The sun is high

In the language and cultural system of the Kingdom of Votel, the concept of "sacrifice" has an ancient and complex meaning.

Generally speaking, there are two common ways to understand it.

One refers to passively becoming a "victim", which is somewhat fatalistic. The legend about the giant plateau eagle and related gods is the most representative embodiment.

The second refers to "self-sacrifice", that is, giving for others or a certain goal without caring about one's own life.

Shuge didn't know the situation in the Kingdom of Deland, but based on what he saw with his own eyes in Bolden, during the past period, the people of the Kingdom of Votel were constantly changing from the former to the latter.

At first, Shuge could still see many ordinary people who were afraid of the upcoming war and were extremely confused about the future of themselves and their families. However, as time passed, the voices of these people gradually disappeared.

It's like drops of water flowing into a boiling ocean.

Every ordinary person, whether they are soldiers, traders, farmers or handicraftsmen, is undergoing staggeringly rapid changes due to the complex environment in which they live.

Amidst the loud singing that resounded throughout the beer hall, Shuge saw the girl sitting opposite him with red eyes holding the wine glass tightly. She seemed to want to join in the enthusiastic singing, but In the bottom of her heart, there was another voice.

In terms of blood and ethnicity, Sally is of course a Walter.

But she grew up in Salem City, so her understanding of Walter is actually very limited.

She is not familiar with the music and songs that make the Votel people crazy, and her knowledge of the traditions followed by the Votel people is relatively limited.

Coupled with what she had seen in the newspaper before, the news about Votel's army shelling Salem City...

She was confused by what was happening.

Unlike her, as a member of the Chasseur Regiment, Duden's mood was extremely high at this moment. "Bolden's Song" was originally a military song, so it was also the song he was most familiar with.

When Duden stood up, the patrons in the beer hall cheered, the ladies greeted the young soldier, and the men raised their glasses to Duden.

In such an atmosphere, Shuge gently stretched out his hand and pressed it on Sally's wrist.

The girl was stunned for a moment. She turned her head and saw that there was not much expression on Xiuge's face, and his eyes seemed out of place in this beer hall - more like the snow that had not yet been cleared on the street outside. .

Sally calmed down, put down her glass, and did not join in the brief and sudden revelry like the others.

…

In the evening, Shuge sent Sally back to her residence, and at the same time visited the old Schubert who was already able to move around in a wheelchair.

Because of the torture, this old guy looked thinner than before, but he was in good spirits and actually still had the energy to read some less serious novels.

When Shuge first appeared, old Schubert was a little bit intimidated. He heard from Sally that Shuge had now officially returned to the Ernst family, so when he saw Shuge for the first time, he even didn't know it. How to say hello made Xiuge very helpless.

Fortunately, after Shuge and Schubert told two "colorful" jokes about aristocratic circles, the old guy relaxed and started to ask when his new work would be available. came out, and even asked strange questions such as whether Xiuge could submit articles if he went to the battlefield.

Of course, old Schubert's words actually revolved around one theme - he hoped that Shuge could find a way to protect Sally's safety on the battlefield.

After experiencing what happened in Salem City, old Schubert's mind became fragile, and the shelling that occurred at noon made this vulnerability even worse.

He is a typical example of the most ordinary and ordinary kind of residents.

After bidding farewell to Sally and old Schubert, Shuge drove directly back to the manor. However, he was intercepted outside the manor.

The person who stopped the car was very arrogant, at least Shuge had nothing to do with him, and he had to greet him very politely.

"Butler Finn, are you looking for me?"

Royal butler Finn nodded: "Princess Sophia is looking for you. She hopes that Mr. Sugar can come over quickly. There are very important things that need you to confirm."

After hearing this, Shuge immediately handed over the documents he had carried with him to Duden and asked him to put them back at his residence. He took the documents and magic book with him and transferred to the vehicle with Finn.

This is a military vehicle among the Ymir Legion. It has a large body and strong power. In order to provide sufficient protection, a large amount of magic-killing silver armor is installed on the vehicle.

In Xiuge's opinion, this thing already has the prototype of an early armored vehicle.

After the car door closed and the vehicle started moving, Butler Fenn immediately asked: "I heard that Mr. Sugar was at the Medical College when the shelling occurred today?"

"Yes, the shell landed forty meters away."

"That's really dangerous..."

Finn nodded, and then he said: "So, what does Mr. Sugar think of this bombardment? I hope to hear your true judgment and thoughts."

Shuge turned his head. He looked at the royal steward and powerful mage for two seconds, and then replied: "In my opinion, this is a bombardment with a very clear purpose."

"What purpose?"

"Causing public anger and completely igniting the enthusiasm of the Votel people for a full-scale declaration of war."

Shuge looked directly at Finn. He shook his head and said, "Steward Finn, this conclusion shouldn't be difficult to come to, right? Leave important targets such as military camps, palaces, warehouses, etc. alone, and launch attacks on the civilians of Bolden." The attack was a very clear act of provocation."

"Hmm...then who do you think planned this incident?"

There was a brief silence in the car. After some thinking, Shuge replied: "It's not a Delan people, nor can it be an agent or spy from any other country on the plains. At the same time, I don't think our royal family will To bombard one's own people for this purpose..."

Shuge paused for a moment, then asked: "By the way, Steward Finn, I saw in the newspaper before that the Kingdom of Delan and the Legal Committee have sent their important figures, hoping to negotiate with us?"

"Yes, the negotiations ended the day before yesterday."

"But the results were not published."

"That's right, because Merlin Lehe showed a lot of sincerity this time. They even did not hesitate to give up a considerable part of their interests and were willing to recognize the legitimate status of the Plateau Mage Council."

The butler's answer surprised Shuge.

He never expected that one day the Legal Committee would give in to this extent. In the past years, the only orthodox status of the Legal Committee among Fan En could be said to be unshakable by anyone. But now, in order to avoid war, They were actually willing to share this huge fruit of power with the "traitors" who broke away from the Legal Committee.

"Redraw and stabilize national borders, sign new commercial and trade agreements...and most of the terms are beneficial to us."

"What about their demands?"

“The Kingdom of Votel and the Kingdom of Hain stopped preparing for war, and the troops in the rugged hills withdrew outside the originally demarcated safety line, and promised not to support the Isa River front in the north... In other words, they hope to use a large number of weapons against them. We provide favorable conditions in exchange for us tearing up the cooperation terms of the Plateau Alliance that we signed before, so that Merlinle and the plain countries can solve the problem of St. Steele."

Listening to these matters that could definitely be considered confidential, Xiuge felt a chill running down his spine.

Finn sighed: "I have no right to interfere with the decision-making of the royal family and our officials. The concessions made by the Legal Committee and the plain countries this time are extremely exaggerated, so it is enough to make all politicians reconsider the current situation. The plan, especially the trade agreement, and its signing will be enough to solve the hidden danger of the scarcity of crystallized minerals in the Kingdom of Votel for hundreds of years."

"That is to say, our officials are indeed concerned about these conditions and are really starting to consider whether to stop preparations for war."

"exactly."

Finn nodded: "The impact of this decision is very great. Once it is made, the pattern on the plateau will inevitably undergo new changes. Almost everything we have done before and now must also change immediately... Therefore, we chose to keep it secret."

"But the news still got out, right?"

"That's it, Mr. Sugar."

Finn nodded: "The problem may lie within us. Of course, it is also possible that there is a flaw between Delan and Merlinle. In short, in just one and a half days, someone launched the attack hidden in Bolden. The chess piece... that is an artillery officer of the Bolden City Defense Corps, haha, and his deputy."

Having said this, the royal butler shook his head vigorously, with a dark look of anger flashing across his face: "It's unbelievable."

"So, what I want to do next is related to this?"

"You'll find out later."

As he spoke, the vehicle had already parked in a somewhat remote garden. It was not too far from the Ernst Manor. It looked like a place renovated from the manor of a down-and-out nobleman.

Finn personally took Shuge out of the car. Accompanied by several Ymir Legion soldiers, they came to the center of the garden and set foot on a staircase leading underground.

The moment he stepped onto the stairs, Xiuge felt that his magic power seemed to be severely restricted. This was the effect that could only be caused by the accumulation of a large amount of magic silver.

"Don't be nervous, it will be normal after you go in."

Finn comforted him, and then led Shuge towards the bottom of the stairs.

Soon, Xiuge was surprised to find that hidden under the garden was actually a huge dungeon. However, the size of this dungeon was extremely exaggerated. The floors of each cell were made of metal. It was obvious that A large amount of magic-killing silver was incorporated into each cell, and the supplies and furnishings in each cell were very complete. Xiuge even saw desks and bookshelves.

"The people who can be imprisoned here must not be simple."

Xiuge thought this, and after taking a few steps, he saw a tall and thin figure locked in the cell on the right.

He was surprised to find that he actually knew this person.

Although he took off his single-sided glasses and changed out of his clothes, Shuge still recognized the other person at a glance - this was the Delan who had instructed Philip, the editor-in-chief of Peace Newspaper, to guide public opinion before the accident in Salem City. Noble "Morrell".

But now, Morel's mental state is obviously not right. He is standing in the center of his cell, muttering to the air next to him, and he is wearing masks on his hands, feet and even his neck. An iron ring made of high-purity magic silver.

Finn glanced at Shuge and asked, "You know him, right?"

"I saw him twice in Salem City."

"Well, he had been working in the Peace Newspaper Club at that time. It's normal for you to have seen him."

Finn sneered: "He's just a buffoon trying to benefit from multiple forces at the same time. After he left Salem City, our spies focused on him... Hehe, he originally wanted to escape to the southern port to go to sea. of."

Finn sneered: "However, he is not an important character. Even if we use spiritual interrogation, there is no way to get any useful information. Let him stay here talking to the air until he dies."

"Mr. Shuge, please come this way."

With that said, Finn led Shuge deeper into the dungeon and reached out to push open a closed interrogation room door.

Even though Shuge didn't feel any warning signs now, the scene here and Butler Fenn's actions still made him feel a little shuddering - it was almost like inviting himself to stand trial.

Xiuge walked into the interrogation room, where he saw a somewhat strange scene.

The interrogation room is very large, with a square cell in the center, and in the center of the cell sits a figure - there are many chains tied to his body, some are magic chains, and some are physical. The magic-stifling silver shackles, these chains firmly fixed the figure in the cage to the ground, and under his body, a large number of complicated magic lines were constantly flashing, as if they were exerting some kind of force on his body. Unknown influences.

"Mr. Shuge, we meet again. It seems that you are very busy today...until now, you have no time to come over."

Princess Sophia's voice floated from the side, interrupting Shuge's observation of the cage.

He turned around to look, only to see that the Princess of Walter was wearing casual clothes, with a crystal gun and dagger at her waist, and holding an interrogation record in her hand.

Her hair was neatly tied up on the back of her head, with only a small strand hanging down on the right side of her forehead. When she looked at her, Xiuge inexplicably felt a sharp and oppressive aura, like It was as if a knife was about to cut him open.