Aldernan, Obsidian Palace.
On a rare sunny day, the sun dispelled the mist that shrouded the entire Aldernan area, and the brilliant light sprinkled from the sky, pierced through the thin and shallow clouds, and sprinkled obliquely in the courtyard of the Obsidian Palace.
In the small flower hall on the first floor of the palace, the attendant opened the window facing the courtyard, and the fresh morning breeze passed through the bushes outside the window, blowing into the small hall unhurriedly. Rosetta Augustus sat by the window On the bench, half of his face was illuminated by the sun, as if covered with a layer of shimmer.
"Hardiron got the news, he jumped at the Throat of Orlandelle." Rosetta raised her head and looked at Matilda who was sitting opposite her, "He just happened to be inspecting near Orlandelle. factory, but still failed to notice when the Sleepers evacuated."
"If a secret organization has been operating in our empire for seven hundred years, then when they are determined to evacuate secretly, it is a normal result that it is difficult for us to detect and intercept them at the first time," Matilda sat on her Opposite her father, a thin golden chain hangs from her hair, swaying golden light around her cheeks, "I just didn't expect that Gawain Cecil would stand behind all of this..."
Rosetta glanced at Matilda: "Judging from the time, when the Order of the Eternal Sleepers encountered an accident and launched an evacuation plan, it was also the few days you stayed in Cecil City."
Matilda couldn't help frowning, with a look of regret and shame on her face: "Yes... I was near Gawain Cecil those days, but I didn't notice anything..."
Rosetta's expression was very indifferent: "If even a young man like you can easily discover his secrets, then he is not Cecil's emperor, and Typhon can rest easy."
"The secret of Gawain Cecil..." Matilda muttered subconsciously, and then raised her eyes, "Father, the secret of 'Outsider Wanderer' can be used to shake his ruling authority, if he is no longer' Gawain Cecil', then his support based on the prestige of pioneering heroes must be greatly shaken, and besides his connection with the eternal sleep, whether this can also be... ”
Rosetta raised her eyebrows, looked into Matilda's eyes, and seemed to have a slight smile: "I remember you said not long ago that he is a kind and generous elder, and the conversation with him taught you a lot of things."
"... I don't deny that I have a certain respect for him, whether he is really 'Gavin Cecil' or not," Matilda replied with a serious face, "but he is our opponent after all, no Is it?"
"...Matilda, you've grown a bit," Rosetta looked at her daughter silently for a moment, and said slowly with a smile in the corner of her eyes, "It's just that you haven't grown enough. You said something wrong. up.
"Our 'opponent' did rely on the support of 'Gawain Cecil' when he rose in the southern border, but he did not rely on 'Gawain Cecil' to take the position of emperor. 'With this identity, he maintained his rule over the empire, not by this name."
Matilda didn't react for a while, and asked subconsciously: "Then what he relies on..."
"Of course it's his army, and the bureaucrats he has vigorously cultivated, my son," Rosetta laughed suddenly, "you are usually so slow to react—you didn't expect this?"
Matilda looked slightly embarrassed: "I..."
"It doesn't matter, you are still young," Rosetta smiled and shook her head, "As I said, letting an emperor sit in that position is not a 'good reputation', of course a good reputation is important, it can make you The crown looks more beautiful, and it can make you feel more comfortable in that position, but military power and political power are the key factors that determine whether you can continue to stay in that position. Unfortunately, Gawain Cecil It has both, and the grip is very solid.
"If he loses control of the army and social order, then without us doing anything, countless remnants of the old Ansu era will jump out and name him a lot of usurpers, and his 'resurrection' will also It will no doubt turn into a conspiracy of the devil.
"If he firmly controls the army and social order, no matter how many people reveal his secrets, it will only be 'malicious slander by vain restorationists and vicious conspirators', and his 'resurrection' will still be a miracle , can even be a miracle when the need arises.
"And if you consider his effective means of controlling public opinion and attracting people's hearts, boy, do you still think that a mere rumor about the 'resurrection of evil spirits' can shake Gawain Cecil's rule? As far as I know , Since the day he was resurrected, rumors similar to it have never stopped, have these rumors had any effect?"
Matilda pretended to be open-minded, listened carefully to Rosetta's words, and asked after the other party finished speaking: "But... this is still a very important handle, isn't it? For us, This 'secret' was a great windfall."
"That's right, a very important handle... But it's also a handle that doesn't have much effect, and as you said, this harvest is just an 'accident'." Rosetta Augustus nodded lightly, " So if we really want to do something with it, then we must not do it 'in person', it's not worth it, Gawain Cecil and his department dedicated to controlling intelligence are definitely ready for public opinion counterattack If you are not careful, our losses will be greater than his; secondly, don't expect too good results, just like the swordsmanship you have learned, there will be no tricks to win with one move in the battle against a strong enemy Yes, advantages need to be accumulated slowly, and in many cases, what we accumulate is not even an advantage, but a little time for the accumulation of advantages.”
Matilda listened quietly, with a thoughtful look on her face, she heard her father say to herself in a meaningful tone: "Matilda, to govern an empire requires more than It’s iron fist and swift and resolute, and more often, you need patience and caution.”
Matilda nodded subconsciously, but suddenly realized something, and looked at Rosetta with wide eyes: "Father, you..."
"I don't mean anything else," Rosetta said quietly, and suddenly changed the subject, "Actually, if our information is correct, we might even owe Gawain Cecil a favor."
"Owing him a favor?" Matilda couldn't help asking in surprise, "What do you mean?"
"... How many times have you experienced nightmares since late Cold Moon?" Rosetta asked.
"...Only two times," Matilda thought for a while, and though she didn't know why, she still replied seriously, "The power of the curse was strengthened before, but after the end of the cold moon, the influence of the curse returned to its original state... It is even possible It's a little bit more nerfed, and my nightmares last longer."
"The curse that entangled our family came from the Throat of Orendelle, from the collapsed old imperial capital, and now we know that those fallen dream priests have not gone anywhere for the past two centuries, they have been deep in the ruins , continued to study taboo things—the information provided by Lord Bommier showed that it was the Eternal Sleepers' own research that caused a disaster at the level of a divine disaster, so they had to seek help from the 'Extraterritorial Wanderer', and the time for all this The lines coincide exactly with the recent fluctuations in the power of the curse."
Matilda's eyes gradually became serious.
"According to the analysis of the royal advisor, if the disaster caused by those dark priests breaks out, the entire Augustus family will suffer a huge loss, but none of this happened in the end..." Rosetta said slowly, using her scrutiny Eyes fixed on Matilda's reaction, "Gawain Cecil has his own purpose, what he provides us is not 'free help', but in fact, we owe him a favor."
Matilda's expression was a little weird, as if she didn't know how to respond to her father's words, but after a few seconds of silence and thinking, she shook her head: "Favours can be repaid with favors, and the interests of the empire are different."
"This is your best answer today." Rosetta's serious expression softened, "Go and do your own business—you must be tired after talking with my nagging father for so long."
"I will always gain a lot from talking with you." Matilda stood up and bowed deeply to Rosetta. "Then I will step down first, Father."
Rosetta waved her hand lightly, and Matilda left the small hall shrouded in sunlight and the fragrance of flowers.
The room was quiet, only the bright sunshine in the morning accompanied Rosetta Augustus, who was no longer young. The ruler of Typhon sat quietly for a moment in the quiet atmosphere, and then slowly turned His eyes fell on the round table in front of him.
A large book, beautifully printed and gilded, lay there quietly, bathed in a bright sunshine that was not common in Aldernan.
This was a gift Matilda brought back from Cecil, and it was given to herself by that "Gauvin Cecil".
"You're so lucky," Rosetta suddenly smiled softly, reaching for the book and muttering to herself, "the whole of Aldernan is sunny to welcome you."
His eyes swept across the pages of the book, and rows of neat words came into his eyes—
“…a country is an orderly collective, a collection of people and land, linked by a consistent cultural identity and interest demands…
"Maintaining social stability and development is one of the basic missions of the country's ruling class..."
In the quiet small hall, slowly only the sound of pages being turned was left.
After a long time, a sigh full of inexplicable and complicated emotions resounded in the small hall: "I can understand what you want to say..."
…
"Sir Golosh, Ms. Azalena, I hope you are still used to living in the Autumn Palace." In the reception room of the Cecil Palace, Gawain looked at the Dragonborn Ambassador in front of him with a smile and said, "We are very grateful to you. I have limited understanding of the customs and habits of the Holy Dragon Principality, if there are any poor arrangements, please feel free to speak up."
"No, your hospitality has satisfied us very much," Sir Golosh smiled relaxedly, "We can feel Cecil's sincerity and friendliness—as a first contact, this is a very good start."
"That's good," Gawain nodded. Yesterday's greetings and courtesies are over, and today is the time to talk about serious business, so he quickly got to the point, "Then let's start right away—the Cecil Empire hopes to and The establishment of a closer relationship between the Principality of Shenglong is not just a single business, not just sending more envoys. We hope to establish a relatively stable commercial channel between the two countries, which will affect the living standards of the two peoples and the national economy. It's all good."
Sir Golosh obviously appreciated Gawain's straightforward way of speaking. After realizing that this new "Cecil Empire" was not as full of red tape and outdated rules as described in the information about the human kingdom, his attitude also changed. It is easy and direct: "Frankly speaking, this is exactly the wish of Grand Duke Baloger-Although the Holy Dragon Principality does not often communicate with the outside world, it does not mean that we are closed and stubborn. I'm curious, and I'm also very interested in your country's magic technology. But I don't know what kind of concept you have for the "commercial channel" between the two countries? Or to be more straightforward, what do you plan to sell to us?"
The corners of Gawain's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a sincere and happy smile.
When facing business partners, he always smiles sincerely.
"Sir, you used to ride on our magic train when you came here—were you interested in it?"
Sir Gorosh and Azalena glanced at each other.
"Ah..." Two seconds later, Golosh blinked, nodded and said, "It's a very magical thing, with very obvious uses, and we are naturally interested."
Gao Wen smiled, and signaled to the attendant at the side to bring up some materials: "Then we have a complete investment plan for your interests."
(Recommend a book, "Bian Song Qun Heroes" written by the giant panda who grows flowers. The author is Li Ming's book friend. It is a story of traveling to the end of the Northern Song Dynasty with a martial arts system. Everyone can support it.)
Miaoshuwu