GATE - War of Two Worlds Part 2

V19 - Chapter 229 Destined Reunion

"Archaeologists from Oxford and Harvest Universities have proudly announced the discovery of the tomb of Mark Antony and Queen Cleopatra in Central Alexandra, Egypt. The location of the tomb of the power historical couple has been a mystery for centuries but thanks to the latest advancement in Artificial Intelligence in deciphering the ancient texts found in the recently discovered hidden chamber in the Pyramid of Giza, the tomb had been successfully located in the middle of Cairo - Alexandria Desert Road.

Inspection of the tomb showed the staggering amount of treasure; hundreds of ancient scrolls as well as the sarcophagus of both General Mark Antony and Queen Cleopatra lying together with both of the bodies being mummified. This fact makes Mark Antony to be the first and only Roman to be mummified. Dr. Henry Synder, head of the expedition stated that the ancient scrolls found in the tomb are speculated to unveil more about the mysteries and histories of the ancient Egyptians that can change the perception of ancient Egypt forever.

***

--- Zeith Trade Path, Elies Region ---

Date: July 31, 2026

The night was peaceful while on the path. For the locals, peaceful nights like these were only a pipe dream as just one and a half years ago as the region used to be a hotspot for banditry and monster attacks. Then came NATO.

At first, people expected that there would be plundering by NATO for the 'war effort' and they would be subjected to harsh treatment and slavery as the people of the defeated nation as past conquerors had done. But instead, the opposite happened. Not only did the rate of bandit and monster attacks drop significantly thanks to NATO, but harvests were also much more bountiful than ever despite the fact that they had no slaves tending the fields. All thanks to the Americans providing equipment, knowledge, and the seeds and fertilizers to tend their farms and restart their paralyzed economy due to the sanctions enacted by the current and the previous emperors.

People knew that it was a propaganda effort by the Americans. Even they were skeptical when the Americans planned to abolish slavery in the region and replace it with merchant technology. But after seeing the results, they started changing their minds. Now, fields of tall wheat stalks that stretched to the horizon painted the peaceful night scenery of the Elies region. Stars dotted the sky, while the sounds of insects and other local fauna, along with the sound of the water flowing from the Agaront river just a distance away accompanied the night. It was only momentarily interrupted by the sound of a Neko running through the night. It was none other than Lartia, who had been on the run for almost two days straight.

Unable to stop crying from the recent betrayal, Lartia had to remember that she must keep running. Her husband possibly sacrificed himself so she could escape. When things finally began to feel safe, that sense of security was broken each time by the shouts of her pursuers. A few of her husband's loyalists outside the city assisted in her escape, but it did not take long for the Oprichnina to catch up. According to her comrades, Katsuo wanted to keep this coup against her husband a secret from the rest of the army. Why? She had no idea, but she knew that she must escape, which proved harder than expected.

At first, Lartia started her escape with Fabius' loyalists from their camp near Arugo ruins, heading east towards the NATO-held territory via the bridge southwest of Lake Carthid. But the Oprichnina was expecting them there, forcing her group to head north before turning east, crossing the Epplis stream using local fishing boats. While the group was preparing to cross the Agaront stream towards NATO territory on the southern bank, they got ambushed yet again by Oprichnina agents riding on wyverns, forcing Lartia to be separated from Fabius' loyalists as she crossed the stream alone while they stayed and lured the Oprichnina towards the northeast. Thankfully, she was able to get across both streams and was now heading east down the Zeith trade path and towards Rondel, or so she hoped. She assumed the Oprichnina would have given up the moment she crossed the frontline, but they would not relent.