military Control, demonstrating the confidence the Fran Central Government and the Alliance held in his political prowess and military decisiveness. The captain beside him maintained a tense demeanor, still somewhat hesitant to relax.
He viewed the Fourth Sword-Bearer of Heaven from the perspective of a soldier and thaumaturge, while Wordsworth approached the Director of the Administration from the perspective of a politician.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xia Xiu led the two guests to the living room.
The living room was elegantly and comfortably furnished. They took their seats at a round conversation table. Xia Xiu's guidance was natural and courteous, making the two guests feel right at home.
After settling down, Xia Xiu once again demonstrated his attentiveness as a host. "Please relax, both of you. We hope this conversation will proceed in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. I hope today will lay a good foundation for our future cooperation."
Captain Rene and Wordsworth exchanged a glance of approval, then thanked Xia Xiu again.
"You are completely different from the rumors. People outside have demonized you too much," the captain said. His words betrayed a hint of surprise, reflecting his first impression of Xia Xiu, which was far more favorable than he'd anticipated.
Xia Xiu's attitude made the captain feel that the outside world's assessment of him was biased.
"I think so, too." Xia Xiu nodded. He also felt that the outside world's assessment of him was biased, especially those penguins who fanned the flames and exaggerated the situation, constantly fabricating stories and portraying him as a dangerous figure who only knew how to scheme and play power games.
He hadn't even entered the center of power in Heaven yet, so how could he be dangerous?
Xia Xiu then turned the topic toward a formal discussion.
"We won't delve into outside comments here. Today, our topic is the cooperation between the Fran Dragoons stationed in the New World and the Administration."
Finally, he added, ensuring the two guests were fully aware of the tone and boundaries of the talks, "This is an alliance between the Administration and the Fran Dragoons, not an alliance between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Frans. Therefore, it does not violate the Central Alliance's [Olive Branch Pact]."
Xia Xiu's words not only clarified the focus of the talks but also cleverly drew a clear line in the political waters: this cooperation did not involve the Alliance's [Olive Branch Pact] regulations.
It's worth mentioning here that Terra has experienced numerous supernatural world wars that affected the entire Terra.
Xia Xiu, whether in his previous life's "game period" or during his time studying abroad at Deer Academy in this life, had learned the official history of thaumatology and the paranormal: in the year 221 of Terra, the Thaumaturgical Stone was discovered, ushering in the Golden Millennium, and the genealogy technology came into being.
In the year 1020 of the Terra calendar, the fifth stage of thaumatology was established. But history is history, after all, and this is Terra, where even knowledge can be toxic.
So, history, in this land, can sometimes be a mixture of truth and falsehood.
Both the textbooks and the "game background" contain several missing fragments, covering what happened before 221 AD, and even the "Glorious Era" when gods existed before the Terran calendar.
These histories contain many secrets, such as how long the Daevite Empire was established, how the Five Emperors of the Oredin Empire built mobile cities during the natural disaster, how Ion defected from the Daevite Empire and later broke away from Central Alliance to establish the Sarkic Empire, and how the Mechanic City-States went from resisting the Hanged King to submitting to him...
Most of these historical fragments are vague or tainted.
All that is known is that the first occult war during the Glorious Era was triggered by the tyranny of the Daevite Empire, the enemy of all Terra at the time, and that the Hanged King of the Daevite Empire was once only one step away from becoming the Lord of Terra. Ion's uprising marked the beginning of the First Occult War. After Ion performed the miracle of the Black Sea Preaching, rebel forces across the land rose in unison. As this slave son began to rebel against the Daevite tyranny, a war tore apart the continents erupted.
Many fragments exist of the First Occult War, but most are fragmented and disorganized, and due to contamination, they cannot be recorded as history.
People only know the outcome of the war through the later legend of the Hanged King's Tragedy and the disappearance of the Daevite Empire's capital (in every sense of the word, both physically and in records).
After the events of the Hanged King's Tragedy, Central Alliance officially split from the Daevites, and the First Occult War entered a new dimension.
As the defeated Daevite armies retreated from the territories of various nations, the people who had endured the ravages of war began to sing songs of victory.
In their eyes, the brutal and sinister enemy had fled with the disaster, and eternal peace would surely be theirs forever.
However, before the final stroke of triumph faded, the "tide of flesh and blood" rising from the horizon reminded the world that the white dove of peace had never soared in the blue sky.
A thousand-mile dam is destroyed by an ant hole. The way of flesh and blood must confront the blindness of the flesh and the unbridled desires. Once the loophole of "resorting to violence" is opened, it is difficult to return to the right path.
As the Emperor of the Sarkic Empire, Ion's subordinates were too radical. His empire's "Church Legion" enthusiastically traveled the world to preach their truth, but these preachers were greeted by angry weapons.
Not everyone is like Ion. He underestimated himself and overestimated humanity and his followers.
He thought that by generously sharing his power and spreading the truth—that humanity would be able to achieve greatness. But he was wrong. What he saw was nothing but hell.
'A black liquid, mingled with flesh and blood, flowed through the village. A towering church, entwined with spires, stood in its center.
Countless lives and buildings bore witness to their end in flames and carnage.
'Ion stood amidst the burning ruins that had once been the gateway to the city of Kythera.
'Once again, disguised as a human, he bowed before the devastation wrought in his name.
'He looked around, seeing the suffering of those he had once hoped to free, realizing that their great works had been destroyed by his hands.
'He looked at them, tears streaming down his face.'
'The people were terrified by the great enemy of flesh and blood. The First Occult War shifted from a rebellion against the Daevites to a righteous alliance against the Sarkic Empire (the Sarkic, at that time, were truly brutal and inhumane). The Sarkic Empire of Ion the Godkiller and the empire established by the followers of the God of Machines began a relentless struggle. The embryonic form of the Crystal Sky enveloped Terra, and the newly born Fourth Aetherial Monarch began to observe Terra's bloody battle.
Until the disappearance of Pope Brom of the Mechanical Kingdom and Emperor Ion of the Sarkic Empire, this seemingly endless war finally came to an end.
The history of the subsequent Occult Wars is even more obscure and tainted than the First Occult War, and is collectively known as "Lost History."
For example, during the Second Occult War, a five-hundred-year gap appeared in the Glorious Era, and the only known date of the war's start and end is from ancient texts.
The Third Occult War occurred at the end of the Glorious Era, and this period of history also had a century-long gap. People only know that after the Third Occult War, the surviving gods began to disappear one after another.
In the 224th year of the Terran calendar, the Fourth Occult War occurred, initiated by the Kingdom of Heaven. The Fourth Occult War was also known by the expelled alien races as the Abyssal War or the First Abyssal Outburst.
The Olive Branch Pact was established shortly after the Seventh Occult World War (1020 AD, also known as the Veil War, the era of Celestial Supremacy). During that period, international political tensions arose, and nations like the Adisi Federation and the Central Alliance perceived a security threat from Celestial.
The pact aimed to enhance the security of member states through a collective defense mechanism, preventing any external aggression.
Its core principle was Article 5, which stated, "An attack on one member state shall be deemed an attack on all."
This meant that if any member state came under armed attack, the other member states would regard it as an attack on themselves and pledged to provide necessary military and non-military support.
The treaty also stipulated that formal alliances with Celestial were prohibited.