Chapter 13 The Black Robe

• Marcus carried the unconscious Lily over to Maxwell, instructing him to protect her.
• Then, in a hoarse voice, he asked, "Is the beacon lit?"
• Despite the torrential rain, the long-unused beacon of Netherwood was blazing, starting to illuminate the night.
• Maxwell nodded, "Mr. Crawley, it's already being lit. It's to the north, just behind Trash Peak, so you can't see it from here."
• Marcus, still furious, demanded, "Why aren't the people here yet? Keep lighting it!"
• Maxwell, nervous, asked, "Mr. Crawley, should we continue? There's only one beacon tower in Netherwood!"
• Marcus didn't care. "Light up the nearby beacon towers!"
• Maxwell immediately pulled out his phone and called the Jadevale military unit, "Jadevale, Mr. Crawley orders you to light the beacon towers!"
• The Jadevale unit, already aware of Netherwood’s beacon being lit, followed the order without question and lit their beacon tower.
• Hundreds of miles away, the flames soared into the sky.
• Seeing the fire, Marcus roared again, "Keep lighting more!"
• Maxwell was stunned.
• More?
• "Alright!"
• Maxwell took the order once more. "Light more! Light them all! Light up every beacon tower leading to Wintermere! Light up all the thousand beacon towers in Wintermere!"
• Maxwell was so scared his hands trembled. Lighting up a thousand beacon towers?
• Not even an entire nation could withstand such a signal!
• Don, nearby, laughed arrogantly.
• Lighting beacon towers? Who did Marcus think he was?
• Beacon towers were reserved for wartime.
• Netherwood hadn’t seen war for years, so the towers had long been out of use.
• He thought Marcus was doing this out of desperation, just to scare him.
• Trash Peak faced away from Wintermere, so Don couldn't see the beacons.
• He wouldn't believe it anyway.
• His arrogance made him believe no one in Netherwood could challenge him.
• ...
• Meanwhile, as the first beacon was lit, Rabbit in distant Springmere received the initial command.
• "Rabbit, head to Netherwood!"
• Rabbit checked her phone after receiving the order.
• She couldn’t believe Netherwood had lit a beacon.
• Curious, she checked further and furrowed her brows.
• "It’s Mr. Crawley!"
• "What? And he’s hoisted the Divine Phoenix Robe!"
• "Someone dares to threaten the young master? They’re seeking death!"
• Seeing the messages, Rabbit couldn’t remain calm. She turned to her comrades, "The beacon in Netherwood is lit, and the Divine Phoenix Robe is hoisted! I can't stay here and fight today. I must go to Netherwood immediately."
• Her comrades saluted her sharply.
• Although they couldn’t personally go to Netherwood, the mention of the Divine Phoenix Robe commanded their utmost respect.
• It was Mandoria’s highest honor.
• It represented the king who had once provided aid everywhere, risking life and limb for Mandoria!
• At the same time, far in Wintermere, Snake also received the news immediately.
• They were furious upon reading it.
• This was too much.
• A mere underworld figure in Netherwood dared to challenge the Divine Phoenix Robe.
• Did they think that the revival of Black Dragon Springs could contend with their king?
• Miles away, the sound of chaos echoed.
• Countless soldiers rushed toward Netherwood, following the beacon tower.
• "The beacon is lit, everyone head to Netherwood immediately!"
• Snake didn’t hesitate for a moment. Seeing the beacon lit, every warrior knew they had to rush in without regard for anything else.
• They needed to reach Netherwood as quickly as possible.
• With the beacon lit, all of Netherwood was soon ablaze.
• At this point, people began to notice a medical gown hanging on Trash Peak, adorned with a martial emblem and a phoenix.
• Though it seemed like an ordinary gown, to the world's elite, it was anything but simple.
• This was the Divine Phoenix Robe, a garment that commanded respect and salutes from anyone who recognized it.
• The Divine Phoenix Robe was now hanging from a crane on Trash Peak.
• When the news spread, chaos erupted everywhere, even reaching Centrium Vale.
• In Centrium Vale's Mandoria command center, a panicked messenger burst into the conference room.
• "Mr. Pagel, something terrible has happened!"
• At the center of the room sat Liam Pagel, the commander of Mandoria’s military.
• He was in the middle of a meeting with the governors of Mandoria's states.
• Liam frowned, his voice cold, "What could make you this frantic? Compose yourself."
• The messenger, trembling, said, "Mr. Pagel, Netherwood’s beacon tower has been lit!"
• Everyone in the room was a top-tier leader.
• Weston King, responsible for Riverton, immediately stood up, demanding, "Who dared to do this?"
• The messenger, still nervous, replied, "It’s… it’s Zenith Crawley."
• Weston King, poised to slam his hand on the table, froze.
• It was him!
• His anger dissipated instantly.
• Still, Weston King gritted his teeth and addressed Liam, "Mr. Pagel, this is outrageous! He might be powerful in Wintermere, but he can't just do as he pleases…"
• Liam closed his eyes, feeling the fury emanating from Netherwood.
• If his daughter had been wronged like this, he also would stop at nothing to seek justice and make those responsible pay.
• Before he could respond, another commotion erupted outside.
• "The beacon towers from Netherwood to Wintermere have been lit!"
• The room was thrown into turmoil.
• Easton King and Sovic King, both looking down, said, "Mr. Pagel, Mandoria has never lit this many beacon towers before!"
• Liam exhaled deeply, his face still expressionless.
• Finally, another person rushed in, falling to their knees.
• "Mr. Pagel, something even worse has happened! The Divine Phoenix Robe has been hung on Trash Peak. People from all over the world are flocking to Mandoria. The numbers are so great that planes, ships, cars, and trains are all in use. Those once saved by the Divine Phoenix Robe are now heading to Netherwood to repay their debt."
• Mr. Pagel's eyes widened in shock.
• The Divine Phoenix Robe being displayed was far more alarming than the beacons being lit.
• People would converge on Netherwood in no time.
• The Divine Phoenix Robe with the white side out signified saving lives.
• The black side out meant vengeance.
• Mr. Pagel urgently shouted, "Quickly, find out whether the Divine Phoenix Robe is showing the white side or the black side. Don’t get too close, just see the color from a distance."
• Soon, the message from Netherwood’s Trash Peak arrived.
• It was black!
• In five years, the Divine Phoenix Robe had been displayed thousands of times, always with the white side out.
• But this time, it was black.
• The beacons were ablaze, and the black robe was displayed, all to seek justice for his wife and daughter.