As the younger brother of Scripps VI, Duke of Yamaat, the Marquis of Stewart has always enjoyed a very high position in the Tiamat Domain, not only being granted the most important trading city in the territory as a fief, but also serving as a military commander, completely under the right hand of his brother Scripps VI.

And the Marquis of Stewart did not live up to his brother's expectations, when the city of Cassia was besieged and the city was almost desperate, he led the elite of his headquarters to forcibly break through the blockade of the Fireeye Clan, and won a respite for the city of Cassiyer. However, even if the Marquis of Stewart was good at fighting, in the face of a twenty-fold difference in strength, he could only give up re-entering the city and instead go south to join the imperial army.

When Marquis Stewart came to the Mirror Lake Territory, he brought not only 15,000 elite soldiers, but also the information of the Tiamat Territory, which is currently the most lacking in the empire.

As soon as Prince Iscario arrived at the Mirror Lake Territory, he didn't have time to rest, and immediately went to the other party's military camp to meet the Marquis of Stewart.

"Good work. The second prince looked at the gray-haired veteran in front of him, his eyes were full of respect, "Time is pressing, I won't say anything else, I have a lot of things I want to ask you, I hope you can answer them for me." ”

"Of course. ”

Marquis Stewart nodded, although he was a Tiamat, he looked no different from the Imperial, and after more than two hundred years of naturalization, there was no trace of the Kasyier family belonging to the White Di.

"First of all, I would like to know the details of what happened in the letter you handed me earlier. Iscario's eyes quickly turned serious, for him, the answer to this question was the difference between victory and defeat in the ensuing war.

"As I said, two months after the White Lands besieged the city of Kasyiya, the Wind Caller family was secretly in contact with the city. Speaking of this, the old marquis frowned unconsciously, for this well-informed old man, this matter was still quite unbelievable.

"They shot arrows tied to the letter into the city at night, and the letter paper began with words of persuasion to surrender, which was so common in war, that we did not care at first, but continued to strengthen the city's defenses. But on one occasion, the arrows of the White Land went straight to the walls of the main fortress where my brother lived in the very center of the city of Kasyiya, which was so far away from the outer walls that it was impossible for the arrows to reach them. ”

"In other words, the arrow was not shot in by the whites outside, but by someone in the city, right?" said Prince Iscario as the Marquis of Stewart paused.

"That's right, my brother and I immediately thought that there might be a White Ground spy in the city, and they did this to scare us and tell us that it was not safe to hide in the castle. However, when my brother and I read the news from the arrow, we couldn't help but reject our previous speculation. ”

"Please try to restore every word to me. ”

"Actually, when I left Kasyia City to break out, I was worried that it would be a trap for the place, so I deliberately copied a copy of it with me, thinking that there might be room for negotiation. Marquis Stewart turned and picked up a roll of parchment from his desk, "I didn't expect to end up coming here directly, but it would come in handy in another place." ”

Marquis Stewart took a deep breath, his gray beard shaking, and then slowly read the letter.

"To His Excellency Duke Scripps Cassiye VI:

In the year 137 of the Second Age, my ancestors were at odds with the ancestors of the Kasyiya, which led to a split in the tribe, which was a very unfortunate but unavoidable event. Just as we have all needed to go south to raid and feed our tribes for generations, tribes must sacrifice if they want to grow. All along, we have had our tribal warriors die in the war against the Southerners in exchange for years of spoils and the hatred of the Imperials. However, this cycle will eventually come to an end, just as our tribe will be divided, nothing will be set in stone, and the day will come when our tribe will not be able to survive by plundering the southerners alone, and then what will our people do?

I do not approve of the actions of the ancestors of the Kasyiya, but I have respect. The ancestors of your family bravely took the first step, although it was accompanied by shame, but it was extremely important for our tribe, and the previous people proved that the white people did not only survive in the clan, but that we could also use the system of the southerners to strengthen ourselves.

And now is that time, there is a limit to the development of the tribe, if every war needs to be decided by the way of the Dragon Society, then no matter how wise the Great Chief is, he will not be able to lead the tribe to the distant future. Therefore, I do not want this backward system to continue to be inherited by my children and grandchildren, and if the white people want to be strong, they must first change themselves, and for this reason, even if they learn from the enemies of our generation, their cowardice, it is not at the expense of it.

At the end of this war, the White Lands will no longer be a tribe, but will appear to the world as a new 'empire'. Even if we have to abandon some cherished traditions in this evolutionary process, we will not hesitate to do so.

I can guarantee the survival of the Casyiya, who were the first to do so, so I am willing to continue to confer on you the honor of 'Duke', but in return, you must respect my authority. In the future, the duke of the white people will not be the chieftain of the old days, nor the so-called duke of the southerners, you will be the wings and minions of the king, the sharpest scales of this proud empire, and you will continue to bring infinite glory and awe to the name of the white people.

Those who avoid today are those who worship tomorrow. I know that many people cannot understand my thoughts, but I will inevitably lead this nation to rise, and this determination is extremely strong, and no matter what hinders me, the Wind Caller family will definitely bulldoze it, even if it is the mountains and seas, even if it is the empire of the southerners, or ......

We are the people of White Ground themselves.

If you are willing to accept my offer and negotiate with me further, even if you send someone out of the city to raid the defenses of the Fire-Eye Clan on the south side of the city ten days after receiving this letter, I guarantee you a great victory. At the same time, I will send my cronies into the city to listen to your reply. This cronie is a warrior who has the consciousness to die for me, and if you refuse to negotiate and kill him directly, he will not spare his life, and will fight to the death with your father, and at that time, I will also see the Kasyiya family as an obstacle to my goal, and I will eliminate whatever is in my way, as I have just said.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Written by Apolonia Wind Caller. ”

Iscario's face grew gloomy as he listened, this was a letter of surrender in disguise, and anyone who saw the words on it could not help but wonder about the loyalty of the Cassiyer family to the empire.

Of course, Iscario also understood that since the Marquis of Stewart took out this letter so simply to show himself, it means that it is unlikely that at least he himself has turned his back on the Empire.

"Can you talk about it...... The Great Chief of the White Place?" Instead of asking about the Casyia family's loyalty, Iscario steered the conversation in a different direction.

And Marquis Stewart also knew this, and wisely did not mention it, and the two sides reached a tacit understanding.

"In the history of the White people, this is the first female great chief. Marquis Stewart sighed, but there was a slight look of nostalgia in his eyes, "Although there is no clear restriction, it is a common thing in the tribe for a man to be the chief of the tribe, and no one has even questioned this in the past. And the current one, the last descendant of the Wind Caller family, her ability to ascend to this throne as a woman speaks volumes about her talent and prestige. ”

"Are all the clans willing to fight for this woman?" Iscario asked, even in an empire that treats women quite indiscriminately, female lords are still less legitimate than men, making it difficult to imagine a woman who can tame those fearsome warriors in the snowfield.

"They may not be willing to submit to a woman, but ......," the old marquis paused, "they will not hesitate to submit to a dragonborn." ”

"Dragonborn ......" Iscario frowned, he didn't like the feeling of not being in control of the situation, "We don't know much about the Dragonborn, and although the Empire has been fighting with the White Landers for hundreds of years, we still don't fully understand what the Dragonborn are. Can you tell me, is that Great Chief a human with the power of a dragon, or a dragon with a human skin?"

"The dragon is just a symbol, a symbol of spiritual sustenance, His Royal Highness. Marquis Stewart shook his head, although there was no difference between them Tiamat and Imperial on the outside, the Serodib people could not understand the traditions and thinking of their proto-white people, "It is a totem, but what we worship is not the totem itself, not the dragon, but the expectations and ideas that we attach to this concept." ”

"So what?" Iscario's brow furrowed even tighter, almost twisting his handsome brow into a pulp, "What are those expectations and ideas worth? is it the quest for strength, or the awe of wisdom?"

"So, you didn't understand our philosophy either. ”

Marquis Stewart sighed, this "you just can't understand" tone made Prince Iscario very unhappy.

"Ideas are ideas, and they are embodied in every aspect of our lives, in every word and deed. But how can people's words and deeds be accurately described in words? When you raise your hand, can you describe the gesture of raising your hand completely, in every detail? So our philosophy is such a thing, it exists in our lives, in our souls, but it cannot be spoken. ”

Prince Iscario's cheeks puffed out like a toothache, and the incomprehensible statement made him sick.

"Okay, let's put that aside. Can you tell me the latest news of Tiamat, anything, preferably, you can be honest with me as to how long Kasyiya will hold out, or how long it has fallen. ”

Marquis Stewart was silent for a long time.

"I'm very sorry, but I have already left the city when the emissary of the Windcaller family entered Kasyia City, so I don't know the details of the meeting between my brother and the emissary. ”

"In other words, the possibility that the Kasyiya family has already surrendered in Kasyia cannot be ruled out?"

"I know my words can't dispel your concerns. The old marquis stood up, his expression calm, and his tone revealed the calmness that had been precipitated over the years, "However, I vouch for you with my honor and life, the Cassiyer family is still loyal to the Empire and to the royal family of Stordor!"