Roland looked at Edith after he expressed his thoughts. "Do you really think Earl Quinn is worse than a corrupt neighboring country in charge of the Kingdom of Dawn?"
Edith did not look surprised at his question. "In fact, I think both of them are about the same in the short term. A stable ally can provide you with resources, population, and help you in the Battle of Divine Will. This may be unpredictable for other nobles, but Earl Quinn has Andrea as his safeguard, so he's quite confident about this."
"Did she... admit this?" Roland did not understand. He thought Edith would argue that the nobles were not trustworthy. Besides, what did she mean by the short term?
"On the other hand, when the Kingdom of Dawn falls into chaos, it needs to be rebuilt with blood and fire, which will lead to the weakening of the kingdom. If the demons invade, the neighboring country will become like the eastern and southern borders of Graycastle, with refugees and weeds everywhere. By then, with a little preparation, Graycastle will have a large population. Unlike the previous situation, these people will belong to you forever. "
"But didn't you just say that allies can provide resources and war assistance in addition to population?" Nightingale said unhappily. "Let's not talk about how one benefit is comparable to three benefits. Haven't you considered how many refugees will die helplessly in the process of migration due to lack of food and clothing?"
Edith said tit-for-tat, "Three benefits seem to be greater than one, but there's a precondition. In order to make full use of the allies' resources, His Majesty needs to invest certain bargaining chips, such as steam engines, Golden Twos, and even gunpowder and firearms. Without these, it would be impossible for the Kingdom of Dawn to fight against the demons on its own, let alone support Graycastle on the battlefield. This was a considerable expenditure. Although it could be exchanged for more benefits, the weight of the bargaining chip could not be ignored when Neverwinter's own needs had not been met. Therefore, I think the two benefits are basically equal. "
Roland could not help but raise his eyebrows. In the entire Kingdom of Graycastle, there were very few people who could benefit from providing assistance. If it were Barov, he would definitely not agree to send his own goods and technology to neighboring countries as "support".
"Since the benefits are basically equal, why do you still insist that the chaotic Kingdom of Dawn is better?"
"Because of the witches, Your Majesty." Edith's answer surprised both of them.
"Witches?" Roland was surprised.
The Pearl of the Northern Region stretched out a finger and said, "Yes, please imagine that the new Kingdom of Dawn will no longer take the persecution of witches as a matter of course. Earl Quinn will be influenced by Andrea to support witches and imitate your policies, allowing them to participate in production and construction. Without the pressure to survive, the newly awakened witches will no longer migrate to Graycastle. This has already caused you a loss — this is the first. "
"Secondly, the location of the Kingdom of Dawn is more advantageous than that of Graycastle. Whether it's the demons' invasion of the Kingdom of Wolfheart and the Kingdom of Everwinter, or the church's fugitives, all of these will push the witches to the south. Once the Kingdom of Dawn is stable, will they continue to migrate to Graycastle? The answer is obviously not. Maybe in a few decades, the neighboring countries will have more witches than Graycastle. Compared to the former, this trend makes me feel more uneasy. "
"Isn't it good that everyone can live well? What's there to be uneasy about? "Nightingale's tone was not as imposing as before.
Edith did not look at Nightingale. Instead, she raised her head and looked directly at Roland. "Have you ever thought of the possibility that one or several witches with incredible abilities can instantly change the gap between kingdoms?"
"Like Anna?"
"Yes, like Anna, like Agatha, like Soroya... Their abilities can be said to be incredible. The moment you had them, the gap between Neverwinter and the other nobles' territories was widened. This is also the reason why you can reach where you are today," Edith said slowly. Edith said slowly, "In addition, your knowledge and vision are unparalleled. As long as you're still in power and all the members of the Witch Union remain, it'll be difficult for Graycastle to meet any challengers except demons."
She paused for a moment. "But what about after that? After more than a hundred years, the neighboring countries are no different from Graycastle. Witches work in all fields, and your knowledge can't be limited to Neverwinter. They can learn how to make machines and master everything you teach... Then, as long as a witch of the Kingdom of Dawn awakens an irreplaceable ability, I'm afraid Graycastle will fall behind! "
"This can't..." Nightingale subconsciously wanted to refute, but she stopped halfway.
"What's more, this is only based on the magical ability of Anna. Can you guarantee that Anna is the top of all witches?" Edith asked word by word. "If the other party's ability is even more amazing than Anna's, will the successor of the Kingdom of Dawn still be willing to ally with Graycastle?"
Roland almost wanted to clap his hands at these words.
It turned out that Edith was not thinking too far, but thinking too far. Ordinary people could only see the changes in recent years, but Edith had already set her sights on 100 years in the future!
If that was all, it would not be a big deal. However, in her words, Roland actually heard a hint of technological explosion. As an "experienced person", he naturally knew that the advancement of human technology was constantly increasing. From apes to bonfires, and then from steam power to the information age, a person in the modern society could witness changes that could not be seen in the past tens of thousands of years in a short lifetime.
Now that witches had joined the process, this process might be further shortened. The emergence of one or two key witches was likely to lead to a technological revolution. In fact, just as the other party said, if Anna had awakened in the City of Glow instead of Border Town, it would still be a question mark how far he could go.
When the members of the Witch Union grew old and new key witches appeared in the Kingdom of Dawn, the result was almost self-evident. This was also the reason why Edith insisted that if she could not control the Kingdom of Dawn, it would be better to let them fall into chaos.
Roland believed that if he was a native lord, he would undoubtedly be convinced by Edith at this moment. Every king hoped that their country could last for thousands of generations and last for eternity. They also hoped that their descendants could continue to carry on their glory. For example, it was absolutely necessary to put an end to cultivating an opponent that might threaten the kingdom.
It was not too late for him to change his mind. The price he had to pay was just a small breach of contract and deception, and then leave Otto to his fate.
But he was not.
The country that Roland cared about was not here.
Apart from that, he did not care about what the kingdom would be like after his death. Compared with establishing a ruler that would last for thousands of generations, he was more inclined to see the progress of the entire human race. No matter who the successor of Graycastle was, he had no responsibility or obligation to protect him. As long as he could improve the development of this country as much as possible and solve the mystery of the Battle of Divine Will, he would feel that this trip was not in vain.
As for which of the four kingdoms would be stronger in the future, it was their own choice.
Finally, there was a seemingly small but unignorable obsession in his heart. Easily erasing the agreement for the sake of benefits and turning lies into bargaining chips — when he realized this reflexive conflict, he clearly understood that he would never be able to become a real politician in this life.
"Wonderful deduction." Roland looked at Edith with satisfaction. "But I won't take back my order."
"Your Majesty —" Edith said in surprise.
"I know what you want to say. For example, a real king should put his own interests first, or that deception is common in the royal family." He interrupted her. "But what I want to say is, besides the king, there are other rulers in this world..."
"Other... rulers?" Edith repeated in confusion.
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