Once again, Fern walked into the dining room, still as opulent as before, the servants had already piled delicious food on the table, and this time, the number of people attending the dinner was even greater, so that the food was almost the whole table.

As Lucius's counselor, Jarena also sat on the side of the queen and princess this time, while Fern and his companions sat on the other side, and since Stan was already a knight of Canrito, he had to reluctantly sit in the first row of rows, Nerfi, Ray and Ness sat on Stan's right side in turn, and Fern sat on the outermost side. Since Queen Leopold was also at the table, Fern decided that it would be best for him not to say a word and to attract as little attention as possible.

The chandelier directly above the table and the candlestick on the table illuminated everyone who attended the dinner, and the silver knives and forks and wine glasses were polished, reflecting the light and shaking Fern from opening his eyes.

The servants poured half a glass of wine for each guest, and Lucius raised his glass aloft. "Cheers to the victory of Fort Glory, to each and every one of us!"

Everyone raised their glasses and drank them all. It was a long meal time as the servant opened the lid of the container, and the scent wafted with the heat, and Stan raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Thank you for your hospitality, it's the first time I've had such a sumptuous dinner. ”

"Oh, really?" Lucius thought of something and asked Stan, "I know you and Nalfi went back to Doyle for a while after Sara defeated Darktide, and that Byron guy didn't treat you well?"

Stan looked the king in the eye and replied in a straight voice, "It's not King Byron's fault, according to the attendants, every dinner we have been there has been much richer than before, and even the king eats very simple in normal times." ”

Lucius nodded solemnly. "Although I knew that the conditions in the border country were very difficult, I didn't expect that even Byron would be like this, but this is like his style, he has always taken power and wealth lightly. ”

Fern wanted to take the opportunity to ask more about what had happened to them more than twenty years ago, but when he noticed that Olivina had been secretly looking at him, he decided it would be better not to say a word.

Stan politely responds to the King. "Yes, Your Majesty, it is not easy for Doyle to grow food, coupled with the abnormal weather, it is our greatest luck not to go hungry. ”

"We really should have helped the border countries with some food. Rachel listened attentively, and unconsciously interjected, only to realize her faux pas after speaking, and quickly covered her mouth. "I'm sorry, but I just think that the people in the border countries are in such a desperate need of help, especially after I have been to Altoona myself. ”

"You're right, Your Highness Princess, you may not know that Altuna is already the most well-fed kingdom of the three border nations, Doyle is even poorer than Altoona, the people there are more miserable, and in Sarah, even having enough to eat is a luxury. Rui put down the knife and fork in his hand, looked at the princess and said.

"So, Father, why didn't you do it? I know you've been friends with King Doyle for many years, shouldn't you be more here to him?"

Lucius sighed deeply and raised his glass to finish the contents in one gulp. "You're thinking too simply, but I don't blame you, because you don't know anything about interkingdom politics. The king thought about it for a moment, and tapped his right fist on the table. "Let me put it this way, there is a delicate balance between kingdoms, and if one side upsets that balance, then humanity can destroy itself without the need for a dark tide. ”

"Please also ask Your Majesty for advice. Stan nodded respectfully to Lucius.

The servant filled the glass again for the king, and Lucius took it and spun it in his hand. "Not to mention the tension between Ogden and Dayton, even Tempe is a big danger, and although Macon and Cumberland don't have anything to be wary of for the time being, I still have to send soldiers on guard at the border. Don't think that all kingdoms will form alliances to deal with the Dark Tide, in fact, each kingdom has its own selfish intentions, and they will never do their best to resist the Dark Tide unless the Dark Tide has reached their doorstep. ”

"Why is this happening?!Aren't they afraid that the dark tide will destroy Wallis?" Stan's emotions stirred.

"What should I do if Dayton has lost a lot of troops on the front lines trying to hold back the dark tide, and is unable to defend against the invasion of Ogden or Tempe?" Lucius looked at the crimson liquid swirling in his glass. "Other kingdoms also have this concern, so the kings are afraid that their own strength will be weakened. Supporting the border countries is a bottomless pit, which will consume a lot of national strength, and when the time comes, if the neighboring countries invade, we will not have enough strength to defend. ”

"So can't we help a little less? Anyway, we can help a little bit. Rachel asked the king.

Lucius took a sip of wine. "Although what I have just said is something that must be considered as a king, as a friend for many years, how can I be indifferent? I had offered Byron many years ago to give Doyle some food every year, but he refused on the spot, for two reasons: first, if Dayton had helped Doyle, would the other kingdoms have to do it too? If all the kingdoms help, it would be fine, but obviously it is impossible, then the kingdoms that help and the kingdoms that do not help will slowly form two camps, which is very disadvantageous for the fight against the dark tide. The second point is easier to understand, how can Dayton get food security to Doyle? Will Tempe agree to us borrowing their territory? The battle of Fort Glory was also urgent, and it was only after Adeline personally lobbied King Tempe that he agreed that we could only use their border with Ogden twice on our way back and forth, and it was obviously impossible to use the route to transport food on a regular basis. ”

Stan shook his head helplessly. "Wallis is already in the middle of life and death, why can't those kings take care of the big picture?"

"That's interkingdom politics, Stan, it's a lot more complicated than you know, and I can't bother with it. Lucius poured another sip of wine into his stomach.

Fern listened to it, and had already had his own thoughts, but he kept suppressing them, and finally, he couldn't hold them anymore. "So is it possible for one kingdom to take the lead in coordinating the resources of all kingdoms to fight against the dark tide together, all kingdoms must send troops or forces, and if one side violates the treaty, then the other kingdoms must unite against him. ”

Lucius unexpectedly set his eyes on the mercenary sitting at the very end. "Fern, why are you so silent today? But you finally spoke, yes, your idea can be tried, and even more coincidentally, I have thought of this method before, but it is also quite difficult, first of all, we must find a ruler who can convince all the kingdoms. ”

Fern deliberately avoided Olivia's gaze and stared at Lucius firmly. "Yes, but I've already thought of a candidate, I don't know if it's the same as your majesty?"

"Oh, is it?" Lucius laughed. "So, Stan. The king looked at the knight closest to him. "You count to three, and then I say the man's name with Fern. ”

Stan sat up straight with interest and read word by word. "One, two...... Three. ”

"Sigmund Oswid. The name came out of the king's mouth at the same time as Fern's mouth.