The radiance of the eternal flame dispersed the shadows in the room, and Baron Boreham, who was sitting at the desk, looked at Barrett with interest. His half-smiling expression combined with his identity gave people the feeling of an unpredictable eminent monk. Even though Barrett understood that this was just part of the way to serve, his heart beat faster than expected. Fortunately, after a brief silence, Earl Bolum, who put down his tea cup, finally spoke: "In the period after Ulric, your life has been really exciting! First, you got involved in the Northland The war in the Federation soon broke out in Cruze in the south. After traveling all the way, do you have any opinions on the current situation on the mainland? "Although Barrett has experienced a lot in the past period? There's more to life than that. But in Earl Boreham's opinion, these two were the ones worthy of his attention. The rest of the adventure is just a child's play, so as long as nothing happens, you can ignore it. "I'm afraid the war in the northern city-state will be difficult to end for a while. Even though the Noble Council and the Mammoth Dynasty still have the upper hand, they are relying on the advantages they gained at the beginning of the war to hold on." At this point. Barrett paused. After confirming that Earl Bolum's expression had not changed, he continued: "On the contrary, the Seven Cities Alliance has a strong accumulation of its own, coupled with the material channels brought by smooth sea transportation, it is more likely to win the final victory. However, because the Seven Cities Alliance The special nature of the City Alliance, even if they win this time, it will be difficult to tear off a piece of meat from the Noble Council and the Mammoth Dynasty. "Oh! Tell me your reason?" At this time, Earl Bolum's expression. Finally something changed. He reached out and tapped the leather cushion on the desk, gesturing for Barrett to continue. After hearing this, Barrett knew that he had made the right bet: "The characteristics of the northern city-states determine that after they have resolved the crisis of survival, it will be difficult for them to ensure the combat effectiveness and cohesion of the army. The destruction of production by war is detrimental to the commercial city-states. It's too deadly. Not to mention the several business families that rule there, even ordinary citizens are probably looking forward to a ceasefire and resumption of production. What's more, some city-states want to take this opportunity to completely cripple the noble council and the government. The Mammoth Dynasty and the Seven Cities Alliance have a relatively loose political relationship. As long as one of them has a negative attitude, it will definitely cause a chain reaction. Therefore, as long as the Noble Council and the Mammoth Dynasty are willing to make appropriate concessions on the negotiation table, the Seven Cities Alliance will most likely meet. Just accept it if it's good" "In a society where the people are enlightened and more people die in wars, **** thoughts will inevitably appear. War-weary culture and anti-war culture will naturally increase. The more people in a society die from military operations, the faster war-weariness spreads. There is also an extremely wealthy society. The better the living conditions are in the area, the more obvious the reaction to the war will be. "The situation of the Seven Cities Alliance happens to meet this standard. First of all, their economy in the Northland is good, a considerable number of people are engaged in commerce and trade, and they live a comfortable life. At the same time, the literacy rate there is relatively high compared to the Western Continent, and there is no strong Songun tradition. When the enemy's soldiers are pressing down on the situation and the situation is in danger, they naturally have to join the army and fight to the death. But when the crisis is over and it is safe for the time being, perhaps the more people who die in military operations in a society that is mostly unwilling to pay for war anymore, the faster the war-weary ideology will spread. This situation is a bit like the Netherlands in the European Middle Ages. The Netherlands at that time was equivalent to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in Europe. Not only was it wealthy, but it was also the first in Europe in terms of industry at that time. Britain did not catch up until the advent of the steam engine. Precisely because everyone's life is very good, the people are not willing to continue fighting for hegemony. "The French farmers can bear the death of tens of thousands of people, but the Dutch citizens cannot bear it. According to a certain game's point of view, the recruitment war in commercial city-states takes up too much of the tax base. Even if a sufficient standing army is maintained during peacetime, the impact on the lives of wealthy citizens will be too great. Even if the rulers want to implement the military-first policy, it will be difficult to effectively implement it. On the other hand, there is the question of whether the classical republican government will change its orders day by day. Because it is not a centralized country, it is difficult to unite forces and act in unison. Unless there is someone who has the skills and the strength and prestige to overwhelm the others to take charge of the overall situation. Otherwise, once the crisis is over, they may fall into a situation of fighting on their own. So far, there is no news about the Seven Cities Alliance, such heroes have emerged in this war. Listening to Barrett¡¯s story, Earl Boham nodded and shook his head. Finally, he crossed his hands and put them in front of his mouth: "It is indeed a somewhat insightful opinion! Those guys in the Seven Cities Alliance are now a group of conservative dogs. It is really difficult for them to take this opportunity to change the situation in the North. Of course they If we do this, it will not be in our interests. " "So, Lord Earl, the family will not simply provide assistance to the Seven Cities Alliance this time, right?" After realizing that the leader in front of him affirmed his ability, Barre said specialAsked bravely. Earl Bolum smiled: "We never do business at a loss. It is very likely that getting a stable supply of materials during the war is far more important than low prices." "It seems that we can make a lot of money." Barrett muttered while nodding deliberately. The reason why Bolum Territory supports the Seven Cities Alliance is not only for economic benefits, but also to ensure the security of the kingdom's northern border. A loose and infighting northern city-state is in the interests of the Kingdom of Norhan. If the other party unified into a centralized country, it would inevitably lead to the kingdom having to deploy a large number of troops on the border adjacent to them. At that time, Nohan will become a land surrounded by three big countries, which will not be a good thing no matter how you look at it. Seeing Barrett's appearance, Earl Bolum flicked the table with his hand: "Okay! Let's continue the topic just now, about the Cruze Kingdom in the south. What do you think? As one of the few in the country who has fought with their regular army in the near future, People who have fought against each other, what do you think of their armies? " "As for the army, at least the Viper Cavalry regiment we fought against is too exaggerated compared to the propaganda." Barrett touched the minibus and frowned, "I wonder if the final elimination system of the Viper Cavalry still exists? If it still exists, I can only say that this army is completely dead. If it is cancelled, maybe There are other teams with stronger combat capabilities!" "Continue!" Earl Bolum nodded. Barrett took a deep breath and continued: "As for the direction of the situation in the Kingdom of Cruze, I am not sure. Because what I have seen can only be said to be the tip of the iceberg. But judging from what I have seen along the way, the local nobles The platoon also wants to have a very obvious advantage, but at the same time it seems that it lacks the ability to make a final decision. With the Lucia Kingdom on board, the possibility of final peace talks is not small. " "This is a bit cliche." Earl Bolum then shook his head. He shook his head and said, "Forget it, judging from your age, it's pretty good to have these opinions. Although the information you provided is a bit one-sided, it can also be used as a reference point of view. In short, you did a good job, young man. "What reward do you want?" "Reward?" After deliberately tilting his head and smiling for a while, Barrett shook his head again: "I don't have anything in particular that I want." Just store it as your family's contribution!" Earl Bolum smiled, "It will be useful for advancing professions or upgrading ancient weapons in the future." "I would like to ask Lord Earl about my future. Does the family have any plans for the next move?" Barrett, who had never gotten the news he wanted from Earl Bolum, finally couldn't help but speak. "Oh! Don't you actually like being left alone? You want to join the ranks of the regular army so quickly. I thought young people today like to live a free life? Only when you are too old to fly, or want to give yourself peace of mind He will return home only when he is home." Earl Bolum asked in pretending to be surprised. Then Barrett said very seriously: "Of course I am very satisfied with my free life. But I understand that the reason why I am where I am today is also indispensable to the help of my family. With my shallow knowledge, I also understand the fate of the Kingdom of Cruze." The war will definitely cause a series of chain reactions. In this case, the Bolum Territory cannot stay away, so it is good to have more people and more strength. " "But my family is not satisfied yet. We need a little guy like you to take over the burden." Earl Bolum shook his head, "And don't you have a companion who hasn't solved the problem of his own path yet? If the family really needs you, go and do your own thing! , then the badge on your hand will react. Don't refuse then. " "I will come back as quickly as possible." As Barrett spoke, he clenched his fist and punched his chest. Perhaps satisfied with Barrett's words, Earl Boreham waved his hand: "Be safe! Don't be brave in everything. As seedlings in the family, what you should do is to grow up as soon as possible instead of taking unnecessary responsibility prematurely. Burden." When leaving the castle, Barrett let out a sigh of relief: "It's so tiring! But it seems that there won't be any problems with the Earl. Now it's time to focus on solving the noodle problem. ¡¯ When Barrett returned to the hotel, he was recuperating and waiting. But for several days in a row, when the noodles came back, they looked listless. It seems that there must be no suitable missions found at the church stronghold. It wasn¡¯t until three days later that a smile appeared on the halfling wanderer¡¯s face: ¡°Guys! I have received a new mission. Although there may be some time on the road.It is far away, but it is suitable for our combat mission. " "What mission? Share it quickly. "Claudia, who had been confused for many days, immediately became energetic. "The 'Blood-stained Gray Flower' mercenary group took on the mission of 'Crueling the Evil Dragon'the mission reward" "Noodles, what are you doing? Make yourself uncomfortable! Haven't you seen what the red dragon did to us before? This time we actually borrowed a mission to defeat the evil dragon. Even if we are good at fighting, can you please find a suitable opponent? Clematis immediately jumped up from his chair after hearing this, "Or are we just dealing with a young dragon in this mission?" " "Clematis, don't get excited, don't get excited yet! "Barrett stepped forward and waved his hands to comfort him, "I think Noodles is not the kind of person who doesn't know the importance of things. There must be a good reason why he took this task. If you have any dissatisfaction, wait until he has finished explaining. " Clematis, who was stopped by Barrett, had no choice but to sit back angrily. Barrett, who turned around, also urged at this time: "Explain quickly! Otherwise our wallets will explode. " "This mission to defeat the evil dragon is a cooperative mission. It¡¯s not just our team that¡¯s involved. And judging from the situation, the target of the crusade is also a white dragon no older than a teenager. "Speaking of this, the halfling rogue wiped his sweat and said, "Such a target is much easier to deal with than the red dragon we encountered before. " "If it is a white dragon no older than a teenager, it will be relatively easy to deal with. "Rierli nodded at this time, "The animal nature of white dragons at this age is higher than their rationality. It should be easier to solve it if they set up an ambush in advance. " "But you just said this was a cooperative mission? So who are we working with? "Barrett immediately began to ask about the key points of executing the mission. This showed that he thought the mission was still possible. Noodles shook his head: "This mission was just posted. I can say it is the first one. Got the task. Therefore, apart from the local mountain people, the rest of the cooperation partners are not very clear. " "In other words, in this case, we can only try our luck there first. This is really not good news. Clematis rubbed his palms, "Then where is the mission location?" " "Although it's a bit far away, it's still in the country of Nohan! "Speaking of which, Noodles took out a map from his pocket, "It's on this mountain range! " "Isn't that already on the border? And in those mountains, the Nohan Kingdom has not established any stable rule! "Seeing the location pointed out by the halfling wanderer on the map, Barrett shook his head repeatedly: "If you really want to say it's domestic, it's actually almost the same as a foreign country. I think most others will not accept the requests from those mountain people. It was only because of your church that you took on such a mission to deal with Bailong! "(To be continued.)