Clusters of new parchment were spread out on the desk of the Count of Galvis, with the wine glass pressed on the top edge and the pocket watch pressed on the bottom edge.

In the left hand of the pocket watch, there is [Edward. Kenway] The French signature of the dragon flying and the phoenix dance, and the right hand reads [Alexander. Hamilton's English flower style, handwriting, just like his person.

There was no one behind the desk, Lorraine was drinking on the sofa, Carmen was sitting by the side, and the Count was standing by the window, looking at the construction site in the distance.

"Kenway ......"

"I'm here."

"Do you know why the Yankees agreed to this price?"

"I know a little bit about it."

"Tell me about it."

Lorraine put down her glass, stood up and cleared her throat.

"First of all, blockade." He whispered, "I don't know whether the Count took over all the business to Baltimore or whether the British blockade was really effective, but judging from the situation at the docks, the number of smuggling ships in Baltimore was very small. ”

"You're right." The Earl said something that surprised Lorraine, "Baltimore is the designated port of the Continental Army, and we are indeed the only ones who are engaged in maritime trade with the Continental Army. ”

"But the Chesapeake Bay is not Baltimore Bay, where there are numerous ports in Virginia and Maryland, especially Norfolk in Virginia and Annapolis in Maryland, and the scale of the trade is no smaller than Baltimore."

"State militia?"

"Maryland has a reputation as an old front state, and Virginia is a core theater, and both states have a very high demand for arms and militia, and they are really desperate for the sake of nationhood."

"Then I understand the behavior of the British." Lorraine solved a puzzle, "Baltimore, Annapolis, and Norfolk, and those small ports of private smuggling. We have a lot of friends, but it is estimated that apart from us, other trade lines are still the traditional model of subcontracting and distribution, and they are fighting their own battles. ”

"The more smuggling ships there are, the greater the power of the formation to assist in defense, and the visible capture will attract more and more attention from the British, just like carrion placed there, which will always attract jackals to stop."

The Earl smiled: "It seems that the first reason is valid, blockade." The Americans probably thought that we had lost so much that you had a fluke to break in, after all, the losses in Maryland and Virginia were real, and the ship sank into the water, and God could not know where she wanted to go. ”

"Then, ambition." Lorraine held out a second finger, "Each contract can arm a standard grenadier regiment, build four, the Continental Army has the strength to organize campaigns, ten, is enough to lead the line and militia to launch a series of battles similar to the level of Clinton's southward operation, which helps to establish the prestige of the Continental Army." ”

"If you can see that, you can certainly see the demand in France as well." The Count looked back at Lorraine, "The United States and France are friends, good friends. We helped them to stand up and taught them to walk, but if we could, we just hoped that they would never learn it for the rest of their lives. ”

"But children have to learn to walk." Lorraine looked back without giving inch, "And before they can walk, they have learned to speak, and they have the ability to express their wishes." If France didn't want to teach him to walk, it would be time for him to find a new friend. ”

The Earl's eyes were piercing.

"Edward. Kenway, you're a well-informed little guy. Could it be that in some eerie place, you have heard rumors that we have never heard of? Is it Spain? Portugal? Denmark? Or the Netherlands? ”

"Why can't it be England?"

Lorraine was completely unaffected by the Count, and even seemed more relaxed.

He paced back to the couch, picked up the glass on the coffee table, and shook the ice cube in it.

"Carmen, do you know the history of the Revolutionary War?"

Carmen never hesitated in such a critical way.

"In 1773, the Bostonian Samuel . Adams violently poured tea; In '74, the Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia; In 75, gunshots rang out in Lexington, and the militia formally clashed with the British; A few months later, the Second Continental Congress issued the Declaration of Independence, and the United States of America was established ......"

"Enough is enough."

Lorraine smiled and patted Carmen on the shoulder, turning back lazily to make eye contact with the Count for the second time.

"France has always been overconfident, but it does not know the root of America's resistance to Britain. This war is like an adolescent child disobeying his father, no matter how fierce the dispute is, the father is still the father. ”

"Count, please recall this war as objectively as possible, violence, quarrels, violence, leaving home, does the whole process look like a family farce?"

"It's okay for France to mix in with that kid while he's wandering, it's okay to give him clubs and teach him to fight. However, a child who cannot survive independently will always be homesick, and when he is homesick, he will forget the unhappiness when he ran away, forget his father's determination, bow down, and wag his tail and beg for mercy. ”

"What does France get? Hatred! Lorraine raised her hand and raised her glass to the sky, "The father hates France for instigating the child, the child hates the French for bewitching and seducing, and the neighbors and friends will only think that France is stupid and incurably stupid!" ”

"There is only one way to stop that child from coming home, to make him strong, to make him independent, to make him remember France as a teacher, to replace the image of his father in his heart. What's more, we can provoke his desires, make him worry about his father's possessions, and make him feel that everything belongs to him. ”

"Desire! Lust is the original sin, and neither the Lord nor the Father can erase it from the human heart. Once it takes root, there is no turning back from family affection, and only hatred and jealousy will carry them throughout. This! That's what France should be looking for! ”

It was eerily quiet in the study.

Lorraine did not speak, Carmen smiled, and the Count walked back to his desk with a gloomy face, silent, looking at the new contracts on the table.

"You...... Is that why you dare to sign a new contract? ”

"It's not." Lorraine replied as a matter of course, "My purpose is only to make money, and everything before that is just gossip made out of feelings." ”

"Gossip can also be demagogic?"

Lorraine laughed.

He knew that the Count was about to agree, and now there was only one foot left to use to push away everything that had accumulated before, and to push away the Earl's shame and patriotic fervor together.

He whispered, "Earl, wrong. ”

"Wrong?"

"It's not my words that are demagoguing, it's your patriotism."

"Patriotic...... Bewitch? ”

"Isn't that weird?" Lorraine beckoned to Carmen to refill his drink, "I guess you're hesitating to get today's nonsense to His Majesty's desk so that he can see your loyalty, your kindness, and, of course, your ability." ”

"Yes......"

"I'll guess again, you're probably frustrated to find that you don't have a proper passage around you, and the only one you can rely on seems to be the queen, and the queen ......"

"Queen...... What the? ”

"The lady was nice, intelligent, beautiful, well-bred, skillful, and had a good maiden family, which guaranteed her political weight. However, you don't want to rely on her too much, and if possible, you still want to be the pillar of some political association, and use your own intelligence rather than the trust of the lord to serve the country. ”

The Count felt his mouth dry and bitter, and he tried to stop Lorraine from talking, and wanted to know what Lorraine was trying to say.

He drained the wine on the desk in one gulp and let the spicy spicy slip through his mouth: "I think so, isn't it? ”

"It's not a question of right or wrong, it's just the same question, Joan of Arc must have thought about it back then."

"Holy Maiden...... My lord? The second time the Count heard Joan of Arc from Lorraine's mouth, and the conversation was very different from the last time, "You mean, I will die alone like the Holy Maiden." ”

"The end of a political career, to some extent, should be about the same, right?" Lorraine leaned over the sofa and leaned down, "You, life is finally going well, but you have forgotten who brought you Ruyi." ”

The Count woke up suddenly!

Yes.

At that time, he had paid a huge price for offending the whole of France in exchange for the support of the queen, and he had forgotten such an important matter.

Bernardo. Morality. Galvis, the first Count of Louisiana, a member of the First Parliament of France, and a rising political star during the Louis XVI era.

His image has long been determined, and none of the ministers, courtiers, traitors, and favored ministers have anything to do with integrity, and it is impossible to wash off the branding of the queen.

He chose it himself, and he had no regrets when he chose it, but now he almost forgot everything.

Queen Mary is his support, the king is not, allegiance to the queen is allegiance, France is not.

What does the queen need?

Do you want France to be strong? In her heart, France was probably immortal.

Do you want His Majesty Louis to be prestigious? In her heart, her husband was probably originally grand.

The Count had met Queen Mary, and though they had not talked for long, he was sure that she had thought so.

The Habsburg lady was by no means stupid, but her life had always been out of touch with the world, and had been out of touch for many years, and could never sink back into the world......

All she needs is money!

The Earl glanced at the contract and asked softly, "This is the gift you prepared for me?" ”

"Gifts or steps, who knows? Anyway, I just need the goods. ”

"Will someone bring you the goods you need, now tell me, this is a gift?"

Lorraine didn't seem to hear the Count, but whispered to herself.

"For the queen who loves money, smuggling should be important, right? There are her agents and distributors here, but I don't know who is more trustworthy in her heart......"