After a while, Christophe walked in with a few scrolls. "Madame, Delphi said you wanted to see me. Do you want to see that?" He handed the scroll to the Queen.

"I want to see them all. Thank you. She replied, taking the scroll in one hand.

Christophe was Gianna's Minister of the Interior. During the period of governing Theramore, he was always doing something for Gianna. He has an exceptional knack for dealing with irritating chores, making him the perfect person for the job. It was precisely because of him that Gianna was not so angry as to kill because she was so overwhelmed. Before the war, Christoph was a clerk to Generalissimo Garissus, but later rose to prominence because of his organizational prowess.

Of course, because he didn't make any military achievements, he didn't make much progress in the ranks. Christophe was tall, but he was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he didn't look like even the elderly Delphi. His hair was black and straight, just above the shoulder, like a black frame, framing a bony face, a hooked nose, and a always worried expression.

Gianna repeated Sal's words: how the Ogatt was in distress, how a nearby cruiser did nothing.

Christophe raised his thin eyebrows and said, "This story doesn't sound very believable. You say it's about a mile from Ratchet City?"

Gianna nodded,

"But we didn't send a cruiser to that area, ma'am. ”

"It was foggy - perhaps the ship that Captain Bolick had seen had deviated from course. ”

Christophe nodded, reluctantly agreeing, "But ma'am, it's also possible that Captain Bolick is wrong. ”

"Unlikely. Gianna walked around behind the desk and sat down in her chair. She placed the shipping record on the table where there was still room for something, "The orcs have a lot better eyesight than we do. And don't forget, the eyesight of being chosen as a lookout is even more extraordinary. ”

"But we have to consider another possibility, and that is that the orcs are lying. Before Gianna could object to this, though she would have liked to, Christophe held out a long finger and said, "I don't mean Sal himself, ma'am. The chief of the orcs is an admirable hero, and that's right. You can count on him. But I think in this matter, he only played the role of a mouthpiece. ”

"And what do you mean?" Gianna knew the answer, but she wanted to hear Christophe say it with her own ears.

"I'm going to say what I've told you hundreds of times, ma'am—we can't trust orcs 100 percent! That's true, but what about the others? If we believe they're all sincere to us, we're fools! And they can't all be as sensible as Saar. Thrall is our strongest ally against the Burning Legion. I have great admiration for what he has done - but what he has done is only temporary. Christophe put his bony hands on the table and leaned over to Gianna. "Now the only one who can control the orcs is Thrall. If he is gone, I promise you, the orcs will soon be unrecognizable and do everything they can to destroy us. ”

Gianna burst out laughing. She didn't mean to, and Christophe's words were a copy of Saar's - though they shouldn't have been uttered from the home secretary's mouth.

Christopher smacked up: "Isn't that funny? ”

"Oh, no. I just think you're thinking too hard about the problem. ”

"It's you who oversimplify. Now, with the exception of this city-state, all of Kalimdor is in the hands of the orcs. Christophe hesitated. It's so unusual. The reason why the Home Secretary was able to occupy a high position was because of his straightforward personality. He always did.

"What do you want to say, Christophe?"

"Our allies... I care a lot about that. The orcs have taken control of the entire continent... A lot of people are bothered by this. For other reasons, though, they are still holding their ground. But—"

"But right now, I'm doing my best to defend myself against foreign aggression. ”

"As long as the great mage, nemesis of the Burning Legion, the beloved Queen of Prodmore rules Kalim for one more day, the whole world will be in peace. But as soon as they think you can no longer control the orcs, the situation will change immediately. The invaders' army will turn your deceased father's fleet into a pile of rotten fishing boats!"

Gianna collapsed in her chair. Indeed, she almost never thought about the world beyond Kalimdor. She's too busy, too busy battling demons, too busy managing Theramore. But the battle with her father had taught her the truth that humans who had never actually fought alongside the orcs still saw them as insignificant as beasts.

But Kristof shouldn't think so. "And what do you mean, Secretary of the Interior?"

"This Captain Bolick is most likely an instigator. His purpose is to make Thrall betray you - to betray humanity. Although we occupy the North Outpost. But when we got out of the gates of Theramore, we were alone. The orcs will surround us - the trolls will be on their side, and the goblins will not be on my side. ”

Gianna shook her hand. It's a nightmare that has haunted the humans living in Kalimdor for years. It seems that since yesterday, humanity has only just begun to believe that this nightmare may not become a reality. Trade with the orcs is still going on peacefully. Separated by the Barrens, which lies in the area between Kalimdor and Durotar, the two incompatible races have lived in peace for three years.

Gianna was thinking. Is it just the way things should have been, or is it just the calm before the storm? Both races are recuperating and waiting for the moment of eruption?

Before she could think about it, a tall, dark-haired woman walked in. The woman had a square face and a pointed and straight nose. Shoulders are unusually broad. She wore the standard army uniform - a green cloak draped over metal armor with the anchor badge of Kurtilas embroidered on it. Coultiras is the home of the Proudmoor family.

She raised her right hand near her forehead and saluted, "Colonel Lorena has reported to you as instructed, ma'am." ”

Gianna stood up and said, "Thank you, Lorena. It doesn't need to be so formal. What are you going to do?" Standing next to Lorena always made Gianna feel short, so she always stood up straight so that she could appear as tall as possible.

Lorena lowered her right hand and put it behind her back, still standing straight. "Yes, ma'am, she sued me. We will leave for Fort North in an hour, and I have sent a messenger to inform Major Daven. ”

"Good. You've both done a great job. ”

Lorena saluted. Left happily. Kristof has been hesitating for a while.

Gianna felt as if he had something to say, and asked, "What's the matter, Christophe?"

"You should probably let Lorena stay at the North Outpost and strengthen the fortifications. ”

Gianna didn't think about it, and immediately replied, "No!"

"Madame—"

"The orcs want us to evacuate the North Outpost, Christophe. While I won't accede to this request, I will never strengthen the fortifications, especially if they suspect that we are not willing to help them fight the pirates. ”

"I insist—"

"Alright, you can go out, Home Secretary. Gianna said coldly.

Christophe looked at her with a gloomy face for a long time, bowed slightly, raised his hand, and said, "Madame—" and walked straight out. (To be continued.) )