"There's no need for 'Magic' to clarify anything. Just publish it the same way as before."
Roddy ordered Camilla, "Throw a few more bombs on the topic of the periodic transformation of the elements to maintain its popularity. Professional journals are not gossip newspapers. Doing your job well is the most important thing."
Roddy initially thought that the Red Dragons were just making a statement. He did not expect that they would support the royal family led by Charles II so strongly.
"Why are they supporting such a useless person?"
Rody could not help but ask as he held the documents in his hands — at the end of the day, he was indeed a little unbalanced. There seemed to be a lot of agreements signed between him and the Frost Dragons, but there were very few that were really useful. They were all superficial. Now, not only did the five major dragon tribes send people to impart magic to the royal family, they even specially built a Magic Tower for the royal family and provided some financial support. Viktor's previous actions seemed a little stingy when compared to Queio's.
If it was not for Kardashian standing firmly on his side, Roddy would almost think that he had been fooled by Victor from the beginning. But Kardashian was quite angry about this … No matter what, the Dragons cared about their reputation. Back then, she looked down on the "Ice Dragon Wings" that Basta gave to Roddy. In order to show that she was more generous, she directly gave Roddy a close-fitting necklace. And now, Queo's actions were obviously a slap in Victor's face. Therefore, this young lady was extremely unhappy. If not for her lack of ability, she would definitely choose to wreak havoc in the royal palace.
"If you can see the true nature of Charles II, then the Dragons should know better. But from another point of view, it is because they are useless that they are easier to manipulate … "
Camilla sat next to Roddy and tried to persuade him in a low voice. These days, she and Roddy had to squeeze in time to even eat. If they wanted to start a war, the details of preparing for the war were so complicated that it could drive people crazy. This was not a small-scale war like the ones Rody had fought before. This was a real 'war'. Based on last year's revenue, three years' worth of gold coins would barely be enough to fill this hole.
When the cannon was fired, ten thousand taels of gold were sold. Roddy had a deep understanding of this from the battles of a few hundred people in the past. However, when the number of people increased to "tens of thousands", the number began to increase exponentially.
All of a sudden, Roddy was faced with all kinds of problems. The support of the Dragons had caused the reputation of Elsen City to plummet, and the morale of the people was dampened. All kinds of war mobilization had been negatively treated by many nobles. Once the sorcerers, whose information was temporarily blocked, knew about this, no one could guarantee that there would not be any vicious incidents such as mutiny. Not to mention the financial situation, Roddy's shortcoming of not having any war experience was highlighted. He had thought that one million gold coins would be enough to support the war for three months, but after careful calculation, Camilla found that the actual amount of money needed might be more than five million …
Of course, this wasn't all Roddy's fault. If the Red Dragons hadn't suddenly supported the royal family, the cost could naturally be reduced by more than half. But reality was always more complicated than plans. After seeing today's news, Roddy actually had the idea of retreating for the first time …
Perhaps, this war should not have been started?
As soon as this idea appeared, it was as if Roddy had found a way out in his heart. Even though Roddy had a moment of becoming a god, it was all a castle in the air after all. He had never really had the experience of holding real power and deciding the life and death of tens of thousands of people. His heart had never been subjected to such a severe moral interrogation … Therefore, he felt even more tormented now.
All kinds of thoughts kept tumbling. Roddy rubbed his cheeks hard and said tiredly, "Camilla, if you give up now …"
Before he finished speaking, a square-shaped crystal in the room suddenly began to flash. This was a reminder for long-distance communication from the Helsinki Magic Tower in Hollier City.
Although Roddy's words were interrupted, Camilla still understood what he meant. The guardian got up to open the communication and said at the same time, "You can stop, but they won't stop."
Reaching out to hold the crystal, Camilla stopped. Although she really wanted to share Roddy's worries, in this situation, she really didn't have the right to make decisions on his behalf. Because in Elson and even Eiffta, Roddy was the absolute backbone. This could not be shaken.
Hum …
After a short signal correction, the crystal connected the energy of the Magic Tower. A polished crystal wall next to the obelisk showed Edith's beautiful face. The High Elf saw Camilla and smiled. "The energy formation here has been stabilized. It shouldn't be cut off midway like last time."
"You've worked hard, Your Excellency Grand Arcanist."
Camilla was very respectful to Edith because this kind of spell that could show the image in real time from thousands of miles away made her admire it from the bottom of her heart. Every time she used it, she would feel awe.
But Roddy was obviously used to this kind of "video chat." He tidied up his dejected expression and tried to adjust his state. He stood up and said, "Is there a new situation?"
"Sally, Duke has something to discuss with the Prime Minister."
As a "subordinate," Edith called Roddy and Sally by their positions. Everyone present was used to this. Edith disappeared from the image, and Sally, in a long white dress, became clear from the blur. Her face was not good, and she held a stack of parchment in her hand. Without any small talk, she went straight to the point. "Charles II seems to be planning to take advantage of the situation to unify the country. How do you plan to deal with it?"
In the previous "cabinet meeting," three of the other five members expressed support for the war, and two expressed concern about the results. But if they were to reconvene now, it was estimated that everyone would not be optimistic.
Thinking of this, Roddy hesitated for a moment, but he still said what was in his mind. "To be honest, I am considering whether to continue to take the initiative to attack … If we rely on the terrain to defend, would it be better …"
As he spoke, he lowered his gaze. Now that things had come to this, Roddy also understood that this was not realistic. There was no such thing as taking back a military order once it was issued. Otherwise, wouldn't it be child's play? Such a torment would inevitably have a huge impact on the cohesion. So, rather than saying that he was consulting, it was better to say that he was waiting for enlightenment.
Sally naturally understood Roddy's character. This guy used to be very decisive in everything he did in the past. Now that he suddenly had a change of heart, it was obviously because he was "worried about personal gains and losses." This was like a gambler with a hundred gold coins in his hand. He would not have any fluctuations in his heart when he was asked to bet one gold coin every time. When he bet all the gold coins, he would naturally feel nervous and excited. To bet a thousand gold coins on a high-interest loan … Ordinary people would not be able to withstand this kind of pressure.
"People die in war, Roddy."
Although Sally was young, she was Duke's daughter after all. The Dukes Of Angmar had never avoided his attitude towards war. So, Sally could understand the indescribable … fear in Roddy's heart.
"After all … this involves the life and death of tens of thousands of people. If it was to kill Orcs or the Undead, I would not hesitate, but … "Roddy raised his gaze, looking a little haggard." Why did that bastard Quio intervene … Moreover, he coerced all the other Dragons to participate. This is no longer a normal war. At this stage, I even suspect that he will directly send the Dragons to the battlefield! "
Thinking of this, Roddy could not help but pound his fist on the table. "I was too naive before. I thought that no matter what, they would not personally participate in the human war. But, after all, I am not the Dragons. I do not know what they really want."
Seeing that Roddy denied her for the first time, Sally could not help but clench her fingers in distress. But she bit her lips and continued, "But now you know … They want obedient puppets! None of us are willing to be puppets, right? The nature of this war has been changed by the Dragons. But this is the reason why we must persist in fighting! "
"What did my father die for? He did it for the land and people he loved … Regardless of victory or defeat, he had to do so. In this world, there is never a war that can be won 100% of the time. Roddy, this sentence is equally valid for Charles II. "
Sally reached out and pressed her hand on the crystal wall. It was obvious that she wanted to hold Roddy's hand. The latter tried hard to take a few deep breaths. After calming down, he also reached out and pressed his hand on the crystal wall. Their hands seemed to be pressed together. Although he could not feel any warmth, Roddy's mood had obviously improved a lot.
"Roddy, when I was very young, my father once took Knight Titus and the others to war. At that time, I was afraid that he would not come back, so I cried and begged him to stay, but he still left … "
Through the crystal wall, Sally stared into Roddy's eyes. "Before he left, he said this to me: 'No one wants to solve problems through war, but when war is unavoidable, war is just. When weapons are our only hope, weapons are sacred.'"
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