When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist

Chapter 1229 - 1156: The Galloping Pact

The starlight is fading, and the east is turning pale.As the black luxury carriage rolls on the streets of the Holy Alliance, its wheels gently crush the cobblestones with almost no sound.

Inside the carriage, Great Monarch Sibangqi leans against the plush leather cushion, initially still pondering the news in the newspaper.

But the seat beneath him is too comfortable, causing sleepiness to surge upon him.

The carriage beneath him was a gift from Theodora last year.

Equipped with the latest springs from the Holy Alliance and wheels hardened with Slime glue.

The streets of the Holy Alliance are paved smoother than the Royal Palace square at Tuna Castle.

The wheels roll over the surface with almost no vibration, only a gentle "shhh" sound, much like feathers lightly brushing against one's ear.

The Holy Alliance's effort to win the hearts of the people, Great Monarch dazedly thought.

Previously, while riding a carriage in Falan, even the most luxurious and comfortable carriage would jostle one's spine sore on the cobblestone streets.

Unlike now, where leaning against the soft cushion feels like lying in one's own bed.

He originally wanted to complain loudly that the Holy Alliance's "trivial tricks, a real man should be jostled until he vomits," but the roads were simply too conducive to sleep.

Soon enough, Great Monarch sunk into deep slumber.

An unknown amount of time passed before a tumultuous noise splashed over him like cold water, dragging Sibangqi from his dreams.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his mind still hazy: "Where have we reached? What's that noise outside?"

"We've arrived at Exhibition Park."

Outside the carriage, there was shouting, the flapping sound of flags, the cries of children, and the scolding of adults.

"What in the world?" He rubbed his eyes and reached out to lift the carriage curtains.

The curtains were made of thick canvas, with copper buttons sewn along the edges.

His fingertips hooked onto the copper button and gave a pull, allowing a breeze mixed with the scent of bread, sweat, and dust to rush in.

Upon lifting the curtain, Sibangqi's eyes widened.

The suburban park on the north side, once an open area with a lakeshore, flowers, grass, and woods.

Now, it was packed densely with people, even the original grassy land could no longer be seen.

Extending from the carriage road to the distant fence, it was a sea of bobbing heads.

Some were waving small Holy Alliance flags, others were disheveled as they moved inside.

There were over a dozen vendors, maneuvering their carts like swimming dragons through the crowd, cleverly avoiding Night Watchers.

Further ahead, one could hear someone shouting, "Hey friend, need a ticket? Best spot in the front row!"

"Thirty or forty thousand people... they weren't boasting after all." Sibangqi clicked his tongue.

The largest gathering he'd seen at Crab Roe Castle was the meeting of the thirteen Great Monarchs; it only numbered into the thousands.

Yet here, just the portion he could see surely exceeded tens of thousands.

A myriad of clothing pressed together, red, blue, gray; coats, vests, Sharpren Knight uniforms, capes; silk, wool, spider silk, linen, everything.

Among them, people in Holy Alliance uniforms maneuvered conspicuously.

They were Cheka and Night Watchers; Sibangqi recognized them immediately.

The Cheka wore black leather armor, holstered a spring gun at their waist, while Night Watchers donned dark gray uniforms, wielding iron rods.

Occasionally, they stopped people trying to push forward, shouting, "Don't push! Follow the order! You can only advance through the east-side pathway to the observation platform!"

Sibangqi saw it with his own eyes, a man in a coarse cloth coat attempting to crawl under the fence.

As soon as half his body was through, he was pulled out by a Night Watcher gripping his neck collar: "We've said no crawling! Can't you see the sign?"

The man tried to argue, but the Cheka approached.

Seeing the Cheka armed with a short gun, the man immediately backed off, retreating while hunching his neck.

Sibangqi watched this scene, the corner of his mouth twitching: "Ha, they only know how to bully civilians."

Despite saying this, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly, if this were Crab Roe Castle, such a crowd would have already started a melee.

The Holy Alliance's level of public order...

"Great Monarch, should we head directly to the entrance of the observation platform? The carriage can get through, it just might be a bit slow."

Staring at the crowd bustling outside, Sibangqi suddenly changed his mind: "No need, I'll walk over."

"Huh?" the coachman was stunned, "This crowd is too dense, if you're walking over…"

"The squeeze is perfect." Sibangqi pushed open the carriage door and hopped down.

He bent down to exit the carriage, following the flow of people forward.

After walking just a few steps, he heard someone beside him shouting, "Betting on the machine's arrival at double odds, no arrival at even odds!"

He followed the sound, spotting a Mediterranean man in a linen shirt crouched on the ground.

In front of him was a wooden board, depicting a machine and a red X machine, surrounded by a ring of people.

Sibangqi turned his head, looking towards that direction.

A person withdrew several Dinars and placed them on the machine: "I'm betting on the machine's arrival! The Holy Alliance can even build the Veen Dam, how could the machine be poor?"

Immediately, someone refuted: "Are you stupid? It was just bombed days ago! Fifteen machines in ten days? Even my donkey doesn't believe it!"

Saying so, he placed money on the red X machine.

Sibangqi stood next to watch, smiling when he saw someone bet against the machine's arrival, and curling his lips when someone bet for the machine.

He calculated himself, the believers and skeptics of the Holy Alliance were roughly balanced.

Pushing through this betting circle, the crowd ahead slightly loosened.

Sibangqi saw a young man in a blue coat holding up a copy of "Truth News," loudly reading the report: "Master Leonardo's precision lathe can process twenty transmission shafts a day! Dwarf Artisans on three shifts, no shortage of parts!"

Someone quickly jeered nearby: "What's the use of reading aloud? Where's the machine? Show it if it's here!"

"Exactly!"

The young man's face flushed, trying to counter, but upon opening his mouth, he could only repeat "It's all written in the newspaper," eliciting a round of laughter.

Watching this, Sibangqi felt a discomfort he couldn't quite understand.

After walking for another quarter of an hour, he finally reached the base of the observation platform.

This viewing platform was a temporary setup, a wooden structure standing over three meters taller than the surrounding ground.

The edges were surrounded by thick wooden railings, draped with flags of the Holy Alliance.

Using his VIP invitation, Sibangqi was immediately guided onto the platform by the Night Watchers. Once steady, his attention was instantly captured by the scene before him.

Opposite the observation platform was an open field, divided into two halves.

To the left was a compacted dirt road, with eight tall horses tethered nearby, grooms moving back and forth, grooming the horses.

To the right was a gleaming railway track, extending behind into the distant woods, and forward into the exhibition area on the north bank.

Encircling the dirt road and railway was a wooden fence.

Beyond the fence stood rows of wooden hill-shaped seats, already packed with people, with even more forced to stand or watch from more distant slopes.

Sibangqi squinted, the carriage road seemed ready, but on the railway side... where was the machine?

Oh dear, maybe it hasn't been finished yet?

Touching the flask under his chest coat, a smile involuntarily crept onto Sibangqi's face.

If the machine doesn't arrive, or if it's late, he would have all the reason to deny Bet on the Horse.

Thus, he could return to Theodora without moral reproach, and still give the Holy Alliance a jolt.

A double win!

"Where is the machine? Wasn't it supposed to arrive on schedule?" Sibangqi deliberately raised his voice, "Could it be it hasn't been finished yet?"

This stirred all around him, both beneath and atop the viewing platform, including the investors from Falan's wealthiest families, several Norn magnates began murmuring.

"Could it really be unfinished?"

"I told you! Holy Alliance is definitely deceiving!"

The original discussions, growing louder as more attendees arrived.

Even some troublemakers or gamblers began throwing pebbles towards the railway while loudly shouting, "Fraud! Fraud!"

Standing on the observation platform, listening to these words, Sibangqi felt conflicted.

On one hand, there was a sense of smug satisfaction, but on the other hand, he felt faintly that things wouldn't be so simple.