This was destined to be a sleepless night for many.
Early morning, Azshara, Lumborghártó Palace.
King Conrad I stared at the telegram in his hand for a long time without saying a word.
Wotai State has achieved such a great victory!
Under normal circumstances, Conrad I would have been pleased.
But today is different, because the long-awaited southern defense line of Remburg was also breached last night.
Of course, the most crucial point for Conrad I was that the military commander of Vaudetta was not appointed by him.
If someone uses this as a pretext, the royal family will be in a very passive position.
On one side, the southern defense line, touted by the royal family, couldn't even hold out for 12 hours; on the other side, the state of Vutai, which the royal family hadn't paid much attention to, had achieved such a great victory!
Conrad I took a deep breath, and suddenly felt a chill, as if a ferocious tiger was staring at him, also in Azshara.
The radicals were overjoyed to hear of the victory in Vaudé, and some even suggested that they should petition the king the next day to appoint Odis Gar, the leader of the radicals, as Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the military.
Only the two leaders, Celt and Enoch, were not happy, because Bazel had sent them new instructions from the leader, telling them to use the victory in Votea to contrast with the disastrous defeat on the southern defenses, in order to attack the royal family and the conservatives.
For them, attacking the conservatives was no problem, but they knew very well that attacking the king would cause him to lose face and have a huge impact on his prestige.
Odis guessed that the two radical leaders would hesitate, which is why he sent Bazel, who had just experienced the Battle of Clichy Pass, to deliver the letter in person.
"It's time to make a decision," Bazel said coldly. "Konrad I is not worthy of your loyalty."
Enoch replied, "But he is, after all, the head of state. If the king's reputation is damaged, Lenburg will also suffer a loss of credibility."
"Mr. Garr knew you would say that," Bazel said. "That's why he had you recall the previous assassination attempt."
And let me ask you this: even if the Duke of Bowen were killed, would Conrad I follow your ideas and implement government reforms?
Selt and Enoch both fell silent, because they knew very well that the answer was: no.
Bazel continued, "Mr. Gar said that the reason you are having such a hard time making a decision is mainly because of the education you received from childhood, which taught you to be loyal to the King."
"This is actually the result of the royal family using a level 0 sealed artifact to exert some influence on you."
"Mr. Gar said that you should be encouraged to have the courage to resist the shackles in your hearts, because they are not a 'spectator' kind of seal that can imprison your thoughts."
"This dilapidated Remnantburg still needs you to support it."
Barzel concluded, "You should make a decision."
After a few seconds of silence, Selt suddenly stood up and said, "For Lenburg!"
Yes, for Remenberg, and no longer for the King.
Clichy Pass.
Odis returned to take stock of the extraordinary spoils of the battle.
Five extraordinary traits from Sequence 5 alone were captured, all from the "Arbitrator" and "Lawyer" pathways. Many extraordinary traits from other sequences were also captured.
Because most of the Stiano family members who participated in this battle were extraordinary individuals who followed the "Secret Seeker" or "General Knowledge" pathways, they did not need these traits.
Therefore, Odis, following the official distribution mechanism of the Extraordinary Organization, allowed them to exchange their special characteristics for merits.
Merit can grant them the opportunity for general promotion, and Odis has accumulated some experience in the "Secret Seeker" path.
In this process, the party that allocates resources will reap the greatest benefits.
For example, the merits set by Odis would probably require three "Arbitrator" pathway Sequence 6 "Judge" extraordinary traits, or Sequence 6 level seals, to obtain one Sequence 5 level trait.
This is because Odis also uses the "arbitrator" method, which is why this exchange ratio can be completed.
Odis's exchange list is almost the "universal price" for official extraordinary individuals.
Other methods usually require two Sequence 5 level traits or four to five Sequence 6 level traits to exchange for the extraordinary traits needed for advancement.
Otherwise, if one could fight a few battles with other extraordinary individuals of the same level and achieve results, one could gain a chance for a general promotion. For official extraordinary individuals, this would be far too easy.
Of course, for most official extraordinary individuals, digesting potions is also a difficult task after accumulating enough merit.
Or rather, most official Extraordinary users are stuck on mastering the potion. It usually takes several years and dozens of battles or assists against Extraordinary users of the same level before they can be promoted to a higher level.
However, some people choose to stop at Sequence 7 because the welfare system of the Church of the True God is so good that there is no need to continue to risk advancing.
This exchange method is advantageous for members of the Stiano family because they have a basic level of trust and can cooperate to give one or more people a chance to be promoted.
Furthermore, they will directly announce the "role model" to some of the more promising members.
So generally speaking, what they are waiting for is the properties, not the "mastery" of the potion.
After recovering the spoils and distributing the medals, Odis found the evil spirit of the "Red Angel" in the command tent.
Tell yourself what you saw and heard yesterday, and ask for his opinion on when is the best time to make a move?
The "Red Angel" evil spirit: "Now is definitely not the best time."
"First, you need to deal with the people at Krish Pass. Are you planning a direct assault, or will you try to starve them out?"
This mountain pass is easy to defend and difficult to attack, unless you bombard it with the "Lingbo Cannon" and bury it completely.
Otherwise, no matter what weapon you use, there will be blind spots, making it impossible to eliminate all the enemies.
If you really want to get rid of those people and protect these passes, the best thing to do is for Odis to personally go in alone and eliminate everyone inside.
"Of course, we'll use them as bargaining chips in the negotiations." Odis chose the third option without hesitation.
In fact, when those thousands of people were surrounded yesterday, Odis had already decided that these people were more valuable alive than dead.
Although some of the extraordinary individuals escaped after being surrounded, Odis did not stop them, intending to use this to annoy the Feneport government.
However, it wasn't a bargaining chip for negotiating with the Kingdom of Fennepot, but rather a bargaining chip for negotiating with the Church of the Earth Mother, since the vast majority of them were followers of the "Earth Mother".
The "Red Angel" evil spirit sat in the commander's seat, crossing her legs: "Luckily, you still have a brain. I've always suspected that the officers you recruited, and those extraordinary subordinates, have had their brains eaten by dogs."
The command center wasn't just occupied by Odis and the "Red Angel" evil spirit; there were also many officers and staff.
Upon hearing the words of the "Red Angel" evil spirit, they all showed expressions of anger. If they weren't outmatched, they would have already rushed up and confronted this sarcastic commander with their fists.
Odis waved his hand at them: "You can go out first."
After the officers had all left, Odis sat down opposite Medici: "Go on."
At this point, he was actually relieved, because the conversation had shown that the "Red Angel" evil spirit would stay.
"We need to resolve the Krish Pass issue first before considering the eastern problem," said the evil spirit "Red Angel." "Also, don't even think about launching an attack before the data processing center you mentioned is deployed."
The "extraordinary puppets" were indeed fearless, but the officers who commanded them were.
"If we can't solve the problem of the command system, taking the initiative to attack is tantamount to handing over the credit to the enemy."
He paused for a moment and then said, "Once the data processing center you mentioned is completed, I'll also try it out to see if it works well."
"If it doesn't work well, I need time to build my own team."
He will not be careless in this matter.
Odis nodded: "Alright, it would be best if I appeared after the two sides in Azshara had been fighting for a while. But I'm afraid that the wealth in southern Lenburg will be taken by Feneport."
He was well aware that the foundation of all politics and military affairs was the issue of wealth and the economy; if a country was in financial difficulty, it would certainly face many difficulties.
The evil spirit "Red Angel" chuckled: "That's easy to handle. If Feneport robs Remenberg's wealth, you can rob Feneport instead."
"There's no need to deploy a large force for such an operation. Just send a mid-level extraordinary individual with a few dozen extraordinary puppets, rob them, and run."
"With the 'extraordinary puppet's' ability to go without rest, wouldn't it be enough to just go day and night and then come back day and night?"
""
Odis laughed and said, "That's a good idea."
He quickly finalized the plan in his mind, but accurate intelligence was needed before taking action.
Odis planned to write to Bazel soon, asking him to send more intelligence agents to the lost territories.
Now that the discussion had reached this point, Odis asked, "What are your thoughts on the military operations to come in the coming period?"
"Conquer and hold the city of Lilotta." The "Red Angel" evil spirit had clearly been planning this for a long time.
Odis immediately went to the Remnburg map at the command post and found Lilotta, a city south of Remnburg.
They immediately understood the Red Angel's intentions: transporting the Feneport army's logistical supplies for their battle in Azshara from here would be the shortest route.
There are other routes, but no matter which route you take, you can send troops to attack from Lirota.
Odis asked somewhat uncertainly, "You mean, force Fenneport to withdraw his troops?"
"This is only the first step," said the evil spirit "Red Angel." "It's not difficult to force them to withdraw, but the key is which direction they should withdraw to."
"While holding Lirota, we must also continue to reclaim territory from west to east."
Odis looked at the map and pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "I understand, you plan to have Feneport's army retreat to Masic!"
He couldn't help but exclaim, "That's a really stupid move!"
After Remenberg's southern defenses were breached, the other two larger countries in the "South Central Countries," Masic and Segal, also became nervous, and would even respond positively if Remenberg requested assistance.
But no matter how much support they provide, it's all fighting on the territory of other countries, so the losses won't be too severe for their own country.
The key point is that their own citizens don't harbor much hatred towards Fenneport, so once the war ends, these two countries won't encounter much resistance when trying to restore diplomatic relations with Fenneport.
However, if Fenerbahce's army retreated back to the country via Masjid, the situation would be different.
They certainly won't just withdraw their troops; if the Remnburg army doesn't catch up quickly enough, they'll definitely take everything they can with them.
Moreover, Fenerbahce's own country will provide support, and they will definitely invade Masjid.
This made Odis clap his hands in admiration: "The main battlefield has suddenly shifted from Rembrandt to Maxim!"
"This will give me enough time to deal with Remenberg's internal problems."
"Not too stupid." The "Red Angel" evil spirit commented and continued, "Massey's problem is easy to solve. You need to produce two or three more main forces as soon as possible and prepare for the decisive battle with Feneport in the Snason region."
The "Southern and Central States" are not connected. Remburg and Masy are neighboring countries, but the Snason region of Fenerbahce separates Segal and several small countries on the southern coast.
Therefore, to unify the "Southern and Central Kingdoms", it is necessary to defeat Feneport in a major battle and withstand the enemy's counterattack.
Odis nodded: "Don't worry about that. Before the war, the 'Extraordinary Puppets' and their weapons were being produced day and night."
"It is expected that another extraordinary puppet army of 5,000 people will be able to be assembled in two weeks."
The evil spirit, the "Red Angel," said calmly, "That's your problem."
"I will only wage war when I feel I have sufficient strength."
Odis grunted in agreement, discussed the future defense plans for southern Reymburg for a few more minutes, and then hurriedly left again.
Isara, the capital of Remnantburg.
Newsboys' voices echoed through the streets and alleys: "Extra! Extra! A great victory has been achieved in Vauthia! Duke Fenneport Atkins has been wounded and fled, and Admiral Dart has been killed!"
Almost every resident of Azshara that the newsboys encountered would take out a coin to buy a copy of today's special edition to see what was going on.
The first wave of defeated troops from the southern defense line have arrived in Azshara by train. News of the southern defense line falling in just 8 hours has spread throughout the streets and alleys.
Then, trenches and fortifications were built outside Azshara, and soldiers from the surrounding camps began to enter the city.
The atmosphere in Azshara suddenly became heavy.
People had only heard the elders talk about how brutal each defense of Azshara was, but they had no idea about it.
Even the elderly people had only heard about it from older people or read about it in books.
This city has been at peace for a very, very long time, so long that people have almost forgotten about all the Sino-South Korean wars.
Just when people were panicking and confused, the victory in Wotai State gave them a glimmer of hope.
Those who had read the newspapers immediately recalled that they had recently heard the news that the King had recalled Governor Gar, but Governor Gar had not accepted the King's order and instead chose to return to Wotai Province to protect his people.
Suddenly, everyone in the streets and alleys of Azshara was talking about Governor Gar.
At this time, some merchants from Wotai Prefecture stepped forward to praise the iron-fisted governor's deeds, such as eliminating bandits, punishing nobles and bullies, establishing schools, and appointing government staff and officials based entirely on exam scores and abilities.
People didn't really connect with the idea of eliminating bandits, but they did feel a strong urge to punish nobles and bullies, even if they didn't say anything on the surface.
But inwardly, I was secretly delighted.
In Azshara, the upper class consists of nobles. Although the lower classes do not rebel, or rather, their rebellions are often nipped in the bud, it does not mean that they have no grievances.
The fact that officials can also be appointed through examinations has caused some unease among the public.
After all, everyone studies hard from childhood to adulthood, but even after graduating from university, they are told that ordinary people cannot become officials through exams.
The only way was for ordinary people to be granted the opportunity by the king to take the official examinations.
However, due to a lack of targeted preparation, they often fail the exams, and even if they pass, they are ostracized by the nobles.
To reiterate, the fact that ordinary people do not rebel does not mean they have no grievances.
Then people started discussing the southern defense line. The basic argument was that the royal family and the wealthy made a fortune from the project, while the people did not benefit at all and had to bear the consequences of this foolish project.
Finally, I'd definitely add, "If only Governor Garr were in Azshara."
Conrad I, in the Reichstag Palace, shook his head with a smile after hearing the rumors circulating in Azshara.
He could sense that someone was controlling public opinion, but he didn't care what the public opinion was at the moment. He cared more about the attitudes of the nobles and the wealthy.
After realizing that Odis had only sent people to spread some rumors among the people, he concluded that the young man must not understand politics.
Then Conrad I announced in a grand manner that he would send a special envoy to invite Oedis to serve as Minister of Defense.
That night, all the newspapers in Azshara carried the news.
Conrad I stood by the window, looking westward, and smiled smugly, watching to see how Odysseus would respond.
If Odis is unwilling to come to Azshara, those rumors will fall apart on their own.
If Odis comes to Azshara, then this mess will be handed over to Odis.
Wotai State.
To celebrate the victory at Clichy Pass, Odis had a hot pot dinner with Bernadette.
Watching the red broth bubbling and rolling in the pot, the lamb and vegetables, once added, were fresh, fragrant, and delicious.
Odis took a bite of mutton and said with a satisfied look, "It's getting cold, it's the perfect time for hot pot."
Ever since he revealed to Bernadette that he and Rosell came from the same "world," he stopped pretending at all in front of her and kept trying the delicacies he remembered with her.
Bernadette also thought it tasted pretty good, just a bit spicy.
She searched the hot pot with her chopsticks and, finding no vegetables, waved her hand at the vegetables on the plate. The vegetables eagerly "jumped" into the pot.
While waiting, Bernadette said, "This way of eating should be promoted throughout Rembrandt. It not only fills you up but also keeps you warm."
"The only problem is that it consumes too much fuel," Odis said. "The 'extraordinary stoves' for civilian use should also be made more widespread."
In winter, people in the city mostly burn coal, while people in the countryside burn stored firewood.
Most people try to cook as quickly as possible because fuel is the most scarce resource in winter.
The "extraordinary stove" that Odis mentioned was a project previously given to the Remnburg Institute. It modularized the magic array that gathers spiritual energy and then laid it in people's homes. It gathers spiritual energy and can work for four to five hours a day.
The research is now basically complete, but the only problem seems to be that it is not safe enough. Sometimes the heating temperature is too high, and the "extraordinary stove" may spontaneously combust, posing a fire hazard.
For Odis, this problem was not difficult to solve; he simply needed to limit the amount of spiritual energy he used.
However, he did not actively participate in the research, but hoped that the researchers could find a solution to the problem on their own.
Bernadette, upon hearing Odis's words, asked, "Aren't you afraid of technology leaks?"
Once such civilian technologies are widely used, other countries should soon be able to acquire similar technologies.
Odis laughed and said, "I'd love for them to steal it. If not, you can sell the technology yourself."
He paused for a moment and then said, "Think about it, if other countries had similar technologies to ours, wouldn't those technologies be able to spread rapidly?"
"If we sell our products to other countries, wouldn't that save us the trouble of explaining to the people there what 'extraordinary technology' means?"
"Moreover, if it is an enemy country, when we attack, there are small, spiritually concentrated magic arrays everywhere. In an emergency, can't we just pick them up and use them?"
"This is using the enemy's financial and material resources to achieve our goals."
Upon hearing Odis's two examples, Bernadette immediately understood: "The reason why mysticism is called mysticism is because the fewer people who know about it, the better."
"But the 'technology' you're talking about is different; the more people use it and the more people understand it, the better."
Odis put down his chopsticks and said, "In my opinion, neither mysticism nor technology should be something lofty and unattainable, but rather something that serves people's lives and work."
Bernadette nodded and scooped some cooked vegetables from the pot: "That's a very novel argument, and it comes from the world you were born into?"
"Not entirely," Odis said. "In the world I was born into, there are contradictions, and there are people who don't think that way."
As they were talking, Odis and Bernadette both looked toward the doorway.
A few seconds later, a waiter knocked on the door and said, "Mr. Governor, our guest from Fenneport has arrived."
Odis took out his pocket watch, glanced at it, and frowned: "It's so late."
Bernadette replied, "Perhaps the Church of the Earth Mother is eager to talk to you as soon as possible to ascertain your attitude."
Odis nodded and said to the waiter, "Go and tell them I'll be there soon."
He then told Bernadette to eat slowly while he went to the bedroom to change into formal attire before coming to the living room.
Four people were sitting on the sofa in the living room: Roxanne and three other women, all dressed in the style of Fenneport.
After exchanging a few polite words, Roxanne introduced the three women to each other. The middle-aged woman, who looked quite dignified and well-maintained, was Archbishop Alberto.
The other two accompanying persons were a bishop of the church and an assistant to the archbishop.
After Odis had his servants serve tea, he dismissed all the servants, as such conversations naturally had to be conducted in secret.
Archbishop Ebenos first praised Odis's previous cooperation with the Church of the Earth Mother, and then said that the Church of the Earth Mother had felt Odis's goodwill.
Odis wasn't in a hurry. He kept talking about the contributions the Church of the Earth Mother had made to the world, such as the bumper harvests and the fact that so many people had been spared from hunger.
They talked for over twenty minutes, but neither of them got to the point of their conversation.
Archbishop Eppenault, impressed by the young man's patience, gave Roxanne a wink.
The relationship between the Church of the Earth Mother and the Church of Knowledge is not harmonious; in fact, it can be said to be somewhat hostile. High-ranking members of the Church of the Earth Mother, such as Aibeno, dare not stay in the Church of Knowledge's diocese for too long.
That's why we came to talk at night, and we had to leave quickly after we finished.
Roxanne received the signal from Archbishop Abeno and joined the conversation with a smile: "Governor, I heard that there are still nearly 10,000 Fennebot soldiers trapped in the Krish Pass?"
"Yes," Odis said.
"They are all believers in the Lord," Archbishop Eppenho said. "I hope to bring them home."
"sure."
Archbishop Eppeno and the others were taken aback. Was he really that easy to talk to?
Odis smiled and said, "But—"
The members of the Church of Mother Earth Goddess maintained their smiles, thinking to themselves: Just as I expected!
"But I have a condition," Odis said. "I hope the Church of the Earth Mother will not interfere in my battle with the army of Feneport, and I can guarantee that the Church of Knowledge will not interfere either."
Archbishop Eppenor said seriously, "That depends on whether you intend to invade Feneport. If the war spreads to Feneport and the believers of the Lord are suppressed by the Church of Knowledge, we cannot stand idly by."
"I can promise religious freedom within my territory," Odis said with a smile.
The reason he dared to make such a promise was because he knew that the Church of the Earth Mother had actually secretly joined—or rather, was already a member of the Night Goddess camp.
Therefore, in the current battle between the Kingdom of Fenneport and the Kingdom of Lenburg, we can see that the armies of these two countries are really fighting, and fighting with great determination.
However, the involvement of the churches on both sides was not high. In fact, the Church of Knowledge was very restrained and evacuated the extraordinary people and important believers in southern Remburg after the southern defense line was lost.
Of course, the Church of Knowledge's tolerance has its limits; it cannot allow Azshara to fall.
Based on the consensus of two gods, or even two churches, Odis believed that his promise was not difficult to fulfill.
However, this issue cannot be fully explained. From the perspective of other churches or some extraordinary organizations, the Church of Knowledge is unwilling to get too deeply involved in this battle because it does not want to help Adam complete the ritual.
The Church of the Earth Mother is still observing and will not make any moves until George III's plan yields results.
This was based on the self-interest of both churches, and certainly not because there was any tacit understanding between the two deities.
Upon hearing Odis's words, Archbishop Ebenos and the others immediately realized that this young man truly had a plan to invade the Kingdom of Feneport.
If they had thought it was a joke just a few days ago, after the battle of Krish Pass, the Church of the Earth Mother would no longer underestimate this young man.
Odis continued, "I can also promise that as long as you do not interfere in the battles that follow, you will have the opportunity to preach in the province of Intisiole within a year."
"However, I want to make it clear to you in advance that the Church of Knowledge will also obtain the same privileges."
The archbishop and his entourage were stunned. They had never expected that Odis would have such a plan to attack the Republic of Intis.
This silenced them. The church certainly wouldn't underestimate Odis, but they also didn't believe he could command the strength of three states.
To wage war against two of the world's strongest nations.
Or perhaps they were unsure whether Odis had become blindly confident because of the victory at Krish Pass?
Seeing the other party's expression, Odis shrugged and said, "I think there's something you need to understand. The reason I'm unwilling to have a conflict with the Church of the Earth Mother is that I genuinely respect your contributions to food production."
"It's not that I'm afraid of you. Admittedly, the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess is protected by a deity, but there's more than one deity in this world, isn't there?"
Archbishop Ebenezer's gaze suddenly sharpened: "Do you think the God of Knowledge would wage a divine war against the Great Mother because of your matter?"
As she spoke, she exuded the aura of a saint, and even under immense mental pressure, she still radiated vitality.
Odis retorted, "Do you think the Earth Mother would descend to stop me just because I invaded Fennepot?"
Not to be outdone, he no longer concealed his aura. Not only was his mental pressure a level higher than Aibeno's, but the spirituality in the room seemed to solidify, with a faint glimmer of knowledge flashing within.
Roxanne and her two companions immediately suffered. Under immense mental pressure, they struggled to breathe and tried to offer the two men a way out, but they couldn't even open their mouths.
Archbishop Ebenos, who was still at Sequence 4, realized that Odis had been promoted to Sequence 3 and took the initiative to restrain his aura. Odis did not continue to exert pressure and gradually withdrew his aura as well.
Soon, the immense mental pressure in the room disappeared, and Roxanne and the other two breathed a sigh of relief.
Archbishop Eppenau took a deep breath and said, "I need to report our conversation to His Holiness the Pope."
Odis had Roxanne take the archbishop to the prayer room, and a dozen minutes later the archbishop returned and said, "The Church of the Earth Mother accepts your suggestion."
"It's a pleasure to cooperate." Odis smiled, but thought to herself: This really is a world that values strength.