"Burns, you are exempt from death, but you cannot escape from living. You cut off your tongue and left hand yourself, and then send them to Elder Seraphine to appease her anger. From now on, your work will be left to Agamemnon.
Take over, you can go and retire." The high table headed by Burns pronounced his fate.
"Thank you elders for your mercy." Burns kowtowed three times and then cut off his tongue and left hand on the spot. This bloody act did not move the assassins present. This was considered the most merciful result.
Someone soon helped Burns, who was weak from severe pain, out of the conference hall.
Burns knew that this outcome was the best outcome for him.
The Principality of Shire, the Storm Fortress, and the Grand Duke's Residence.
The envoy of the Ablix Empire, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Valentin, came to the Principality of Charles with the marriage contract of the new emperor Peter, and met with the Grand Duke of Gros. The summons took place in the small restaurant of the Grand Duke's residence.
This can indeed be said to be a small restaurant, which is very small compared to other restaurants in the Imperial Palace.
But the area of five hundred square meters is still larger than the banquet halls of many wealthy families. The six-meter-high vault looks deep and profound under the reflection of the huge magic lamp. The ten-meter-long dining table is in this 'small' restaurant
, like an isolated island in a huge lake.
The Gross family has been guarding the north for thousands of years, resisting the attacks of the orcs. In addition, the Shire Territory has always had strong folk customs and strong martial arts, so the things used to decorate the restaurant are armors, swords or specimens of high-level warcraft.
The layout is basically the same as that of Grand Duke Gros' study.
Grand Duke Gros is fond of grilled food, and tonight’s main course is a calf that has been roasted all day. Except for the liquor that has been hidden for nearly a hundred years and the precious caviar, there are no special dishes. This is not the same as the Southern Empire.
The contrast between the luxurious life of dignitaries is sharp.
Unlike Grand Duke Gros, who was a hard worker who concentrated on eating and drinking, Fiona and Nielas Ellan were sitting on both sides of the Grand Duke. They were not interested in the food on the table, but looked at the people who came forward with burning eyes.
The Minister of the Interior Valentine.
The Minister of the Interior, Valentine, is tall, his hair has turned gray, and his body has begun to gain weight. Although his thick beard is majestic, facing the indifference of Grand Duke Gros and the unfriendly gazes of Fiona and Elan, he
There was still a trace of cold sweat on his forehead.
Originally, he did not want to take this job, but in order to show his sincerity, Peter the Great had to choose among the cabinet members.
No one else was suitable for this mission. As a confidant of Peter the Great, he could only serve as the envoy to Charles.
But after arriving in Charles, Valentin was about to tell the purpose of his trip when he was greeted by Grand Duke Gros to take a seat in the restaurant and have a meal first.
After shooing away the waiter, only the old butler Anthony, who was weak and unsteady, was left to serve behind him. He cut off a large piece of roast beef with a knife, swallowed it in a few mouthfuls, and then drank the strong wine in the glass.
After drinking it all, he took a long breath of satisfaction.
"The warriors of the Northern Kingdom should eat barbecue and drink strong wine. Only in this way can they enjoy themselves! Don't you think so?"
The Grand Duke of Gros, who had eaten and drank enough, came up and uttered vulgar words, which immediately startled Valentine. He was about to take a sip of wine, but in desperation he drank the whole glass of strong wine.
It's just that the strong liquor that had been hidden for hundreds of years was too strong. Valentine's face turned red and purple in an instant, and he kept coughing. You know, as a nobleman and an important minister of the empire, he only drank wine on weekdays.
It is a kind of expensive wine that only dignitaries can afford, but it is not as strong as these northern country bumpkins drink.
At this moment, it made him even more embarrassed.
Seeing Valentine's embarrassment, Grand Duke Gros laughed loudly and said: "We, the warriors of the Shire, are fighting for wine. It doesn't matter whether we can drink it or not. What matters is whether we dare to drink it! Well, you are a good boy!"
Valentine, who had returned to normal slightly, didn't know how to answer, so he had to say yes.
In front of Grand Duke Gross, he was as silent as a stone. Although he was in a high and powerful position now, it was only in the past few years. When Karl Gross and the late Emperor Charles III became famous, he was just a person with a low reputation.
What about ordinary nobles?
"Tell me, what does Peter mean by asking you to come?"
"Oh, that's it. Peter the Great is going to marry your beloved daughter Fiona, Grand Duke of Gros. This is the marriage certificate of the Albrex royal family. Please take a look at it." Valentin quickly stood up and handed over the royal marriage certificate in his hand.
superior.
"Don't even think about it!" Fiona was very angry when she heard that. She stood up and drew her sword and pointed it at Valentine.
"Tell Peter, let's not mention that I am engaged. Even if I were not, I would not marry that shameless man who killed his father and killed his king! If you dare to mention it again, I swear, you will not be able to leave the Shire!"
Valentine was a little stunned for a moment, and he didn't know whether to accept or send the marriage certificate in his hand.
"Stop, Fiona!" came the majestic voice of Grand Duke Gross. Although it was not loud, it was full of unquestionable meaning. "Sit down, what do you look like!"
Under the frantic gesture of Archmage Nielas Ellan who was sitting across from her, Fiona had no choice but to put away her sword and flop down on the chair with a puff of anger.
Valentine was overjoyed: It seemed like there was a chance! The task assigned by Peter the Great could be completed.
After the old butler Anthony handed the marriage certificate to Grand Duke Gros from Valentin, Grand Duke Gros read it carefully.
Not long after, the Grand Duke finished reading and casually threw the marriage certificate with the royal seal of Albrex on the dining table. Soon, the table was soaked with grease.
This made Valentine feel bad.
"Tell Peter, I, Karl Gross, neither recognize Peter's legal authority nor will I marry my daughter to someone without a king or father. This is our attitude in Charles. Tell Peter, if it is not necessary to resist
The orcs from the north are about to invade, and I want to send my army south to attack him."
Gross's attitude shocked Valentin and pleased Fiona.
"How dare you insult our emperor like this? Aren't you afraid that our emperor's army will crush the Shire?" Valentine pointed at the Grand Duke with a trembling finger.
"Over there, let Peter lead the army to meet me. I would like to see what shameless people who dare to betray the interests of the empire and cooperate with the Holy Empire come to see me."
When Valentin saw that Grand Duke Gros was completely torn apart, it was useless for him to say anything. After all, the dignity of the empire was at stake, so he stopped trying to save the situation:
"Okay, okay, then you can wait for our emperor's army to attack. Also, don't forget that your supplies are under the control of the empire."
"It doesn't matter, I just want to see the difference between the Charr army and the imperial army. Also, if you dare to cut off the supply of the Charr, then you will be responsible for the invasion of the orcs in the future."
A flash of light flashed in the eyes of Archduke Gros, and his ice-cold gaze almost froze Valentine instantly.
"Anthony, see the guests off!" Mu Yong's questioning words came from the Grand Duke's mouth, and he issued an order to expel the guests.
"Please." Anthony, the old butler, motioned to Valentine.
The furious Valentine waved his hands and left the Grand Duke's mansion with his men.
"Father, is there no problem with being so tough?" Fiona asked the Grand Duke worriedly after the messenger Valentine left.
In fact, she was the one who was tough and opposed at first, but as the situation later developed to the point where a war was imminent and the Shire's trade supplies were cut off, Fiona became a little worried.
"It doesn't matter, Fiona. Personally, your engagement with Eloise cannot be broken; publicly, if you really marry Peter, I'm afraid that in a hundred years, Shire will become a province of the empire.
That boy Peter has a good plan, he wants to marry you and use the charr as a dowry."
"Yes, this is Peter's conspiracy. Fortunately, Char has the power to crush this conspiracy. As for cutting off trade supplies, Peter is not a fool. We, Char, can't defend it. Does he want to taste the power of the Orc Empire?
!" Nielas Ellan said.
Grand Duke Gros was in high spirits:
"We can't fight with Albrex. It's just a formality at best. If we cooperate, we will both benefit, and if we fight, we will lose. Even though Peter's character is not very good, he still has this talent and strategy. We also
We have to prepare for war. It is estimated that soon, in order to save his dignity and face, Peter will lead his army to fight with us at the border."
"The soldiers of Shire are not afraid of any invading enemies!"