In the Name of the Queen

The candlelight filled the room, and the faint halo set off Sif's slightly frowned brows, adding a bit of sadness.

At this moment, Roland had a clear understanding of the saying that "it takes three generations to produce aristocrats".

Sif was not filming an idol drama, nor was she pretending.

She simply felt that the oak furniture smelled bad.

Although the furniture had been placed for an unknown period of time, Roland could not smell any odor at all.

Sif had lived the most refined life since she was born, and she would think that these were natural.

Roland's understanding of aristocrats came from books, from teacher Mary's teachings and from his observation of Sif.

His essence was still an ordinary person.

An ordinary person who possessed wealth and power.

Sif did not speak, and walked into the bathroom calmly.

Fortunately, there was a hot water supply, which could iron out the unpleasantness brought by the oak smell.

After all, it was a guesthouse for entertaining top VIPs. Although it could not provide 24-hour hot water, bathing at night was still guaranteed.

In this era, it was also a pleasure.

Looking at the poor conditions in the bathroom, which were not even comparable to those in the palace, Sif sighed silently.

It was really inconvenient to go out.

Beautiful girls often take a long bath. Roland felt a little agitated when he heard the splashing water, so he went to the corridor to blow the wind.

After standing in front of the corridor window for a while, he heard footsteps behind him.

It was a waiter.

She didn't say anything, but handed Roland a note when she passed by.

The note had no other content, only the location.

It was a beer hall not far from the guesthouse.

Roland took out a match and burned the note casually.

Sif's bath was almost done, so let's go out for a drink.

The city-state of Val does not produce beer locally, but the nearby Weimar Federation is a famous beer producing area.

Roland had also heard of the names of Caesar dark beer and Beck's beer.

Back in the room, Roland saw Sif wearing a sturdy cotton armor and was a little surprised.

"Where are you going?"

"You've been out for a long time, I think I should prepare for the battle." Sif said calmly.

Roland was speechless. Is he so like a disaster?

Thinking about it carefully, it is true.

There has been no record of humans encountering sea monsters for hundreds of years, and he encountered one on the first day of going out to sea.

Sif, who was with him all day, knew him very well.

He smiled and shook his head, "Don't be so exaggerated, just go to the tavern to meet a guest."

"Roland, I have a hunch that something will happen." Sif said concisely.

"Well, there are many people in the tavern who don't want to drink properly, you are right."

Sif wore cotton armor inside and ordinary casual clothes outside, put on a hat and a mask, and laid out all the weapons such as the pistol and dagger that Roland bought for her from the Magic Association, and hid a few throwing knives like Roland did.

Roland was fully armed, stuffing weapons into the moonlit silver armor.

It is good to be able to negotiate, but it is also normal to start fighting at any time if the negotiations fail.

After they were armed, they walked towards the Black Forest Brewery.

The city-state of Val is not big, but it is a shipping hub with a developed catering and entertainment industry. Guests from all over the country always like to stay here for a while, revel in the night and wash away their fatigue.

When passing by a street, they saw a seductive girl waving at the door. Sif asked curiously:

"What store is that? That woman's dress is a bit too vulgar."

"Don't look, it's not a good place." Roland blocked Sif's curious eyes with his body and quickened his pace.

Sif didn't ask more, but just followed silently.

Although she didn't know where it was, she didn't like the girl standing at the door.

That look was like greed that wanted to strip the guests naked and eat them.

This look reminded her of a demon creature recorded in an ancient book - the succubus.

Roland was right. This was a store that eats people. It's better to stay away from it.

Looking at Sif, who was silent like a good baby, Roland smiled and introduced her:

"The culture of the Val city-state is similar to that of the Weimar Federation, the Kingdom of Pruden and the Kingdom of Tyrol. There are also two different voices within them. One is to establish a unified empire of their own nation, and the other is to maintain the existing status of a free city-state."

"So far, those who agree to maintain the status of a free city-state are in the majority. The merger may be good for ordinary people, but it is not good for these politicians."

"They are now calling the shots. After the merger, they will at most be local officials. Their vested interests cannot be preserved, so they are naturally unwilling to merge. There are many small countries that have the same idea as them."

After a slight pause, he slowly said: "If even the independent knight fiefdoms are counted, the original Odin Empire is now completely divided into thousands of fragments. The Kingdom of Pruden, the Weimar Federation and the Kingdom of Tyrol are qualified to unify Odin."

"No, there are also us." Sif's eyes flashed with dazzling light.

This time it was Roland's turn to be surprised.

Sif explained gently: "The Hansa Province originally belonged to Grand Duke Hansa under the Odin Empire. After the empire was destroyed, Grand Duke Hansa declared independence and established the Grand Duchy of Hansa. Later, the Grand Duchy continued to expand and upgrade to a kingdom. Then, through a series of complex marriages and inheritances, it became a part of our country."

"The Hansa Kingdom only disappeared temporarily, not completely destroyed. The legal succession to the Hansa Kingdom lies with our York family."

Sif smiled and said: "Although Grand Duke Hansa is not an elector, he once served as acting emperor for half a year due to the civil strife in the Odin Empire. So Hansa also has the legal succession to the Odin Empire."

Roland's eyes lit up.

This is the real reason why the royal family withstood the huge financial pressure and wanted to retain the three overseas provinces.

"The other two provinces may not be that simple." Roland asked with a smile.

"You are right. The other two provinces correspond to the legal principles of the Kingdom of Serin and Brook respectively. As long as we have enough power, the entire central Rodinia continent can belong to us."

Sif's eyes were as bright as stars in the night, but soon dimmed.

"Unfortunately, in recent years, our country has successively produced three mediocre emperors, causing the great conception of that year to miss the historical window period."

Sif said softly: "These are what Mr. Wald told me before leaving. He hopes that I can correctly understand the importance of the three overseas provinces."

Roland was thoughtful.

Rodinia is a chaotic place, and only the strong are qualified to survive.

Herbivores that do not want to expand will be pounced on and eaten by carnivores even if they are huge.

They soon arrived outside the beer hall. Roland stopped and asked with a smile:

"Guess who is inside?"

Sif also stopped and was about to give an answer casually. Suddenly, she remembered that this was also an exam. She immediately wiped off the hasty answer and began to ponder.

A minute later, her eyes lit up.

"It should be the Kingdom of Tyrol or the Weimar Federation. I guess the Weimar Federation is more likely."

"Reason?"

"Because of the Golden Kite Kingdom."

Sif cleared her throat and said, "These refugees are a headache for the Golden Kite Kingdom. They claim to be a country of freedom and rule of law. Naturally, they cannot take action against those who have problems with their positions but have no clear evidence of illegality. They can only let them leave the country."

"After all, it is a free country. You can come and go freely. I can't control it."

Listening to Sif's skilled mockery of the Golden Kite, Roland didn't feel strange.

The two countries have fought countless wars in history and have deep hatred.

Although they are now in a friendly state without war, it is difficult to expect them to say good things about each other.

After Sif mocked Jin Yuan fiercely, she smiled and added: "The country that Jin Yuan least wants these people to go to is our country. This time we came from the river in a swagger. The Jin Yuan people are not blind, of course they know what we are here for."

"No matter how we resettle them, they can't fall into our hands. But they can't openly turn against us, so they need agents to take these refugees away. The agents dare not confront us head-on, so they have to choose to negotiate, so the answer is the Weimar Federation."

"Very good, it's time to reveal the answer, let's go."

Roland didn't mark the papers on the spot. After all, this was just a guess. If the new envoy of Jin Yuan sat in it in a swagger, would he report the other party for not following the routine?

As long as Sif's inference is logically closed, it doesn't matter whether it is correct.

In the states that split from the former Odin Empire, beer halls are as common as Sussex and Jin Yuan's coffee shops. They are places for people to socialize and entertain.

Spend a few coins here, you can have a drink and chat with friends with similar interests.

After eating and drinking, if there is any extra money, go to the red light district in front to vent.

This is the daily routine of many businessmen, sailors and adventurers.

The distinguished guest who asked Roland to meet would certainly not wait for him in the noisy hall, but booked the top-level box.

Through the box, you can look down at the hustle and bustle of the hall, but the people below cannot see the tranquility above.

More than ten meters high, but it is two worlds.

In the best box, Roland met the mysterious inviter.

It was a middle-aged man with a beer barrel body.

Red rosacea, unruly beard, completely in line with the stereotype of Odin.

The middle-aged man took off his hat and introduced himself to Roland with a smile.

"Frank Mueller, special envoy of the Weimar Federation."

Roland quickly searched in his mind and locked Frank's information.

A senior diplomat of the Weimar Federation, although he did not have a particularly outstanding resume, he had rich work experience and was a diplomat with some talent.

Roland looked back at Sif, who could not hide her proud eyes, and his mood also improved.

He sat down opposite Frank and said calmly: "White Rose Knights, Roland."

"Why don't you mention your identity as the Governor of Northern Rodinia?"

"I came to the Val City-State as a knight to take away the poor refugees at the request of a friend. This matter has nothing to do with Mr. Frank's homeland, and there should be no conflict between us."

Roland directly blocked what Frank wanted to say, and put a big hat on him firmly.

The words were polite, but the meaning behind the words was not polite at all.

In short, this matter has nothing to do with the Weimar Federation, don't make trouble.

Frank was stunned for several seconds before he recovered, and had to cover up his embarrassment with dry food. He picked up the knife and fork and silently cut the elbow on the plate, using eating to ease the atmosphere.

He smiled and introduced to Roland: "The crispy elbow in this store is very good, the skin is crispy, the meat is tender but not loose, and it is fat but not greasy. Would you like to try it?"

He did not ask who the female companion behind Roland was.

Since he was wearing a mask, he naturally didn't want to reveal his identity, so he didn't ask.

He just didn't expect Roland to predict his intention so accurately and block all his words.

Since there is delicious crispy pork elbow, Roland will not be polite.

It's a bit greasy to eat a big pork elbow by yourself, so he skillfully cut a small half for Sif to share the deliciousness.

Frank didn't brag. The pork elbow in this store is indeed very authentic. It is really delicious when paired with pickles to relieve the greasiness.

Anyway, I’ll probably do some exercise later, so it doesn’t hurt to eat more.

At Roland's urging, Sif also took a few bites.

She usually rarely eats during dinner, and a few small bites are the greatest affirmation of crispy elbows.

Satisfied with the elbow on the plate, Roland raised his glass and greeted Frank.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Frank. I will definitely return the invitation when I go to Hansa another day."

"Then first thank you, Lord Governor, for your kindness."

Frank and Roland had a drink. The usually refreshing dark beer was inexplicably bitter today.

Although he knew that there was little hope, he still asked tentatively: "Your Excellency Governor, these 30,000 refugees have traveled a long distance, which is very hard, and they may be infected with diseases that may lead to serious consequences. The Weimar Federation is a neighboring country of the Waal City State. If these 30,000 refugees are transported Wouldn’t it be more convenient for the refugees to be resettled in our country?”

"Mr. Frank, this is a request from a friend. I'm sorry to accept it."

"Do you think my price is not enough? In fact, I haven't finished yet."

Roland cut him off mid-sentence.

"Sorry, this matter cannot be traded."

Although it is not polite to interrupt someone else, it is obviously more hurtful to wait for the conditions to be stated before refusing.

Might as well be rude.

Frank's expression was a bit ugly. His big chubby hands clenched and unclenched, and then a few drops of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Just when he was about to say something else, Roland said softly: "Mr. Frank, let me tell you a story about my hometown."

Without waiting for the other party to express his position, he cleared his throat and started talking, "A cat and a monkey saw a few chestnuts in the fire. The monkey smelled the fragrance and wanted to eat them, so he persuaded the cat to dig the chestnuts."

"The cat was not interested in the chestnuts, but it couldn't bear the monkey's persuasion and stretched out its paws. As a result, the cat's paws were burned to the point of splitting the skin and flesh, but the cunning monkey happily took away the chestnuts."

"Mr. Frank, you don't want to be this cat either."

Frank's expression was a little complicated.

Roland raised his glass again and said with a smile: "The elbow and the dark beer are both good, I like them very much. Mr. Frank, it's getting late. See you again when you have the chance."

Frank knew that the negotiation had failed, so he stood up with Roland helplessly and sent Roland to the door.

Looking at Roland's leaving figure, he sighed, picked up the beer on the table and continued "ton ton ton".

Maybe Roland is right. Monkeys like to eat chestnuts, so go get them yourself.

The Weimar Confederation had neither the ability nor the need to provoke the Sussexes.

Struggling to survive in the cracks between several big countries, naturally it cannot offend too many people.

He sent out a secret signal and asked his younger brother to report the news, and then continued to fight with beer.