Confrontation Before the Throne

"Your Majesty, envoys from the Kassand Kingdom and the Thrace Kingdom are also requesting an audience."

The voice of Tiefling Guard came through.

"They've all come?"

"They're really fast; they didn't give me any time to rest."

Keosius shook his wings, stretched out his enormous dragon body, and couldn't help but sigh.

The Kassand Kingdom was ruled by Otis, the eldest son of Aragon I. He occupied the southeastern part of the Holy Fadlan Empire and possessed vast territories including the Atea Plain, the Herris Basin, and the Lewin Great Forest.

The terrain there is flat and open, with a mild climate all year round and extremely rich resources. It is known as the "Land Blessed by the Sun God" and is also the birthplace of the Holy Fadlan Empire.

The former emperor used the Kassand region as a base to continuously expand his territory, eventually creating the behemoth that is Holy Fadlan.

After the Great Collapse of the Holy Fadlan, its massive body was divided into three parts, and the Kassand Kingdom was the most powerful of them.

Now, this War of the Kings has been going on for months. The Kassand Kingdom's Divine Descendant Legion are fighting on two fronts, yet they still firmly occupy Teotihuacan, the former Holy City of the Fadlan Empire, known as "Sunlit City," and continue to occupy the Eternal Sun God Pyramid.

Information about the Kassand Kingdom was projected for everyone in the hall to see.

Keosius casually asked, "What do you think the people from the Kassand Kingdom are here for? Share your opinions, and don't worry about mine."

"Declare war!"

"They're declaring war on us!"

Tinia spoke enthusiastically.

The officials in the hall were somewhat helpless, and Lang Pu, who was nominally their "teacher," even lowered his head and covered half of his ugly face with his hand.

"Why?"

Keosius's lips twitched slightly.

Tinia seemed to think she had gained approval, and she wagged her tail and came over excitedly, replying, "Master, you're so amazing, they must not like you."

"And, moreover, those ministers told me that Kassand is the richest place in the south, and that gold supposedly flows in its soil. If we could plunder it, hehe—"

"Aww—"

A scream interrupted her.

The White Dragon had reverted to her ancestral form, was kicked out of the door and rolled around a dozen times outside the main hall before finally standing up unsteadily—but by then she was seeing stars and was delirious.

"Alright, go play somewhere else."

Keosius said casually, then added, "Lang Pu, you're in charge of cramming Tinia with politics and history. I want to see results within a year."

"Yes, Master."

"Your subordinate will certainly live up to your high expectations."

Lang Pu nodded repeatedly, managing a smile that looked more like a grimace.

Marshal Dolo, the Hobgoblin, stepped forward, knelt on one knee before the steps, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I believe they have also come seeking cooperation."

"Oh? How so?"

"Make alliances with distant states while attacking nearby ones."

Dolo pronounced each word he had learned from the players.

"In order to completely occupy Sunlit City Kassand Kingdom is fighting against the Seleucia Kingdom and Thrace Kingdom. Even though Kassand is the strongest of the three kingdoms, it will inevitably face enormous war pressure."

"And the Empire is located in the rear of the Thrace Kingdom, and can launch a surprise attack on them from the rear at any time through the Anzeta Corridor."

"Once the Empire joins the war, even if it doesn't severely damage the Thrace Kingdom, it will at least force them to hastily deploy troops, leaving them no time to attend to the southern battlefield, thus greatly reducing the pressure on the front lines of the Kassand Kingdom."

Dolo's words were confident, steady, and powerful, causing everyone in the hall—including the Red Dragon —to nod in agreement.

"Very good."

"So do you think we should go to war?"

"."

Dolo lowered his head in deep thought, and after a long while, he slowly raised his head, his tone quite firm, his eyes revealing a burgeoning ambition.

"Your Majesty, I believe that this opportunity to split Holy Fadlan is rare. The Empire should concentrate all its forces in the south, cooperate with the Kassand Kingdom, and launch a pincer attack on the Thrace Kingdom, striving to completely divide the Thrace region."

"If the south were to form a unified empire again, it would be difficult for us to advance south again, let alone realize our Great Blueprint to dominate the Feanso Continent."

This time, however, the Red Dragon did not nod in agreement. Instead, he continued to look at the people in the hall, signaling them to continue their discussion.

The Ogre Lang Pu calmly took a step forward and knelt down on the steps as well.

"Marshal Dolo, aren't you being a bit too extreme?"

"The empire has just unified Anzeta. War and the exploitation by the nobles have severely damaged the production of the former the North countries. This is a time when everything is in ruins and development is urgent."

"We haven't even finished consolidating our domestic territory, yet you want to pour all our resources into the south?"

"Even if the empire were to conquer the Thrace Kingdom, do you think we would have the extra power to manage it?"

Lang Pu's words were sharp and relentless in his questioning.

His words left little room for maneuver—because he had already discerned Keosius's opinion from his earlier silence.

"You"

Dolo's face flushed red, but his years of experience in high positions had enabled him to control his anger.

The Hobgoblin Marshal snorted and retorted, "Lord Lang Pu, by the time your five-year development plan is completed, the Kassand Kingdom will have already destroyed the Thrace Kingdom, and the Empire won't even get a sip of soup."

Lang Pu sarcastically remarked, "You think the Thrace Kingdom will be destroyed within three years? Do you think Wilhelm's divine nobles are just sitting around doing nothing?"

Seeing that he couldn't win the argument, Dolo resorted to the rhetoric taught to him by his player strategist.

"Hmph, I think you're intimidated by their reputation. Are you underestimating the Empire's strength? Or are you questioning His Majesty's power?"

Lang Pu merely sneered and said unhurriedly, "You've improved, Marshal Dolo, you're actually starting to learn those common human methods."

"Lang Pu, I think you're the one who's learned human cowardice and fear of trouble!"

"Courage without wisdom is recklessness, and in this respect, you are probably not even as good as Miss Tinia outside the door."

"You"

That's enough.

Keosius's voice rang out.

Lang Pu and Dolo quickly quieted down and returned to their original positions.

However, Dolo still glanced angrily to the side, while Lang Pu, on the other hand, was quite smug, calmly half-closing his eyes, showing no sign of having just had an argument.

"Let's put this pointless argument aside and invite the envoy from the Kassand Kingdom in first."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The subjects answered in unison.