Heart of the Castle

Chapter 816 The Conflict Between Correctness and Justice
After Grand Duke Zandora's voice fell to the ground, there was no one making a sound for several minutes, and the surroundings seemed to have become a deep and silent forest, instead of the bustling market square just now, where people escaped from the crack in the door of the tavern. The joyful songs and laughter seemed to be hundreds of kilometers away suddenly, and it sounded like it was out of reach.

He finally said it.

This is a sign that the rift in the Glory Alliance can no longer be healed. This is an opportunity for the Kingdom of Arthur to surpass the Kingdom of Deldes. This is even more for Levi Ston to march south to seize the sovereignty of a country from the hands of the Temple of Glory. The invitation, and the just name for accomplishing this!
This sentence should not have been proposed by the regent who holds great power in the Kingdom of Deldes. Li Weiston felt a strange chill in his heart, and subconsciously raised his eyes, with an incomprehensible light shining in his eyes. "Your Excellency, Grand Duke Zandora, do you know what your actions mean? According to you, the Kingdom of Deldes will lose its independent power for a long time, and it needs to follow in the footsteps of the Kingdom of Arthur Go forward, no matter the abyss or the paradise ahead."

"I am very clear about what I am doing, Your Excellency Leviston, the Kingdom of Deldes does not have independent power now, and I believe more in you who have always abided by the motto of the knights , can bring a new beginning to the Kingdom of Deldes." At least from the expression and tone, Grand Duke Zandora's mood has calmed down, and he replied word by word, "As for whether I can continue to hold Power, this has never been a problem, I can use this opportunity to leave the center of power safely, without having to follow the old path of the regent kings who used to be powerful for a while-either brazenly launch a rebellion and become king on their own, or when the new king ascends the throne Amid the cheers, the curtain call was slumped, and I drank a glass full of poisonous wine brewed by myself."

"I need time...to think about it carefully." Li Weiston let out a heavy breath, what he needs more now is to sort out his mind that was confused by these words.After the recovery of Arthur's kingdom, the young regent thought that peace was about to come to the land, but the words of Grand Duke Zandora crushed the vague hope in his heart.

Could it be that in the end it is still unavoidable to have a life-and-death struggle with the behemoth of the Guangyao Temple?
Li Wei is not afraid of war. What Li Wei is afraid of is that if he does so, his hands will be stained with the blood of his compatriots, and even more so that he should abide by the power of light and eventually become irretrievably corrupted. Word
"Of course, please seriously consider my request, Your Excellency Leviston, but the time is short, and I am afraid there is not much room for hesitation. In any case, I hope to hear your exact answer before the celebration... ...It's getting late, please forgive me and leave first." After the regent of the Kingdom of Deldes finished speaking, he nodded slightly to the people around him, then covered his face with the hood of his robe, and left the market square in a hurry. The figure from the back quickly merged into the darkness of the night.

"Alan Skett, follow and protect him until you see His Excellency Zandora return to the temporary residence of the envoys of various countries." Li Wei ordered to the side, but there was no one there, only a flame was blown by Night Breeze Blowing and shaking pine torches.

"Listen to your wishes, Master Li Wei." A hoarse voice came from the shadow under the torch, with a sinister aftertaste like a rattlesnake hissing a letter at the end of the sentence, and then the shadow shook and stretched, A part of them broke away suddenly, darting away from the ground like an arrow leaving the string, and disappeared in the direction that Grand Duke Zandora left.

The legendary shadow assassin has followed.

"Although Grand Duke Zandora's proposal is still selfish and distracting, the probing technique tells me that at least he is not hostile to us." After a period of silence, Levi said with a heavy tone, "Mr. Dish, it seems As you guessed, the Temple of Glory is planning a huge conspiracy. They will use the three kingdoms of the Glory Alliance and more than a dozen duchies to form a strangulation net, and they want to make the Kingdom of Arthur gradually lose its vitality in the strict blockade .”

"This is the worst situation among the many speculations that Master Sugard and I conducted in the sand table. The power that was supposed to protect human beings has to be worn out by the desire of careerists." Mr. Dish's face He didn't show a happy expression because the guess was accurate, and he looked as heavy as Li Wei, "The only good news is that we don't need to send troops brazenly without excuses to tear this strangling net. Your Excellency Grand Duke Zandorah gave us the best excuse."

"Is this sad war...unavoidable?" Li Wei's tone was between uneasiness and anger, "Mr. Dish, can we use diplomatic means in the form of formal negotiations to deter the Shining Temple from giving up on them? conspiracy?"

"Of course, Master Levi, but I'm afraid it's meaningless to do that." Mr. Dish shook his head slowly, which was a very sad gesture, "The reason why a conspiracy is called a conspiracy is because it is difficult to find , it is even more difficult to expose it to the sun. Afraid of the threat of force, the Glory Temple will of course deny and cover up their actions, and announce that there is no restriction on prohibiting the trade and passage between the Glory Alliance and the Kingdom of Arthur. But in private , they will continue to carry out their actions, and they will be more secretive. The priests of the Temple of Radiance will wander around the towns and villages of various countries, describing the Kingdom of Arthur as a lawless place where heretics gather and sorcery is rampant; They will even send apostolic knights to pretend to be gangs of thieves, kill people and rob goods at the border, and then put all the crimes on us. It won’t take a few months for that invisible net of strangulation to form again, and at that time, don’t we Is it still possible to file a solemn protest with the Temple of Glory because of banditry happening on the border from time to time?"

Li Wei took a step back, his body tensed, feeling that the blade of despair had pierced his heart with cold pain, "This... this is simply..." The young regent couldn't find the words to express his indignation, and he He had to keep his lips closed, because a sentence of curses characteristic of the rudeness of the North had been squeezed to his lips, and as long as he opened his mouth, he would spit out endlessly.

"It's darker than dusk, worse than demons, and crueler than death!" The Bamilian chief raised his hands and cursed loudly in a trembling and thin voice, "This is vicious like a barbed snake's teeth!" Trick! This is simply a horrible crime that exudes a rotten smell like a tomb! Even the Father God, who has always been merciful, will be furious when he sees it. Throw down his sharp spears on the holy mountain, and stop these sinners from continuing to write sinful chapters!"

"Good voice, I didn't expect you to have the potential of a bard." Rist Robinson played a happy note on the lute, and then proposed enthusiastically, "Boss Bamilian, do you have the potential to be a bard?" Interested in participating in a singing competition at the New Year’s Eve, at the Yanyu Bone Tavern in Xinjie District, where I have won several championships, but this time the stingy old red robe told me that the original rules of playing and singing alone have been changed , You need at least two people to compete in a team."

"It's a great honor to be invited by you, Mr. Rist Robinson." The palace steward replied with a smile on his face, and there was a kind of deliberately cheerful tone in his tone, "However, the New Year's Day will be next week, and it will almost coincide with the recovery ceremony." Together, time is running out, I don't believe you haven't worked hard, who is the partner you found before me?"

"His singer's name is Lone Wolf at Twilight. He is a very good clarinetist, and he can also perform beautiful juggling tricks." Rist Robinson's tone was very relaxed, but the lute was not the same as At the same time, a melancholy and sad tune sounded, "The only trouble is that when he opened his mouth to sing, perhaps two years ago, his singing voice was still mellow and thick, but a cruel sharp knife completely destroyed it, It becomes hoarse and hard to hear."

"Oh, how cruel, that's such a pity." The Bamilian manager sighed, "Art should not be destroyed by steel..."

"Don't listen to his boasting, Hespros's voice has never been mellow and rich." Sir Rodriguez suddenly interrupted with a cold and stern tone, "For the sake of Kushimo, the Eternal Sleeper, Reese Trubinson, you actually believe that a believer in death can have a beautiful singing voice? He's already giving you face if he doesn't make you howl of the banshee."

With a "poof", the young regent couldn't help laughing, and then he found that his heavy heart had disappeared, "It's not a good idea to perform with Jazz Brokenface, Rist, in comparison, Chief Bamilian is indeed a better choice." He interjected, hoping to end this discussion as soon as possible, and return the focus of the topic to the imminent threat to the Temple of Glory.

"Now we know at least one thing, and that is what kind of evil intentions are hidden under the gentle mask of the Guangyao Temple." When Li Wei opened his mouth, the relaxed atmosphere that filled the surroundings suddenly disappeared, and he was about to sing aloud. The crooked Rist Robinson had a look of disappointment on his face.

"Their plans are very vicious. The Kingdom of Arthur lost more than one-third of its population in the disaster, and most of them were well-trained soldiers. We must recruit some young and strong labor to supplement the army in order to better restore order and defend The frontier... However, these labor forces are also urgently needed for industrial and agricultural production, and it is very important for the revival of the Kingdom of Arthur to absorb some of the refugees who live in hardship from the Shining Alliance."

"The labor shortage is so severe that it is about to stop Firmeyer's restoration work." Director Bamilian complained in a pitiful tone, "The Marquis Jellos, who is in charge of the economy, has already held an informal meeting of the round table council. I have put forward several proposals on the Internet, hoping to use a more proactive attitude to fight for labor, rather than just waiting for refugees to come to seek refuge."

"Commerce is almost equally important." Li Wei cleared his throat and continued, "I once heard Master Sugard say that the mineral resources in the Kingdom of Arthur are not rich, and it needs to import a large amount of ore from several southern kingdoms to meet military and military requirements. The daily needs of the people. Although several mines of considerable scale have been discovered from North Border County, these mines cannot be mined normally when the mountains are blocked by heavy snow in winter, and the output is not enough to make up for the entire gap.”

"You have grasped the key point of the matter, Master Levi." Mr. Dish nodded in agreement, "There is no kingdom on the mainland that does not need to conduct foreign commercial exchanges, and the Kingdom of Arthur also has many special products, which are urgently needed by the countries under the Glorious Alliance. .When trade was banned in the Temple of Glory, not only the Kingdom of Arthur was weakened, but also the countries under the Glory Alliance. Abyssal demons are not a problem that has been solved. The ambitious Abyssal Lord will never be willing to fail. The strength of the kingdom is declining, and when the flames of war are ignited, can we win again?"

Li Wei seemed to have taken a sip of sour bitter water suddenly, and even frowned deeply, "So..."

"So we should agree to the request of Grand Duke Zandora of the Kingdom of Deldes, and we have to do more, not only the Kingdom of Deldes, but also the Kingdom of Floresa and the Kingdom of Sigis from the Glory Temple. Rescued from oppression." Chief Bamilian patted his chest impassionedly, his face flushed with excitement, it seemed that if he hadn't been bloated, the head eunuch would have put on his horse and charged at the front line.

"That's right, Master Levy, a war, but not as brutal as you think, for we all know where the real enemy is," replied Mr. Dish. "Our real enemy is the corrupted The Temple of Radiance, although it has not been verified, but I am sure that they believe in a false god, not the real Lord of Radiance, Flandara; we have a more terrifying enemy in the bottomless abyss, and he is always there It may tear the earth apart and send out batches of cruel and ruthless demon minions. The people of the Radiant Alliance are not our enemies, and we do not have the desire to kill in our hearts, let alone set their homes on fire."

"That's very nice, Mr. Dish, are you describing to me an expedition as happy as an outing?" Levi knew he shouldn't say this in a caustic tone, but he found that on this depressing night , it was really unbearable to bear the nameless anger burning in his chest. "Griffon riders in festive attire gallop past the joyful citizens of the Confederation of Shining while waving, who smile, cheer and applaud?"

Mr. Dish hesitated for a moment, his expression was serious at first, but now he was as cold as a rock, "There are many honest and exciting words to describe our approach, but I don't want to say any prevarication and cover-up here. Sophistry. That’s right, Master Li Wei, this is a conquest against the Glorious Alliance, or in other words, a pre-emptive invasion that had to be launched in order to avoid serious losses to the interests of the Kingdom of Arthur.”

The old magician paused, organized his words, and stabilized his emotions at the same time, and then continued to speak frankly, "We will not be welcomed by any low-level people in the Glory Alliance, but will be seriously hostile, even among the nobles and knights. , They have accepted the belief of the Lord of Radiance for too long, so long that they can completely regard us as invading heretics, and the truth is... indeed."

The texture of pain is deeply embedded in Li Wei's brows, like a deep rift, "Therefore, a civil war between the human kingdoms must be fought. Regardless of the outcome, countless innocent people will be separated from their wives and their families will be destroyed. ?”

"Because only doing this is the best choice to crack the plan of the Shining Temple's strangulation network." The director of Bamilian replied softly, "Your Excellency the Regent, what Mr. Dish said is correct, except for launching a war decisively." , other methods can only alleviate for a while, and even have no effect."

"This is really...a practical approach!" Li Wei couldn't help frowning. He subconsciously felt a little dissatisfied with what Mr. Dish and Chief Bamilyan said, but he knew in his heart that they didn't say anything wrong. matter.In order to protect the interests of the Kingdom of Arthur, the interests of the Kingdom of Deldes will inevitably be damaged. What's more, the regent of Deldes accepted this loss willingly, even wishing for it.

"For the benefit of the Kingdom of Arthur, and for the common well-being of all mankind, some things have to be done." Mr. Dish put a hand that was withered like a branch on Levi's shoulder, and his tone became deep and relieved Huan, "I know, this is very painful. We are no longer the righteous teachers who liberated the suffering people from the devil, but are regarded as careerists who want to seize wealth and power and invade other countries... But we have no other way. If you are a stupid person, it is easy to handle, wandering in the middle of the garden of exotic flowers and plants, listening to the fountains and music interplaying with each other, and Sir Rodriguez plus several other legendary strongmen are enough to make any People don't dare to offend your little homeland, you just need to turn a blind eye to the suffering of the people at the bottom and ignore their cries, can you do this with peace of mind?"

"Of course I can't!" Li Wei's retort was almost subconsciously roaring from his throat, and then his emotions gradually stabilized, "Please forgive me, Mr. Dish, what you said is right, but I still can't accept it for a while. ...Today is too tired and too late, let's continue discussing this issue tomorrow."

"I respect my wishes, Master Levi." The old magician smiled and nodded, "Just remember one thing, your choice will be the path that the Kingdom of Arthur will undoubtedly embark on. No matter where it goes, those of us Everyone is ready to go with you."

(End of this chapter)