The meeting the next day was held at the Erengrad City Hall. Maximian had a simple breakfast and then came to the city hall, which was only separated by a wall. Here, Rhodes and several important officials from Erengrad were already waiting in the hall.
.
The blue-gray stone walls, white marble floors, and windows made of ordinary glass. At first glance, everything here is so simple. Thinking of the luxury spread in the empire, Maximian couldn't help but feel proud of the Erengrad Municipal Government.
I was impressed by the low-key simplicity of the officials.
As the elector of the Osterland, Maximian traveled to many places, including the Empire, Bretonnia, Tilea, etc. These places were large or small, either important commercial towns or small border towns, but
Without exception, government official residences are much more luxurious than private residences and ordinary facilities.
However, Elengrad was an accident, just like its current owner, Rodlawn, who actually appeared in a formal occasion wearing an ordinary leather coat. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
In Maximian's eyes, this is very commendable. The winner is not eager to enjoy after success, but shares the suffering with the people. How many electors or lords in the entire empire can do this?
Thinking of this, Maximian couldn't help but respect the man in front of him a little more. Kislev is poor, but its rulers are not necessarily poor. At least, its spirit is not poor, and there is no need to use all kinds of methods.
Fill it with luxurious materials.
"Your Excellency Maximian, how was your rest yesterday?"
Seeing Maximian, the elector, walking slowly towards him, Rhodes got up from his chair, walked over and greeted him first, as a gesture of friendship.
"It's very good. The room is very clean. The maid is very beautiful and polite. Also, the hotel is very quiet. I like it very much. You know, in my castle, you can hear the sound of various weapons every day before dawn.
The sound of blows, the barking of dogs, the neighing of horses... Oh, sorry, I went too far."
"It's okay, I don't mind, Lord Maximian. In fact, before coming to Elengrad, I spent most of my life in the castle, Blackhammer Castle. Well, a small castle on the northern border.
The castle is also filled with the sound of swords and armor. Every morning, soldiers train on the school field downstairs. The knights feed their horses and ride them out for training. There is a blacksmith shop in the castle. Every day, you
You can smell the smell of steel and fire, well, that’s where we men should stay.”
Rhodes said with a smile.
After saying that, Maximian immediately laughed heartily, but the boy Oswald, who was less than fifteen years old, stood behind him with a look of disgust on his face.
"The city is very lively and prosperous, but it lacks that flavor. Even the things forged in the blacksmith workshop feel a little less chilling. Coldness and death are the main themes of Kislev. I am here
After staying in the north for so many years, I’m still used to it.”
After Rhodes finished speaking, his expression suddenly became serious. Then he looked at Maximian in front of him, and his smile bloomed again.
The latter also nodded in approval.
"It's understandable. In fact, I also spent my life in war. When I was young, my father taught me horseback riding and swordsmanship, and my uncle taught me archery. Then, when I was fourteen, I followed
They set out to slay the beastmen in the forest. You know, Oster, like Kislev, is full of dangers. Those forests shrouded in fog all day long are a hell and a nightmare for civilians. As this land
Lord, we must clear them out and clear away all threats in the forest so that farmers can dare to cut down and cultivate."
"I remember that the first time I fought against a beastman, I was almost killed by a beastman. At that time, its ax was less than one meter away from me. If only that ax was struck, I would die on the spot.
.Fortunately, at the critical moment, my father rushed over on horseback, and his spear pierced the beast, half of which was still in the chest. Then, my father cut the beast's throat with his long sword."
"I survived. After the war, my mother and father had a big fight, but that didn't stop my father from continuing to take me to the front line."
Maximian sat down and chatted with the Kislev lord, who also came from the battlefield, as if he had opened a conversation.
"Time and time again, I passed by the God of Death, but it was okay, it made me slowly forget my fear. I no longer felt afraid of going on an expedition. On the contrary, leading soldiers to kill the enemy became a common occurrence.
.”
"Sir Rhodes, I probably know a little bit about your experience, and it is considered a legend. I heard that in the northern wilderness, you defeated the invading Norscan coalition forces with a disparity of one to five. During the entire liberation of Keith
In the war in Rif, there were many victories with less. You even climbed to the top of Troll Mountain and fought against the Troll King... In the entire Kislev, no one has richer experiences than you."
Maximian said with a smile. This is not flattery. As the elector of the empire, Maximian does not need to flatter Mrs. Kislev. What he said is just the truth and not exaggerated at all. Of course, Rhodes
I know that the outside world still doesn’t know enough about this. In recent years, the most dangerous enemy has not been the Ice Queen Katarina, but Grimgor Ironhide. The black orc almost killed him, and he was also beaten when he went to the Troll Mountains.
The last step was forced to take the last step. The green-skinned army has gone away, but no one knows when it will come back. Humans are a race that heals scars easily and forgets pain. A few glasses of wine and a few women will do it.
Let them forget danger and hatred and indulge in timely enjoyment.
"Heroes are created in troubled times. Many times, people are forced to do certain things by circumstances and current events. If I hadn't been born in such troubled times, I would have really wanted to stay in Blackhammer Castle and retire."
Rhodes joked to himself. Maximian also let out a hearty laugh again. But this time you and I were talking about things that had nothing to do with the topic, which actually made the people around them look embarrassed... The agreed military
What about alliances and trade agreements? None of them have been mentioned so far... Only Alves, who is a master negotiator, can see the way. Talking about cooperation and business in front of unfamiliar people from the beginning is often easy to reach a deadlock.
After properly getting closer, inadvertently revealing the true purpose can sometimes have a very good effect. Chatting and getting closer are like lubricants, which can eliminate many barriers between the two parties. Of course, certain principles
The things above cannot be compromised in any way.
Alves just stood behind the scenes, asking his servants to refill their drinks from time to time.
However, Maximian's young son Oswald was really impatient. He stood behind his father and looked around, boredom written on his face...
"Let's put the trade agreement aside for now, my friend, there is one thing, I think it is more important than trade..."
Finally, the topic slowly got on the right track. Rhodes smiled and rejected the trade negotiations, and turned the topic to military cooperation.
"What's more important than trade? Let me guess, except for military cooperation, there is nothing more important than a trade agreement."