Chapter 550: Angel Descending

Alfonso fled with Facundo, a sign that the heart had been ripped from Screech Island’s occupied territories, greatly reducing the difficulty of subduing them.

Moreover, Lord Rowan now had Patric, the viscount who had surrendered—there was even a chance that enemy forces would yield before a single battle was fought.

Thus, Rowan relayed to Elron, Karada, and others the same instructions he had given to Rudar:

The nobles of Screech Island could surrender—but whether willingly or by force, they would inherit neither their titles nor retain lands and properties outside the castle walls.

Though such measures might drive others to resist out of desperation, Rowan cared little.

“My lord, you summoned me—what are your orders?”

Elron followed Rowan into the cabin with reverence, unable to hide his eagerness.

Instinctively, he assumed Rowan wished to review his combat performance, but quickly dismissed the thought. Ever since his summoning, Rowan had never expected much from him in battle.

For Rowan, Elron’s worth lay not in warfare, but in the convenience and wealth brought forth by his magical knowledge.

Being outmatched against Alfonso? That was trivial.

Rowan smiled. “Time flies. The last time I enhanced your strength was two years ago.”

Back then, desperate to cure Rulans’ illness, Rowan had taken a chance, elevating Elron to the level of an eighth-rank Archmage.

At these words, Elron’s eyes lit up. “My lord… do you mean to—?”

“Mm.”

Rowan gave a slight nod, wasted no time—he summoned Elron’s attribute panel and poured every last drop of his remaining thirty thousand energy essences into him.

Fifteen thousand points were used to elevate Elron’s innate talent; the rest—thirteen thousand—filled the progress bar of his Archmage cultivation.

In the end, Elron’s power reached: Grand Archmage (5989/30000).

As spiritual energy surged through him, Elron drifted into a state of ethereal rapture.

He had long surpassed the limits of his former life, glimpsing realms of cultivation once unimaginable.

And all of it—was Rowan’s gift.

“Thank you, my lord, for your boundless grace!”

Elron bowed deeply, sincere in gratitude.

“These past two years, though you haven’t marched across lands like Rudar or McKen, your extraordinary abilities have brought steady economic prosperity to our domain. Elevating you is recognition of your merit.”

Rowan grinned. “Well? Have you gained any new abilities?”

Both Rudar and McKen had acquired powerful skills upon advancement—McKen, after becoming a Solar Knight, gained the martial technique “Earth Rend.”

Logically, Elron should have received something similar.

“Yes!”

Elron responded eagerly. “I’ve obtained two new spells: ‘Light of Judgment’ and ‘Descent of the Angel.’”

Rowan perked up instantly—especially at the latter.

Angel? A rare word indeed. Was it a summoning spell?

But as Elron explained, Rowan realized it was not so.

First, Light of Judgment was a potent offensive spell of radiant light, capable of summoning searing brilliance to scorch enemies—particularly effective against dark attributes, especially nightmare energies.

Second, Descent of the Angel did not summon an angel, but rather channeled divine light to arm Elron himself, vastly enhancing his purifying power—and granting him formidable close-combat prowess.

Whoosh!

Rowan shot ahead, soaring above the sea.

Elron invoked the light, golden wings blazing from his back as he swiftly followed.

On the warship below, Karada and the others stared in stunned silence.

They knew the Duke could fly—that was legend.

But how could Elron fly too?

Before they could grasp it, Elron had already launched an attack. Waves of radiant energy churned the ocean winds, sending massive swells crashing outward.

Rowan felt the magic’s impact. The power of Light of Judgment was strong—yet still slightly weaker than ninth-rank fire or wind offensive spells.

But…

Rowan gazed at Elron, now encased in golden armor. In this form, his melee strength matched that of a peak Silver Moon Knight—an enormous leap.

Five minutes later, both landed back on the deck.

Elron reported, “The spell is powerful, but each use drains at least a third of my mana, and lasts only five minutes.”

“It’s still a tremendous upgrade,” Rowan assessed. “You’re not yet accustomed to knightly combat. Learn techniques from Karada and the others. Once your close-quarters skill catches up, combined with your spells, your overall combat strength may rival that of a Solar Knight—or other elemental Grand Archmages.”

In their brief duel, Elron’s melee attacks had been chaotic, full of openings.

Unsurprising—both in this life and the last, he had always been a mage.

Elron nodded, knowing Rowan’s advice was sound.

Had he possessed such power when accompanying Blanche to the Golden Feather Palace, he wouldn’t have stood helpless before Serandil and the others.

“I will, my lord,” Elron vowed solemnly. “One day, I too shall don armor and fight beside you on the battlefield, just like Rudar and McKen.”

“Haha~”

Rowan laughed aloud. Perhaps one day, Elron truly would become a melee mage.

“Then let us begin with the campaign on Screech Island. I hope you’ll deliver its capital to me soon.”

Screech Island lay at the heart of Screech Sea, its landmass larger than Wubei Domain, home to several cities.

The largest was Bluewave City—the ancestral seat of the Flemming family—a metropolis of over a hundred thousand souls.

Capturing it would give Rowan seven major cities: Purple Thunder City, Wubei City, Moonlight City, Watchtower Keep, Mist City, Moore City, and Bluewave City.

With that, the eighth-tier achievement of [Conquer and Claim] would be complete—rewarding him twenty thousand attribute points, bringing him one step closer to Sagehood.

Alfonso had revealed that Flamewing himself wasn’t particularly strong, but with formations and the Flame Sigil, he could drastically shift the tide of battle.

Yet Rowan believed that once he ignited his soulfire and underwent the dual baptism of celestial will, even if Flamewing hid behind formations and clung to his sigil, he would still fall.

Likely, the day Rowan became a Sage would be the day Dragonhold fell.

After enhancing Elron, Rowan returned to Wubei City, settling quietly beside Blanche.

Though her due date was in September, and it was only late February—plenty of time remained—

Rowan had already delegated his affairs. Unless some emergency arose, he need not go to the front lines.

So for the days ahead, he chose to stay, awaiting the arrival of new life, while focusing his mind on scientific research.

With the advent of the steam engine, Wubei Domain would lead the way into the Steam Age.

Now bolstered by many mages, the ranks of researchers grew. Guided by Rowan’s concepts, applying steam power to mining, weaving, and beyond was merely a matter of time.

Once people embraced and grew accustomed to steam-driven machinery, internal combustion engines, electricity—these too could follow.

The key to all this lay in a transformation of thought, a reform of culture.

Though Luo Ning could single-handedly turn the tide of battle, he could not elevate the entire society’s technology by his strength alone.

Thus, Luo Ning summoned Lan De’er, the Minister of Rites, Fu Si Lei, the Vice Minister, and others to Wubei Territory, where they gathered to discuss and establish data spanning social, political, economic, and cultural domains, striving to ignite a progressive, revolutionary intellectual current across the land.

He needed more people to realize his vision of transforming the standard of living; the existing social structure clearly could not produce the talents he required.

In the past, when he was merely a minor baron, such ambitions were nothing more than dreams—any attempt to act would have brought only harm.

Now, however, he stood at the very apex of Orland Continent. Even if these actions still carried risks, he possessed the power to suppress them. (End of Chapter)