After ending the dispute between Bishop Byrne, Loren deliberately delayed for more than ten days in Charlotte's counts before officially receiving the messenger representing the Holy Cross Church and the Heavenly Dome, Deacon Sylvik.

The messenger and confidant of Archbishop Innocent was an extremely good fellow, and although he was only a deacon, he was at most a priest's deputy in the clergy, but he was very good at making money by the convenience of his position, and in the name of the Yodder Chamber of Commerce alone there were two coffers, no less than three million gold coins in savings, and he also held the bonds of more than a dozen chambers of commerce, large and small.

According to Loren's "financial officer" and head of the intelligence network, and the president of the United Chamber of Commerce, if it weren't for the priest's robe worth 600,000 gold coins and the cross of 400,000 gold coins on his body, he would have thought it was a peer at a glance.

The reason for the constant delay was partly to buy time for the little priest, now Bishop Byrne, Weber, and it would be easier to take over the Byrne church with the archbishop's close deacons around.

In a sense, it can also create an illusion for the Holy Cross Church, the illusion that the young priest is very simple and easy to control.

Being ignored by one's own enemies bodes well for an "idealist".

On the other hand, it was to wait for the return of Fort Horn, which was at the peak of the "expedition" cloud.

On an open ground outside the Red Blood Castle, looking up at the floating city that slowly approached him from the sky, like a dark cloud pressing down on him, Deacon Sylvik's face turned pale, his eyes were wide and he was almost distracted, and his breath was short.

The sense of oppression that covered the clouds and the sun made this clergyman, who had despised wizards for most of his life, feel the shock as if the world was collapsing!

Loren on the side stood silently behind him, appreciating the other party's expression at the moment.

It didn't matter when Fort Clarion would return, but it was important for him to let the messengers of the Heavenly Dome and the Church see it.

At the negotiating table, Charlotte won a resounding victory, but she relied on the mistrust between Arles and the Church and the intelligence provided by the witchers.

Although such a "flexible wrist" can win the greatest benefits, it is also easy to cause the other party to despise him, thinking that Byrne can only rely on sowing discord and does not have enough strength, so he does not dare to confront the Heavenly Dome Palace and the church head-on.

What Loren has to do is to dispel the other party's "wrong view", show his fangs, and let the other party see clearly that he is a carnivore, not a grass-eater.

"It's unbelievable, it's really ......" Deacon Sylvik, who was dumbfounded, took half a minute to recover from the shock, and his forehead was already covered with cold sweat:

"This is truly a miracle, a miracle that only the Holy Cross can descend!"

"Deacon Sylvik, you've overdone it. The black-haired wizard gave the other party a faint smile back, with a disapproving look: "This is just an experiment, and there is still some distance before it is officially put into use." ”

"Of course, thanks to the Holy Cross, the wizards of Byrne have mastered the key techniques of the Floating City, and within a few years at most, they will be able to completely turn her into a real floating fortress, and then ......"

"Uh...... Let's wait until the future to talk about the future. Deacon Sylvik, who wiped a cold sweat, quickly changed the conversation: "Now we should pay more attention to the present." ”

"Of course, that's what you say. Loren took over the topic lightly: "We should all focus on the present, after all, who can say what will happen in the future?"

Deacon Sylwick was slightly stunned.

"Duke Loren, what you said ......" After a moment of surprise, the expression of this messenger of the church and the Heavenly Dome Palace was obviously a little unkind:

"With all due respect, I don't think it means something, right?"

"Well, is there one?" Loren raised his eyebrows and looked at him very "strangely", "Didn't we just discuss something about Floating City? I don't quite understand, is there anything in this sentence that can easily cause others to misunderstand?"

Yes, there is nothing wrong with this statement - provided that you, the Duke of Byrne, are not clearly in the side of His Highness Brandon de Salion, and that the Church does not support the current crown prince, Prince Connad de Salion!

Deacon Sylvik's expression was hard to see.

The joy of victory brought by Byrne's concession in the bishopric battle was washed away at this moment... Loren Turin, the man who could force the Church to compromise at the Imperial Trial, was still a formidable enemy.

At least for now.

"Nothing... It's just that I haven't seen you for three years, and I feel a little emotional when I see you again - the wizard who visited the imperial capital at the beginning is now the duke of Byrne's real power, which inevitably makes people feel that time has flown by. ”

In the next second, Deacon Sylvik changed the topic very tactfully: "To tell you the truth, His Majesty Eckhart II once told you when you came, be sure to send you his greetings." ”

Eckhart II......

Loren understood the meaning of the other party's words.

In other words, although the other party is a member of the church, it actually represents the Heavenly Dome Palace, or the emperor himself?

"I really don't know that I can actually deserve Your Majesty's greetings?" Loren showed a somewhat "humble" expression very cooperatively, and was quite flattered:

"I thought that the troubles found in the Heavenly Dome Palace in the past three years had made Your Majesty want to rack his brains and depose me, the incompetent Duke of Byrne. ”

It turns out that you still know how much trouble you have caused the Heavenly Dome Palace!

"Where, duke, you are too worried... How could His Majesty so easily depose his own minister?" With a polite and reserved smile, Deacon Sylvik waved his hand:

"What's more, the current empire is in an eventful season, and there is no peace in various places, and it is the time for a young and promising nobleman like you to show his skills - for the safety of the empire, even if there are many differences, everyone must be closely united in order to make the country safely survive all difficulties and dangers. ”

"For example... Now. ”

Now?

The dark-haired wizard's expression moved slightly—Sylvik, he had something to say.

"Duke Loren, how much do you know about the Elven Kingdom of Azur ruled by the Eagle King to the west of the Misty Sea?"

Deacon Sylvik stared at Loren's expression and said slowly, word by word.

"I don't know much about it, except for some rumors. Loren looked at him expressionlessly, untouched: "To be honest, I have no interest in such a distant country. ”

Sylvik frowned slightly, and almost wrote the word "disbelief" on his face: "Really?"

"Of course it's true—if you're a little more well-informed, you should know that in the last two years, my attention has been focused on the Yunling Kingdom in the south. Loren replied bluntly:

"As for some elven realm overseas that has nothing to do with Byrne, I don't have any interest in her. ”

"Really?"

Deacon Sylvik showed a slightly disappointed expression, but his deep gaze was still fixed on the black-haired wizard's eyes: "Then from now on, you should start to understand this country." ”

Loren's expression froze, but his heart tensed.

Very good... Finally, no more detours?

"The next thing I'm going to tell you is information from the Heavenly Dome Palace - and it's top secret. Sylvik puffed out his chest and looked solemn:

"To tell you the truth, no more than five people in the empire know about this matter, except for His Majesty himself... Because Your Majesty has taken special care of you, you are among these five. ”

The black-haired wizard nodded thoughtfully, a smile on his lips.

Secret... If it's really confidential, it's Rut Infinit who stands in front of you now, not you.

In Golovin, the imperial capital where various forces are mixed, the faster the "secrets" leak out -- the "top secrets" are kept secret for three days at most, and "inside information" is often sent out in the morning and can be spread all over the streets and alleys in the afternoon; the "Imperial Parliament," which is nominally supposed to keep the contents of the meeting secret, leaks like a sieve.

Of course, Byrne is not in a position to laugh at the Heavenly Dome, because the Round Table Council is in a similar situation, and the counts from the Thirteen Realms are also not aware of secrecy......

"Intelligence from Ebolden and Lothair - Three months ago, a cargo ship from the open sea stumbled upon an ocean-going ship with sails and shapes completely different from the Empire's, and according to eyewitnesses, it was speculated that the ship was likely from the Kingdom of Azur. ”

Deacon Sylvik, who didn't notice Loren's expression, had a serious expression and said in a deep voice: "And according to their route, the final destination should be the border of the Ancient Wood Forest!"

Ancient Wood Forest?

Loren, who heard this term, was slightly stunned, and was indeed a little surprised: "What do you mean ......?"

"Although separated for hundreds of years, the elves of the Ancient Wood Forest and those so-called 'Azul people' are indeed of the same root. Sylvik continued, "This time they suddenly visited the Ancient Wood Forest, it should not be for nothing. ”

"As you know, the Oldwood Forest borders both the Duchy of Lothair and Arles, making it difficult for the Empire's armies to penetrate deep into it, and these elves can attack our villages and towns at any time from the dense forest. ”

"Although the elves have almost never harassed us in the past ten generations, and have even traded with the caravans of the Empire to fight alongside us against the invasion of ogres, they may have occupied most of Lothair at one time in the Old Kingdom, and their power spread throughout the Ancient Wood Forest!"

"And now that the Kingdom of Azul, which is estranged from us and has completely lost contact with us due to the shipwreck of the ocean-going fleet, it is inevitable that the Kingdom of Azul will look out to their 'distant relative', the Heavenly Dome Palace, and that the Eagle King on the other side of the sea is no longer satisfied with his territory and has extended his tentacles to us. ”

As the words fell, Deacon Sylvik said no more, quietly waiting for the black-haired wizard to respond.

Loren frowned slightly, he probably guessed what the other party thought, but he was not ready to follow the other party's meaning: "I'm sorry, but what does this have to do with Byrne?"

"You mentioned earlier that the Oldwood Forest borders the Duchy of Lothair and Arles, so this matter is more closely related to them, right?"

"That's right, the affairs of the Grove and the elves have nothing to do with Byrne. Sylvik threw a meaningful look at Loren, "But it has something to do with you." ”

"Me?" Loren continued to play dumb.

"In a long time... Probably a few years ago, when you were just becoming a wizard, you visited an elven settlement in the Oldwood Forest as an emissary to the Count of Deepwood, the heir of the Duchy of Lothair. ”

As if telling a story, Sylvik recounts: "There, you fought with them against the ogre invasion, forged a deep friendship, and even... Emotions that transcend friendship. ”

The corners of his mouth were hooked, and Sylvik's eyes were hard to hide a smile: "Someone told me that when you were at Ebotden, you were accompanied by a brave and spear-wielding female elven warrior, is it true?"

"Ahem... That was many years ago, and even more so I was only approached by the elves near the east, and you seem to be referring to the northern settlements. ”

Coughing embarrassedly, Loren retorted: "After such a long time, and there is no contact, I'm afraid they won't recognize me when they see me." ”

"Even so, you're one of the very few people you've come into contact with the elves and are familiar with how to interact with them - and your status as Duke of Byrne and past friendships will make it easier for you to gain respect. Sylvik accentuated his tone slightly, and his voice was deep:

"Therefore, under the influence of many factors, His Majesty Eckhart II has ordered me to greet you in person, whether you would like to become the plenipotentiary envoy of the Sakran Empire, visit the ancient wood forest to negotiate with the elves there, and obtain all the information about the Azorean Kingdom?"

Sylvik, who finally stopped going around in circles, said the purpose of his trip quite bluntly.

In the increasingly serious atmosphere, the black-haired wizard did not answer immediately, and pondered without saying a word.

"Of course, Your Majesty also took into account that the Duke of Byrne's affairs are busy and have a lot of opportunities, and he may not have time to carry out such a long official mission. ”

"But there's another thing to keep you on track. Before the words fell, Sylvik's expression suddenly became indifferent:

"It has been more than three years since you were crowned, and in these three years, you have not visited the imperial capital to report to Your Majesty, don't you think it's really a little rude?"

"Truly, Your Majesty, considering that Byrne is now reunited, you must have many things that are too busy to be tolerated... But Duke, you must give your Majesty a little face, so that he will have a reasonable reason to convince others that Byrne is loyal to the Empire!"

Loren pondered for a moment: "So, Your Majesty means ......"

"I'm just a deacon, and I don't dare to speculate on His Majesty's thoughts, but I can only tell you a little bit of my own superficial opinion. Sylvik suddenly smiled as if his face changed again, and humbly stroked his chest and bowed his head, but his eyes kept meeting the black-haired wizard:

"Go to the Ancient Wood Forest, or report to the imperial capital... Choose one of the two!"