Chapter 756: Silver Tongue’s Fonterra Address
CH756 Silver Tongue’s Fonterra Address
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Hearing the name Skywalker caused a ripple of murmurs to spread through the crowd.
Even here, people still recognised the fame and glory once associated with the former rulers of the Empire’s north.
Alex stepped onto the podium to address the gathering while Milton withdrew to the side.
He took a moment to study the faces before him.
He found no excitement, anticipation—or even the slightest embers of hope.
The crowd simply watched in silence.
A silence of people who had heard too many promises.
People who had become disillusioned by years of disappointment.
People who believed there was nothing he could possibly say that would move them.
Alex swept his gaze across the assembled citizens one final time before speaking.
"Many nobles have stood where I stand today."
His voice carried clearly across the square.
"They would have spoken of prosperity, duty, and sacrifice... but when all was said and done, they leave."
"They leave the very first chance they get."
He paused.
His opening caught many off guard.
A few bitter laughs escaped from members of the crowd before they could stop themselves.
Alex nodded.
"In truth, many of the nobles before me saw this place as a burden while the others saw it as a punishment."
His gaze hardened slightly.
"As such, none of them ever intended to stay. They had already decided to leave from the moment they arrived."
The crowd grew even quieter.
His words were a cruel reminder of a reality they knew all too well.
Alex’s eyes drifted northwards towards the distant expanse of the Great Berserk Beast Forest.
"They ran away."
His voice remained calm.
"Not only from you, but from the Great Berserk Beast Forest that looms over this territory."
A brief pause followed.
"But it is not only them."
"For nearly a century, even the Empire has retreated from this place. And during that time, the forest has advanced because of it."
"Each retreat allowed it to push further south, forcing the Empire to retreat once again."
His gaze returned to the crowd.
"Villages have fallen."
"Great Houses and prosperous territories have vanished."
"What were once thriving lands are now little more than names preserved only in history books."
He paused.
"Even my House Skywalker." He added
Fresh murmurs spread through the square.
Alex allowed them to linger.
Only after they gradually faded did he continue.
"Those who bore the Skywalker name before me once ruled lands that now lie beneath the claws of beasts within the Great Berserk Beast Forest."
"The banners of House Skywalker were torn down, its people were scattered...
"And as the Empire retreated, the Skywalker name became little more than a reminder of how far the consequences of failure can spread."
Alex’s expression remained calm.
"And yet, unlike many of the nobles who came before me, I did not come here as punishment or exile."
Suddenly, his aura changed.
The regality and dominion inherent to his Auramir bloodline spread outwards, subtly tugging at the heartstrings of those gathered before him.
"I am Alex Fury, Count of Skywalker... a Pioneer Knight of the Empire."
His voice rang clearly across the square.
"And I have come to reclaim what was lost to my House."
The pressure in the air intensified.
"I did not come here to save this frontier."
"I did not come here merely to defend it or preserve it."
His voice hardened as he raised a hand and pointed towards the north.
"I came here to push it forward."
His finger remained aimed towards the distant Great Berserk Beast Forest.
"Back to the very gates of the beasts."
The crowd fell into stunned silence.
Even he paused for a moment, giving them time to absorb what he had said.
Then his gaze softened once more.
"Do you know why I chose to come here, of all places?"
The question was rhetorical.
"For generations, the Empire has called this place a buffer zone."
His eyes swept across the crowd.
"A buffer zone is something you sacrifice when necessary. It is something you abandon—something you expect to die."
"A place in which no one expects life to flourish."
Alex slowly shook his head.
"I say to you...
"No more."
He pointed towards the gathered townsfolk.
"In my eyes, you are not a buffer zone.
"You are not cannon fodder.
"You are not the unwanted destitutes discarded by an Empire that has forgotten you."
His voice rose.
"No!"
"In my eyes, you are the people who have stood between civilisation and annihilation for a hundred years."
The square remained silent.
"You buried your dead... You endured the beast tides... You fought for your place where others have fled.
"And most importantly, you survived."
His voice carried immense conviction.
"If anyone has earned the right to call themselves the frontier, it is you."
Alex lowered his hand.
"The will you possess...
"The will to survive even after being abandoned...
"The will to endure after being written off...
"That is why I came here."
His gaze became unwavering.
"That will is what I seek."
For the first time, Alex saw a change in the crowd.
The deep indifference that had dominated their eyes began to crack.
Doubt now surfaced, wonder followed...
And beneath both, something else struggled to emerge—
Hope.
The moment Alex noticed it, he pressed forward.
"I can guess what many of you are thinking."
Alex’s voice was steady.
"You doubt that I am any different."
"You wonder whether I will leave, just like all those who came before me."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"That is not a question I can answer with mere words." He slowly shook his head.
"So, I ask of you..."
"Watch me, then judge me for yourselves."
His gaze swept across the crowd.
"Judge me by my actions."
"Judge me by the walls I build to halt the forest’s advance."
"Judge me by the beasts I kill."
"Judge me by the lands I reclaim."
He spread his arms towards them.
"And then decide for yourselves—each and every one of you—whether I am worthy of your trust."
His eyes sharpened.
"But understand this..." The words echoed throughout the square.
"Whether you stand with me or not..."
Alex pointed towards the distant Great Berserk Beast Forest.
"I am going."
A ripple spread through the crowd.
"I will cross that border."
"I will hunt the beasts that plague this frontier."
His aura erupted.
"I will reclaim the lands stolen from both my House and yours."
The concepts of subjugation and dominion born from his Velkar bloodline surged forth.
"And I will push this frontier back into the depths of the forest."
Golden flames suddenly spiralled into the sky above him, lighting up the already dimming late evening sky.
The fire twisted and coiled, taking the form of a colossal five-clawed divine dragon emerging from the blazing inferno.
[Spirit Magic: Five-Clawed Divine Dragon]!
The majestic yet intimidating golden dragon gazed down upon the crowd as it pushed away the encroaching darkness as they approached nightfall.
The light created a scattered halo above Alex, giving the illusion that the heavens themselves were bearing witness to Alex’s declaration.
Perhaps, even endorsing it.
Gasps erupted throughout the square as the blazing creature loomed overhead.
The dragon’s golden eyes turned towards the distant forest as Alex pointed north once more.
His voice rang out again, drawing every wandering gaze back to him.
"For a century, men have feared what lies beyond that horizon."
The divine dragon raised its head haughtily.
"I do not."
ROAR!!!
The dragon unleashed a thunderous roar that shook the entire square.
"I cannot promise you an easy life." Alex’s voice remained firm.
"I will not promise you safety.
"And I certainly cannot promise that every person standing here today will live to see victory."
His gaze travelled across the crowd.
"But I can promise you this."
"If you follow me, your children will not inherit a shrinking frontier...
"They will inherit an expanding territory."
His voice grew stronger.
"They will not grow up as cannon fodder...
"They will grow up as conquerors."
The dragon ascended higher into the night sky.
"The forest has taken enough from us."
Alex’s voice rolled across Fonterra Bastide like thunder.
"Now..."
He paused.
"...it is our turn to take everything back."
His eyes blazed.
"Fortune favours the brave!"
BOOOMMMM!!!!
A terrifying blast suddenly echoed across the distant horizon.
The Five-clawed Divine Dragon’s explosion briefly lit up the night sky as if the noon sun had returned.
Like a light at the end of a dark tunnel, it dispelled the encroaching darkest of nightfall.
In the crowd, a father looked at his wife and child beside him. The glow of the explosion lit up the child’s face in his mother’s arms, revealing the look of awe and excitement in the boy’s eyes.
It was the first time in a while the father had seen such an expression in his son’s eyes—such was the bleakness of their lives.
The father turned around to look at the youth—no, the man standing on the podium who made this possible.
He began to wonder... what if.
What if he could really do what he said...
Like the father, many others in the crowd also thought the same... ’what if’.
Like seeds planted in fertile ground, this question planted themselves in the minds of the townsfolk.
Now, only time would tell what would grow from the seeds planted this night.
But for the first time in many years, the people of Fonterra found themselves asking the question they had long forgotten.
What if?
***