There was still no response from Gao Jing. Laing waited for another day, and the war council was still in full swing. The weather in Lothar was as good as usual.
Little Sol Grimm Ironhammer sent someone to report to Leon that the ironclad ship had been repaired and could be used. Most of the ironclad ship's fuel had been replenished, except for the cannonballs, especially the triple-barreled ship cannonballs, which couldn't be produced here.
Almost half of the ironclad's shells had been used up in the previous naval battle, and the rest could only be used sparingly.
At this time, Ryan had no other choice but to wait. He had to emphasize that the concept of time between the Elves and the Humans was very different. Waiting for one or two months might be very long for the Humans, but for the Elves, it was nothing.
Don't you know we're discussing? We're planning and thinking again.
Laing looked satisfied after checking the ironclad's condition and the Old Guard's training, but Knight King still had something up his sleeve. The next night, Laing and his queen, Suria, prepared to check the Old Guard's condition again.
At night, Lothar was like spring all year round. The refreshing sea breeze blew through the villa's garden. Laing and Suria set off.
Suria was wearing an Ossouin Erion's navy diamond dress with soft grey velvet tights. She looked beautiful and alluring. She held Laing's arm and said excitedly, "Honey, guess when the dog skin plaster will arrive?"
"I think it'll be soon … Huh?" Laing looked at the bright moonlight above the dark blue sky. Knight King looked up and saw another elven noble standing at the villa's door.
This elven noble looked quite similar to Minister Ciel, but he looked more haggard and less energetic. He had a head of wavy, grey-white hair that was parted in the middle, revealing a large forehead. What was even more eye-catching was that he was leaning on a walking stick. His clothes were not very neat either. Although they were not shabby, there was always a sense of poverty. When he saw Leon and Sulia appear, he hurriedly bowed in a panic. "Your Majesty, Queen, good evening. I'll be in charge today."
"You are?" Laing wondered why it was a different person. "Where's Arsène? I'm not used to not seeing him. "
"I'm De Talleyrand Morris Bennister." The elven noble smiled awkwardly. "I'm the nephew of Minister Ciel … if he admits it."
"Admits it?" Laing asked curiously. "Can you tell me more about yourself?"
"I'm an illegitimate child. I was accidentally born after a fertility party about 120 years ago. I don't know who my father is." The elven noble said everything about himself. "I was born in Charis … the home of a lowly country bumpkin in everyone's eyes. When I was young, my mother put me in the manor of Charis to grow up. Because I fell from a high stool, I accidentally became disabled. When I grew up, she asked me to come to Lothar to seek refuge with my family. That's how it is."
"Then why did she send you here?" Laing felt that the elven noble in front of him was not arrogant at all. Instead, he was honest and enthusiastic. Knight King was also happy to say a few more words. "Where's Arsène?"
"Mr. Arsène has something to do. Oh, if you don't mind, Your Majesty, please call me De Talleyrand. I'm only 120 years old this year. According to Assul's age, I'm much younger than you." The noble smiled. He did not put on the airs of a high elf. He appeared sincere and even a little flattering. "Where are you going? I'll accompany Your Majesty and the queen. Just don't go too fast. I may not be able to keep up."
"De Talleyrand?" Laing thought to himself. The name sounded familiar, but he did not think too much about it. The noble's attitude was very good. Laing and Suria, who had been despised by the high elves and treated with sarcasm, felt as if they had just been given the right to breathe. Their impression of the noble improved. This was probably what it felt like to pick a big one out of a bunch of small ones.
Just like that, De Talleyrand became the new guide. According to him, Arsène had taken two days off to check his family's trade account and import of goods. Arsène's family used to be a family that produced a lot of Rothern's sea guards. However, they now relied on business and ocean trading as their main source of income. The number of family members serving in the military had dwindled.
Leaning on his cane, De Talleyrand limped step by step. He said a little awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I'm not qualified to know more. Let's use the current situation as an example. Mr. Arsène is the manager in charge of the customer service department, and I'm just a servant in charge of serving dishes. In Ossouin, especially in Rothern, your birth determines whether you're the one serving or the one being served. I'm the one serving dishes, and I'll be the same in the future. My biggest wish in life is to serve an elven prince."
Laing was a little dejected.
Were the high elves really free and democratic? Well, not necessarily.
In addition to the elves' contempt for humans and dwarves, the high elves also had a chain of contempt for themselves. The inner kingdoms despised the outer kingdoms, the noble bloodlines despised the common bloodlines, the cities despised the countryside, the spellcasters despised the commoners, and so on. It was a chain of contempt with as many as a dozen rings, from top to bottom.
De Talleyrand was one of the elves at the bottom of the chain of contempt. He was a country bumpkin from the outer kingdoms, a farmer, and a cripple. Therefore, he was at the bottom of the chain of contempt. If it weren't for his reliable distant relatives, he wouldn't have come to Rothern.
"How's the situation in the Kingdom of Charis now?" On the way to the foreign settlement, Laing chatted with De Talleyrand with great interest. De Talleyrand was a little flattered by the Knight King's attitude. He didn't understand why the Knight King didn't like the knowledgeable Arsène but liked to talk to him.
"Nothing much, Your Majesty." Talleyrand leaned on his cane. He thought for a moment and decided to answer truthfully. "Charis is an empty and forested kingdom. It's primitive and backward. Because of this, everyone thought that Charis was a place where a bunch of country bumpkins lived. But now, Charis has become the only way for the dark elves to invade. Because of the war and the backwardness, the population is dwindling, leaving behind countless deserted lands. Many ancient and historic towns and manors are empty, and many gardens and theaters haven't been opened for hundreds of years. There are many castles to defend against the dark elves, but most of them don't have enough soldiers to defend."
"How did it deteriorate so much?" Suria frowned.
"In order to protect the Phoenix King, the most elite White Lion Guards in Charis were transferred to Lothar. Those who could leave have left. Mother didn't like me since I was a lame son, so she sent me here." Talleyrand tried his best to pick out what he could say. "That's all."
"Since the population is dwindling, why don't you have more children?" Suria asked casually. The queen didn't understand the low fertility rate of the elite population.
"For my mother, there are many things that she can do in her long life. Growing flowers and singing songs is far more relaxing than raising a child. An additional child is a heavy burden and burden. In Ossuan, the cost of raising an outstanding descendant is very high." Talleyrand shrugged. His face was full of self-mockery. "I'm very grateful to my mother for letting me come to this world. But I've been in foster care since I was born. Until now, I've seen my mother less than a hundred times. I can't force her to visit me more often. I can only be myself. She doesn't like a lame son."
The peaceful and welfare society of the elite! It was fundamentally different from the Dark Elves. For the Dark Elves, an additional population meant an additional combat power. For the High Elves, an additional population meant an additional burden.
Laing closed his eyes and shook his head. Knight King didn't say anything more. Instead, he motioned for Talleyrand to follow.
So St. Giles' words gave Laing greater inspiration.
There was a limit to tactics, and there was also a limit to manpower. No matter how powerful the palace conspiracy of the High Elves was, it was nothing more than infinitely dividing the whole cake and eating it as cleanly as possible. However, the decline was still a decline. No matter how powerful the tactics were, could they make a population? Could they make money and food? If there was no money, there was no money. If there was no manpower, there was no manpower.
Laing now understood why Finnuba, the navigator, was chosen to be the Phoenix King. It was because he was the only one who could make the cake bigger and pull the High Elves out of the quagmire. It was that simple.
About 30 minutes later, Laing arrived at the Old Guard's station in the area where the foreign races were active. Knight King wanted to find out what the Old Guard was doing. He thought for a moment, took out a few gold coins, and handed them to Talleyrand. "Do me a favor. Go and tell the guard that you want to go in and take a look. If they don't agree, use this money to ask them to make things easier."
"Okay!" Detarrelan didn't think too much about it. He took the money from Ryan's hand and limped over.
Laing also took the opportunity to look at the prosperous streets nearby. The streets were brightly lit, and there were many soldiers of the Old Guard and the Ashes Legion outside. However, most of them were officers who brought the soldiers out to buy supplies. There were also some who went out to eat and drink.
Laing noticed that two Old Guard's faces were red from drinking. They had just come out of an alley in the depths of the street corner. They tidied up their clothes and were about to return to the station with a satisfied look on their faces. Two gorgeously dressed women in the depths of the alley sent them out. It was obvious what the two of them had just done.
"These guys!" Laing frowned and said to Suria, "How can they …"
"Dear, not every soldier comes out with a wife and a maid like you." Suria's slender finger tapped Laing's eyebrows. "They've been out for a few months. Can you be considerate of them? Why don't you ask them if they're on vacation? If they're on vacation, it's okay. "
Laing had stipulated that the Old Guard would be given one day off out of ten.
"Okay!" Laing thought so too. He shook his head in self-mockery. Then, his expression became firm again. He strode forward and stopped the two Old Guard. "Which battalion are you from?"
"Us? Huh? Who are you? " The two Old Guard had drunk a little too much and were rather unhappy to see someone stop them. However, when they saw that it was Laing, they were so frightened that they immediately sobered up. They immediately knelt down. "Your … Your Majesty!?"
"Which battalion are you from?" Laing asked sternly.
"Long … Halberd Battalion," the two Old Guard said with their heads lowered, trembling.
"Why are you here?" Laing continued to ask.
"We're on vacation today." The taller one of the two said with some fear. "Finally, it's our turn, so we decided to come out for a drink and … do that while we're at it."
Hearing that they were on vacation, Laing's expression became much better. Knight King nodded. "Alright, get up."
"Yes." The two Old Guard hurriedly stood up. They were completely sober from the shock. Thinking that the king had seen this, they blushed and lowered their heads in embarrassment. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
"Where's Commander Raymond of the Halberd Battalion?" Laing asked casually.
"Commander Raymond is reading military books in the encampment. There are many translated elven military books here. Commander Raymond has been reading them recently." The taller one replied.
"Do you leave the encampment often?" Suria's tone became much gentler.
"None of us dare to. From Sir Bertrand and Sir Davu to every officer, we only leave the encampment when we're on vacation or have something to do. Everyone has to be called early and late every day. We're on vacation from today until tomorrow afternoon, so we don't have to be called tonight and tomorrow morning. But we have to be called tomorrow night." The tall man lowered his head and said forcefully, "Your Majesty, we were originally serfs. If Your Majesty didn't discover us and let us have our current glory and status, we wouldn't even know where we would be farming!"
"That engineer Thomas is Commander Raymond's younger brother. He only comes to see Commander Raymond when he's on vacation, have a meal together, and walk around," the shorter one said. "We are the glorious Old Guard. We will always fight for the king and the kingdom. Your Majesty, please believe in us!"
"Hmm …" Laing was satisfied. The Old Guard under his command now had their own military spirit. In addition to the salary and the hope of promotion, the pride of the nation and the glory of the country also motivated these elites. "Very good."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" At this moment, Talleyrand also approached with his walking stick. The High Elf panted. "The guards, no matter what they say, they won't let us in. Huff … Ha … They said that even if the Phoenix Palace sent someone, they won't let us in."
"Very good. Let's go in." Laing gestured for everyone to follow him. When they reached the entrance of the encampment, five Nur long-barreled firearms were pointed at them. "Who are you … Your Majesty, my queen?!"
"Are Bertrand and Davu here?" Laing nodded. He still had to be vigilant.
"The commander and the deputy commander are both here. They are looking at the map."
Laing couldn't help but smile. Ever since he became Tal's chosen one, Bertrand became more confident. He was no longer envious and hostile of Davu like before. He didn't know why he was chosen by Tal, but this was a good thing for Laing because Tal didn't care about the human world at all. Naturally, he wouldn't give Bertrand any strange oracles.
At the moment when the Knight King and the queen were about to go in to take a look, a bell suddenly rang from the direction of Rosseln.
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
"Dong!"
Laing and Suria were fine, but Talleyrand's expression changed drastically. He quickly said to Laing and the others, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this bell is …"
"What is this bell?" Suria immediately asked.
"This bell is the bell for the army to gather!" Talleyrand hit the ground with his cane. "This is the bell for the war council to gather the army. This can only mean one thing, and that is that the war lord Tyrion is gathering the army!"
"But we haven't gotten the war council's battle plan yet … Ah!" Suria immediately reacted.
"Damn it!" Laing stomped his feet. The king's face was full of anger and helplessness. "I've been urging and urging, but the war council just kept dragging it out. Now, something has happened."
"Gather everyone and enter the battle preparation stage!" Laing didn't hesitate and immediately shouted at the guards.
The Old Guard responded loudly and rushed into the encampment to gather the army.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The enemy had arrived!
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