Under the dark sky not far away, the valley to the north of the fortress had undergone tremendous changes in just a few days. The originally desolate ridge was now covered with huge clusters of crystals. There were so many of them that it was impossible to count. The army of crystals was spread all over the valley. From time to time, there would be flying crystals hovering over the valley. When there were enough of them, they could even form a torrent in the sky.
The sharp screeching of the crystals echoed in the valley. It was a deafening noise that made the faces of the envoys from various countries change. These days, there were many people like them. Some of them had even come to the top of the wall to observe the scene outside for the third or fourth time. Some of them had even experienced the battle in the past two days. Most of them looked worried.
"Gentlemen, this is the enemy that the people of Cruz are facing now," Fjodna Nidevan stood on the wall and said to everyone. "As most of you have guessed, they are the minions of Dusk. In fact, these minions have already defeated the people of Cruz once in the Empire. With the help of this fortress, we barely managed to gain a foothold and stop them from going south. I am not saying this to claim credit. I am asking for your help because this is not the enemy of Cruz alone. On the contrary, their purpose is to destroy our world and kill everyone here. "
"The people of Cruz are not afraid of death. If necessary, we will calmly fight here to the last man. But after that, these monsters will cross the Alkash Mountains and attack the Wilderness of the Four Territories, the Silver Bay area, and the hinterland of Saint-ausol. This is not an exaggeration, but something that is happening right in front of our eyes. I would like to ask you to think about this question carefully. Are you willing to repeat the mistakes of the Empire, or stop the enemy from entering the country before all this happens? "
Little Nidevan's words caused a commotion in the crowd.
The envoys from various countries whispered to each other. Soon, someone asked, "Thank you for the sacrifices made by the descendants of the Flame King, but what do you need?"
"We need a lot. Weapons, supplies, and even soldiers. But we need more than that. We need everyone to unite and even re-implement the sacred covenant of the past."
"With all due respect, Mr. Nidwen, is our enemy really so strong that we need the entire civilized world to unite to fight against it?"
Nidwen recognized that the speaker was an envoy from a small country to the east of White Mountain. The latter was a country that believed in the Holy Cathedral of Wind. However, the question should not have been asked by the wind elves, but by the latter himself.
He replied, "In fact, even if we work together, we only have the hope of winning."
Everyone couldn't help but gasp. Although they all understood what the name of the Twilight Dragon meant, they had long forgotten the terrifying meaning of this name after thousands of years.
In their imagination, the most tragic war was the War of the Holy Saints a thousand years ago. However, in that war, the four Sages had also obtained victory. Although there were no more Sages in this era, the strength of the various mortal kingdoms was far stronger than that of the Iron Folk of that era.
And this time, the White-eyed People and the Dragon Tribe would also stand on their side.
However, Nidwen's words dispelled most of the people's dreams. Although there were still some people who didn't believe him, at least they had more or less an impression of the enemy they were about to face.
Some people wanted to retreat because of this, but most people knew in their hearts that in this war, they had no way to retreat.
At this time, someone in the Wind Elf envoy finally spoke. "The elves have no objection to this. But there is a problem. This fortress is so close to the border of the Wind Elves and is far away from the traditional sphere of influence of the Cruz people. It is understandable that you temporarily occupy this fortress to fight against the Crystal Cluster, but when the elves' reinforcements arrive, who will be in charge of this fortress? "
This sudden question made little Nidwen frown, but he had already expected it. He calmly replied, "I don't think this fortress belongs to anyone."
"Then what do you mean?"
"This fortress has been passed down since ancient times. It can be said that Lady Martha left a gift to all of us mortals. Therefore, it does not belong to any mortal kingdom, but it also belongs to each of us here. In this war, we will use it together to resist the invasion of foreign enemies. After the war, the Kirrlutz people will withdraw from this fortress, and the other countries should do the same one by one. This will be a permanent neutral area. All countries can send scholars to inspect and study it, but no army is allowed to enter. "
Little Nidwen paused. "This is also the opinion of the original owner of this place."
"The original owner of this place?"
"Yes, Mister Tuman."
This sentence made everyone who still had objections subconsciously shut their mouths.
However, little Nidwen understood that this was just the beginning. Others might not agree with this proposal. Even if the Tower of Babel was only a remnant of the ruins, it was still an endless treasure trove.
However, this proposal was beneficial to the Wind Elves. Even if it was a permanent neutral area, no one could deny the fact that it was geographically closer to the Elves of Saint-ausol.
Little Nidwen thought that perhaps this would encourage the Wind Elves to support his proposal.
Thinking of this, he raised his head and glanced at a tower in the distance.
In the tower, two old men were talking.
They were also looking away from the distant city wall. The reactions of the Elves of Saint-ausol and the envoys of other countries were not too unexpected.
"It seems that things are going well on the surface, but it is only on the surface. Just as Mister Tuman predicted, the Elves of Saint-ausol still lack trust in us. This does not involve the details. I am afraid that the next negotiation will be more difficult than expected."
"The reaction of the Elves is not beyond my expectations, but I noticed something interesting. I am afraid that this matter is not as simple as it seems."
The old Prime Minister of the Empire was silent for a moment before he slowly opened his mouth and replied.
"Oh?" Valla was a little surprised. He knew that the old man in front of him had sharp eyes. In a sense, the two of them were once on different sides. However, during the old man's heyday, Valla did not deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as him.
That was his teacher's era. However, in that era, his teacher was only a defeated opponent of the old man in front of him.
"One of the Hunter siblings who have high hopes for Mister Tuman is in this envoy group. However, when the Elves spoke just now, they did not seek his opinion. Either they have reached an agreement beforehand, or there is something else."
"You are saying that the Hunter siblings who have high hopes for Mister Tuman have not truly grasped the situation in Saint-ausol?"
"That is only a possibility, Mister Archpriest. However, the possibility is very high. Because even if the Elves have reached an agreement with their 'new King', they would at least show the appropriate respect before they speak."
Old Nidevan shook his head. "From the looks of it, rather than saying that the entourage of the Elven envoy group is that Mister's entourage, it would be more appropriate to say that they are monitors."
"The political struggle in Saint-ausol is not any easier than ours. Back then, it was because we interfered with the internal strife of the Sun, Moon, and Star Races that we incurred the hostility between the two countries. It is indeed a little too difficult for the Hunter siblings to reclaim a country just because they hold Mister Saint-ausol's token, unless the siblings are also skilled politicians. "
Valla shook his head. That was a little too difficult. He had inquired about the origins of the Hunter siblings. They were from a very ordinary family of hunters in Lantonilan. It was hard to say if people of such a background were educated, and it was even more impossible for them to become skilled politicians.
"In other words, the possibility of them being puppets is greater." He replied. "It is a pity that Mister Tuman still has high hopes for the Hunter siblings."
"Perhaps Mister Tuman is the one with the most authority."
Old Nidevan replied neither too quickly nor too slowly.
Things developed as the old Prime Minister expected. The progress of the Wilderness of the Four Realms meeting was not satisfactory. Every country had their own plans on this issue. In the beginning of the meeting, the Elves of Saint-ausol started a tug-of-war over the ownership of the Stronghold.
Above the ownership of the fortress was the issue of the ownership of the command of the coalition forces. On this issue, even the Kirrlutzians did not dare to give in, and the meeting fell into a difficult stalemate after the initial flourish.
Even so, the Elves still kept their promise and sent an army to join the battle against the Crystal Clusters before November. At the same time, in the south of the Wilderness of the Four Realms, the Elven Army signed a ceasefire agreement with the people of Cruz. This allowed the people of Cruz to receive aid from the Red Army from the south for the first time.
Under such circumstances, the Stronghold barely held on under the siege of the Crystal Cluster army. However, as time passed, more and more people became aware that the Crystal Cluster army in the mountains north of the Alkash Mountains was brewing a larger operation.
With the constant mobilization of the Crystal Cluster army, the number of flying Crystal Clusters and beetles hovering over the Stronghold increased. The hidden conspiracy behind it was like a dark cloud shrouding everyone's heart.
Under such oppressive negotiations, the Elves finally relented and made a final concession on the issue of command. But it was at this time that the undead army led by Queen Madara finally arrived in the south of White Mountain and sent an envoy to participate in the peace meeting.
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