...
After lunch, Roland called Barov into his bedroom.
It was the first time for Barov to come to such a place. He was obviously more cautious than usual, but his face was full of excitement.
Seeing Barov's reaction, Roland could not help but think of the story of a famous person in history who ran out to receive a visiting minister in disheveled clothes, and the latter was greatly moved. Roland was just slacking off, but the old director felt a strong sense of trust from him. It was an unintentional move.
He had to admit that male officials had unique advantages in promoting loyalty, such as talking by candlelight and sleeping together... If it was Edith Kant, she would probably have a different idea.
He shook his head with a smile and put these distracting thoughts aside. "How many letters did you receive during the time I was fighting in the Northern Region and when I was in a coma?"
"A total of 16 letters," Barov quickly reported. "Most of them were letters from various lords requesting for trade or visiting. There were also two secret letters from the Guardian of the Eastern Region expressing his desire to negotiate peace with you. I replied to them one by one according to your previous request."
According to the task assigned by the pre-war conference, Barov temporarily took charge of the administrative affairs of Neverwinter when the king led the army. He was also responsible for opening and reading the letters sent to the king. If the message was particularly important and beyond the preset reply range, he would send it to the frontline by flying courier.
"Is it just a negotiation?"
"Yes... they are not willing to hand over the feudal power and advised you to preserve the tradition and glory of the nobles."
"When spring comes next year, they will naturally know what choice they should make." Roland shrugged. "What about the letters that I need to read in person? Where did they come from? "
"One is from the Astrologer Association of the City of Dawn, and the other is from the Kingdom of Dawn." Barov handed over two pieces of paper. "When they arrived, you were in a state of deep sleep. The contents are also a little... strange."
"Strange?"
Roland first spread out the parchment with the pattern of the constellation.
The letter was written by Astrologer of Dispersion Star. The first half of the letter was about greetings and gratitude. The astronomical telescope given to the observatory had been put to use, so it was natural for them to express their gratitude. However, the following content made him stunned.
"Traces of the Star of Extinction have been found in the starry sky?
A star flashing with red light in a fixed position? "
Roland immediately thought of the geosynchronous orbit.
Based on his poor knowledge of astronomy, only objects in a synchronous orbit could remain relatively still with the planet.
However, if the Crimson Moon appeared in this orbit, it was impossible for it not to affect the planet itself, and the observation results also showed that its size should be extremely small.
So the Crimson Moon is not a natural celestial body, but a man-made satellite?
Roland thought for a moment and rejected this conjecture. If it was a satellite, how could it "descend to the world"? According to Agatha, the moment the Bloody Moon appeared, everyone on the mainland could see its existence. It was bigger and brighter than the moon. The scarlet light dyed the stone walls of the Holy City red. Even in the daytime, its outline could be seen.
This was completely illogical.
He was silent for a long time before he put the letter aside. "Draft a letter for me and invite the astrologers to Neverwinter."
"But they refused you last time," Barov said hesitantly, "I'm afraid this time …"
"The situation is different. The Astrology Association has found the star they want to pursue. Now they only need to keep an eye on that piece of sky." Roland tapped the table and said, "In the letter, tell them that Neverwinter has developed a better astronomical telescope and found some ancient books about the Star of Extinction. I believe they will come."
"Yes."
He spread out the second letter — or rather, a note. Like the usual secret letters, the message sent by the Flying Courier was always very concise.
"The King of Dawn passed away and his eldest son, Appen Moya, succeeded the throne. "
"He ordered to wipe out the believers of the church, cut off the trade route with the Holy City, and search for witches. "
"As a result, there was a rebellion in the border area, and our caravans were also affected. "
"The original plan may need to be suspended temporarily. "
Roland could not help but frown. Barov did not know what the church had done in the Kingdom of Dawn, so it was normal that he did not have a clue. After Isabella and the others left, the King of Dawn, who had no medicine, would die of a coma sooner or later. He just did not expect that Appen would hate the church so much that he even hated the witches.
Among these policies, wiping out the believers was still acceptable, but unilaterally banning trade would basically cut off the income of the border lords. The rebellion must have the shadow of the church behind it, and searching for witches was completely against his own interests.
Such an impulsive order was unlikely to be the idea of the three big families. It could only be said that the new king had been blinded by hatred and wanted to avenge his father.
He had originally thought that the Kingdom of Dawn would be a potential ally, but it turned out to be a big disappointment.
"Send a formal diplomatic letter," Roland said slowly. "First, congratulate him on being crowned king, and then warn him not to do so — the Pure Ones are not the same as witches. Graycastle has formed a formal witch organization, and to regard them as enemies is to make an enemy of Graycastle."
"Uh... Your Majesty," Barov wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Are you sure you want to write this?"
"Is there a problem?"
"The other side will not take it seriously at all, and may even regard your words as a threat."
Roland naturally knew that sometimes even the vassals of local lords would not accept the king's orders, let alone meddling in foreign politics. But times had changed, and if the other side did not understand, he did not mind teaching them what real diplomacy was.
"This itself is a threat," Roland replied bluntly. "If Appen Moya insists on having his own way, when we attack the Holy City next year, let's change the king of the Kingdom of Dawn — a wise person who is willing to stand on the side of Graycastle and fight together against the Battle of Divine Will, such as Andrea of the Quinn Family."
Diplomacy in the new era would be based on steel guns and cannons, and what could not be achieved at the negotiation table would be achieved by the army. Not to mention interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, replacing the heir, supporting the opposition, and directly dispatching troops to occupy other countries were all common methods. Before the arrival of the Bloody Moon, Roland did not want any other kingdom to hinder him.
Therefore, the core content of the entire diplomatic letter was "Don't say I didn't warn you."
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