The cold room, like the dust of the past, when Rod pushed open Dennis's door, he was greeted by the coldness and loneliness of the room.

Dusty desks, worn-out beds, rusty windows...... Everything is still the same as it was six years ago. It's just that six years ago, Dennis's appearance has blurred. Rod only remembers that Dennis was a little girl at that time, simple and lively, clever, and full of ideas. Everyone in the castle liked the little girl very much, and since she was the lord's daughter, everyone let her.

The rusty windows were opened, and a faint ray of sunlight poured into the house. Rhodes looked out the window, where he could see the castle's schoolyard. It was here that Dennis used to run and play freely, and the laughter still seemed to echo in her ears, and she liked to play with boys' things, sticks, slingshots, and ...... At the same time, there is a special carefulness and sensibility of a girl. Sometimes the guards would play with her, and when they saw the lord coming, they would take it seriously. Those pictures, now looking back, can only smile bitterly, and can never go back.

It is said that the daughter is the lover of her father's previous life, Rod sometimes believes in this sentence, the young Dennis is like a flower held in his hand, although her face is not the best in the world, but here in Rode, Dennis is the most beautiful in the world. It's just that all good things are always fleeting. Love, family affection, when it is far away, you can only smell some fragments, the memories of that time, the beauty of that time, will always fade slowly with the passage of time. It is only when I occasionally stop and savor it that I feel so warm. Unfortunately, people will always change......

In the most important period of a girl's growth, she can't be by her side, is taken away by the Ice Queen, and becomes a tool of the queen...... Despite the beautiful name of church magic, witches are subject to a rigorous education, but every lord and nobleman knows the real purpose behind this trip. It is cruel for a girl to grow up too early. Rod didn't know how Dennis had spent his countless days and nights at the Academy of Magic. Just feeling guilty from the inside.

What has become of her daughter today? Rhodes is even more unknown. When Dennis was ten years old, he went to see her once, and at that time, her face had not changed much, but her mind had matured a lot, which was not the maturity of a ten-year-old girl. In the past few years at the Academy of Magic, it can be said that almost all of Dennis's childhood has been erased.

Forgive me...... Rod shouted in his heart, hoping that Dennis, who was far away, could understand......

The children of aristocratic families grow up in advance, and grow up stiffly under the rules and regulations, like caged birds, not free. And the children of poor families are even more miserable, even food and clothing are a problem, trying to climb up, but being ruthlessly trampled under the feet of others, the world is cruel, can only be understood in this way......

Rhodes walked out of his daughter's room and out of the castle to get a breath of fresh air, and he had to force himself to forget something, or it would haunt him like a shadow.

"King of the North. ”

When I went out, I happened to meet Alves who walked in. The little gnome was followed by two ironclad guards, looking very secure. When the two guards saw Rhodes, they immediately bowed their heads sideways, making a look of humility and awe. And Rod just put his hand on their shoulders and tapped them twice as a sign of trust.

"There are no outsiders here, let's say, what's the matter?"

"Can't I look for you if there's nothing to do?"

Alves was tongue-in-cheek.

"I'm busy right now. ”

"I'm busy looking at things and thinking about people. ”

"You should read more books so that you don't always care about other people's private affairs. ”

"Mm-hmm, I think so too. ”

Alves raised a wicked smile. He wanted to tell Rhodes that the priestess Lyanna missed him a lot, but he swallowed it again. This is indeed a private matter, it's hard to say too much, and if Caroline finds out, I don't know what she thinks. Chase Yo Literature

"Let's get down to business. Alves said, giving his two ironclad guards a look, and the two guards immediately understood and respectfully exited the door. "From the Ironhide invasion to your claim to the throne, and then to the siege of Erengrad, we have almost run out of food. It should be said that it has been used up. ”

"I have seen the fiscal revenue, there is a surplus, you can first import some basic grain from the empire and deposit it in the granary. ”

Rod said calmly.

"But the problem is that there is not much of a fiscal surplus, and according to your requirements, the treasury must have a certain amount of reserves, and the surplus in the first half of the year is just enough to rush into the reserves. Of course, if you don't fight this war, we can have a big surplus in these two years. ”

"War must be fought, and if you don't fight, someone will force you to fight. As for reserves, this year is a special situation that allows for a reduction in the amount deposited in the vault. Food is always the most important thing. During the siege of Erengrad, it was difficult to buy a bag of bread. ”

Rhodes returned in a coherent manner.

"Don't worry, this difficulty is only temporary, the north has been united, and Erengrad has been liberated. All the basic conditions are still in place, and trade production can proceed steadily. More importantly, after the capture of Erengrad, the entire Kislev Bay will be equivalent to our inland sea, and all ships can now sail between the empire and Kislev unimpeded, and the full opening of the port will inevitably bring rich economic benefits. Many people think that Catalina still has an absolute advantage, but they don't take into account that in the long run, the north will not necessarily be weaker than the south. Stara Erengrad was once the largest port in the north. The economic strength is not inferior to that of Kislev City. ”

He went on to -

"But I'm not going to let this war drag on for too long. ”

"Because Dennis is still in Katerina's hands?"

Alves asked.

"That's one of the reasons, and the other reason, do you think it's good for a country to be in a civil war for a long time? It's a serious internal strife. ”

Rod replied calmly.

"By the way, what are you going to do with those prisoners of war?"

Alves asked, looking at his lord to see if he was still calm and sober. After all, not everyone can stay calm at all times when they can lose their daughter at any time.

"Those who are willing to take refuge in the North, let them join the Legion. If they are unwilling, they will be sent to forest farms and mines. ”

Rhodes briefly returned.

"But it will not be easy to get these people to surrender, not because they are really willing to die for the queen, but because their wives, parents, and children are still in the south. ”

Rod rubbed his temples and added.