Lorena was led into Queen Proudmoor's chamber by Delphi, but there was not even a single person inside.

Lorena turned her face to look at Defe, who was a head taller than the old woman who was doing the queen's chores. "Where has the queen gone?" she asked.

"Don't worry, she'll be back soon. An hour ago, she had left to meet the orc chieftain - and she should be back soon. ”

Lorena frowned, "She's gone to see Sal?"

Deffy covered his mouth with his hand, "Oh, dear, I'm not going to mention this. Just if I didn't say it, okay?"

Lorena did not answer. She made an angry face, trying to scare the butler away.

And it worked. Delphi flew out of the council chamber, his glasses falling off the bridge of his nose.

After a while, Christophe came in. "Colonel, Delphi said you had something to report. ”

Lorena glanced at the Secretary of the Interior. Like the old woman, Christophe was a nuisance, but he really couldn't live without him - after all, a country doesn't just have an army. One of the first lessons her father and brothers taught her was to be kind to people, even if they were just shop assistants. These are the key people who make a department really work, more than those high-ranking officials.

But Delphi was so annoying that she failed to follow her father's advice. However, Christophe is the queen's right and left hand, and Lorena can't do the same with him. She suppressed her disgust for the Minister of the Interior, and reluctantly squeezed out a smile.

"Yes, Secretary of State for the Interior. I have something to report to the Queen. But we'll have to wait for her to come back. ”

Christophe smiled. Lorena had never seen such a hypocritical smile. "You can sue me first. I promise to convey it to Her Majesty the Queen in its entirety. ”

"I suppose I'd better wait for the queen to come back, sir. If you don't mind. ”

"She's on something important," said Christophe, hurriedly, "and I'm afraid she won't be back for a while." ”

The Colonel also gave the Secretary of State an equally hypocritical smile. "The queen knows magic—she can come back in an instant when she's done," she said. And she wanted me to report back to her in person. ”

"Colonel—"

No matter what Christoph wanted to say, he was interrupted by a loud bang and a bright light. Queen Prodmore is back.

The Queen's appearance was nothing special, Lorena had always thought so, though she had long been told that a mage should not be judged by her appearance. All her life, Lorena wanted to dress up like a man - she cut her hair short and never shaved her legs. Wrapped in tight underwear** - but no matter how she dressed, others could still tell at a glance that she was a woman. Sometimes, she often wondered why such a small, pale-skinned woman with long blonde hair and dark blue eyes could make everyone bow down to her.

Lorena thinks it probably has something to do with her usual demeanor. No matter where she stood. Even though she was the shortest, she always looked so tall. Her clothes were always immaculate: white boots, white blouse, white trousers, and a white cloak. And the most strange thing is that her clothes always remain a bright white color. As a soldier, if you want your shirt under metal armor not to turn gray or black, you need to spend at least a few weeks a year cleaning your clothes. And the results are often unsatisfactory. But Queen Prodmore's clothes were always white and shiny.

Lorena thought that this was probably the benefit of being a mage with great power.

"Colonel, are you back?" Queen Proudmoore said this as if she had been in the room all along, "What's the news?"

Lorena told the Queen, and of course, the Home Secretary, of her experience at the North Outpost.

Christopher furrowed his thin lips and said, "I've never heard of any of the Fireblade Clan. ”

"I've heard," the queen pulled down her hood to reveal her fluffy blonde curls, reaching over the table, holding a finger to her chin, "it's an orc clan, but it's extinct. I've heard people from the elite guard mention it. ”

Lorena was reluctant to hear the news. Strovo had heard of it. If even the Queen's personal unit had heard of it, then things would not have been as simple as they might have been. "Those must be orcs, ma'am, I'm one hundred percent sure. ”

"Perhaps they just want to dress up as orcs," said Queen Prodmoor, "and since they've used magic - it's confusing - it's possible that they've put on a mask." You know, if the orcs attack humans for no reason, our alliance will be over. ”

"It's also possible," Kristoff said, "that these people are just demagogues." They are under the banner of a clan that has become extinct. In fact, there is another purpose. ”

Lorena shook her head, "That doesn't explain what Strovo's brother heard at the Demon Buster Inn. ”

The Queen nodded. Her thoughts seemed to fly far away, as if no one in the room existed. Lorena didn't know many mages, but they all seemed to have this problem.

But unlike the mages, who had to be drunk to wake up, Queen Prodmore soon came to her senses herself. She stood up, "Colonel, I want to send you to investigate the Fireblade Clan. I want to know who they are. How to act, and whether they will use magic. If they recruit orcs, then why do they recruit humans? Lorena, find out all these things for me—whoever you need help, just ask. ”

Lorena straightened up and saluted, "Yes, ma'am." ”

"Christophe. I'm afraid I'll have to leave soon. The Thunder Lizard has escaped from the Thunder Mountains and is threatening the entire Dry Water Valley. ”

The Home Secretary frowned and said, "I don't see what this has to do with us?"

"The woods that kept the Thunder Lizards in the mountains are all cut down, and the orcs won't do that. ”

"How do you know?" Christophe's voice sounded skeptical.

Lorena felt that the Secretary of State was talking something stupid. "Of course it won't be the orcs," she said, glancing at the queen hurriedly, "I'm sorry, ma'am. ”

The queen smiled and said, "That's right. Please continue. ”

Lorena looked at Christophe and said, "Even if they were under the control of the Burning Legion, they wouldn't do that. Orcs worship the land - and, to be honest, a bit of insanity. ”

Queen Prodmore giggled, "I have to say that man's misuse of nature is more like insanity. However, the colonel's point of view is worth learning from. To put it simply, orcs are not capable of doing this - and it is not good for them to release the thunder lizards. So who else? Trolls, now ruled by Thrall; Goblins, neutral; And we, Durotal's allies. She sighed, "And the trees don't look like they've been cut down." Whether it's land or air, and there's no corresponding means of transport, so it can only be magic. ”

Lorena didn't like the speculation. She asked, "Ma'am, do you think the Fireblade Clan has anything to do with this?"

"Colonel, after listening to your debriefing, I am more inclined to this conclusion—so I would like to send you to investigate them. ”

Christophe crossed his two lanky arms over his chest: "I don't see any need for you to leave Theramore. ”

"I promised Sal that I would look into the matter myself," she smiled wryly. "Right now, I'm his primary suspect. Only I can cut down those trees and transport them beyond Kalimdor. Now the best way to prove my innocence is to investigate the matter with your own hands. ”

"I can think of several other options. Christophe said sourly.

Queen Prodmore walked across the table and confronted her Secretary of State: "There is another reason. There may be a kind of magic lurking there. Very powerful magic. If such a powerful force appears in Kalimdor, I must know who is controlling it - and why this faceless mage is so deeply hidden. ”

"If this really involves magic," it sounds like Kristof is a little angry—Lorena would love to beat him up—Kristof let out a long breath, his hands down, "Then I think you can do it." At least check it out. I take back my Jianyì. ”

The queen said coldly, "I'm glad you agree, Christophe." She walked over to the table and looked through the scrolls piled on top. "I'm leaving this morning, Christophe. In my absence, you will be in charge of the administration. I don't know how long I'm going, but you can exercise your rights in my name until I return. She looked at Lorena again and said, "Good luck! Colonel." You can go. ”

Lorena saluted and turned to leave. As she was leaving, she heard Christophe trying to say something, but was stopped by the Queen. "I told you. You can go, Home Secretary. ”

"Got it, ma'am. ”

Hearing the angry voice of the Minister of the Interior, the Colonel couldn't help but laugh. (To be continued.) )