The candidate that Brando thought of was naturally the duke's daughter, Miss Faina, who was a student of Veronica, and at the same time was at the top of the imperial aristocratic circle, and it was the most suitable person to learn about the news through her, and what was even more commendable was that there was no realistic entanglement of interests between him and the duke's daughter, and there was no need to worry that the other party would deceive herself for no reason, although the eldest lady was arrogant and rude in the Ring of the Trade Winds, she didn't look like a cunning person.

What's more, he really needs someone to prove from the side whether the eldest son of the emperor is reliable or not.

He has been very clever in his dealings with the local nobles of the Empire, who have been very clever in avoiding the topic of the Emperor's eldest son - he describes himself as Veronica and Mangrove as a friend of the military forces in the north of the Empire overseas, an identity that has an innate affinity for the nobles who have a good impression of the Emperor's eldest son, coupled with Lenaret's exposure to Brando of some of the informants loyal to him. Brando and his envoys were easily involved with royalist forces on the Imperial side.

But these people are not worth relying on, and Brando knows that.

He immediately began to write a letter to Faina, there was still a long way to go from the Floating Cloud Hills to the Flower Leaf Collar, and he did not expect to receive a reply for a while, but by this time, the nobles of the south had brought him a new message.

This information was also commissioned by Brando to help them inquire about the current holy war, almost at the same time as the holy war began, the Eruin envoys set out on their way to the empire, and when they passed through the prosperous area around Ampesel, they could still get more or less information about the war. But after entering the Balta plateau, and then turning into the mountains of Anzeruta, these uninhabited areas were truly isolated from the rest of the world, except for the conflict with the Counts of Guien and Count Orcons for two months. Almost all of their information about the outside world is in a completely blank state.

According to the Cruz nobles, since the explosion in July and August, the revenge of the lion and the wind elves on the border has kicked off the holy war, which was fought between October and November, each stalemate, and completely silent in the last month of the Year of the Sword, and the farce between Brando and the southern nobles of the empire seems to attract everyone's attention for a while, but makes the ongoing war insignificant; The Wind Elves began to shrink after the first offensive of the Four Realms, which was an act of revenge based on the tragedy of Okins. Although it is regarded by all parties as the curtain of the holy war, the curtain has not yet been opened, and compared to the private actions of this local legion, the two huge empires still need time to react to this war, which is a unique spectacle in the third holy war, as if the limbs of the body have moved, but the brain is still working slowly.

On the lion-man side, it is even more bizarre. The people of the land seemed to fall silent when they began to attack the fortresses in the Rokozy Heights, along the Broken Sword Mountains. I don't know if it's because of the scruples of failure or because of the logistical difficulties encountered in the winter, and I have never made an inch.

These messages, apart from the Toquinine part, were not fundamentally different from what Brando had heard of when they had been at Ampesel two months earlier.

However, the offensive actions of the wind elves were predictable, and in this era, with the exception of Madara, the central government of each empire had very limited binding power on the local area. Among them, the Cruz Empire is slightly stronger, and the wind elves of St. Osor are slightly inferior, because St. Ossol also faces the problem of contradictions between the two main races, humans and elves, which has not been resolved in Brando's time until after the Slate War, and Faenzan is even more secondary. Faenzan was a loose alliance, with the Inir as the main body, and there were confederates such as the Knights of Greysius within it, and the north was a fertile city-state, and it was almost impossible to call it a country without the Templar power. Of course, it is very rare for the domestic situation to be so corrupt that it is like the Eruin Kingdom, and the three empires are each carrying out internal reforms, among which the Wind Elves and Farnzan are at the forefront, the Cruz people also seem to have the Silver Queen trying to make a highly centralized empire, and Lenarat is also ambitious, but for a while, these huge empires still have to rely on the local nobility to maintain their operations.

The revenge of the elves of St. Oshor was initiated by the legion commanders and lords of Okins, although in fact with the tacit permission of the elven court; The counterattack launched by the Red Legion of the Cruz was not actually a war ordered by the Silver Queen, but it was also tacitly approved by the High One, and even the Sanctuary of Fire did not object. The problem here is that both sides are already interested in continuing this war, but neither side is fully prepared at home.

Therefore, it is also predictable that the wind elves will come to a standstill after a sudden attack.

But the movement of the lion man is very strange.

Toquinen is a tribal country, which has two main races, the lion and the dwarf, as well as some orcs, or bestials, and a number of orcs, or bestials, composed of large and small clans and tribes scattered in the great plains and the mountains of the north, they have kings, that is, the nominally recognized great chiefs of all clans and tribes, and spiritual leaders, that is, the high priests of the earth temple, or prophets, theoretically, under the call of chiefs and prophets, These tribal peoples gathered together and decided to start a holy war, which means that this golden kingdom is ready for this war.

But the current situation is that the lionmen, dwarves, orcs and beasts have gathered together to form a large army, but this army is hesitant, this situation is the propaganda of the imperial side that the Toquinins are not good at attacking cities at all, and the Rokozy Heights-Broken Sword Mountain Fortress Group is dangerous, and the walls are strong, so these barbarians are not able to launch an effective attack on the empire, they can only look at the wall and sigh, and when the winter passes, they will naturally not be able to hold on and return naturally.

Most of the nobles who brought this information to Brando swore by this. The walls of the empire are high and the city is strong, unless it is an opponent of the same level like St. Osor, how can it be possible to break through the fortress group of the empire? But for those who are blindly optimistic, Brando really wants to remind them that one of the fortresses of their empire has been breached not long ago, and that the person who has captured the fortress is only the Count of a small border country, and this Lord Count is now in front of you. Shouldn't you think about the occasion if you don't have anyone in mind?

But in the end he shook his head, this pride of the imperial people is traditional, as if a deep-rooted concept has already been formed, and once formed, this concept is basically no different from superstition, and it is impossible to listen to different opinions.

He and Nimesis knew privately that the golden-maned lions of Torquinine were not good at attacking cities, but there were also mountain dwarves in this army, and the mountain dwarves were a dwarven tribe living in the mountains in Vaund. In fact, they only survived in the Temple of the Earth, in the Broken Sword Mountains north of the Holy White Plains, where they had settled since their migration from the Dark Ages, digging mountains, digging tunnels, and building underground palaces and halls. It is the most adept army in siege warfare, and is especially good at digging tunnels.

The Cruz seem to have ignored the artisan warriors who were best at siege.

As for another widely circulated statement. The stagnation of Toquinen's army is due to the problem of winter supply lines, which is in fact nonsense, when have you heard that nomads and clansmen need supply lines, and their habit of fighting is to plunder along the route and raise their own funds on the spot, for such an army. It was strange that they stopped suddenly.

Brando looked at the map again and again, and finally came up with a clue.

But he had something else on his mind.

Historically, when the Holy War began, the lion side attacked fiercely, and once broke through the Rokotzi Heights-Broken Sword Mountain Fortress Group, at the most critical time. It even almost endangered the Red Legion's war in the Four Realms. However, at that time, the players of the empire were too violent, and they used their bodies to drag the pace of the Toquinine lion people to the north, and it is said that it was the first time that the players changed the historical course of the game, you must know that the average level of players in that era was not more than thirty-five, and the Toquinine side also had a large army of players, and that battle can only be said that the players on the imperial side were too united and too powerful.

Since then, the Lionmen have been able to look far north of the Great Plains, which is bisected by the Broken Sword Mountains and Anzeruta, and have been in a state of collapse ever since.

Brando's current wonder is whether this history will ever happen.

Of course, he is not talking about the history of the player repelling the lion, but the history of the lion man's breakthrough through the Rokozy Heights - the fortress group of the Broken Sword Mountain Range, as far as he knows, in the battle of the lion people breaking through the Rokozy Heights - the fortress group of the Broken Sword Mountain Range, the role of the players on the Toquinin side is very limited, because the main force of the siege is the dwarves, and the dwarves are one of the races with the least player group, after all, the lionmen are tall and powerful and quite popular with players, and the dwarves may not be, not to mention that the dwarves even have to grow beards for women, It is an iron law of history that a race that fails to attract female gamers will not attract male players.

And the significance of this news for Brando is that if history is less disturbed, then the more likely it is that Vaynd will repeat itself in this world.

But when he asked Nimesis about this possibility, he received a negative answer.

"It's almost three years earlier than the holy war I've seen in my dreams, Brando," replied the knightess, looking at his face, "and it's because of us, you won't be unaware of this, and the situation is completely different now. ”

Brando doesn't see it that way, the time node of the holy war has been advanced, but this is not necessarily a bad thing for Toquinen, the speed of war mobilization of the clan people is very fast, and it is a great advantage not to have to prepare logistics, not to mention that their mobility is already strong in the savannah, but for the empire, it means that there is less time to prepare, so the current situation seems to be more favorable for the lion people than in history.

He raised this point to Nimesis, but the knightess shook her head, "It seems so, but the actions of the lionmen are very unusual, and they have not behaved like this in previous wars. In that dream, it was even more so, their battle to capture the Rokozy Heights-Broken Sword Mountain Fortress Group was not very clean, but the whole process seemed very proactive, which was completely different from the current situation. ”

Brando couldn't help but frown when he heard this. He knew that in the details of the history of the game in the year of Chunxiao, Senior Sister Bai Jia was superior to him, and his knowledge of that history came from the forum and the memoir-like statements of some later players, but for Senior Sister Bai Jia, it was most of his own experience. There is a key distinction in this, before level 30. The game content and plot that players are exposed to are very low-level, and the senior sister happens to be one of the few players above level 30 in that era.

He listened to Nimesis's description, and he couldn't help but purse his lips, wondering where the difference was.

Seeing his thoughtful look, Nimesis reminded aloud, "You hit the lion of Torquinin?" ”

Brando nodded, he didn't hide anything from Nimesis, he had become accustomed to discussing such issues with the female knight these days, and the feeling was as if he had returned to the past, which made him faintly look forward to it: "The Cruz player in history ...... Cruz's adventurers. You know it's our kind who dragged Toquinine's army until July, until the White Legion joined the fight, the war started in May, but that was at the turn of spring and summer, and in the winter, the White Army would be further south in Lejou, and they might have reacted faster. We just need to find a way to slow down the lionman a little bit and we can succeed. ”

He paused. He continued: "My arrangement, as you should see, I need a certain prestige, and my grandfather's status is a great advantage, but Brando is too young, too young to inherit Darus's position in the Imperial army. But fortunately, his starting point is high enough. People are always willing to believe in superstitious things, and if I can show them just enough to confirm some of their visions, then I still have a good hope of gaining a relatively high position in the future jihadist army. ”

"According to Veroni, the situation in the Empire is stormy, and history is not at all the one you and I have seen in our dreams. Whether it is Her Majesty the Queen, Her Royal Highness, Duke Ludwig and Banker's military forces, or the Temple, or us, if we want to take the lead in this game, we must be able to decide our own fate, and the only way is to be a chess player, not a pawn. I was a little hesitant, but what happened to Akane finally made me decide to take this path, and I was naïve enough to think that Eruin could find his own path in the Black Forest. ”

"But in fact, when the tide comes, no one can hide from it, and you and I have witnessed this-"

"So there are things that I have to do and have to do at the moment." Brando replied in a deep voice, "The lesson to the southern nobles is only the beginning, and I need them as a stepping stone for the empire to understand the existence of Eruin." But what can really connect Brando and Sword Saint Daurus is still the Holy War, but at the moment our strength is very weak, it is impossible to find trouble with the wind elves of St. Osor, and the only chance is only in Toquinine. ”

Nimesis listened to Brando's words and was silent for a long time.

"You're doing this just to save a little girl from the mountains?" She asked suddenly.

"Personally, so," replied Brando, "as if you had plotted to save us from Madara in Bunosson, you were irrational, but human beings were right. You saved us because you were our captain and promised to protect every member of your regiment, and I rescued Akane for the same reason, I promised her freedom and hope for the future, and I had to do it. ”

"It's an obsession." Nimesis listened to Brando's words, and her mouth moved, as if trying to find a way to get through the second half of his words, for she understood that the 'you' he heard meant another experience of hers, but instinctively, the knightess did not agree that it was her, she thought it was just a dream of hers. But this time, instead of refuting it, she replied like this.

"This obsession is the driving force behind my return to this world." Brando replied, "I don't want to give up a second time, Senpai. ”

"I'm not ......" Nimesis sighed at the end, "Well, I'm going to tell you a little bit, Brando, you're too dependent on what you've seen in a dream, and I don't know why you're always so convinced of that dream as if it had actually happened." But dreams are dreams after all, and the greatest help for me is that it has given me a different life experience, which has allowed me to mature quickly and stand out from my peers, but I have never thought to confirm anything from this dream, because then the world would seem too illusory to me. ”

"And I see in you as if I were another me, and you are always very forward-looking, but the more you rely on that dream, the more you cannot free yourself, and this is ...... for you, for a lord, for an Earl of the Empire."

The female knight looked into Brando's eyes, paused, and then replied word by word, "It's too childish." ”

Brando was completely stunned, he had never thought that Nimesis would say such a thing to him, but the tone of the other party was exactly like the same person who had taught him how to become a qualified leader.

"But......," he replied.

As if she had anticipated what he was going to say, Nimesis shook her head and said, "You already know what to do, Sophie. ”

Brando froze there as if struck by a bolt of lightning, and looked at the female knight as if enchanted.

"It's just that it's because of that dream that you can't trust your own judgment," Nimesis shook her head, and changed her title again, "Now you understand?" ”

Brando stayed for a long time, as if he had only understood what the female knight meant, and he looked at the other party deeply: "You mean that I should analyze for myself what Toquinine's lion man will do?" ”

"Didn't you analyze quite well just now, I once taught you how to analyze the task, how to arrange the steps of the task, today I can at least see that you have learned very well," Nimei Sisi smiled slightly: "If I were your Baijia senior sister, then I should feel very relieved, but unfortunately I am not." And you're not Sophie anymore, Brando, you have more knowledge that even Sophie can't have, and you're the Count of Eruin, you should be able to understand that. ”

Brando took a deep breath.

He looked back at the map.

"Well, I see," he replied softly, "in short, we are still prioritizing our tasks, and since the guests have arrived first, we as hosts must not neglect them, which is the demeanor of the ancient nobles of Eruin." ”

Nimesis nodded, "Exactly. ”

In the last decade of the Winter Qin Moon, the eyes of the entire empire were focused on a war that was both unexpected and expected, and on this day, the army gathered by the Count of Guien and the Count of Orcons finally arrived in the Floating Cloud Hills. (To be continued......)