"The Great Stone Sculptor is the first to fight? Oh my, I didn't expect him to be so impatient. "
I wasn't surprised at all when I heard that the Earth Elemental Lords were fighting each other. After all, rather than waiting for the Earth Elemental Throne to be reestablished before fighting to the death, it would be better to take advantage of the fact that I now had the upper hand to eliminate the Earth Elemental Lords and solidify my advantage.
War never required the approval of both sides. It could be said that neither side wanted a war. As long as one side believed that they had an obvious advantage and could obtain tremendous benefits from the war, then it would only be a matter of time before war broke out.
Right now, the Earth Elemental Plane was just like a colosseum that had lost its manager. All the wild beasts had been placed in a cage, and when they learned that there would only be one Earth Elemental Throne, the strongest wild beasts unhesitatingly began to eliminate those that could threaten them, while the weaker wild beasts began to group together for warmth. And so, a chain war began.
Driven by the temptation of ascending to Godhood, it was likely that this war would continue for another hundred years or so in the foreseeable future.
While the Earth Elemental Plane was in chaos, the seemingly peaceful mortal plane was in even greater trouble.
Rose's death and Lady Storm's ascension to Godhood had caused the Order of the Gods, which had been stable for a thousand years, to become restless. This was more than enough to cause the Gods hiding in the shadows to become restless. And these weren't the only two Gods that had been replaced.
Ömdiroken's death shocked the entire world. It was also confirmed from another source that the Fire Elemental God had mysteriously died as well, becoming a Fire Sea Marchioness. Of the four Ancient Elemental Gods, only two remained, and they were the weaker two. This caused the undying to tremble in fear, but also caused the ambitious ones who were uneasy about the current situation to become restless.
And this wasn't even the recent "Best Newcomer" title. This honor had obviously been taken by Wumianzhe. He had gone from an "unknown" city judge to the God of Law, and then from a Low God to a Medium God. Now, he had even obtained the Divine Concept of the Northlands' Guardian God and was the national religion of several Northlands countries. This was something that other True Gods might not be able to accomplish in thousands of years, but he had accomplished it in just two short years. It was impossible to describe him as an epic legend.
A single successful pioneer would definitely bring about countless imitators. Undying individuals who attempted to ascend to godhood, as well as the ancient Gods who were gradually being forgotten in history, would have to take action if they didn't want to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime "opportunity."
They took in some barbarian tribes, awakened their own clans from their slumber, or simply changed their clothes and mounted their horses themselves. In the past month, the news of the third kind of contact had surpassed the news of the past ten years. The various kinds of border conflicts had reached the sum of the past thirty years.
"Flame Ogres have appeared in the Amu Mountains. They seem to be the descendants of the ancient Ogres. They have attacked the Amu Amu Mountain Hunters and seem to treat the Amu Amu Territory as their territory as. It's said that they have the characteristics of both living and elemental creatures. They're quite powerful. "
"A strange creature has appeared along the Kasolan coastline. It looks like an octopus that walks upright. They're using extremely strange engineering tools and soul magic. They've enslaved the local humans as laborers and have begun constructing their own arc-shaped Sky Tower. "
"The Kingdom of the Elves in the Southwest Mountains has announced that they're establishing a united kingdom. They've already begun expelling the humans within and around their borders. The Elven Gods are still remaining silent, but without their permission, such a thing would never happen."
"The human kingdoms in the East have already cut off all trade with the other countries. They're actually expelling the envoys of the other countries … I've expected this day ever since they started believing in that strange voodoo religion over a hundred years ago. Sooner or later, they'll become something that's neither human nor ghost. "
"A new type of subhuman has appeared in the Amon Plains. They look like young humans, but they're not even half as tall as humans. They have beastly ears and are extremely adept at taming wild beasts. That's not important. The most important thing is that they're all incredibly cute! They're basically a paradise for lolicons … Quite a few members of the Gentlemen Alliance were willing to volunteer themselves to investigate, but in order to avoid causing conflicts between species, not a single one of them was approved. "
"A storm is brewing." Even the stupidest person would sigh when they saw the series of war warnings. After the outpost battle, which was regarded as a precursor to war, was over, it would naturally be an eventful period before a storm.
But the only thing worth celebrating was that the Northlands, which had just experienced the flames of war, was now abnormally calm. In fact, there was even an abnormal vacuum.
"It would seem that killing the chicken to warn the monkey was useful. At the very least, there aren't any foolish idiots coming to the Northlands for the time being."
Perhaps in the eyes of most undying existences, the Northlands had already become Wumianzhe's territory. At the very least, nobody wanted to challenge this powerful upstart for the time being.
And this relatively peaceful period was exactly what I was hoping for. Truly unifying the Northlands would require a large amount of time, even if it was only a relatively loose alliance.
But simply being passive wasn't an option either. This was just like playing chess. No matter how well one handled one corner of the chessboard, if one lost the overall situation, there would be nothing they could do.
"Using my country's name or my personal name to interfere will cause a lot of trouble. If Wumianzhe interferes, it's even more likely that the Gods will gang up on me. A neutral identity is the best … Perhaps that Absolute Gentlemen Alliance mercenary group will come in handy. It would seem that I'll need to have a good chat with Beifeng."
After thinking about it for a moment, I realized that this mercenary group that I created on a whim was probably the most suitable identity for me to travel around the entire continent. Although the Gentlemen Alliance had an excellent relationship with Donglan, Beifeng and the others had worked hard to establish the mercenary group as an independent organization from the very start. It could be said that the mercenary group was an official organization, but it didn't have an official background. Such a mercenary group would have the possibility of operating across borders, and it would be the most suitable identity for me to act in.
"If you didn't mention it, I would have forgotten that I'm still the nominal leader of that mercenary group. Yep, it would seem that there are many tricks I can play with."
Actually, only after I returned to the mortal plane did I learn that that mercenary group that seemed like a joke had long since become the number one mercenary group in the entire continent. Those bastards used my name to buy horses and soldiers, and all the government officials had to give me face. Perhaps in the eyes of outsiders, this mercenary group had become my, Roland's, private army.
Of course, this was doubtlessly something that any ruler would be afraid of. There were plenty of examples of mercenary kings becoming kings and emperors in history. However, Donglan's special internal relationships, especially my miraculous relationship with Renée, made most people happy to see this mercenary group expand. In fact, they even viewed this mercenary group as a supplement to the government's military.
There would always be a limit to the government's military. In this generation where the strong were king, it was always necessary to have the strength to protect oneself. Mercenary groups had always been popular, but the result of the lack of restrictions was that some mercenary groups would normally be mercenaries, but when they didn't have any work to do, they would become bandits. If a mercenary group needed to transport some precious goods, they would have to be careful that they would become bandits midway.
If a certain place's reputation was bad, they could simply switch to another location. In this world of endless fighting, those with strength would never be unable to make a living.
But compared to other mercenary groups that were on the run, the Gentlemen Alliance's reputation among the commoners was excellent.
"Although their fees are rather high, they're quite strong and have a good reputation. Although their members are a little strange, they're all good people. Even though there are some complaints about their strange temperaments and personal style, there are currently zero complaints about their professional ethics. The people who entrust mercenary missions to them have generally given them high evaluations. "
This was the Mercenary Guild's evaluation, which added even more credibility to the Gentlemen Alliance.
"Yeah, that uncle voluntarily helped me find a kitten, and he didn't even take my pocket money. He wanted me to hug a doll and smile at them as commission. They always had lollipops in their pockets. How nice."
This was a subtle comment from a certain loli, and the expressions of the people who heard this were even more subtle.
"Most of the rookies at the bottom level are local soldiers and retired veterans. Many of the middle and high-level members are well-known powerful individuals in the continent, and they're even heroes of this war against the beastmen. Most importantly, the leader of this mercenary group is actually His Highness Roland. Even if such a mercenary group is a little expensive, it's still reassuring. But there's also a rumor that the members who join the mercenary group will become stranger and stranger … It must be a rumor created by those jealous people. "
With their reputation, strength, official guarantee, and local acquaintances, in addition to the countless number of mission orders, and most importantly, their outstanding achievements in the war against the beastmen, it would be strange if such a mercenary group didn't become a big deal.
And so, with the number one person in the mercenary group (me) not doing anything, and the number two person in the mercenary group (Beifeng) running amok (Beifeng went off to do his own things), this strange mercenary group actually operated on its own and became bigger and bigger. Now, it's the number one mercenary group in the Northlands, deeply trusted by the people, and unknowingly, it became a faction that no one could ignore.
And in the distant Northlands, what Roland wanted to do was already on the way.
From a certain standpoint, it was no wonder that Eliza was the "successor" that he had prepared for himself. After gathering all this information, she unhesitatingly sent out a large number of spies. In fact, at her request, the Gentlemen's Alliance mercenary group began to establish branches in other countries, and the Church of Law's Judges also began their journey.
"It's definitely not advisable to keep our doors closed and wait for news. Right now, we need a large amount of information. The more, the better, especially regarding the undead and the Bardi Empire. "
Actually, there were some things that she didn't have time to report to Roland yet. Among all the messy information, there was one piece of information that attracted Eliza's attention.
"The Bardi Empire discovered a gigantic skeletal door made of bones. According to the records, it seems to be a Dimensional Door to the Undead Plane! And it's said that this Dimensional Door has already existed for a year and a half. "
This information was only hearsay, but Eliza treated it with great importance. While the other countries were still treating the Undead Calamity as a joke, she had already sent out her own spies.
"Combined with the recent abnormal movements in the Bardi Empire, if this information is confirmed to be true, and if that Dimensional Door really does exist, or if it's been coexisting peacefully with the Bardi Empire for more than a year, then there are some things that I really need to reconsider."
But before she could finish giving out orders, a new order interrupted all her plans.
"Celebration? At this time? Did Roland get sick again? "
That's right, this was a letter that had come from another plane. It explained in detail that on the last Sunday of winter, there would be a celebration called the Day of Peace Celebration. The letter even mentioned some of the planned activities, such as organizing a traveling circus, military parades, hunting at the end of winter, and inviting various countries' ambassadors to organize a cocktail party.
"And it just so happens that there's less than a month left. How are we supposed to make it in time? We haven't even solved our long-term food problem, and we still need to arrange such an extravagant celebration? We'll consume at least three times more food during the celebration period than usual. "
Just the Mist Alliance's diplomatic and business negotiations had already caused the administrative officials in Donglan to be overloaded. At this time, there was only less than a month left to prepare, yet they wanted to hold a nationwide celebration? That was impossible no matter how they thought about it.
It was said that after seeing this order letter, a dozen administrative officials were frightened to the ground, and the emergency room was filled to the brim.
"His Highness Roland really wants to kill us. Even if we risk our lives, it'll be too late."
This had already become a private complaint, but some people suppressed all the complaints and worked overtime to come up with the task list, forcing the publicity to be done.
"Sister Kelly, there's no need to go along with that guy's nonsense. There's no way we can make it in time."
That's right, as the head female official of the royal palace, Kelly was actually the number one civil official in the Donglan royal palace. She was the only one who could forcefully carry out the celebration based on her long-standing reputation. But when she saw so many staff members frowning in distress, even Eliza couldn't stand it anymore. And so, she decided to discuss it with Kelly.
Kelly suddenly chuckled when she heard this.
"You still don't understand Roland. It's fine if others are messing around because of him, but you're actually thinking the same? That'll make him really sad."
Eliza was rather confused. Was there something strange about this sudden celebration?
"Look, this might seem like messing around, but it's actually the most important thing right now. Organizing the winter hunting competition was our original goal. If spring arrived, the starving beasts would automatically disperse, which would be quite troublesome to deal with. But now that the war is over, it's quite obvious that the soldiers and commoners are tired of war. Openly using the army might not be a good thing. If we organize a competition like the winter hunting competition, it'll be quite easy to motivate everyone. "
"Then what about inviting important officials from various countries to attend a banquet and organizing a military parade? The problem of food reserves hasn't even been fundamentally solved yet. Isn't it a bit too much to be extravagant and wasteful now? "
Kelly shook her head. Smoke swirled around her as she lightly stroked her hair. She seemed to be secretly laughing, as if she was sighing. Her eyes were filled with an indescribable mature charm.
"When I first saw it, I was a little puzzled as well. But after thinking about it carefully, this is actually a great way to solve short-term diplomatic and trade problems. It seems that even if he didn't participate in it personally, little Roland has always been thinking about this problem. "
"Ah? What? How is that possible? " Rather than calling it a question, it would be more accurate to call it an expression of accumulated resentment. It seemed that Eliza had accumulated enough resentment.
"Look, inviting important officials from various countries to organize a celebration banquet is undoubtedly a great opportunity to solve our diplomatic problems. And the military parade is the most appropriate occasion to let them see our new army types and new war machines."
"You mean? Arms trade? "
This time, Eliza really fell into deep thought. Although it was called voluntary military assistance, it was actually an arms trade with a clearly marked price. It was a task that had been planned long ago, and it was also a trump card to solve the future food shortage before the new crops had a stable supply. According to the original plan, they would send out middlemen to promote the goods after next spring.
But after thinking about it for a while, there were constant disturbances, and all countries were actively preparing for war. If Donglan organized a military parade and arms exhibition, there would definitely be a lot of high-ranking officials and nobles. At that time, it would be a seller's market, and it would be profitable to quote any price they wanted.
Thinking about this, Eliza came to a sudden realization. She looked at Kelly with a complicated gaze. From a certain perspective, this sister Kelly actually knew Roland better than her, his girlfriend. This made her a little jealous.
"That circus and float parade are just nonsense, right?"
However, Callie shook her head. In her mind, that was the highlight of this celebration.
"Actually, when I saw this, I also thought it was nonsense. But thinking about it carefully, it was our negligence. There are some things that Roland saw, but we didn't. "
As she spoke, Kelly walked to the window and opened it. Outside, there was a prosperous scene. The old city area was being renovated, the new city area was being built, next year's planting plan, and the military reorganization plan. The people coming and going were all busy for their own reasons. Although most of them looked tired, they were in good spirits.
"Too many things have happened in this period of time. Although everyone is working hard for the future, the tense strings will eventually snap. There are still so many things to do next year, and it will be even busier. If there is an end to the year celebration, everyone can celebrate and relax for a few days. It can also be considered as a spiritual end to this turbulent year."
Eliza thought for a moment and nodded.
"I'm afraid that Roland has another intention. Actually, the Red Hunting Hounds also worked as a circus in Sulfur Mountain City. Roland asked to see the circus performance, so he probably wants to use it to close the gap between the living and the dead."
Kelly couldn't help but laugh.
"I didn't think of that. As expected of little Roland's girlfriend."
Alright, this sudden and direct attack caused Eliza's cheeks to flush red. She seemed to be at a loss for what to do, but very quickly, she adjusted her glasses and calmed down. However, what she was looking at was the seemingly frivolous but deep letter.
"Let's begin. We don't have much time. We need to organize the grandest celebration before Roland returns."
"Okay!"
Several days later, when a thick celebration plan was sent to me through the gnomes' expensive teleportation device, I felt rather complicated.
"… We'll prepare everything. Don't worry. I didn't expect you to think so thoroughly."
Looking at this note, Heloise read it out in a small voice. Then, she said in astonishment.
"Oh my, I didn't expect so many people to have such a goal. You're really amazing. They were actually able to see through it. You've found quite a few good helpers. "
After hesitating for a moment, I finally decided to say it directly.
"Actually, I didn't expect it either. I just wanted to organize a grand party …"
"Then why did you want to organize a celebration? Why did you have to do it on that day? "
"… I just wanted to celebrate my victory. I didn't even think about that much."
"Just for that?"
Heloise had an expression of disbelief. She could sense from our soul contract that I was probably hiding something from her. It was quite boring to be stared at by this damned young girl, so I could only helplessly nod.
"That day was my birthday … Why are you all looking at me like that? I worked so hard to do so much, so can't I just have a grand birthday party? My requirements aren't that high. I just want to watch a circus, go hunting, and host two banquets. That's not too much at all! "
Glancing at the 300-400-page proposal, which was definitely one that had been painstakingly written, Harloys wiped away her cold sweat and felt even more sympathy for the normal people under Roland's command.
This proposal covered every aspect, and it was thorough and detailed. It would have been impossible to create without forty to fifty employees working overtime for half a month. Yet, it had only been three or four days, and the results were already out. It could only be said that the author had put in a lot of effort and put his life on the line.
"This time, no matter what, don't tell the truth. Just do as the proposal says. Otherwise, even I want to beat you up. "
At this moment, apart from nodding, what else could I say?
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