In the Name of the Queen

The capital of the Province of Skyrim, Neubodenburg.

In the Government Affairs Office, Rivers, a senior official of Tianji Province, was receiving distinguished guests.

He never dreamed that the battle report coming back from the front line of Rama Town, which seemed like an absurd drama, was true.

Just two days ago, he had just received a battle report from the front line.

One hundred thousand Yehu troops attacked Rama Town. Mayor Hales and Sheriff and garrison commander Hamos, under the guidance of Viscount Dorothy, abandoned the town and evacuated the people to avoid heavy losses.

In the ensuing war, they led the garrison to resist desperately, killing and wounding thousands of Yehu people.

Just when the war situation was in danger, Viscount Dorothy took action, the Holy Light descended, and Yehu's entire army was wiped out.

Seeing this battle report, Rivers was so angry that he almost ordered the gendarmerie to arrest these two bastards who lied about military information.

But he held back and just asked them to come back immediately to report their work.

It's simply nonsense. There are only a few strong men in the world who have the ability to kill nearly 100,000 Yahu, and they are all powerful and powerful people at the top of their race. How can they appear in this wild land of Tianji Province.

He couldn't imagine that powerful people like Sophia and Roland would appear in Tianji Province.

Until the so-called "Viscount Dorothy" came to Neubodenburg.

With a lot of doubts, senior official Rivers met with Viscount Dorothy.

The moment he saw the Viscount, his knees softened and he knelt down on one knee.

"Your Excellency, why are you here?"

Looking at Rivers who was sweating profusely, Roland smiled and raised his hand to signal him to stand up.

"It doesn't matter why I'm here, you can even think that I'm here for a trip."

With Roland's permission, Rivers stood up carefully, but felt somewhat disapproving of it.

travel?

This kind of nonsense can only deceive young people who are unaware.

However, he did not refute because of his high emotional intelligence. Instead, he followed Roland's words and even helped Roland recommend nearby tourist destinations.

For example.

After thinking for a moment, Rivers said with some dejection: "The urban layout of New Bodenburg is similar to that of Bodenburg and Pine Forest City. With your picky eyes, I'm afraid you won't think this is a good place for tourism."

"That's not necessarily the case. I never think that traveling to places planned by others is travel. The greatest joy of traveling is exploration and the unknown. If I make a plan in advance, I won't even feel the need to go." Roland said with a smile.

Rivers didn't agree with Rowland's point of view.

This is the southern continent, not the core area of ​​Rodinia continent.

If you like to travel to unplanned places in the Southern Continent, you will most likely encounter danger.

Roland was extremely powerful. He could crush tens of thousands of yahoos by himself, but he was not in any danger. If others followed him in traveling like this, they would sooner or later be taught how to behave by the savage cannibal natives.

Now that Viscount Dorothy is Roland, Rivers has solved his previous suspicions.

He was certainly capable of crushing an entire army of Jehu.

Hamos and Hales may have exaggerated the number of enemies killed, but the course of the war was solid.

Confirming that they were not lying, Rivers was not at all relieved, but even more worried.

"Your Excellency, Chairman, you were on the battlefield at that time. I would like to know the situation on the battlefield from you. Is it convenient?"

"Of course there is no problem. We are all members of the Rodinian Alliance, so there is no need to be so polite."

Roland came to New Bodenburg to remind senior officials of Rivers and the military and political officials of Skyrim Province to let them understand the serious situation they were facing and not to misjudge.

He described the battle situation that day in great detail.

Rivers's face became particularly ugly. Of course he didn't dare to doubt Roland's words, but

"Your Excellency, I completely trust your judgment, but I just find it a bit hard to accept."

Seeing Rivers' original proud expression replaced by a bitter face, Roland certainly understood what he was suffering from.

It would give him a headache if it were him.

He originally planned to open up territory for the kingdom and establish great military exploits, but now he can't even protect the Skyrim Province. Who wouldn't have a headache if he replaced him?

And it wasn't even his fault.

But sympathy was sympathy, and Roland did not intend to get deeply involved in this matter.

After all, this is the internal affairs of the Pruden Kingdom. He does not hold an official position in the Pruden Kingdom. Others may not appreciate it if he takes care of too much, and he does not want to be hot-faced and cold-blooded.

You can ask him to do things, but you have to pay him.

The cost of keeping Skyrim is high.

Seeing that Rivers was silent for a long time, Roland simply changed the topic and asked with a smile: "Mr. Rivers, how do you plan to deal with it?"

"Sir Roland, this is an internal matter of our country. I shouldn't cause you any trouble. Since you want to know more, I will give you a brief report in accordance with the alliance rules."

Rivers stood up, cleared his throat, organized his thoughts and reported to Roland the solution.

There is no way to run.

This is the southernmost point of the Southern Continent. If you return from the land, you need to pass through the territories of many barbarians such as Yehu and Centaurs, which is too risky.

In the past, the biggest enemy in taking this path was logistics. But now that there are people behind the barbarians, it is almost impossible to pass through their territory freely.

If you take this route, it will be almost impossible to return home, and the losses will be severe.

Before he could return to the pine forest, the soldiers might mutiny.

The land route is impassable and the sea route is equally dangerous.

The naval strength of the Kingdom of Pruden ranks last among the major Rodinian countries. Every ocean voyage is a severe test for the Kingdom's navy.

Most of their ships coming to Skyrim Province were hired from Sussex and other countries, and they even obtained protection from marine generals along the way through bribery.

In any case, the cost of sea transportation is very high and the cycle is very long, so it is almost impossible to withdraw.

If the escape route is blocked, the only two options left are to fight to the end or surrender.

Resistance without support is doomed to a dead end, and he would rather die than surrender to Yehu.

There are dead ends everywhere, even a mature official like Rivers who has experienced many battles can't help but look pale.

Just when his brain was about to explode, he saw Roland's half-smiley expression from the corner of his eye. He had to wipe the sweat from his forehead and said tentatively:

"Mr. Chairman, the situation has developed beyond my ability and authority. My personal honor and disgrace are not worth mentioning, but for the safety of 900,000 people and more than 70,000 soldiers in Sky Province, I implore you to make the decision for us."

Roland smiled and looked at Rivers. When he wiped his sweat for the third time, he whispered teasingly: "I thought you had the confidence to handle it alone."

Rivers breathed a sigh of relief and laughed at himself: "You think too highly of me. I just don't know how to start."

Official Pruden was just straightforward, not really stupid.

He could understand Roland's position. Whether Roland was passing by or came to the southern continent with some special purpose, he was indeed in Sky Province when Yehu invaded.

Roland could come and go freely, of course, but if he abandoned the millions of soldiers and civilians in Sky Province, there would be no need for the Rodinia Alliance to exist.

If people's hearts were scattered, the team would naturally be impossible to lead.

Roland may not like to take care of this mess, but he must safeguard the interests of the countries in the Rodinia Alliance.

He is the initiator and initiator of the alliance, the person in charge of the alliance, and the representative of five of the six permanent chair countries.

If he doesn't take care of things, who will?

Grabbing the handkerchief for the fourth time, Rivers finally wiped off the sweat, and said without waiting for Roland to ask:

"Dear Chairman, as long as I can save these one million soldiers and civilians, I am willing to pay any price."

This is the attitude that must be taken.

Roland tried his best to help him. If he still refused to negotiate conditions, he would be an ungrateful person.

Since Rivers has a positive attitude and no unrealistic fantasies, things will naturally be easy to handle.

"Mr. Rivers, before discussing countermeasures, I must make one thing clear to you. For some unspeakable reasons, the southern continent has become the default sphere of influence of the dark race. At least I cannot openly oppose their expansion here."

Looking at Rivers's face that turned pale in an instant, Roland said calmly: "But it is my duty to protect the interests of the alliance countries. This is also my position and reason for fighting for the interests of your country."

Rivers breathed a sigh of relief and wiped his sweat for the fifth time.

Roland's words were very obscure and very clear.

He could vaguely guess that there was some kind of dirty deal between Roland and the dark race. Of course, he did not dare to accuse Roland of exchanging interests with the dark race in private. This was not something he should worry about.

He did not lie. Since the Yahu formed an organized army, the situation has been out of control and has long exceeded his ability and scope of responsibility.

Roland was able to gather the Yahu in a small space and wipe them all out in one fell swoop, and his combat effectiveness had long surpassed Rivers' understanding.

He seemed to see the curtain of a new era, and he could not buy a ticket to the ship leading to the new era.

What else could he say?

As the helmsman of the old ship, Skyline, he must send the passengers ashore.

Then, he will probably have to retire.

Rivers thought silently.

He is only 43 years old this year, and he has already become a provincial official with real power. His future was originally limitless, but after losing Skyline Province, his career has come to an end.

For the Sussex Empire, there are dozens of overseas territories like Skyline Province, but for the Pruden Kingdom, this is almost all.

Losing 90% of overseas territories, it is a blessing not to go to jail for such a stain, let alone continue to be promoted.

Rivers, who gave up his fantasy, has a good mentality. He has completely laid down and let Roland make the decision.

After Roland briefly analyzed the interests, he quickly and firmly expressed his attitude.

"Mr. Chairman, I mean any price. You don't have to worry about my insignificant personal interests at all, just keep them."

Roland carefully looked at the slightly fat Rivers in front of him, and had a new understanding of this old-fashioned official.

Rivers, male, was born in Pruden Alhaisen City. His father was a lower-class noble, but he could not inherit the title. He was actually a civilian. He served in the army before the age of 33 and was promoted to colonel for his accumulated military merits.

Because he could not see a future in the army, he retired and became a local official, and was promoted to a high-ranking official.

He is taciturn and henpecked.

The above information all comes from the archives of provincial officials in the whole alliance compiled by Raikkonen.

Although this person has also accepted bribes of several thousand gold marks and has also kept three young girls in the Sky Province, even a centaur girl, Roland still believes that he is both virtuous and talented and worthy of reuse.

He is capable and responsible. Although his personal morality is slightly flawed, his family concept is relatively traditional. He is considered a very good official in this era.

Considering that this guy is likely to be dismissed after returning to China, Roland has begun to think about what position to assign to Rivers in the alliance.

As the leader of the alliance, it is not easy for him to directly recruit people from various countries, but he does not mind picking up excellent officials abandoned by various countries.

Although in the era before Roland traveled through time, warm men were not worthy of being at the same table with dogs, but in this era, being able to treat his wife and family well is definitely a high-quality man.

Roland selectively ignored the flaw that Rivers had three lovers in Sky Province. He did not think this was a fatal flaw.

If Rivers monopolizes power in Skyrim Province and still maintains his integrity, Roland would not dare to use him.

A saintly character is not necessarily a matter of strict self-discipline, but more likely a performance.

Roland, who already regards Rivers as an important subordinate in the future, must of course leave a good impression in front of his future subordinates.

He said calmly: "I have some contacts with the top leaders of the dark descendants. I can try to connect you. You talk to them and I will be your backing."

Rivers quickly bowed to Roland to express his gratitude.

"On behalf of millions of soldiers and civilians in Skyrim, I thank you for your kindness."

The corners of Roland's lips raised slightly, and he liked Rivers a little more.

Not only is he capable, he is also discerning and sensible.

It is indeed inconvenient for him to directly appear on some matters. If he negotiates with Milones himself, there will be no room for maneuver once the negotiations break down.

Let Rivers go first and test the opponent's bottom line before continuing.

It was not difficult to contact Mirones. Roland easily found the Darkin's intelligence liaison in New Bodenburg and asked him to help him contact him.

Mirones responded very quickly. He accepted Roland's peace request and agreed to peace talks.

Roland didn't find his response strange at all. After all, the record of destroying nearly 100,000 Yehu by shining a holy light is here and can be checked at any time. No matter how reluctant Mirones is, he has to sit down and talk.

Although this guy seemed to be angry and said that accepting the negotiation was like a gift.

Three days later, the negotiations were carried out as scheduled, and the negotiation location was the town of Rama on the northern border.

The town was the final battleground for the Jehu invasion.

Due to the destruction of the war, this still lively town is now like a ghost.

No matter how you think about it, this place is not suitable for negotiation, but Mirones still chose this place.

Rivers did not become the chief negotiator, which was Mirones' request.

He set a precondition for the negotiation, which was that Roland himself must come.

He didn't want to waste his saliva with Xiao Xiami.

Roland accepted the arrangement.

Mirones is a professional diplomat after all, and these little tricks are of no use to him.

Roland thought this was a tough negotiation, but he didn't expect Mirones to seem a little absent-minded and very casual about the details of the negotiations.

The casualness made Roland think that Mirones was just here to entertain him.

After confirming that Mirones was negotiating seriously, Roland simply showed his trump card.

"What will it cost to keep Skyrim?"

Mirones did not answer directly, but asked instead: "Skyrim Province is an overseas province of the Kingdom of Pruden. They don't seem to have a good relationship with you. Why do you want to fight for their interests?"

"Because they are my allies and members of the Rodinian Union. As the president of the Union, I have to do this."

Roland said very calmly, his eyes were extremely calm, as if he was talking about what to have for breakfast.

Mirones looked at Roland with complicated eyes, and after a long time he said slowly: "Skyrim Province is not worth mentioning compared to the entire Southern Continent. Apart from its superior geographical location, it does not have much value."

"I feel a little embarrassed to open my mouth. After all, the value of my request is much higher than that of a Skyrim province."

Roland responded with a smile: "Let's talk about it. We have signed a peace agreement, which can also be considered as a covenant to some extent."

"I would like to ask for your help in dealing with the mobile island Risenberg."

"Lisenberg?" Roland frowned.

He has heard about this mysterious mobile island. It is said that this island has countless hidden powerhouses who can easily crush the enemy every time they attack. However, this is just folklore after all, and there has never been any formal history record.

What is the mysterious origin of Lisenberg?

"Lissenburg is a descendant of the God's Punishment Legion. The God's Punishment Legion, which was responsible for cleaning in the 3456th era, used Fort Lissen as a base after completing its mission to form the Scourge Legion, preparing to cooperate with the Advent Goddess to destroy everything on the final day of return."

I see.

The mysterious and missing God’s Punishment Legion.

A mysterious moving island with unknown origins.

Sure enough, it's hidden deep enough. (End of chapter)