After thinking for a moment, Todd thought of a question: "There is one thing I don't understand, if the barbarians really have the powerful combat power of wizards and war beasts, then why do they still stay in the barren land in the north, but do not attack the south?"

Looking at the puzzled look on the king's face, Cumberland shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Your Majesty, about this matter, maybe we should really thank Heavenly Father for his protection. If God hadn't given us the 'Falling Star Mountains' as a natural barrier, the barbarian forces might have already penetrated for a long time, and the appearance of wizards and war beasts was not common, even knights who had been fighting on the front line for a long time had only seen it once or twice. But the good old days are gone, and since the Kingdom of the Silver Ring has turned its back on the Church of the Father, nothing has changed. ”

"Watchtower, Meridian Road, Away from ......Sorrow," Cumberland said, counting his fingers, "The levels that have been used to stop barbarian invasions for the past hundred years have lost their effectiveness due to the defection of the Silver Ring. More and more barbarians passed through the paths strewn with bones and wreckage, and walked into the embrace of the Moon Creek Plain safe and sound. ”

"Look at the Taylor Empire hundreds of years ago, whether it is military or national strength, looking at the entire continent, no one is invincible. But in just a few years, he was beaten by the barbarians and had no power to fight back, and was finally destroyed and divided. ”

Todd chewed Cumberland's words carefully, thought about them carefully, and suddenly shuddered all over his body: "In this way, isn't the current situation even more dangerous than it was then?"

Cumberland nodded: "Although the Taylor Empire in the past is going downhill, the political and religious system and military structure are relatively complete, and it has the strength to fight in the face of barbarian fashion. Today, the empire has long since broken into dozens of small states, and the church has been divided into two churches, east and west. The conquests and contradictions between nations, the dispute between the Church of the Father and the Most Orthodox Church, make our chances of victory smaller and smaller. ”

Seeing Todd's face getting more and more ugly, Cumberland sighed: "Your Majesty, this war with the barbarians, maybe you should be mentally prepared, it will be a difficult and difficult struggle. ”

"You mean, we're going to lose?"

Todd sat up straight.

The look on the old knight's face reminded the king of the crucifixion of the saint in the church painting: "Your Majesty, before the start of the war, it is a taboo for the commander to give up lightly. The word 'defeat' should not even appear in the king's dictionary, I admit that the strength of the barbarian army should not be underestimated, but the combat power of the Knights of the Twilight West is enough to match!"

Listening to Cumberland's eloquent speech, Todd's heart was at ease.

The two chatted for a while, the sun was setting, and before the time came to dinner. After declining the king's invitation, Cumberland chose to return to the barracks for dinner, while Todd touched his hungry stomach and planned to have the Sister Hotel bring a meal.

Although the Knights of the Twilight West announced the secularization and established the Twilight Kingdom, due to the rush of time, there are many habits that still retain the militarized style. For example, the person in charge of the daily life of the royal family is not the head of the royal family or the Minister of the Interior, but the orderly of the Order.

Another example is that although he is a royal family, Todd, as the king, is an out-and-out loner, with no children, parents or siblings. The service of the royal family, he refused to spend money to set up a large and redundant agency, and he was even more disgusted with keeping a group of servants around him. Even the chef Huggins recruited for him was dismissed by him on the grounds that his taste was not suitable.

In Todd's opinion, the only food to his liking in Twilight City is probably the "Sister Hotel".

But as a king, he could not sit in the lobby and eat in peace as he had done in the past, so he had to ask them to bring a meal.

After the heralds of the Order departed, Todd, who was waiting for the food to arrive, picked up the kingdom's recent report and read it carefully.

The scholars and monks of the Twilight Academy, through research and experimentation, have achieved two major results. First, the ratio of susceptible bacteria to Sutherland bacteria was analyzed and calculated, and the conversion formula and gradient table were obtained. For example, after repeated experiments, it was confirmed that 1 ml of Sutherland's standard strain could encapsulate (control) 1.35 adult servings of "regenerating" bacteria, or 2.08 adult servings of "inflammatory" bacteria. The quantification of this microorganism shortens the production process of the successor and ensures the maximum use of the agent.

Second, from the fossils and soil brought out of the North Island ruins, scholars have isolated a new batch of "abnormal bacteria", including "bone augmentation", "power breakthrough", "energy conduction", etc., to further expand the "abnormal energy library". In addition, according to the research results of the team stationed in the North Island, more fossils, metals, and microorganisms were found directly below the ruins, but due to the gradual increase in radiation levels, manual work was no longer possible, and other methods of excavation were needed.

The other is intelligence from caravans at sea. The two great empires of the South, the Fatimas and the Abbasids, have resumed fighting in recent days. It is reported that the war was first started by Saladin, the caliph of the Fatimid Empire, in order to divert sectarian contradictions within the empire and politically free itself from the control and clamping of the Abbasid Empire, the suzerain. However, few were optimistic about Saladin's provocations, for the Abbasid Empire far outnumbered the Fatimid Empire in terms of territory, army, and wealth. The people said: 'Saladin's foolishness will one day be condemned by Allah.' 』

Todd was about to look again when there was a soft knock at the door.

The food from the "Sister Hotel" finally arrived, and after answering his mouth, Todd was surprised to find that it was not the usual attendants who came in with the food box, but two women in black robes.

The comer lifted his hood, Rachel's face was cold, and Karin's face was nervous.

Todd's eyes widened: "You ......"

Looking at Rachel's cold eyes, Todd instantly understood the intention of the comer. He reached an agreement with the academics and agreed to relinquish some of his power, which caused the displeasure of the alien faction, who had come to protest to the king.

Todd thought about it, maybe Huggins also had a part in the "protest", after all, it was impossible to get through the guards and sentry without the approval of the head of the Security Bureau, and Huggins had publicly expressed his resistance to the academy.

Watching Karin pull out plates of delicacies from the lunch box and place them on the table, Todd turned his gaze to Richel's body, and was about to speak.

The latter said first: "Your Majesty, I've been thinking about one thing lately, for you, have the xenos lost their value?"

Todd frowned, "This is just nonsense!How can you have such an idea?!"

Rachel looked into Todd's eyes and said slowly: "In the past, xenos could contribute their abilities and lives to the Knights and the Kingdom, but scholars are gradually discovering ways to let ordinary people use their abilities. So, I'm guessing you're not as serious about xenos as you used to be. ”

Todd shook his head and said, "Xenos are the core and root of the Dusk Kingdom, and they were, are, and will be. I will not and cannot despise the existence of different races, for me, they are comrades-in-arms, partners, and even more family. ”

Richer blinked, "So are you using the art of checks and balances to maintain your rule?Expanding the power of the scholars is also to suppress the power of the xenos?If so, I can convince the other xenos to swear to you as a servant......"

Todd's face was a little angry, and he interrupted her with a remark: "Reichelle, watch your words! If it was just to satisfy that boring desire for control and conquest, I would definitely not have taken on the responsibility of salvation and helping the weak in times of crisis. With my knowledge and mind, it will not be difficult to live a life of drunkenness and indulgence. But what I really seek is to build a safe and beautiful shelter for the unfortunate who are struggling in the abyss of pain in this dark and hopeless world!"