Firefly Journey

Chapter 140 Battlefield Chrysanthemums (7)

The duchy has always maintained a good public image, at least on the surface.

Although the principality's government is controlled by the seven ducal families, the Papacy's influence is ubiquitous. As long as the Papacy exists, they cannot cause any trouble.

The core doctrine of the Vatican is the equality of all races, which has been true since ancient times.

Looking across the continent, the Debasa Empire, after various reforms by Emperor Henry I, had risen to become the most powerful nation on the continent, with few rivals in the world.

Even the mighty Great Chu was severely injured in the battle of the magnificent barrier and seems to have yet to recover.

The Duchy has been trying to contain the Imperial Army's northern expedition to some extent, though it has not made any explicit statement. Given the harsh environment and scarce resources in the north, how could it have managed to hold out against the Imperial Army for more than a decade? Could it really be due to its deep-rooted strength?

Can weapons, medical equipment, and other war supplies grow out of the snow?

The duchy's assistance is simply not made public.

The northern tribes were grateful for this.

With the Principality backed by the Church of Light, and considering its doctrines, Claudia's words were quite persuasive.

Claudia continued, "I promise that if I am fortunate enough to succeed to the throne in the future, the law will replicate the Duchy, open trade to the North, and all people of the Black Mountain tribes will be free to enter and leave the territory of Delos to exchange goods."

Claudia had been learning about the Principality's culture since elementary school; these were things she had always thought about, and now she was simply speaking them aloud.

Having been barbarians for over a thousand years, the tribes of the Northern Plains are not fools. They naturally know that the way things are done in the south is the way to keep up with the times.

Only through reform can the tribe prosper, instead of struggling to survive in the freezing cold and constantly worrying about its existence.

Although the duchy was providing financial support, it was a massive entity with many differing opinions regarding the issue of the northern tribes, making it difficult to form an alliance.

The Kingdom of Delos was different; it was a small country, not very large in scale. Its domestic affairs were not as complicated, and since it also disliked the Empire, an alliance was most welcome.

Claudia answered all of Iru's concerns, and he had no more worries.

"Your Highness, how well do you control the Kingdom of Delos?"

This is to make Claudia reveal her own strengths.

Claudia was equally decisive: "The Imperial Guard's Dark Division is now entirely under my control, and I can also win over some of the border troops."

Claudia's words were ambiguous, but overall, her strength was inferior to that of her uncle.

However, given the principles of the orcs, Iru dared not go against them. Besides, Claudia was not entirely without a chance of winning.

The icing on the cake is not as good as providing help when it is timely.

It all depends on human effort. If the Black Mountain tribe sides with Claudia, and with the addition of other tribes that may be won over in the future, the princess's strength may not be weaker than Prince Aynor's.

Iru remained silent, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

No one knows a son better than his father, and similarly, no one knows a father better than his son. Seeing his father's expression, Pritt knew that the matter was almost certain.

Iru was shrewd and never showed his emotions; you couldn't tell anything from his expression. But the young chieftain was somewhat different. Judging from his demeanor, Claudia knew that her chances of winning the throne had increased slightly.

The silence that lasted for half an hour finally ended. For the first time since Lin Yuanran and his group entered the room, "Iron Stone" Iru stood up.

“Your Highness, my Black Mountain tribe is willing to form an alliance with the Kingdom of Delos, and the only one to whom we can form this alliance is Your Highness,” Iru said.

Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Although they were quite confident about the trip, everything was still uncertain until things were finalized. Now that Iru had made a clear statement, everyone was finally at ease.

"Chief, you are a man of exceptional talent, and I will certainly not disappoint you."

Claudia, dressed in casual clothes, lifted a non-existent skirt and bowed deeply.

Iru laughed heartily: "Now that the matter has been settled, Your Highness, please rest in my Black Mountain tribe. Once the documents are drafted and signed, you may leave whenever you wish."

Claudia bowed and glanced at Lin Yuanran.

Lin Yuanran was having some doubts. They had agreed that if the alliance was successful, the other party would help him find out the reporter's whereabouts.

His current role is Claudia's attendant. He couldn't get a word in edgewise during the conversation with Iru earlier, but now that they've reached an agreement, is he supposed to suddenly jump out and say, "Chief, could you do me a small favor?"

This is so out of place.

Just as Lin Yuanran was struggling with his decision, Claudia spoke up.

"There is one more thing, and I'm afraid I need your help, Chief."

Iru asked, "What is it?"

"Could you help me find someone in the North? You may have heard of him, Victor, a reporter for Endor's newspaper. He came with us on this trip, but we got separated along the way."

“Victor…” Iru murmured the name, then suddenly a thought struck him, “I’ve heard of him. He was an upright journalist. He disappeared in the North? It’s most likely related to the Empire.”

“That’s what we think too. He was such a kind person; he shouldn’t have lost his life because of the war,” Claudia said.

"Yes, war correspondents are our friends. It's better not to know, but if we do, we'll definitely help. I'll mobilize the tribe's intelligence resources to search for them, and I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."

"Then thank you very much, Chief."

"No need, this is also helping ourselves."

After leaving the council tent, the two sides parted ways. Lin Yuanran and his group declined Yilu's offer of accommodation and prepared to return to the general store.

During the journey, Lin Yuanran carefully chose his words and said, "Thank you."

Claudia looked bewildered: "Thank me for what?"

Lin Yuanran said, "Help me find Mr. Victor's whereabouts."

Claudia chuckled: "You think I'm helping you? Actually, I'm helping myself."

Lin Yuanran was taken aback. As his mind raced, he suddenly remembered that, strictly speaking, protecting the reporter was Claudia's main mission. Although she didn't lack the gold coins, failure would leave a stain on her record and make it harder for her to stay in St. Louis.

The three walked in the snow, leaving a row of footprints.

……

……

"Come in."

"Hehe, teacher!"

"Why is it you?" Cassius was quite surprised. Why would Lü Jianming come to the office on his own initiative? He usually only came when he was called.

Lu Jianming scratched his head: "Of course, it's because I've encountered problems in my cultivation..."

"Tsk tsk." Cassius grinned, a look of schadenfreude on his face. "Has the sun risen from the Sea of ​​Storms?"

Lü Jianming said, "Teacher, please stop making fun of me. Didn't you say that the academy competition is just around the corner? I also need to improve and can't hold back our Class 29, right?"

"I hope so. Tell me, what aspect don't you understand?"

Lu Jianming said, "When I am condensing my sword energy, there will always be some deviations. It will be either too strong or too weak. I just can't control the timing."

Cassius thought for a moment and said, "I don't know much about the 'swordsman' profession, and I dare not mislead anyone. Doesn't your Chu Kingdom have the greatest swordsman in the world? As the Crown Prince of Chu, it shouldn't be difficult to ask him for advice."

Cassius is certainly not omnipotent; he can't just spout off about things he's not familiar with in his field. He can only try his best to find solutions for his students.

"what?"

Cassius frowned: "What, is the Great Chu Sword Saint not giving your royal family any face?"

"No, that's not it... Never mind, I'll go back and write home!"

After saying that, Lü Jianming ran away without looking back, leaving Cassius shaking his head with a smile.