Damn It, Why?!

With a crisp slap, Samael raised his hand and tapped Nero on the forehead, interrupting the Rose Emperor's drooling over the plate of crystal grapes.

"Oh, I see. Prince Yu and I mean the same thing!"

Nero snapped out of his daze, wiped the drool from his mouth, sat up straight, and echoed a few words, showing sufficient respect and deference. He then meticulously signed the appointment, ensuring the procedural legitimacy on the surface.

After the document was sent to the Pantheon, the plate of grapes was presented to Nero.

The little girl immediately beamed and picked up the fruit plate, puffing out her cheeks as she ate heartily.

Seeing this, Samael shook his head helplessly. He knew that Nero was just a child under ten years old. It was unrealistic to expect this girl to grow up so quickly. It was already good enough that she could sit here patiently and learn how to handle affairs.

However, both the location of the province of Dionysus and Scipio Africanus's overall strategy for the Roman Empire were extremely important and had to be treated with caution.

Scipio Africanus, whose full name was Publius Cornelius Scipio, belonged to the Cornelius clan of the Great Clan and was a famous general and ruler in Ancient Rome.

He was the first major Roman general in the Second Punic War, and is best known for defeating Hannibal, the Carthage general, at the Battle of Zama.

Thanks to Scipio's victory, the Romans ended the Second Punic War on overwhelmingly favorable terms, earning Scipio Africanus the famous nickname: "The Conqueror of Africa".

Historically, Hannibal, the Carthage general, defeated the Roman army three times despite being at a significant disadvantage. He possessed strategic and tactical vision far surpassing his opponents and was hailed as the "Father of Western Strategy".

Although the situation has reversed, the Roman Empire is now riddled with weaknesses and does not possess a complete advantage, making it difficult to crush Carthage, this thorn in its side, with overwhelming force.

Since Scipio Africanus was able to defeat Hannibal and achieve final victory, he was by no means an ordinary person.

Placing him in the first province would be a good way to make the best use of his talents.

More importantly, Carthage was located in North Africa and served as an outpost of the Egyptian Empire.

Now that Divine Ancestor Romulus, has died in battle, the entire Roman Empire is bound to be in turmoil and teetering on the brink of collapse. If, at this time, Egypt were to borrow from Carthage...

Just as Samael was lost in thought, the solemn and oppressive Sorcery Array, drawing out etheric vibrations one after another, emanated from the Pantheon.

Immediately afterwards, messengers rushed into the palace's main hall one after another, their faces frozen and their voices urgent as they gave their reports.

"Urgent report! A large number of Persian Immortals have been discovered on the Persian border in the ninth and tenth provinces! The number is enough for two legions! In addition, the Meteor Legion has also appeared behind the Undying Army!"

"Urgent news from the Seventh and Eighth Provinces! Hunnic Wolf Riders have been spotted gathering along the route towards the Golden Horde Royal Court! The Hunnic Wolf Riders has now exceeded ten thousand!"

"Breaking news from the Pantheon: Unusual activity has been detected among the Carthaginians in the Province of the Nether, suggesting they may be reinforcing the defenses! The Nether Legion is now on high alert!"

Everyone present, including Nero and Boudica, turned pale at the sight of the demon.

"Yes, it's clear. His Majesty and I are currently preparing for this. Let's go to the side hall and summon the three emperors to discuss countermeasures and await orders."

Furthermore, from this moment forward, the entire Roman Empire will be placed on high alert. A team of Magecraft and priests will be assembled to construct a communication Sorcery Array, ensuring that any military intelligence transmitted from any province will be sent directly to the imperial palace.

Samael raised his hand and gestured as if pressing down, his tone calm and his expression indifferent.

That calm and composed demeanor exuded a unique magic that calmed people down, instantly soothing the fear in everyone's hearts and bringing the atmosphere back to a state of tension and order.

After delivering several messengers, the ancient snake put down its quill pen, raised its hand to lightly press its temple, sighed helplessly, and murmured softly.

The worst-case scenario has come to pass.

Although Samael had a premonition that Rome's overall strategic situation would deteriorate after the death of the Prophet, he did not expect the crisis to come so quickly.

In just two days, the Huns, Egypt, and Persia showed their teeth, leaving no room for respite whatsoever.

Queen Boudica looked at Samael, who was deep in thought at his desk, with considerable concern, and hesitated several times before speaking.

"Map! Sand table!"

After a moment, the ancient serpent opened its eyes and pondered. Boudica and Brunhilde immediately retrieved the necessary ingredients.

Samael carefully examined the Sorcery Array, finding chess pieces of different materials and colors, and placed them throughout Rome. The perilous situation before him gradually became clear.

"Regarding Nero's succession to the founding of the nation, I am in charge of the affairs. Have the three His Majesty the Emperor raised any objections these past few days?"

"No, they're all honest."

"Well, it seems they're not stupid after all. They know that in this situation, internal strife is tantamount to courting death."

After hearing Boudica's reply, Samael breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in satisfaction.

Based on that meaningful glance before his death, the ancestor of the gods chose to trust him, most likely because he had received divine revelation from the Olympian Gods and vaguely knew some of his identity.

It is commendable that these three wounded Roman Emperor were able to recognize reality and choose to submit to others.

However, to some extent, it also proves that these few who became emperors were smart enough that if Zhiyu wanted to maintain his vast empire, he needed at least one deity to oversee it.

Since Romulus's death, these Roman Emperor probably only have him to rely on now.

Otherwise, if he were to abandon his post, Cyrus the Great could lead his army deep into the Persian Gulf and, in a couple of days, throw them into the Persian Gulf to feed the fish.

Since internal conflicts have not yet surfaced, we can temporarily relax and focus all our attention on dealing with external threats.

"Your Highness, based on our experience in several encounters, the regular Roman Legions scattered throughout various regions, while well-trained, are likely no match for the Hunnic Wolf Riders, the Persian Immortals, the Meteor Legion, and the Egyptian Anubis Guard—the elite of the elite—in equal numbers. Perhaps..."

Brunhilde stepped forward to offer her advice, expressing her concerns and suggesting that the Viking Fleet be transferred to Seven Hills.

"No need. Rome may seem to be surrounded by enemies on three sides and be engulfed in war, but if you analyze it calmly, the situation is not so bad."

Samael shook his head slightly, then summoned three people to conduct a meticulous analysis of the sand table.

"First of all, the Hunnic Empire mainly consists of light cavalry, which are highly mobile but lack the ability to attack fortified positions. Moreover, if their strategy of using war to sustain war is disrupted, logistical support will become a major problem. If Attila really wants to launch a major offensive against Rome, he will need to mobilize more than just wolf riders."

Secondly, for Egypt, borrowing supplies from Carthage to march north was not an easy task. Moreover, it's easy to invite a god but hard to send him away. Who could guarantee that Ramesses II would really withdraw from Carthaginians land as promised? What if he didn't comply? Hannibal was a man of great character; he refused to submit to Greece and Rome, and he might not necessarily obey that Pharaoh.

Therefore, of these three forces, the Hunnic Empire and the Egyptian Empire could not shake the foundations of Rome; they were most likely only responsible for restraint and pressure. Only Persia was our mortal enemy, truly coming to conquer and plunder!

As the overall situation became clear, everyone felt as if the clouds had parted and the sun was shining through, and their unease gradually subsided.

Even if we assume that Egypt did persuade Hannibal to use the pretext of marching north to partition Rome, the battle lines for taking Roman territory from the Nile River would be stretched out.

Don't forget, we also have allies. I've already sent the Pantheon to contact Greece and our fleet, asking them to cooperate with the Roman Legions in a crucial moment to launch a counterattack! The outcome is still uncertain!

Unless..."

Samael continued to analyze the battle situation, and when he mentioned a certain place, he looked at Greece, his eyes flashing, and his voice stopped abruptly.

Just then, a messenger from the Pantheon rushed into the council chamber, holding a scroll decorated with Olive Branches, and urgently reported the news.

"Mount of Ares is in dire straits! The Persian Empire has amassed 250,000 troops and over 1,000 warships, led by the two Persian kings, Darius I and Xerxes, and is launching a major offensive against Greece. They have already reached the Aegean Sea coast!"

The Third Iliad War has begun!

The Greek and Viking Fleet are now unreliable, and the threats from the Hunnic Empire, Egypt, and Carthage have increased several times over. This could trigger a chain reaction, turning a feint into a full-scale attack!

Samael's facial muscles twitched violently as he recalled the "unless" that had just escaped his lips, his expression turning as black as the bottom of a pot.

Damn it...