Semua Bab Traveller Of Two Worlds: Bab 2781 - Bab 2790

“Phase one: all taxation is now to be collected under Aeternum’s fiscal system. Phase two: local garrisons disbanded, their ranks offered reassignment into probationary units under Aeternum oversight. Phase three: judicial authority to be suspended until revised under Aeternum civil law. Phase four: integration of schools, archives, and records into standardized Aeternum systems.”Each decree was met with murmurs of disbelief from the Duke’s court. The speed of it was dizzying.And yet Vaelric nodded along, every gesture a mask of compliance. Inside, he felt a flicker of relief. This was exactly what he had gambled for. His people would not bleed for Lone Star’s arrogance. His lands would not be trampled in a war they could never win.Still, he could not let his mask slip—not even for a heartbeat.At last, Bina rose from her chair, towering, her shadow falling across the chamber.“From this day forward, Vaelric Territory is under Aeternum protection. Duke Vaelric, you and your house w

The Duke froze, startled by the subtle trap. He realized then: Mies hadn’t needed to test him. The President had simply led him to expose his own heart, to confront his own convictions openly.Mies rose, carrying his cup with him, and paced slowly to the window overlooking Vaelric City. The sound of boots marching in disciplined columns drifted faintly from the streets below. He turned slightly, his silhouette framed by the glow of lamps and the faint shadow of airships overhead.“Do you know why I’m here, Duke?” Mies asked without turning.“To oversee the campaign?” Vaelric guessed, his voice tentative.“No. To watch men like you.” Mies’ voice was calm, almost gentle. “Wars are not won only by iron and fire. They are won by the hands that build after the fire is out. Men like you, Duke Vaelric, will be the bones of what comes next. That is why I am here—not to judge, not to test, but to meet the future caretakers of what we are creating.”Vaelric felt his chest tighten. The weight of

From the north, Bina’s Assault Force One poured out of Vaelric City like a flood unleashed. Rows of tanks thundered over the cobblestones, shaking windows as they rolled toward the highways. Artillery trucks followed, barrels already angled high, while troop carriers hummed with soldiers in immaculate formation. Overhead, helicopters cut through the sky in tight formations, rotors whipping the air, their shadows racing across fields and villages below.Villagers lined the roads, eyes wide, mouths slack with awe and terror. They had expected war to come like stories told by their grandfathers—armies marching on foot, banners waving, horns blowing. Instead, they saw machines they could not name, steel beasts that spat fire and thunder, accompanied by flying vessels that defied every law of their world. They did not cheer. They did not resist. They simply stood, frozen, as Aeternum rolled past.Bina herself rode in the lead command vehicle, a hardened troop carrier with antennae bristlin

“Stay inside. Curfew in effect. Do not leave without permit,” each family was told. “Roaming without cause will result in imprisonment. This is your only warning.”Some wept, others simply nodded. But none resisted.Minute 90. Patrols swept every street, their steps synchronized. Any who lingered outside were arrested on the spot, bound and marched to holding. By hour two, the city was silent, its people sealed in their homes.By hour five, Stabilization and Order Force 4 rolled in, taking over administration. Communication arrays sprouted from the town hall roof, while supply depots were set up in the plazas. Order radiated outward, firm and unyielding.To the people of Karthmere, it was disorienting. Their lord was gone, their walls shattered, yet their homes were untouched. Their families safe. Their stomachs full—for the first time in months. The invaders were merciless toward warriors, but strangely restrained toward common folk. The message was burned into memory: Raise a weapon

The great hall of Star City’s palace was thick with tension. The marble pillars that once gleamed as symbols of Lone Star’s pride now seemed to loom over its rulers like silent judges.King Halric Lonald III stormed down the length of the council chamber, robes trailing, his jeweled sword clattering against the polished floor as he gestured wildly.“Impossible!” he roared, face blotched red with rage. “Vaelric is a coward and a traitor. No man, no army, could march from that wasteland rabble into our proud kingdom!”Servants froze in place, not daring to breathe. His ministers and nobles lowered their gazes, afraid that his wrath might turn on them next.But the truth gnawed at every corner of the hall: Aeternum’s army had breached the eastern marches in days, and reports of their weapons were too consistent to dismiss.Halric slammed a fist against the council table. “Send word to every province! Raise levies! Drag peasants from their hovels if you must. They will learn that Lone Sta