A shiny blade. The muzzle of the black hole hole. Sharp spears.

The young ensign officer was empty-handed. Beside him were soldiers with these deadly weapons in their hands, each of them looking nervous and wary. Looking at the tight protection around him, the second lieutenant felt a bit like a big man.

However, there is often only a thin line between the big man and the prisoner. Sadly, he knew he was the latter.

The queue of hundreds of captives was also crowded around him, and at a glance there was an illusion that there was no end in sight. Both the guards and the captives wore the same blue uniforms. On this night, the people in the same uniforms were divided into two different camps, those loyal to their commanders, and those loyal to their government. Summoned by the virtue called "loyalty," everyone threw themselves into the tragic asura field of fighting each other.

This very special night of coup d'état will be remembered in the annals of the whole city, nay, the whole world. Not only because of this fierce and turbulent historical event, but also because of the strange and incredible celestial phenomena of this night.

At twelve o'clock in the middle of the night this night, people saw a huge yellow fireball hanging in the middle of the sky.

On this night, the sky changed, the twilight returned, and the pale white snow turned into raindrops under the fiery sun.

Even long after the sun had faded, he still felt like he was in a dream. All of his previous lives were not as thrilling as this night......

Suddenly, sporadic gunfire could be heard from a distance. The queue also stopped, and the government soldiers spread out to reconnoitre, leaving only a few people to guard here. He frowned, knowing that there had been another sporadic firefight.

"Second Lieutenant Namen. ”

The company commander, who was in charge of guarding all the prisoners, shouted to him. The young officer thought for a moment before he remembered that this was a fake name made up by himself. He squeezed out of the crowd and responded to the amiable captain with a forced smile, "Is there anything wrong?"

"Nothing, just wanted to ask you a question. I would like to register your troops and their affiliation," the company commander replied kindly, "so that I may help you prove your character and loyalty." An officer like you, who has a real sense of honor, should not be convicted along with the rebels. ”

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly. Where did he have such a thing? He's a complete fake officer. If it weren't for the rescue of his childhood sweetheart friend Denika, he wouldn't have put this military uniform on his body.

"No need. There are many, many officers like me. It would be good for me to accept the verdict of your supreme governor, and there is no need to excuse me. ”

The supreme commander of the government army, Clad López, is the father of the girl he went to save and his magician. As long as it comes to him, naturally everything can be resolved.

"Many, many?" the Captain's lips twitched disdainfully, "I'm not attacking your troops, but your colleagues are really bad. You know what? You're the only officer we've captured. The only one. ”

"Everyone else is dead?"

"No, they've all taken off their officers' uniforms and fled into the civilian ranks. We didn't manage to capture a few officers, but we did get a lot of uniforms. ”

The captain's words caused a burst of laughter among the soldiers around him. The false lieutenant smiled wryly, not telling him that he wasn't really an officer. The officers of the coup army were disguised as civilians, but the only officer captured was a real civilian...... This is a living irony.

"Tell me your number. Isn't there anything inconvenient?"

He hesitated, leaned into the captain's ear, and whispered, "Uh...... It's a little inconvenient. I'm in Dikau...... Uh, the staff of Major General Dikhao Lemda served as ...... Uh, it's the one that can't be announced, you know?"

He knew very well that the best way to tell a lie was to whisper. If you make up one at random, it is very likely that it will be exposed by the other soldiers behind it, so it is better to tell half-truths and half-truths in the most mysterious way. His other magic mentor was so proficient in this that no one ever knew whether what he said was true or false.

Sure enough, after hearing his whisper, a surprised expression appeared on the captain's face: "Is the headquarters directly under the troops?"

He kept the term in his heart as he followed up on his guess and smiled inscrutablely, "Maybe." But remember, I didn't say anything. ”

What he didn't expect was that he would soon see this "unit directly under the headquarters" with his own eyes and really become a member of it. It was thirty minutes later, when the company was raided by the coup army.

In just a moment, the entire line of defense collapsed in the face of the assault of the main forces of the 10th Division. That's not because of how strong the usually pampered defense forces of the capital are, but because of the elbows and armpits. Just as all the government soldiers were fending off the enemy offensive in front and were crying out for reinforcements, there was a sudden commotion among the captives.

The second lieutenant looked up in the direction where the riot had occurred. The captives, all armed with weapons, were fighting the government soldiers guarding them, and two men from nowhere, magically pulling out piles of weapons from their hands and throwing them into the crowd. The guards and prisoners of war were talking and laughing, but when both sides were armed, the situation turned to life and death.

"Sir, sir!" the soldiers who had surrendered with him before rushed in the direction of the second lieutenant. He hesitated, not knowing whether to fight or not, and the countless pairs of expectant eyes seemed to tell the expectations of him.

"Kill him!" shouted one of the guards beside him, aiming his weapon at him. In desperation, he had to start preparing to use magic to fight back - and although he was unwilling to fight the soldiers who suppressed the coup, he was even more reluctant to die here.

As his magic bullet struck the soldier's wrist, a shining ray pierced the soldier's throat. He was taken aback and looked in the direction the ray was coming from. In the dim light of the kerosene lamp, he could vaguely tell that it was a female officer, carrying two more stars on her shoulders than his own.

"That ensign, watch your back!"

Her voice was clear and decisive, and the magic in her hand swung freely with her thoughts. The lieutenant could make out some of the magic: it was mostly ray-based magic for long-range cover. The position of the government army has been completely disorganized, and the two officers who had just been firing weapons have begun to join the battle group. The head of the company commander, who had been talking and laughing with him just a moment ago, was rolling on the ground, where a mage hidden in the shadows was destroying the command structure of the Ninth Company.

It was all over quickly. The female captain jumped lightly from the height, stretched out her finger, and pointed to the south.

"All men march south, break through from the direction of the southern river! This is an order from the General Staff Headquarters!"

The second lieutenant felt breathless and stood in the middle of the battlefield in a daze. He was amazed by the change in fate, and he didn't know what the future would hold, so he could only squeeze out one question: "Who are you?"

"We are a direct subordinate unit of the General Staff Headquarters. I'm Captain Edith Magnum, and what do you belong to?"

"Uh, I'm ...... I am Second Lieutenant Naymen Soleton under General Dikhao Lemda. "He had to reinvent a lie — and luckily, the people who were able to debunk it were probably dead.

"You're a magician, too, and you're very much loved by the soldiers, it's rare. Captain Edith looked at the surrounding soldiers and exclaimed, "Are you going to break through?"

Soleton swallowed and nodded.

- That was a week ago. In this way, he became a lieutenant officer of the coup army, and with the remnants of the army, he retreated to Fortiburg at the mouth of the Meterbsi River.

*** ***

At this time, his rescued childhood sweetheart, Danica Vilen, is worrying with her new friends in a small town not far south of Kengler, where they have been blocked for three whole days. The 8th Division "Glory", stationed near Kengrad, blocked Kengrad and the road to the north, through which no one could pass.

"The roads are blocked, and it will be difficult to get through the front. All the places are being checked, and it may be difficult to cross the border without a pass. The Holy Knight Thuran DiMatel, who had returned from the scout, sat at his hotel table and drew a topographical map of the neighborhood on a piece of paper, "If you want a path, the locals say it's passable...... But I'm afraid I won't be able to enter a big city. Kengrad is now under martial law, and even after Kengrad, it will be very difficult to continue north......"

"But it's all secondary issues, the main problem is that there is no money. Uncle Jett Nitton, who is in charge of financial management, reminds him, "The daily expenses of the team are too great, and they need to stay in the best hotels, eat the best food, and rent the best carriages...... Also buy new equipment often...... Not to mention that there is a young lady who often wears clothes a few times and then stops wearing them, so she can only sell them at a low price. If we continue like this, we will only be able to stay here for another two or three days. ”

All eyes are on the beautiful rich lady. Reve Nmlock panicked a little, tugging at the corners of her clothes uneasily.

"Isn't this the source of funds that support your gentlemen's adventures my family's company?"

Jett touched his beard: "It's really nothing on weekdays, but now I really don't have any money, I'm afraid there is no place to borrow." If you can go to the north, you can naturally get your family's sponsorship, but now...... For example, Miss your jewelry ......"

Hearing this, Reeve bounced out of her seat like a cat with its tail stepped on: "Ladies and gentlemen, the idea of playing lady's jewelry is not graceful." If you find that you don't have any money, you should find a way to make it. ”

The crowd immediately retreated and began to discuss other means of making a living.

"Then you'll have to find a job, right?" suggested Xiulan.

"Eighty percent of this kind of small town of a few thousand people is dog-eat-dog work like gang strife in some area. Jett shook his head and said, "It's a thankless job, but you can still give it a try." ”

"Or look for any underground intelligence organizations, thieves' guilds, or anything like that. With the recent tensions, there may be work to be done in such a place. Xiu Lan proposed, "If it really doesn't work, let's go to the army and try it?" But now the situation is really on the verge of breaking out, and joining the army is a fight for your life." It would be best if there was an escort caravan or something like that......"

Danica, who had been listening silently on the sidelines, finally couldn't help it: "This, I have a question. Isn't there any decent job for adventurers?"

"Decent work, like what?" Jett smiled wryly, "catching wanted criminals, saving princesses, destroying monsters, etc.?"

Danica nodded vigorously: "Just like this, don't you all do the kind of heroic work that you often see in stories?"

Several people glanced at each other and reached a consensus, and finally it was Xiu Lan who spoke.

"It's not that it's not out of the question, but this kind of work is basically absent in a civilized area like the Julok Republic. Now it's hard for adventurers like us to pass the levels, let alone wanted criminals. As for destroying monsters or thieves...... Monsters were abundant a hundred years ago, but now they only appear in places like the southwest, southeast, the Holy Forest, or the Great Wasteland, far away from civilization. No matter how powerful the monster is, the only thing that can be destroyed when encountering well-equipped musketeers and mages will be destroyed. Not to mention that it is now on the eve of the war, I am afraid that there is only a comparison...... That one...... The task of filth can be done. ”

"If the checkpoint opens in two days, I'll still be able to find some caravan guards and the like, but I'm afraid not anymore. The uncle added, "In this war era, the so-called adventurers are actually like dogs, working for all kinds of different forces. The average person's impression of free mercenaries and adventurers is actually no different from robbers and thieves. Moreover, adventurers are also prone to enmity, and may be intercepted by their peers or others along the way. Female adventurers are even more ......"

Danika was completely stunned, stammering, and speechless for a moment. Rev stood up, and with some annoyance, she flicked the ring on her hand and placed a silent spell on the brains of Shuran and Jett, and the two men's tongues went numb, and they couldn't say any more.

"Are you talking about common sense, or are you here to scare ......the newcomers? Well, my family's company sponsors me to come out and live an adventurous life, and I have to pretend to be an adventure veteran, which is not appropriate. In fact, the life of adventurers is still very free and interesting, and it is not at all as exaggerated as these people say. ”

Danika breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the explanation of the same sex, and at this moment, the taciturn thief spoke: "There is also danger, the last mage was careless." ”

Hearing this, the girl's face turned blue again, and Reeve hurriedly added a silent spell.

"It's not like it at all, it's not like it most of the time, Miss Vilen, you don't have to worry about it. When you get to Deland, my family's expedition company can sign you a good contract, and it can also come with the insurance of the Imperial National Insurance Company......"

The paladin hurriedly made various gestures, sometimes crossing into an "X" and sometimes crossing into an "O". Reeve frowned, flicked her fingers, and untied the silence technique on several people: "Viscount, what's the matter with you?"

"I think let's hurry up and vote on the results, and let Miss continue, the shock will be even worse. Xiu Lan replied solemnly.

"Viscount?" Danika whispered to Uncle Jett, beside her.

"His nickname is Viscount. The name Huran Dimatel sounds too formal, so we generally call him Viscount. Jett explained, "As for voting, we can vote for each proposal, and our team will act according to the result of the highest number of votes." ”

Rev glared at Xiulan with a little annoyance, and said stupidly, "Then, let's vote." Those who agree to find a gang job give their index finger, those who agree to find an intelligence dealer give their middle finger, those who agree to find the army give their ring finger, and those who agree to work separately give their little finger. ”

The results were not long in coming. Two index fingers, four middle fingers, one ring finger, and two little fingers. Seeing this, Pike Tapp walked out the door without saying a word to look for work, while the rest of the group began to discuss what to eat for dinner.

"Although I started my own trip, I always felt more lost. Is that what adventurers are like?"

- That night, Danika wrote this line on a letter paper as the beginning of her diary.

*** ***

A mahogany table, carved with intricate decorations, sits in the center of the room, on which is laid a vast map reflecting the entire Western civilized world. Night had fallen, and Lenny, the capital of the South, was bathed in a hazy deep blue. A light blue glow shot out from the crystals in the corners of the room, illuminating most of the dark corners of the chamber. The girl with short brown hair stood in front of a large map placed horizontally, looking at the chess pieces on it.

"Twelve divisions, four militia divisions...... No, five. To add that militia division that they had newly recruited. ”

Bonnie Seiffel took out a white "pawn" from the chess box on the desk next to her, placed it next to the dot with "Lenny" written on it, took two steps back, and continued to look at the chessboard. The dim light of the magic crystal shone on the girl's skin as white as oriental porcelain, reflecting a cold luster.

Her gaze swept across the southern part of the map, across the vast territory south of the blood-red border. Seven black pieces, six north of Lenny and one in the far southwest of the empire, in the harbor of Emerald Bay. Ten white pieces, three in the southwest, five in the northeast, and two in the southeast on the archipelago. According to the combat effectiveness of each division and regiment, there are bishops, knights, tax collectors, and soldiers in the chess pieces.

"Already six regular army divisions, the 1st, 4th, 6th, 8th, 7th, and 10th, have declared that they do not support the Provisional Parliament...... Plus the 4th Militia Division, which was coerced. Six plus one, plus four to six. It turns out that the last peace cabinet was already so undesirable?"

What a tricky situation, she thought.

Almost all of Julok is under a striking black chess piece. They now have a partial superiority in numbers, cutting the loyal army into two sections, and they are still on the inner line, allowing them to move more quickly between the government forces that have been divided into two areas. They also had more elite troops, with years of experience fighting the dreaded Emperor's Guards on the Fort Stillburg front. The difference in combat effectiveness is reflected in the chess pieces: among the six black chess pieces in the north, there are two knights, two bishops, and two pawns. On the other hand, there are six pawns in the white chess pieces.

However, these elite, powerful and loyal "free army" have turned their backs on the democratically elected government they are supposed to defend. They expressed their support for the defeated general, the former chairman of the Council of Staff, Field Marshal Radetz Govar, who had been defeated to Fortiburg, and denied the legitimacy of the Provisional Assembly and the Government.

What did the soldiers guarding the northern frontier see on the northern front that would make them abandon their allegiance to the union government of the provinces? Perhaps Lennie's government bureaucrats and councillors did not know, but she did.

Not only did she know, she knew it very well. Because she came from the afterlife, she could see another history of the afterlife—a possibility that had disappeared written in those history books.

It is true that a week has passed since the coup d'état, and things have changed a lot, very different from the history she knew, but the preconditions have not faded with the changes in history.

Gustav Hugh Kirman's royal legions remained, and they had sharpened their fangs and claws. The Royal Legion was built by the Emperor's uncle, Diristan, following the system and tactics developed by Duke Lobert von Figota, and having the power of the eras, after the unification and reorganization of the young Emperor. Most historians believe that this army was the most powerful army of the Age of Enlightenment, and probably one of the best in the history of the entire civilized world, even though it ended in the most disastrous way.

Originally, the coup d'état would have failed, and the Lords and Peacers would return to power. The most powerful force in the history of the Koman Empire would storm Fort Kirteer in the spring of the following year, destroy the entire Northern Military District of the Free Army in the territory of the Julok Republic, and march under the city of Lenny in the fall of '66. Independent field artillery, concentrated use of mage units, and tactics of combined attacks with brigades as mobile units......

Probably, the soldiers of the Northern Military District already have a premonition of this future.

She pondered, picking up the newspaper beside her. It was a copy of the "Teresa Times" three days ago, with a large headline that read "His Majesty the Emperor Expresses Serious Concern about the Situation in the South" and the content was "His Majesty the Emperor hopes that the rebels in the south will abandon the darkness and turn to the light and put things right."

She knows that the Eastern art of war says, "The best military strategists use strategy." Because of the expansion of civil strife, at least next spring, no, until autumn, the Imperial Army will not go south.

"What a ridiculous causal relationship. A mere coup d'état signal would have allowed the Imperial army to move south, and the idea that they could "strategize victory" would have them stop going south. Historically, strategy has never been the best solution......"

And what about herself? In the midst of this change, can she find the optimal solution to history? Now she is no longer a spectator, nor a recorder, but an authority. The course of action is ready, and there are only two options left: "do" or "don't".

"To do, or not to do?"

The girl took out a gold coin and flicked it into the air. The coin flew in a graceful arc, spun around, and finally crashed on the map, knocking down a "knight" piece and stopping. She laughed when she saw the side engraved with the diagonal cross pointing upwards. Fifty percent is not the optimal solution, but it is not the worst solution either.

Bonnie grabbed the gold coin with her index and middle fingers. As the coin was removed from the map, she suddenly noticed that the location where the coin was resting was Kingrad, the capital of the Julok Republic. A shiver crossed her spine, as if the plan had been pierced by fate.

No, she said to herself. The current situation has proven that destiny does not exist. In this world, there is no such thing as fate, everything is just a matter of chance. Belief determines power, chance determines inevitability, and probability determines the whole world.

The chanting of a magic spell came from outside the dark room, and the door slid softly open, and her sister Reess Sefir entered.

"You're here again, Bonnie. Haven't you made a decision yet?"

"No, it's already done. My sister smiled lightly, "Although it is certainly not the best plan, it is not the worst." ”

"Really, going to Fortiburg, or Deresa?" asked Rees, interestedly, "or shall we go one by ourselves?"

"Not at all. Sister, you stay at Lenny, and I go to Kengrad. ”

Rose walked over to the map, picked up the knight that had been placed in Kengler's place, looked at it for a moment, and then put it down again. "Kengler, why, in what capacity?"

"A banker would be a good identity. You know Lennie's sixth-ranked Krosso Brothers, right? They've been having financial difficulties lately. I've been in contact with them, and I'm going to take a stake in their bank. Their banks have good connections and customer relationships, as well as government connections, making them an ideal front character. The gold coin swirled on my sister's fingertips, "Money, that's the keyword." All political issues are related to economic issues, and all military issues are also related to economic issues. ”

"I see, bankers are really good. Rose smiled knowingly, "But...... Why did you choose this sixth-ranked bank? Because of the run after the coup d'état, aren't there many banks that are in financial difficulties?"

"Because it's the most suitable in all respects. With our understanding of the financial markets of this era, I am afraid that we will not be able to cope with the first few banks...... Although the capital of pure gold is not a small shrimp in front of these giant crocodiles, it is not much. After all the considerations, I decided to use this bank again. ”

"When are you leaving?"

"Three days later. Lenny, please, don't forget to turn on telepathy every day. I have information and information here, if you want to see it, you can take a look. My sister said and walked out the door. She only told her sister one reason for choosing this bank, not the most important one.

- For the most important reason, it is recorded in the history books of the secret organization "Blood Roses". She didn't plan to tell her sister about the reason, because everything in the future was still hidden in a faint haze, déjà vu, but vague.

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Welcome the majority of book friends to come and read, the latest, fastest, the hottest serialized works are all here!