When Roland walked out of the city hall building, Val City State was holding a flag-lowering ceremony.
Perhaps because the flag had not been lowered in a long time, the pulleys made creaking sounds that were particularly piercing in the quiet environment.
The Val City flag, which had flown for over a hundred years, slowly descended, symbolizing the end of an era.
This was not just the curtain fall of Val City, but also the disintegration of the continental covenant system.
Val City was the first, but certainly not the last.
In the face of the Rurik Giant Bear's aggression, all neighboring countries trembled.
But besides the giant bear, the other major powers were not to be trifed with either.
In the foreseeable future, many small countries would not have easy days ahead.
For the people of Val City, the fall of their nation was painful, but at least it was not a bloody collapse, rather a peaceful transfer of power, which could be seen as a calm conclusion.
