In the Lake Fairy's tower, it was autumn. Golden leaves danced in the air. Birth, old age, sickness, death, and the changes of the seasons were all natural laws. However, the small valley in the tower was full of vitality. The herbs and flowers planted by the Lake Fairy were still blooming.
In the courtyard of the tower, on the huge marble balcony, the Lake Fairy, the Lake Goddess, and Laing were sitting together and chatting. Laing's wife, Suria, was lying on a chair beside Laing. She was sound asleep.
Today, the Lake Fairy was not wearing a long dress, which was rare. She was wearing a white snow fox fur sweater and a gray folded-collar skirt decorated with fur balls. Her golden hair was like silk, hanging down to her ankles. Seeing that Laing was a little unhappy, the Lake Fairy smiled and said, "Laing, my champion. With you around, I temporarily possess Suria. Not only will it not affect her, but it will also benefit her a lot. She is now my Chosen One."
"It is Suria's honor to be possessed by the Lady." Morgiana also nodded and said, "The Lady's divine power can help her grow and keep her away from corruption and curses."
"No one would feel good if they found out one day that their wife was suddenly possessed, right?" Laing looked at the Lake Fairy and sighed. "Forget it. Since Suria is willing, I can't say no. My Lady, you are finally back."
"Call me Lilith." The Lake Fairy reached out a finger and poked Laing's face. She was a little unhappy. "You don't like me coming back? I thought my appearance would make you happy, you man who doesn't know how to be kind and compassionate. "
"So you came to me to criticize me?" Leon looked at his wife who was sleeping soundly. He knew that the Fairy of the Lake had something that she did not want Sulia to know. Before the three of them finished their little meeting, Sulia would definitely not wake up. "If you have something to say, just say it, Lilith. It just so happens that I have something to discuss with you."
"Okay ~ Morgiana, bring me the pastries and milk tea that I made on the third floor," the Lake Fairy ordered.
"Yes." Morgiana first nodded to the fairy in the lake, then glanced at the sleeping Suria with a strange look, got up and left.
"From the looks of it, everything in the kingdom has been fine while I was away." While the Lake Goddess was out, the Fairy of the Lake sat beside Laing. She took off her brooch in a relaxed manner and sighed. "Over the past few years, this country has been through a lot of wars. It needs a rest. But things don't always go as I expected. Forget it, I'll leave the High Elves' stupid business alone! Ah Suyan can do whatever she wants! Sooner or later, he will kill all of Assur! "
After saying that, the Lake Fairy directly fell onto Laing without caring about her image. Laing easily caught the soft goddess and straightened her up. Then he said with a smile, "Is the plague over?"
"It's over." Laing helped the Lake Fairy back to her chair. She had a sullen look on her face. "I finally made the antidote to the plague, but Ah Suyan ordered the captain of the Phoenix Guards, his' anointed one 'Kajoin, to burn my antidote formula. Fortunately, my mother, Yisha, told Alariel in a dream before the antidote formula was burned. So at least the plague is over. For this, I was blamed by Ah Suyan on the spot in the Pantheon. I have done what I should have done."
"You didn't do anything wrong in this matter." Laing, on the other hand, was very appreciative of the Lake Fairy's efforts in making the antidote. He nodded and said worriedly, "Then … what punishment did Ah Suyan give you?"
"What else can Ah Suyan do to me? Since the time of the Boor King Moville, my divine power as the High Elf Goddess of the Moon, Lilith, has been slowly declining. My divine power is no longer a threat to him." The Lake Fairy always had a faint fragrance on her body. She stared at the misty valley and said, "But for the time being, I'd better avoid him and stay with you."
"Ma 'am, Laing." Morgiana came to Laing and the Lake Fairy with pastries and tea.
The elves had always been messy, and Laing was not interested in learning about the internal affairs of the High Elves. He nodded and did not say anything.
"I know that you and François are planning to form an alliance to attack the Blackstone Stronghold. Morgiana has told me." The Lake Fairy saw that Laing did not say anything and knew that Laing was not interested in this matter. Ossouin was far away from the old world. Even the High Elves' ocean-going ships would take two months to sail there. Laing, who was too far away, did not care about the High Elves. The Lake Fairy changed the subject. "How's the preparation going?"
"More than half. It's the autumn harvest now. I've temporarily dismissed the soldiers and let them go back to farming. When the autumn harvest is over, they will gather for training again," Laing answered the Lake Fairy.
In addition to the serf conscripts, the soldiers in his territory were also semi-professional, including the Longbow Battalion, the Chalon Forest Patrol Battalion, and the Halberd Legion. They were all semi-professional troops, but there was still a long way to go before they could become a fully professional army.
The cost of supporting a conscript, a semi-professional army, and a professional army were completely different.
Why did the knights like the serf conscripts so much?
It was cheap! The serf conscripts had to prepare their own weapons and dry rations on the battlefield. Except for the rations with more salt, the knights did not have to bear more costs. They only had to pay for the army's rations when the conscript exceeded the time limit. The serf would keep half of the war spoils, keep their weapons, and hand over their armor in exchange for money. They would be rewarded according to their military exploits.
A professional army was completely different. The cost of raising a professional army was unimaginable. Laing had heard a lot of people boasting in his previous life. They said that the conscript system was the best, the compulsory system was the second best, and the conscript system was the worst. Everyone should adopt the conscript system and separate the army from the agriculture to build a strong army.
Brother, doesn't Ryan know that the combat strength of a mercenary army is the strongest? But what about the money? Where did the money come from? Falling from the sky? Digging it out of the ground? Floating in the water? Funding from the United Nations?
None, none at all. I'm like the Lord of Pigeons. I don't get any money, nor do I get any food. In the end, this money will still have to be distributed to my subjects. If that happens, I'll be walking down the same old path of increasing taxes. The public trust that Ryan worked so hard to build up over the years will be destroyed.
Even the Empire on the other side of the mountain was a semi-professional army and a mercenary band. There were many of them and they had to be conscripted for war in their spare time. Even during the busy times, they had to ensure that there were enough people to work on the farm. Without food, who would fight for the knights?
Laing's land was already one of the wealthiest among Brittany. Last year, he collected close to eight thousand crowns in taxes. Even so, he was still very careful with the semi-professional army. The soldiers trained three days a week, worked three days in the fields, and went to church on the weekends. Laing would give them half of their salary and some benefits during normal times. He would only give them the full amount during wartime.
"My prophecy has changed. Laing, do you remember that there would be no major wars in Brittany in the next few years?" The Lake Fairy raised her teacup and frowned. "But in the recent prophecy, the Evil God of Chaos appeared. I saw you and François working together to fight against an extremely powerful Champion of Chaos."
"An extremely powerful Champion of Chaos? You're saying that there will be a major war in Brittany? " The Lake Fairy's prophecy caught Laing's attention. He immediately asked, "That's strange. If we attack Blackstone, our opponents will either be Mu Xilong's undead or the Blackstone's army. Chaos is currently unable to invade the south. The vampires are the biggest threat to Brittany. Why would there be a Champion of Chaos?"
"I don't understand what it means to have a Champion of Chaos in the prophecy. My dear Laing, my champion, you must be careful when you attack Blackstone. If necessary, Morgiana can help you." The Lake Fairy stroked Laing's face, her voice filled with concern.
Morgianna also looked at Ryan. It was obvious that she was eager to give it a try.
"Your Highness Morgiana, you should wait until you fully recover and find the Holy Grail." Laing shook his head. The Lake Fairy's help would be a great help, but Morgiana still hadn't recovered from her injuries. Her current power was only equivalent to a peak legendary sky and life witch. It was true that she could provide some help, but it would be troublesome if she was captured by the vampires.
"François and I will solve the problem ourselves. My lady, you don't have to worry. It's just that the war may have to be brought forward." Laing stood up and paced on the balcony. "Currently, the allocation of food and resources is mostly in place. François and I are ready for war. The only thing to worry about is that the knights and infantry are not familiar enough with the dwarves. But now is not the time to care so much. The battlefield is the best training ground."
The Lake Fairy's face darkened when she heard Laing's point of view. Morgiana had imagined the scene of her and Laing fighting side by side on the battlefield many times. She would release magic and divine spells, sweeping away thousands of enemies, while Laing would charge at the front and take the flag.
However, the Lake Fairy was there. Since the Lake Fairy did not object, Morgiana could not object either. The only thing she could do was to continue the discussion. "In that case, are you going to march to the Blackstone Stronghold in advance?"
The Lake Fairy's long sleeves were inlaid with iris-shaped gold jewelry and gemstone necklaces. She was holding a golden Holy Grail in her hand. The clear liquid in the Holy Grail was swaying in the Holy Grail. She was waiting for Laing's answer.
"Wait for the autumn harvest. After the autumn harvest is over, François and I will attack the Blackstone Stronghold." Laing rubbed his chin and thought for a while. He decided to wait until after the autumn harvest. The autumn harvest was in progress, and the soldiers were not in the mood to fight. The large amount of food and taxes from the autumn harvest could be used directly in the war.
"In that case, Laing, I will ask Morgiana to immediately issue an oracle and order a team of Grail Knights to go with you! Fight for the kingdom! " The Lake Fairy said loudly. She put down the Holy Grail and hugged Laing from behind. She whispered in Laing's ear, "My champion, is this not generous enough?"
"Very generous." Laing only felt two soft lumps on his back, changing shape back and forth. The champion of the Lake Fairy awkwardly turned around and gently pushed the Lake Fairy away. His wife, Suria, was sleeping soundly next to him. Even though he knew that Suria was very much in favor of him and the Lake Fairy, Laing still had an indescribable feeling.
"After this problem is solved, Laing, there is another problem. Everyone in this kingdom knows that the Knight King, Richard, is going to abdicate. His designated successor is Duke Lauan Rio Cornwall. Lauan is also one of the champions that I selected. He has the qualifications to inherit the throne. In terms of ability, he is also impeccable. But … you still want to inherit the throne, right?" The Lake Fairy sat down again and frowned. "Of course I want you to be the king, my champion. But as the guardian of this kingdom and the maker of order, I cannot violate the rules, especially the rules that Arthur and I agreed on together."
"I know." Laing was also troubled by this.
The Lake Fairy was a god of order. She naturally had to abide by the rules of order and carry it forward. She could not violate the rules that she set. Although Laing came to Brittany through the introduction of the Lake Fairy, he had built his reputation and reputation on his own.
As Count Anthelm, Suria's uncle and François's cousin, said, Laing had relied on his own strength to get to where he was now. Therefore, many Knights of the Holy Grail and great nobles, led by Anthelm, still recognized Laing's achievements and status. Therefore, even though many dukes did not like this outsider (which was inevitable, after all, Laing was not a Brittany), they did not do too much in secret.
If Leon really relied on the favor of the fairy in the lake to commit all sorts of atrocities, forcefully seizing titles and bullying others, then all the great nobles of the kingdom would not submit to him, and he would not be able to marry Sulia.
Laing had read a lot of web novels in his previous life in the Celestial Empire. On the one hand, they were desperately trying to show off and slap the faces of all kinds of rich people, telling them not to bully young people because they were poor. In the end, they relied on the power of all kinds of big shots to bully others. In the end, everything was decided by bloodline.
In essence, everyone liked to show off and hated to see others do so. No one could escape from the truth. The words "not to bully young people because they were poor" were not said by the young people themselves, but by others when they evaluated the young people.
"But you still want to seize the throne, but you are not a duke yet." The Lake Fairy was also troubled. "I know, you are planning to prepare for the final moment."
"Lord Lauren is a Knight of the Holy Grail. After he succeeds to the throne, he can sit on the throne for at least a hundred years." Laing tried to say, "I don't mean to belittle Lauren's strength and ability in internal affairs, but I think I can do better."
"If that's the case, then there is only one way left." The Lake Fairy agreed with Laing's view. She pondered for a moment. "Then it will be a competition."
"A fair, just, and open competition. Only then can everyone be convinced."
"Only you can become the king of Brittany!"
… I am the dividing line in the secret discussion …
When Laing and Suria, who had just woken up from a dream, came out of the Lake Fairy's tower, François's cousin, Sir Jerrold, was already waiting outside. When he saw Laing, Jerrold said anxiously, "Laing, something big has happened!"
"A huge undead army attacked the Duchy of Montfort! Tens of thousands of people died in this attack! "
"Duke Forcade of Montfort asked for help!"
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