Oldenheim, Obsidian Palace.
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation It was a rare sunny day. The sun dispelled the thin fog that shrouded the entire Aldernan region. The brilliant light shone down from the sky, penetrating the thin layer of clouds and illuminating the courtyard of Obsidian Palace.
In the small parlor on the first floor of the palace, the attendant opened the window facing the courtyard. The fresh morning breeze blew through the bushes outside the window and into the small parlor. Rosetta Augustus sat on a bench by the window. Half of his face was illuminated by the sun as if it was plated with a layer of shimmer.
"News from Hadilon. He missed his target in the Throat of Aurandale." Rosetta looked up and looked at Mathilda sitting opposite him. "He happened to be inspecting the factories near Aurandale, but he still could not detect when the Eternal Sleepers evacuated."
"If a secret organization has been operating in our empire for 700 years, then when they are determined to secretly evacuate, it is normal for us to be unable to detect and intercept them." Mathilda sat opposite her father, the golden chain hanging down from her hair and shimmering on her cheeks. "I just didn't expect that Gwen Cecil would be behind all this."
Rosetta glanced at Mathilda. "Judging from the time, when the Eternal Sleep Congregation met with an accident and launched the evacuation plan, it was also when you stayed in Cecil City."
Mathilda could not help but frown. She looked a little regretful and ashamed. "Yes … I was near Gwen Cecil during those days, but I did not notice anything."
Rosetta's expression was indifferent. "If even a young person like you can easily discover his secret, then he is not the emperor of Cecil, and Typhon can rest easy."
"Gwen Cecil's secret …" Mathilda muttered subconsciously. She then looked up. "Father, the secret of the 'extraterritorial wanderers' can be used to shake his ruling authority. If he is no longer 'Gwen Cecil', then his prestige as a pioneering hero will be greatly shaken. Besides, he has a connection with the Eternal Sleepers. Can this also …"
Rosetta raised his eyebrows and looked into Mathilda's eyes. He seemed to be smiling. "I remember you said not long ago that he is a kind and generous elder, and that you learned a lot from talking with him."
"… I won't deny that I have a certain amount of respect for him. Regardless of whether he's the real Gawain Cecil or not," Mathilda replied with a serious face, "But he's still our opponent after all, isn't he?"
"… Mathilda, you have grown up." Rosetta looked at his daughter quietly for a moment. He said slowly with a smile in the corner of his eyes. "But you have not grown up enough. You are wrong about some things.
"Our 'opponent' did rely on the identity of 'Gwen Cecil' to get support when he rose in the south. But he did not rely on the identity of 'Gwen Cecil' to sit on the throne. He did not rely on this name to maintain the rule of the empire."
Mathilda did not react for a moment. She asked subconsciously, "Then he relies on …"
"Of course it is his army and the bureaucrats he has cultivated, my child." Rosetta suddenly laughed. "You are not usually so slow. You did not think of this?"
Mathilda looked a little embarrassed. "I …"
"It doesn't matter. You are still young." Rosetta shook his head with a smile. "Like I said, it is not a 'good reputation' that allows an emperor to sit in that position. Of course, a good reputation is important. It can make your crown look more beautiful and make you more comfortable in that position. But military power and political power are the key factors that determine whether you can continue to stay in that position. Unfortunately, Gwen Cecil has both, and he has a very strong grip on them.
"If he loses control of the army and social order, we don't have to do anything. Countless remnants of the old Ansu era will jump out and accuse him of being a usurper. His' resurrection 'will undoubtedly become a devil's plot.
"If he controls the army and the social order tightly, however many people reveal his secrets, it will only be 'the malicious slander of the people who intend to restore the empire and the malicious schemers'. His' resurrection 'will still be a miracle. When it is necessary, it can even be a miracle.
"And if we consider his effective means of controlling public opinion and attracting people's hearts, child, do you still think that a mere rumor about the 'resurrection of evil spirits' can shake Gwen Cecil's rule? As far as I know, similar rumors have not stopped since the day he was resurrected. Did these rumors have any effect? "
Mathilda put on a humble look and listened carefully to Rosetta's words. After he finished, she asked, "But … this is still a very important weakness, isn't it? For us, this' secret 'is a big unexpected gain. "
"Yes, a very important weakness … but also one that won't be of much use. And as you said, this gain is just an 'accident'." Rosetta Augustus nodded gently. "So if we really want to use it to do something, we must not do it 'ourselves'. It's not worth it. Gwen Cecil and his department that specializes in controlling intelligence must be prepared to counter public opinion. If we are not careful, we will lose more than him. Secondly, don't expect too good of a result.
Mathilda listened quietly with a thoughtful look on her face. She heard her father saying to her in a meaningful tone, "Mathilda, governing an empire requires not only an iron fist and resolute action, but also patience and prudence most of the time."
Mathilda nodded subconsciously, but suddenly realized something. She looked at Rosetta with her eyes wide open. "Father, you …"
"I don't mean anything else," Rosetta said quietly and suddenly changed the topic. "In fact, if our intelligence is not wrong, we may even owe Gwen Cecil a favor."
"Owe him a favor?" Mathilda could not help but ask in surprise, "What do you mean?"
"… Since the end of the Cold Month, how many nightmares have you experienced?" Rosetta asked.
"… Only two." Mathilda thought for a moment. Although she did not know why, she still answered seriously. "The power of the curse had increased before, but after the end of the Cold Month, the influence of the curse returned to its original state … It may have even weakened a little, and the duration of my nightmares has shortened."
"The curse that haunted our family came from the Throat of Aulandale, from the collapsed Imperial Capital, and now we know that the fallen Priests of Dreams have not gone anywhere else in the past two centuries. They have been in the depths of the ruins, continuing to study the forbidden things. According to the intelligence provided by Lord Bohmeyer, it was the research of the Eternal Sleeper that led to a catastrophe on the level of a divine calamity, so they had no choice but to seek help from the 'extraterrestrial wanderers'. The timeline of all this coincides with the recent fluctuations of the power of the curse."
Mathilda's eyes gradually became serious.
"According to the analysis of the Royal Consultant, if the disaster caused by the Dark Priests broke out, the entire Augustus Family would have suffered a huge loss. But all this did not happen in the end …" Rosetta said slowly, looking at Mathilda's reaction with a scrutinizing look. "Gwen Cecil has his own purpose. He did not provide us with 'free help', but in fact, we owe him a favor."
Mathilda's expression was a little strange, as if she did not know how to respond to her father's words. But after a few seconds of silence and thinking, she shook her head and said, "Favors can be returned with favors, but the interests of the Empire are different."
"This is the best answer I have received today." Rosetta's serious expression eased. "Go do your own thing. You must be tired after chatting with your long-winded father for so long."
"I always gain a lot from talking to you." Mathilda stood up and bowed deeply to Rosetta. "Then I'll take my leave first, Father."
Rosetta gently waved his hand, and Mathilda left the small hall shrouded in sunshine and the fragrance of flowers.
The room quieted down, and only the bright morning sun accompanied the no longer young Rosetta Augustus. The ruler of Typhon sat quietly for a moment in the quiet atmosphere, then slowly turned his eyes to the round table in front of him.
A large book with exquisite printing and gilded surface lay quietly on the table, bathed in the bright sunshine that was rarely seen in Oldenheim.
This was a gift that Mathilda brought back from Cecil, which was given to her by "Gwen Cecil".
"You're so lucky." Rosetta suddenly smiled softly, reached out to pick up the book, and said to himself, "The whole of Oldenheim is sunny to welcome you."
His gaze swept across the pages of the book, and lines of neatly arranged words reflected in his eyes.
"… A country is an orderly collective, including the people and the land, a collection of consistent cultural identity and interests …
"Maintaining social stability and development is one of the basic missions of the country's ruling class …"
In the quiet small hall, only the sound of flipping pages could be heard.
After a long time, a sigh full of inexplicable complex emotions sounded in the small hall. "I can understand what you want to say …"
…
"Sir Golos, Lady Athalena, I hope you're used to living in the Autumn Palace." In the reception room of Cecil Palace, Gwen looked at the Dragon Ambassador in front of him with a smile and said, "We have limited knowledge of the customs of the Duchy of Holy Dragon. If there's anything we don't do well, please feel free to let us know."
"No, we're very satisfied with your hospitality." Sir Golos smiled in a relaxed tone. "We can feel Cecil's sincerity and friendliness — as a first contact, this is a very good start."
"That's good." Gwen nodded. Yesterday's greetings and pleasantries were over, and today was the time to talk business, so he quickly got to the point. "Then let's get started — the Cecil Empire hopes to build a closer relationship with the Duchy of Holy Dragon. It's not just a business deal, and it's not just a few more envoys. We hope to build a more stable commercial channel between the two countries, which is good for the living standards of the two countries and the national economy."
Sir Golos obviously appreciated Gwen's straightforward manner of speaking. After realizing that this new "Cecil Empire" was not as full of red tape and stale rules as described in the data of the human countries, his attitude became relaxed and direct. "To be honest, this is also the wish of Grand Duke Balogel — although the Duchy of Holy Dragon does not often communicate with the outside world, this does not mean that we are stubborn and isolated. We are also curious about the outside world and interested in your country's magical technology. But I wonder what kind of idea you have for the 'commercial channel' between the two countries? Or to put it more bluntly, what do you intend to sell to us? "
The corners of Gwen's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a sincere and happy smile.
When facing business partners, he always smiled sincerely.
"Sir, when you came here, you took our magic train — are you interested in it?"
Sir Golos and Asalena looked at each other.
"Ah …" Two seconds later, Golos blinked and nodded. "It's a very magical thing with a very obvious use. Of course, we are interested."
Gwen smiled and motioned for the attendant to bring up a few documents. "Then, we have a complete investment plan for your interest."
(I recommend a book, "The Legend of the Heroes of the Song Dynasty" written by the flowery panda. The author is Dawn Book Friend, a story of traveling to the end of the Northern Song Dynasty with a martial arts system. Everyone can support it.)
Wonderful Book House
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.
