The royal palace of Quedlinburg was not as ornate as Arold had imagined, it was basically the same as the castle of the dukes of the clan, except for the addition of armor and coats of arms that symbolized the king's authority, and the royal guards were guarded at the door, wearing coats of arms with the symbols of the royal family of Saxony.

The royal attendants settled Arrod's servants and soldiers, and then led him to his rooms, which were often vacant in the palace for visiting nobles.

The silence in Quedlinburg was like a tomb, and the servants carefully did their work, scrubbing the columns and floors. Except for the occasional pigeon that flew from the courtyard to the window, the creak of the door opening was heard at this moment, followed by a series of chaotic footsteps and noises, and the servants stopped their work curiously, wanting to see who dared to make such noise when the king was sick.

"Lord Duke, please move to the guest room with Her Royal Highness the Princess." A royal attendant led Arold and Princess Josie to the guest room.

There are always enough rooms in the Royal Palace of Quedlinburg for the guests to rest and enjoy the royal hospitality when they visit. As soon as you enter the palace, you can see a statue made of white marble, wearing a crown with a solemn expression, dressed in the robes and cloak of a Germanic king, with two hands raised in parallel, a spherical cross in the left hand, and a sword in the right hand.

"Who is this?" Arold stood in front of the statue, looked at the statue and asked the royal attendant.

"Charlemagne, Lord Duke." The royal attendant said to Arrod.

"Oh, a very delicate sculpture." Arold looked at this lifelike sculpture and couldn't help but say in admiration, even in the later generations, it is very difficult to make such a delicate sculpture. But in this era, it was carved by hand little by little.

"It was given to the previous king by the King of Lombardy, and our noble King Majesty inherited it." The royal chamberlain explained to Arold that the so-called King of Lombardy was referring to the King of Italy.

"Well, I see." Arold nodded slightly, the glory of the Romans in the past was evident in this exquisite sculpture, but now they were about to be stripped of their titles by a barbarian king. The empire rises and falls like a tidal wave.

Prince Otto was not in the palace at this time, he was hunting outside the castle with a few retinues, a few spotted hounds were chasing the prey, the prince was very interested in hunting, these hunting dogs given by the Duke of Franconia were very well trained, and they were always able to hunt according to the wishes of their masters.

"The Duke of Mecklenburg has arrived at the palace." At this time, an attendant from the royal palace rode a horse to the prince's hunting camp. Report to Prince Otto, who is returning to rest with his prey.

"Great." Prince Otto was crouching down at this time, petting his hound, and when he heard the squire's report, he raised his head and nodded in satisfaction.

The banquet was held in the royal palace of Quedlinburg in the evening, and the nobles of Quedlinburg came either on horseback or in carriages, and they came to the banquet for the Duke of Mecklenburg. In the king's kitchen, food and wine flowed endlessly, constantly in front of the nobles participating in the banquet. Because His Majesty's royal health is sick, there is no very grand entertainment. However, there were always one or two court gnomes amused, and it finally set off the atmosphere of the banquet.

"His Majesty the King didn't participate in the past, but why didn't even the Duke of Mecklenburg show up?" A nobleman asked curiously.

It was a strange feast, attended by neither the host nor the main person who was carrying the wind.

"Leave that alone. There was enough food and wine, and so many beautiful maidens, and enough for me. Another nobleman said with a laugh.

"It's also said that I can't drink such a sweet wine in my own territory all year round." The aristocrats staggered. The lighted torch decorates the palace like a pearl in the night sky.

However, in contrast to the lively banquet, the innermost room on the second floor of the palace was the bedroom where King Henry rested. The fireplace in the bedroom was lit, and on the wooden table was an iron candlestick, and there was no other light source except for the light on the fireplace and the candles on the candlestick, so the room was dim, but in this dim room sat several prominent figures.

"Forgive me for not being able to welcome you personally, my dear friend, Lord Duke of Mecklenburg." King Henry was lying on the sickbed, and he raised his hand weakly, struggling to get up and say to Arrod.

"No need to get up, Your Majesty." Arold quickly stood up, said to King Henry, and secretly looked at the king.

Although Henry had been bedridden for a long time and looked pale and emaciated, he still maintained the majesty of a king, as if he was commanding on the battlefield.

"Father, don't be too polite to the Duke, he's our most loyal friend, isn't he?" Prince Otto stood by the fireplace, with a glass of wine in his hand and his eyes fixed on the flames burning in the fireplace.

"That's right." Arrod nodded, lifted his cloak, and sat back on an oak stool.

"I have heard a lot from my son, about you, and in fighting alongside you, I have also witnessed your abilities, duke, and I admire you, the peace and glory of the kingdom need the support of a great nobleman like you." King Henry said to Arrod, who listened quietly with a smile on his face, as if he were really loyal.

"Father, let's get to the point, I'm sure the Duke will support us." Prince Otto walked over from the fireplace and stood beside Arold and said.

"Be patient, my son, before I sink this old bone into the ground, I will definitely settle your affairs." King Henry smiled at Prince Otto, a weak smile but full of love.

"What do you need me to do, just tell Your Majesty." Arold hurriedly said to King Henry.

"What is being discussed here today will determine the rise and fall of the entire kingdom. Your Excellency Duke of Mecklenburg, I want you to conquer Karlstadt. King Henry said to Arold.

"But I remember that Karlstadt belonged to Lorraine, and didn't Lorraine just take it from the king of West Francia?" Arrod asked in surprise.

"Yes, Lorraine already belongs to us, but Karlstadt is still in the hands of the West Francians, and has not been conquered." Prince Otto crossed his arms and said with some exasperation.

"We surrounded it, but it hasn't surrendered yet, and the people there are very proud." King Henry's forehead was sweating, and he explained to Arold.

"What's the point, I mean, why storm a city that's already in the palm of your hand." Arold asked.

"The city of Charlemagne, also known as Charlemagne, is an important symbol of the great Charlemagne, and if I am conquered and crowned there, the dukes and princes will recognize my authority." Prince Otto said to Arrod.

"But Lorraine is too far away from my territory to muster troops from Saxony?" Arold asked, frowning.

"No, Saxony's forces are going to spy on the Duke of Bavaria and others, and the only foreign aid I can think of is you, my dearest friend." Prince Otto put his hand on Arrod's shoulder and said to Arrod.

"This." Arrod's face showed a look of hesitation, after all, fighting a war is not a fun thing, it requires a lot of money and material resources, especially a city far from his own territory.

"If you conquer Karlstadt and support my son as king, he will guarantee that the currency of the entire kingdom will come from the Duchy of Mecklenburg." King Henry assured Arold.

"Also, after conquering the city, allow your soldiers to keep thirty percent of the loot for themselves." Prince Otto added chips again.

"Fifty percent." Arold stretched out his palm and said to Prince Otto.

"What?" Prince Otto looked at Arold in surprise.

"I mean, fifty percent of the loot will go to us." Arold said in the affirmative again.

"Well, you can't attack the important buildings and cathedrals of Karlstatt, I'm going to be crowned there." Prince Otto admonished Arrod.

"No problem." Arrod nodded affirmatively. (To be continued.) )