In the surprised expressions of the elves, Loren maintained a confident smile, and took a small sip of the mead brought by the elves, the sweet mellow aroma made him can't help but curl the corners of his mouth. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Making mead has never been an easy task - the natural honey produced by the ancient wood forest and the mountain spring as raw materials, the endless aftertaste of the aroma convinced Loren that the other party must have added herbs that he had never seen before, so that the mellow honey wine would linger on the mouth.

Even the most ordinary mead is made with a lot of art and skill, and the taste must not be damaged by over-fermentation, nor can it be affected by over-cold or over-hot temperatures. Striking the right balance between the two is an important part of testing a winemaker.

"You seem to like this very much?" Luca, who noticed Loren's expression, smiled very warmly, "When you leave, we will give you a barrel of this year's new brew as a testimony of friendship." ”

"But before that, can you tell us about your plans - how exactly will you convince the Duke of Lothair to form an alliance with us?"

The surrounding elves also pricked up their ears and watched the black-haired wizard's expression intently, as if they were afraid that they had missed something.

Loren slowly put down the wine glass, observed the expressions of the elves around him with the corner of his eye, and showed them an extremely sincere smile with the corner of his mouth hooked:

"I think you should be aware that in the past, it was the Senna family who ruled the Earls of Deepwood, and you have always dealt with this family, and you have hardly had contact with the ruler of the Duchy of Lothair. ”

The elves turned their gaze to Luca, and the elf, who looked a little older, nodded, causing a glint in the corner of the dark-haired wizard's eye.

Sure enough, this elf named Lukka is the leader of this group of emissaries, and the only one who has the power to make decisions.

"But now, time has changed, and because of the order of succession, the duke's heir has become the new earl of Deepwood. Speaking of this, Loren sighed deliberately: "It's a pity that the Senna family can't recognize the reality, and is even ready to rebel against the rule of Lord Count. ”

"You have seized the territory where they have lived for generations, and you still want people to be obedient?"

The female elf Leah asked coldly, with a light and elegant tone but with a thick sarcasm: "It's really cheeky!"

"I'm very sorry, but the Duke also followed the rules of succession between humans, and the current situation is that the Senna family is unwilling to accept it, and even intends to rebel!"

Loren, who was still smiling, shrugged his shoulders and made a regretful gesture: "What's more, now the Senna family is no longer the Earl of Deep Limburg, and the only one who can give assistance to the elves and even form an alliance is the Duke's Fried family!"

"Right now, if you go to the Senna family, they will definitely agree to a bunch of conditions for you, maybe even more generous than the duke's offer, but at the same time, they will also ask you to help them retake the deep forest fort!"

"In that case, why don't we go to the Senna family?"

"Because in that case, you will be the enemy of the entire Duchy of Lothair. Sighing, Loren smiled bitterly and explained to the distrustful female elf: "There are no iron mines in Shenlimburg, and if you want to get help, you can only find a way from the hands of Duke Lothair." ”

"So, what do you suggest?" Lukka asked.

"As I said, the Senna family is trying to rebel at the moment, but the Earl doesn't have enough evidence to arrest them, so ......"

Smiling slightly, Loren dragged up his hands: "This will be your chance." If the elves of the Woods stood firmly by the Earl's side in the ensuing rebellion of the Senna family, they would surely win the gratitude of Duke Frid. ”

"Even if it's just to pay off this favor, the Duke will give you a batch of supplies as a thank you - and more importantly, the current Earl of Deepwoodburg is still the heir of Lord Duke, which means ......"

"When he becomes Lord of Lothair, he will form an alliance with us?!" Lukka immediately got to the point.

"That's right!" replied the black-haired wizard dryly, "the most important thing is that the Earl does not have many troops with him now, and your support will be of great importance to the Earl, and he will be very grateful to you!"

"Instead of counting on handouts, take the initiative and get a greater return for mutually beneficial cooperation, not to mention that the cost is almost minimal. ”

With a tone full of seduction, Loren deliberately did not give them more time to think, and continued: "And in less than ten days, the army of the Duke of Lothair will arrive in the Deep Forest, and then the Count will no longer need your help - this is the only chance!"

This extremely tempting condition really made the elves excited. Luca, who fell silent, was silent, and the rest of the elves were also talking to each other and whispering.

From their expressions alone, Loren was convinced that he was only half a step away from success...... Well, we need to work harder to build confidence in them.

"Having said all this, don't you just want us to be thugs for your earl?"

The female elf, who had been angry with Loren from beginning to end, snorted coldly, and spoke in front of Luka: "If you want me to see that you were planning to use us from the beginning, right?"

"Leah!"

"Since a hundred years ago, elves and humans have never interfered with each other!" the female elf confronted Lukka without flinching: "This is what you told us, the ancestral teachings passed down by word of mouth. Why break this tradition and interfere in the struggle for power among human beings?!"

"Because of the times...... It's already different. ”

Loren, who slowly got up, stopped the female elf, and Loren looked at the emerald eyes sincerely: "In the past, humans and elves may really be able to live according to their own customs without interfering with each other. But time has passed, and the world is no longer what it was a hundred years ago. ”

"The elves need iron ore and linen, well-trained horses and livestock, and the humans need the elves to defend the ancient woods and forests and keep farmsteads and towns from the ogre, and the two sides can only survive together if they benefit each other!"

This more honest statement is more acceptable to Lukka than the pie-in-the-sky statement just now. In fact, the only person Loren really wants to convince is Luca, who has the right to make decisions.

After a period of ear-to-ear discussion, Luca finally smiled and walked back up to Loren: "Your Excellency Loren Turin, we are willing to accept your terms. ”

"If you can really convince the Earl of Deepwood, the elves of the Oldwood Forest are willing to fight for him and keep him and his castle safe. Speaking of which, Luca changed his words:

"But...... It's just to keep him safe, we're not mercenaries, and if the Count is ready to exterminate the Senna family, forgive us for not interfering. ”

Even to the point of asking for help, these elves are still reluctant to get too much into the strife between humans. But that didn't matter to Loren, and he didn't expect the elves to do that.

Although the female elf named Leah was still against it in the end, it was harmless.

"Tonight, the Earl's Guard Knight will come to lead you on your way to the Deep Castle. Loren, who got up, took the initiative to stretch out his right hand: "I am very much looking forward to the day when the elves from the Ancient Wood Forest will fight side by side with us. ”

"When peace is restored to the Deepwoods, please do not forget your promises with the Earl. Lukka shook Loren's hand, "If the ogre defeats us, the next one is Deepwood." ”

"And this time the ogre invasion is far more than any previous one, no matter how many knights you have, how many strong castles you have, it is impossible to resist them!"

"I understand. Loren nodded with deep feeling: "I've seen it with my own eyes." ”