In the spacious and bright incubation room, the low resonant sound of the runic device was accompanied by the humming sound of the ventilation system. These slight noises were not noisy, but made the room even quieter.
The silence lasted for a short while before Enya gently broke the silence. "Is that so? It seems that a lot of things have happened..."
"I don't know much," Betty said, a little embarrassed. "Some of these things were told to me by Master or Her Highness Rebecca, and some of them were from other people's conversations. They said a lot of things, but I don't understand most of them. I feel that those things happened far away, and I don't know why everyone is talking about it so enthusiastically."
"Many mortals enjoy talking about things that happen far away, but it's also not bad to focus on the things around you." Enya's voice was gentle, and when it came out of the eggshell, there was a pleasant tremor in her voice. "I can see that you're a very innocent child, and I like you very much. If possible, we can be friends."
"Okay, I like new friends!" Betty was suddenly happy, but then she remembered something and quickly corrected Enya. "But I'm not a child anymore. I'm already an adult!"
"… Adult …" Enya's voice suddenly went silent for two seconds after Betty's voice trailed off. Then, with a hint of emotion that Betty could not understand, she said softly, "You just mentioned that the messengers from Tarlund talked to your master about a lot of things, and they even went to the meeting with your master, right?"
"Yes." Betty nodded repeatedly. "I heard my master mention it, saying that the 'Giant Dragon is going to return to this world' or something, and he also said that this matter has a far-reaching impact, but I'm not too sure about it."
"Returning to this world... That's great." Enya's voice sounded happy, and there seemed to be a trace of pride. "They have taken the first step, and this step is earlier than I thought... After more than a million years, something good finally happened in this world."
Betty blinked. She found that this "Madam Enya" always said things that she did not understand, but she did not feel uncomfortable about it. There were always many things in this world that she could not understand, and many of them could be explained by reading and asking her master for advice. As for those that she could not understand... Betty just let them be. She would not let them affect her mood.
So, she quickly put aside those doubts and put a smile on her face again. She picked up her favorite big teapot from the side and got up to walk to the light golden egg. "Madam Enya, would you like some more black tea?"
"... Yes, a little more, thank you," Enya said after hesitating for a moment. "But the tea will eventually flow outside. It will add a lot of burden to you."
"No, it will flow down the groove next to the pedestal to the ground. Wait a minute, I'll wipe it off." Betty smiled happily. "I'm good at cleaning. When there were not many people here, I could clean the whole floor, tables, and chairs by myself!"
As she spoke, she approached the giant golden egg and carefully poured the steaming hot tea on the surface of the eggshell. At the same time, she was a little curious. "Madam Enya, can you really 'drink' the tea like this?"
"It's a very wonderful feeling. I'm not sure if I've accurately 'tasted' the taste and heat … But it feels good," Enya's voice sounded quite happy. "I really didn't expect that I would have such an incredible experience …"
"But I feel a little weird." Betty looked up at the eggshell in front of her. "I remember that Mr. Egg didn't seem very happy after I poured tea for him last time..."
"Really? That's a pity... but I'm fine with it! "
...
Night had fallen at Outpost 112. The lights set up all over the town had been lit up. The sky was full of stars, covering the border settlement built by the elves. The artificial firelight and the starlight in the sky complemented each other, outlining the graceful and elegant lines of the buildings with alien characteristics in the intertwining light and shadow. The surge of visitors made the originally quiet town seem a lot livelier. However, outside the outpost was still a dark and vast wilderness. The dark ridge and the endless night valley reminded everyone here of the "border of the civilized world."
Located on the west side of the town, the Emerald Hall was built on a piece of high ground, so one could directly overlook the wilderness outside the town from the room on the second floor of the hall. Mathilda Augustus stood in front of a French window with a pointed arch, looking at the vast night outside the window. She looked across the vast and even a little frightening darkness to the hazy glow at the end of the dark horizon. That was the magnificent silhouette of the Great Wall on the horizon. Even from such a distance, the amazing energy barrier could still be seen clearly with the naked eye.
After staring at it for a long time, Mathilda finally retracted her gaze. "That is the border of human civilization … I only remember looking at it once when I was very young, but I didn't expect that we can only look at it from afar until now …"
Rosetta Augustus sat on a chair not far away. He looked up at his daughter and asked, "How do you feel when you look at it from afar?"
"I feel that it is an abyss waiting to expand, a huge mouth ready to swallow the entire civilized world. The destructive power is restrained by a thin layer of barrier on the wasteland, and there are countless mutated monsters in there that could wipe out the entire world. But the human countries have been sleeping around such an abyss for hundreds of years. It is even a little... unreasonable."
"The barrier is not thin. In fact, its energy focus layer is half a kilometer thick. But you are right, in the face of such a vast Gondor wasteland and the even more vast Loren, such a thick energy barrier is actually as thin as paper." Rosetta nodded gently. "We have been protected by this' paper 'for more than seven hundred years, but even this paper has exhausted the strength of the continent."
Mathilda turned to look at her father. "... Did Gwen Cecil arrange the meeting here to remind the countries that have been living peacefully outside the barrier for too long?"
"A mature ruler will always set more than one purpose in his arrangement. Using the desolation near the Great Wall to warn the world may be his purpose, but it is certainly only one of his purposes," Rosetta said. "But in any case, at least he is the first to try to integrate all the mortal countries, a path that none of us have ever thought of... Just this alone, we should treat this meeting seriously."
"At the same time, we should also be cautious about the possible 'appetite' of the Cecil Empire, right?" Mathilda turned around with a very serious expression on her face. "What do you think Gwen Cecil will talk to us about tonight?"
"... He and I are not people who like to waste time," Rosetta said after a short pause. "There will be two meetings here. One is the formal agreement between Cecil and Typhon, and the other is the alliance meeting of the mortal countries. He and I know very well that compared to the second meeting, the first meeting cannot waste too much time and energy. Tonight, we will finalize the framework and bottom line of the agreement in the form of a closed-door meeting. He will not let this matter drag on until the next day, neither will I. So, he will probably throw out his conditions directly... After that, it will be simple bargaining. "
While Mathilda was deep in thought, footsteps and knocks came from outside the door. Then, a high-rank Knecht entered the room and bowed at the door. "His Majesty Gwen Cecil has arrived."
"Invite the guest in," Rosetta said at once. He did not need to tidy up his appearance because he was always prepared for what was about to happen. "Mathilda, sit next to me."
When Gwen walked into the reception room, he saw an exquisite tea table placed in the middle of the room. The light from the chandelier shone on the table, and the table was made of blue crystal. Rosetta Augustus was already sitting on the sofa on one side of the tea table, and the "Imperial Pearl" who had visited Cecil was sitting next to Rosetta. Other than that, there was no one else in the room.
This was a closed-door meeting, a meeting of the leaders before the formal and open negotiations. This was not in line with the usual practice of the two countries, but here, Gwen and Rosetta were the "usual practice".
Rosetta only had Princess Mathilda by his side, and Gwen did not bring more people with him. He only brought Amber, the Minister of Intelligence whom he deeply trusted.
The door of the reception room closed behind them with a click. Gwen walked forward with Amber. Rosetta Augustus got up to greet them before they got close. The middle-aged man, who always had a gloomy look on his face, was now smiling. His gloomy and negative temperament seemed to have weakened a lot. Of course, this obvious change did not escape Gwen's eyes. Gwen smiled and said, "Good evening, Rosetta. You look much better than the last time we met."
Rosetta's smile became more obvious. He even joked, "A good night's sleep is very important for a middle-aged man like me. Fortunately, my sleep quality has been very good recently."
Gwen obviously knew what Rosetta was referring to. It was a good opening line. A battle experience could effectively bring the two sides closer, and at the same time, it could make some of the less "friendly" conditions more difficult to say. Although this level of greeting may not have much effect on people like him and Rosetta, it could at least make the following atmosphere better.
"Looks like there are only four of us here today." Gwen nodded to Mathilda, who was not far away. "There are no outsiders here. Looks like we can have a good chat."
"Miss Amber." Rosetta also looked at Amber beside Gwen. His expression became very solemn for a moment, but soon returned to normal. "I heard that you are a shadowy grandmaster whose strength is completely unpredictable. You are also an expert in the field of intelligence. Your public appearance in front of the servants means Gwen Cecil's greatest sincerity."
Frankly speaking, at this moment, Gwen was really worried. He only thought that Amber's brain might be of help in this meeting, but he did not think about whether this guy's jumpy personality would play tricks in such a serious situation. But when he turned his head to look at the half-elf beside him, he was shocked to see that the usually careless and unruly person actually showed a very professional and polite look. She responded to Rosetta's praise with just the right smile, and there was almost nothing wrong with her tone and demeanor. "You flatter me. I'm just here to fulfill my duty. As for sincerity... I believe that since I'm standing here, you and His Majesty are naturally sincere."
"... Of course." Rosetta nodded gently, and then said casually, "Diana once praised Cecil's intelligence agency to me. She even directly told me that 'the staff personally trained by Cecil's intelligence chief may be the best intelligence personnel in the world.' I used to doubt it, but recently, the situation in Oldenheim has stabilized, and I have seen their outstanding means in my free time."
Amber suddenly showed a bright smile. "You flatter me. In my opinion, the rogues and agents of your country are equally excellent, especially those who do business in Tamudul."
Rosetta's expression did not change at all. He just leaned slightly to the side and motioned Gwen and Amber to sit down. At the same time, he said casually, "In the future, this kind of situation needs to be reduced, right? We waste too much energy on inquiring about the secrets of our neighbors. "
"Of course, we are here today to build further trust." Amber's smile was still bright, and her tone was so sincere that even Gwen was a little surprised.
But it was unknown how much weight this' sincerity 'carried. Gwen and Rosetta were obviously not paying attention to this matter.
"Let's talk about the real issues that deserve attention." After the two sides sat down, Rosetta took the initiative to bring up the topic. "A war between Typhon and Cecil broke out based on a misunderstanding and was deliberately led by the enemy. Now, everything should be over, right?"
"Of course, and in fact, the war is over," Gwen nodded and said calmly. "We have signed a long-term ceasefire agreement at the border, and the talks between the generals of both sides have gone very smoothly. Next, we will no doubt jointly issue a peace statement and explain the truth behind the scenes to the public. This matter will end peacefully, trade will resume, and communication at the national and civilian levels will reopen. We should have a consensus on this point."
"I have no doubts on this matter." Rosetta's expression was serious, and a gradually tense atmosphere finally began to spread around him. "Whether it is the resumption of diplomacy or the reopening of trade channels, the diplomats will naturally discuss it properly later. But there is one thing — I want to get a direct answer from you.
"How long will Cecil's army in Winterwolf Fort stay?"
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