Every country's history and geography were the most important historical treasures and inheritances of that country. They were important information related to the survival of a country. Privately drawing or collecting maps was the same as committing treason.
Such information was rarely seen in public libraries and nobles' libraries. Even if there was, it would be some pirated goods. High-quality books and records would usually be kept by the royal family, and wouldn't be easily loaned out.
I was too lazy to make trouble for myself. In order to obtain the royal family's permission more easily, I directly used my real name to visit.
Of course, I wasn't foolish enough to directly state my goal. I only said that I was here as a representative of the Mist Alliance to discuss matters related to the Holy War …
"… Who can tell me what caused things to become like this?"
I was in a classical and extravagant conference hall. The ceiling was lit with expensive magical lamps, and the walls were decorated with expensive artwork. Even the servants and maids were all rarely seen handsome men and beautiful women.
However, what I found rather strange was that there were currently three people sitting at this table.
I, Prince Winston, and the Holy Church's Pope Caloma.
None of the three were speaking. They were all smiling, but their smiles were different.
Winston's smile was one of ridicule, while Caloma's smile was that of a friendly elder.
I was smiling, but inwardly I was cursing. What was going on? Why did the Holy Church have to secretly visit San Antonio? And when I came here, they just had to be in the middle of a formal meeting.
San Antonio was currently allied with the Holy Church. Their joint defense line was still fighting against the demons, so it was only natural that the pope would secretly visit San Antonio.
Ten minutes ago, while the two of them were having a conversation, an attendant hurriedly ran over to inform me of my arrival. Then, Winston didn't hesitate to say it out loud.
And so, the two of them greeted me in front of the royal palace. Then, we sat around the table and looked at each other.
Winston didn't mind, but Caloma and I felt rather awkward. From a certain standpoint, we were mortal enemies who wanted nothing more than to hack each other to death. However, on the surface, we were allies.
Pope Caloma had a friendly expression, a thick beard, and narrowed eyes that made it impossible to see what he was thinking. He was a sly old fox. These were my first impressions of Pope Caloma.
The three of us sat around each other, but none of us spoke. The atmosphere mysteriously became awkward.
It was likely that even Pope Caloma wouldn't be able to communicate with Winston about the frontlines in front of me. Leaking secrets was one thing, but embarrassing himself in front of the enemy was a bigger problem.
If things were going smoothly at the frontlines, there would be no need for Caloma to personally come to the frontlines.
I didn't say anything. I felt that no matter what I said, I would only bring trouble to myself.
My original plan was to create an international alliance of elite combat forces when the situation of the Holy War was relatively stable. This alliance would provide support to the various battlefields that were in dire straits.
This was not a temporary assumption on my part. It was a real and ongoing strategy, and had been in preparation for it for several years.
I had already confirmed that the commander was Barton, who was born in a small country. He was currently studying hard at Bardi's military academy. He had even sent me a letter a few months ago. Apart from reporting on his progress, he also said that he had a second chance at life and was doing quite well.
These included Bardi's Dragon Knight, the Mist Alliance's airships, the undead bone dragons, and the Ottoman Empire's battleships. These were all rather expensive elite forces. The first batch didn't have much combat strength, and their usefulness would be limited on a major battlefield. However, if they were used to support a small country, they would be a decisive force.
Perhaps this still didn't count for much right now, but its significance would be quite significant. This meant that without the Holy Church acting as the middleman, we would be able to form an international alliance of countries for the very first time.
This was only a seed, but it represented the possibility of non-religious international cooperation.
After the Holy War ended, perhaps this would become the cornerstone of a new international order. Perhaps a system of cooperation and communication would greatly reduce the possibility of another war breaking out.
Perhaps in a few decades, an organization similar to the United Nations would be born because of this.
Of course, I wouldn't tell anyone about these far-off goals, which would only make others laugh at me. I was only doing a little for now. It didn't matter if I succeeded or not.
Originally, Bardi and the Ottoman Empire had both agreed. Even if San Antonio didn't want to participate, it would still be necessary to inform them.
This was a fairly minor diplomatic plot. Before it succeeded, it wouldn't be appropriate to announce it to the public, especially not to let the Holy Church know.
The birth of a new international order would naturally be stepping on the bones of the old order. The establishment of royalty represented the decline of divine authority.
From San Antonio's standpoint, it was likely that both of us were untrustworthy allies. Perhaps this pointless collision might even be able to increase San Antonio's own worth.
Perhaps in Winston's eyes, my "coincidental" appearance was an obstacle to San Antonio's continued cooperation with the Holy Church. Winston unhesitatingly made it public, apart from the fact that my arrival was impossible to hide. Perhaps he was expressing his sincerity to the Holy Church.
There were far too many suspicions in my mind, but none of them were meaningful.
Being king to king didn't necessarily mean that one would be honest and direct. There were even some awkward moments where one didn't know what to say.
The atmosphere in the conference room became even more tense. Everyone kept glancing at each other. It was fine to say some boring diplomatic words, but at our level, doing such things would be an insult to one's intelligence.
In the end, after sitting here for half an hour, everyone drank tea and laughed at each other without saying anything. It was so boring.
Of course, everyone knew that the real deal and secret investigation would probably start tonight.
Finally, it was time for dinner. Before the diplomatic banquet began, I directly requested to look up some geographical information. Winston also readily agreed on the spot.
Soon, I learned that Pope Caloma had brought four Cardinals, two Holy Knight squadrons, and an angel squadron with him. It could be said that Pope Caloma had brought with him a grand lineup of four Cardinals, two Holy Knight squadrons, and an angel squadron.
It would seem that the frontlines were in far too much of a pinch. Even Pope Caloma and the Cardinals had personally come out to take revenge.
"It would seem that we'll have to grind things out …"
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