The garden fell silent again, and in silence Gawain stared at the Silver Empress for a long time, guessing at the other party's true intentions at the moment—although he thought he had roughly guessed, he always felt that he had overlooked something.

The Silver Empress also observed Gawain in silence, her white-gold eyes were as deep as water, no one knew what she saw from Gawain at this moment, and no one knew what she wanted to see - after a long silence of more than ten seconds, she said softly: "From the Silver Empress's point of view, I don't need to confirm whether you are Uncle Gawain or not - I am just dealing with the ruler of the newly rising human empire in the north of the continent, so it is enough for me to know what kind of ally you are." ”

Gawain looked into the Silver Empress's eyes, "But what you just said can be an illusion. ”

"Everything that every ruler does can be an illusion, and at this point, it doesn't make a difference whether you are an 'extraterritorial wanderer' or not," the Silver Empress said lightly, "The key is my judgment - if I am wrong, then the price that comes with it is naturally mine." ”

“…… Don't worry, your judgment is correct, and I will be more reliable than you think," Gawain said, and then changed the subject, "but I still have some doubts—you just answered my question from the perspective of the 'Silver Empress,' but as Bethsetia, how do you judge your feelings—I sit in front of you, and inside I am a person you don't know, and in all fairness, it is not easy to accept someone else." ”

Belsetia pursed her lips in a rare way, as if it would be difficult for her to answer the question, and after a brief hesitation, she broke her silence: "So I'm curious, you...... How many points are Gawain Cecil? In what way are you occupying ...... How does this body see everything this body has? ”

Gawain picked up the black tea that had completely cooled, the liquid in the teacup glowing with a fine golden red luster in the sun, he looked at Belsetia, and suddenly said, "Do you still like to secretly eat an extra sweet after dinner?" ”

A strange expression crossed Belsetia's face for a moment, and then she said lightly, "I still have this habit - but I don't eat it secretly." As the Silver Empress, I made this the rule of court cuisine. ”

"Ah, then you have finally achieved your 'ambition' back then," Gawain was stunned for a moment, and suddenly laughed happily, "When you pulled me to talk about your idea of ruling the empire in the future, one of the most important was 'When you really take power, you must legislate that there must be dessert after dinner, just like in the human court'." ”

“…… How much more do you know? ”

"That's pretty much all Gawain Cecil knows," Gawain pointed to his head, "and that's what I'm trying to say - you say I 'occupy' this body, but that's probably not entirely true, it's his memories and personality that are technically integrated into my consciousness." I have almost all of Gauvin Cecil's memories, as if I had experienced it myself, and I know everything about you, and even all the emotional impressions of the time. Sometimes I wonder how much I have been affected by these memories and emotions, whether I am a whole self or a new individual who has been fused and reborn. ”

He looked Belsetia in the eye.

"Perhaps in a sense, Gawain Cecil has really come back to life—all of his memories and personality have returned to this world, but ...... These memories and personalities are now part of a larger consciousness, and I am this larger consciousness. ”

"It sounds like a mathematical concept, a set and a subset," Belsetia thought for it, her expression unrecognizable, but she finally curled the corners of her mouth and looked at Gawain with a smirk, "Are you saying this to comfort me, or to gain my further trust?" ”

"That's your judgment, I'll be honest, but as you say, everything that every ruler does can be an illusion—even a little bigger, everybody," Gawain said, spreading his hands, "it's your business. ”

Belsetia looked closely into Gawain's eyes, and suddenly seemed to change the subject: "You just said that you not only have all the memories of Gawain Cecil, but even the emotional impressions of that time—so how did 'you' feel about me back then?" ”

"Lovely and lively," Gawain said with a frank face, thinking for a moment, "and a lot of wild ideas. ”

"Is that so?" The smile on Belsetia's face deepened, "If that's your answer, then I'm afraid I'll have to reassess your candor......"

Gawain sighed and began to fold his fingers: "Okay, the main idea at that time was why didn't this bear child go back, when did this bear child play enough, where did the adults of this bear child go, why hasn't she eaten enough, why hasn't she run tired, why hasn't she gone back to sleep, why hasn't she harassed Selena or Augustus's family, and where has she gone - suddenly so quiet, I'm afraid she's not dying?!" ”

After finishing speaking, he sighed again, looked at Belsetia, whose expression seemed to be a little sluggish, and spread his hands: "This is what you asked me to say, but if Charlie or Roland can climb out, they must be more ruthless than me." ”

"I thought about it, but I didn't expect it to ......" Belsetia blinked, and suddenly laughed—although she had been smiling most of the time, this time her smile seemed to be different, and the smile spread between her delicate features, as if reflecting the clear afternoon sky, "Really...... I can't remember how many years I haven't heard such an assessment. ”

"At that time, my greatest concern was not your sudden nonsense, but your sudden quietness, and every time you were quiet, there was a grand plan brewing that would make at least a hundred people jump, and I even wondered if the Elven Court's judgment in choosing an heir was wrong—but surprisingly, you behaved very well in formal occasions such as contract ceremonies," Gawain said as he recalled. Maybe you really showed a qualified talent as a Silver Empress at that time? Anyway, I'm surprised to see you now. ”

"Being the Silver Empress and High Priestess is a very boring thing, especially for me back then," Belsetia said with a look of remembrance on her face, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the edges of the golden teacup, "I have to behave in the royal court, so I will only be a little ...... after coming into contact with the Pioneer Camp Too relaxed. At that time, you gave me a very new impression, I have never seen a 'leader' so calm and casual, and even funny, even Uncle Snow, who always had a straight face, used ice sculpture tricks to 'create an atmosphere'. ”

"It's normal that the leaders of the pioneers were not 'orthodox nobles' from well-known families with strict rules, and the real 'orthodox nobles' died in the explosion of the imperial capital," Gawain said, "As for Snow...... He wasn't a serious and rigid person in the first place, he was just facial paralysis. ”

At this time, Beltetia suddenly quieted down and looked at Gawain's eyes steadily, and this gaze quickly made Gawain a little awkward: "What's wrong?" ”

"You speak very naturally in Uncle Gawain's tone, is this something that has developed into a habit? Or is it the kind of ...... 'impact' you mentioned earlier? ”

"It's hard to say," Gawain said honestly, "it's really a habit of mine, but I don't know how much of it has been influenced by the inheritance of those memories and personalities." ”

Beelsettia was silent again for a few seconds, as if thinking about something, and then suddenly said, "I'm not a child anymore. ”

Gao Wen tried to understand the deep meaning of the other party's inexplicable words, and said hesitantly: "So, you won't be fooled because of what I just said, is that what I mean?" ”

"No," Belsetia shook her head, her fingers away from the teacup, letting the liquid ripple slightly, "I mean—children get angry that the gifts they receive are different from what they imagined, they struggle with things that don't go their way, they get angry with themselves about the details and the irretrievable reality, but I'm not. ”

She raised her head, looked at Gawain, and held out a hand, "You're not Uncle Gawain, but at least you're 'half Uncle Gawain', no matter what, welcome back to this world - you are still needed here." ”

Gawain was a little stunned, to be honest, he still felt a little unable to keep up with the silver empress, who had ruled the Elven Empire for seven centuries and was perhaps the most difficult mortal he had ever come into contact with since the awakening of this world—the gods who could not be described in common sense were obviously impossible to compare—but he still reached out and gently grasped the palm of the other's hand.

Then Belsetia sat back, her eyes falling on the teacup in front of her and Gawain: "The tea is cold—do you want a hot cup of tea?" Black tea from the Kaolin Kingdom is best served only hot. ”

"Of course, thank you."

Belsetia raised her finger and lightly traced a rune in the air, but in a moment, two high-ranking elven maids quietly appeared in the garden, and they changed hot tea for the guests and hosts at the round table, and Belsetia pointed to one of the elves and said, "Uncle Gawain, do you remember her?" ”

Gawain frowned, he looked at the elf, and finally extracted some vague outlines from his memory: "...... The little girl who made trouble with you all day long? I remember it was called Elaine ......"

"It's her, Elaine—well, it looks like we did cause you a lot of trouble," Belsetia said with some helplessness, "seven centuries have passed, and it seems necessary for us to re-establish our impression of each other. I would like to say that Elaine was happy to know that you were resurrected, and she has been looking forward to meeting you. ”

"It's a pleasure to see you again," the high-ranking maid smiled, and at the same time there was a hint of shame, "I'm sorry, I ...... back then"

"It's okay, I'm glad to see you again," Gawain interrupted, "It's good to see some familiar faces, and I just think it's funny when I think about it now." ”

The high-ranking maid laughed again, and Gawain picked up the teacup in front of him—he could finally settle down and taste this good tea from the Kaolin Kingdom.

As the sun wore on, it approached the ridge on the west side of the town, and the sun grew a little redder, and as the edge of the clouds was illuminated by the setting sun, it was time for Gawain to leave.

He and Beltetia talked a lot about the past, and throughout the second half of the afternoon tea, they didn't discuss the gods, the church, and those grand plans for the future of the continent, until Gawain got up and was about to walk towards the exit of the garden, and then Beltetia suddenly said: "Uncle Galvan, how sure are you about how many countries are willing to join the 'Theocracy Council' that you have conceived?" ”

Gawain's footsteps stopped and turned back slightly: "I'm not sure, I just have to do it." ”

"Then you can now be a little more sure," the Silver Empress said behind him, "As I said, the Silver Empire will support you—including in this matter." ”

"Aren't you worried that this will weaken the Elven Court's control over the clerical power?" Although Gawain had guessed this result after hearing about the Druid Esoteric Cult, he couldn't help but ask.

"My authority comes from the politics, economics, and military of the Empire, not from the ornamental identity of the 'High Priestess' – three thousand years have passed since the fall of the White Star." The Silver Empress said.

Elves had always lacked a complete understanding of the threat they were fighting, and now that Gawain was able to bring a systematic solution, she clearly didn't want to miss such an opportunity.

Of course, Gawain himself could think of this, so he just nodded slightly: "Since that's the case, then I'll be relieved." ”

……

As the sun had set, Elven Stronghold 112 was gradually shrouded in a faint orange-red, and Gawain made his way to the avenue outside the Oak Hall, and Amber's figure gradually emerged from the air beside him.

"Hey, hey, did you think she found me?" As soon as she jumped to the ground, Amber leaned over and muttered, "I always feel like she's looking at me a few times in between......"

Gawain glanced at the nervous intelligence leader, "Are you still not sure about your own shadow ability?" ”

“…… Well, then I don't think she found out," Amber thought for a moment, shook her head and said, "I've tried, except for a legend like you, there are only a handful of high-level transcendents with special abilities who can find me when I've entered the Shadow Critical Realm - that Silver Empress's strength is definitely not as strong as a legend, she is at most high-level." ”

"Listening to your tone, it seems that high-level is nothing," Gawain couldn't help but say, "As a leader with limited energy, it's already terrifying to have high-level strength, okay?" Do you think every king and emperor in the world is legendary? ”

“…… That's right," Amber thought for a moment, and nodded, and then her eyes lit up as if she suddenly remembered something, "Ah, yes! Such a legend of yours should be unique among a bunch of national leaders, so you don't even need to arrange five hundred white knights outside the window when you have a meeting, you can carry an eggplant in your arms and raise them all......"

Gawain: "?? ”