Snowflakes flutter in the night sky. These white crystals, with an unseasonable cold, fell from the sky, gently covering the traumatized earth and the terrifying bloody scenes. Cheese was right about one thing, it was indeed the last snow of the year, but there was another thing that the mage didn't realize either, and that was that it was also the first snow of the new year. The Winter Wheat Festival, the celebration of the Northern Kingdom, passed before you knew it. When the snow, which had been falling for two days and two nights, finally stopped, people remembered that the new year had arrived. It's just that, just like the gloomy sky after the snow, the New Year did not dilute the oppressive atmosphere in the royal capital.

"Your Majesty, Master Marcus is here. In the roughly renovated throne room, Sigurt sat in the throne frowning and flipped through the papers in hand. After hearing the news of the arrival of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the king replied without raising his head, "Let him in." The heavy door opened with a grinding sound, and the ensuing flow of air caused the lights in the throne room to flicker, and the candles on those lampstands were nearly extinguished near the broken walls. The Chancellor of the Greylion was dressed in a thick winter coat, and his belt was already trying to restrain the fat on his belly, but Marcus still looked like an overfed seal to the king.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty. You shouldn't be working here, it's too cold here. Look at the poor waiters who didn't even speak to me when they received me. Marcus grumbled as he approached the king. "Maybe it's because we haven't finished renovating the castle yet. The King of the Grey Lion glanced at his minister and said lukewarmly. Marcus raised an eyebrow, "Your accusations against me are baseless, Your Majesty. You and I both know that now is not a good time to spend money on repairing castles. There's so much to do, and the situation in your vault isn't promising. Luckily, the rats didn't have much interest in our wheat. Praise this amazing plant, harvesting the nearby winter wheat, we can finally survive for a while. ”

The wheat in the mouth of the Chancellor of the Exchequer is winter wheat, a crop that is the lifeblood of almost the entire blue lion. At first glance, this plant looks like green wheat, but unlike ordinary plants, it does not bear fruit in the sun-drenched autumn, in contrast, winter wheat is far inferior to normal wheat in terms of yield and taste. However, its maturity in winter is enough for the greylion to promote the cultivation of this plant. The celebration of the New Year was also named the Winter Wheat Festival.

"People can't just eat winter wheat, they have to distribute dried vegetables to every family. The king said in a deep voice. Indeed, although the existence of winter wheat makes the winter of the glass much better, the nutrients of winter wheat are extremely simple, and the human body will only have a variety of diseases if they only consume winter wheat for a long time. Even some pharmacists in the Pharmacists' Association insist that the crop actually has a slight toxin, but that it does not cause an effect as long as it does not accumulate in certain amounts. It was with this in mind that Siegett reminded the Chancellor in this way.

"Yes, I will urge the Home Secretary to do so. Marcus nodded, and he was in favor of the order. The batter made from winter wheat always tastes faintly bitter, and as a gourmet, he doesn't like that taste.

The king put down the papers in his hand and stared at the people under his seat for a few seconds. "Just say hello to the Home Secretary. These are extraordinary times, and the efficiency of the system is too slow. Marcus, you have come to serve as the hand of the king, and you have the right to intervene in all matters in the royal capital. With that, Siggert picked up the paper again and looked at it, not at all like a king who had just been appointed to a very important office. Marcus was stunned for a moment, then nodded calmly, he was a smart man who understood that the king's decision was the right one. In this period, there must be someone who stands up to share the pressure for the king, and the best person to do right now is himself. However, smart people are also people, so Marcus asked a question seemingly casually, "When the plague passes, do I need to return the badge?" The item symbolizing the Hand of the King is a badge engraved with a white lion's head, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer is asking the king if his term as the king's spokesman is limited to special periods.

Siggett smiled and said in an equally nonchalant tone, "Then it's up to you to perform." If you're doing a good job, I don't mind putting that stuff on your days. The fat Chancellor of the Exchequer immediately got up from his chair. The sound of his huge body accidentally overturning the stool under his ass because of this rapid movement startled the king. However, after a brief moment of embarrassment, Marcus knelt down on one knee in front of Sigget, removed the bandage that hung from his chest, and placed his broken right hand on his heart with his left hand. "Your Majesty, Marcus Tellerreal, swear by the honor of my life and my family, and I will repay your trust with my wisdom and body!"

"Just wisdom is enough. Speaking of which, have you gained weight again in the past two days?, can you grow meat by drinking winter porridge every day?" asked the king with a smile. Of course, he didn't really want to get Marcus's answer, but his background as an adventurer made him dislike making some scenes so grandiose. Rather than ornate ceremonies and solemn vows, Siggett trusted his vision and the loyalty of his courtiers, and like the rulers of the Grey Lion, he believed that the glory that had kept the people of the kingdom alive and would continue on this fringe.

Marcus, of course, could tell the king's joke, so he took out his handkerchief from his bosom, held his right hand in place, and sat back in his chair. After confirming that Siggert was not joking, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer and now Hand of the King officially stepped into his new role. "Your Majesty, since you trust me so much. Then there are some things I have to say. The King of the Grey Lion looked up, he could probably guess what Marcus was going to say, but decided to hear what he had to say.

The Hand of the King took a deep breath, he had actually wanted to advise the King on this issue for a long time, but because of his position, it was inconvenient to say more. And now, he no longer has such concerns, "According to the information brought back by His Excellency the Grand Knight, the troops to rescue the Molten Iron City will set off tomorrow morning, and the ice and snow should not affect the march at that time. But Your Majesty, do we really want to do this? I admit that Grand Duke Hammer is an indispensable minister of the kingdom, and even the position of the Hand of the King should be seated by him. However, now that our control over the cities in the southern part of the kingdom has not been restored, you have redeployed your troops to the molten iron because of the words of a wizard and some clues... Your Majesty, even if you don't consider the food and grass that will be consumed by this operation and the threat of the rat-people. We cannot guarantee that the surviving southern cities will remain loyal to the kingdom..."

Siggett raised his hand and interrupted Marcus. "The army heading to the molten iron must leave on time, they have been delayed for too long because of the snow. And the reasons for this are much more complex than you might think. As for the rest of the kingdom, I can understand your concerns, and this plague may indeed cause some people to have bad thoughts. But I think that an emissary from the royal capital, who can represent the king with full powers, is enough to dispel those illusions. Marcus, that's your mission. ”

"What, Your Majesty, you made me ......"

"Don't worry, I've got you some bodyguards, and they'll take you to the first city. After that, you should have a way to continue the mission. Do not disappoint my expectations, my dear hand of the King. ”