From the moment he saw Sophia, Xiuge had already made up his mind that he would not easily believe any words of the other party.

If the princess of Waterl wants to understand and verify the strange events and disasters that have occurred in the city of Selen, Shuge can still understand it, after all, Sophia is now closely related to Waterl's army system, and her contact is extremely frequent, and knowing these events may be able to provide some help to the troops and soldiers on the front line.

But if Sophia said that she knew nothing about Prince Havid's death, Hug would never believe it.

He was sure that the struggle for imperial power had always been the center of intrigue and struggle, no matter when and where.

A princess who can win the support of the people in the kingdom of Wattel and the trust of the military with her personal abilities...... It's not easy to think about.

In the days since he woke up, Hug had asked Alfred and Verin more than once about Prince Harvede's assassination, and when he learned that Prince Havid's vehicle was theoretically large enough to cross the battlefield under fire, Hug knew that the doorway was much more complicated than he had expected.

In this assassination incident that shook most of Vann, not only the shadow of the independent government of Salem City and the Black Sun Society, but also the traces of the Wattle royal family are also very obvious, in comparison, the kingdom of Deland, which was dizzy by the series of combination punches, and those "hot-blooded youths" who were completely used as gunmen, are particularly passive and pathetic.

As for Princess Sophia's last words, Xiuge could certainly understand the meaning.

The fact that she dared to call herself a princess in front of the two of them and the royal housekeeper was enough to show that Sophia had indeed gained the upper hand in the current power struggle for the heir, and not only that, but she had also begun active preparations to expand her sphere of influence and extend it into new areas.

The Ernst family was clearly one of her targets.

Thinking of this, an idea quickly took shape in Xiuge's mind, so he looked up at the tall figure opposite him and asked, "Your Highness, let me ask a question...... Is the influence of Field Marshal Zeck, or the Ernst family in the military system, in your way?"

Sophia's gaze paused on Xiuge's face, she didn't nod or shake her head, but said directly: "Marshal Zeke is my military teacher, and he is also the founder of the current military theory of the Wattle Kingdom, while the Ernst family continues to contribute valuable elite talents to many fields of the entire kingdom, especially in the military field...... They are all indispensable pillars of the Kingdom."

At this moment, even Wei Lin understood what Sophia meant.

The princess, who was about to show her strength, seemed to be dissatisfied with the status quo in the Wattle Kingdom, where a considerable number of nobles divided and dominated the military power, after all, the army was her foothold at the moment, so she would never want to share this field with anyone.

Now that she had said that, Sophia's plans and ideas were very obvious, at least for now, and she hoped that someone would be able to probe the inside of the Ernst family for her. ….

As for the statement that he hopes to compete for the position of the heir of the family, Xiuge temporarily considers it a superficial statement, after all, his current situation is really very special, even if he searches through the entire Vane, he may not be able to find a case of illegitimate children winning in the family struggle.

"Your Highness, can you give us a little time to discuss and think?"

"Of course, but only for tomorrow and the next two days."

Sophia seemed to know that Shuge would not give her an immediate answer, she nodded slightly, and then turned her head to look at the butler Finn, "Arrange a meeting with the Teresa and Seren envoys for me, and as for the Mage of Merlin Lehe, leave it to the professionals to deal with...... The meeting of the coalition nations will be adjusted to the morning after tomorrow."

After Finn nodded, Sophia said to Shuge, "Then, the afternoon after tomorrow, it will be the deadline for the two of you to respond."

With that, she suddenly showed a bright smile, "Don't worry, I'm not going to keep it

Secrets and ruthless acts, of course, I also hope that the two of you can keep their mouths shut...... Today's dinner was very pleasant, and we have the opportunity to have a good exchange again."

"Also, Mr. Shugg, I really like your work."

……

Shog and Verin, who were "escorted" back to their room by the Ymir Legionnaires, sat in the living room and fell silent for a long time.

Vilyn was a little autistic.

She had never regretted the decisions she had made in the past, but this time, she did regret accepting the commission from the Ernst family.

Verin thought about it for a moment, and then decided that if she hadn't accepted the commission, she should have studied her subject or learned and dismantled new magic in a library now.

Rather than being caught up in this whirlpool that makes people tremble when they hear it.

And this time, the troubles that are coming are more complicated than those that have been faced before, and as a scholar who adheres to the idea and habit of "problem-solving", she is really ...... this swamp of power full of dilemmas and interpersonal relationships Thank you for not being sensitive.

Of course, Xiuge is also self-contained.

It's just that what puzzles and nervous him is not the choice he might have to make next, but the mystery that exists in the Ernst family's movements.

"There's no need for Princess Sophia to deceive me, and what she said matches the clues that Wei Lin provided before...... If what Sophia said is true, it means that I have never really been out of the sight of the Ernst family, and that surveillance of this body has begun since the original owner of this body left Bolden and was sent to the city of Seren."

This series of conjectures made Xiuge feel very uncomfortable, and although he was in the VIP room of the Adlon Hotel at the moment, and there were even elite Ymir legionnaires guarding the door, he still had a strong feeling of being watched and spied on.

Not only that, but the behavior of the Ernst family made him have a not very good association.

"Black Sun Society?"

Xiuge silently pronounced the strange and ominous name in his mouth. ….

He always felt that the series of plans and actions of the Black Sun Society in the city of Salem seemed to be faintly consistent with the trajectory left by the Ernst family, but the problem was that there was no direct evidence in the hands of Xiuge to prove this.

"Miss Viline? Miss Verin?"

Xiuge screamed twice, and the rare and somewhat dazed female mage finally woke up from her chaotic thoughts, and she looked at Xiuge a little blankly, and at the same time, "Huh?" snorted.

To be honest, her appearance is quite interesting.

It's just that Xiuge didn't have the idea of appreciating it at the moment, and he asked, "Miss Vilin, are you...... What do you think of Princess Sophia's invitation?"

Wei Lin looked at the young man in front of her, she leaned back slightly, leaned back in her chair, and then she whispered, "Mr. Xiuge, I want to explain one thing first...... I don't really have a problem with you personally, in fact you are easier to get along with than almost all the young nobles I can remember."

This time, it was Xiuge's turn to look strange.

As if realizing that there was something wrong with her words, Wei Lin coughed lightly, she readjusted her form, and said, "I'm not specifically complimenting you on anything, but so that you can better understand what I'm going to say next."

"Well, it's even weirder."

Xiuge complained silently in his heart, but maintained his calm on the surface.

Seeing that Shuge didn't show any abnormality, Wei Lin finally returned to her usual state, and her voice became cold again: "My pursuit, or my personal goal, has always been to further excavate and study the secrets of magic, so I never mind paying any price for them, even if I may encounter danger and pay with my life because of it."

Xiuge continued to nod in agreement.

"But I don't have Princess Sophia's invitation

Know what to do."

After a brief moment of clarity, hesitation and confusion regained Vilene's eyes: "I must admit that the Princess's offer is tempting, but my intuition tells me that once I accept this invitation, I, or rather the things we will face, will be more dangerous than what happened in the city of Selen."

"I understand."

Xiuge answered, and then he took the kettle from the side and poured a glass of water for Wei Lin: "If it's really hard to make a choice, you might as well rest for the night, maybe you can think more clearly after sleeping."

Vicion lowered her head and reached out to take the glass.

"So, what does Mr. Shug think of this invitation?"

Faced with this question, Xiuge grinned helplessly, "Miss Weilin, I am in a different situation from you...... The choices I have been able to make have been limited, and many times, I don't even have a choice, and the reasons for all of this are complex, it could be my family, it could be my background, it could be something else."

"In the face of limited conditions, time and choices, all I can do is choose the lesser of two evils, and that's it."

The lights in the living room are still bright, and the sculpture of the elf by the door is still charming, but under the light, there are inevitably some shadows and dead corners on its body that cannot be illuminated. ….

"But I have always believed that the choices that an individual can make are often commensurate with the power, background and capital that he or she has, and that when all of this reaches a certain boundary, one can naturally carve out a third path from it."

"So I will choose to accept this invitation."

"Because only by accepting it can I avoid facing this dilemma again in the future...... When I solve the mysteries on my body and solve the root cause of these troubles, I will be able to be truly free."

Wei Lin frowned slightly, but she didn't refute what Xiuge said, and after listening to the last sentence, she asked curiously, "True freedom? Okay, so let's say Mr. Hugg does one day get 'real freedom,' what would you do?"

"Who knows? Maybe I'll stuff all the princes, princesses, aristocratic family law committees, and so on into the same work, and write them like everyone loves to see."

"It's a great idea."

Verin rolled her eyes, picked up her glass, and got up and walked to her room.

"Good night!"

The moment the door closed, her voice squeezed through the crack in the door and fell crisply into the living room.

It was destined to be a sleepless night.

Despite the unprecedented safety and comfort of his sleeping environment, Xiuge never had a deep sleep.

And when he finally got rid of his chaotic thoughts and managed to fall asleep, he had that dream again.

Again and again he dreamed of the boundless ocean, and again of the huge ship.

As before, he walked on the deck with a compass in hand, only this time the sea was calm and the sky was shining with a warm sun.

Strange fish with huge wings and stubby limbs leaped up from the side of the ship in droves, and they watched in amazement at Shog, the only guest on the ship, their gills quivering and their mouths chirping strangely.

In the distance, there seemed to be an "island" slowly emerging from the sea, and after throwing a cold glance in the direction of the giant ship, the island sank into the water again.

Holding the compass to the side of the ship, he was surprised to see that the giant ship actually had "oars", to be precise, black tentacles twisted into the shape of oars, which grew from the side of the hull and were constantly paddling in the water.

Everything was so bizarre, but Shuge couldn't point out anything out of it.

"I'm going to the bow of the ship......

Probably because he was in a dream, and when this thought came to mind, Xiuge had already achieved his wish

The earth came to the far end of the deck.

At the bow of the ship, Hug saw an incomparably large bow statue.

Shug approached it, but when he got closer, he could not see the shape of the ship's bow clearly, it seemed to be constantly changing, like a writhing mist, sometimes like a human form that could not distinguish between male and female, sometimes like a strange and fierce beast, sometimes like an octopus with countless terrifying tentacles.

In the strange change, the sunlight is gradually obscured by thick clouds.

Xiuge cast his gaze into the distance, but saw that there seemed to be a thin line looming in the sky.

The sea next to the big ship is still extremely calm, but under this calm, there is a suffocating oppression.

Zero doctors