I will be crowned king

Ice Dragon Fjord, Beluga Harbor.

More than half a month has passed since that night that is unforgettable for everyone; but its traces can still be seen in every corner of this colony.

Symbols of the Circle of Order can be seen everywhere on both sides of the streets that have been cleaned up. Among the ruins, there are also “statues” of the Circle of Order made by children using broken beams, wooden boards and chalk. The rebuilt port is even more prominent among the Promise Keepers. A chapel was built with donations from the alliance so that fishermen could have a nearby and convenient place to pray before going to sea.

Just as Baron Akers blamed himself in the past, the faith of the colonial people was more about their desire for "comfort" and "a sense of belonging" in a wild and foreign land; the only truly devout believers were ecumenical believers like Bishop Ripper. only core members.

And Beluga Port, which has experienced the catastrophe, is becoming more "devout" than ever before - but this kind of piety is slightly different from what the church hopes for.

At the request of the Storm Legion, the Alliance of the Promised Keepers finally gave up its fledgling armed forces and accepted disaster-stricken people as employees to form part of the alliance's public service system.

Adult men are responsible for patrolling the streets, maintaining order at various events, and participating in community management. The elderly and women are responsible for lighter tasks such as cleaning and distributing food. Children must receive universal religious education and go to factories and workshops such as textile factories. Worked as a domestic at the port and newspaper office.

The more than 2,000 "Promise Keepers Militia" who originally took on the main job and needed to take up arms to defend the community when necessary, officially joined the Storm Legion together with hundreds of other disaster victims who passed the military test; the size of the army also changed from the past. The number of people from around 5,000 people suddenly expanded to nearly 8,000 people.

Including the shooting corps, the colonial garrison commander-in-chief Anson Bach already had nearly 20,000 troops, which was close to one-half of the standard standing army.

The larger the size of the army, the more supplies it will naturally need. Coupled with the reconstruction costs after the catastrophe, the food, fuel, salt and various daily necessities required are absolutely huge for a small colony. Astronomical figures.

But the White Whale Port at the end of the 101st year of the Saint's Calendar did not need to worry about these. Disasters and wars did not affect the production and trade activities of the past year. Not only did the legions have independent farms that could fill the vacancies, but also with the Free Confederacy and close contacts can also provide necessary assistance when needed.

Just ten days later, a small caravan from Changhu Town arrived at Beluga Port. A dozen four-wheeled carriages were fully loaded with hulled wheat and cured meat, and the heavy wheels were rolling under the snow. left deep traces on the streets.

Although the quantity was not large, when the Speaker of Changhu Town announced in public that the food would be donated free of charge and distributed to the people affected by the disaster in Beluga Harbor and all those who were hungry and freezing, excited cheers resounded throughout the square in the center of the town. , excited about the friendship between the Free Confederacy and Beluga Harbor, and the emotion of Lake Town.

As the mouthpiece of the Colonial Legion, "The Good Man of Beluga" will naturally not let go of this good opportunity, constantly emphasizing the close relationship between Beluga and the colonies of the Free Confederacy. We are all a community of shared destiny, and if one party is in trouble, all parties will support it. …It seems as if the Ice Dragon Fjord Colony and the Free Confederacy are already an inseparable body.

As for the fact that Beluga Port invaded Changhu Town just a few months ago and even plundered such insignificant "trivial things", of course everyone has long forgotten.

After seeing the "good deeds" of Long Lake Town, especially the other party's talk about the "special relationship between Long Lake Town and Beluga Harbor", the speakers and representatives of the other colonies were not to be left behind, trying to find ways to find ways in other directions. Looking back on dignity, the ambitious Changhu Town cannot be allowed to be more beautiful than before.

Unfortunately, the War of Independence has just ended, and most of the Free Confederacy, except for a few colonies, has not really recovered its strength. When money is tight, it is difficult to have any confidence in speaking - not to mention that Winter Torch City is extremely strapped without a war. poor place.

But if it's just to show solidarity with Beluga Harbor and the Storm Legion, or even "friendship" with Anson Bach himself, generosity is not the only option.

The day after the aid supplies arrived in Long Lake Town, Polina Frey, the speaker of Pigeon Castle and the leader of the Supreme Council of the Free Confederation, announced in public that she would marry her only sister to the president of the New World Company, Rhine Hard Roland.

The marriage between the first wealthy family in Gray Pigeon Castle - the only wealthy family - and the first heir to the Order World's ancient family instantly overshadowed the previous assistance from Chang Lake Town and made the headlines of "The Good People of Beluga Harbor" , causing a sensation throughout the city.

For Paulina Frey, this is an absolutely risky move. Although the Roland family is famous for being "not heavy on family names", the gap between the two families is really too big. Even the Frey family in its heyday was nothing more than a family. There is no comparison between a small nobleman living in the colonies and the bloodline of the legendary Seven Knights.

And according to the information she collected, the other party was still the fourth heir of the Roland family... If her sister hadn't told her personally that it was the other party who showed his goodwill first, she would never have had the courage to speak up.

Fortunately for her, Reinhard agreed.

The first president of the Bank of the New World, His Excellency, is very active in wanting to open up business in the Free Confederation as soon as possible and expand the company's business throughout the New World, and the marriage with the Frey family just meets his needs.

The Frey family is not strong, but it has extremely high influence and appeal within the Confederacy, so it cannot pose a threat or restraint to itself. It can also enhance the reputation and public favor of the New World Company, and even gain invisibility. A guarantee of credibility - this is so important to a bank.

As for whether the family can agree to this marriage...this is not within the scope of Reinhard's consideration at all. In comparison, he may care more about Anson Bach's opinion on the matter.

So after repeatedly confirming that "the Commander-in-Chief of the Colonial Legion had a crush on the Frey sisters" and that it was just a vicious rumor deliberately spread by the enemy, Reinhard decisively accepted Paulina's marriage request.

And just as everyone in Beluga Port was cheering for the "love" between the newlyweds, the parliamentary representatives of Black Reef Port and Red Hand Bay suddenly came up with a bombshell news: whether to grant Ice Dragon Fjord a A formal seat within the Free Confederacy rather than participation in Confederate affairs as an "ally".

Not surprisingly, this news immediately overshadowed the marriage between Roland and the Frey family and became the latest hot topic of discussion in the entire Beluga Port.

Ice Dragon Fjord is a Clovis colony. If it wants to join the Free Confederacy, it must first break away from Clovis; but representatives of the two colonies immediately stated that they can form an "autonomous parliament" without cutting off from Clovis. "Join the Confederacy in the name of

This situation is not unprecedented, and is even very common - during the sectarian schism wars, many principalities had vassals break away from their lords and join the camp of the Empire or the Church of Order.

On the one hand, their territories will still pay taxes to the lords and submit to military service as in the past. On the other hand, they will establish alliances such as trade, customs, and personnel movement.

This is also the reason why representatives of the two major colonies dare to speak out - the relationship between Ice Dragon Fjord and the Free Confederation is actually very close to this situation, but it has not been made clear yet.

In order to make their conditions look more attractive, they also dropped a bombshell: If Beluga Port is willing to join, the two countries will vote to recommend it as the venue for the Supreme Conference of the Free Confederation.

In other words, the capital of the Confederacy!

The two representatives also gave sufficient reasons for this, that is, no matter where the Supreme Council is placed, it will cause dissatisfaction in other colonies. Ice Dragon Fjord is a "neutral area", but it is closely related to the interests of all colonies. Naturally, it will More suitable than all the rest.

This may sound nonsense, but it is indeed a very topical and tempting proposal that spread within the Beluga Harbor Council and quickly spread to the entire Beluga Harbor, being talked about by many farmers and businessmen.

Not even a few days later, even the Gray Snow Town Council sent several representatives to tell the Beluga Harbor Council that they were "still Clovis's loyal subjects", but if Beluga Harbor really wanted to insist on , they "will not object in principle."

The reason they gave is that Beluga Harbor is the capital of Ice Dragon Fjord and has the power to represent the governor; no matter what decision is made, Gray Snow Town will faithfully implement it.

As for the actual reason... If Beluga Port really becomes the capital of the Confederacy, and a large number of congressmen and their entourage, businessmen, and mercenaries gather in Ice Dragon Fjord, the nearby Gray Snow Town will be able to get a lot of money anyway. .

Faced with a national discussion that was obviously ridiculous, but had gradually turned into a public incident, "The Good People of Beluga Harbor" had no choice but to publish it on the front page.

At the same time, Baron Akers, who transformed into a fanatical believer, was not to be outdone. He promoted the "Messiah" heresy in the streets of the city almost non-stop, even if a fight broke out with the Universal Sect believers... This also became this paragraph. Time is a big hot event in Beluga Harbor.

Neighbors' generosity, political marriages among nobles, exciting and absurd proposals, fanatics' missionary sermons... all kinds of news constantly hit the newspaper headlines in turn, bringing vitality to the colonial media industry.

In the midst of dizzying events, the colony finally ushered in the end of the 101st year of the Saints calendar and the beginning of the 102nd year.

……………………

Beluga Harbor Council, Smoking Room.

A dark, straight military uniform and long leather boots, with a blood-red lapel close to the neck and decorated with a sterling silver unicorn badge. A sky-blue ribbon and silver belt make the torso look slender and powerful. The red stripes on both sides of the trouser legs The striped decoration emphasizes the slenderness and straightness of the legs.

Hanging on the hanger nearby is a three-cornered hat decorated with a golden unicorn hat badge, and a close-fitting military coat. Just from the lightness and dyeing visible to the naked eye, it is not difficult to guess that the material is several grades higher than ordinary military uniforms. of fabric.

Well, anyway, Carl Bain, who was sitting opposite Anson, could see it at a glance, and he almost had "envy" written directly on his face.

Although in order to unify the form of the Royal Army of Clovis, there is almost no difference in the clothing of the officers except for the rank mark, but the generals are an absolute exception; not only the decoration, but also the materials used are more meticulous and sophisticated, and even the generals are allowed They custom-made military uniforms for themselves according to standard forms.

Even the Chief of Staff, who prides himself on never pursuing quality of life other than smoking and drinking, couldn't help but feel jealous when he saw this outfit, and even fantasized a little about what he would look like wearing it. .

"...So, are you really going to go see them dressed like this?"

After being silent for a long time, Karl couldn't help but break the silence: "Just today?"

"Just today." Anson nodded slightly: "Is there anything you can't do?"

"There's nothing wrong with it, it's just..."

After a slight pause, Karl showed a very strange expression on his face, as if he was struggling and didn't know where to start:

"You know that reason you made up... sounds particularly unconvincing, right?"

"Of course, after all, I didn't intend to think about it seriously." Anson shrugged casually:

"This kind of thing can't be very convincing unless I tell them the truth, and none of us can afford that."

"In that case, it's better to make the excuse sound more ridiculous; anyway, it has happened, and no one can prove that I am lying except for a small group of people."

"That's true, unless they can let Lu En personally serve as a witness..."

Karl couldn't help but complain: "But I don't think Baron Akers will give up easily. You have to consider the consequences afterwards - not to mention Beluga Port, even many people in the army believe it!"

"Because of this, I, the client, should come up with the completely opposite 'truth'. Otherwise, wouldn't the right to speak be taken away by Baron Akers?" Anson shook his head:

"It has been more than ten days since the incident, and those who were initially excited about this incident should have calmed down a lot. In addition, during this period, we also deliberately contributed to so many 'big news' to dispel the influence of the 'heresy' Force—it’s time for the truth to be revealed to the world!”

Facing the worried gaze of the chief of staff, Anson looked expressionless, but his eyes and tone already showed his determination.

After struggling for a moment, Karl sighed heavily and muttered with a bit of self-deprecation: "It's up to you, it's not something I can control if something happens - anyway, just don't wait until it's over before you regret it!"

"Of course I understand that, but thank you for reminding me."

Anson stood up with a chuckle, took his coat and hat and walked towards the smoking room.

"Karl."

While opening the door, Anson, who took out his pocket watch from his jacket, suddenly stopped and said coldly.

"what?"

"It's twelve o'clock now." Anson turned around and looked directly at the figure with a face full of envy and complaints:

"Happy New Year."