In the Name of the Queen

After solving the problem that shouldn't be a problem, Roland's mood improved.

After listening to Roland's solution, Sif was also in a good mood.

But her good mood only lasted a few seconds before it disappeared.

"Roland, I seem to have reached a bottleneck. My current extraordinary profession is [Elf Princess]. The next promotion route can be Elf Queen or Queen. If it is the former, you need to get the approval of the Elf Sage representing the tribe. If it is the latter, you have to return to the imperial capital to ascend the throne."

She sighed helplessly: "The war against the Kingdom of Oden has accumulated enough for me, but unfortunately neither of these two conditions can be met."

It is indeed very troublesome. Get the approval of the Elf Sage? The elves have been exterminated for many years. Where can I find the Elf Sage?

Looking at Sif's disappointed expression, Roland raised his lips with a proud arc, and whispered:

"I know a secret method recorded in the royal books of the elves, which can allow us to share some knowledge and practice experience, but there may be side effects. Are you willing to try it?"

The elf Sif didn't finish her words after all. Although Roland believed it was a good thing and believed that the link between two humans would not produce the exclusive effects of the elves, things are unpredictable. If there are really side effects, it is better to make it clear in advance.

Sif nodded vigorously without hesitation, "I accept."

She has much more confidence in Roland than Roland himself.

Although Roland would sweat a lot in many cases, in Sif's eyes, he is simply omnipotent.

There is no side effect, it's just a disclaimer that doctors ask patients to take medicine before taking it. If there are really side effects, Roland would not be willing to let her try it.

Seeing Sif's determined eyes, Roland stopped being hypocritical and said softly:

"Well, let's find a place similar to a sea of ​​flowers."

Sif's eyes lit up and she smiled and said, "Last time I went on an expedition, I found a small valley with many flowers and plants I had never seen before. Let's go there."

Flowers and plants you have never seen before?

The royal gardens of Sussex have rare plants brought back from all over the world by naturalists, and there are even plants that only grow in tropical areas.

Sif has never seen them, most of them are small flowers and plants from the folk.

Although he did not agree with Sif's judgment in his heart, Roland still chose to accept it.

The nameless valley is 35 kilometers north of Hansa City. Sif once personally scouted the surrounding terrain to find a place suitable for ambushing artillery.

This valley is also the result of the scouting.

The two put on light hunting clothes and rode on horses to gallop across the fields in the early autumn wind.

The autumn on the Hansa Plain is the best season of the year without the heat of summer or the cold of winter.

Although the weather is good now, the weather throughout the spring and summer was very bad, resulting in poor or even total crop failure in many farmlands.

The two rode their horses through the farmland, watching several farmers fiddling with their crops expressionlessly. Sif was silent for a moment, and suddenly asked:

"Roland, the tax season in October is coming soon, but these farmers don't look like they can pay taxes. How should we collect taxes this year?"

It is indeed a good question, and also an excellent pop quiz.

Roland retracted his gaze and asked calmly: "What do you think?"

"If it were up to me, I would rather not collect taxes from them. I heard that the tax officials are very strict, and I'm afraid they will have a hard time this winter."

Just strict? Roland thought to himself, Sif really didn't understand the cruelty of reality.

The three overseas provinces used to implement the tax farming system. As long as they could collect a fixed amount of tax, the tax farmers and tax officials were more than strict, they were simply cruel.

They would ruthlessly squeeze the last drop of oil and water from the farmers. It would be their mercy if these farmers could still live until next year.

"Then don't collect taxes, and send people to notify each village to prevent people from taking advantage of loopholes."

"Ah, is that really possible?" Sif looked at Roland in surprise, her eyes full of doubts.

She hesitated for a moment and said softly: "The teacher said that paying taxes can make the people feel a sense of belonging, and it is also a way for them to remember who is the lord."

From the perspective of the feudal lord, Walder's statement is very correct, but Roland still frowned slightly.

He pondered for a moment and said slowly: "This is a different time. Although we have purchased a lot of grain, this year's poor harvest is far more serious than I thought. Only reasonable allocation can ensure that everyone can survive the winter. There will definitely be a lot of losses in the process of taxation, causing many people to starve to death in the winter."

"Large-scale starvation in the jurisdiction has greatly damaged our image."

When Teacher Walder and Roland's views conflicted, Sif was indeed a little confused, but she quickly made a decision.

Listen to Roland.

Teacher Walder certainly knows a lot, but Roland's achievements are simply beyond Teacher Walder's reach.

The teacher is an excellent official, but Roland, who likes to hide away, is not.

But Roland opened the door to a new world for her.

"Okay, I'll listen to you!"

Looking at Sif's clear eyes, Roland nodded with satisfaction.

Sif has not been eroded too much by this world. White paper also has its advantages, at least there is no need to erase the wrong content first.

Skipping this topic, the two of them accelerated their journey.

Soon, Roland arrived at the nameless valley under Sif's guidance.

Leaving the horse outside the valley, and simply setting up a few traps and early warning devices, Roland carefully pulled out his pistol, raised his shield, and walked into the valley.

It's not that he is neurotic, but he never goes out smoothly, and it is a small probability that nothing will happen.

Sif didn't think Roland's caution was a problem.

Having experienced encountering werewolves while watching the moon and tree demons in the valley, it's always right to be careful.

She quickly put the three sections of the spear together and followed Roland.

Walking into the valley, Roland was stunned by the green grass and colorful flowers.

This place was somewhat similar to the dream flower sea. There was a big tree in the center, surrounded by flowers and plants, and no other trees.

However, Roland was a little disappointed after a closer look.

The elf flower sea is different from the normal flower sea.

The elf flower sea is actually a flesh and blood life. The main body of the flower sea is the big tree in the center, and the flowers and plants around it exist as companions.

Although the flowers in the elf flower sea are gorgeous, they are all red. If you pinch off the flower stems, blood will flow instead of juice.

This is obviously not the case here.

The flowers in the nameless valley flower sea are colorful, with red, yellow, green, pink and purple.

Although it is a bit strange that there are still flowers all over the ground in early autumn, it is not a big deal.

Roland decided to establish a link first, and then collect flower and plant specimens for research.

Under Roland's prompt, the two came to the central tree.

Sif looked up and said in surprise: "This tree looks like a ginkgo, but it's not."

"Don't worry about it, let's complete the ceremony first."

Roland repeated the process of the ceremony again, and Sif gathered her mind, slowed her breathing, and her heartbeat gradually became smoother.

She cleared her throat and began to chant.

The first part of the ceremony was to chant an ancient poem in the way of the elf poets.

Considering that he was dying from singing poems, Roland gave this task to Sif.

Her hair was casually draped over Sif's shoulders. She stood barefoot on the grass, opened her arms, her eyes moved, and her voice echoed in the sea of ​​flowers.

As Sif sang, the flowers in the sea of ​​flowers seemed to be blown by the wind and swayed gently.

Roland looked at the flowers and plants around him in surprise, and he was a little confused.

Could these flowers and plants also understand?

There was no time for him to wonder, Sif had finished her chanting and was waiting for him to continue the ceremony.

Roland stepped forward and recited a few lines of poetry.

Strangely enough, his voice was ups and downs and sonorous when he recited the poetry. If not compared to the bard, at least it was not bad to listen to, but it was fatal to sing.

After reciting the poem, Sif opened her eyes and bit her finger at the same time as Roland.

The two touched their fingertips and exchanged blood.

It was originally just a simple ceremony, but at the moment their blood touched, the two people seemed to be hit by an electric current, their eyes were blank, and their bodies froze in place.

Countless memories flooded into the sea of ​​consciousness of the two people.

The rise of the elves, the glorious past of the elves, the decline of the elves, and the fall of the elves.

The history and knowledge that were not recorded in the tribe's books instantly filled their memories.

The two opened their eyes at the same time.

They didn't speak, but they knew it very well in their hearts.

They were once members of the elves.

The reincarnation of the Styx can annihilate memories, but it cannot erase the imprint deep in the soul.

Because of this, they can activate the hidden extraordinary profession that belongs exclusively to the elves.

The day of return is approaching, the distant tribes will return, and the former strong will also wake up.

It turns out that they are also part of the return.

The fingertips slowly separated, and the current disappeared. Sif was silent for a long time, and asked faintly: "Are we elves or humans?"

"Elves are humans."

Roland said calmly: "We are both elves and humans, it's that simple."

Sif was stunned for a second, and a smile brighter than the sea of ​​flowers bloomed in her dimples, and the whole world lit up with her smile.

All?

It was indeed Roland's answer.