The reception hall at Marienburg was empty and deserted for a dinner of only five people. Rhodes, Eliria, Bogur, Brandio, and Mondral sat on either side of the long table, quietly eating the food in their bowls.

Compared with the lively scene here half a month ago, at this moment, there is only a cold spot left for Rhodes and his party.

Although in the vigorous defense of Fort Marien, the Great Lord of the North, Rod Lawn, shined and led the Imperial Coalition to defeat the northern barbarians. However, for the officials of Marienburg, they had already paid a large amount of military expenses to the Nords, Osters, and Ostermark, that is, they would no longer lose any favors from the Empire.

So, whether you are a war hero or a regimental commander, for the officials of Marienburg, they have already paid their debts, and now, they are on an equal footing with you. Free reception, for Marienburg officials, is already an exception.

"These snobbish and despicable villains, we shouldn't have come to the rescue in the first place. ”

The more Bogur ate, the more angry he became, his big fist slammed into the table, and he angrily threw away the cold chicken leg in his hand.

"I've said it a long time ago, empires are like that. Marienburg is a representative and exemplary example of the Empire. Although they no longer belong to the empire, they have inherited the consistent fine style of the upper echelons of the empire. ”

Brandiotto returned with a smile. Ignoring the dwarf's violent temper and loud voice.

"I really want to go back to Dulong City immediately. Bogur got up from his seat and stood on the ground grumbling. "Rod, next time, don't call me such an aggrieved job. To cut Chaos, I can go to the north. ”

"I didn't know it would be like this before I came. ”

Rod pouted back.

"How many days do we have to get to Kislev?"

Emerald Lord Mundral asked.

"If nothing else, we can reach the port of Errengrad in ten days. If you want to go to Kislev City, it will take half a month. Because the land route in Kislev is much more difficult to travel than the water route. ”

Rod replied with a smile.

"As I said a long time ago, there's nothing to be nostalgic about here. Lord Rhodes, the people here are not the same kind of people as us. There is no need to stay longer. You need to rest, or I'll want to finish this meal and leave overnight. ”

The great nobleman Brandi Otto complained.

"By the way, there's something I just wanted to ask you. ”

Swallowing half of the sausage in his mouth, Rod turned to ask his partner Brandi Otto. Although his identity is the Great Lord of the North of Kislev. However, that was in Kislev. In the Empire, you are nothing. Rhodes knew that if he wanted to know more, he had to ask the locals. And Brandi Otto is such a person. At least still, although a few months later, with his roots in Kislev, maybe not.

"Ask, since I choose to follow you, I will tell you what I know without reservation. Grand Lord. ”

Brandioto threw down the food in his hand and made a gesture of deafness.

"Why does Marius, the Elector of Ivey, have such a strong desire to go north to conquer the Norscan barbarians? The emperor also did not make any sound, asking them to do any more duty. Why did Marius swear so much to go on a northern expedition at this time? As you and I know, there is not much to be gained in the crusade against the Norscans, and in the middle of nowhere, the military expenses of the war will be far greater than the gains. ”

Rhodes asked with a sideways face, though he didn't expect any information from Brandioto. But the room is cold, just find something to talk about.

"That's ...... question?"

Brandiotto bowed his head deeply and made a pensive gesture.

"I don't know, I don't have to say. It's normal that you don't know about the election of the emperor. ”

After Bogur was full, he was scared every day.

"No, no, no. Little brother, I know, I know the ins and outs of this matter. Brandiotto replied to Bogur and then turned to look at Rhodes, "Great Lord, remember what I said to you? Again, there is no information, money cannot obtain. ”

Brandiotto said, a confident and sly smile on his lips.

"How much money do you have?"

Bogur was curious.

"It's none of your business, you just need to know a little bit, it's really boring to have more money, really. ”

When Brandioto finished speaking, Bogur was speechless.

He turned his gaze to Rhodes again—

"Let's get down to business, Marius is actually sending troops to Nosca for his son. In fact, this is not hard information to obtain, and the lords of Ivey Territory know it. Lord Rhodes, you just didn't grow up in the Empire, and you're not familiar with the situation inside the Empire. ”

After Brandiotto finished speaking, he picked up his glass, took a sip of wine, and continued—

"I don't know how many illegitimate children Marius Lightdorf had, but the arrogant elector revealed only one son, Seedorf Lightdorf. What does this kid say? Everyman. did not inherit his father's old spicy and resourceful, nor was he as proud and aggressive as his father. In short, it's a boy with mediocre qualifications. Marius had wanted to have more sons, but as you know, a wife didn't come from having a baby. ”

"And Marius is getting older. He must have an heir, and Seedorf is the only heir, the future ruler of the Ivey Order. So, he had to grow. ”

"So, Marius launched the Northern Expedition in order for his son to make a meritorious deed, to establish his prestige, so that his subjects could submit?"

Rod asked.

"Almost. ”

Brandioto replied.

However, it was also for the sake of training his son. As I said before, Seedorf was mediocre in qualifications, incapable of force, and not as resourceful as his father. Marius may have wanted to train his son through this Northern Expedition. ”

"Then he's in the wrong place. ”

Rod whispered—

"There are so many dark forests in the empire, how many beastmen lurk, if you want to cultivate and train a person, you can start from these places. There is no need to travel thousands of miles to organize the Northern Expedition. ”

Perhaps for Marius, such a small fight was not enough to train his precious son. He needed merit, not a small feat like exterminating a few hundred Beastmen or the Greenskins, but destroying an entire Norsca tribe. ”

Brandiotto returns. The words were also mixed with a bit of ridicule and contempt.

"The boy will be buried by his father's own hands. He didn't know what the cold of the Northland was. ”

Aryria interjected.

But Marius doesn't think so. In his opinion, the Norscan barbarians were similar to beasts, and this time, they were perfectly strangled by the northern army alone. And the army led by Ivey plus the army of Talabek crushed the armies of the three northern provinces in terms of numbers and weapons. In his opinion, it was easy for Imperial firearms to wreak havoc on the Norscan barbarians. ”

Brandiotto said with a laugh.

"It's not just a numbers contest......"

"Great Lord, who has really been to the Northlands you described, except for a few of you?, in Marius's opinion, no matter how cold Nosca is, there are barbarians to survive. As long as it can survive, the climate will not be so bad. ”

"The Norskas and we are no longer the same people...... Some of them aren't human at all......"

Rod said thoughtfully, and the meaning of his words was known only to Alyria and Bogur...... The Norscan warriors who have been blessed by Chaos, by the time you meet them, it is already difficult to connect with humans...... Some warriors' armor and skin have even fused together, and killing is all they have to survive......