However, just because you can't take people with you publicly doesn't mean you can't take them with you privately.
Especially for lords with changeable means, such restrictions are not without loopholes.
For example, use recruitment scrolls, or high-end storage props with independent spaces that can directly store living creatures.
Zong Shen’s [Pascal Contract’s Big Pocket (Gold)] counts as one piece.
And Zongze happened to have such a high-end storage item.
He had tried it before, and he could still use the teleportation array after loading it with living creatures.
So he planned to pack about a squadron of men into it.
Many times, manpower is more valuable than quality.
After all, this trip to the Imperial City was not just for a fight.
If we really go to the Imperial City to fight, let alone a squadron, it will be useless even if we bring a thousand squadrons. The strength of the Imperial City is one or two levels higher than the common giant city level.
So Zongze just planned to bring some auxiliary subordinates.
There are also heroes with unique talents.
For example, there is a hero-level talent under his command who comes from the underworld.
There is a unique talent called [Black Street Call].
This talent gives him extra charisma when he's on the underworld.
The so-called black streets are slums.
Almost all giant cities and state cities will have black streets to some extent.
The poor people in the black streets were scornfully called "rats" by the nobles.
They often stick together to form gangs or similar associations.
In many cities, underworld forces often have unexpected influence.
This is especially true in terms of intelligence collection.
The eyes and ears of the black street rats are basically all over the city.
Because of this, most giant cities appear to be hierarchical.
Stratification can not only significantly enhance the city's garrison standards, but also effectively block the penetration of black street rats into the inner circle.
Even when some states are holding meetings.
Underworld projects will also be invited to participate in the discussion.
Of course, this kind of situation is relatively rare in giant cities.
But no matter what, if the underworld forces are used properly, they can also play a big role.
There were only two imperial cities in Rhodok.
The destination of Zongze's trip was the contemporary royal capital, the imperial city named after the country's name, Rodok, that is, Rodok Imperial City.
It is very large and is also an ancient imperial city.
But no matter how old a city is, there are still dark streets.
It's just a difference of more or less.
Originally, he wanted to bring a few harem girls with him.
But after thinking about it, I forgot about it.
This trip to Rhodok Imperial City was originally just to pick up girls.
Bringing in a harem group will only increase additional risks, which will do a lot of harm but no good.
Shaking his head, Zongze thought for a while and finalized a list.
After ordering the call, he saw the message from his elder brother Zong Shen.
Quickly scanning the information that was like a short composition, Zongze suddenly had a look of astonishment on his face.
"I see!"
"From an aloof magical girl to a victim of family marriage."
"And it seems that her talent and pride were completely crushed by her younger brother."
"My brother's aura of five-series spellcasting talent eclipses her."
"And her marriage to Gray Foss was somewhat forced."
…
"Do you like people with high magic talent?"
"Then I should have a good chance..."
Zongze reviewed the information provided by his brother in his mind.
He had no doubts about the authenticity of this information.
After all, he is a blood-blooded brother, so there is no reason why he should cheat him on such a matter.
He has received the inheritance of the Arcane Spirit and has a powerful [Arcane Heart].
Zongze's spellcasting talent in the arcane department is basically at the ceiling level.
Improving your strength is as simple and satisfying as eating and drinking.
At the same time, he also has his own unique insights into the understanding of elemental magic.
Because the arcane department is originally a snake oil department.
Most arcane magic can be integrated into the power of the elemental system.
Therefore, when discussing spellcasting issues in the elemental system, Zongze is still very confident in himself.
"Huh?"
"[Aegwynn's Book of All Laws]?"
"Part of the spell set left behind by the second magical guardian...?"
"And this Aegwin is also Queen Svetlana's idol..."
Zongze was moved in his heart, but he also knew that this Book of Ten Thousand Methods must be a very precious prop.
This made him hesitate.
If after borrowing it, it is accidentally lost or stolen by an aboriginal boss, then the problem becomes troublesome.
He didn't want to trouble his brother.
I will only seek help if it is out of the way.
But the guaranteed reward for this mission comes with a huge city.
If we can further gain the favor of Queen Svetlana, we should be able to gain more.
After thinking about it for a while, he decided to borrow this Book of Ten Thousand Methods from his elder brother Zong Shen.
Normally it is stored in the storage compartment.
He will never take it out unless necessary.
You must know that the lord's storage compartment is a super safe for the aborigines.
Can't spy, can't steal, can't plunder.
The only person who can inherit the lord's inheritance is another lord.
So he hesitated for a long time and still replied shamelessly:
"Brother, I want~"
…
Kingdom of Nord, giant city of Talidaban.
This was once the largest city in the Kingdom of Nord, second only to the Imperial City.
At this time it was the centerpiece of the Trivosin family.
And the Trivasin family was completely in the hands of Queen Zandina.
At this time, there were a large number of high-level mercenary groups wandering in this giant city.
They were all recruited by Queen Sandina many years in advance.
Now she has become the guardian of flowers around her, or an army of confidants.
There is no castle in the center of the giant city of Talidaban, only a palace that looks quite majestic.
This palace is built very high and is connected by long staircases.
Fragrant flowers are planted everywhere.
You can see hard-working bees and colorful butterflies flying among the flowers everywhere.
The gentle sunlight shines down, making the gilded dome shine with dazzling light.
In the palace hall at this moment.
Zandina Trivasin was sitting on a beautifully carved chair.
She was wearing a luxurious dress with golden threads running around it, full of the charm of runes.
The dress is very loose, perfectly showing the majestic movement of the mountains.
His delicate arms rested casually on the seat handle.
On each side, a handsome male servant was beating her back and fanning her.
The white ravine is clearly visible, and the two snow-white legs are just right hanging out of the skirt.
She had a lazy expression and a deep charm in her eyes.
At present, she has achieved her wish and has become the queen of one-third of the Nordic Kingdom.
She has never regretted it since she made her choice.
In the hall, five people were kneeling on one knee and reporting something.
Three of them were wearing heavy rune armor, and the other two were wearing loose brocade clothes.
"The fighting on the front lines has slowed down."
"Guo... Ragnar no longer seems as angry as he showed before."
"However, the opponent's front has not relaxed. Instead, it has continued to increase its troops."
"It should be the second batch of levied troops arriving on the battlefield."
The leader, a thick-armored officer, lowered his head and reported the situation loudly.
Shandina's expression remained unchanged and she still had that lazy look.
She stretched out her slender fingers and tapped lightly.
The manservant next to him immediately stopped what he was doing.
Not long after, a glass of mellow wine was brought.
I saw Queen Shandina holding up the wine glass calmly and lightly pursed her red lips, making the two touches of red overlap.
She has not held a public founding ceremony yet, although she has already behaved like a queen in her territory.
But on the surface, she can't claim to be a queen.
After swallowing the drink in her mouth, Queen Sandina said in a calm tone.
"I know Ragnar."
"He's a vengeful guy."
"Although his nickname is Lion, he is actually full of desire for revenge."
"So don't expect him to compromise on the war."
"The reason why you choose to follow me is simply because of Ragnar's willfulness."
"He has failed the honor of his ancestors and is not a worthy king for the brave Nord warriors."
Queen Zandina did not directly evaluate the situation, but instead talked about the problems of King Ragnar himself.
No one spoke to her, and she didn't care.
Instead, he picked up the wine glass and took another long sip before continuing.
"Recently, our neighbor, the Kingdom of Avalon, seems to be in a lot of trouble and has a tendency to split."
"The kingdom of Vaegia in the north faces the threat of the White Walkers."
"The nobles in the two major regions of the Rhodok Kingdom have formed an alliance and have plans to openly withdraw from the Rhodok Kingdom system."
"In Kugit territory, the backhand left by the ancient orcs is erupting."
"A large number of ancient orcs began to appear in the mountains and forests."
"They are different from the current philosophy of escapist orcs, and have a strong desire for aggression."
"The Sultanate of Salander is waging a theocratic war."
"There are also a few new princes who, under the banner of ancestral fables, want to declare war on the always low-key Kingdom of Swadia..."
"The whole continent seems to be in chaos now."
"On the southern coast, I heard that Nagas are landing one after another."
"This is an era that is about to usher in change."
Having said this, Queen Sandina was silent again.
Beneath her slutty appearance, she hides a sinister heart full of keen sense of smell.
None of the people in the hall took the initiative to speak.
They seem to have become accustomed to Queen Sandina's style.
After about half a minute, a character wearing a brocade uniform who looked like a city official or a think tank asked cautiously.
"You mean...a union?"
Hearing this, Queen Shandina glanced at him with admiration.
"Old Buggy, you understood correctly."
"That's exactly what I had in mind."
"Then the question is, who should we turn to for cooperation?"
"Choose the archdukes of Avalon who participated in seizing the king?"
"Or seek the cooperation of the emerging nobles in the Kingdom of Swadia?"
"There are actually not many choices left for us."
"The northern Kingdom of Vaegia is not only in danger of the Night King's invasion, but it is also divided."
"I even have reason to suspect that one of the two parties fighting in the north has contacted Ragnar."
Shandina knows the situation on the mainland well.
As early as more than ten years ago, he began to make plans, focusing on intimidating and winning over various mercenary groups.
Many leaders of mercenary groups have signed loyalty contracts to her.
Now it has already spread its branches and leaves, scattered across the endless continent.
Became her ears and eyes.
Taverns everywhere, mercenary associations, and employment commissions from traveling merchants have all become channels for obtaining information.
Although it cannot be said to cover the entire continent.
But at least she can receive relevant information from the major giant cities and imperial cities in the seven major human kingdoms.
This led to the establishment of a relevant intelligence network.
Because the Endless Continent is so big, information can only be summarized by building nodes.
Among them, the higher priority and more critical information will be transmitted directly using special ultra-long-distance communication methods.
This greatly improved the efficiency of Queen Sandina in mastering information.
What she is currently thinking about is how to gain a breakthrough advantage instead of remaining in a stalemate like this.
After all, the actual territory controlled by the Trivasin family is less than half that of the royal family.
Not all the nobles who submitted to her were sincere.
The breakthrough point was her finding allies.
Allies are external forces that can make an immediate impact.
As long as they are combined properly, they can overcome the scale of victory and let victory pour to their side.
This idea is correct, in fact King Ragnar is doing this.
However, due to the location of the control area, the traditions left over from the Nord Kingdom and other reasons.
In fact, there are not many alliance targets for Queen Sandina to choose from.
First of all, considering the geographical location, the allies must be adjacent to the area controlled by the Trivasin family.
Therefore, all those distant countries cannot be counted on.
The only way to find allies is with the three kingdoms of Avalon, Vaegia and Swadia.
Among them, Swadia is very peaceful.
The old nobles who aim at eternal neutrality stick to their promises.
But in recent years, a group of restless new nobles have also emerged.
Their composition is very complex, consisting of neutral traveling merchants, wandering nobles, etc. from various regions.
It can be regarded as the outer layer of the kingdom's power center.
However, after accumulation, it still has a power that cannot be underestimated.
The only ones the Kingdom of Avalon can choose are those grand dukes.
As for the Kingdom of Virginia, she still had to send people to contact them.
Because that's where Ragnar is most likely to make an alliance.
To sum up, it is the emerging noble group of Swadia that is most suitable for alliance.
She has several mercenary groups staying there.
Face her problems.
Several people in the hall looked at each other.
In the end, we decided to adopt a strategy of casting a wide net.
That is to test them one by one.
The promised benefits come from the Kingdom of Nord itself.
First draw an empty pie.
If you want territory and population, you have to find a way to wrest it from Ragnar.
Putting down the wine glass, Queen Shandina rubbed the corners of her eyes.
"I'm sleepy."
"You go and do it immediately."
"Looking for suitable candidates to contact those forces."
After waving her hands, she left with the help of the valet.
The daily life of becoming a queen is no different from before.
The difference is that she became the core of power.
