Chapter 211

We didn't sprint enough. Maybe we should try using Pot of Greed on the Grand Duke later?

Forget it, I have a feeling something terrible is going to happen. What if the Grand Duke faints from the stress?

Ryan trusted the Grand Duke to handle things; now all that was left was to wait for Wildea's next move.

The next day, Elvian sent news of the peace talks to the Kingdom of Lotte.

Unable to contact Ryan, she could only reach Amabena.

After delivering the message, Elvian waited silently. It was impossible for her not to be nervous, after all, this was a huge gamble. As Queen of Wildea, she hadn't been this nervous in a long time. If the plan failed, it would be a matter of the kingdom's survival.

Now it's up to Ryan to see if he'll fall for it.

Fortunately, she finally received a reply from Ryan that afternoon.

"Ryan, you've finally come to see me." Elvian sat on her throne, looking at Ryan's phantom image floating in the air, and sneered, "I thought you were planning to hide forever."

"Look at what you're saying, I've been too busy these days," Ryan chuckled. "Is the Queen in such a hurry to see me about peace talks?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm asking. Didn't Empress Augustus tell you?"

"Of course Her Your Majesty told me, and she even said I could take full responsibility for this... Sigh~ Queen, what do you mean by that?"

Seeing Ryan's smug smile, Elvian really wanted to punch him with the relic.

"Hmph! Ryan, aren't you celebrating too soon? The Augustus Empire hasn't won, and Wildea hasn't lost. I merely proposed a cessation of the war. If Augustus insists on continuing the war, what price do you think it would take to destroy Wildea?"

"Hmm... The Imperial army has suffered more than 100,000 casualties, and the Holy Blood Army will also be severely damaged. If Your Queen were to fight to the death, the Holy Blood Army might be completely wiped out."

Elvian sneered, "You know that's good, so this peace negotiation isn't about who's absolutely superior or inferior, but rather..."

"But so what?" Ryan continued.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, so what?" Ryan shrugged, looking indifferent. "Even if the Empire suffers heavy losses, it doesn't matter to me personally. Anyway, Augustus is so powerful that it will recover in a few years. But as for Wildea, I'm afraid it will be destroyed."

"You!"

Elvian was furious.

Do you want to listen to what you're saying?

As a minister of the Augustus Empire, how can you say that the Empire's losses are none of your business?!

"Your Queen, you're a formidable fighter, but you have absolutely no idea how to negotiate," Ryan sighed. "Look at you, with your face and your figure, even if you offered to trade your body, it would be far better than all that nonsense you just spouted. Negotiation is about understanding each other's needs: you want yours, I want mine, and everyone gets what they want, understand?"

"You... how dare you!" Elvian sneered. "Ryan, aren't you afraid I'll tell Empress Augustus what you just said?!"

Ryan shrugged. "Suit yourself. Anyway, I don't rely on His Your Majesty for a living. Everyone who knows me, Ryan, knows that I am Grand Duke Magana's most loyal subordinate."

"..."

Elvian had nothing to say.

She remembered; she had specifically looked up Ryan's information before, and it seemed to be true.

Wait, what does it mean that Empress Vainay sent someone from Magana to discuss cooperation?

Isn't the Empress afraid that Ryan is deliberately disrupting relations between the two countries? Or is she doing it on purpose?

In an instant, Elvian thought of many possibilities.

Never mind, it's not important anymore.

Anyway, her goal wasn't peace talks; she just wanted to lure Ryan out and the Holy Blood Army over.

"Actually, you can talk to me if you want." Ryan smirked. "Give me Avril, and I'll talk to you."

"Dream on!" Elvian refused decisively. "Avril is only negotiating on behalf of Wildea. I will never hand her over to you!"

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"Is that so? Your Queen, isn't it a good deal to give up Avril to restore peace to Wilderia?"

"Do you think I'm like you, a heartless and ungrateful person?"

"Then there's nothing we can do." Ryan spread his hands. "This won't work, that won't work. Queen, people who know the situation will think you're negotiating peace, but people who don't will think you're going to unify the Northern Continent and kill Augustus."

Elvian remained silent for a moment.

"Then let's compromise. I'll have Avril talk to you. I can't promise the specific outcome, but I guarantee I can give up some benefits."

"Avril here to talk?" Ryan raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Queen, aren't you afraid she won't be able to get back?"

Elvian sneered, "You're welcome to try. If you dare to cause trouble, I'll kill you even if you hide in the Augustus Imperial City!"

"No, no, no, what I mean is, Avril likes me so much, aren't you worried that she might turn against you?"

"Ha~ Ryan, you think too highly of yourself."

Elvian scoffed. She had been fooled before because she had hidden her identity and 'Avril' didn't know. Now that she knew, how could she possibly be fooled again?

She believed that Avril was absolutely loyal to Wildea, after all, the latter was a miracle God-given.

"Alright, I agree, but I'll decide the location for the talks, it'll be... um, Loss City."

"Loss City?"

Elvian turned to the map and discovered that the city was located on the eastern border of the Kingdom of Lotte, at the border with Canster.

The Holy Blood Army could reach that location in less than a day.

This guy wants to take this opportunity to recall the Holy Blood Army... Elvian sneered inwardly.

"Can."

That suited her perfectly.

"Avril, he agreed!"

Half an hour later.

Elvian summoned 'Avril' to the palace and spoke with some excitement.

"Now it's up to you."

Avril bowed and asked, "Your Majesty, what should I do?"

"I will send three thousand Moonlight Cavalry with you to Loss City. You will feign negotiations with Ryan, but remember, the negotiations are not the goal. You must stall for time as much as possible. As soon as the Holy Blood Army appears, I will personally lead a large army to intercept and kill them!"

As she spoke, Elvian opened her hand, and a flag appeared in her palm.

"This is a relic from the war, called the 'Flag of Assured Victory.' It can release a 'War Fog,' the power of which can distort vision, making it impossible to see through ordinary means. With it, I can personally lead 20,000 men to ambush outside Loss City, just waiting for the Holy Blood Army to appear and annihilate them!"

Avril exclaimed in amazement, "Such a powerful relic? How come His Your Majesty has never used it before?"

"This relic is far more complex than it seems." Elvian shook her head slightly. "It is a relic that exists for war, but unfortunately, it is a relic that passed through the war. Anyone shrouded in the War Fog will be corrupted to some extent. For those who believe in war, this spiritual influence will greatly enhance their combat capabilities, but for those who do not believe in war, it is a form of torture."

"Therefore, even if I were to use it, the mental influence that can suppress the War Fog would only allow me to bring a maximum of 20,000 people."

This relic was obtained when she ventured deep into a Space Rift and slew Great Demon from the Demon Legion.

It's of a very high rank, Sixth Tier.

Its function is both simple and complex.

Invisibility, enhancement.

Many low-level Supernatural Being possess this ability, but when applied to the battlefield and used on thousands of people, it becomes priceless.

Elvian had never used it; she kept it as a trump card, preparing for a future war with the Augustus Empire.

Now, the time has come!

"Here, take this." Elvian took out a silver badge from her storage bag. "This was specially made for me. If you wear it, I will be able to sense your location, and I will do everything I can to save you if you are in danger."

"Your Majesty, if there is danger, you do not need to save me."

"Avril," Elvian said seriously, "We are sisters, so I will not let anything happen to you."

What is there for a seventh-tier Night Knight like her to be afraid of?

She didn't think 'Shally' could beat her.

"Thank you... Your Majesty." Avril reluctantly accepted it.

"Remember, don't believe anything Ryan promises. Once I capture him, I'll torture him mercilessly!"

Soon, Elvian issued an order to dispatch three thousand cavalrymen to 'Avril' to carry Wildea's will to Loss City.

She then selected 20,000 elite Moonlight Cavalry, who set out under cover of night and concealed themselves in the War Fog.

As the royal general, Alfred remained in the capital. On the surface, Queen Elvian continued to issue orders and discuss national affairs with Alfred and others in the capital.

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Secretly, the generals who were given important positions had broken up into smaller groups, leading a portion of the Moonlight Knight and the Kingdom's army into the Kingdom of Canster.

These people naturally cannot get too close; they only need to lie in ambush in specific locations so that they can play a role if Elvian's attack fails and the Holy Blood Army escapes.

If successful, we'll rise up in rebellion, march on Loss City, massacre the city, and then establish a border defense line.

This is a deadly encirclement, a perfect plan!

Elvian couldn't figure out how she could lose.

The only downside is that it exposes the existence of the Flag of Assured Victory, making it less of a surprise attack when fighting the Augustus Empire in the future.

But if we can eliminate the main force of the Holy Blood Army and kill 'Shally', then it will all be worth it.

Three days later.

Avril led the Moonlight Cavalry to the Loss City.

"Avril, this area has been scouted and no one has been found lying in ambush."

"A military officer said respectfully."

"Set up camp first, keep an eye on the surroundings, and no one is allowed to act without my orders."

"Yes."

Three thousand troops were stationed outside the city, and then Avril led a hundred Moonlight Cavalry into the city. The highly anticipated peace talks would then take place inside the city.

Besides the Augustus Empire and Wildea, people from the Kingdom of Lotte, the Northern Federation, and even the Gate of Janus also turned their attention to this.

However, the negotiations did not seem to be going smoothly.

On the first day, Ryan only talked to Avril for less than half an hour before the negotiations ended.

According to unreliable sources, Earl Ryan tried to persuade Avril to abandon her evil ways and embrace the light, but she sternly refused.

The next day, the negotiations lasted for an hour. Augustus proposed the dissolution of the Verdea Federation and the abdication of Queen Elvian, but Marquis Avril sternly rejected the proposal.

On the third day, no news came out.

Avril entered Loss City for the third time, and the gates remained closed until nightfall.

The Moonlight Knight Order, stationed outside the city, attempted to rush into the city to rescue people, but they were driven back by a volley of cannon fire before they could get close. The Knight Captain in charge immediately relayed the message to Elvian, who was lying in ambush behind them.

Five kilometers east of Loss City, in a dense forest.

Elvian frowned as she looked at the magical letter in her hand.

"Ryan really did make a move against Avril... Damn it, why haven't we found the Holy Blood Army's whereabouts yet?"

It's been three days, Holy Blood Army has suddenly vanished; they can't be found anywhere.

But she was certain that the Holy Blood Army was not in Loss City, because as soon as the negotiation location was determined, she immediately sent people to keep an eye on Loss City to prevent the Holy Blood Army from ambushing her in advance.

Currently, the entire Loss City only has 10,000 men that Ryan brought from Silvermoon City, plus the original 2,000 city defense troops.

"It seems that the only way is to take down Ryan first and force the Holy Blood Army to make a move."

After a moment's thought, Elvian decided to send the Kingdom's army, which was lying in ambush on the outskirts, to come over and pretend to attack the city, thus drawing the Holy Blood Army to show themselves.

However, before that, she still needs to rescue 'Avril'... This is not difficult; she is 100% confident that she can infiltrate Loss City, rescue 'Avril', and capture Ryan along the way.

Just then, the relic she used to contact Alfred made a sound.

"His Your Majesty!"