"Is there a question of the length of time...."

Locke muttered under his breath, looking at the huge candle burning on the table. The wax oil flowed down the thick candle and piled up on the base before it hit the ground.

Norris easily broke free from his arms, her bright dark blue eyes looking at Locke in confusion, and the snow-white teeth on her red lips gently bit back and forth on her lower lip.

"Isn't that what you've been sticking to? Why are you hesitant so far? ”

Norris's words caused Locke to retract his distant thoughts, and he turned to look at the tall Lordaeron banner in the hall. Motionless, it seemed that there was an unknown future for him in that solemn banner.

"No, I didn't hesitate." Calm words came out of Locke's mouth, and he stared at the flag and continued, "I won't be obsessed with that position either. ”

"Oh?" Norris's tail tone tilted upward, her tone full of curiosity, "What the hell are you thinking?" ”

Locke silently pulled his hands from Norris's body, he looked down and watched quietly, spreading and clenching from time to time.

The years have not forgived people, and now the hands are covered with scars, and the thick skin cocoons of the tiger's mouth rub against each other to make a slight rustling sound.

"What I want to do is to get the country out of the quagmire in front of me, hopefully it can break through the fog and bask in the sun again."

"I just...... A Guardian, yes. A Guardian. Locke was short of words for a moment, and he simply turned his head to look at Norris and looked at her with a look that you know me.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not a bug in your belly," Norris gave him a blank look, turning her gaze to the map of Lordan Road on the table next to her.

Locke wasn't angry either, he grinned. Obviously, this tsundere elf has long known her intentions.

Still, it was clear, but the elf clearly didn't understand why he was doing this.

After thinking about it for a while, Norris still seemed to try to save Locke's thoughts, after all, everyone now thought that he might be the next king of Lordaeron. It would be a huge disappointment to let them know about this decision.

"You have to understand that you're doing this, and it's very unfair to the people who follow you."

"Isn't it fair? No, apparently you misunderstood," Locke shook his head slightly, and he got up and paced slowly to the huge Lordaeron banner, and he looked up at it, his pupils full of the huge L-shaped letters.

"Without this kingdom, without this banner, where would the Silver Hand and the Crusaders come from?"

"But without you, the Silver Hand and the Crusaders might have become the same as the irrational bunch outside the walls.... There's no difference between fanatics, right? Norris tried to restrain herself, not uttering the word madman.

The cycle of fate is really difficult to reverse.

Locke sighed inwardly and uttered the words.

As feared, the crusaders affiliated with Renault outside the Undead Fortress turned into a group of outright fanatics.

Since the Crusaders of the Southwest, led by Locke, and the Crusaders of the Northeast, led by Silver Dawn, under Baron Terososus, broke away from them, the situation there has slowly deteriorated.

Unwilling to disagree with their will, the soldiers tried to leave them, only to be hanged by them on the main road that connected the western and eastern parts of Lordaeron.

Because Locke was cut off from their logistical support, and in order to cut off Locke's economy and trade, Renault's crusaders began to plunder all the civilians and caravans they saw, and if they resisted, they would be killed on the spot for disobeying the will of the Light or contracting the plague. The rest of the people were concentrated in the vicinity of the Valley of the Hearth, on the one hand, to reclaim their limited land and make strategic supplies for them, and on the other hand, to become a source of soldiers for them.

The Crusaders to which Renault belonged in the Valley of the Hearth began a massive operation in the central region of Lordaeron, a plague-ridden land.

More than 100,000 civilians have been relocated to Hearthvale from all corners of the land, and Locke was also surprised when he learned the news, how could so many humans survive in the terrible living environment of the Western Plague?

Soon the transmission of information began to be problematic, and some of the liaison camps under Nollis were destroyed one after another, and it was not long before the connection between the western and eastern parts of the kingdom of Lordaeron was completely severed. Many of the Security Service agents who acted as messengers were interned in Hearthvale, either dead or secretly lurking as lumberjacks, blacksmiths, and farmers. Or become a soldier and patrol the Central Lordaeron region for them all day long, fighting the undead in an endless stream.

Under Reynolds' coercion, Tairossos ordered the Crusaders to break away from the watchtowers along the Sodoril Bridge. Only a few guard towers near the Chapel of Light's Wish were retained, and the rest of the troops were all relegated to the Chapel of Light's Wish.

Because of the food crisis caused by the skyrocketing population, Renault brought down a large number of small nobles who had dissenting voices in the Valley of the Hearth. They were hanged on the gallows on various charges, and their land and food were successfully taken over by Renault.

Out of resentment and fear for Locke, Renault would always station a legionnaire outside the Bulwark, the fork in the road that connects Hearthvale and Andorhar.

The changes that took place outside the walls were visible to everyone inside the walls, and those who had been dissatisfied with Locke's actions kept their mouths shut.

The aristocrats, who had always liked to stumble on Locke, also kept their mouths shut. They know very well what to do in this special time to be safe.

For Renault's attack on the nobles, the hairs on these people's bodies exploded. This made the nobles feel a crisis that they had never felt before.

In fact, they were also afraid that Locke would flip the table if he had learned something. At that time, even if there were noble councils from other kingdoms to put pressure on Locke, they were all dead by then, so what was the point?

So instead, such as Viscount Quate, tried to determine the safety of his family by marriage. There are also those who show loyalty to Locke and are willing to tie their family to Locke and make Locke the king of Lordaeron.

And the longer the royal heir has not heard from him, the more these nobles can no longer bear the anxiety in their hearts. Of course, this anxiety is not something in their hearts, it comes from the fear in their hearts.

For them, nobility is nobility, and they are never associated with danger. Whoever becomes king will not suffer anything from these nobles. They are still the same as before, they can play as much as they want.

And as it is now, such chaos, this is not what they want. Order, only order can make them feel safe.

Who has the power to stabilize order in Lordaeron?

Obvious.

Locke reached out and stroked the flag on the wall, the smooth blue fabric sliding down his hand.

Feeling the inexplicable agitation, Locke turned around with a smile and looked at Norris, who was casually leaning back in his chair.

"Remember what you said? If I want to live as long as you? ”

Norris looked at her suspiciously, her slender golden eyebrows twitching, and the dark blue eyes under her eyebrows looked at Locke as if they were talking.

"Well, actually, I have a way to do it."

Before Locke could finish speaking, Norris sat up from her chair abruptly, and she walked quickly in front of Locke and grabbed his arm.

Although she looked at Locke calmly and didn't say a word, her trembling arms betrayed her excited heart at the moment.

"I said I had a solution, but it would take a while," Locke grinned, his white teeth bared. "Maybe soon, maybe for a long time."

Rumble!

Norris's consciousness suddenly exploded, and she looked a little dazzled at the human man in front of her who seemed to be wearing a golden light, her mind was blank, and her eyes only had Locke's charming smile.

This news dispelled the long-suppressed melancholy in her heart. The problems that have been suppressed in the depths of her heart, restricting and tormenting her all flew away at once!

She had never felt that this human being would be so charming as it is today, and his grinning smile seemed to have a golden essence of light, embedded deep in her fiery heart!

"You!! It's all true?!! ”

Clutching Locke's arm tightly, Noris's white face had already changed color, and she blushed with excitement and raised her face to Locke.

"Yes, really." Locke replied in the affirmative, smiling and saying, "That's why I can't accept the position of king... One of them. ”

The happy Norris has long been stunned by Locke's words in front, and as for Locke's words, it doesn't matter to her anymore.

"Great! That's great! That's great! Norris let go of Locke's arm as she spoke incoherently, "I can finally get rid of the nightmare that haunts me!" We will be together forever! We will live in the golden ocean of Yongge Forest for the rest of our lives! I.... We will have a lot of kids! I..."

"I'm going to teach them archery! I'm going to make them great rangers! I'm going to let them defeat the children after Weensa! No! Defeat the children of the Windranger family! I'm going to make them mages! I'm going to make them..."

Locke smiled at Noris, who was chattering on the side, but he was skeptical about it in his heart. You know, it's hard to get the power of immortality... Hard...

Fortunately, there is still a long time to go, and you can plan slowly.

At that moment, a soft knock sounded from the doorway. Locke turned his head to look, and Whitemayne stood there in surprise in his snowflakes. She cautiously pointed at the elf who had fallen into a hallucination in front of Locke, and said something with her mouth open and closed.

What's wrong with her? Getting so excited?

Locke smiled and shrugged his shoulders, and he also followed Whitemayne's example, and his mouth was closed one by one.

Oh, I guess I heard good news from my hometown, right?