King

When news of the Frankish Kingdom's withdrawal came out, the pressure suddenly shifted to the Alpha Kingdom.

The trouble in the Cursed Land has not yet been resolved, and the situation in the Papal State has changed again. Without the Franks to share the pressure, the Kingdom and its family would not have the strength to overthrow the Holy See.

The Vatican's army has impressive combat capabilities, but it can't stand up to the large number of masters!

There are more than ten known strong men in the Holy Realm alone.

Even if there are restraints from the human alliance, these people cannot take action easily, it is still a threat.

Emerald Palace, Kingdom Meeting.

"Why did the Franks suddenly withdraw?"

Hudson asked confused.

In recent days, he has been busy repairing the seal and relaxing his attention on the international situation.

If the withdrawal of the Franks had not affected the kingdom's foreign strategy, he would not have rushed over from the Near East in a hurry.

"Marshal, according to the Franks themselves, the domestic evil disaster has intensified.

Judging from the information sent back from the embassies stationed abroad, there are indeed signs of this.

Recently, a group of organized dark creatures emerged from nowhere and wreaked havoc in their country, catching them off guard.

But the situation quickly stabilized!

Charles III's decision to transfer fifteen legions from the Papal States may have something to do with their immigration progress.

Because of their closer distance, their immigration speed is much faster than ours, and two-thirds of it has been completed so far.

The remaining population relocation work is expected to be completed within two to three months. "

As soon as Foreign Minister Marquis Omar explained, Hudson understood instantly.

The intensification of the demonic disaster is purely an excuse. The real reason is that the meat is in the stomach and it’s time to get out.

There is nothing surprising. They are the most powerful country in the human race. Once they recognize the truth, the maritime transportation capacity they can mobilize is definitely not comparable to that of the Alpha Kingdom.

The two sides were able to tie in the front because the Kingdom responded faster, and Hudson spent money everywhere at the first time.

After the Franks reacted and intervened at the national level, the resources that both sides could mobilize were different.

Coupled with the close distance, it is almost inevitable that the kingdom will complete the population migration first.

We can't talk about the secret agreement, so we have to find a good excuse to withdraw our troops.

Charles III's political brain was still very useful. The reason for the withdrawal of troops by various countries before was-magic disaster. Now he is directly plagiarizing it.

It is the same for everyone and no one can raise any objection in this regard.

However, the "organized dark creature" still caught Hudson's attention.

Subconsciously, he could not help but associate these dark creatures with the inner earth world.

The Cursed Land has an entrance to the inner earth world, and it is very reasonable for the Frank Empire to have another one.

Maybe there are entrances to the inner earth world in other parts of the continent.

Unfortunately, not only the Alpha Kingdom does not have this information, but even the Human Alliance may not have it.

As an emerging overlord, his understanding of ancient secrets is far inferior to those of the established overlords.

Suddenly, Hudson suddenly understood why the elves dared to lead a group of younger brothers to fight against the humans when they were safe in a corner.

Being forced to do so is only one of the reasons. Having many trump cards is the core factor that makes people strong.

The human race does have signs of unifying the continent, but this process is not irreversible.

If a foreign enemy invades and a war breaks out that affects the entire continent, it is possible to bring down this emerging overlord.

Of course, using such extreme measures is also full of risks.

In history, the elves quelled the chaos in the center of the earth, but they paid a heavy price, which was also one of the reasons for the decline of the elven empire.

The title of "evil" of the race in the center of the earth is not just a slander. In Maxim's words, they are a group of lunatics.

"Crazy" means uncontrollable behavior!

You can use these guys to attack the human race, but they will also backfire on you.

As the winners of the last continental war, the elves have no need to go to extremes.

"Prime Minister, the Franks are almost completing their immigration, why is our progress so slow?"

Caesar IV asked with a frown.

He doesn't care how the nobles below sort out their dirty work, but low efficiency doesn't matter.

As a poor and powerful country, the core competitiveness of the Alpha Kingdom is efficiency!

The short-term explosive ability is among the best in the entire continent.

“Your Majesty, the government has done its best in immigration work, but it still encountered many problems during the implementation.

The number of ocean-going ships in the hands of the royal government was limited, and it was not enough to help transport the loot. The immigration mainly relied on the efforts of the nobles themselves.

Marshal Hudson has the most say in this regard. The size of the Near East Development Bank's fleet exceeds that of many countries. "

Marquis Delgado's complaints directly drove Caesar IV back.

Low efficiency is not artificially low. In the final analysis, it comes down to money.

Having money may not necessarily allow you to push the wheels, but having money can indeed hire a boat.

Hudson was willing to spend money, but that did not mean that the nobles of the kingdom could also spend money.

Compared with pre-war times, shipping costs have increased fivefold.

Adding in all the expenses, the cost of transporting a serf back would be almost half of the serf's worth.

Except for a few big nobles on the coast, who had a comfortable life because they owned their own fleets, the rest of the nobles were under great pressure.

The situation of the big nobles is not bad. They can directly charter the entire fleet, which costs nothing except money.

The small and medium-sized nobles were in dire straits. Their limited loot could not fill a fleet, and it was not economically worthwhile to hire a fleet alone.

In order to reduce costs, they can only choose to join a group.

Compared with the former, this group-building model is much less efficient.

Not only is it difficult to find a boat, but we also have to wait.

Many small nobles couldn't bear it, so they simply sold off the loot and spent the waiting time on robbery.

"Prime Minister, you can't say that!

The Near East Development Bank's ability to find enough ships is entirely due to the efforts of shareholders. It is not my fault alone. In fact, Xueyue Ling also lacks shipping capacity.

The kingdom is no bigger than the Franks, so the current immigration speed is actually quite efficient.

Ships cannot be built in a day or two, and maritime transport capacity has been stretched to its limit.

We have already hired all the ocean-going ships that can be hired in the entire continent, and there is not much room for growth in a short period of time.

Instead of dwelling on this issue, why not think about why the Franks suddenly withdrew their troops? "

Hudson made the topic clear, and everyone's expressions were not very good.

Because the two countries are geographically far apart and have common enemies to deal with, the relationship between the kingdom and the Franks has always been relatively good.

The two parties even signed a covenant secretly!

Under normal circumstances, even if the Franks want to withdraw their troops, they should notify the Alpha Kingdom in advance.

Apparently the Franks didn't think so.

The common enemy has declined, and the Alpha Kingdom, an ally, has grown so fast in recent years that it’s scary!

Ten years ago, the Alpha Kingdom was still trembling under the iron hooves of the orcs, but now it can blast the orcs.

Geographical isolation has prevented the two countries from becoming confrontational, but potential threats still exist.

Affected by its increased strength, the Kingdom's voice in international politics has become increasingly louder in recent years.

The kingdom's series of performances became a manifestation of restlessness in the eyes of the Franks.

This withdrawal is a silent beating.

Fortunately, the Franks did not do everything right. They only reduced some of their troops and did not withdraw all their troops in one fell swoop.

Otherwise, the kingdom will not face pressure, but must withdraw its troops.

Smart people don't need to say everything. They just look at each other and everyone has the answer in their mind.

"Inform the expeditionary force to be prepared to withdraw. Once the situation worsens, they will withdraw from the Papal State immediately!"

Caesar IV said cruelly.

The kingdom needs the wealth of the Papal States, but the kingdom needs the expeditionary force to retreat intact.

It is impossible to verify how much wealth has been plundered since the expedition, but this expedition brought the Alpha Kingdom back from the brink of bankruptcy.

The kingdom's population has increased by eight million, which is of great significance for the development of new territories.

What is needed next is to digest the results of the victory, not to take strategic risks.

Of course, this fear is for the worst-case scenario, and the reality may not be that bad.

Due to political needs, various countries withdrew their troops from the Papal States, but they did not withdraw completely.

What the Holy See needs is to send everyone out of the country with gifts, not to provoke a new round of war.

If they were to use force to expel them, it was still unknown whether they could defeat the expeditionary force.

The situation in the Holy See at this moment is much more dangerous than that of the Alpha Kingdom. If he suffered another big defeat, he would be completely helpless.

If it weren't for the orcs who were on the side first, and now the threat of the inner earth races, the permanent occupation of the Papal State by the feudal nobles would be what everyone wants most.

Going to the uninhabited orc prairie to reclaim wasteland, how could it be better than picking up mature land?

It's just that the higher-ups are rational and understand the kingdom's situation very well, and it's not suitable to spread the power.

…

Lutetia.

"Have you figured out the origin of those dark creature armies?"

Charles III asked with concern.

Suddenly a group of enemies appeared, and they were still organized troops, which was obviously abnormal.

If they were visitors from another world, there was only one explanation. The space crack happened to appear in the military camp opposite.

But under normal circumstances, when encountering this kind of situation, everyone's first reaction is to figure out the situation first, rather than just rushing in with the army.

"Your Majesty, judging from the information collected from interrogating the prisoners, it is suspected to be a legendary creature from the center of the earth.

Some dark creatures don't even have eyes. They rely entirely on their sense of smell and mental power to determine direction, which is completely consistent with the characteristics of underground creatures. "

The answer given by the Minister of War, Earl Fels, made Charles III frown.

There are few legendary creatures that are easy to deal with. Otherwise, it would not have been passed down from ancient times to the present.

"How much do you know about the creatures in the center of the earth?"

Charles III asked.

Knowing yourself and your enemy is the most basic element in making decisions.

He is just a king, not a historian. Being able to know the term "center of the earth" is a reflection of his broad knowledge.

"Your Majesty, it's up to me to answer this question!"

Archbishop Edward spoke.

"We haven't heard much about the creatures in the center of the earth, but there is a term that everyone is familiar with - evil!

In the operas and literary works handed down by the elves, the word "evil" appears very frequently.

Regarding the legend of evil spirits, many versions have been circulated among the elves, and the elves are gnashing their teeth against this mysterious race.

According to my personal research, it is very likely that evil spirits played an important role, or even the protagonist, in a certain catastrophe of ten thousand years! "

As a history buff, Archbishop Edward has a wide range of interests.

Not only does he study human history, he also has a strong interest in the history of alien races.

Especially in the past few years, when the catastrophe of ten thousand years was aroused, he was frantically looking for answers from history.

There was no record in human history books, so he focused on foreign races. Unfortunately, it has been so long ago that these have long become hidden secrets.

However, no matter how well it was hidden, Edward still discovered clues in literary works.

Perhaps these artistically processed contents are far from the real history, but at least they prove the existence of the great catastrophe.

"Your Majesty the Archbishop, the literary and artistic works of the elves are too exaggerated.

In some operas, they have demons on their feet and angels on their hands. Dragons will bow their heads when they see them, and sometimes they even kill a god! "

Marquis Jesus couldn't help but complain.

The elves have a glorious history, which is recognized by everyone.

But there is a limit to bragging. The elves in literary and artistic works boasted themselves to the sky, and by the way, they also belittled all the races in the mainland.

This kind of artistic processing is actually understandable.

There are similar works in the human world, but everyone is a little more restrained and does not use the gods of various races as the background.

Killing gods is just killing evil gods.

Occasionally, he chopped down a few demons, slaughtered an evil dragon without eyes, and performed a trick to save the princess.

"Marquis, what if the elves didn't brag?"

Archbishop Edward asked with a smile, which made everyone laugh.

This is too exaggerated. The elves are so awesome. How can the orcs get the chance?

However, some people still believe it, because the modern literature of the elves rarely uses exaggeration.

Even the artistic processing is in line with modern history. There are few YYs who stepped on the human race and regained the dominance of the mainland.

"If there are plane laws to suppress it, and a group of strong men from the holy realm can be gathered to kill the gods, there is actually a high chance of success.

As for demons and angels, the Vatican has boasted that they are powerful, but their real strength is not as exaggerated as people expected.

Weak demons are just a little stronger than ordinary people, about the same as low-cost knights.

The situation of angels is probably similar. It's just that every time they come, they are the elites of the clan, who seem to be stronger.

A few days ago, we just wiped out a thousand-man fallen angel team. The leader barely reached the holy realm, and the weakest one was only as good as the great knight.

If they were really as powerful as the Holy See claimed, and they had swept across the continent with the arrival of angels, how could they have ended up where they are now! "

As a clergyman, such unbridled comments about angels would definitely cause an uproar if word spread.

However, the Frankish Empire has completed the secularization of religion. Even if you scold the Lord of the Dawn, you will not be sent to the stake. It will be nothing if you scratch the bottom of the angel.

When they thought that the angel they once worshiped was weaker than themselves, everyone felt their faith collapse.

Fortunately, no one is a fanatical believer. Apart from talking about the Lord of the Morning, they rarely even go to church.

"You can discuss this issue privately. For now, let's continue talking about the earth-centered races, or evil spirits.

There are three main tasks:

1. Destroy the dark creatures that enter the empire;

2. Find the entrance to the inner earth world and screen the empire to see if there are any other entrances;

3. Understand the strength of each race in the inner earth world and the division of power within them. "

Charles III waved his hand and said.

Of the three main missions, except for the first mission, which is relatively easy to complete, the other two are troublesome.

But there is no way. The more troublesome the task, the more timely it must be completed.

…

Papal States.

Affected by plunder from various countries, the city of Augustus, located on the shores of Ruixin Lake, has now become a ghost town.

Suddenly the ground began to tremble, and the calm lake surface was filled with evil energy that reached the sky.

There was no human habitation for hundreds of miles around, and only birds and beasts were the witnesses to the shocking vision.

The animal's instinct to seek good luck and avoid evil caused the nearby birds and beasts to flee wildly in all directions, as if something terrible was about to come out.

As time passed, a loud noise was heard, and the water level of Ruixin Lake suddenly began to drop.

"Oops, it's a vast ocean again. Could it be that there is also a sea above this entrance!"

The chubby old dwarf complained and hurriedly ordered his men to take emergency measures.

While summoning the strong men in the kingdom to seal the gap, they also initiated drainage measures.

"Something's wrong, there's light!"

"Mr. Governor, it's not the sea above!"