Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1968 1940. Diplomatic Means?

If Mare Mare is found to have had contact with, or even used, the forces of the Scarlet Corruption, then the only possibility is that he will be deemed an apostate.

They have abandoned their faith in the Golden Law.

Don't be fooled by the golden age of the Golden Law, which appeared prosperous, stable, and orderly.

However, it was ultimately a society whose core civilization was still very primitive, having only recently entered the 'family-based' stage, and whose supreme principle was faith.

The fate of apostates may be similar to that of the sons of evil omens.

However, Maré Maré still carried the rapier with him as part of his formal attire.

It's not that he's stupid or likes taking risks.

Rather, it's something within a person's ideology that sometimes can't be hidden; given any opportunity, they subconsciously want to reveal it.

If one could hide, it would truly require extraordinary forbearance and self-awareness.

Lan En looked at the fiery eyes of Mare Mare beneath the iron mask and nodded.

“I understand,” the Witcher said calmly. “You don’t just ‘like’ Malenia’s struggle and resilience; you’ve begun to ‘believe’ in her. Isn’t that right?”

"But, just because you believe in Malenia, you also believe in Crimson Corruption? I don't quite understand this logical sequence."

Lann tapped the prosthetic limb under his hand lightly with his fingertip.

"Isn't the crimson decay she was born with the very thing that has tormented Marlenia all this time?"

“Scarlet corruption tormented her, but it was also scarlet corruption that made her!” Maré Maré did not hesitate at all, as if the logic in his view had already completed a closed loop and was self-consistent, so he did not hesitate at all.

“Without the Crimson Corruption, Malenia would no longer be Malenia. She might become like any other Golden Tree Citizen, a piece of wood immersed in the Golden Law era! Unable to feel the passion of life!”

Melina looked up, blinked her right eye twice, and felt like she was being targeted for no reason.

Previously in Rodel, Melina didn't like to appear in physical form, but she still stayed by Lann's side.

The Witcher didn't shy away from jokingly calling her "Little Wooden Head."

Now that things have been discussed to this extent, the underlying reality must be revealed.

"So, whether or not Laqad came to greet you, you would have kept the port open to the Holy Tree Legion from the beginning, allowing them to disembark, right, Mare Mare?"

Lan En lowered his hand from the golden prosthetic limb and spoke softly.

“As long as Malenia appears before you and speaks, you will do anything for her. You are her believer, and this is what believers do.”

His calm voice echoed in the small cubicle, where the candlelight flickered and the shadows cast on the walls swayed.

Lan En asked a question, but he had already given the answer.

The atmosphere turned somber, and Maré Maré stood frozen in place.

Just as Elonmer said to Lann before the battle began at the execution ground: whether their positions in this war were voluntary or by chance, they were now on the side of the royal city.

The conflict between Lann and Elonmeier stemmed from Lann's dislike of Elonmeier.

Sunshade City is actually more closely related to the Volcano Residence than to the Royal City of Rodel.

Geographically close.

In terms of subordination, the Mare family, responsible for executions, naturally and directly obeyed the Grand Justice. Their relationship with the royal city of Rodel was far more distant.

Therefore, from all perspectives, Sunshade City has long been regarded by many as a supporter of the Volcano Mansion.

This is also why Sir Baizhi was initially indifferent to Sunshade City when he gave Lann the task.

Bai Zhi is an exceptionally intelligent man. The fact that he still used this style to assign tasks after understanding Lann shows that he actually felt that even with the temperament of a Witcher, this was probably the only way to handle the matter.

Elonmeier's actions stemmed from his master's plans for further action, with Sunshade City being a part of those plans.

But in the end, Lann didn't expect that the threat posed to the royal city of Rodel by this castle was not limited to this.

This castle is not only close to the volcano, but the lord of the castle is also a believer of Malenia!
This will inevitably make way for the Holy Tree Legion no matter what!

So, what should we do?
In the chilling atmosphere, Maré Maré had almost closed his eyes behind the iron mask.

His faith in Marlene and in the Scarlet Corruption was unwavering.

If Lan En wants to fulfill his mission as the royal city's envoy, then he only has one path left to take.

—The path that he had just stopped Elon Mel, that sadistic maniac, from taking.

“I’m sorry, Lann.” Suddenly, the Lord of Sunshade City sighed softly, “It’s made a true knight like you dirty your hands because of the situation, especially since you just saved us.”

“But please understand… my faith will never waver. Never.” With that, Mare Mare relaxed completely and drew the scarlet-bladed rapier from his waist. It seemed he knew he was no match, yet he was willing to fight to the last for his beliefs.

Melina, huddled inside her large cloak, cautiously approached Lann from behind.

The only open eye, the right eye, was looking at the Witcher's back.

Beneath the cloak, the girl's hand, bearing burn marks, emerged from the cloak, seemingly intending to place it on Lan En's back. However, she paused halfway through the movement and ultimately withdrew her hand.

The rapier in Mare Mare's hand was shrouded in an unsettling crimson smoke, and the tip of the sword seemed to be dripping liquid.

It makes one think that this sword resembles the stinger of some insect or the fang of a venomous snake.

However, amidst the thud of boots hitting the ground, Lann's relatively imposing body moved closer to Mare Mare.

He raised his hand, but instead of reaching for the hilt of his sword, he gently extended it towards the opposite side, using a non-threatening finger to lightly part the back of the rapier, revealing the gold-clad blade.

“I think we don’t need to be so ruthless right now,” the Witcher said, tilting the tip of his rapier away from his body. “Maybe things don’t have to come to this point.”

"You're trying to lie to me?" Mare Mare insisted on pointing the sword at me, his tone even carrying a hint of disappointment. "I didn't expect you to be this kind of person, Lann! I've already said, unless you completely injure me, I will absolutely fight for Lady Malenia..."

"Whether there's any possibility of compromise between us isn't up to you to decide." The Witcher interrupted Marley before he could finish speaking. "I will try to resolve the current problems in Sunshade City through diplomatic means."

Now it was Maré Maré's turn to look completely bewildered, his expression shifting from anger and disappointment.

"diplomatic?"

Behind Lan En, Melina blinked her eyes as well.

They were both clueless about the word.

This reveals a complete lack of understanding of the meaning of the word.

But this situation is normal, because border areas are really not a place where the study of 'diplomacy' can develop.

First, while the border region has a long history, its civilization is just as Lan En had previously predicted: it is a primitive society wrapped in magnificent, powerful magic and prayer techniques.

The methods used to fight for power, control over border areas, and ecological dominance are undisguised violent elimination rounds.

Powerful forces surround the divine beings who bear the law, or are even established by the divine beings themselves.

These forces have never had room for compromise, because their ultimate goal is to pay homage to the Elden Ring and make their own gods the only gods.

Therefore, in the end, only one divine being, only one power, and only one law can survive.

The rest are all losers who deserve to die!
There was no room for respite; it was all a matter of life and death.

Is there any need for diplomacy then?
Since its establishment, the Golden Dynasty, under the command of Queen Marika, has swept across the entire border region.

That is, the legion led by Radagan established a marriage alliance with the Carian royal family in Lienia. The rest were all swift and decisive attacks.

Border areas may contain cases and techniques for contact and negotiation between different forces.

However, the social environment here does not support the development of these scattered and sparse cases into a discipline about diplomacy.

If my laws successfully operate on the Elden Ring, I will become a god.

Then my laws would cover the entire world! A unified empire!

Whom do I need to engage in diplomacy with?

Therefore, Melina and Mare Mare, who were present, could not understand why Lann would say this word, or what it actually meant.

Lann himself didn't actually have much knowledge of diplomacy, but in the magical medieval world, he still seemed to have mastered it without a teacher, presiding over the post-war peace talks in Sintra for the Second Northern War.

Without a single mistake, the demands, anger, and cunning of various countries were all properly addressed on his conference table and ultimately became written agreement terms, which were then released to the public.

This can be considered a typical scenario in multilateral diplomacy.

This was thanks to Lan En's memories of the various emperors' sons, which he witnessed within the genetic seeds.

By coordinating with all parties, using threats, appeasement, encouragement, and suppression—these methods are employed subtly and effectively to find the right candidate.

Ultimately, this leads to a harmonious and efficient system.

This is something that the sons of emperors are good at.

So Lann used it just like the talent he demonstrated in biology and medicine. It was almost natural; he just knew how to handle these problems and get things done.

"I will treat your injured patients as we agreed. You don't need to treat me like some nasty guest who wants to kill everyone in the city."

"When Marlenia actually arrives, I just want to have a chance to talk to her."

(End of this chapter)