Castle of Black Iron

After hearing Zhang Tie’s opinion, everyone in the carriage felt relieved.

In this plan, besides the autonomous parliament in Ewentra Archipelago which enjoyed a great autonomy, the bear tribes in Ice and Snow Wilderness also had a great autonomy. In this situation, even though Zhang Tie was coronated, he still didn’t have too many rights on the internal affairs of bear tribes such as human transfer right, military power, property right and arbitration, except for that of the huge bear tribe and iron bear tribe. The power over major issues of bear tribes was still in the hand of tribe’s heads and elders.

This was the bottom line for the fire bear tribe, sea bear tribe and wild bear tribe to support Zhang Tie.

Spencer Clan of the iron bear tribe had a neutral attitude while Elder Gouras of the huge bear tribe was a bit radical, who was unsatisfied with the three bear tribes’ conservative opinions. However, Elder Gouras knew that it was already great for the three bear tribes to admit Zhang Tie’s authority and have them support Slavs’ great undertaking of unification. Without Peter and Peter’s unusual battle force and marvels, the three bear tribes would never make such a compromise.

Peter Hamplester had been more like the great image of Lord of Slavs in the prophecy of the great prophet pontiff. Any person or tribe would face a great stress if they stood opposite to Peter Hamplester.

However, the fire bear tribe, sea bear tribe and wild bear tribe made the compromise on certain conditions. This plan of establishing a nation was actually built on an exchange. They would support Zhang Tie to be the supreme ruler of Ice and Snow Wilderness; Zhang Tie would support them to consolidate their ruling on their own tribes. In the frame of the unification of state and church, the heads of the three tribes requested Zhang Tie to bestow on them the title of the supreme priesthood of Ancient God Church in the territory of their own tribes. The knight elders of the three tribes would take this chance to join the ”College of Elder Cardinals”. The position of ”College of Elder Cardinals” was equal to the combination between the cabinet and the tribal joint meeting of the new country, which was entitled to interfere with the major affairs of the entire country. The three tribes actually expanded their tribes’ influence and deepened the basis of their heads’ power by this chance.

This was a bald exchange.

Only the huge bear tribe supported and trusted Zhang Tie completely. The powerful and mysterious knowledge left by prophet pontiff Elzida to the huge bear tribe was also requested to be integrated into the inheritance system of Ancient God Church by the huge bear tribe. From today on, all the priests across Ice and Snow Wilderness could only gain the mysterious knowledge from priests. The Ancient God Church which only had an inheritance in religious creed before would have an established powerful mysterious knowledge inheritance system now. This was an almost unnecessary step for all the powerful religions in Black Iron Age.

In this age, if the clergies of a religion couldn’t master a powerful, unique mysterious knowledge, such a religion would be considered as a heresy or an informal religion, which could only be used to cheat others in small places. Being basically different than various battle-qi oriented mysterious knowledge and battle skills systems, religious mysterious knowledge inheritance system included various spiritual-energy oriented mysterious knowledge and skills. Higher requirements were posed on the inheritance in such mysterious knowledge and skills with the religious background than that in battle skills.

Compared to the complex situation on the side of Ice and Snow Wilderness, the situation facing Ewentra Archipelago was simpler. At this moment, the representatives of major clans in Ewentra Archipelago had no good card to play in front of Zhang Tie. They were only concerned about two aspects in the nation establishing plan, namely the tax rate and the social status of the private army in each clan in Ewentra Archipelago after establishing the nation.

With Zhang Tie’s consent, the two aspects were finally fixed through Ms. Olina’s intermediate communication.

In the future, Ewentra Archipelago’s scot would be unified. Additionally, the upper limit of the scot in Ewentra Archipelago should not exceed 80% of the average scot across Ewentra Archipelago. Furthermore, the private army and fleet of each clan would be adapted to the mixed fleet of Ewentra Archipelago. The nature of the fleet belonged to local armed garrisons, whose expenditure would be paid by each major clan. Besides, the commander of each local armed garrison would be nominated by each major clan and appointed by the autonomous parliament of Ewentra Archipelago. Usually, these armed garrisons could only be dispatched and commanded by the autonomous parliament of Ewentra Archipelago. During the wartime, especially when Ewentra Archipelago was invaded by demons, these armed garrisons would accept Zhang Tie’s unified command.

Compared to the bear tribes in Ice and Snow Wilderness, the major clans in Ewentra Archipelago knew their own limitations. They knew that they were not qualified to pose any request about Ancient God Church to Zhang Tie.

The full name of the new nation was Sacred Ice and Snow Wilderness and Ewentra Archipelago United Kingdom, briefly, Sacred Iceland Kingdom. Ancient God Church would become the national religion of Sacred Iceland Kingdom. The pope of Ancient God Church and the King of the kingdom would be unified into a wholly new name tsar, which represented the inheritance of the bloodline of the ancient god and the supreme ruler of Slavs.

Zhang Tie would become the first tsar of Slavs in Black Iron Age and rule the entire Sacred Iceland Kingdom and Ancient God Church.

These were the outlines and general contents of the plan. More details about the system would be further improved after Zhang Tie was coronated. Additionally, as of now, Zhang Tie hadn’t posed the concrete division of priesthood in the Ancient God Church. As Ancient God Church was founded by Zhang Tie, only Zhang Tie could determine the division of priesthood inside the church.

After Zhang Tie replied ”I agree”, the heads and elders of fire bear tribe, sea bear tribe and wild bear tribe actually were a bit shocked as they thought that Zhang Tie would make some limitations on the autonomy of the three bear tribes in the plan. They had negotiated privately. If Zhang Tie was really dissatisfied with the plan, the three tribes could actually make some compromise on some aspect.

Nobody had imagined that Zhang Tie could agree with their plan so fast.

Many people were amazed by that.

Zhang Tie smiled towards the heads and elders of the three tribes and said, ”Let’s get off the train. Pontiff Sarlin might be waiting for us in the railway station!”

...

Pontiff Sarlin indeed had waited a long time in the railway station.

The moment Zhang Tie got off the train, he caught sight of the familiar face of Pontiff Sarlin. Although it had been 5 years, Pontiff Sarlin, who had been a knight, didn’t change at all. His eyes were still as profound as the ocean which seemed to contain many secrets.

The platform of the railway station was refreshed. Bear-killing warriors were standing on the platforms solemnly in two rows. There was no fresh flower, no cheer in the station. In the unusual silence, everything looked magnificent and solemn.

O’Laura followed Zhang Tie off the train.

Sabrina walked into the team of the wild bear tribe; Ms. Olina also walked together with the representatives of major clans in Ewentra Archipelago. Only the glamorous O’Laura closely followed Zhang Tie.

This time, O’Laura was accompanied by Setton, her two maids and 10 strongest fighters of the grey eagle tribe and her four cousins. Zhang Tie didn’t know why O’Laura brought her cousins here. Whatever, as long as she liked it. As O’Laura was going to live in Gozidari Plain, Zhang Tie thought that O’Laura would not feel lonely with some relatives and friends on her side.

Zhang Tie didn’t have any impression of O’Laura’s cousins during so many days on the train. However, O’Laura’s uncle and aunt who ruled the wind wolf tribe of about 300,000 people deeply impressed Zhang Tie only with a short contact. O’Laura’s uncle was shrewd while O’Laura’s aunt was also a smart woman.

All of them were scared by that solemn atmosphere when they got off the train and remained silent.

”Why is it too quiet?” Pontiff Sarlin revealed a faint smile when Zhang Tie walked towards him, ”Please forgive their silence. Because the entire huge bear tribe had been expecting for your arrival for hundreds of years. When such an expectation finally turned into reality, each one here couldn’t cheer up. Because cheers mean pleasure. However, for each member of the huge bear tribe, this is not a pleasure, but a destined nirvana!”

It was Zhang Tie’s first time to land on the territory of the huge bear tribe——Gozidari Plain. 5 years ago, even though Zhang Tie had become the leader of the huge bear tribe, he still had not been to Gozidari Plain until he left Ice and Snow Wilderness.

”A destined nirvana!” Zhang Tie murmured as he sensed the deep meaning of this word. He then watched Pontiff Sarlin seriously, ”Hopefully, I’m not late!”

Pontiff Sarlin replied with another faint smile as he stretched out his hand to invite Zhang Tie to mount a tall xiphodon...

...

After mounting a tall xiphodon, Zhang Tie left the railway station while being escorted by rows of cavalries of Thor’s Hammer like a moon being circled by stars.

Both sides of the roads outside the railway station were crowded. However, nobody made any noise. Although tens of thousands of people gathered there, it was as tranquil as an open forest. Only xiphodon’s tidy and crisp footsteps could be heard on the streets. When Zhang Tie went out of the railway station, wherever his xiphodon arrived, those people over there would kneel down like dominoes being pushed down.

In the crowd, Zhang Tie saw many people cupping cinerary caskets and their ancestors’ portraits. Those people were witnessing the arrival of the Lord of Ice and Snow Wilderness with their ancestors’ ashes and portraits.

”Dad, grandfather, the person that the great prophet pontiff predicted finally arrives. Look, this is your will. Today, your ashes could also return to the land in a tranquil way. This person will lead our tribe and all the Slavs towards a bright and powerful future!” A kneeling tall man was cupping high two cinerary caskets among the crowd, seemingly wanting the dead ones in the caskets to see Zhang Tie clearly.

With knight’s consciousness, Zhang Tie clearly heard that person’s words. Watching those onlookers of the huge bear tribe on both sides of the road who were welcoming him together with the remains of their ancestors, Zhang Tie looked more solemn.

This trust was too heavy that Zhang Tie felt a bit of stress.

’Can I save all these people in this holy war?’ Zhang Tie wondered.

However, he would live up to these people’s trust in him on this land.

Zhang Tie made a decision inside.

A prosperous town came into being around the railway station. The town was covered with high warehouses and commodities as high as hills, which indicated the great effect of Tribal Axis Railway to Gozidari Plain.

The two sides of the road as long as 40 miles had been crowded by solemn onlookers from the small town to the foot of the Elzida Mountain. Those people were standing in the wild and the farmland and watching Zhang Tie passing by.

It took Zhang Tie over 3 hours by xiphodon to finish the 40 mile’s trip.

Right in the plain at the foot of Elzida Mountain, Zhang Tie caught sight of a magnificent hieron made of grey granites.

”This hieron is built by your followers. When in the great crack of Haidela Glacier, you told each of your followers to exploit a piece of grey granite as heavy as 200 kg and carried it to the huge bear tribe after passing through thousands of miles of wild. It was a rigid test of one’s physique, spirit, will and religion. Many people have made it. As of now, all the followers of Ancient God Church take this process as a journey towards pilgrimage which can check their own souls. After carrying dried rations and tools, those pious followers will head for the grey hill and exploit a piece of granite as heavy as 200 kg. After that, they will come here with that piece of granite. As a result, more and more granites will gather here. Your followers then build a magnificent hieron using those granites. This hieron is called the grey palace, also the hardcore of Ancient God Church!”

Pontiff Sarlin’s voice entered Zhang Tie’s ears secretly.

In the square outside the grey palace, Zhang Tie saw many earliest followers who looked totally different than that 5 years ago. In grey robes, they were holding a ”Book of Eternity” and waiting for Zhang Tie’s arrival.

The huge stony tanks were still standing in the square. The rims of the huge tanks had long been smooth like having been polished carefully.

Of course, they were not polished by people purposely; instead, they were the traces left by the followers of Ancient God Church. As followers came here for pilgrimage every day, each of them would touch the rim of each huge tank so as to sense the power of the God. Gradually, the coarse rims became smooth and radiated a special brilliance.

The power of religion could create miracles.

At each sunset, the earliest batch of followers of Zhang Tie who hosted the grey palace would inject fresh water into the sacred tanks by solemn awareness. On the next day, those followers who came from afar would scoop and drink a cup of sacred water from the sacred tank when they observed and touched the sacred tanks in a queue.

The legend that the sacred water in the sacred tanks could cure diseases and clean souls and evils gradually spread across Ice and Snow Wilderness. More and more people who had tasted the sacred water declared that it carried an unimaginable power. As more and more people visited here, Ancient God Church became more and more well-known.

When Zhang Tie arrived at the grey palace, he saw many people who looked fatigued yet fortitude while moving towards here from the plain in the distance with a heavy piece of grey granite on their back. Those people were queuing up miles long outside the square so as to drink a cup of sacred water.

If one wanted to drink a cup of sacred water, he had to queue up here one day earlier. Therefore, the team always remained so long. Even if one day’s sacred water was used up, those people would still wait there until the next day.

Watching the scenes outside the grey palace and witnessing the power of the religion, those representatives of major clans of Ewentra Archipelago who worshipped money were shocked, the heads and elders of tribes in Ice and Snow Wilderness were more dumbfounded as they saw three bare-chested guys confessing in front of the statue of the Ancient God Church with rods on their backs. They were heads of the demon bear tribe, black bear tribe and mountain bear tribe...

Bearing rods and willingly taking the punishment was a Hua tradition. However, in Black Iron Age, under the influence of the Hua people and the domineering right of speech on Hua culture, this tradition had long been spread to each corner of the world.

2 days ago, the heads of the three tribes had come to the grey palace while being escorted by their own elders and started to confess as guilty ones. They had already knelt down here for 2 days without eating or drinking.

Watching the 3 people kneeling down there, everybody knew that all the obstacles before the coronation of Peter Hamplester had been cleared.

Zhang Tie ignored them just like having seen nothing.

The heads of the three tribes dared not raise their heads to look at Zhang Tie at all. They just knelt down there like waiting for the punishment.

Pontiff Sarlin whispered to Zhang Tie.

After hearing it, Zhang Tie raised his eyebrows and faintly nodded.

In the grey palace, Zhang Tie formally met the earliest batch of followers. Although Zhang Tie just encouraged them simply, it made them extremely spirited.

”After 2 days, in the hieron of Elzida Mountain, I will formally be coronated, the Ancient God Church will become a wholly new national religion by then.”

In the grey palace, Zhang Tie formally declared the shocking news to his earliest followers.

After that, they left the grey palace and went up the Elzida Mountain...