A flash of silver lightning tore through the thick clouds, and the dazzling light shone in the dark sky. A burst of thunder passed through the rain curtain, causing a pavilion next to the manor's waterside pavilion to tremble slightly, and also squeezed the people in the pavilion.
eardrum.
Swath Hepburn was wearing a black dress and stood quietly in the center of the hall with his hands behind his hands. The rain was raging outside the pavilion, and the snakes and thunder and lightning could be seen in front of his eyes. The young Duke still looked as usual. Even if the raindrops wrapped by the strong wind were stained,
The hem of his robe and the hem of his robe did not wake him up from his meditation; the sound of thunder could not disrupt his breathing in the slightest.
"Duke Swish Hepburn." A soft and charming voice sounded in the pavilion. Although it was not loud, it could drive away all the noise outside the pavilion: "Are you ready? The little princess wants to see you now."
"Yes." Siwes turned around and bowed slightly towards the direction where the voice came from: "I'm ready."
"Please follow me." The first demon general nodded slightly, and a lavender flower spun out from the hem of his long skirt in the corridor.
Siwes followed five steps later, crossed the corridor at the same pace, arrived at a three-story building, and climbed to the top floor in silence.
A blue gauze curtain is not affected by the wind outside the building at all. It hangs quietly from the ceiling, dividing this spacious space into two halves, one large and one small. Through the gauze curtain, only a vague shadow can be seen.
Judging from the outline, she is sitting by the railing.
"My dear little princess." Through the gauze, the first demon general bowed his head respectfully and reported back: "He is here."
"Bring him in."
The first demon general lifted up the gauze curtain and made a gesture to Sivis.
Swice lowered his head slightly and walked through, kneeling facing the railing: "Devil Alliance, Swice Hepburn meets the little princess of the dark demon clan, and wishes the little princess..."
"Aren't you tired of such polite words? Humans in the entire Demon Alliance like to kneel down so much and talk nonsense, but they are the only ones who have no ability to deal with Sibiya. These useless wastes,
You might as well find a place where I can't see you and kneel down to death." The little princess held her cheek in her hand and looked at the wind and rain outside the building in ecstasy: "You are different from them, stand up."
"If this is the wish of the little princess." Siwei didn't hesitate and stood up immediately.
"Do you already know what happened in the Holy City?" The little princess stretched out a hand outside the fence and watched the big raindrops hitting her white jade palms, causing splashes of water: "I'm sorry for your plan.
In other words, this current situation should be a good start!"
"Yes, I have received the message from Lord Demon General. Although some unexpected things happened along the way, the exclusive trading rights were finally obtained." Siwes nodded: "The first step of the plan
If it is implemented smoothly, the next step is to arrange the personnel within the joint business group so that it can adapt to the central area planning and gradually sprout a new demon alliance."
"Such things have happened in the past. Whenever this happens, the humans in charge are always extremely excited. Adjusting personnel means redistributing power or even centralizing power. Of course, in the past, this kind of group was not called a coalition.
The business group is called the Empire." The little princess smiled: "But, Siwes, I have not found such fluctuating emotions in you. Don't you want power?"
"Not only do I want power, but I also want to ensure the absolute nature of this power. The reason why my emotions don't fluctuate is not because I lack emotion, but because the concentration of power is just the beginning. And my goal is to revive the Demon Alliance.
, Defeat Sibia." Without any consideration, Siwes replied: "Only when this goal is achieved, I will be excited... Maybe at that time, I have forgotten what excitement is."
"The pessimism and calmness in your words left a deep impression on me." The little princess knew the expression on Siwei's face without looking back. For no reason, another human face appeared in her mind, that human face.
The wildness and rebelliousness on the ground are so clear at this moment... Secretly blaming herself for being distracted, the little princess then asked Siwei: "Although it only covers the central area for the time being, the scale of the joint business group is huge. You
Do we still have enough people on hand?”
"The manpower aspect is relatively tight, but fortunately the adjustment of personnel is a step-by-step process, so I won't be in a hurry." Swice replied: "The most appropriate method at present is to adjust from top to bottom. I will first
Put the people trained by the family into key positions, and then establish an institutional management staff and administration similar to the Presbyterian Church, so as not to interfere with the daily business of the business group."
"The method is feasible. You can choose the talents within the demonic attribute. If that's not enough, go and look for the divine ones. You can induce, coerce, or kidnap as you wish." The little princess nodded: "But
I don’t want you to be careless and put someone into the joint business group who shouldn’t be there. Duke Swice is a smart man, so he should know who I’m talking about, right?”
"I understand." The Duke nodded: "No member of the Skull and Bones Society has a chance to enter the business group."
"I have no objection to you using them to do something. In fact, when I left these remnants behind, there was a reason for you to use them." The little princess finally turned around, with a light and soft expression on her face.
With an expression on his face, while speaking, he took the silk scarf and wiped the water stains on his hands: "Whenever you use up, just say hello to the first demon general and deal with them yourself."
"I will obey the order." With a tremor in his heart, Duke Swiss lowered his gaze and saw a silk scarf stained with water falling to the ground.
"There is another question, but it is not a business matter, it is just of interest to me." The little princess looked at the man who lowered his gaze and asked with a smile: "Frankly speaking, the plan you have made has nothing to do with you.
The education you received doesn’t match it, right? Aren’t the nobles of the Demon Alliance more willing to use upright force when they encounter opponents?”
"Actually, it's very simple. Because I found that no one is the opponent of Cohen Keda simply on the battlefield. His combat skills are unparalleled. Even if he won the battle against Sibia, he would not be able to defeat him.
The current situation is not of much help. However, the Demon Alliance is declining irresistibly in war after war."
Speaking of this, the Duke's eyes were full of calmness and indifference.
"The top priority is to save the alliance, so that the alliance can have a minimum fighting strength as soon as possible, and we must also use this period to cultivate talents who can adapt to the new type of warfare. Twenty years is actually very urgent." He raised his eyes and said,
Siwes said softly: "I learned a lesson in this war. Sibia did rise because of Cohen Keda. He is the most dazzling point. Although his light has always obscured the others, this
The empire is a whole. As an opponent of Sibia, we cannot be deceived by this appearance, otherwise we will harm ourselves."
"Since you have thought so carefully, I will not say anything more. You don't have to pass on the daily situation of the business group through other channels. The demon generals will ask regularly. You must remember that I will support you in implementing this
The plan is for the Dark Demon Clan, and the background you have now is even better than that of Korn Keda. The Demon Clan’s expectations for you are higher than ever before, and I believe you will cherish this opportunity.”
"yes."
"I'm tired too." The little princess waved her hand and turned back to look at Yu Jing: "Go and do your thing!"
"Farewell to the little princess." The Duke stepped back step by step, the expression on his face was as indifferent as water.
Sbia Empire, Holy Capital.
Ever since the previous military victories against the Demon Alliance, this city has been extremely busy. As an imperial capital, part of its functions have suddenly become stronger, and in a short period of time it has exceeded the capacity of the city.
Wealth from foreign compensation poured in like water, and caravans and mercenaries crowded in the newly opened commercial district, making every street look so prosperous. Now the Holy City has become the economic hub of the northern part of the empire, and it has also brought with it
The mission of supplying the Riva Empire.
However, the sudden increase in the empire's area made the political status of the Holy City become increasingly embarrassing.
First of all, all construction in the empire is closely related to money, and everything must give way to the economy. Losing balance will inevitably lead to deformities in development. Parks, elite clubs and other places were converted into commercial areas and warehouses;
Professional guilds, royal academies, and noble residential areas are surrounded by the hustle and bustle of bargaining every day; one mile away from the palace wall is the largest auction house in the Holy Capital... In recent years, the royal family has received numerous complaints from nobles
, said that the Governor of the Holy Capital, Colter, had already put the idea of expanding the commercial district into their house.
Secondly, the choice of a country's capital must be subject to the basic function of "the most effective administrative management". But now the country's land area has more than doubled. If the area of pro-Sbia forces is included,
The area is even larger. Under such a predicament, the Holy Capital, which is located in a corner, is obviously no longer suitable to assume the functions of the imperial capital. Among other things, an ordinary order from the Holy Capital is delivered to Kan by expedited horse.
It actually took more than two months to travel to the border areas of the province.
Therefore, there have long been rumors in the government and the public that His Majesty the Emperor may want to move the capital. After all, a city with highly developed commerce has lost the majesty and dignity of the imperial capital. As for where to move, the core ministers have remained silent. But careful subordinates
I will still detect some clues from the official documents I handle, and the exchanges after dinner will further verify the authenticity of these remarks.
The magic crystal ore mined from the dark forest has not been stored in the warehouse for three years. It is used daily because of foreign acquisitions or war compensation. The various building materials and labor on the list are inconsistent with the data. There is only one reason, "Royal Special Supply"
; And the most elite army in the empire is not on the supply and training list of the Military Staff Department, but it appears on the military pay list of the Ministry of Finance.
All this shows one thing, the new imperial capital is brand new, and the construction date is at least two years ago.
Two years, so much manpower and resources, enough to build an extremely magnificent city... In addition to the expectations for the empire's tomorrow, what is left in everyone's heart is the deep belief in His Majesty the Emperor. This project started two years ago,
The blueprint in His Majesty's heart has been vaguely sketched. Who else can be there besides Cohen Keda? Who else can push the Sibia Empire to such a peak?
Of course, except for rashly withdrawing from the Divine Alliance...
I have to say that His Majesty is a bit impatient in this matter, but this is His Majesty's character. He must have tolerated it for a long time towards the Alliance and the Temple. Fortunately, His Majesty has not abandoned his faith in the Light God Clan. This is
There is still room for salvation. After some time, when His Majesty the Emperor's anger has subsided, the Temple of Light will return to the land of Sbia, right?
Under the influence of the emperor, the officials of Sibia maintained a wary and contemptuous attitude towards the Temple of Light. As long as they imagined the encounter that befell the temple, they felt secretly proud.
The great temple in the Holy Capital, as well as the temples distributed in more than ten provinces, have nearly ten thousand priests. In addition, the gongs are used to clear the way, and the dog legs who bully men and women should be "invited out" of Sibia.
How long is a stream of people? The confiscated property is probably not a small amount. Although Sibia is already quite wealthy now, everyone doesn't mind admiring the expressions of the priests who were deprived of their property...
The officials had countless guesses in their minds, but they did not expect that there would be priests who dared to come to the palace at this time.
At noon, three high-status priests came to the main entrance of the palace, handed a scroll to the official on duty expressionlessly, and then left without looking back. They spat at the backs of the priests and said:
Only then did the officials send the scroll with a colorful halo flowing all over it.
On the top floor of the royal council building, the expressionless Cohen Keda took the scroll, weighed the weight and smiled. Taking the letter cutter handed by the clerk with both hands, Cohen gently scratched the magic seal, and then cut the knife
He threw it behind him casually, and when the clerk hurriedly jumped over to pick it up, he was already holding one end of the scroll in each hand, opening it amidst the slowly surging magic ripples.
In the sunlight, the gold-embedded text on the scroll is shining brightly.
The secretary gently put the knife on the desk and waited quietly for the emperor's instructions - only under two circumstances will the gold-inlaid text appear in the documents of the Temple of Light.
First, the document submitted to the Guangming God Clan is made of white jade with excellent texture.
Second, the news of the Guangming God Clan is forwarded to others. The difference is that it is based on a magic scroll that has not been damaged for thousands of years. Those magnificent and bright golden words represent the will of the Guangming God Clan. In the Divine Alliance, if a royal family of a certain country
Owning such a scroll is something worthy of boasting in itself.
Now, what His Majesty is holding in his hand is a piece of news from the Gods transmitted by the Temple of Light, but considering the order that Sibia recently announced to expel the temple, this scroll from the Gods of Light is a bit hot to handle.
When encountering such a major event, no matter who it is, they must first gather their subordinates to make a plan before dealing with it, right? Well, the first imperial concubine has left the Holy City, who will your Majesty call? The three princes must be needed,
The three imperial concubines must also be wanted, the old dean, the military general... I wonder if there are enough heralds on standby today? Your Majesty is impatient, don't waste time...
"Mistress!" His Majesty the Emperor's unhurried voice reached the clerk's ears.
"Yes." The secretary agreed quickly.
His Majesty Cohen has always adhered to the spirit of "training the whole body and mind" in treating his secretary. He even surpassed his predecessor in his treatment. Not only did he wantonly squeeze and make things difficult, he also directly nicknamed him "Little San". If
It's okay if it's just a nickname, but every time His Majesty calls him, he always uses a weird accent and calls it "touching the soul."
"Have you ever seen the princess of the Light God Clan?" His Majesty Cohen looked out the window, the scroll in his hand was being rolled up at random, and the golden words swayed rhythmically, reflecting the brilliant arc of light in the room.
"No." The secretary shook his head hesitantly, with a hint of nervousness on his handsome and handsome face. He could not guess what His Majesty Cohen was thinking, but judging from past experience, what happened next would not be a good thing.
"Do you want to pay your respects?" His Majesty Cohen turned around and walked to the desk and put down the scroll: "It is what the priests usually call - well, bathing in the glory of the God of Light."
At least at this moment, the clerk failed in his duty - he was distracted. His head, which was evaluated by the president of the Royal Academy as "very smart and coherent", was buzzing and brilliant; he was once praised by the Prime Minister.
His "calm and cautious" personality didn't help much either, so some meaningless sounds came out of his mouth.
"It's really not good..." After the shock passed, and he secretly lamented in the heart-stopping aftermath, the secretary replied: "Everything is at your Majesty's discretion."
The Light God Clan is an unknown, mysterious existence with supreme majesty, but in the secretary's heart, the distant God Clan is far less terrifying than His Majesty the Emperor. At least His Majesty Cohen is very close to him. In his own words, it is easy to
side.
"Go and change some clothes, call some guards, and let's go to the Holy Capital Temple." While speaking, Cohen, who had his eyes slightly closed, shook his neck violently, making a subtle "crackling" sound. This movement
Like gangsters on the street getting ready for a fight.
So, on the afternoon of this day, without notifying any of the core ministers, the emperor left the palace with only a few dozen personal guards and leisurely headed to the Great Temple of the Holy Capital.
His Majesty hummed the tune "The meaning of the word is unclear" along the way, and the expression on his face really seemed as relaxed and comfortable as if he were on an outing.
Gradually, the carriage arrived in front of the main entrance of the temple.
On the days when they were about to leave Sbia, the mental outlook of the priests suddenly changed dramatically. The square in front of the temple was very clean, and the priests standing at the gate were all of no rank. They all had smooth faces, modest expressions, and bright skin.
There wasn't even a single pimple on my face. The people who came to greet me were all wearing clean and neat robes, and every fold on them was carefully designed.
"If I had known this, why bother in the beginning." Amid the whispers of the priests, Cohen waved his hand to guide them ahead.
Today is different from the past. When the country was restored, Sibiya dared to put a butcher knife on the priest's neck. Now, it is even more difficult for everyone in the temple to think of a way to resist.
After walking through the long passage, His Majesty the Emperor's footsteps stopped on the path leading to the garden, and turned to look at his secretary: "Xiao San, you have to remember today so that you can tell it to your grandchildren by the fireplace in the future.
.”
The secretary nodded instinctively.
However, when looking at His Majesty's back standing with the tall protoss standing at the gate of the garden, a strange thought suddenly passed through the clerk's mind: Your Majesty Cohen, he seems to be looking forward to this moment... Could it be that the Expulsion Temple
Is the reason for the priest just for this meeting?
Thinking of this, the secretary was startled by his own thoughts and quickly lowered his head, fearing that others, especially the protoss standing in the distance, would understand his thoughts. (To be continued)