The team that greeted Maximian was not grand, but it was not without pomp. Forty or fifty men stood in a row on the docks, most of them officials from the various departments of Erengrad, then knights, and finally officials, attendants of the knights. Kislev's flag fluttered in the sea breeze, declaring the ownership of the territory.

Maximian did not let his servants help him, and jumped straight off the board of the boat to the front of the group.

"Welcome, High Lord. ”

Despite being the spiritual leader of Mrs. Keighrie and holding various titles, Rhodes still showed as modesty and low a key as possible in diplomacy.

Maximian was a little surprised, he originally thought that Rod, who was praised as a god by Lady Keighrie, would be a king. And at this moment, what is in front of him is just an ordinary middle-aged tough guy.

Of course, Maximian, who is familiar with the process of the civil war in Kislev, knows that the man in front of him is by no means an ordinary middle-aged tough guy. His strength surpassed that of the Ice Queen and the Electors of most empires, and if he was born in the empire, he would probably have a chance to compete for the throne of the emperor. For such a legendary figure, Maximian naturally did not dare to slack off.

He walked over, held out his right hand in a friendly way, and shook Rhodes' hand. This is the first heavyweight visitor to Kislev since the civil war. Osterling borders Kislev, and in the past the border problem hung between the two unresolved problems. Trade disputes of all kinds have occurred from time to time, and now, as the de facto ruler of the Oster Lord, he has come to Kislev in person, and it is likely that the two sides will be the best time to resolve the conflict and strengthen the friendship.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're Lord Rhodes, King of the North of Kislev. ”

"The king of the north no longer exists, and now the tsar of Kislev is the Pavel Emperor. ”

Rod returned with a smile.

"I'm sorry, it's my message, it looks like Kislev has been turbulent during this time, and the situation has changed so quickly......"

Maximian immediately changed his tune, of course, he didn't really know, he was just deliberately tentative.

Rod smiled, and then led the distinguished guest to the lounge area.

"I'm tired from the journey, I arranged a room, you and your subordinates will rest in the city today, and we'll talk about those things tomorrow, since you're here, isn't it just a day or two, isn't it?"

As he walked, Rhodes introduced the distinguished guest from afar to Errengrad and the North. Of course, it's not too far. Set sail from the port of Baker in Osterled, and if you have a tailwind, you will reach the port of Erengrad in three days. Sea navigation does not require passing through forests and mountains, and as long as it does not encounter storms, it is basically several times faster than on land. Judging by the mental outlook of Maximian's party, Rhodes guessed that they would not spend more than five days at sea.

......

At night, Erengrad entered his dream early, and the tranquility and serenity accompanied this harbor city, unlike the imperial capital of Aldolphe, which was still brightly lit and crowded at night. There is not much entertainment in the evenings, and the business of the taverns is not as hot as it was a decade ago, and more of it is for tired travelers and traders who take a break for a while.

Maximian and his son Oswald climbed to the rooftop, from which they could see the whole of Erengrad, and since the city was built on a plain, there were no rolling hills, and the top floor of a five-storey luxury hotel overlooked the whole city. It is located next to the town hall of Errengrad, which is even one level higher than the town hall. It is a place dedicated to the reception of official guests.

"See? ”

Under the night sky, Maximi asked soothingly, touching his son's head.

The young child just stood on tiptoe and looked out at the night outside the railing, blank.

"Hmm...... See...... I saw quiet cities and streets, boats in the distance, and ...... Ports, wharves...... Father. ”

The boy paused in reply.

Maximian just smiled, and he carried his son on his shoulders—

"What you see is what most people see, but as a leader, as an heir, you should not only see this, but you should see something deeper through these phenomena. You see a quiet city, indeed, it's quiet, so quiet that you can almost hear your own heartbeat, what does that prove?"

"Proof of what?"

Oswald asked curiously.

"Prove that there isn't a lot of nighttime entertainment in the city, who needs nighttime entertainment?"

Maximian asked step-by-step questions that he wanted his son to know how to think for himself.

Only, as could be seen from Oswald's bewildered face, the boy did not seem to have reached the age to think about the nature of things.

"Merchants, aristocrats, rich people...... These people need nightly entertainment. Civilians are already too tired to have the strength to work during the day, and they have no intention of going out at night to consume and enjoy, and they can't afford to spend this money. Only those wealthy merchants and aristocrats had the behavior of night entertainment. The city lacks these, and there are not many people who prove to have assets. Its business was battered and in dire need of development, and as we passed a few blocks in the evening, the brothel was deserted, which meant that the economy as a whole was bad. It continues to recover from the trauma of war. ”

Maximian continued—

"And, as you just mentioned, the ships. You saw it, I saw it, however, have you noticed where most of these merchant ships come from?"

The old lord's question again stumped his son. Oswald was even more confused, and he felt that he had lost face in front of his father. But what does it matter if that's the father? It's better to lose face in front of your father than to lose face in front of others in the future.

"I ...... Didn't pay attention to ......"

The boy came back in a hurry.

"Some of the merchant ships still have their flags hung on them, and some of them have been unloaded, but from the looks of them, you can still tell where they came from. Most of them came from Port Baker, as well as from the nearby Nord Territory, and very few ships came from Bretonnia, let alone Arabi or merchant ships further afield. This proves that Errengrad's main trading partner is the Empire, and, apart from us, the Nord Territory. ”

Maximian analyzed.

"Do you know the purpose of our visit to Erengrad?"

He continued.

"Talk about cooperation, talk about trade agreements!"

This time, his son Oswald blurted out an answer.

"Yes. Maximian laughed, "We don't know each other's cards, so we can see from these details that this information may seem inconsequential, but it is helpful for negotiations." At the very least, it gives you a good idea. ”

"My son, take you out to see the outside world, not for you to play, but for you to see, listen and learn more. In the future, you will inherit my place, my name, and my army. You have to grow up as quickly as possible. ”

Maximian looked at his son and said meaningfully.

"I wish Carl could come with me ......"

Oswald sighed, he remembered his good friend.

"Carl Franz, huh, you said that shit?"

Maximian's face suddenly turned pale, how could he not know about his son, a good partner. The current emperor, Louis Bird, is his best brother, and the children of the two families naturally play well, and when he was a child, Oswald played with Louis Bird's son Carl Franz and were also like brothers. Maximian loved Karl no less than he loved his son, however, Cal Franz, who grew up in the lavish palace of Aldolf, can be said to have inherited the "elegant quality" of the imperial aristocracy, and worked women...... Even his father, Louis Bird, couldn't take care of it.

He ...... He's not waste...... He's just not grown up yet......"

Oswald said that he wanted to defend his good friend, but he didn't say much when he saw his angry father......