Heart of the Castle

Chapter 813 Cracks in the Glorious Alliance
Although Levi Ston did not refuse the gracious invitation of Grand Duke Zandora of the Deldes Kingdom, it is not so simple to hold a secret meeting with only two people participating, at least it is impossible in this castle-like building. .Grand Duke Zandola proposed to wait until the meeting with the envoys of various countries was over, and go to the business district in the east of Firmeyer in disguise. Li Wei thought about it thoughtfully, and then nodded in agreement.

The two separated immediately, because with the sound of the horn sounded again, the envoys of the Kingdom of Floresa and the Kingdom of Sigis also rushed out of the gate, followed by more than a dozen small principalities and free cities with different costumes representative.Levi had to be patient and shook hands with them one by one, and then smiled and listened to their gorgeous rhetoric but superficial and boring diplomatic rhetoric, praising Arthur's kingdom and his great achievements during this period.

It took Levi Stern a full two hours to meet with the envoys from various countries, but the content was really lackluster.When politicians from a dozen different countries gather together, it is not a good opportunity to talk about important things, let alone the vast majority of these people have ulterior motives, or are so short-sighted that it is difficult to perceive the truth.

"According to some people, I became a magical wizard. I just waved my fingers and wiped out an army of 10,000+ demons." Strolling on the streets of the bustling business district of Fermeyer, he sighed, "They never saw the blood and sacrifices of ordinary soldiers and people in the Kingdom of Arthur. The unyielding blood of the resisters was sprinkled on the territory ravaged by the army."

"That's because your achievements are too dazzling, hanging high in the dark sky like a bright moon, so that most people, including me, cannot see the stars shining behind the bright moon." Grand Duke Zandora said when he needed to compliment When speaking, the ingenious language and the humility of the attitude are absolutely comparable to that of the Bamilian chief who is proficient in this way. "Your Excellency Levi Ston, although I cannot deny the price paid by the people of the Kingdom of Arthur, but without the invincibility of the Griffin Banner, would these costs eventually turn into victory?"

Li Wei showed a dumbfounded smile, then shook his head and said, "You are really an excellent diplomat, Your Excellency Grand Duke Zandora. Now let's turn to the topic, your urgent request to have a secret talk with me is not just Is it to talk about how the Kingdom of Arthur expelled the demons and restored the entire territory?"

Grand Duke Zandora's face showed surprise for the first time tonight, "Your Excellency Levi Ston, do you mean that we are talking in secret here? On the streets of the business district full of people and crowded with each other?"

"Why not?" The Bamilian manager, who was dressed as a merchant, interjected, "Whether it's in a tavern or elsewhere, a few sneaky people talking will always attract more attention from spies. the secret room is even worse, no matter how tight the magic barrier is, it can't prevent the peeping of the big prophecy that the person casts. But this is not the case on the street, even if the gods in the sky prick up their ears and want to It’s also difficult to cut through the noise and noise and hear what we’re saying now.”

The corner of Grand Duke Zandora's mouth twitched, and he raised his hand to twirl the well-groomed beard on his chin, trying to hide his inner tension with this action. "My lord, your words confuse me. I don't know who you are talking about?"

"Of course it is the man who is closest to the golden sun." The Bamilian manager replied sharply, "Your Excellency, Grand Duke Zandora, you have great power in Deldes, and you can live or die as you please, and your nephew, that is, Deldes His Majesty Candom II, the king of Des, is only four years old, no matter what, he will not be able to pose the slightest threat to your status within ten years..."

Grand Duke Zandora's expression became slightly stiff, and then he interrupted softly, not without embarrassment, "As expected of Lord Bamilyan, who is known as the 'sleepless eye, eternal attention', I have no way to hide my thoughts. Your eyes." Then his face became serious, and he took a deep breath, as if to strengthen his mind for what he was about to say. "Your Excellency Levi Ston, then I will stop making excuses to cover up. That's right, what I want to talk to you is good for both of us, and that is to let the Kingdom of Deldes get rid of the Temple of Radiance and... that human control."

Li Wei had indeed expected it in his heart, but when Grand Duke Zandora said this clearly, there was still a trace of dignity on his face. "Your Excellency Grand Duke Zandora, isn't the matter you're talking about... an internal affair of the Kingdom of Deldes? As the regent of the Kingdom of Arthur, what right do I have to interfere with this matter?"

"What kind of power do you need?" Grand Duke Zandora snorted, "If it's just power in name, I can entrust you with both hands, but power in reality..." He looked around with piercing eyes, and then Showing a sly smile, "It's in your hands!"

Four or five blood daggers disguised as pedestrians seemingly randomly set up a protective net around them, and tens of meters away, there are the second and third lanes laid down by the Griffin Champion Knight and the Crusader Swordsman. road protection net.With the addition of Sir Rodriguez, who took off his black armor and temporarily wore a black robe of the Abrahams, and Rist Robinson, who held a harp in his hand and a holy sword hanging from his waist? The golden morning light, the seemingly bustling business district was completely completed. Even if the strongest Knights of the Sword of Condemnation under the command of the Temple of Glory were dispatched in full force, they would never think of hurting a single hair of Levi Stern in a hurry.

"Essential power?" Li Wei stretched out his hands in confusion, "Grand Duke Zandora, what do you mean when you say that the actual power is in my hands?"

"Your Excellency Levi Ston, is there any power that is more persuasive than powerful force?" Grand Duke Zandora reminded with a smile, "Don't we, foreign leaders who hold great power, come to the Kingdom of Arthur from thousands of miles away? Are you afraid of this elite army in your hands? Is there any reason other than the legendary powerhouses of the Griffon Knights to keep the Temple of Radiance at bay, and even open up to the emerging sects of the Kingdom of Arthur in the competition for believers? one side?"

Li Wei opened his mouth to speak, but Grand Duke Zandora just smiled contemptuously, "You don't want to say that the Temple of Glory has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, do you? You don't even think that many kings of the Glory Alliance surrendered to the Temple of Glory because they Are they all devout believers of the golden sun?"

"Of course not." Li Wei shook his head with a wry smile. Even though he was still an apprentice in the Game of Thrones, he could understand that there must be a life-and-death struggle between royal power and divine power. This principality, of course, is not only because of faith, but also because of the cruel struggle soaked in blood.

"Your Excellency, Grand Duke Zandora, I understand what you mean, but forgive me for not agreeing to your request." The young regent stopped and replied in a serious tone, "The Kingdom of Deldes wants to break away from the Glorious Alliance. It is a matter between you and the Temple of Radiance, why should the Kingdom of Arthur get involved? After all, the relationship between us and the Temple of Radiance is fairly friendly."

"It's just superficial friendliness." Grand Duke Zandora also stopped, pointing out earnestly, "Glorious Protestantism has become a religious force that cannot be ignored, because the doctrines are the same, and the relevant clauses are relatively loose, attracting A large number of poor people who were originally dissatisfied with the various heavy taxes of the Glory Temple. In addition, the Kingdom of Arthur was the hardest hit when the disaster came, and the reconstruction of various places required a lot of labor. The Kingdom of Deldes already has many The land poor and bankrupt handicraftsmen migrated from their hometowns with their families."

"Your Excellency Grand Duke Zandora, are you dissatisfied with this?" Li Wei frowned slightly.What Grand Duke Zandora said is correct. The Kingdom of Arthur does have a large demand for manpower. Refugees from surrounding countries have become an important source of labor. In the Kingdom of Knights, the desert country of Abraham, and other principalities, refugees also crossed the border in an endless stream and entered the Kingdom of Arthur to make a living.

For these refugees, the Kingdom of Arthur is of course very desirable, but after all, it violates the default rules among human kingdoms, so if it causes tension with neighboring countries, will the gains outweigh the losses?

Fortunately, Grand Duke Zandora didn't let the young regent continue to embarrass him, "Your Excellency Levi Ston, what are you talking about?" The Kingdom of Deldes supports their families, so how could they risk a long journey to the relatively unfamiliar Kingdom of Arthur to seek a way out? As the regent of the Kingdom of Deldes, I have no ability to make all the people in the kingdom live and work in peace and contentment. It is a great crime, and how can you be dissatisfied with their behavior of seeking their own way."

Li Wei was stunned for a moment, then crossed his arms sincerely, and kowtowed to Grand Duke Zandora, "I must thank the Kingdom of Arthur and those refugees for your tolerance, Your Excellency Grand Duke Zandora." Speak honestly.

"But... Your Excellency Levi Ston, do you know that the Temple of Glory is very dissatisfied with the loss of believers." Grand Duke Zandora showed a worried expression on his face, "Just this month, Saint Bogdan The cardinal has summoned me twice, and each time he has given me a stern reprimand, demanding immediate measures to punish the poor who try to leave Deldes, and even threatening to erect a number of stakes on the border. And it's not just our Kingdom of Deldes, the royal families of the Kingdom of Flora and the Kingdom of Sigis were also reprimanded, and His Majesty Philip II of Flora was also deprived of the title of 'Apologist Saint' Title, I have been downcast for a while."

Li Wei frowned again, "It's too much to threaten to use the stake to deal with the poor." His tone became tougher, "What right does the Guangyao Temple have to do this?"

"Of course they have." Grand Duke Zandora suddenly raised his voice, his face flushed with excitement, "That power lies on the blades of the Four Guardian Knight Orders, on the shining scepter held high in that person's hand In fact, the Kingdom of Deldes does not have the courage to refuse, and it is impossible for other kingdoms to have it! Because as long as I say a word 'no' from my mouth, the Knights of the Sword of Condemnation will regard this small resistance as an attack on the golden sun The blasphemy of Flandala will kill me and everyone in my family!"

"Will the Knights of the Sword of Condemnation do such a thing?" Li Wei muttered in disbelief, "After all, you are the regent of the Kingdom of Deldes. Could it be that they are so unreasonable?"

"Are you shocked? Your Excellency Levi Ston, how do you think Ingram? Is it also a gentle strategy that does not involve bloodshed?" Grand Duke Zandora's tone became sharper, and even seemed aggressive.

"No, I didn't think so." Li Wei shook his head lightly. The deeds of the head of the Knights of the Sword of Condemnation were no strangers to him, and it was not a hearsay rumor, but from Nemok, a Protestant of Guangyao. First-hand information from the mouth of the archbishop and head of the Knights of the Apologists, Treuni Sean.The two former senior members of the Temple of Glory have worked with Head Ingram for many years, especially the latter, who also served as the head of Oita of the Sword of Condemnation.

No matter from which point of view, Chief Ingram Siegfried has nothing to do with the word magnanimity. On the contrary, this legendary paladin is always associated with massacre, extermination, ruthlessness and absolute Words like unforgiveness are associated.Even Treuni Sean, who was the Duke of Swords, had an imperceptible fear on his face when he narrated these things.

"I hold the military and political power of the kingdom just like you, Your Excellency Levi Ston, but how terrified I am by being the regent, can you understand?" Grand Duke Zandora covered his face with trembling hands, The voice came out from between the fingers, it seemed dull and weak, and the tone was broken, "The Temple of Radiance is like an extremely heavy mountain pressing on the head of the Kingdom of Deldes, and countless magnificent temples have been built. Various religious taxes... Do you think there are still many civilians in Deldes who sincerely believe in the Lord of Light, Flandara? Not many, no matter how firm the belief is, it can't satisfy the hungry, let alone There is no way to let the children who are waiting to be fed survive, and those fat-brained Guangyao Bishops don’t care about the lives of civilians. As long as the religious taxes are not paid in full, they will find the magistrate aggressively and order them to make up in time and pay a penalty. money for sex."

Li Wei was silent, he didn't know how to answer.The young regent is not ignorant of the practices of the Glory Temple. Even the restoration king, Fermeyer, had no time to take care of it before. Now that the situation has stabilized, he has already set his sights beyond the border.

Although Grand Duke Zandora's statement contained his personal subjective prejudice, it was not an exaggeration on the whole. The priests and bishops sent by the Temple of Radiance certainly had pious people who believed in Flandara, but more of them were of that kind. A greedy guy with a huge desire for money and power, the three kingdoms of the Glorious Alliance and many duchies have long been unable to withstand the erosion of these blood-sucking worms. The temple, the more it is built, the more magnificent it is.

"Even if I promulgate stricter laws to prevent the poor from fleeing the country, the situation will not improve." Grand Duke Zandora continued with a heavy tone, "The kingdom of Deldes is gradually losing its vitality, and the market Food is scarce and everything is expensive, but the things grown by farmers cannot be bought and sold freely, but must be used to pay various religious taxes; there are more and more glorious priests in the army, and they are gradually replacing traditional knight commanders The power of the king, and let the priest who doesn't understand the war dictate. The poor who can't find a way to live have no choice but to risk their lives across the border and come to the vibrant Kingdom of Arthur to make a living, or become a burnt corpse on the stake - from In a sense, even the second result is much better than watching my wife and children starve to death.”

"This can't happen, it's too scary." Li Wei blurted out, "Anyone—as long as they don't violate the laws of the country, has the right to live. How can a religious organization have the power to kill believers?"

"Because they have powerful force, a desperate force!" Grand Duke Zandora said, "Don't you think we have never resisted? How did my brother, the former king of the Kingdom of Deldes, Kandom I, die? Is it true that, as the world rumors, I secretly carried out a despicable and cruel murder in order to seize power?"

"Isn't that so?" Bamilyan, the chief of the court, interjected sharply, "Your Excellency, Grand Duke Zandola, the relationship between you and your brother is not harmonious, and it doesn't take much wisdom to analyze it, and Isn't it because of this reason that the Glory Temple acquiesces in allowing you to take over the power of the Kingdom of Deldes?"

"I..." Grand Duke Zandora swallowed a mouthful of saliva, "I have to admit, I don't have that much affection for my brother...Of course, he doesn't have that much affection for me either." At the beginning of these words, he was quite The feeling was difficult, but after saying it, the expression relaxed, "His death will not make me feel sad, but I didn't let anyone kill him, and I didn't know what happened in advance!"

(End of this chapter)