Gwen was surprised by what Amber had found. He had guessed that Surrey Randolph might be a destitute figure. Randolph might be a fallen noble, or he might have been stripped of his title due to his crimes, so he had to hide his identity. However, no one expected him to be a Shadow Guard who had defected from the Royal Family. Furthermore, he defected from the Royal Family while he was on a mission to find the Legacy of Gondor.
It seemed that the Royal Family of Ansu was not completely ignorant of the secrets buried in the Gloom Mountains. Although most of the related heritage had been lost due to the civil strife in the Misty Moon, they should still have some clues. At least, they knew that there was something in the Gloom Mountains.
Of course, Hao Ren's guess was that Surrey Randolph was right. He was looking for the Disobedient Stronghold, not another part of Gondor's legacy.
"We have not found any other entrances to the Disobedient Stronghold. As for the entrances that we have found, there is no sign that they have been opened," Gwen said as he pondered. "And even if he did enter the Disobedient Stronghold, there is no way to explain his defection. It's just an ancient research base. What could make a royal Shadow Guard betray his king?"
"I don't understand it either. Now that I think about it, he was really a person who never talked about his past. His life was a mess." Amber shook her head, her voice was a little depressed. "He always took me everywhere, frequently changed his address, forged his identity, and stole under the nobles' noses to make a living. Most of our energy was spent on this, which made me very unhappy with him for a long time. But now that I think about it, there was a reason for his behavior."
"The royal family won't let go of a defected Shadow Guard so easily. They must have been looking for him in the Southern Territory for a long time, so he has to hide. He can't use his Extraordinaire identity to seek a more decent job, because all businesses related to Extraordinaires are monitored by the nobles, so he can only be a thief, or occasionally take on some mercenary missions as a wanderer. He can't be in contact with other mercenaries for too long, in case the identity of those mercenaries is a black glove of some nobles."
Amber pursed her lips. "That's about it."
Gwen began to ask about the details of the past. "Was Pitman already with you at that time?"
Amber scratched her head. "Pitman and my adoptive father were friends not long before I could remember. But I don't know when they met. Half-elves' memory during childhood is not as good as humans'. It seems to be worse for me. My memories of that time are all blurry."
"Don't you think it's strange that a traitor royal Shadow Guard who went into hiding would make friends with someone like Pitman?" Gwen raised his eyelids. "A person who is running away from the royal family will not make friends with strangers under normal circumstances, unless there is a reason to do so. Did your adoptive father mention this reason to you?"
Amber frowned. "He didn't tell me. I only heard them bragging that they were determined to become the strongest group of thieves in the Southern Region. But this reason is definitely not reliable."
"You don't know, but Pitman must know," Gwen said. "If there's a chance, maybe he'll be willing to say it."
Pitman, a Druil who was both the Eternal Sleeper and the Grand Priest of the End of All Things, had a lot of secrets behind his sloppy appearance. Gwen knew that he must be hiding a lot of things. Perhaps one of them was about Sari Randolph? Randolph.
In the past, Pitman did not tell anyone these secrets. This may be a protective measure. But now Amber had found clues about her adoptive father. More importantly, the former Ansu royal power had ended. Amber had even incorporated all the royal Shadow Guards into her own force. So, she should be able to talk about some things that she couldn't talk about in the past.
"I'll ask him." Amber nodded. "It's been so many years. He should tell me about it."
"Well." Gwen thought for a moment and then said, "Can you roughly tell when you were adopted by Sari Randolph? Did Randolph adopt you? How long after he arrived in the Southern Region? Was it years after he concealed his identity, or when he decided to defect, he had an adopted daughter with him? "
"Then I don't know." Amber grabbed her hair again, her ears trembling. "Why do you ask? What do you think? "
"A hypothesis that I think is very likely." Gwen looked at Amber in front of him, his imagination running wild. "Have you thought about it, Sari? Maybe Randolph's defection had something to do with you? "
"Me?" Amber stared and pointed at herself with a look of "you're kidding me". "What are you talking about? I was still a child at that time! "
"What if the mission recorded in this book is fake? What if he didn't go to the Gloom Mountains to look for Gondor's relics, but you? " Gwen pointed at the book on the table. "Let's make a bold assumption. Maybe his real mission was to find a mixed-blood Elf of special blood and hand her over to the Ansu Royal Family, or even more extreme … the mission asked him to kill the mixed-blood Elf, but he didn't do it at the last minute. Then everything can be explained."
Amber looked at Gwen, dumbfounded, as if she was deeply shocked by his imagination. After a while, she said, "Speculation is not speculation, and association is not nonsense … You're almost making up a story. Where's the evidence? Why would the Royal Family of Ansu have nothing better to do than to look for a mixed-blood Elf, and even lose a Royal Shadow Guard for it …"
"That's why I said, maybe it's because of your special blood. Don't forget that you only know that half of your blood is Elf, and the other half is a mystery. You know that your biological father is an Elf, but do you know who your mother is?" Gwen gently knocked on the table. "And don't forget a very important point: the Shadow Signet Ring."
The expression on Amber's face froze. Apparently, she had recalled the origin and characteristics of the ring.
Gwen looked at her and said slowly, "You can use the Shadow Signet Ring of Francis II, and you have an identical ring that has lost its magic power. This clue … Don't you care?"
Hu Po thought for a moment, then suddenly pressed his chest with a nervous expression and sucked in a breath of cold air. "Oh my god … I can't really be a remnant of the previous dynasty, right?!"
Gwen almost couldn't maintain his serious expression. "That's not how you use the term 'remnant of the previous dynasty'!"
"Don't correct me at this time." Amber waved her hand vigorously. "The possibility you mentioned is really making me doubt myself. It's just a guess without any evidence … Well, there's some evidence now, but is it possible?"
"I'm just saying what I think. As for the specifics, I'm afraid other than Randolph Randolph, no one knows about it." Gwen shook his head. "But no matter what the truth is, even if it's really as I guessed, it doesn't matter now. The Ansu's royal power has ended. No matter what the king wanted your adoptive father to do in the south, this purpose has disappeared with the end of the dynasty. You're a free person now, so don't think too much."
After a moment of silence, Amber finally let out a sigh and smiled again. "You're right … The old royal family is gone, so why should I worry so much?"
As if she had put down some burden, she quickly returned to her usual carefree self. After this topic, she asked Gwen about the next step. "Currently, the order of the Sunil Empire has more or less stabilized. The transfer of power in all aspects and the establishment of a new management structure have been completed. Shouldn't you consider the next step?"
"Yes …" Gwen leaned back, his fingers tapping on the armrest of the chair. "We've stayed in this city long enough."
After tapping on the armrest a few times, he turned to Amber and asked, "How's the situation in the East?"
"The people sent by Grand Duchess Victoria have met up with General Maryland. The local nobles in the East are basically cooperating. They even put together a reserve army and consolidated the defense line of Longwind Stronghold with the Cecil Army."
"As expected." Gwen nodded. "The nobles in the East should be the most salvageable group of the many decadent nobles in the old Ansu Kingdom. Although they also have the same problems as the old nobles, because of the constant threat of the Typhon and the effective governance of the Lorren Family, the local nobles are still very clear-headed in the face of war. However, the reserve army they put together shouldn't be of much use … The real elites of the East have all been wiped out in the Holy Spirit Plains. Only the garrison army in Longwind Stronghold is reliable. The reserve army and the leading nobles from other places shouldn't be much stronger than the private soldiers of ordinary nobles. Other than that? "
Amber sorted out the information she had and continued, "There seems to be no movement at the border of Typhon, but Maryland is worried that the other side may be secretly accumulating forces. Now, they are trying to collect information to be on guard against Typhon's invasion.
"The White Sand Mining Company has taken over the mine again and has begun to repair the railway damaged by the giant deer. At the same time, according to your order, the engineering team continues to extend the former eastern railway line, striving to be able to drive the Iron Throne to Longwind Stronghold in the autumn. With the armored train, we don't have to worry so much about Typhon.
"As for the repair of the Iron Throne … it will take about half a month. It has lost two armory carriages, and the power spine and shield group of the body are also overloaded with damage. It's pretty badly damaged. Two heavy-duty factories in Galen City and Cecil City are working overtime to shorten the cycle. "
"In any case, the Iron Throne must be restored as soon as possible, even if only half of the train is transported to the border," Gwen said in a low voice. "After the war, we don't have enough troops. Even with advanced weapons and equipment, the current garrison of Longwind Stronghold may not be able to withstand Typhon's organized Extraordinaire army."
Amber frowned. "Do you think Typhon will really start the war at this window?"
"They have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, but the error and delay in the information may cause them to miss this opportunity," Gwen said. "Rosetta? Augustus must be paying attention to the war on the Plains of the Holy Spirit, but it's difficult for him to accurately grasp how much we have lost in the war. Whether we have a pyrrhic victory or a great victory, this will directly affect whether he will order an attack. "
Typhon was waiting for the Ansu to bleed to death. Gwen had long understood this, and in fact, Emperor Rosetta's plan had mostly succeeded. Despite the emergence of Cecil, overall, the Ansu had suffered heavy losses in the war except for the southern border. Large tracts of grain-producing areas were scorched, large quantities of grain reserves were contaminated or burned, and a large number of youths were exhausted. Under such circumstances, the weak southern border, no matter how elite they were, would be unable to cope with such a large territory.
Emperor Typhon was indeed waiting for the Ansu to be greatly weakened. If he attacked now, it would be done once and for all. But due to the inefficiency and error in the transmission of information in this era, he himself might not have had time to realize this.
Gwen knew that the emperor was decisive enough, cautious enough, and cunning enough. His iron-fist decisiveness could guarantee that as long as the emperor gave the order, all the war machines of the Typhon Empire would be activated in an instant to attack Changfeng Stronghold. But his caution … if used properly, it may be able to buy Cecil a chance to save his life.
He said to Amber. "Find a way to confuse Typhon's people about Cecil's real situation. Find a way to make Rosetta? Augustus overestimate the defense of Changfeng Stronghold, and overestimate the strength we retain after the war. "
Amber thought for a moment. "I'll help General Maryland to formulate a plan. Let him show the message of 'Cecil's great victory', and try to make Changfeng Stronghold appear to be in a state of abundant military strength …"
"That's not enough. Rosetta? Augustus is a terrible opponent. He won't just focus on Changfeng Stronghold. "Gwen said in a low voice." The domestic propaganda must be quickly unified. The war in the Holy Spirit Plains must be a great victory with minimal losses. Our food reserves must be sufficient. The young men are eager to join the army because of the victory. The downfall of the Ansu Royal Family must be publicized in a more dignified way. We must not publicize that the Royal Knight's Regiment was almost completely annihilated, or that the Army of the Northern Region was reduced to less than 10%.
"So far, our propagandists have done a good job in these areas, but the propaganda in the Eastern Region is far weaker than in the Southern Region … This must be remedied immediately.
"In addition, our trade with Typhon must be maintained. Not only that, it must be expanded. Cecil has taken over this vast territory. Our demand and output can only be increased, not decreased. It must be greatly increased. Only in this way can we avoid Rosetta? Augustus can guess how many people we've lost.
"Don't worry. Cecil can't handle such a large scale of trade. The capacity of the magicite industry is amazing. Also, Duke Franklin has gone to negotiate with the Augri Tribal Nation. The gray elves and dwarves there are very interested in our alchemy potions and textiles. Through trade with them, we can transfer most of the pressure … "
Gwen spoke of his ideas one by one. His goal was very clear, that was, to mislead the ruler of Typhon.
As long as he grasped the rules of this era and found the shortcomings and loopholes, it was possible to achieve this goal.
Of course, Rosetta wasn't stupid. Typhon also had his own intelligence department. Even if this kind of misdirection was successful, it shouldn't be maintained for too long. But Gwen wanted a short period of misdirection. What he needed now was the time to "recover" after the battle. As long as the Iron Throne recovered its combat strength and reached the border, they would have a bumper harvest this year, and Cecil's next batch of recruits would be trained and equipped. Then, he would have the confidence to block Typhon's attack. And if the misdirection could last a little longer, even through this winter, and let Emperor Rosetta only react next spring … At that time, he would be even more relieved.
Hu Po memorized Gawain's instructions one by one. At the same time, she began to select trustworthy subordinates. She was not only the head of the intelligence department, but also a participant and executor of many secret plans. What Gawain was going to do this time would definitely involve the participation of a large number of military intelligence officers, so she had to start preparing now.
After memorizing everything, she looked up and her ears trembled slightly. "Apart from these, there's something else on the agenda, right?"
Gwen raised his eyebrows. "Hmm?"
"A grand coronation." Amber stretched out her hand and drew a big circle, as if to strengthen the word "grand". "The situation is stable, the transfer of power is complete, and the management structure is formed. Shouldn't the ruler of the Cecil Empire announce the arrival of a new era? Plus, this is also a window to send a signal to the Typhon … "
After following Gwen for so long, this half-elf had learned a lot of new and useful words. Hearing her say such reasonable words with a straight face, even Gwen could not help but nod. "Yes, this matter should be on the agenda."
He did not care about the so-called 'coronation ceremony' before because stabilizing the situation and restoring production was the most important thing. But now that the 'coronation ceremony' had a special function, as a person who valued value, he had to take this matter seriously.
"When do you plan to be crowned?" Amber blinked and asked expectantly.
He did not know what this guy was looking forward to.
"When a special 'cargo' is transported from the White Sand Hills to Saint Sunil," Gwen said. "But before that, the preparations can start."
"Special cargo?" Amber reacted for a moment and vaguely guessed what Gwen meant. "… Ah, then it's really suitable for the decoration of the new emperor's coronation … But were you planning to be crowned in Saint Sunil?"
"Actually, I was thinking about Cecil City at first, but Heti's suggestion made me change my mind." Gwen's lips curled up, and his eyes fell on the wall on the side of the study. The Ansu sword and shield emblem once hung there, but now it had been replaced by a sword and plough flag. "The Ansu's royal power ends here, and the new empire will begin here."
The coronation ceremony, to put it bluntly, was for people to see. Since that was the case, he had to make sure it showed the best effect.
Gwen wanted to let the old nobles of Saint Sunil see clearly, let the church, the army, and the officials of the old royal family see clearly, let them see the change between the old and new eras with their own eyes, and let them have a deep enough impression of this process. Only then could he further ensure the stability of the subsequent restructuring process.
This ancient and young country really could not afford any more chaos and hesitation.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
