"I just received news that the Silver Bay coalition forces encountered an attack near Campbell. They have lost contact for two days."
Mangrove stood up and looked around at everyone, his expression gradually calmed down, and then he spoke. His originally small voice was extremely penetrating, echoing in the hall for a long time. One person, two people, and more people stopped talking. People didn't react for a while, and some people were still looking for the source of the sound. But the hall had begun to gradually become quiet, and this quietness seemed to be contagious. In the end, even Veronica and Duke Ludwig stopped arguing and looked here.
The hall was so quiet for a while that you could hear a pin drop.
After a while, someone stood up - that person was a representative of Silver Bay, probably from Desanglo or the Principality of Sword Plover - the look on his face was obviously very urgent: "Is the news accurate, sir?"
Mangrove could understand the man's anxious state of mind, but he only nodded slightly and said, "It's news coming from the direction of Silver Bay."
As soon as this statement came out, the crowd was in an uproar.
"Martha, how could the coalition forces be attacked, and by whom?"
"If there are these monsters near Candebell, our retreat will be in danger."
"Are you kidding? They're right here, in front of us!"
Veronica¡¯s beautiful eyebrows were already furrowed, and her heart was full of dissatisfaction with these guys who were not achieving enough. She stood up against the table, her emerald green eyes filled with solemnity. As soon as she opened her mouth, her majestic voice was like a sharp sword, dividing the noise in the hall into two.
"That's enough, stop arguing!"
The hall became quiet again.
The female legion looked directly at everyone's eyes and confirmed: "This is another dusk army. It seems that they attacked Anzeruta along the Evergreen Corridor southward. After the invasion of the Jorgandigans, we lost For control of this area. From here they enter the Wilderness of the Four Realms, from here to here, and invade Candebell."
She pressed her hand on the developing crystal in front of her, and a virtual map of the Four Realms was displayed in the center of the hall. A bright line appeared in the middle of the map under her guidance.
In the eyes of everyone, that line is rather like a cold dagger, piercing the back of Babel Fortress.
It turns out that opposite them, there is not one legion, but two. This news was like a blow to the head, and many people couldn't recover for a long time. Some people began to turn pale and slumped back to their seats - they were envoys from small countries.
But there were also people who had a sense of luck. They stood up and looked at the map and retorted: "Ms. Veronica, where are the highlanders in Anzeruta? There is no reason why we didn't receive any information beforehand?"
"We got the news, but we didn't pay attention to it."
Veronica drew a circle to include Anzeruta, pointed to that place and said: "We have all seen what the Twilight Legion looks like. It is unlikely that the Highlander clan that encounters the Crystal Sea can escape. However, not all clans live in this area. The clans living in the outer areas may have heard the news, or noticed that some clans with trade ties with them were disappearing silently, so they began to flee ¡¡±
"In fact, they don't need to know what is threatening Anzeruta, but these traditional tribesmen are generally very keen, otherwise they would not have survived so many demonic waves. And the clans in the inner circle The migration squeezed the living space of the weaker clans living on the periphery of Anzeruta, which caused a chain reaction, and then evolved into a great migration that swept the entire Anzeruta."
"Your Excellency, Legion Commander, do you mean that the great migration of the Anzeruta Highlanders may have been caused by the Twilight Legion?"
"In fact, the scouts we sent only saw the surface of this great migration. They could not go deep into Anzeruta, and it was impossible for the peripheral clans to tell them what happened in Anzeruta. "
Veronica looked around at everyone, her body standing upright like a straight sword, her voice rising and falling. She advocated sticking to the Babel Fortress. This sudden news was extremely unfavorable to her, but the female regiment leader did not take any personal factors into her analysis.
"We may have misjudged the cause of this great migration and attributed it to the disaster caused by Black Moon's death. And I think another reason is that the crystal clusters deliberately let go of some highland clans because they were in There is no way to lay siege to a Cruze army and destroy all the Highlanders.¡±
"You mean the Red Legion might be in Anzeruta?" Mangrove suddenly raised his head.
"I can't vouch for it, old vulture, but they're at odds with us.It is abnormal to have been in contact for so long, but if the two are connected together, it is the most likely." Veronica looked at her old partner and explained her thoughts: "There is a barrier in the resonance tower of the crystal cluster. The role of magic communication, it is not difficult to explain why there is no news from the Red Army. "
"That means this is a speculation?"
Mangrove raised his thick eyebrows, the situation could be said to be very bad, but as a general who has experienced hundreds of battles, his expression was very calm. The general fumbled twice and took out his pipe from his pocket. Then he realized that there was no fire. He shook his head and put it on the table helplessly.
"But it's also the most likely guess. As a soldier, we don't dare to guarantee it, but at least we have to be decisive, right?" Veronica glanced at the hesitant envoys and shook her head disdainfully: " Their appearance in Candebell sent another signal, that is, we may not be able to count on the Red Army. They may have freed up their hands. The Silver Bay Alliance Army was a surprise to them, but it will soon be our turn. ¡±
Everyone followed her slender fingers and saw another line drawn on the Four Realms Wilderness, going straight to the back of the Alkash region.
Even the sound of breathing became silent.
There was deathly silence in the dark environment.
No one will ask whether the crystal clusters have such a strategic vision, because the opponent has obviously shown such fangs. Even if they are just a group of thoughtless purple animals, the masters behind them have already proven their cleverness. .
A cold and cunning commander, an army that is tireless and fearless. For some reason, the first thing that everyone thinks of at this moment is the undead of Madara.
Maybe they are the only ones who can fight against these monsters?
Everyone can¡¯t help but have such thoughts in their hearts.
"Vote." Mangrove straightened his windbreaker and stood up from his seat. He raised his thick eyebrows and looked at everyone present: "Time is more urgent. Instead of arguing endlessly, it is better to vote directly. , whether you are leaving or staying, there is no need to waste any more time."
This low-pitched voice echoed above the empty vault.
It made everyone hold their breath.
Stay or leave?
It seems like there is only one option.
But at this moment, the hall fell into an eerie silence. Even the most radical people did not take the initiative to speak out. Duke Ludwig also stood silently, frowning and thinking about his decision. The situation faced by everyone is so desperate, and the force that wants to destroy the world is powerful enough to make everyone shaken and doubt the decision they originally thought was correct.
Veronica looked at these people and sighed. These people were already scared, so why would they stay. She couldn't help but look at Tumen, who was sitting opposite her. This legendary figure from ancient times rarely expressed his opinions during the entire meeting. This old man was like a silent observer, asking people's correct opinions. Or maybe it was the wrong choice to stay out of the situation and say nothing.
She saw the old man raised his head and nodded towards her with a slight smile.
When people start to vote by a show of hands.
Prince Mehotofen glanced one last time at the hall below, then walked back from the terrace and returned to his room. There were only a few people in the room, and his daughter was prominently there. Next to him were his eldest son and Prime Minister Nidwen Jr., and then the heads of the Kony family who were related to the royal family. The deputy head of the Flame Familiar Knights stood aside with an ugly expression. , while on the other side, the old prime minister Niedwin was sitting on a chair, with his eyelids drooped, as if he had fallen asleep.
There were charcoal burning in the hearth of the fireplace, and the bright flames reflected the small room in dark red. Everyone's shadow was lengthened, and they spread their teeth and claws on the mottled walls, like monsters and monsters.
The Duke looked at his daughter and ordered: "Faina, hand over the ring. Do you know what you are doing?"
Everyone looked at her.
The oppressive atmosphere in the entire room seemed to be on her alone. Faina bit her lip, feeling very frightened, but she still shook her head.
"Are you crazy?" Little Count Mehotofen glared at his sister: "I don't know what medicine you took wrongly. It is a token of the royal family. Before the arrival of the Great Holy See and His Royal Highness the eldest son, you should quickly take it. Return it to Your Majesty the Prime Minister."
But when he thought that it was his sister, he felt a little soft-hearted: "For the sake of me and my father, Lord Niedwin will not argue with you."
"Brother," Faina replied resolutely: "If it were the Prime Minister, he would definitely understand why I did this. Is it wrong?"Is it with me? This ring is obviously not missing, but why has His Royal Highness, the eldest son of the Emperor, never ascended the throne? "
"snort."
Duke Mehotofen snorted heavily.
He glanced at his son with some disappointment. Compared to this boy, he simply had no decision-making ability as a noble. But he looked at Faina again and felt even more headache. This daughter did have a bit of the courage he had when he was young, but she was much more daring than him.
More importantly, there is no brain.
"Does he know who is behind this? That woman is simply a disaster.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at the old prime minister who had never expressed his stance. No one in this family was a fuel-efficient lamp. He had experienced the era when the Silver Queen's father was the iron-fisted ruler of the previous generation, Emperor Cruz, and his granddaughter's skills were exactly the same as his at that time.
Duke Mehotofen complained about why his daughter was not so smart, but when he thought that the prime minister was also facing the same dilemma as him - having a son who was not so outstanding, he felt much more balanced for a while.
At this time, the head of the Kony family finally couldn't help but said: "Miss Faina, no matter what speculations you have in your mind, you should hand over the ring first. You should at least admit that it does not belong to you. Bar?"
"That's not conjecture," Faina was not so polite to outsiders, snorting coldly: "That ring is indeed not mine, but it is hard to say whether it belongs to the Cruz royal family now."
"shut up!"
"Faina, are you crazy?"
Duke Mehotofen and little Count Mehotofen shouted at the same time. Especially the latter, sweating profusely, looked at the old prime minister Niedwin, but what surprised him was that the head of the Kony family did not refute immediately, and the old prime minister only frowned slightly. .
Then the old man finally opened his eyes, and the depths of his cloudy eyes seemed to contain two sharp swords, so sharp that people dare not look directly at them.
"Okay, no need to say any more," he said in a slow tone, his voice was old but powerful, as if it was full of magic, making the room suddenly quiet: "Faina, she was right, this mistake is not considered a mistake. When it came to her, His Excellency the Holy See and I just had our own considerations, but we didn't expect it would turn out like this."
The old man stared at Faina, as if he was sizing up the little girl. In front of him, the daughter of the flower-leaf collar was really just a little kid. In his all-powerful era, even her father was just a younger generation, and even the old Duke was respectful in front of him.
But he is the eagle of the empire, and tens of millions of Cruz people have received protection under his wings. His majesty does not need to be intimidated by a little girl to maintain; not to mention that for him, power and status It's just an embellishment. His wisdom passed down by word of mouth has already deeply implanted his power and authority into the hearts of every imperial citizen.
Rather than saying that the position of the empire made him successful, it is better to say that he established the majesty of the prime minister of the empire.
"Faina," Old Niedwin asked, "Do you want to use this ring to change the noble decision?"
Faina did not expect that the old man would ask her personally.
She opened her mouth, but she was still subconsciously worried. The other party was Delphine's grandfather. She and Delphine were the best friends, but she had only met this legendary figure a few times at a banquet in the White Rose Garden.
And every time, she was secretly shocked when she saw those nobles who were usually arrogant and domineering acting like obedient students in front of the former prime minister of the empire. Sometimes people's understanding of authority subtly penetrates into their hearts without even realizing it.
Even she is not exempt from vulgarity.
She suddenly thought for a moment that perhaps Delphine's ambition for power stemmed from his admiration for this old man.
Faina nodded hesitantly to the old man's question.
People always feel uneasy when facing the unknown.
Especially knowing that this unknown has destructive power¡ª¡ª
The old man also nodded silently and continued to ask: "You want them to stay here, can you tell me why?"
"This is not my decision, it is Mr. Brando's decision."
"Count Tonigel?"
??? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? together off the Count Mehotofen and the heads of the Kony family were stunned.
Faina has completely given up. She understands that she stole the Holy Ring of Flame. This is a disgraceful act in the first place, so it is even more"We must stand firm on the basis of legal principles." If she cannot convince others, then not only her, but also the family may be implicated.
But for some reason, Faina didn¡¯t feel much regret at the moment.
When everything was said out, she only felt a sense of relief.
There are things that must be done¡ª¡ª
Because if you don¡¯t do it, you may miss the opportunity to change everything.
Faina mustered up her courage and her voice became louder: "I think we all know this. When facing the Silver Queen, it was not us, but Mr. Brando who defeated Her Majesty the Queen and saved the empire."
"Wait a minute, Miss Faina," the head of the Kony family said: "The Cruz people are by no means ungrateful people, but this does not mean that we have to obey the words of an outsider. This is not our personal matter, it is related to The future of the entire empire and even the entire world.¡±
Faina glanced at him.
There was a hint of disdain in his blue eyes: "We know what is right. The Tower of Babel is just a symbol, and it is not powerful enough for us to turn the tide of the war. But in fact, every Cruz person knows in his heart why it is It will appear here, what does it symbolize?"
After hearing these words, the deputy leader of the Flame Family Knights opened his mouth to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything, and it just turned into a long sigh.
Faina continued without hesitation: "What the Tower of Babel really protects is St. Osor behind it, the land of the elves, but its meaning is more than that - because of the land behind us. It is already the last rear of the Warnd Order world and our last hope, but in the face of this hope, the Cruz people hesitated."
"We only remember the mutual hostility and hatred over the past thousand years, but we have forgotten that humans and elves were originally close comrades-in-arms. We chose to retreat today. Maybe the Cruz people will survive, but at the same time we have given up the last hope. Day, we will regret this."
"We can retreat today, but what about tomorrow? Where is our future, and we are in constant panic?"
"But even if we stay, what can we get?" Little Count Mehothoven couldn't help but ask his sister: "Apart from sacrificing in vain, what else can we get?"
"Maybe it's an opportunity."
¡°Opportunity, opportunity?¡± Little Count Mehotofen was startled, only to realize that the person who answered him was actually the old man who represented the supreme power of the empire.
"A promise made a thousand years ago in exchange for an opportunity for two ancient kingdoms to put aside their hatred for each other. Do we believe in the wind elves? We believe that even if the Cruz people die, the elves will pick up our legacy and move on. "?" The old prime minister shook his head: "We don't believe it, so the Cruz people cannot shed blood and sacrifice everything for this land called San Osol."
"But a thousand years ago, we both believed this."
"If that oath is still there"
The kings who signed that oath left this world one by one.
But their descendants are facing the same choice today.
"Child," the old prime minister suddenly said to Faina: "Do you understand what your decision means?"
Faina nodded.
Of course she understands, but this is also a heavy commission. The weight of the ring is not just an empire. It is also a trust, Delphine's trust in her, Mr. Brando's trust in elves and humans, people's trust in that ancient oath, and Her Highness Constance's trust in the person she chose. .
She believed that her last commission before her death would forever change the fate of the world.
At that moment, the meaning of royal power and country had succumbed to the survival instinct of civilization.
And this is the power of order.
She stretched out her hand, and in her open palm lay the beautiful ring. It looked very ordinary. It was made of red gold and had no decorations. There was only a flame emblem shining brightly in the light of the fire. It made everyone present seem to have a flame burning in their eyes.
The old prime minister looked at the ring and nodded.
But he then smiled bitterly. Of course the old man knew in his heart who was really standing in front of him in this game. He had almost never truly failed in his life, but he didn't expect that at the end, he would be stabbed in the back by his granddaughter.