Chapter 497: Mira: Where is Rhodes?
Meanwhile, as Rhodes and his companions prepared the Moon Drip, the Edolas army had already mobilized in full force. On one hand, they had tightened the security around the floating island that housed the massive magic crystal. On the other hand, Captain Panther Lily of the First Magic War Division personally led a squad tasked with urgently escorting a similarly sized magic crystal back to the royal capital.
This crystal was to be featured in King Faust’s public address the following day.
Over the past six years, the Anima Project had suffered repeated failures, and the King’s authority was beginning to waver. If the situation continued to deteriorate, even the Council might accuse him of recklessly draining the kingdom’s magic resources.
Although King Faust was bold and iron-willed, he clearly understood the power of public opinion.
Alongside the Anima Project, a military expansion initiative had also been underway, officially to prepare for any counterattack from Earth Land. To move forward with this plan, the King needed the people’s approval. And to gain their approval, he needed results they could see and believe in.
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That’s why this magic crystal and tomorrow’s speech were so important.
By showcasing a tangible result of the Anima Project and delivering a persuasive address, the King hoped to rally support across the kingdom. A surge of public confidence would justify both the continued extraction of magic from Aslant and the expansion of the military.
Unlike the Exceed, who clung to arrogance and tradition, King Faust envisioned a nation brimming with energy and innovation, a human-led civilization so prosperous that even the Exceed would one day willingly seek peace and cooperation.
Lily believed in this vision. After being cast out of Exceed, he chose to serve the King precisely because he believed in building a world where humans and Exceed could one day live in harmony.
With that hope in his heart, Lily took his mission seriously.
Carrying the heavy burden of escorting the crystal, he remained alert all night. By dawn, his team successfully delivered the magic crystal to the heart of Capital Square.
Once it was unloaded, Lily carefully organized a security ring around it, assigning his most elite troops to guard it from all directions. Then he ascended to the rooftop of a nearby building, ready to intercept any threats from the skies.