Martha was taken aback by Heliga's actions. She looked at the things in her hand, and then at the young man's expression, looking incredulous.

That's really ......

That's really ...... Not very realistic.

If the above plan can be realized...... Just thinking about it, Martha felt dizzy. But after that, she felt a deep sense of unreality.

On top of that, there is one of Helica's plans that Martha can't even think of – to "restore" the salinized land of Northumbria back to its normal state.

"This ...... How? Martha asked with a blank look on her face - if such a technology really existed, the Northumbrians would have gotten it at all costs. The problem is that it is a huge layer of salt that occupies one-fifth of the area of Northumbria, with an average depth of hundreds of sub-moments – and if it had not been for the leylines buried deep underground that succeeded in blocking some of the salinization, most of what remained there would have been a spherical salt pile.

However, even then, it was a huge change that had already affected the entire terrain. How do you dig these things up? And where is it going to be delivered? It reads......

"Heart of the Red Mountain? What's that? Martha looked at it, "Use the power of the Heart of the Red Mountain to blow up a fault there, or cause an earthquake, isolate the original half-corner territory in the north of Northumbria, and then prioritize its geographical advantages to transport the remaining salt and throw it into the sea of gods in the north......" Martha looked at the serious thing written on it, and for a moment only felt absurd, "This, this is impossible to ......"

"The Heart of the Red Mountain is something that isn't with me right now." "But I can guarantee that it will soon be in my hands." It had enough energy to do what I wanted that day. More than that, I think, I need to confess some of the secrets of the Empire to you. I want to think about it...... Let's start with the "Lion Battle". ”

——————————————————————————————

"The power of greatness" ...... the ...... of the curse?" Although Martha was confused by the unfamiliar terms one after another, she also roughly understood what was going on. Even though she had never heard of any words like goblins or witches before, she instinctively believed them for some reason. Therefore, she continued: "And you say that the Empire's previous attitude towards Northumbruplia was because the 'Salt Pile' also had something to do with it? ”

"That's my speculation...... However, I think it should be eight or nine and ten. There is a myriad of intelligence that can prove this. Heliga nodded, "And I don't know how it's connected." The important thing is that I can come up with one thing in a very short period of time to prove that I didn't lie to you. At that point, you won't feel like I'm lying to you about what I said before. ”

"What's that?"

"You've seen the Grey Rider. Cang", it shouldn't take long. Helliga laughed, "Remember what I just said, the Scarlet Rider God who is called the Thousand-Armed Warrior?" It is now kept underground in Heimdall Palace. Back then, the Crimson Demon King, who was sealed by the witch at the time, was about to wake up. ”

"It's the ...... that the Lionheart Emperor and the Holy Maiden suppressed," Martha hesitated, "Could it be that you want to give that guy to ......?"

"Since no one can control him, why not just give it a try? Although this ritual has nothing to do with me so far, I want to force myself in, and no one will feel anything. "It's just that I can't do it yet...... That thing is a descendant of the thief-hearted puppet emperor, that is, the mastermind and leader of the aristocratic faction in the current imperial civil war, the Duke of Kane single-handedly planned to awaken, and he also wanted to manipulate that guy himself to accomplish what his ancestors failed to do...... It's just that I'm going to snatch the fruits of victory from him. Although he probably can't drive the rider god at all, he can only do useless work. ”

"You went to the western part of the empire to find an opportunity to get close to him, so as to find an opportunity to steal Scarlet from him?" Martha understood, "But, what are you going to do?" ”

"Vita said that it only takes a strong enough spiritual field to be able to awaken the trial system of the Riding God. Normally, starters will need some companions to complete this trial, but since Vita says Chloe can solve this problem on her own, I certainly won't have a problem. As for the strange curse aura on Scarlet's body, Vita also said that the power in my body can suppress it. Anyway, there's still a value in giving it a try. You don't believe in this now, and I can't force you, but if I can come back with "Scarlet", you can listen to my opinion somewhat, right? ”

"It's ......," Martha hesitated—she wasn't unwilling to believe the boy's plan. It's just that she's already done a lot of work for her hometown, and she's seen a lot of things, so she doesn't believe that anyone can change this place—not to mention, the young man who seems to be really capable has nothing to do with this place at all, which is really hard to believe.

However, it now seems that the affairs of the empire are indeed not so simple—and Martha's heart is inevitably hesitant: if it continues, she will not usher in any changes. Why not take this opportunity and take a gamble? At least, the boy in front of him, what he had shown in the Imperial Civil War so far, had made Martha understand a little why the Church was so cautious about him.

"Okay...... At that time, I'll listen to you. If you can convince me then, I'll join your plan. Martha finally nodded, "Still, I'm curious, what do you want me to do for you?" ”

"It's simple...... For the current autonomous region, even without one-fifth of the fertile soil, there is a certain amount of natural resources in the eastern and southern parts of the autonomous region. With aid from the Empire and the Republic, and with enough struggle of its own, it would not have been impossible to restore Northumbria's standard of living to a normal standard. The problem is that the Imperial Government is so stubborn that Northumbria is essentially deprived of any effective long-term bailouts. Those who tried to help you during the devastation of the Principality, such as Remifilia, Lehmann, and Liberl, have since withdrawn their support for Northumbria due to the rampant nature of the Northern Chasseurs and the incompetence of the Autonomous Prefecture government. Heliga looked at Martha, who had already lowered her head, "Although I can understand their last resort, you also have to admit that for those countries, the existence of chasseurs is not necessary, and even harmless and beneficial. In any case, such a state cannot give any good color to the government of the Autonomous Region of Northumbria, which is unable to control its inhabitants and become the executioners of their inhabitants. ”

"I know...... I don't resent these countries. Martha nodded stiffly and slowly, "What's more, among those who work hard for their homeland, there are also many people who are obsessed with life after becoming a chasesser, getting pleasure from burning and looting, and completely forgetting what they came out of...... It is true that these people have left a bad record in many countries and have been criticized by the local population......"

"And for Northumbria, the friendly relations between these countries are very important." Heiliga nodded, and continued with Martha's words, "On the one hand, your hometown has experienced a rapid collapse of the national industrial system after the previous collapse, and although there are still natural resources, it has not formed any stable industrial chain. The departure of a large number of young and middle-aged laborers from the country has also led to the country's inability to succeed, which has gradually evolved into the current situation. But now is the time for change...... The empire, which has long had a huge effect on Northumbria, is now going through a critical reshuffle. It is very likely that the Empire's policies towards Northumberia will change if His Highness Olibat gains enough influence - and I have sought his support. In this case, the reshaping of Northumbria's national image will become a big issue and the most critical step – you know what that is, right? ”

“…… It's an integration of the "Northern Hunters" group, right? Martha said slowly.

"Hmm. They are basically out of place on the entire continent. If we can solve the problem of the "Northern Hunters", or even just make a few key steps, and make effective restraints that are different from those of the previous autonomous prefecture government, we will be able to win the initial goodwill of the countries on the mainland. Helliga nodded, "In addition, if a large number of 'Northern Hunters' return to the government's management, it will not only be able to provide a strong standing army for the country, but also supplement the young and middle-aged labor force that is urgently needed now." In this way, the vast natural resources can also be exploited and the country can start functioning. ”

"But...... Will the attitude of other countries be reversed in an instant because of this, and will they be so friendly to Northumbria? Even if the leaders of those countries are wise people, they can see that Northumbria's current situation is largely the result of the Empire...... "Martha also has her own worries - she knows that Heliga's thinking is correct, but she does not think that the previous problems can be written off all at once.

"yes...... So, that's the second critical part of the plan. After this, Northumbria will experience several continent-wide upheavals and catastrophes. As long as they can show a convincing performance in these events, they can be driven by the atmosphere and reverse the goodwill of the entire continent towards Northumbria in one fell swoop. If other countries open their markets to your homeland, establish equal trading relations, and have capital inflows – the situation can be greatly eased. ”

"But ......"

"This change is bound to happen, and it's only in the last few years." "Whether it's associations, or churches, or the undercurrents of forces hidden under the exterior of this world, this is clearly stated. So what I, or you need to do with me, is to do everything we can at the moment, and then try to push things in our favor. For now, I've convinced Master Yogurus, the former technical backbone of the Society, to take charge of the technical work, and in terms of funding and imperial political support, I have succeeded in bringing the Duke of El Barrea in Kruchen into my sphere of influence, in addition to being an ally of His Highness Olibat. If His Royal Highness acts properly, it is not certain that even the state of Notia will be able to provide some necessary help, especially in industry. Oh, by the way, there is a good chance that Liber will also join in, because the top brass on Liberal's side have a good personal relationship with His Royal Highness, and even have the idea of vaguely leaning towards the Empire rather than the Republic. ”

"......" is associated with general rumors, and Martha has a hard time denying this fact if both Hyliga and Oliebart are willing to work it......

That's why I said that when I get the "Scarlet", you can understand whether I mean it or not, or just casually, just trying to deceive your trust. Of course, there will inevitably be a period of misunderstanding and friction with the people of your hometown...... Although it can be suppressed by violence in political means, as long as the result is good, no one will say anything, only that it is the inevitable power trick of politicians...... But I also don't want to see the inhabitants of Northumbria suffer any more. I hope that I will be able to resolve the issue peacefully as much as possible...... So, that's where you need your help the most. ”

“…… That...... Let me think about it. Martha was only half-convinced of Heliga's previous words, but these words really spoke to her heart. No one wants a stable, peaceful, prosperous home more than she wants – isn't that what she's been working towards?

If Heliga really had other ideas, why did he say it to himself? It sounded sad, but—Martha thought to herself, looking at the young man who had quietly placed the wreath she had prepared on the wooden sign at the entrance of the village, and bowed her head silently—if he really didn't care, there was no need to involve himself at all. With his strength and hands-on ability, he really wanted to act like Martha, and he was powerless to stop it.

Therefore...... Why don't you just believe in him, and then use this as a premise to make some efforts?

"Say, Martha...... What are the names of the two brothers in your hometown who are outside as hunters and serve as the economic source of the entire village? As if suddenly remembering something, Heliga asked, after the silence had ended.