Chapter 540: 540
Speak, Continue
Recently, all the haze had been swept away.
At this moment, Hong San felt something. He suddenly understood why his master called the Sage King Bei Chen.
That was indeed the case. The moment Kant appeared, all the worries and worries in his heart disappeared without a trace. The conspiracies of the various countries and the internal turmoil in Goethe were no longer a concern.
All the stars are surrounding him… There was a reason.
The deterrence had been re-established.
He heaved a long sigh of relief, stood up, and bowed to Kant.
Kant turned to the side, allowing the sunlight to shine through the window.” How is it? I’m guessing you’ve been under a lot of pressure these past few days. I don’t think you’ve been scared, right?”
“Where are we?” Hong San smiled. The lord’s prestige is still there, and the soldiers under him are strong. They are far from being in a desperate situation, and there is still a lot of leeway…No matter how difficult the situation is, I can still hold on. This is my duty.”
Kant nodded.” Then my duty is to try my best not to let my subordinates fight and defend themselves when they are close to their limits. There was a small accident this time. I’ll try my best to avoid it in the future.”
“That’s exactly what I was hoping for.” Hong San nodded with a smile.
The two of them looked at each other and smiled.
A warm current surged in his heart, making Hong San feel an indescribable sense of comfort and satisfaction.
His master once said that as a minister, the greatest blessing was not to be the emperor’s teacher or friend. Those were all empty. The former was a clay statue that was worshipped, and the latter was a dog with its tail between its legs.
And the situation that was even better than this was just two words-the monarch and his subjects were in harmony.
It wasn’t the kind that was written in the history books, but a true kindred spirit.
Just like now, His Highness Kant had his own battlefield, and Hong San had his own battlefield. The monarch and his subjects fought in their own battlefields, and they trusted each other. After they returned victorious, they only smiled at each other. Just like how His Highness never mentioned the dangers he had experienced, Hong San did not have to talk about his own hardships.
This was the so-called harmony between monarch and minister.
Master, is this what you can’t hope for in your life…
But this feeling of warmth only lasted for five seconds.
“So tell me what you’ve been doing these past few days.”
Hong San was shocked at first, then he burst out laughing.
He realized that he had picked up some neutral habits after spending so much time with His Highness. He rubbed his head and pretended to be humble.” According to His Highness, I executed hundreds of unruly people and nobles with guns and cannons. Then, I bombarded Maple Leaf Palace and planted two bombs in the audience hall to threaten all the civil and military officials.”
Kant said proudly,” I’m more impressive. Not long ago, I killed more than a dozen dragons with a wave of ship-borne anti-aircraft missiles and dismantled half of the dynasty’s fleet. I captured the council and the elves ‘fleets as well. They’re now parked obediently at the distant harbor, crying and begging me to throw them into the prisoner of war camp.”
Even though he had already seen through His Highness’s vanity, and thus followed his words to make him brag to satisfy himself, Hong San was still stunned when he heard this. This…”
Damn it, I thought you wanted me to guard the middle lane to steal the turret. Why did you destroy Riot Company? If Hong San was from Earth, he would probably complain like this.
” What?” Hong San was stunned for only a moment. He glanced at the smug Kant and pondered for five seconds.” Could it be that the rumor about the mysterious element’s strong infection and erosion ability is true?” The dragon army was infected by the members of the diplomatic mission who escaped and then attacked the fleets of the three countries. It also caused irreversible corruption to half of the dynasty’s fleets. In the end, His Highness came out to clean up the mess?”
Kant was dumbfounded.
Hong San smiled faintly.” Just think about it. If Your Highness were to go on a killing spree after returning to the surface and take the initiative to attack the fleets of the three countries and the dragon army, killing more than half of them, it would mean that an all-out war is almost inevitable. Then, you wouldn’t be standing in front of me so leisurely, looking as if victory was in your grasp and you had someone else’s weakness. You wouldn’t have any killing intent at all.”
“..”
” You said that the sailors from all over the world were crying and begging you to throw them into the prisoner of war camp. They must have been infected to varying degrees, and His Highness has the ability to remove the infection…I see. This is one of the bargaining chips to force the other countries to submit.”
“..”
” But it’s not enough to just use some infected marines as a bargaining chip. The biggest bargaining chip is still the deterrence of force. I think His Highness should have also displayed a new deterrence that is different from forbidden spells. Your exultation can prove this point. I remember that in Valentan, you had this expression when you took out a new strange and powerful alchemical weapon to defend the city. This time, it was able to kill more than ten infected dragons and wipe out half of the fleet. It should be a bigger and stronger alchemical weapon.”
“..”
” Combined with the words ‘ship-borne air defense missile’ that you mentioned, I know what a missile is. The high-speed, long-distance ultimate strike weapon that Your Highness mentioned. Air defense missiles are naturally used to deal with enemies in the air. As for ship-borne… I think His Highness might have taken out a ship, a big and good ship.”
“.. Alright, stop acting like an idiot!” Kant said,” You want to eat crispy food again, don’t you?”
.. Damn it, there were too many things to talk about with this guy.
He actually remembered everything.
“Alright, alright. You’ve already guessed everything. That’s the situation.” Kant waved his hand impatiently.” I’m already out. The deterrence has been re-established. The countries will no longer dare to use radical methods…The external enemies no longer exist. It’s your turn to talk about the internal ones.”
“Your Highness has already guessed it. Why do you need me to repeat myself?” Hong San lowered his head.
Kant fell silent.
He looked at the warm sunlight outside the window and said slowly, I still want to hear a different answer.
” Your Highness has experienced many ups and downs. You should be aware of the fragility of the human heart. The people of Brilliant Sand Town are like this, the people of Valentan are like this, and the people of Lucerne are like this. What exceptions will there be?” If loyalty and greatness were common qualities, there would be no such words.”
Kant exhaled slowly.
He had already seen a large group of people gathering near Maple Leaf Palace.
There were all kinds of people, some dressed in simple clothes, some in ragged clothes, some in luxurious clothes.
Petition, or rather, force the abdication.
Why did they come, who incited them, and what their motives were? There was no need to ask to know.
These people were exactly the same as how the people of Distant Harbor were incited.
The irony was that these people were the same group of people who cried, thanked, and praised Kant after the Battle of Lucerne.
He shook his head and said,”It’s only been a few days…”
“No matter how sincere your gratitude and praise are, it’s still time-limited,” Hong San said calmly.
Kant chuckled.
He thought of Moani and the Cormorans who were instigated by the French when the insect plague was about to arrive. They gathered together, resentful and furious, and hated their king.
After the incident, those people were not pursued. They continued to praise the king’s kindness and greatness as if the previous memories did not exist, and the king did not pursue or care.
” What do you think I should do?” Kant asked softly.
“This is the sovereign’s decision, not something I can interfere with.”
” You’re right.” Hong San came to Kant’s side.” All I can do is remind you of two things.”
“Speak.”
” The first thing is the reason why these civilians were incited and gathered.
Hong San’s face reflected the bright sunlight.” They gathered outside Maple Leaf Palace not because they thought that Goethe would give up on the path of hegemony and become a peaceful and quiet country, nor did they believe in the promises of the various countries and think that Goethe could continue to exist as a transcendental country. They gathered, they were angry, they were dissatisfied, they were incited, and the only reason why they took action…”
The people from Aurora turned to look at Kant.
“Just because… In the past three days, the price of grain in the city has increased by eight times.”
“Is it that simple?”
“It’s that simple.”
“I see.”
“That’s reasonable.”
” Yes.” Kant nodded.” The second thing.”
” The second thing is also a reminder, a reminder for His Highness to take a look.”
“Master said that the world is 30% black, 60% gray, and 10% white.”
” Sometimes, the 60% grey is quite black. At least, it’s clearly different from the white. That’s why some people think that the 90% of the world is black. It’s a mess and hopeless.”
” But there are also some people who think that this is worth his full effort.
Hong San stretched out his hand and pressed on Kant’s shoulder.”” Look at the sea of people outside the palace. Foolish people are cursing and howling, but think about it. In this city, in the buildings, are there weak voices that are firmly defending you? Even if the people in this city have lost their conscience, please look at the loyal soldiers around you. The brave people from Valentan are loyal and believe in everything you have. In that Maple Leaf Palace, at least there is a beautiful girl who always believes in your promise…”
He looked at Kant’s side profile and smiled.” At the very least, if you were to say that the Goethe people are ungrateful bastards, I believe that the loyal warriors outside will be sad and disappointed.”
Kant remained silent.
The retainer took two steps back and waited with rapt attention.
“Hong San…I saw something in the underground world. It was magnificent, with countless mysteries, opportunities, and futures hidden there. It was a gift and wealth from the previous era. I accepted the gift and saw a vague picture of the future, but it was not detailed. The only thing I knew was that there was a difficult war waiting for me in the future, but it was not hopeless.”
“For this…”
Kant paused for a moment.” We need power. More power. More power.”
Hong San pondered for a moment,”I understand…” So you still want to reach some kind of agreement with Goethe?”
“Of course… No!” Kant said coldly,” Who do they think they are?”
He quickly walked to the door.
“Then what does Your Highness plan to do?” Hong San followed closely behind.
“What should we do? Do whatever feels good!” Kant shouted,” They are the ones who should be afraid of them. Why should I be overcautious?”
He turned to look at Hong San.” You’re right. The people gathered to protest because of the skyrocketing grain prices and the lack of food. The nobles opposed me because they have already gained benefits and feel that there’s no need to take risks. You’re telling me this to remind me that it’s actually very simple to get them to sincerely support and pledge loyalty to me.”
” It’s just the distribution of benefits. Let all the classes know that there are benefits to be gained.”
” Follow me and you’ll have meat to eat. It’s a universal rule. It’s always said in online novels, but you didn’t say everything. Before that, I have to let them know something else, and that is…”
“-if you oppose me, you’ll be beaten!”
He kicked the door open. The guards turned around in shock, then revealed ecstatic expressions.
“Gather!” Kant shouted,” I’ll treat you guys to a movie!”
Five minutes later, the chariots roared and roared loudly. The light and heavy vehicles, which had been made hideous by the green-skinned creatures with bones, shields, wooden spikes, iron spears, and even paint, roared forward and rushed through the vast avenue.
In the chaotic crowd, the instigating spy saw the figure standing in the car at the front. His eyes suddenly widened, revealing a look of disbelief, followed by extreme panic.
Wherever the convoy went, the engines roared and the loud rumbling sounds extinguished the excited discussions and passionate speeches in the cafes and taverns.
The southern square of the Maple Leaf Palace was the ceremonial place for the national festival. A large number of protesting people had gathered here, and they were shouting noisily. Nobles and scholars were their leaders. People were shouting loudly, calling for peace, rejecting conspiracies and wars. They were fanatical, shouting loudly, and even had tears in their eyes. For the first time, these ordinary people had discovered their own strength. The strength of everyone gathered together was enough to shake Lucerne, shake the Maple Leaf Palace, and change the country. Even this world.
However, this illusion was broken in an instant. The people at the back had already heard the roar of the engine. They turned around in shock and saw the shadow standing on the alchemy chariot.
It wasn’t the Aurora Butcher that they hated and despised, but another one.
“Kang…Kang…”
The deathly stillness spread quickly, and the solemn atmosphere swept from the back to the front like a cold wave. It was as if there was a telepathy between the groups. The fanatical people roared in the first second, and the next moment, they closed their mouths uneasily. They turned around in shock, and endless fear suddenly descended.
They insulted Kant, reprimanded him, and criticized him. They fought against their fear as a group and used clamor to cover up their fear. They even ridiculously believed that as long as they gathered together to protest, Kant would succumb to their will. After all, the forbidden spell did not hit them.
And now, the selfish, evil, and scheming evildoers of Aurora had appeared.
However, no one dared to step forward to reprimand or question him.
The impassioned scholars didn’t dare, the righteous nobles didn’t dare, the local ruffians who used money to stir up trouble didn’t dare, and the civilians who were coerced didn’t dare either.
A rare spectacle appeared. If there were sociologists here, they would definitely use this incident as a precious observation sample. There was collective violence, collective fanaticism, collective blindness, and collective fear.
Humans were actually coordinated as a whole because of extreme fanaticism and fear.
It was as if there was an invisible demon strangling everyone’s throats.
Kant’s cold gaze swept across the square.
In fact, due to the distance, only a small number of people who were closest to him saw Kant’s gaze darting around. However, the large number of people in the huge square could not help but lower their heads, even though Kant was only a small dot in the distance from where they were. However, they still felt that Kant was looking at them.
Then, they heard a thunderous roar.
The engines roared, and the crowd split apart like a tide. They retreated quickly and quickly. Countless people’s chests were pressed against their backs, and their staggering footsteps squeezed in all directions. Then, they heard a shout.” Slow down!”
His panicked body became stiff and slow.
A possible crowd and riot actually subsided silently.
Kant spat on the ground.
Hong San, who was in charge of driving, shook his head.” Slandering the hero who saved himself with kindness as a terrifying demon, and then fearing him from the bottom of his heart…” The wisdom of the people…”
Kant stepped on the accelerator and drove closer under the silent and fearful gazes.
The knights guarding the gates of Maple Leaf Palace had complicated expressions.
“Do you want me to fight my way in, or do you want me to leave and never come back?”
“Make way,” Kant said.
The audience hall had become a market again. The people who had won the victory the day before were all in one go. This time, their goal was to persuade the archduke to make a declaration and give up the ownership of the mysterious elements in exchange for Goethe’s peace and stability. The persuaders were all anxious because this matter had to be done as soon as possible.
The earlier they agreed, the more bargaining power they had.
Otherwise, when the army arrived at the city, it would be another kind of clause.
Count Cassat of the Moras Family was giving a loud speech, winning cheers. He had already received the Empire’s promise. The Holy Emperor’s conferment was already in place. As long as he could convince the Grand Duke to agree, he could set off for the Empire tonight. Before that, his family and assets had been secretly transferred.
” Tedarell has to be responsible for the good people of the country. We don’t need hegemony, nor do we need to bully the weak to show our strength. This isn’t Goethe, nor is this the spirit of our country. Perhaps this mysterious substance is good for national defense, but compared to this, I want gold coins, food, peace, and security to repay the people who have silently contributed to this country. I don’t want this war-torn country to be tied to a chariot with no future by someone’s plot and slide rapidly towards…”
The noise in the hall covered the chaos outside the door until there was a loud bang.
The heavy door was pushed open by a heavy force. Everyone turned around and saw two rows of soldiers in strange uniforms walking in. They were holding strange alchemy weapons. They ignored the vigilant guards and held their weapons in a semicircle along the corner of the audience hall, surrounding the people here.
” Hong San!” Count Cassatt saw Hong San carrying a huge chair and entered. Uneasiness and anger flashed in his eyes, and he immediately roared,” Hong San from Aurora!” According to the agreement between the Grand Duke and you, you are not qualified to step into the sacred Maple Leaf Palace again. This is a provocation to Goethe. Your people will…”
Suddenly, his pupils constricted, and his face that was flushed red from anger instantly turned pale because he saw the person behind Hong San. Everyone saw him.
The archduke sitting on the throne closed his eyes and slowly exhaled.
The noisy hall instantly fell silent.
Hong San placed the chair on the ground and it started to vibrate.
He stepped aside, and Kant sat down in front of everyone’s eyes.
Crossing his legs, he patted the dust off his pants and looked at the earl.
“Speak.”
“Continue,” he said indifferently.
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P.S. 1: I’m still in my hometown. I don’t know what the person upstairs was drilling yesterday and today. Besides, I didn’t ask for leave because of this. Why do you think I’m making up a story?
PS2: Recently, my schedule has been filled with a series of problems such as the changes in the plot, the subsequent adjustments to the outline, and my personal status. I’m not saying this to pretend to be miserable. I chose to write this story. I was the one who ran into irresistible factors, so I’ll bear the consequences myself. I didn’t ask for leave, and I tried my best to ensure that there were updates every day. If everyone is willing to understand, then please understand. If not, just treat it as a joke. But I’m full of sh * t. Do you think I would care about comments like ” This author actually scolded the readers for being so tasteless “?
” Yes, I’m talking about you. Your ID is ” Kaiyakuli “. You’re a f * cking dog.”