Alien world

Chapter 1852, Section 485: The Golden Covenant
Annam boarded the carriage as the third prince watched him leave, and a faint, curious inquiry drifted from afar:
What does the statue mean?

"Don't ask, anyone who asks about this will die!"

The carriage moved slowly until it disappeared into the mist along the main street, at which point the third prince withdrew his gaze.

"Your Highness, how did the talks go?" The Minister of the Interior finally found an opportunity to speak.

“It’s so relaxing to be with Annam,” the third prince said sincerely.

Without the backstabbing and intrigue of royalty, without having to be so careful, is this what friendship feels like?

The Home Secretary, however, asked something else entirely, absentmindedly echoing, "After all, he's a sorcerer."

"There are several sorcerers in the palace, and they only make me suspect, 'Have they taken money from one of my brothers to harm me again?'"

"Since you came to Montreal Hill and even met the Emperor, they dare not act recklessly again."

Seeing the Minister of the Interior's anxious look, the Third Prince stopped teasing him and said easily, "Don't worry, everything will go smoothly. From now on, we, the Empire, and Annam are allies."

"That's wonderful, that's wonderful..." The Minister of the Interior's hands trembled with excitement. "The kingdom is saved, saved...!"

Doyle smiled and did not stop the Home Secretary from losing his composure, because just now, he had also wanted to shout like him, disregarding his image.

……

The Empire, Free City, and the Kingdom of Dimon have officially formed a triangular alliance.

The following day, newspapers such as The Voice of Freedom, The Empire, and The Daily News reported on the alliance.

The fact that the other High Kings had all come to Liberty City as candidates chosen by the Empire was undoubtedly exciting news for the people of Middle-earth who were eagerly awaiting their arrival and for the devastating situation in the North.

The news spread like wildfire, "The Empire has arrived, and the North will be at peace!" Of course, Free City played a significant role in this.

If there's any change after the signing of the Golden Pact, it's that the confidence of the people of Free City has reached a new level, and the minor lords in the east have begun to use honorifics when they meet Annam.

They didn't know anything about candidates, but they did know that Liberty City was on par with the Empire—at least to them.

"A candidate..."

Olmedo, deep in thought behind his desk, asked, "What do you think?"

"Thinking about what?" Annan raised his head, his eyes as pure as a goblin's.

"Shall we compete for the title of King of Mud?"

Annan scratched his head and said, "I don't have the final say, and I know nothing about my competitors or the rules."

"I've already sent people to investigate, and I expect to have information soon. As for the rules..."

"The rules have also been found."

Head maid Abby pushed her eldest sister in, a stack of papers on her lap.

Annan picked it up and immediately recognized it as a document compiled by Lilith, beginning with "According to the Lawrence family records".

The last selection of the Supreme King dates back to the year 685 of the Saint Laurent calendar. The Crystal King fell, and the Holy Palu Church, led by the Saintess, destroyed the fallen King and became the new king.

The old king was personally killed by the Holy Maiden, but according to the rules of the Supreme King, there must still be a competition, rather than a simple replacement.

The nuns of the Holy Palu Church and twelve other candidates were sent to a war-torn region. Whoever first restores peace to the region and defeats the other candidates will become the new king.

As expected, the saintess, who had personally dealt with the former king, faced no pressure in dealing with the other candidates, and the title of Crystal King thus fell to the Holy Palu Church. This was no simple contest of strength, and Annan's confidence soared. He asked Lilith to predict where the battle for the new king would take place.

A few dozen seconds later, Lilith handed Annan a list, one place of which stood out: Lake of a Thousand Lakes.

Lady Winter is there, the hometown of Commander Rein and others, and also the holy land of the Annan Grail Knights' squires.

Annan hoped the battle for the new king would be held at Lake of a Thousand Lakes, not because resolving the conflict there would guarantee him the title of his entourage, but because Liberty City had intervened in the local chaos six months prior and had even sheltered several smaller families, including the Perkins family.

Liberty City has a significant first-mover advantage in Lake of Ten Thousand Lakes, so it might be worth a shot at the King of Mud...

The most urgent task is to find out who the old king has chosen as his successor. If it's someone like the Holy Maiden who single-handedly eliminated the old king and dealt with the other twelve candidates, what's the point of Annam getting involved?
However, there's no rush. The chaotic forces in the north are what we need to be concerned about right now.

However, there's not much to worry about. With the Empire blocking the way and the Kingdom of Dimon providing support, Free City just needs to run around pretending to be busy as well.

However, there's no need to be so busy. The Empire hasn't exerted its full strength yet, and it's not appropriate for Free City to be sitting there singing and dancing like a feather duster.

With the Empire remaining silent, Free City continued to stockpile resources, arm its army, and negotiate trade deals.

……

“Annan doesn’t care about your past offenses, but I can’t.”

Olmedo looked directly at Minister Frannin, who was wearing a wry smile, and said, word by word, "Mr. Frannin, we used to be friends. You should know how much impact the Duchy's actions and rumors had on Liberty City back then. An apology can erase all grudges? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

And there's the most crucial sentence Olmedo didn't say: "The Principality of Keating is now the one in a lower position."

“I know, so we will publicly apologize to Liberty City. Apart from that, all the goods you sell to us will be sold at the original price.” Frannin had made preparations before he came.

Minister Franning's sincerity eased Olmedo's reservations, and he asked Ingrid to come over.

Franning gazed out the window at the bustling streets and harbor, which rivaled even the Duchy of Keating, and sighed, "If those fools hadn't been so arrogant back then, perhaps the Duchy wouldn't be in its current predicament."

"No, trade with Liberty City will only give you more confidence to stay and defend to the death."

"makes sense……"

When Ingrid arrived, Olmedo, citing official business he couldn't attend to, asked Frannin to speak with Ingrid first.

Olmedo felt a pang of sadness as he watched Frannin's departing figure.

Today, the positions of both sides have changed significantly.

Back in Breeze City, Olmedo and Frannin were roughly equals. Two years ago, the delegation from the Principality of Keating could still look down on Liberty City with arrogance. But today, even the esteemed Chancellor of the Exchequer can only be considered equal to the Minister of Finance.

squeak-

A moment later, a head peeked out from a crack in the cabinet in the corner: "He's gone?"

"Ah."

Annan emerged—this was the reason Olmedo didn't personally follow.

Franning's arrival was sudden, and in order not to interfere with Olmedo's bargaining, Annan had no choice but to hide in the closet.

"The Principality of Keating is heartless, actually sending elders who have contributed for hundreds of years to plead for mercy everywhere." Annan said, straightening the hem of his mage's robe as he closed the cabinet door.

(End of this chapter)