The night in Brunswick, the capital of the Empire, was solemn. Under the dim yellow light, the entire city was in a state of martial law. Patrols, witch-hunters, ascetics, battle priests, and paladins almost never stopped walking back and forth on the streets. They were loudly reciting all kinds of announcements and precautions.
The night in Brunswick was also quiet. It was so quiet that almost no other sound could be heard except for the sound of the flowing water of the Brunswick River. The extreme prosperity during the day and the hustle and bustle seemed to have become two different worlds.
This was due to the strict curfew imposed by the Emperor of the Empire, Karl-franz. Under the dark night of the city, no one knew what was hiding. The greatest city in the history of mankind had long exceeded its capacity and became extremely crowded. Under the legendary city walls of this city, humans had settled down here two thousand years ago and began to build tribes among countless foreign enemies to protect themselves.
In fact, Ottdorf had always opened its doors to all citizens of the Empire. As long as the guards at the city gates had completed their identification, regardless of whether they were citizens of the Empire or not, even if they were Brittany, Tyrians, Estalians, or even border princes, they could enter the heart of the Empire. This city was just like when Emperor Charlemagne rose to power in the Old World two thousand years ago. It welcomed everyone with the most open attitude.
Therefore, when the first vampire count, Vlad Von Karstein, the Elector of Sylvania (disputed), attacked Brunswick, the line of refugees here was once hundreds of kilometers long. All the refugees were anxious to enter Brunswick.
However, if one thought that Brunswick was a paradise for opportunists, young people with dreams, and fugitives, one would be gravely mistaken.
Indeed, Brunswick was open to all humans. However, the various guilds and schools in the city controlled the best jobs and salaries. If one was not a noble, it was very difficult to enter. The citizens of Brunswick who had spent half of their lives fighting for the city would tell you how difficult life was. Most of the people often had to rely on their own hands to find a job to make ends meet. An apartment that was so crowded that eight people lived in a room or even a bunk in a basement, and a 996 working day system.
(Not working on Sundays but spending half a day in worship. Generally speaking, people without faith were easily mistaken as believers of Chaos. Therefore, everyone would at least say that they believed in an officially recognized god. Whether they were a pseudo-believer or a pan-believer was another matter.)
The workers at the lowest level often had to work hard for more than ten years. Only a small number of lucky ones could become skilled workers, craftsmen, or foremen, and start to work hard to get married, have children, and achieve new goals in life.
It was also because of this that various gangs were born. The law of the Empire stipulated that citizens had the freedom to form associations. Therefore, a large number of gangs began to emerge in the city. The emergence of gangs allowed the homeless refugees and young people who were looking for opportunities to find a purpose in life and their own identity. The emergence of gangs replaced the old family system and gave the workers a sense of belonging. However, it also multiplied the difficulty for the demon hunters, paladins, and battle priests to eliminate the Chaos cults. Because there were too many gangs in Brunswick, it was difficult to distinguish between good and bad. Also, due to the uniqueness of the Chaos cults, even if the cults believed in the same evil god, they would kill each other all day long. Under such circumstances, it was extremely difficult to find the cults of Chaos.
Fortunately, due to the archbishop kidnapping incident two years ago, the Justice Archbishop Vickmar, the Resolute Man, purged the entire slum in anger. Following the clues, he found the traces of the cults of Chaos and eliminated them. Now, the cults had at least ceased their activities or were hiding in the dark.
In the past two years, the Empire had enjoyed a precious era of peace.
In a private banquet hall in the palace of the Empire, Emperor Karl-franz invited the core and most powerful people of the Empire to discuss a series of political changes in the Kingdom of the Knight King.
In the brightly lit palace banquet hall, a long table was filled with a variety of dishes. Under the careful cooking of the royal chef, the dishes were particularly delicious, and contained a strong flavor of Rick.
What was the flavor of Rick?
In terms of flavor, Rick dishes preferred pork, beef, liver, spices, fish, poultry, vegetables, and so on. In terms of condiments, a lot of mustard, white wine, butter, and so on were used. In terms of cooking, boiling, stewing, or stewing were more often used, especially the famous "sour beef", "Rick pickled cabbage", "steak tartare", and "pig trotter hot pot".
However, the most famous dishes were the various kinds of ham, sausages, and sausages of Rick. On the table today, the most famous "Black Forest Ham" and "Brunswick Sausage" were the most famous. Several kinds of sausages were paired with the first-class ale "Cobain's Finest" and soft and delicious wheat bread. This was the most high-class banquet in the palace.
Sitting on the main seat, Emperor Karl-franz picked up a beer cup and drank a mouthful of black beer. The emperor was in his early forties this year, and was at the beginning of the peak of the legendary stage. He had a hearty smile on his face as always, and it was easy to feel close to this smile.
Whether it was facing the Kurfürst, his subordinates, the soldiers of the Empire, or the lowest civilians in the slums of Brunswick, the emperor always had a smile on his face, neither servile nor overbearing. "So, Laing Macado has succeeded. He has conquered Muxilon, and he is about to become the king on the other side of the mountain."
"Isn't that so?" Boris Todbrink, Kurfürst White Wolf, was engrossed in eating and drinking. This Kurfürst of the Empire had inherited all the qualities of the people of Midden, whether good or bad.
What were the people of Midden?
They complained the most, talked the most, were the first to arrive at the table, and ate the most.
The people of Midden were always stubborn and refused to change. They refused to use imported products and foreign words until now. Under the influence of Yurick, the people here attached great importance to tradition, and because of this, the dwarves were the best at talking to them.
"Isn't that so? Boris! My Lord Kurfürst, don't you feel the slightest bit ashamed of this? " Marshal Rick, Curt Helberg, was very dissatisfied with this. He opened his mouth and said without any scruples, "You made us miss a Grand Knight of the Holy Grail. Do you know how much trouble could be solved if our Empire had such a strong combat power like Laing?"
"Oh, is that so?" Kurfürst Boris finally raised his head from the plate after hearing Marshal Rick's words. Helberg's face was reflected in the pupil of his one eye. "Do you think that if he stayed in Nord, or went to White Wolf City, he could also grow into a Grand Knight of the Holy Grail? Helberg, you'd better use your IQ on the battlefield! Or do you think that the position that our emperor has arranged for you is not enough for you? Should you go to the Rick Council and be the Grand Lord of the Seal? "
"Tarr's tooth!" Helberg was obviously angered by Kurfürst Boris's words. Marshal Rick cursed and said, "What I said and what you answered are not the same question!"
Marshal Rick still wanted to say something, but the emperor reached out and interrupted Helberg's cursing. Karl-franz smiled and said to Boris, "Tradition is a powerful force."
"Hmm …" Kurfürst Boris took out his fork again, picked up a whole piece of oily pork trotter, and stuffed it into his mouth. "That's right, tradition is a powerful force. No matter how you look at it, Helberg, this idiot, has never stayed in the White Wolf Knights."
"So there's no point in discussing this question." The emperor clenched the knife and fork in his hand. "What we need to discuss now is, what should we do? What should we do? "
"This little bastard has never experienced the beating of society. He actually became a duke after going to the other side of the mountain for ten years." Archbishop Wickmar Fortitude of the Church of Justice nodded. "This means that, other than his bravery, he is a really capable person. Karl, you and your court have discussed the political situation of the kingdom on the other side of the mountain many times. To be able to solve the problem under such circumstances, there is no need to doubt his ability. Now the question is, what do you plan to do?"
"Our emperor needs an answer, not a question. Archbishop of Justice, how can you answer a question with a question?" Boris Todbringer said impatiently, "If you're treating me to a meal just to talk nonsense here, then I'm very happy. I like free dinners!"
"Heh heh heh ~" Emperor Karl-franz laughed helplessly.
Boris Todbringer almost became the "Wolf Emperor". In the end, Karl-franz won by a close margin, and Kurfürst Boris, who lost unwillingly, often expressed his dissatisfaction with the emperor in public. Due to the conflict between the Northern Sect and the Southern Sect, Boris's attitude intensified the conflict between the North and the South. This Kurfürst even thought that Karl-franz was a puppet emperor of the Southern Sect.
However, the emperor needed the power of Boris and the White Wolf Knights behind him, as well as the White Wolf Sect. The only thing he could do was to let Boris participate in the important decisions and let him feel that he was not excluded from the decision-making circle.
At this moment, the Duke of Griffin opened his mouth. Ivan Ferdinand was now a hundred years old veteran, but from his appearance, he still looked like a man in his thirties. "Laing's personality is very complicated. During the few years I was his Godfather, I felt that his personality is called flexibility within the rules and kindness within the system."
"Flexibility within the rules and kindness within the system?" Emperor Karl-franz thought carefully. He suddenly asked Boris, "Is his adoptive father, Norman, still in White Wolf City?"
"Yes, Norman is now an instructor in Mildenheim. But as you know, Franz, Laing did not inherit the position of the Lord of Ortney, so his adoptive father … is just that." Boris Todbringer nodded. The Kurfürst said in a rough voice, "What do you want?"
"Nothing." The emperor shook his head. Just as Boris said, aristocratic lineage was based on inheritance and family tree, not on upbringing.
"Laing's personality has a flexible side. He is very ambitious, but he also has a side that sticks to his bottom line. His actions are unquestionably restricted by the way of knighthood, but when he thinks it is necessary, he can always find a reason to bypass the shackles of knighthood." Ivan stroked his long beard and said, "When facing enemies, Laing also has a kind side. If the other party is a target that can be killed or not, then he is more inclined to let the other party live. When the enemy is related to evil, Laing is the most resolute in his belief that evil must be eradicated. He would rather kill the wrong person than let the wrong person go."
"Laing has always advocated that the conflicts within the human race should be resolved internally. Once the enemy invades, the human compatriots must put aside their prejudices and unite to defend against the enemy." The great alchemist Bayershazer Gelt spoke. As he was eating dinner, Gelt took off his golden mask, revealing a stiff and cold ordinary face. "I think I have a detail to tell everyone."
"Speak, Gelt. You know I trust you the most." The emperor nodded.
"Laing's Oliver Merchant Guild and Hadrian Merchant Guild have already opened branches in Brunswick, Mildenheim, Nur, and Tara Beheim. This is not a sign that he wants to start a war." Gelt calmly spoke with a heavy metallic voice. "Judging from how much he is favored by the Lady of the Lake, he should also understand the big picture."
"He and his merchant guild can often make up for the food shortage in Mildenburg," Boris said in a rough voice. "I hope we can discuss how to get a few more half-blood elven warhorses from him. The white wolf knight captains have all said that they are good, but there are too few of them."
"Now is not the time to talk about this … In a few years, he will be the king." The emperor seemed to agree with Gelt's analysis. There was a hint of relief in his voice. "It is still useful for us to be on good terms with him now. If we continue to strengthen our relationship in the future, it won't be too difficult to get a few half-blood elven warhorses."
From Karl-franz's perspective, he did not want a king like Laing in the Knight King's Kingdom.
He and his courtiers had analyzed the Knight King's position many times.
Generally speaking, how much power the Knight King had and how much control he had over the kingdom depended on his personal strength and prestige, whether he could convince the people, and whether he could gain the trust of the dukes.
The stability of the throne and how long he could sit on it depended on whether the king was favored and trusted by the Lady of the Lake, as well as his relationship with the Lady of the Lake.
"He has already shown goodwill to the Empire more than once, my lord." Gelt's voice continued, and the great alchemist calmly said, "He once followed Tigris to visit the empire, and he also has a close relationship with Lady Emmanuel!"
"Emmanuel …" the Emperor nodded and smiled: "This is a shackle, but people always change. At that time, he was only a Count, but now he is a Duke and will soon become the King. If he appears to be too close to us, it will be detrimental to his succession."
"Only Charlemagne knows if he will attack Marlin Castle again for the so-called honor of the knights, like Richard?" Just like Richard? "Helberg muttered.
"People change, but their interests do not." Galt shook his head. The Great Alchemist straightforwardly said, "I think we can send someone to contact him. I believe we will get a satisfactory answer."
"Then, what excuse should we use?" The emperor was interested. "Congratulate him on becoming Duke of Musillon?"
"No, if we go with Laing's plan, it will seem too flattering and submissive. It will also damage the Empire's image." Gelt continued. "Due to the spirit of the knights and the fact that he is about to become king, Laing will definitely not make any public agreements with us. It will also damage his reputation."
"So what should we do? Stop keeping us in suspense, metalface! Just tell us what we should do! " Marshal Helberg was getting impatient. His moustache shook with his master's movements and was stained with soup. "Why can't you just say it?"
"We will go with the Lady's plan." Gelt glanced at Helberg and decided not to argue with him. "Don't forget, his wife Suria …"
That's enough for me.
"Very good!" The emperor's eyes lit up and he nodded. "Good, let's do that!"
"Immediately prepare a generous gift for Lady Suria. Send our envoy to Laing's territory to congratulate him on the birth of his eldest son!"
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