The wrong time, the wrong place, the wrong object.

Bradley's comments on the Korean War are somewhat inappropriate to the Great Emperor's dining room at this moment, but there is a strange response to the occasion.

"We will meet again in this form, fate is really unpredictable, Your Highness. ”

"I'm not surprised at all. ”

Answering lightly, as if discussing the weather, Nidhogg, who was standing behind Li Lin, frowned.

"The first time we met, I was like, 'Ah, one day I'm going to meet this guy in a very unpleasant way. The hunch came true, well, I really should buy a lottery ticket when I have time. ”

Raising the knife and fork that had split the honey cake, Valrhona looked nonchalant.

The dragon princess fulfilled her promise to Roland. Just as Nidhogg was about to launch a fatal blow, Valrhona and Roland fired a strong jamming bomb at the same time, and the strong light, popping sound, and electromagnetic interference not only made Nidhogg lose his sights, but also lost all detection methods in a short period of time. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Valrhona drove the "Dendrobium Orchid" out of the battlefield, and just as she was about to complete the rendezvous with Roland and his party and get out of the airspace of the foggy reef, the appearance of someone "just right" made everything go to waste.

After that, things are much simpler, disarm, surrender, transfer prisoners. Surprisingly, as the princess of the dragon clan known for her strong self-esteem, Valrhona was the most straightforward and cooperative one to surrender.

The so-called anomaly is a demon, Nidhogg, who is also a dragon, said that this must be Valrhona's conspiracy, and the golden dragon who is not only chested and hips, but also scheming, must be planning something.

The loyal captain of the guard grinds his back molars. While staring at Valrhona with a blank expression. I don't know if I felt Nidhogg's knife-like gaze, Valrhona placed a basket of doughnuts in front of her eyes, and after a while. Twenty donuts disappeared without a trace, and the girl's puffed cheeks were reminiscent of squirrels, but the roll of her eyes at Nidhogg immediately made one feel sorry for the lovely face.

"Your Highness is really open-minded. ”

Ignoring the secret battle between the two people who don't eat sweets and will die, Li Lin slowly spoke:

"It's hard to imagine that we've had a big fight before. ”

"The situation is always changing and evolving, and those who can't adapt to it will be eliminated. ”

"Huh, that also includes changing sides and positions?"

"It's because you think about your position that you want everyone to resist to the end. And then kill the adopted son that he cultivated, the puppet doll that rebuilt Charlemagne after the war, and the chess pieces that can be used to contain the dragons?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Nidhogg's poker face. It wasn't because Valrhona pointed out Li Lin's various arrangements and ideas - the dragon princess who had been mixed in the intelligent society for many years had an unusual sensitivity to politics, from the signs of Yalfheim's actions. And the anomaly of letting Minerva visit Alfheim and letting her go, she will sooner or later reason for a reasonable answer. However, the princess of the dignified golden family did not change her face and said words like "those who know the times are junjie" and other words with a traitorous and traitorous aura, which is really ......

Admittedly, even if Roland and Minerva gave up resistance. For the most part, Endeavour will make a final struggle. On the one hand, it was because they didn't know Li Lin's terrifying strength. Deep down, there is always a fluke in the hope of a miracle. On the other hand, they already know that it is the elves who are fighting with them, and for the elves who appear in the legend as insidious and vicious, murderous without blinking, keen to skin people to make lampshades, boil human oil to make soap, and gnaw raw without even removing their heads, everyone has the idea that instead of being tortured and killed, it is better to die vigorously and have a happy idea. Although these guys who fought to the death to save the skin on their bodies could not turn the tide of the battle, they could still cause a little trouble for Li Lin and the defense forces - such as losing those pieces that they didn't want to lose in the melee.

Valrhona's happy surrender solved this problem very well, seeing that the dragons with strong self-esteem gave up resistance, no matter how stubborn the guy was, he completely cut off the idea of fighting to the end at this time. The whole process of surrender went extremely smoothly. Not a single person died, and the wounded were treated. It can be said that everyone is happy.

But even if the results were indeed satisfactory, Valrhona should not have admitted it so simply. After all, the consequences of such an act are serious enough for every smart person to be cautious and not admit it without thinking.

Although she had done a lot of unexpected and even surprising things, this time it seemed a little too much......

Just when Nidhogg wondered if Valrhona was sane, or if there was some conspiracy hatching, Li Lin spoke again.

"Did Your Highness consider the consequences of interfering in our internal affairs before?"

"In the worst case, the dragons will become enemies of you and disappear from the world. ”

Valrhona replied nonchalantly.

And yet you did it anyway. ”

Archon Alfheim narrowed his eyes and looked at Valrhona impassively.

"Can I hear what made you decide that you should not hesitate to take such a risk? Please don't prevaricate me with hypocritical words like 'promise', the reason why the princess of the dragon clan can do this is not so simple. ”

The straightforward question is like a dagger against the throat, and the red pupils still do not have any emotional ups and downs, but the light reflected is undoubtedly threatening and warning.

- Depending on your answer, it may decide the life and death of the dragons.

Gazing through the calm pupils of terror, Valrhona secretly swallowed.

"I wonder where the world will go in the future, and what trend we dragons should follow in the chaotic era of change. ”

The mystery is that in addition to the convenience of being an ancient species, and the dragons themselves are not too interested in the wisdom species, it is important and easy to ignore that the dragons have an unusual sensitivity and shrewdness to the issue of taking sides.

On the surface, the dragons have never been involved in the disputes of the wisdom race, but in fact, the dragons have had several "divine will agents". Privately, he also had several tacit collaborations with the Church, and was directly involved in the hunt for Lynador Darch and the Golden Hen Knights decades ago. Although the operation ended in a crushing failure, the overall strength of the dragon clan was not greatly affected. The Mother Goddess did not condemn the dragons. When it comes to defending racial interests alone, they are winners.

These reptilian dead houses that like to collect glowing objects have their own survival intelligence, on the one hand, they will carry out the orders of the Mother Goddess without discount, which is the bottom line of the Mother Goddess's tolerance for them, and on the other hand, they will also try to minimize the losses of their own clan in the process of carrying out their tasks. It is by virtue of this survival strategy that the dragons can survive safely while maintaining their transcendent status, and any attempt to undermine the existence of this strategy will attract the hostility of the entire dragons, whether this being is a sapient species or a member of the dragons - Azdahaka is the best comment.

And in order to achieve and sustain this strategy. The dragon clan of the past generations has always sent the most intelligent and perceptive royal clan to mix in the wisdom society, and the apparent reason is to observe the development and evolution of the wisdom race on behalf of the mother goddess, but in fact, it is also to gather intelligence information to be able to adjust their stance at a critical moment.

Valrhona is the royal family in charge of collecting intelligence. She has the obligation to observe the development of the world, and she also has the authority to intervene in intellectual disputes to a certain extent based on her own judgment.

I see, that's a very reasonable argument. It's just Her Royal Highness—"

Li Lin knocked on the table and said slowly:

"Can I interpret your statement as not favoring the elven camp and me?"

This is a serious accusation. As an ancient species that should be absolutely obedient to the will of the Mother Goddess. He actually questioned whether the Divine Will Agent could control the war between the wise species under the instructions of the Mother Goddess. And to get the final victory. This is not only a matter of IQ, but also a serious issue of position involving the entire dragon clan due to Valrhona's special status.

Li Lin is very powerful, and he is not easy to fool, as long as he wants to, this demon king who can kill all the creatures on the surface in one day does not mind turning the dragon clan into history.

"It's not a question of whether it's a good idea or not. ”

"Huh?"

"Unless there is an external force capable of destroying the world level, the rise of the elven camp and the new era of transcending the king of the world will be inevitable. The question is after this. Where is the world going, and how are we going to be?"

“...... That's an interesting subject. ”

A near-frozen depression gathered in the restaurant. Li Lin showed a soft smile like everyday.

Ignorance is a bliss, but for intelligent beings, they do not see it as happiness.

From the standpoint of the creator and manager, this can be simply summarized as "easy to think too much", and this is precisely the tendency that managers do not want to appear in the objects they manage, what the mother god has been doing and what Li Lin is doing now is to prevent the creatures on this planet from "thinking too much". Now, a dragonborn who is also acting to carry out the will of the Mother Goddess tells the Transcendental Species, who is preparing to bring the world into "eternal peace", that she is helping a human boy in his rebellion against the Transcendental Species in order to figure out where her own clan should go......

This is a complete mistake in position, and there is a suspicion of insulting the intelligence of others. Either Valrhona had something wrong with her head, or she thought someone else was a fool, otherwise she should never have given such an inexplicably dangerous answer.

"After all, we have never met a transcendent species like you before, the unknown always brings fear, and before fear turns into stupid behavior, there must always be a channel of understanding that can control the risk. ”

"Are you trying to say that this is your own arbitrariness, in order to clear it up?"

Li Lin sneered, and Nidhogg's increasingly sinister expression on the side said silently, "I don't accept it."

"Individual Dictatorship" is a great card, but this gecko-cut tactic doesn't work for everyone.

Valrhona spread her hands and shrugged her shoulders with a wry smile.

"In the context of the offensive and defensive alliance between our race and the elven camp, I can only use this form to obtain information. Especially in the context of your high level of secrecy about post-war strategy, I had to take a slight risk. ”

Swallowing the 23rd doughnut with coffee milk, Valrhona let out a sigh of relief.

"The world system you are trying to build is very different from all the systems you have built so far, ostensibly a continuation of the elven-dominated system of the old kingdom of Gilmania, but not more than a thousand years ago. The population and influence of the elves cannot be compared to even the worst period of the Old Kingdom era. No matter how much the power is increased and how much the system is perfected, it cannot change the fact that the new millennium empire is a regime that supports a small group of ethnic minorities with a majority of people. The new system is not as solid as it seems. And in order to prevent excessive comfort from causing the slow death of the organization, it is necessary to leave some kind of device to vent dissatisfaction, to maintain the vitality of the state and the organization with controllable strife, and to ensure that in the event of a major crisis, the new state will not be helpless and collapse overnight, as in the old kingdom. ”

"What you want to confirm is this device to vent your frustrations, which is Roland. ”

"Why else would you adopt the son of a man who rebelled against Mother God? Let him receive the best education and discover his potential, and this state of affairs happened. You haven't punished him for a long time?"

Very reasonable logic, completely in line with Li Lin's consistent thinking mode, but there is one place where something went wrong.

"And what are your observations?"

Li Lin tapped on the table and asked in a clear tone:

"Satisfied?"

"He's a good guy. ”

Restrain a loose attitude. Valrhona had a deeply touched expression.

"You can't see someone else die without saving you. You can't turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. If we ignore the suffering, our hearts ache and we must help the weak. He's such a nice guy...... I don't see at all that it will be you who have been educated. ”

This is probably the feeling of the vast majority of people, including the elves, the passionate and idealistic Roland, the cruel and calculating Li Lin - the two are like water and oil, and it is impossible to imagine that there is a close connection between them. It's just that considering Li Lin's style of doing things, he will take it for granted.

"People who are dissatisfied with reality are easily attracted to things that are not realistic, in a sense. It's a means of escapism. But these things -- revolution, democracy, freedom, universal values, for example, do resonate with a lot of people. Many of those who were attracted were willing to give their lives for it. ”

"Universal values?"

"You can understand it as a conglomeration of many words -- democracy, freedom, human rights...... All those nouns that the populace feels good and comfortable with when they hear it, so that they will accept it. With a little sweetness and incitement, the anti-establishment guys will gather and turn into a manageable conflict that will keep the economy and government organizations alive. Lasting peace can be sustained forever. ”

Roland, on the other hand, was the ideal leader of an anti-establishment organization, who knew the costs of all-out war, who was rational, and who had enough charisma and organizational skills. It's the best billboard for the anti-elf camp, an important part of the post-war system to control the unwanted—"

Valrhona took a deep breath, her perfect face devoid of any expression.

"There is no dialogue, and there are no concessions. Divide all people into categories, and use force and system to build visible and invisible walls, on which are painted 'Obedience to all, everyone lives the same life within the walls' today. It will be unbearable for him to be unbearable, and it is a normal reaction. ”

"You can't stay young forever. Faced with the question of whether to sacrifice millions or tens of millions of people in exchange for generations of hundreds of millions of people who are no longer poisoned by the flames of war, or to satisfy feelings and let life continue to die meaninglessly in chaos, Rolandor today is likely to lean towards the latter, and what about ten or twenty years from now? After experiencing friction and struggle with reality, he will finally understand that life is priceless, and every life has immeasurable value, but the number of lives can be calculated. In order for the majority of people to continue to survive, it is necessary to abandon some people and the so-called 'freedom', and the so-called 'friends of justice' are such things. This is fate, it is unreasonable and unfair, and human will and feelings are meaningless in the face of fate. ”

"It's so spicy to throw out the righteousness of violence and overly explicit values. ”

"Are you not satisfied with such an answer?"

"No complaints. ”

There was a crisp clash between the empty coffee cups and the shallow saucer, and the sound of losing temperature echoed.

"From my standpoint, I am not qualified to accuse you of your views and ideas, whether it is theory or reality, you are correct, besides, we dragons and the divine will agents of the past generations have always done the same thing as you, and I myself am a member of the Boring Lord and one of the parts of the maintenance system, so I really have nothing to blame you. But you should be well aware—"

Pushing the plate open, Valrhona stared at the other end of the table, her voice tinged with clear emotion for the first time.

"You betrayed the last person you deserved. It is true that politicians must be free from moral bondage, and even more so should you, as a substitute of divine will and transcendent species. To treat everything as parts and data, and to take it for granted to show your adopted son, is not to show the demeanor of an adult, and most people call it brazenness. ”

A low roar forced Nidhogg to take action, and the dragon girl who stood up angrily propped up the table and continued to yell at her mask-like face.

"Didn't Roland take action just because he couldn't stand it?"

"Bastard thing!"

Nidhogg pounced, his face full of murderous intent on his tense poker face, and his scaly claws fell on Valrhona.

"Stop. ”

The sound of stopping came in, and in a thousandth of a second, Nidhogg retreated to his original position, his brow nervously tangled.

"Her Highness Valrhona. ”

After Nidhogg was settled, Li Lin spoke again.

"The pact between us and the Dragons remains in force, given that your actions were of your own volition, and that you did not cause any material damage to our forces. I am not going to pursue this issue, except for the critical areas, you have full freedom of movement on this boat. But we only take such a gentle approach based on the covenant, and I want you to remember that. ”

is full of threats, and Valrhona, who is not afraid of heaven and earth, can't help but feel a chill in her heart. After a few seconds of pause, she spat out a "whatever you like" reply, Valrhona turned and walked towards the door.

"It's a bad feeling to talk to you, so let me be alone after that. ”

Leaving an unhappy remark, Valrhona left the room. Looking at the closed door, Li Lin glanced at Nidhogg on the side, saluted the captain of the personal guard, turned around and walked to the door with a proper pace, turned around and stood up again and nodded respectfully before bowing and exiting the door.

The dining room fell into a dead silence, and after a few seconds as long as a year, the corners of the distorted mouth calmed and the inhuman face murmured.

-- The target showed the 17th reaction, and the physiological index was C3.

-- In line with expectations, the feasibility of the plan has been improved.

-- No objections, and we will move on to the next stage.

There is not a trace of intonation and frustration, and the ultra-low sound that will not be captured by intelligent beings dissipates in the room, disappearing without a trace along with the temperature and life in the room. (To be continued......)