Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1668 1640. Battle Line Mobilization
"Isn't this just a diplomatic mediation?"

Margarita was a little confused.

"Originally, it was already against the rules to have Dijkstra represent Redania and ask for help from Istrada of Kovir. This can only be regarded as a temporary measure after King Vizimir was assassinated."

"Because he is not of noble descent, nor does he hold any prominent position in Redania's public politics. He is merely a spy chief with important duties but a shameful one."

"Besides, he asked you to come with him. What does that mean? There is no such rule, and there is no such necessity."

Margarita doesn't care about politics and has no interest in getting involved.

But after all, she was also a great wizard who had been famous on the mainland for a long time, and it was common for her to go in and out of the palace and meet the king.

In her career as a mage, which lasted at least a hundred years—Lan En had never seriously asked Margarita about her age, and they didn't care—she had encountered court conspiracies many times.

Besides, her family background is also very prominent, so after more contact, even if she is not interested, she knows the rules of this kind of thing.

In her opinion, this message from Dijkstra was completely meaningless junk information, and its main purpose was to test Lan En's current condition.

So when she first arrived last night, she didn't even think about communicating with Lan. She just wanted to find a random excuse to fool the Redanian spies and that would be it.

But now it seems that what this message revealed is so huge?
"Of course it's necessary, Rita." Under the hood, Lan's tone even revealed a hint of anticipation.

"He really needs me to go to Kovir with him. Believe me, if you just ignore this message, he will even come to Aretusa in person to make a more formal request."

"What do you mean?" Margarita tilted her head, puzzled, "Is he familiar with you?"

"Not familiar." Lan En smiled and pointed at himself, "But have you ever seen someone borrow money from a dwarven bank without a 'proof of assets'?"

Margarita smiled suddenly.

But at the same time, in her heart, although she and Lan En had a close and intimate understanding of each other, she felt that this was not the most important reason.

"Then you should prepare to go to Novigrad." Margarita spread her hands and said, "Dijkstra will board the ship in Novigrad and take the sea route to Kovir. Since you have decided to go, I will tell you the name of the ship and the agreed date later."

"Thanks, Rita."

"You're welcome, dear. But before you go, you have to spend some time with me."

This way of parting seems very "sorceress".
-
And on the other side.

"Come in, Father." Stuart personally escorted Goodwin to an underground room. His voice was as cold and calm as always. "Don't embarrass us."

"Of course, of course." Goodwin muttered and looked at the two dwarves guarding the gate next to the torches on the wall.

In Vergen, since it was built by dwarves, a large portion of the buildings are underground. Even for those above ground, the texture of the walls and ceilings are built to look like they are in a cave.

Strong and rugged.

The two dwarfs guarding the gate first looked at the man in the cloak, and after getting instructions from Stuart, they struggled to push a large stone away at the door with a cart.

After pushing Goodwin in, he closed the door again and moved the stones back with a cart with great effort.

Without this cart, three dwarfs would not be able to move this half-man-high stone.

Cecil Borden's anti-theft measures are as good as they say.

"Father Goodwin?!"*2
There was a muffled voice coming from inside the room, but it sounded muffled because there was a door between them.

But judging by the tone of voice, it was Hans Capen who was speaking.

Inside the room, Goodwin seemed to be staggering when he was pushed in.

But when he turned around, he saw Henry and Hans who had already stood up.

"How did you get here?"

Henry opened his mouth slightly and asked with a stiff face. He always looked particularly honest when he made such an expression.

Goodwin, who was originally feeling uneasy, became happy when he turned around and saw the two men standing there in good health.

"Praise my Lord Cliff, gentlemen!"

He opened his arms, and after Hans and Henry looked at each other, the three of them were surprised and put aside their doubts, and hugged each other with smiles.

"I'm so relieved!" Goodwin patted the two men's shoulders to make sure they were fine. "I thought I was only here to collect your bodies! I might even have to die here!"

"Although all mortals must die one day, I still hope to die on a girl's belly or thigh, with a glass of fine Nasser rose gin in my hand. Dying for the two of you would be like rotten meat, haha!" "Oh," Hans cursed with a smile, "you slutty and damned old goat!"

Goodwin responded bluntly: "Accusing me? Are you serious? You two can't even figure out how to get ready-made military merits, haha!"

"Ready-made military merit?" Hans and Henry savored Goodwin's teasing, and the smiles on their faces gradually turned bitter. "This is not a simple matter. Goodwin Tankard and old Oz are all dead."

The mocking smile on Goodwin's face disappeared, and he could only pat the shoulders of his two friends even harder, hoping that this action could comfort them.

"This is war, boys. Anyone who gets involved will die in the next second."

The three of them fell silent, but it didn't take long before they calmed down and started talking again.

After all, we are already on the battlefield, who wouldn’t have a thick heart?

"I said I would pay the ransom, but they didn't even ask me any more questions and just brought me here." Goodwin muttered with lingering fear, "I thought they were going to execute me! You would have died a long time ago. I didn't expect you to be still alive!"

At the end, Father Goodwin himself became confused again: "But why are they doing this? They are not in a hurry to get the ransom? And who are they?"

Henry still had a silly expression, full of disbelief: "You don't know?"

"I just came to the north! I came here directly for your news. I don't even know whether the capital of Aedirn is south or north of us now!"

"They are the rebels, a rebellious army that grew strong in Aedirn a year ago. They fought against the Aedirn army before, and now they are fighting against us and the Kaedweni."

Hans explained briefly, but Henry interrupted.

"They are against the Nilfgaardians and the Kaedwenians."

"We are also in the Nilfgaardian army, Henry." Hans rolled his eyes at him speechlessly. "Let's not talk about this, Father. We were indeed captured, but it was all because of that commander's reckless advance! That's why we are now trapped in the northernmost part of Aedirn!"

"That's why I came here." Goodwin curled his lips in silence.

"Your uncle, Lord Hannas, has made good connections in the south. He asked me to come this time to bring the power of his connections to supervise the operation on the spot and see if he can make you a company commander of the Nasir auxiliary army or something like that."

"Ah," Hans sighed, "He must have spent a lot of money. Unfortunately, if this money is to be effective, he will have to pay a ransom."

"This is not just about spending money." Goodwin winked at him meaningfully, "He also wants to transfer you from the Eastern Front to the Central Army Group!"

"Central Army?!" Hans sat on the edge of the solid, thick and thick dwarf bed in the room in a daze. "Go and fight Temeria and Redania? This is indeed a good opportunity to gain military merit! But..."

Hans's face was tangled and he scratched his blond hair.

"The commander of the Eastern Front is His Excellency Menno Kuhn, the greatest general in the Empire! It is a great honor to fight under him."

"Don't worry about that." Goodwin glanced toward the door, then sat down on the opposite edge of the bed with Henry and lowered his voice.

"Hanast saw that Marshal Menno Cuhoon was going to be transferred to the central battlefield, so he wanted to take advantage of this major change to promote you. If you didn't catch this opportunity, God knows how much more effort Hays would have to put in."

"He's heading to the central battlefield?" Henry exclaimed in a low voice, then murmured, "Does that mean the war is going to start again? But who will take over the eastern front? There can't be no one to take care of it."

"According to inaccurate information," Goodwin said calmly, "it will be Rudolph Apple Darcy, the heir of the noble Darcy family. This is a battle he claims to be for revenge against the northerners, and he can't afford to lose."

"Darcy?" When mentioning this noble surname, Henry's originally honest face suddenly stiffened for a moment.

That expression looked like he was gritting his teeth.

But at this time Hans was thinking about his future and military achievements, and Goodwin was lamenting the changes in the situation, and no one noticed the expression on his face.

"Yes, the Darcy family. They are the old noble family of the empire!" Goodwin sighed, and then looked at Henry and Hans with a little relief.

"This is one of the reasons why Hays asked me to help you transfer both of you away quickly and still follow Marshal Menno Cuhoon."

"After all, you should all be aware of the Darcy family's style and reputation when they were leading the army, right?"

Now not only Henry, but also Hans' expression froze.

"It seems that you all understand." Goodwin nodded. "We all have a day to leave this world. Death is our inevitable destination. Death is a part of life. The battlefield is indeed a cruel and helpless hell."

"But if there is still room to make a choice, I think you will not be too willing to make those difficult choices after all. It is best to avoid them."

"It is true, Goodwin," Henry repeated, murmuring, "it is true."

(End of this chapter)