in the name of the queen.

Chapter 326 Emperor or Clown?

"Welcome the great emperor!"

"Her Majesty Sylph is our sun!"

"Long live the Queen!"

The excited crowd crowded at the city gate to welcome Sif's triumphant return after destroying the Kingdom of Oden. The fanatical shouts rose one after another, echoing over the city.

This was the grand scene that Sylph encountered in every city she passed through when she led her army back home.

Sylph personally led an army of 180,000 north to attack the Kingdom of Oden. In just fifty days, she destroyed an entire kingdom and expanded the territory. This feat is very glorious even in the glorious history of the empire.

This is not a colony developed in the wild places like the New World and the Southern Continent; this is the fertile land of Rodinia.

The Kingdom of Oden might not be considered a first-rate power, but it was also a medium-sized kingdom that had been established on the Rodinia continent for more than five hundred years.

The last time the Sussex Empire annexed a kingdom of this level was more than a hundred years ago, and such an achievement is indeed worthy of praise.

The fall of the Franks Fortress caused panic among the people of Hanseatic City, and many people even planned to flee overseas and return to their homeland as soon as possible.

People urgently need a resounding victory to turn the situation around.

This victory came at the perfect time.

When Sylph appeared in her best clothes, carrying the spoils, the crowd cheered from the bottom of their hearts.

They are proud Sussexes and they need victory, victory after victory.

While Sylph was enjoying its glory, so was the Golden Kite Kingdom. The Weimar Federation occupied the fertile soil on the east bank of the Rodinia River. They had coveted it for a long time, but never had the chance.

It’s not that we can’t win, but we have to consider the international image.

If a country wants to annex a medium-sized country, what will other major powers think? Will friendly countries be surprised? This is a more complicated consideration than winning or losing on the battlefield.

But there is no need to think about it now.

The enemy camp will be surprised no matter what, and the friendly Sussex will support it no matter what, so the Golden Kite Kingdom will not pretend anymore.

They dispatched more than 300,000 troops, equipped with an astonishing number of artillery, and pushed forward to completely annex the Weimar Confederation.

Although this violent method causes considerable losses, it is simple, crude and effective quickly.

The new army also gradually grew through the test of blood and fire.

What is more important than the new army’s growth in blood and fire is the people’s hearts.

The glory of victory made the Golden Kite people accept the alliance between Alina and the Sussex Empire, and also made them accept the new allied commander Christine.

Although some extreme Golden Kiteists were unhappy about giving part of the spoils to the Sussex Empire, this discordant voice was wiped out before it could even be heard.

Under the invisible guidance of public opinion, such remarks are suppressed as soon as they emerge, and are labeled as those of a patriotic party and severely criticized.

While celebrating the victory, several waves of bards set out from the capital and traveled across the country to begin their performances.

These bards were all trained by Adam himself, and the plays they performed were all high-quality scripts carefully compiled by Adam.

This script is divided into several plays.

The first main content is to publicize the traditional friendship between the Kingdom of Jinyuan and the Kingdom of Sussex, downplay the hatred between the two countries that have attacked each other many times in history, and especially downplay the existence of the heroine of the Kingdom of Jinyuan who is revered as the Holy Lady of Red Lotus.

The second main content is to publicize the traditional hatred between the Golden Kite Kingdom and the Odin Empire. What, you said the Odin Empire is gone? That doesn't matter. The Weimar Federation, the Kingdom of Tyrol and the Kingdom of Pruden all claim to be the successors of the Odin Empire. The hatred will not disappear, but it can be transferred.

The third main content is that Miss Alina is wise and brave, surpassing many monarchs in history.

The fourth main content is to promote that Saint Christine is the real God of War, and that the Red Lotus Saint in history was exaggerated and her actual combat record is inflated.

The fifth main content is also the most important part. To celebrate the victory, Miss Alina announced that no taxes would be collected this year. Anyone who dared to come down to collect taxes would be a traitor and could be beaten to death on the spot with a hoe.

This combination of propaganda quickly ignited the emotions of the grassroots people.

They know nothing about history or the international situation; they just believe whatever the bards say.

For them, the most important thing is to have enough food.

Miss Alina doesn't collect taxes this year, so she is a good person.

Since Miss Alina is a good person, Christine who is with her is also a good person.

Who is the Red Lotus Saint? Not familiar.

Palace of Cité.

Alina stood at the window and looked at the excited crowd outside, and suddenly felt a little dazed.

These people cheered when their father overthrew the old empire, cheered when Marco launched a coup, cheered when she took back power, and cheered now.

Maybe they just need a reason to cheer, and it doesn't matter why they cheer.

After a moment, she was amused by her own childish complaints and burst out laughing.

This is what uneducated people do. They just cheer, but the helmsman has to consider many things to ensure that the Golden Kite ship is heading in the right direction.

Alina put some of her worries aside because she could hear footsteps coming from the corridor.

The crisp sound of leather boots, steady and powerful, and the consistent pace show that he is a super master.

It goes without saying that the person coming is Saint Christine.

Without waiting for Christine to knock on the door, Alina waved her hand and the door opened.

Christine was not surprised. Alina was not only a supernatural being, but also an astrologer. It would be strange if she didn't even know about her arrival.

"Alina, there is something very important you need to know."

Christine said softly.

"What's the matter?" Alina was a little surprised. All preparations for the expedition have been completed. Is there anything else that has not been considered?
Christine took out the crown that had been prepared long ago from under her robe like a magician, placed it on the plate and held it up with both hands. At the same time, a thick stack of documents was also lifted up.

"This is the voice of the people. Miss Alina, please follow the will of the people and ascend the throne to become the emperor."

Alina: "."

She looked at the crown in Christine's hand with complicated eyes.

This crown is very cleverly designed, perfectly combining the golden fleur-de-lis and the family emblem, which not only indicates the wearer's nationality, but also represents the family.

Not only that, on the side of this crown there are legal book patterns representing the Civil Code and swords and shields representing the expansion of territory and the siege of the country.

She wanted to laugh for some reason.

The progressive code representing civil rights and the crown representing despotism were put together, and the disharmony made her feel like she was facing a guy who claimed to be a virgin but was available to everyone.

Contradictory and absurd.

“This crown.”

Christine thought she was asking about the origin of the crown, so she calmly replied, "It was made by your country's top jewelers and artists, and it has Mr. Victor's signature on it."

"That's not what I'm talking about. I can see the artistic taste of this crown."

Alina laughed at herself and said sarcastically, "But I always feel that it doesn't look like a crown on my head. It looks more like a pointed hat worn by a clown in a makeshift troupe."

Christine was not moved by Alina's nonsense. She just said lightly:

"You are right. This world is just a huge makeshift team. You, me, or other strong people, we are all the same. In the eyes of the great goddess, we are no different from clowns."

"Stop!"

Alina interrupted Christine vigilantly. She couldn't be allowed to continue. This guy would always belittle mortals whenever he talked about the goddess.

Believers must resolutely obey all oracles from the goddess; believers must accept all teachings of the goddess without any doubt.

That's what charlatans are like, very stubborn.

Alina often discussed life and philosophy with Roland. At night, she liked to look up at the stars and think about life. She had her own judgment and couldn't stand listening to these things.

Christine did not insist.

People with weak faith are like this, always looking for excuses for their own unconventionality. People with pious faith will consider fewer things.

It's that simple to have devout faith.

Although there are huge differences in beliefs, this does not affect their friendship.

In the process of Christine helping the Golden Kite Kingdom build a new army and leading the army to annex the Weimar Federation, they assisted each other, trusted each other, and established a deep friendship.

In addition to faith, they can find countless shining points in each other.

Facing Christine's crown, Alina did not rush to refuse. We are all foxes, so there is no need to pretend to be pure, but some things need to be made clear.

“Do the people really support it?”

"They are very supportive. They generally believe that the chaos of the past two decades was caused by the lack of a wise and capable emperor and the replacement of a group of irresponsible politicians."

Christine didn't name any of them, but Alina knew full well that her father Carlo was one of these irresponsible politicians.

Feeling wronged?
Wronged.

What a grievance!

Only the common people who have been devastated by the political chaos have the right to cry out for grievance. Although my father's starting point was good, he did not know how to judge people and made mistakes in employing people. He promoted shady villains like Robert and failed to control speculators like Marco, which led to the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives.

He did do something wrong.

The masses do not necessarily need an emperor, but they do need a strong leader.

The atmosphere had come to this point, and it would be rude for her to refuse.

But Alina was still cautious and asked again, "Do the nobles support it?"

This sentence is standard nonsense.

Of course the nobles supported him. The emperor was the greatest noble. How could they feel at ease without him?

Christine didn't say anything, but picked up a few letters. "These are handwritten letters from eleven dukes and seventy-three earls in the country. They all support you."

"What do the parliament and the cabinet say?" Alina continued to ask.

"Unanimous support, here are the minutes of the meeting." Christine picked up another document.

Alina laughed at herself, showing a complicated expression, and said faintly: "So, if I don't accept it, it would be wrong? This is going backwards in history."

Christine shook her head slowly. "I don't know if this is a step backwards in history, but the country needs an emperor now. If you don't think it's appropriate, then you can serve as emperor for life, and your descendants won't inherit the throne."

There was a hint of mockery and ridicule in her eyes as she looked at Alina, and Alina laughed along with her.

People can't go back at all.

The family of an emperor will either stay in power forever or be exterminated after stepping down. It is simply a pipe dream to expect to retire safely.

The Ruiz family, the royal family of the old empire, surrendered. Will it be useful?
They were sent to the guillotine by the angry masses, and their entire family, young and old, were tied to stones and thrown into the Xidai River to drown.

If Alina really asked her descendants to give up the throne, the outcome would not be good.

In politics, what you want to do is not important, what is important is what you can do.

Descendants of the royal family have a natural right to claim the country and cannot expect to stay out of it.

Alina is a qualified politician and certainly would not make such a low-level mistake. What she said just now was just pretentious.

She sighed helplessly and said, "According to convention, should I refuse three times?"

"You've already declined."

Christine said in a deep voice: "The first time you decline, the masses express their will; the second time you decline, the nobles make their voices heard; the third time you decline, the parliament makes a resolution. Please don't decline again."

Is this okay?

Alina knew that this was a good idea. In later history books, it was said that she had repeatedly declined, but in the end she could not resist public opinion and was forced to wear the crown. She herself was helpless.

Although this reason sounds absurd, it will definitely be written this way in history books.

People have to have dignity in life. Even if you are an ordinary person, when you marry a wife, you cannot say "I want to sleep with you". You have to say "love".

Those who want to be emperor cannot say that they are greedy for power, but must say that they are following the will of the people.

This world has always been so hypocritical.

Alina suddenly felt a little tired. After a moment of silence, she slowly said, "The code left by Emperor Bonaparte is the foundation of the country. To commemorate him and follow his will, from now on my family name will be changed to the Bonaparte family."

In history, Emperor Bonaparte was an emperor in a republic.

There is a precedent for this, so it is not so strange for her to be the second one.

The corners of Christine's lips slightly raised, revealing an approving look.

As expected of Alina, she is well-informed and has found a good excuse for herself to ascend the throne so quickly.

The ancients before us could sit on this throne, so why can’t I?

As you can imagine, Mr. Adam will be very busy recently as he has to pave the way for Alina to ascend the throne.

It is best to publicize that the Buonaparte family is the direct descendant of the Bonaparte family.

Who dares to question? Treason will be charged immediately.

After discussing the preparations and details for the coronation, Christine and Alina said goodbye and left.

Looking at her receding figure, Alina felt all the strength in her body disappear.

Sitting dejectedly in the wide leather chair, Alina recalled that this office was the place where her father and his comrades-in-arms discussed the future of the country with great enthusiasm after overthrowing the old empire.

At that time, they were full of rationalist romance, and the written records they left behind show that period of passion and excitement.

However, more than 20 years later, his daughter made the decision here to return to the imperial system.

If my old father could really see this scene, I wonder if he would be so angry that he would come back to life.

Alina was silent.

Of course she could argue that she was forced, but was she really forced?
Only a small part of the education she received since childhood came from her father, and most of it came from several teachers, so her ideas are different from her father's.

But because of her admiration for her father, she didn't dare to assert herself until her father passed away.

She finally realized that no matter whether it was an imperial system or any other system, it ultimately depended on people to implement it.

Is the Golden Kite Kingdom under Marco's rule really stronger than the old empire?
Alina closed her eyes and leaned weakly against the back of the seat.

After an unknown amount of time, Roland's words flashed through her mind.

History is an upward spiral, and progressive social forms are destined to replace backward ones, but there will definitely be repetitions.

Roland not only said this, but also mentioned a sentence from the time of the Magic Empire.

If five civilians and a magician vote together to select a suspicious person and kill him, it is almost certain that the selected suspicious person is a magician, and the truth may not be in the hands of the majority.

Alina's face was pale. The books she had read, her father's disappointed face, Roland's seductive voice, and the records from the Magic Empire period kept impacting her consciousness.

She screamed suddenly and opened her eyes.

She staggered to the mirror and looked at the haggard appearance and red eyes of the person in the mirror. She could hardly recognize herself.

This is the critical moment that determines Jin Yuan's life or death, and only she can lead everyone.

Let the future worry about what will happen to it.

At least for now, she had to wear the crown and carry the entire Golden Kite on her shoulders.

Hansa City, Triumphal Square. After the Kingdom of Oden was completely annexed, this square was changed to Triumphal Square.

Originally, Athos proposed to build a triumphal arch, but Sif declined the proposal on the grounds of sympathy for the people.

In fact, Sif really wanted this Arc de Triomphe. She had seen the design drawings. The design of the Arc de Triomphe was grand, elegant and noble, a true work of art.

She really wanted to wear her best clothes and walk through the Arc de Triomphe to receive the worship of the people.

Unfortunately not.

The residents of Hansa City did not know that this city was not the site of the final battle, but a chess piece that could be abandoned depending on the situation.

If the Arc de Triomphe were built now, it would be for Sophia.

Don't do stupid things that give the enemy the opportunity to kill you.

With a little disappointment in her heart, Sif smiled and waved to the people around her, sharing the joy of victory with others.

In the crowd, she spotted Roland standing in front of the welcoming team in the square.

He was wearing a specially designed Caesar uniform, holding a golden scepter, and standing there majestically, like a majestic building.

The corners of Sif's lips rose slightly, and the only regret she had disappeared.

Her Arc de Triomphe was standing there waiting for her, so why bother wasting cement and steel to build it?

Sif tightened the reins, slowed down the horse, and let it walk towards Roland step by step with a brisk "da da da" step.

She suddenly thought of the scene when she was performing in a stage play with Roland.

The cheers of "champion" that were ringing like thunder at that time and the "Long live the queen" that are echoing over the city now are actually the same.

It was their affirmation of her, and also the result of her and Roland's hard work together.

As long as Roland was there, she was not afraid of anything.

Even if the sky collapses, the stars dim, and divine punishment comes, she is not afraid.

Roland raised his scepter, and his clear voice echoed over the square.

"Hail to Her Majesty, hail the victory, hail the invincible warriors!"

The cheers rang out again, this time even louder.

There were people in the crowd who were responsible for maintaining order and they took the lead in shouting out prepared slogans. Driven by the herd effect, others also followed suit and shouted out inspiring slogans.

Sif jumped lightly, walked towards Roland, took the scepter from Roland, and raised it high.

As the scepter was raised, the atmosphere in the venue reached a climax.

The champagne cork popped out of the bottle with a "pop", and the goblet filled with fine wine contained not only the joy of victory, but also the momentum of the empire as the world's number one power.

Great, everyone is back.

Walder, who was standing behind Roland, suddenly felt his vision go dark.

He managed to keep himself steady, not wanting his weakness to be exposed to the public, and certainly not wanting his students to see his tired look.

Fortunately, his student was hugging his lover and didn't pay any attention to him.

Young people have grown up, and it's time for the old ones to leave.

Walder tried hard to force a smile, but he felt a chill in his heart.

It was a hot summer day, but he felt inexplicably cold.

As expected, he is old. After this battle, he really wants to retire and return to his hometown to enjoy his old age.

Walder kept his head down and maintained a steady gait, blending into the crowd and preparing to go to the Queen's Palace.

Just when he was in a daze, someone suddenly grabbed his right arm.

He was a little displeased. Do I look that old?

Just as he was about to glare at the reckless guy who was supporting him, he saw Sif with a smile on her face.

"Teacher, I encountered a lot of things outside this time, and I want to share them with you. Are you interested in listening to some stories?"

Walder's anger vanished, his lips stretched into a smile that floated across his wrinkled face.

"That's great. I used to tell you stories, but I never thought that my good student could tell me about what he saw and heard outside. Of course I'm willing to listen."

He knew very well that Sif's storytelling was just an excuse, and her real purpose was to support him.

No one noticed his weakness, but Sif did.

She is the queen, the perfect person admired by everyone, but in front of him she is still that simple student.

The long river of time seems to have never flowed.

Sif held Walder's arm and walked slowly, casually talking about what she saw and heard during the attack on the Kingdom of Oden.

Actually, there is nothing much to say. Mr. Wald is knowledgeable and has seen a lot. What has he not seen?

Although I wanted to take the opportunity to help the teacher who was a little tired after waiting outside for a long time, I still had to say something.

such as
"Teacher, did you know that when the sirens sing on the shore, their voices are also different. Munina"

Siren song?

Walder raised his eyebrows, his interest piqued.

He only knew the general course of the war from the battle reports, and only Sif, who was on the front line, knew the specific progress.

Sif cleared her throat and began her story from the siege of the capital of Oden.

King Oden is worthy of being called a super strong city that will never fall.

Despite having made sufficient preparations and despite the fact that the first and fourth large fleets surrounded the isolated city from the open sea, they still encountered a lot of trouble when attacking the city.

In the end, the city gate was opened with the singing of Munina and Shiv.

“It was a wonderful concert, and Munina and I worked together perfectly.”

Recalling the scene of singing amidst the gunfire, Sif still felt a little excited.

Walder listened with great interest, then sighed, "Unfortunately, this secret technique is only most effective the first time. The next enemy capitals will be on guard."

As long as you know the power and range of the Siren Song, you can deal with it calmly.

Whether it is interference or other means, one song cannot bring down two cities.

Sif just smiled slightly, her eyes drifting towards the far east, where Fort St. Rurik was located.

She hadn't expected the Siren Song to do much.

Do you want to seduce Sophia with this singing?

There will be no more siege battles, only city defense battles, and the enemy's defenses are just for show.

Seeing that Sif did not continue the topic, Walder did not continue, but sighed softly:

"Sif, you have all grown up, and I should be relieved. After this battle, my old bones can't stand the torment anymore, and I really have to retire."

"Be sure to come to my estate to taste the wine when you have time."

Walder smiled easily.

Sif looked at the teacher with complicated eyes, opened her mouth, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Walder pretended to be angry and muttered in dissatisfaction: "Why, don't you want an old man like me to retire early?"

Sif nodded helplessly.

In fact, the words were already on her lips, but the teacher was faster.

Of course, she didn't want the teacher to be exhausted, and she was really worried about the teacher's mental state just now.

She originally wanted to put him into semi-retirement early by asking him to return to his hometown to take charge.

She was really worried that her teacher would die on the job and she wouldn't be able to explain to his wife.

Seeing the flames of passion burning in her teacher's eyes, Sif had no choice but to put the thought to rest.

The teacher's eyes were so determined that it would be impolite to refuse him, and it might even make him remember it.

Forget it. Next time, she and Roland should be more diligent and try not to leave the troublesome things to the teacher.

The cheers continued and the bard's singing was melodious, but Sif was no longer in the mood to appreciate it.

Three days later, an invitation letter from the Golden Kite Republic government was placed in front of Sif and Roland.

"Become emperor in a republic and change your family name to the House of Bonaparte?"

Sif curled her lips and said nothing, but in her heart she had a new understanding of Alina.

This guy really knows how to judge the situation and is quite shameless.

Even she would be able to act as an emperor in a republic.

As the saying goes, "A person is known by the company he keeps." Sif, who has been influenced by Roland for many years, is no longer the innocent and idle earl she used to be.

Politicians need to save face, but they can be shameless, and Sif is now an excellent politician.

She handed the invitation to Roland and said with a smile, "Thank you for your help."

Roland took a glance and shook his head slowly.

"Don't be cautious. I trust you." Sif thought Roland was trying to avoid suspicion by making a promise, and a smile appeared on the corners of her lips.

As long as she has this intention, she believes Roland will not break his promise.

A smart woman will never embarrass her man.

Roland was allowed to go last time, but he is not allowed to go this time. How will Alina see him?

She didn't want Roland to be branded as a henpecked man.

However, Roland still shook his head and said, "Let's go together."

"why?"

"The chance of Sophia going may be small, but it is definitely not zero." Roland said with a smile.

"You mean, the monarchs of the major countries in Rodinia will go to Xidai, and this is the last chance for compromise?" Sif's eyes lit up.

"Although I am pessimistic about a quick peace, we have to try. In addition to negotiations, we must also be present if Sophia suddenly turns hostile."

Sif didn't say anything, but just agreed with her eyes.

Indeed, if Sophia really attacks Alina without moral integrity, the soul-blood link will backfire.

Beyond a certain range, the link effect is halved. They probably won't die with Alina, but they will definitely suffer irreversible damage.

Being seriously injured at this time is no different from dying.

They have no choice.

No wonder the invitation letter was not in a negotiating tone, but directly informed them of where they would be staying.

summer palace.

A deep blue ice spirit condensed behind Sophia who was watching the sea.

Bing Ling's voice was as cold as ever, "Master, your human servant Angelina wants to see you urgently."

"Let her come here."

Sophia didn't look back, but continued to watch the sea.

After a moment, hurried footsteps were heard from behind.

"Angelina, your heartbeat is a little fast, what happened?"

Angelina was not surprised to sense the heartbeat from ten meters away.

In her eyes, Sophia is the synonym of omnipotence.

She even firmly believed that with the arrival of the final day of return, Sophia would be able to become a god.

Isn't it true? Is there anyone in the world who is more qualified than Sophia?

Angelina put aside her random thoughts and held up the invitation with both hands.

"Your Majesty, this is an invitation from the Golden Kite Kingdom, asking you to attend the new emperor's coronation ceremony in fifteen days."

"The new emperor is Alina?"

Sophia was slightly stunned, then showed seven parts of disdain and three parts of regret.

"What a pity! Although Carlo is old-fashioned, he is also a man with ideas. He just never dreamed that his precious daughter would usurp the fruits of his battle."

"I didn't expect his republic to last only 20 years. What a pity."

Sophia's long hair fluttered in the sea breeze, and the blue color was a little deeper than it was a few months ago.

"I'm not going. You go on my behalf and see how those little guys are doing. I'm just curious about the name of the new empire."

Angelina was silent for a few seconds, then said quietly:

"Your Majesty, the Golden Kite Nation. The Golden Kite Nation has not changed its name. They are still a republic."

"Um?!"

Sophia turned around slowly, and a rare hint of surprise flashed in her eyes as deep as the ocean.

She took the invitation from Angelina and her eyes lit up.

"She's actually the emperor of the Republic. Interesting. By the way, who will preside over her coronation ceremony? Will it be the Pope of the Court of Plenty or the Court of Light?"

"Neither. It is said to be the Saint of Light Christine." Angelina said carefully.

"Is that the little butcher?" Sophia was stunned for a moment, a smile on her lips.

"These little guys are really interesting. Please make some arrangements for me and I will go there myself."

Angelina breathed a sigh of relief and quickly obeyed the order.

Before leaving, she couldn't help but remind Sophia, "Your Majesty, you are only a few years older than them."

Sophia smiled and patted Angelina's shoulder without saying anything.

She is indeed not old, but she has experienced so much that she always forgets her age.

After watching Angelina leave, Sophia once again stood on the cliff by the sea, looking at the clear sea water that was slightly blue.

It can be seen that Alina still wants to make a final effort for peace.

She was a little curious about what other cards Miss Alina had. She wouldn't try to convince her with her skillful debating skills, would she?
If that were all, she would be very disappointed.

Anyway, go and have a look.

Whether it's being an emperor in the republic or persuading her to eat vegetarian food, it's all very interesting.

(End of this chapter)