The Diocese of Bodog was located in the middle west of the kingdom, adjacent to Eiffta, and further away from the royal family.
In Roddy's memory, this diocese was the place where the Rebel Army rose after the Orc invasion. Surrounded by mountains and two rivers as a barrier, the core territory of the diocese was easy to defend and difficult to attack due to its natural environment. Back then, it was here that Sodelor 'rose in revolt', leading the civilians who had nowhere else to retreat on the road to resist the Orcs.
If war broke out, Bishop Benjamin would definitely be Roddy's main support in the Rose Cross. This way, the Diocese of Bodog could be connected to Eiffta, effectively expanding its' strategic depth '!
Roddy would never think that he would win every battle. He was very clear about the significance of 'strategic depth' in war. During the 'Blitzkrieg' in World War II, Poland did not have enough strategic depth. It only lasted for nine days before the German army attacked Warsaw. The entire country was directly destroyed by the overwhelming enemy, and had no choice but to sign a surrender agreement after 28 days. Roddy did not want the Kingdom of Karen to suffer the same fate.
"The Diocese of Bodog is a good place."
Roddy and the Bishop continued to chat for a while. Benjamin knew that it was time for him to leave, so he politely said goodbye.
When only Roddy and Angmar were left in the study, the old and the young naturally talked about the Orcs.
"I saw the news from Sora Outpost. The reason why the Orcs appeared there is a little strange. I need more information to make a judgment."
The Dukes Of Angmar raised his hand and pointed at the desk. His voice was weak, "Deploy the troops on the map first. This is about all I can do."
Roddy picked up the map and found that the direction of the outposts, fortresses and defense lines were marked out. This proved that the Duke had used almost all the resources in his hands on the prevention of war.
This more or less moved Roddy. After all, this meant that the Duke had 'complete trust' in him. He could imagine that if it were any other noble, even if they believed that the Orcs would invade, they would not be able to really put in so much effort to prevent it.
This was the true meaning of not suspecting people.
Rody slowly took a deep breath and quickly got rid of his emotions. Trust represented the recognition of strength. He understood that he was not here to be a freeloader. He carefully looked at the map and narrowed his eyes. "I am not sure if it is just an illusion, but the Orcs appeared at Sora Outpost. It seems like they are here to defend a few key areas."
"The Great Plains of Nehemia is a natural barrier. Back then, Great Emperor Kang En had chased them there so that the kingdom would have the upper hand … Speaking of which, as the Duke of the borders, my duty is to defend against foreign enemies. But now, I realize that all these years … cough cough … there are too many things that I have not done properly."
The Dukes Of Angmar's tone was filled with self-blame. His face had aged due to his illness, but his eyes were as sharp as ever. He ran his finger across a few areas and sighed, "There are many loopholes in the defense here, but I've been working hard to fix them. Sora Outpost is the one with the biggest loophole because it's a special area."
"A no-man 's-land often means chaos and trouble."
Roddy looked at the intersection of the lines on the map. "Sora Outpost" was built on the border of the Kingdom of Karen. Standing there and looking northwest, the Gondola Mountains of Tasman were on the left, the Great Plains of Nehemia on the right, and the Kingdom of Karen on the back. It was in the middle of nowhere, and the nearest supply station was more than 100 kilometers away. It was a desolate area that looked like an isolated island.
"I've invested the most resources in Sora Outpost, but the results are not good. Recently, there have been reports of soldiers dying in battle … Obviously, the exploration there is not going well." Duke's voice was tinged with worry. "There is too little useful information. The terrain there is complicated, and there are more monsters than in any forest. It's really a headache."
Rody understood the difficulties involved, but he did not have the intention to make the trip himself. He had a lot of things to do. If he were to do the work of a soldier now, it would be a waste of his energy.
"Then we can only wait for new information. This can't be rushed. The important thing is … can the logistics keep up?"
"It's a little difficult. The territory's revenue is not very optimistic."
Angmar did not give a specific figure, but he was being honest.
However, Roddy obviously had a lot to say about this problem. "I may have a suitable solution for the financial side …"
War cost money, and it was more expensive than anything else. The territory had not made much profit in the past few years, and it was inevitable that the territory would be financially strapped if they suddenly started this plan. Angmar had thought of many ways and was even prepared to raise the tax rate, but it was like drinking poison to quench one's thirst. He could not find a real solution.
So after hearing Roddy's words … Angmar looked up and asked incredulously, "You really have a solution?"
At this moment, Roddy involuntarily activated the "Bluff Mode". He recalled the people who promoted Amway products in his memory. He coughed and said, "Lord Duke, have you heard of the Wood Elves?"
*****
While Roddy and Angmar were discussing the business problems of Elsa Village, Suren and Natha had been settled in the luxurious guest rooms of the Ducal Palace.
Although Suren was a human and Natha was a Wood Elf, and they grew up in very different environments, they had the same reaction when they were in this mansion that had accumulated countless wealth and was built more than two hundred years ago.
Shock.
Suren had never been to a big noble's mansion before today. When the maidservant led him into the warm and comfortable guest room, he realized that his imagination of a "noble's mansion" in the past was simply laughable.
It was not like the luxurious and eye-catching buildings of the upstart gentry, which were inlaid with gold and silver and wished that the floor could be paved with gold bricks. Everything in the Duke's Mansion seemed to be quietly hiding the word "heritage" under the surface.
Suren lifted his foot and stepped on the carpet. The material was soft, the craftsmanship was exquisite, and it emitted a faint fragrance. The furniture in front of him was simple and exquisite, and the layout was comfortable. The surface of the solid wood was extremely smooth. After years of use and maintenance, the simple yet weathered atmosphere was far more intoxicating than gold.
The candlesticks were made of silver, and the armchair in front of the fireplace was probably three or four times older than Suren. Almost every piece of furniture and decoration was carved by top masters. Ordinary people might think that they were beautiful, but they didn't know that the value of the furniture itself had already exceeded the value of gold of the same volume.
Sitting here, Suren couldn't help but feel the majesty of a big family that had lasted for hundreds of years. There was an inexplicable pressure in his heart. Even if the maidservant humbly provided various services for him, he still couldn't really relax.
The strength that Roddy showed now was already so amazing. Then in the future … what kind of changes would he bring?
Great confusion filled Suren's mind, but after a long time, an inexplicable fighting spirit and expectation rose up. He suddenly realized that what was waiting for him next might be a "future" that he had never imagined.
From this moment on, Suren had no other thoughts and completely became a member of Roddy's camp.
In another guest room, Natha stood in an antique room, looking at everything around her at a loss.
Compared to the simple and crude Elsa Village, everything in front of her was undoubtedly the other extreme.
After the maidservant left, the indifference on Natha's face gradually faded, replaced by undisguised astonishment. Unlike Suren's "inferiority complex" due to his family background, Natha's astonishment this time came from the "curiosity" buried deep in her heart.
She looked left and right and raised her hand to touch it. However, she remembered what Rody had said to her. Her fingers, which were reaching for the quill, froze in the air. She then reluctantly withdrew her hand.
If I break it, my teacher will definitely scold me.
After repeating this to herself several times, Natha suppressed the little impulse. After thinking for a while, she simply put her hands behind her back and strolled back and forth in the room. If someone could see her "curious baby" appearance at this moment, he or she would probably think that she was a completely different person from the indifferent Natha in the past.
Cushions embroidered with wolf heads, wooden pillars carved with human stories, genuine "Excellent" longswords on the weapons rack … Whenever she found something new, Natha would put her delicate face close to it, carefully scrutinize it, sniff it, and then raise her head, blinking her big eyes, looking for the next target …
Even she herself did not realize that she had subconsciously removed her fear and vigilance towards the human world. Sometimes, she even forgot the reason why she followed Roddy in the first place — everyone was changing. Natha originally thought that she should put all her energy into studying archery, but now … studying the strange things of human beings seemed to be far more interesting than archery …
Is this the "big city" of human beings that teacher mentioned?
It's really spectacular … such a high city wall, it's difficult to even climb up, and those houses with pointed roofs are even taller than the tallest trees in the forest. Are they all built by humans?
And … their clothes are so beautiful!
In Natha's eyes, even the maid who sent her here, that kind of lace dress was a novelty that made her envious. It seemed that women naturally liked beautiful clothes regardless of race. Because of the drastic change of environment, Natha was as cold as an iceberg in the past, finally caused the deeply buried thoughts in her heart to gradually surface: I really don't know what I would look like in that kind of dress … Would it look good?
But if I do that, teacher will probably scold me …
Thinking of Roddy's warning to her, Natha sighed slightly. Looking at the spacious and comfortable big bed, she felt that directly going to sleep seemed to be the best choice.
But Natha, who had a serious "mysophobia", would definitely not go to sleep directly. She looked at the room in the guest room that led to other rooms, gritted her teeth, and finally made up her mind to open the door — And she did find what she needed.
It was a marble bathtub that was heated by a magic circle, and the water was sprinkled with flower petals …
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