On the coldest days of winter, most of the common people stock up on food and stay at home, which is the winter norm on the planet Orens, but this does not mean that all transportation will be suspended. The train from Mason to Aocheng is still running, but it has been adjusted from three times a day to one a day, and the speed of operation has also slowed down, and the original journey of more than ten hours now takes nearly a day. If there is severe ice on the way that prevents the train from moving properly, it will take even more time to troubleshoot.

In such weather, Weiss went to Aocheng to negotiate investment with Grumman Group on behalf of the state government, and after finishing his business, he stopped by to visit Gunnivale. She lives with her parents on a manor house in the southern suburbs of Olympia, where her father, Pat Grumman, was a director of the Grumman Group and has now stepped down from most of his duties and is largely at home.

Weiss came to visit, and old Pat sat in front of him with his daughter, and thanked him first, after all, it was Weiss who took the risk to bring Gunevere back, even if she didn't think it was a rescue, but objectively speaking, going to the Norman Empire alone, especially with a Norman royal family who had not known him for a long time, the unknown risk was far greater than the promising good life.

After the pleasantries, Weiss said in a gentle tone: "Actually, I have not understood that among your many suitors, in terms of handsomeness or intelligence, I think there is still someone who can surpass that Prince of Barras." But you're obsessed with him, and you can do whatever it takes, it's not like I know you. Therefore, I always feel that you were unknowingly drugged by them and lost your normal sanity to make such a bizarre move. ”

Gunevere looked out the window and didn't speak, and old Pat was a little helpless. He looked at Weiss and said, "I'll go out for a walk, and you can talk!" ”

With that, he got up and left the room. When only Weiss and Gunnivel were left in the room, the atmosphere seemed to ease. The lonely big star finally spoke: "I didn't believe in love at first sight until I met him and met him." Although I could only understand a few commonly used Norman words, his voice was so smart, his eyes were so clear, and his temperament seemed to be haunted by the brilliance of an angel, which made me deeply immersed in it. ”

Hearing Gunnevere say this, Weiss breathed a sigh of relief, because since she could think like this, it means that she can rationally face up to what has happened before, instead of being influenced by emotional cognition and refusing to communicate about this topic.

"I remember that time I went to his study and stole a weapon sketch from him and handed it to you. For me, it was a wonderful act, like a dream, and it brought the joy of success. At that time, I didn't realize that I would fall hopelessly in love with this person, and the next day at breakfast, I would still be able to talk and laugh with you. But the following day, I always had in my mind his eyes, his smile, his confident posture, and his mesmerizing demeanor. That night, I met him at the prom, and we danced and laughed together, and time flew by, and I never felt that way. That night, I was completely sleepless, a phenomenon that surprised and could not be explained even by myself—the breath he brought with me was like a terrible poison, invading my skin, flesh and bones, capturing my soul and making me forget everything about him. After leaving the Norman Empire, I felt as if something important had fallen somewhere, and I was no longer whole, and I couldn't sleep. Just when I was most confused and lost, I received a letter from him. It was a very miraculous thing that he wrote a handwritten letter in Norman with a translation into Ulster. I was also fascinated by his handwriting, and the words he wrote made up a beautiful poem, sending the signal of an angel, calling me to join my lost soul. ”

After a slight pause, Weiss asked unhurriedly, unhurriedly, "Excuse me, how did that letter come from?" Is it with our postal system? ”

Gunevere shook her head and said, "He sent an attendant officer, who was previously stationed at the Aocheng Chamber of Commerce, to deliver the letters for us. ”

"Is that the International Chamber of Commerce?" Weiss asked. Aocheng was one of the first major cities to re-establish the International Chamber of Commerce after the war, and merchants from outside the Confederation settled here, received security protection and supervision from the Confederation, and contacted trade and went through relevant procedures through legal forms. As the normalization of diplomatic relations between the Ulster Free Confederation and the Norman Empire progressed, it was not surprising that the Normans appeared at the International Chamber of Commerce. With Prince Barras's status and ability, it was not difficult for his squire to obtain the status of a legitimate merchant, and he appeared so quickly in the city of Ao, delivering the letter to Gunevere, and in one sense, the Norman Empire had been running a certain elaborate layout in the Confederation.

Seeing that Gunevere nodded in affirmation, Weiss asked again, "Is that the attendant we saw in Bellakasher, that middle-aged man who looks a little ordinary?" ”

Gunevere nodded again.

Weiss saw with his own eyes that the man followed Prince Ballas to board the ship and leave, at this moment, he was no longer in Aocheng, and if Prince Ballas wanted to contact Gunevere, he could use other channels. Blocking or monitoring the ICC alone will not sever their connections. What's more, cutting off the connection between them is a negative "blockage", and if you want to truly resolve these hidden dangers, you need to rely on "sparseness", that is, to do the work of Tungunavelle mentally and psychologically, so that she can give up that unrealistic illusion.

Weiss thought about it, Octavier should have spent a lot of energy on this aspect of work before, so the Gunivel he saw today would seem relatively normal. "If you insist on being with him, we will not forcibly obstruct it, but I want to remind you that if you are with him, one day, you will fall into a very painful situation, even if he sincerely puts his love for you on you, you will not be able to escape this contradiction! Because...... He is hell-bent on conquering the world, and under his rule, the Norman army will sooner or later set foot on the territory of the Confederacy, in that situation, what should you do, do you pretend to turn a blind eye? ”

Gunevere was slightly different, but not too surprised. She lowered her eyelids, closed her eyes, and said, "I know that the war is stopped in a special situation, a state of expediency, not a solid truce. I know that there may still be conflict between the Norman Empire and the Commonwealth, but I think I'm a Commonwealther, and if I am by his side day and night, I should be able to eliminate his hostility towards the Commonwealth. If this hostility is eliminated, then the contradictions between countries will only be disputes over interests, and such disputes can be easily reconciled. I believe that my efforts and my voice will be rewarded in the end. If not, I will be far away, praying for my country, for its victory over the Norman Empire again. I don't have the slightest hesitation about that. ”

These words, Gunnevere said that there was a sense of righteousness and rebellion, reflecting the deep national feelings. Harmony is indeed a common form of de-escalating national conflicts in history, and it is even very frequent in some periods, but the more modern it is, the rarer this method becomes. Even if the two parties are married, there will still be wars, and there are many precedents for one party to eliminate the other. Those women in enemy countries, no matter what class they are in, even if they are queens, are inevitably in great pain, but they are helpless against war.

The two were silent for a while, and Gunnevere suddenly asked Weiss, "What would you do if you were hopelessly in love with a Norman princess?" ”

Weiss opened his mouth, not knowing for a moment how to answer her. It's not that my attitude is uncertain, it's because this particular assumption - "hopeless" - is incompatible with me. Aside from his tenacity in fighting the enemy, nothing would be hopelessly stubborn, at least not yet.

"I've heard that you've been getting close to that young single mom – a professor – and maybe you're going to start a family soon. I'm sorry to take the liberty of assuming that...... What would you do if the professor's real identity was a Norman princess? ”

Weiss wanted to tell Gunevere frankly that he would give up resolutely, and then bear the pain alone, and spend a while forgetting this relationship and a period of time coming out of the shadows. However, he felt that this was a statement against his will, after all, judging from the current situation, he did not have an unforgettable love for Professor Yang like Gunnevere did for Prince Barras, but a state where he felt that he could snuggle up to each other and keep each other warm, and even he himself was not sure whether this was true love. Of course, he didn't plan to explore so much, after all, conceptual things are sometimes not important, what matters is that they can live a peaceful and stable life in the future. For these reasons, Weiss did not answer directly, but used the story of his sibling brother Ze to tell Gunevere about the relationship between feelings, family, and country. Ze took a wife and had children in the Norman Empire, and had a pair of quite lovely children, who should have lived happily, but Ze was sent to the front line and returned to Lorraine because of the outbreak of war. Ostensibly, he did a good job of fulfilling the task given to him by the Normans, suppressing the guerrilla movement in the Lorraine area, so that it basically achieved the order that the Normans wanted. Had Weiss not returned with a partisan advance force of the Union Army, Lorraine would have been a solid Norman occupation until the war situation changed irreversibly...... In general, Ze did his best for the Normans, but in the end there was no good ending. After his death, his family had to return to his mother's shelter, and because he feared that his son would be discriminated against in the future, the widow insisted that his son follow Weiss back to the Commonwealth.

Taking this as an example, Weiss extrapolated that if Gunnevere and Prince Barras marry and give birth to a daughter, in their lifetimes, if the Norman Empire and the Confederation live in peace, then there will not be much of a problem, but if a war breaks out between the two sides and the Confederation wins, what will the Normans think of this princess from the Confederation, and what will they think of their children? If Prince Barras had an accident on the battlefield or lost his authority, how would their lives change, how would their descendants be affected, would they still be truly free, and would they be able to live the rest of their lives in that dreamlike life? These are very real problems. On the contrary, if Gunevere continues to stay in the Federation, whether the Federation is defeated or victorious, or lives a peaceful time, as a member of the Grumman family, as long as there are no big accidents, she will be able to live a relatively superior life, and she herself will continue to be loved by the people of the Federation, becoming an eternal mark in the hearts of this generation......

When Weiss had said this, Gunnevere fell into a long silence. After a while, old Pat returned to the room, and Weiss got up to take his leave. He then stayed in Austria for a few more days, taking the officials of Lorraine's industrial department to negotiate some operational matters with the Grumman group in power. Although the Grumman Group is very aggressive towards the traditional military industrial enterprises in the western region, from the standpoint of the government, this kind of military industrial enterprises that are constantly expanding themselves are beneficial to promoting regional economic development and improving the technological level of the federation as a whole, and the law of the jungle is a situation that conforms to social laws.

In this regard, Weiss is able to jump out of the ego and promote these things from a higher position, and even when the introduction of investment conflicts with the interests of the Lorraine Industrialists Alliance, he can objectively analyze, rationally judge, and deal with relevant matters fairly. Because of this stance, the Grumman family bosses are quite confident about further expanding their investment in Lorraine, and the remaining half of the winter is just the right time for them to communicate and negotiate on specific matters and internal decisions, so that they can implement them when spring comes.

This time, the people of Lorraine expect the Grumman Group to move part of their seamless steel pipe industry to Lorraine, which is a relatively high-end industry in the era of the industrial revolution, and has a wide range of uses in both military industry and civilian life, which can make Lorraine's manufacturing system more complete, and can reduce the price of people to buy such products from the outside, and save freight costs. At the same time, it can also increase the corresponding jobs and government tax revenue, which is a multi-win project.