After Shug looked away from the magic letterhead, Zeke Ernst spoke, "I can tell you unambiguously that most of the information here has been checked...... These things do happen. ”

"The 2nd and 4th Artillery Regiments, located in the rugged hills, have suffered very serious damage, and according to the latest directives, they have begun to retreat and prepare for the replenishment of troops."

The old man raised his glass slightly, sniffing the tempting smell of the wine, and said, "The other legions, as well as the ranks of our allies, have also suffered some losses, but everything is still within the scope of bearing, so those predetermined plans will not be easily changed. ”

Shuge accurately captured the point of this sentence, so he frowned and asked, "The predetermined plan?" ”

"Hmm."

The old man turned slightly, and with a finger freed out of the palm of his hand holding the wine glass, he pointed to a huge map hanging on the wall of the exhibition hall.

"The climate on the plains is different from ours, their soil is more fertile and wetter...... Therefore, after the arrival of winter and the massive snowfall, the roads and ground on the plains will begin to become muddy, and in that case, the movement of troops and the transportation of supplies and weapons will be greatly affected. ”

Speaking of which, if Xiuge still doesn't understand what the other party means, then he is simply pretending to be stupid.

So he asked, "You mean, we're going to attack?" ”

"yes...... To attack. ”

At night, the temperature outside drops even further, but the huge mansion is warm in the work of magical rituals.

Feeling uncomfortable, he tugged at his collar and took off his blood-stained trench coat and placed it on the back of his chair.

As if he hadn't seen Xiuge's demeanor and movements, Old Zeke kept his previous pace and said, "It's no secret, you go and take a look at the map, I made some adjustments before you came...... It should be easy to understand. ”

So Shug walked towards the map.

This map is not purely a decoration, it is actually an alchemical product of the Waters School of Magic.

Perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it a magic sandbox.

A large number of magic legends, logos, words, and lines hovered above the vast map in the form of translucent phantoms, and at first glance Shug saw the dark curves that symbolized the boundaries of the Lowe Plateau and the Plains of the Goddess.

This curve is generally referred to as the "earth slab".

On this "staircase" that traverses almost the entire continent, there are several obvious gaps and passages, among which the southern gap closest to the kingdom of Deland is close to the site of the current garrison and joint "exercises" of the highland states, where is the craggy hill, and above this important passage is the city of Selen.

The poor city was planted by Old Zeke with a striking crimson flag.

Xiugu's gaze moved up the dark curve of the "Earth Steps", and he saw that in the middle of the curve, as well as near the upper position, there were already blue or purple signs.

In two of them, dark blue lines have even been drawn to symbolize the line of defense.

"The east side of the Black Nest Mountains, the upper reaches of the Isa River......"

"Yes, that's where the focus is on, especially the Isa River, which is already a multi-sided disputed area...... The Saint-Steeles of the North, the Tereans and, of course, us...... Everybody wants that place. ”

"Saint-Steele is our ally."

"Yes, so next, these northerners will take on the main offensive pressure in the Isa River valley."

Xiuge narrowed his eyes: "It's winter, the Isa River will soon be frozen, are they preparing for a large-scale attack when the river is frozen?" But it's not far from Merlinle, and the frozen ice is not an insurmountable problem for the mages, as long as the Dharmas are willing to invest, they can make the river thaw early...... In this case, the St. Steeles of the Isa Valley were destined to not be able to attack first when the Delands had already set up a defensive line and mages intervened, and they should lag behind a little bit, and only make the next move based on the situation after the battle broke out east of the Black Nest Mountains. ”

"Hmm...... Nice perspective, go on. ”

Old Zeke shook his glass and motioned for Xiuge to continue.

Shug turned his gaze to the area east of the Black Nest Mountains, where there was a very conspicuous gap, as if the "Earth Steps" had been smashed by something and cracked as a result.

This gap is equally famous.

Because of the abundance of silver in this area, it is known as the "Silver Corridor", and in front of this "Silver Corridor" there are also dark blue lines that symbolize the defense lines of the plains.

At this moment, General Bernhardt, who shared Xiuge's vision and also observed the map in front of him, suddenly spoke: "That's not right, there is a problem with the grand strategy...... Although the Silver Corridor is very suitable for the troops on the plateau to march downward, once they get out of this gap, they are destined to face pressure from multiple directions, and even if they can penetrate the defense line head-on, the logistics line is very easy to cut off, and the part that has left the 'Silver Corridor' will be completely isolated. ”

But soon, Bernhardt reacted to himself.

He found himself instinctively using the habits and perspectives of the past to look at the map in front of him, and after thinking of the new weapons he had never seen before, he said in an uncertain tone, "Unless...... Fast enough? Not only can it penetrate the defense line head-on, but it can also expand the control area towards the periphery, forcibly creating a stable protrusion in a short time...... But is it possible? ”

Listening to Bernhardt's words, Hugg instinctively turned his head to look at the new weapons that had been placed in the exhibition hall and combined the crystallization of steam machinery and magic.

This action was seen by Lao Zeke, he nodded very satisfied, and then said: "The form of war is different, the quality of the soldiers is important, but this time, we not only need to consider their courage, but also need to verify many new inventions, I have a hunch, they will change our perception of the concept of war." ”

Hearing this, Xiuge was silent for two seconds.

Then he raised his hand and pointed to another fluttering magical banner near the city of Salem.

It is dark black and does not have any markings on it, but it inexplicably gives people an unfathomable and strange feeling.

"This is supposed to be the source of the mana turbulence?"

"Yes."

"It's close to the city of Selen, what's going on with that city now?"

Old Zeke drove his wheelchair to the small round table, took a small sip of the wine in his glass, and then put it down.

His face turned rosy, probably from the wine, and after exhaling a very soothing sigh, he said, "Very bad, according to the latest agreement signed by the three parties, the entire city of Salem is now under the control of the mages of Merlin Lehe...... When the magical turbulence swept through the city, it disrupted the ritual set up by the Legislature, but it was soon resumed by the Legislature, and it is said that someone escaped from the city during the brief interval. ”

"So, even in this case, this war is still going to be fought?"

Shuge turned his head to look at the old man in the wheelchair, and he said seriously: "In the last conversation, you mentioned the matter of the Black Sun Prophecy, in this case, wouldn't people associate this anomaly with the Black Sun Prophecy?" ”

He shook the letterhead in his hand: "I think, not only us, but the Kingdom of Deland and the Law Commission...... Everyone should know that this is not an earthquake in common sense, but a new disaster that is not yet understood by mankind and is difficult to predict and deal with......"

"I know what you're going to say, kid."

Old Zeke interrupted Xiuge's words: "But the pace of war does not stop. ”

"The kingdom of St. Steele is having a hard time right now, Merinle and the control and monopoly of the crystal mines are about to crush them, and if this continues, the rule of the northern royal family will sooner or later be defeated by external forces, or overthrown by their own people, so it is extremely important for them to regain the ownership of the crystal mines in the north from the hands of the Law Council, and the land of the Isa River valley and the ice-free ports in the north are equally amazing for them, and they will not stop."

"As for the Kingdom of Hell, their maritime disputes with the countries south of the Plain of the Goddess have also completely broken out, and the profits brought by colonies, sea routes, and the transportation and sale of goods to the eastern world have made Merlin Le and the people feel greedy, so the Kingdom of Hayne will not be willing to withdraw...... Their overseas colonies are already in action, and it may not be a few days before the news comes back. ”

Old Zeke had heard of these cases before Xiuge.

"But the turbulence and disturbance of magic is an uncertain factor for everyone, and one cannot leave it alone," he asked. ”

"Of course it's impossible to put it down."

Old Zeke grinned, "But now, no one can say what that is...... Especially now, there is no way for Merlin to take the lead on this kind of issue, even if everyone will send their own scholars and teams to investigate, it is completely impossible to share the results of research as in the past. ”

"Is it a pure hidden danger or a new opportunity...... Who can say for sure? ”

After hearing these words, Xiuge couldn't help but sigh.

An old man and a young man interrupted the topic of military affairs very tacitly, and at the signal of old Zeke, Xiuge pushed the wheelchair and walked in the direction of the study accompanied by Ellen and other personal guards.

There was a window open in the study, and Xiuge wanted to go over and close it, but was stopped by Zeke, and the old man seemed to have some quirks, as if he was enjoying the cold winter wind.

At the signal of Old Zeke, Ellen and the others exited the room and closed the door.

"Your father is dead."

He said such a sentence very blandly, and there was not much emotion in his words, and it sounded as cold and dull as a cold wind blowing in.

Xiuge was slightly stunned.

His knowledge of Yerevan Ernst was too limited, and the original owner of this body was more inclined to fear and disgust towards Yerevan, and when he suddenly heard this sentence, he didn't have much emotion.

"I killed it."

However, the old man's next sentence really surprised Xiuge.

He didn't even know what kind of expression he should "pretend" to put on now, shocked? Sad? Saddened?

Or is it something else......

Xiuge was really unsure, so he had to keep his face shut.

Seeing that Xiuge did not speak, Old Zeke gently embedded the magic crystals on the wheelchair, and drove the wheelchair to the huge desk in the innermost part of the study, he pressed his finger to the corner of the desk, and with his touch, the fine magic lines spread out on the surface of the desk, and then, a hidden drawer that was obviously reinforced by magic rituals jumped out of the mezzanine of the desk.

"Your father, his hand is too long...... Like most of the nobles in Bolden, he didn't know how to stop and didn't know how to measure. ”

As he spoke, he took out a small flannel bag from the drawer with his thin palm and placed it on the table: "Tell me, child, what do you think of the Black Sun Society? ”

Shuge looked at the old man behind the desk for two seconds before he replied, "A bunch of madmen. ”

"Hehe, madman...... Let's talk about it, what a 'crazy method'. ”

At this moment, Xiuge expressed his truest judgment: "They are not the same as the 'madness' that ordinary people understand...... Their madness stems from their perceptions and beliefs, and it is likely that the members of the Black Sun Society have fundamentally denied their human identity, believing in the lost ancient gods and aspiring to become the family of these gods, and on this basis, all their actions will lead to an unpredictable chaotic end, which is not beneficial to any human individual or collective. ”

Hearing these words, Zeke Ernst pondered for a long time, until another cold wind blew into the room, and he came to his senses, and asked, "Son, this judgment of yours...... What are they based on? ”

"Based on my own experience and what I have seen with my own eyes."

Xiuge raised his finger and pointed to his feet: "As long as the underground of the manor does not collapse, then you can go and see for yourself what is going on there, that is enough to say a lot about it." ”

Hearing this, the old man seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief, and he gently pushed the flannel bag forward: "Take it, with this certificate, you can mobilize and use the family's resources to a certain extent, and it will also be helpful in terms of connections." ”

"Sounds like I can leave?"

"That's it."

Old Zeke watched as Xiuge picked up the flannel bag, and finally had a smile on his face again: "I will seriously consider the suggestion you said...... When the soldiers have cleaned up the ruins under the manor hotel, I'll go and see for myself. ”

Xiuge nodded, and in line with the principle of respecting the old and loving the young, he asked, "It's cold in the room, do you need to close the window for you?" ”

"No, there are guests coming."

(End of chapter)