Gou is a dark elf in Warhammer

Of course, banquets can be held and the army can be given appropriate rest, but the premise is that they cannot relax.

The more the situation tends to be stable and the more calm it seems, the more we must not be careless. Especially now, even a small surprise attack could trigger a chain reaction.

If Caledor's dragons come for a surprise attack, it will be great fun. Lothern is now the essence of the Matheran system. An accurate and deadly surprise attack is enough to turn the entire battle situation into a mess, tear the newly established trust into pieces, and completely disrupt everyone's painstakingly planned deployment.

Its impact is no less than the burning of Red Cliffs, etc.

Finnubar was not angry, nor did he show any violent reaction. He just nodded calmly. He knew what Dacus was saying. He knew that it was inevitable for Duruchi to take over the defense system of Lothern. It was not just reasonable, but inevitable. It could even be said that even if Dacus proposed to take over the entire Lothern, it would be a reasonable logical extension.

After all, he knew he was instigating a de facto coup long before he opened the Lothern Sea Gate.

Lothern is not an ordinary city. It is a symbol of power, the core of Asur, and the lifeblood of the entire Ulthuan. And he, Finnubar, handed over the key personally. He knew the significance of it better than anyone else. Taking this step meant that he had to accept all the chain reactions that followed.

But he was still unwilling.

"Should I withdraw the troops from the fortresses as well?" After a moment's silence, Finnubar spoke calmly, raising the question in a tactful and tentative tone. He did not argue, nor did he force it, but used his usual strategic rhetoric to try to gain a little space - a little wiggle room for initiative.

"To maintain order in the city?" Daqian asked.

"Of course!" Finnubar's eyes flashed and he nodded immediately. Dacus really understood him.

At this time, Malekith, who had been silent all this time, spoke. His voice was not loud, but it carried a sense of oppression.

"Let the Imperial Black Knights follow and give them some time to adapt."

This sentence may seem ordinary, as if the Black Knight is also following suit. However, it sounds like a different matter to those involved in politics.

This sentence marked the end of another round of power game. The Asur troops were retained to maintain order in the city, while Druch's army took over the defense system of Lothern. Neither side gave in, nor did they really break up - this was a typical deal between superiors.

But there are some details that need to be discussed.

After all, the Black Knights of the Order are Malekith's favorite, and Malekith has been in charge of them since their establishment. This means that the Black Knights can patrol with Triton, but if something unavoidable really happens, the Black Knights will take the lead, and Triton will not just laugh it off.

To extend this further, this seems to involve the navy and army systems, and the issues of dominance and belief behind them.

There's nothing you can do about it, that's how politics works.

Of course, this also represents the beginning of the initial running-in of the triangle system consisting of Malekith, Dacuus, and Finnubar.

Dacius shrugged his shoulders and cast a helpless look at Finnubar. Then, he turned slightly and cast his gaze towards the magnificent city defense system in the distance - the Emerald Gate of Lothern.

This famous fortress was specially designed to defend against frontal sea invasions. Its flank defenses are extremely simple. Apart from a moat and a bunker tower overlooking the gentle slopes on both sides, the walls are low and at first glance even look like poorly maintained ruins, with almost no additional fortifications.

Daxus just took a look without sticking his head out or looking through a monocular.

Druki had not yet fallen to such a point. The sand table of Lothern was not only available in Taliendan, but also in the command room of Seryuan Yutao. It was so accurate that it could surprise the people of Lothern who were lucky enough to see it. Even the section of the wall where the stone was slightly loose due to moisture was marked, thanks to the information provided by Italis.

Without the help of the Magnificent Tower, the enemy could indeed advance quickly from the rocky slope and reach the moat along the mountain roads that seemed hidden but were actually man-made.

It looks like a defensive loophole, and you would be an idiot to believe it. It may seem conducive to attack, but in fact, the terrain is narrow, heavy equipment cannot go up, and troops are difficult to deploy.

Once they enter the bottleneck area, even if there are only a few dozen archers, they can shoot hundreds of elite soldiers into sieves. Without using extraordinary power, the pure gate of hell and the complete bloodletting pool are the bloody path left by Asur for the enemy, a trap of "kill as many as come".

This defensive design, like actively exposing the neck to the enemy and then cutting it off with a knife the moment the enemy bites, is the pinnacle of Asur engineering and a reflection of their confidence in tactics.

However, Dacus did not pay much attention to these, as his attention was soon attracted by another scene in the lagoon.

There were more and more ships, densely packed with them.

In addition to the ships of Asur and Drucci, there was another type of "strange" ship docked at the pier - entertainment boats painted with gorgeous patterns and decorated with gold foil and purple curtains.

That is, a yacht.

They did not belong to the army, nor to the merchants, they belonged to the nobility.

Does this seem to fit Lothern's image?
In the eyes of other Asur, the citizens of Lothern are the "vulgar" among the Asur - they understand trade, are realistic, and advocate enjoyment. They are ridiculed as greedy merchants rather than proud warriors or noble wizards.

Maybe it’s just hatred of the rich, maybe it’s just a stereotype - who knows?
To Dacus, none of this mattered at all.

As he began to fall ill, his eyes wandered across the lagoon, finally settling on the lonely island in the center of the harbor. There, after Finnubar ascended the throne of the Phoenix King, a huge statue of the first Phoenix King Aenarion would be erected to commemorate him. The problem was...

Of course, the landmark has to be built eventually, but not now. The addiction will be too great from now on.

He looked at the undeveloped land on the edge of the port area. If he was not mistaken, it should have been a pre-selected area for the outsiders' residence.

Now? There's no sign of construction at all.

In the future...it’s hard to say, really hard to say.

In the future positioning concept, perhaps there will be a group of humans living in Ulthuan? Taking on low-level jobs and doing things that the elves are unwilling to do.

Equivalent to a Filipino maid?
It’s okay if there are few people at the beginning, but if there are too many people, it will be like the Central MTR station in Hong Kong.

Weekends are the rest time for most Filipino maids. They leave their employers' homes, bring lunch boxes, fruits and cardboard, and gather under bridges, beside overpasses and on the roadside. They sit, lie down, chat, sing, daydream, play cards on cardboard, have picnics, or just fall asleep. This is how they spend their rest days, a moment of respite from their hard lives.

In order to facilitate these Filipino maids, the government also specially approved several nearby roads to be blocked on weekends, turning them into gathering parks that belong only to them - seemingly tolerant, but actually marginal; seemingly stable, but actually isolated.

Daxus withdrew his thoughts and shook his head secretly.

It's hard to say for sure, and there's no need to delve into it now. We should take it step by step. Now is not the time to set up policies to manage outsiders. That is a problem for a mature empire, and right now, the empire doesn't even have a prototype. Besides, there's no need to take one step and look ten steps ahead, let alone a hundred steps ahead.

As for the saying that he was an employee yesterday, a housekeeper today, and a prime minister the day after tomorrow, that's a bit too much. The characteristics, policies, and systems of the elves are here. The elves are not Romans, so humans cannot infiltrate them unless the elves are dying out.

On the contrary, the Lizardmen's embassy district has a clear concept: it is built in the style of Lustria, with a pyramid as the core, surrounded by low temples and circular stele corridors, forming a group of buildings that are both distinctive and have administrative uses. This can serve as the official residence of the Lizardmen in Ulthuan, and also become a unique tourist attraction in the city - both ceremonial and practical.

As for other races? No consideration.

It was not simply the arrogance of the elves, but also strategic considerations. The basis of communication between races was trade and communication, and the elves controlled the sea power, shipping routes, and transoceanic information lines, so they did not need to set up diplomatic zones for other races in their core territories.

If you have any business, you can go to the elven embassies in Altdorf, Cologne, Miragliano, etc. The person in charge there will pass the information back to Ulthuan, instead of taking a boat to Ulthuan and then going back, wasting time on the road.

At this time, Finnubar noticed Daxus's gaze and began to introduce them.

"Over there is a library, the largest library in the Kingdom of Itain."

"Is it still 250,000?" Daxus changed the subject.

"Yes." Finnubar nodded, his tone was steady, even a little wooden, without pride or shame. If it were before, he would proudly announce this number: "Two hundred and fifty thousand!" But since he had been to Naggaroth himself, was two hundred and fifty thousand a lot? Daquus nodded slightly and turned his gaze to the group of Asur standing in the distance. Then he shook his head. He originally wanted to explain what the "siphon effect" was, starting from the logic of resource focus and power concentration, extending to the attraction structure of cities and civilizations, and finally pointing to the prediction of future urban governance structures.

But he finally stopped.

If you don't handle this kind of thing well, you may end up making a mess.

The siphon effect cannot be explained in just a few words, and the people on the other side are professionals.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to try another approach.

He slowly raised his right hand and pointed his index finger towards Finnubar, then turned around and made the same gesture to the Asurs standing in the distance.

It was a simple action, but it was like a bolt of lightning that split Finnubar's thoughts.

His eyes widened instantly and he stared at Daxus in disbelief. He remembered the late-night conversation they had had at the bathhouse in Naggarond. That night, Daxus had calmly thrown out an astonishing statistic.

five million!
That was Daxus's estimate of the population size of Lothern in the future. Finnubar was so shocked that he was speechless for a long time.

And now, Daxus raised another finger.

Finnubar did not think it was one million, but rather—ten million!

"I'm sorry, my previous inference was wrong. After re-evaluation, I think Lothern definitely has the conditions." Daxus said calmly, as if he was describing a very ordinary thing. "Otherwise, how could Lothern be known as the City of Miracles and the City of the World's Desire?"

"This..." Finnubar was stunned for a moment, his throat moved, and he almost felt dizzy.

It is not a number, but a mountain, coming slowly from afar, crushing all the inertia, elegance, refinement and pride of the past.

The future of Lothern...can it really bear such a scale?

In other words, can the future of the elves really bear such a scale?

He tried hard to imagine what a city like Lothern with a permanent population of tens of millions would look like. What a huge project that would be!
Five million is already unimaginable. Not only will the Emerald Gate and some buildings in the city have to be demolished and rebuilt, but even the Glory Tower may be transformed into a lighthouse on land. The surrounding mountains may even be completely flattened to make enough space to accommodate the five million citizens.

As he thought about it, he took a deep breath, and the picture in his mind gradually became blurred, as if swallowed by a huge wave. He knew that Daquus was not just talking nonsense, he knew that Daquus had an extraordinary talent for urban planning. He had been to Naggaroth and saw the layout of the cities with his own eyes; although he had never set foot in Asheril himself, he had heard about it countless times from his supporters. It was a masterpiece that could only be completed by an ambitious planner.

And this is just Lothern. If we extrapolate, with Lothern having a permanent population of 10 million, how many elves would there be in the Kingdom of Itain, the entire Ulthuan, and even other regions and colonies combined?
As he began to associate his thoughts, he seemed to see an era full of miracles.

"This is shocking..." Finubar whispered to himself.

"Don't worry. This is a very complicated project that requires our joint efforts." Dacus saw Finubar's thoughts and said lightly, then pointed to a palace located on a small island in the distance, "Whose palace is that?"

The palace building is simple and solemn, magnificent and majestic, like a dazzling gem inlaid in the lake, it is hard not to notice it.

Finnubar turned his head and paused thoughtfully, then looked at Malekith not far away. After a brief silence, he whispered to Daquus.

"This is Caradrell's palace."

Daxus nodded, he understood why Finnubar had this reaction, he knew what was going on here.

Although this palace exists as a temporary palace, the story behind it is far more complicated than what appears on the surface.

Lothern was the seat of the Phoenix Court by the third Phoenix King, Caledor the Conqueror. However, at that time, Ulthuan was in the midst of the Great Sundering and was constantly at war, with almost all of its resources and energy concentrated on the battlefield.

Since there was no time for large-scale construction and planning, the scale of the Phoenix Court was not large. Then, Caledor was fighting and lost his people, so naturally there was no opportunity for formal, large-scale construction.

Next came Caledor's son, the fourth Phoenix King, Caledor the Conqueror II. This Phoenix King with a bad temper and eccentric personality was not interested in Lothern and even felt dissatisfied with the city, but he continued the tradition, after all, it was set by his father.

However, he had no idea of ​​expanding. To him, the Kingdom of Caledor was his home, and the Phoenix Court of Lothern was just a convenient place to handle government affairs. It seemed to be just a transitional residence, but this transition became permanent.

Next, it was the fifth Phoenix King, "The Peacemaker" Karadrell, who officially confirmed that Lothern would be the location of the Phoenix Court. He had extremely high expectations and requirements for this city. He first built a transitional palace, and then began large-scale urban construction and expansion. The number of buildings in the Phoenix Court gradually increased, and towers rose one after another. With the continuous expansion of subsequent Phoenix Kings, the Phoenix Court gradually formed the huge and exquisite building complex it is today, which is what it looks like now.

Finnubar's gaze returned to the palace again, with a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. He knew clearly that the current Caradrell Palace had become a witness to the history of Lothern.

"If the ownership still belongs to the Vinio family, according to the 'Noble Law', this palace still belongs to the Vinio family." Dacus said after thinking for a while.

Finnubar nodded. He did not say anything about the extinction of the House of Venior. If he had asked this question before going to Athel Loren, he would have done so, but not now.

Caradrell is dead, but his brother Asanok is still alive.

In fact, Dacus's idea was to move the palace away in an extraordinary way. There were so many large ships in the lagoon, and it would be a bit...

If Asanok wants it, give it to him and follow the "Noble Law" process to make it the ancestral land of the Vinnior family. If Asanok gives up the palace and instead wants the ancestral land of the Kingdom of Iris, then turn the palace into the Lothern History Museum and make it a tourist attraction.

Of course, no matter what, it has to be moved away.

Just as Malekith and his party were inspecting the walls of the Emerald Gate, the first batch of ships docked at the pier began to unload, or rather, the passengers began to disembark.

In the deep forests of Athel Loren, time is swallowed up by the rings of trees.

Delina's life is closely connected with nature. As a follower of Aisha, her heart beats with the wind, trees and lakes in the forest. For her, Athel Loren is not only a home, but also a shelter. The rotation of the four seasons, the change of the sun and the moon, everything in this sacred forest maintains an ancient and peaceful rhythm.

As the woodland lord of Anmir, one of the twelve lords of Athel Loren, she rarely left the forest until she had to go out and fulfill her duties and obligations to a place that had been around her for a long time but was completely different from the world she was familiar with.

When she first stood on the land of Ulthuan, she did not feel a trace of excitement or curiosity in her heart, only deep confusion and uneasiness. If she could choose, she wanted to return to Athel Loren immediately, but she could not.

The surrounding scene was extremely unfamiliar to her, even with a sense of discomfort. Her eyes swept across the city in front of her, and the sunlight reflected on the glass windows of those spires, dazzling and blinding. The dazzling light made her a little breathless. The light of Athel Loren was always soft, and the beams of light shining through the ancient trees were like a mother's embrace, making her feel peaceful and comfortable.

But here, Lothern, it's completely different.

The outline of the city is like a giant skeleton carved out of the earth, cold, hard, and lifeless. The huge stone monuments and buildings are as cold and ruthless as steel.

She stood on the pier, the buildings on both sides were tall and magnificent, the product of human design and construction, rather than the scene given by nature. Although there were no pedestrians on the street, she could not feel the harmonious pace of the forest of Athel Loren.

There is no singing of birds or whispering of trees, and the air is filled with an artificial smell.

Every step was unfamiliar, every patch of ground was different from the land she had walked on in Athel Loren. She could feel a strong sense of detachment, as if some connection between her and Athel Loren had been severed.

Asrai's relationship with nature was like being rooted in the earth, seeping into her blood. She closed her eyes and tried to recall every leaf, every spring, and every breeze in Athel Loren. However, now, she could only hear the noisy waves around her, and the empty feeling of loss in her heart became more profound.

She unconsciously walked to the shore, her eyes resting on the blue lagoon. The lake was strikingly similar to the lake in the Athel Loren Forest, but its clarity and the light and shadows at the bottom of the lake lacked the familiar layered tree shadows and fish jumping on the water. There was no gentle atmosphere here, no melodious wind chimes, no soft whispers of the spirits in the forest at night, nothing, nothing.

"This... is Ulthuan?" she whispered to herself, her voice full of doubt and a bit of loss. She couldn't help but put her hand on her chest, feeling the familiar heartbeat, as if the pain of leaving her homeland surged into her heart again.

"Yes, this is Lothern, Ulthuan, the home of Asur." Leandra said beside him, and then she comforted him, "Perhaps... you can find the familiar feeling you once had in Avalon?" (End of this chapter)