Andesha shook her head and threw the bold idea out of her mind.
She herself was not a believer (which was very rare in this world). However, even if she was not a believer, she had never really thought about what it would be like if the Holy See and the clergy were completely removed from the Imperial Army, the officials, and the nobles above them. This was too bold an idea, and as a border general, she was not qualified to think about this kind of problem.
"We have been outside for long enough." She sighed and said to her attendant, "It's time to return to the fortress."
As she spoke, she raised her head and saw the Northern Wind sweeping up the Empire's flag from a tower in the distance. Three griffin knights and two battle mages patrolling at a low altitude were flying across the sky. Even further away, there were faint green magical eyes floating in the clouds. Those were the mages of Winterwolf Fort monitoring the situation on the plains.
After most of the War God's Priests were transferred away from their posts, the Winterwolf Fortress's defenses did not weaken. Instead, it became even tighter than before because of the new patrols. However, this temporary strengthening came at the cost of additional resources. No matter how powerful the Empire was, they could not afford to waste resources like this.
She hoped that Oldenheim would be able to come up with a solution as soon as possible.
With this thought in mind, Andesha left the market with her two attendants and returned to the Winterwolf Fortress.
She stepped into the fortress, walked through the corridor and stairs, and arrived at the second floor. As soon as she stepped out of the stairs, she saw one of her personal guards waiting for her at the door of the study.
"General." The guard immediately bowed when he saw Andesha. "There is a letter for you from Oldenheim. It has a purple Luan-Tailed Flower imprint."
"A letter from Mathilda?" Andesha smiled, but she quickly regained her composure. She took the sealed letter from the guard and nodded slightly. "Thank you for your hard work. You are dismissed."
"Yes, General."
After the guard left, Andesha turned around and walked into the study. She casually opened the seal and glanced at the purple Luan-Tailed Flower imprint at the corner of the letter. She shook open the snow-white letter and saw the familiar handwriting.
It started with the usual greetings.
Andesha relaxed a little. With one hand she took off the brown cloak that covered her coat, and with the other she read the letter as she slowly paced the room.
The letter mentioned the recent changes in Oldenheim. It mentioned that the Royal Association of Mages and the Typhon Communications Company were going to work together to transform the communication tower of the entire Empire. The Parliament had finished the discussion, and the Royal Family had issued the order. This matter was finally carried out, just as Mathilda had predicted in the last letter.
Andesha stood in front of the window. It was almost dusk, and the sunlight was just right to illuminate the letter. It was neither glaring nor dark, and had an exceptionally comfortable texture. Her gaze moved over the beautiful handwriting, and a smile appeared on her usually stern face in front of her subordinates.
"… I went to watch the 'Magic Movie Drama', which is quite popular among the young nobles recently. Surprisingly, it was very interesting. Although it is indeed a bit rough and impetuous, which is very different from traditional dramas, I have to admit that it is more attractive than any other drama I have ever seen …" "Well, I have to say.
"But I can't help but worry. The Magic Drama made by Cecil's people is ultimately based on Cecil. Many of the young nobles are now learning to drink Cecil's Carna wine and assorted tea. But just a few years ago, most of the Ansu customs were still the target of their disdain …"
Andesha gently flipped the letter, and the paper made a soft and pleasant rustling sound as she flipped it.
It was indeed a personal letter describing her daily life. Mathilda seemed to write wherever she wanted. After talking about the changes in the Imperial Capital, she also mentioned some of her recent experiences in studying magical technology and mathematics. Andesha had to admit that it was difficult for her to even understand those things, but it was fortunate that the content was not very long. After that, she introduced the other interesting things that Cecil's merchants had done in the Empire.
Finally, when the setting sun was dyed a little red, Andesha's gaze fell on the end of the letter. Mathilda's beautiful handwriting stretched out and formed a line of words:
"… Andesha, after you left the Imperial Capital, there were even more changes here. There are many things that cannot be described in a letter. I only hope that you have the opportunity to see it for yourself.
"Times have changed, and many things have changed beyond our expectations. It even exceeded the expectations of my father, the council members, and the advisors.
"The Empire's market in the southern part of the continent is expanding rapidly. The Kingdom of Kaolin and the Elves are doing business with the Typhon. Count Dyson has opened the first coastal sea route and successfully built an outpost on Tasos Island. We are reclaiming the ancient colonial islands in the outer seas. More and more young people are heading to the south and the east coast to look for opportunities there.
"A few years ago, almost all of us thought that the Empire needed a foreign war. I also thought so at that time, but it is different now. What the Empire needs is peace. At least for now, this is the greatest benefit for the Typhon.
"I hope that you think so too …"
Andesha sighed softly and folded the letter again. After a few seconds of silence, she shook her head and smiled helplessly.
In the past, she had received orders to monitor Cecil's movements and wait for an opportunity to launch a decisive attack. Even if she did not complete this mission successfully, she had never disobeyed the orders that were given to her. But now, she received orders to protect the borders and maintain order. She had to maintain the peace with Cecil. This order was not in line with her personal feelings, but she would still carry it out.
The Empire's interests were more important than her personal feelings.
"You worry too much … … It's not like I have muscles in my head."
She muttered to herself and waved the few pieces of paper in the air. Flames ignited in the air and devoured the thin pieces of paper in a breath. Only a few ashes were left behind.
She kept the envelope. She fixed the slightly crumpled envelope and put it in a small cupboard beside the desk.
There were strict rules in the army. Personal letters received by high-ranking officers were not to be kept. They were to be burned after reading it, regardless of the contents of the letter, even if it was just a few pieces of white paper. Andesha would never break the rules that she had set.
Keeping the envelope was already the greatest 'favouritism' she could do.
She then went to her desk and opened a piece of paper, preparing to write a reply.
But before she started writing, she suddenly stopped. She looked at the familiar table in front of her, and a thought suddenly appeared in her mind. If her father was still here, what would he do? What would he say?
His father was different from him. While he only knew how to use military methods to solve problems, his father was more knowledgeable and more flexible. If it was his father, he would have been able to easily deal with the current complicated situation, be it the abnormality of the War God Church, the infighting between the nobles, or … the new relationship between the empire and the Cecil people that made him unable to adapt to it.
After a few seconds of silence, the young Wolf General shook her head and began to think of a sentence with difficulty. She took a long time before she finally finished writing a reply to Princess Mathilda.
"I have received the letter. The borders are fine, and I will remember your reminder. I am very interested in the things you mentioned, but I will not be going back this holiday.
"Andesha Wendell."
Night had fallen, and lights were lit inside and outside the fortress. Andesha heaved a long sigh of relief and wiped the non-existent sweat off her forehead. She felt more tired than fighting on the battlefield for a whole day.
Her father was better at writing than her … …
… …
"Oh, Mister Bard. Just in time, this is today's report." A young technician stood up from the desk where the magic network terminal was placed. He handed a document with a form and a signature to a middle-aged man who had just walked into the room. At the same time, he looked at the middle-aged man with surprise. "You're here so early today?"
Bard Wendell, who was wearing a technician's uniform, smiled and nodded as he received the document. "I have nothing to do in the dormitory, so I might as well take a look at the data."
As he spoke, he raised his head and looked at the 'monitoring room'. Several high-power magic network terminals were neatly arranged in the large room, and there were two still expensive immersion pods in the corner. Several technicians were monitoring the data beside the equipment, and a low buzzing sound echoed in the room.
"You have to cultivate some personal hobbies, such as playing cards or kicking a ball with everyone occasionally," the young technician muttered. "Isn't it boring to write and calculate in the dormitory all day long?"
"I like to write and calculate. To me, it's more interesting than playing cards," Bard said casually. At the same time, he asked, "Did you get anything today?"
"Of course not. How can I be so lucky?" The young man shrugged. "Those signals appear and disappear mysteriously, and it seems to be based on mood. We can only listen here passively. God knows when we will receive a signal again."
At this point, he could not help but look at Bard with a hint of curiosity on his face. "Speaking of which … I really didn't expect you to become familiar with the 'listening group' so quickly. I thought you would only help here temporarily for a few days and would soon return to the Druil Research Institute."
Bard looked away from the list and slowly sat down beside his equipment. Then, he smiled and shook his head. "I'm quite confident in my learning ability, and the monitoring work here isn't too difficult for me. As for the Druil Research Institute … I have submitted an application, and my file will be completely transferred from there next month. "
"Why?!" The young technician suddenly widened his eyes in surprise. "You are a scholar with three oak leaves there. Your treatment should be much better than here!"
"… I don't want to deal with those things, because of some … personal reasons," Bard said with some hesitation. "Of course, I know that the Druil technology is very useful, so I joined the research institute when there was a shortage of people here. But now the technicians transferred from the capital are in place, and Ms. Bertilla is leading the new research team. There is no need for an ordinary Druil like me."
There was a slight self-deprecation in his tone.
"Well, since you have decided," the young technician glanced at Bard and said helplessly.
In fact, he did not know the background and experience of this slightly reclusive and mysterious colleague in front of him. As a "monitor" who was transferred from another place not long ago, when he came here, the man in front of him was already a "senior staff member" in the technical department of Sorin. He only occasionally heard a few words from others. He knew that this person named Bard seemed to have a very complicated past, and even used to be a Typhon … But these were just insignificant gossip.
The young technician was not a person who was interested in digging up the past of others, and now he was off duty.
His colleague left, and the others in the room were busy with their own things. Bard finally let out a sigh of relief and sat at his desk. His attention fell on the holographic light projected by the magic network terminal.
The calm background noise formed a uniform "curtain" on the holographic projection, and there was nothing on it.
Bard picked up the small receiver from the table next to him and put it to his ear.
The resonant crystal embedded in the receiver received the monitoring signal from the Sorin hub. It was a soothing sound with few fluctuations. It quietly echoed and sank into Bard Wendell's heart.
It reminded people of the breeze in the Green Forest Valley, and the chirping of insects in the Long Branch Manor in the middle of the summer.
Today's monitoring might not yield any results, but this silence was already the biggest gain for Bard.
…
"Visit Tarlonde … Don't worry, President Andal has handed this matter to me!" Melita said to Gwen with a smile, looking quite happy (probably because of the overtime pay). "I will take you to visit the various landmark areas of Tarlonde, from the recently most popular arena to the ancient Monument Square. If you want, we can also go to the lower city … The president has given me a very high level of authority. I think you can go anywhere you want except for the upper sanctum and a few key administrative departments."
As she said, she seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly added, "Oh, by the way, Noretta will also come. After all, she is the Dragon who has the most contact with you other than me. Do you remember her? White Dragon Noretta. "
"Of course," Gwen nodded and said as he followed Melita out of the Council headquarters palace. Bright lights could be seen everywhere in the square outside the palace, illuminating the wide road ahead. A continuous line of lights extended from the top of the mountain to the direction of the city on the plain. The flashing lights in the city even gave Gwen an illusion that he had traveled back in time again. He blinked subconsciously and turned his gaze back to Melita. "But where are we going now?"
"Before we officially take you to visit, of course, we have to settle our guests first," Melita said with a smile as she looked at Gwen, Veronica, and Amber, who was a little dozing off. "Sorry, Tarlonde does not have a palace like the Autumn Palace that is specially used to entertain foreign envoys. But if you don't mind, you can stay in my house for the next few days. Although it is a private residence, my house is quite big."
"Of course not," Gwen said immediately. "Then we will have to bother you for the next few days."
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