in the name of the queen.

New Bodenburg, the capital of Skyrim Province.

In the government hall, Rivers, a high-ranking official from Skyrim Province, is receiving distinguished guests.

He never dreamed that the farce-like battle report sent back from the front line of Rama Town was true.

Just two days ago, he received battle reports from the front line.

An army of 100,000 Yahoos attacked the town of Roma. Under the instructions of Viscount Dorothy, the mayor Hales and the sheriff and garrison commander Hamos abandoned the town, evacuated the people and avoided major losses.

In the ensuing war, they led the garrison in a desperate resistance, killing and wounding thousands of Yehu.

Just when the battle situation was critical, Viscount Dorothy took action, holy light descended, and the entire army of Yehu was wiped out.

After seeing this battle report, Senior Officer Rivers was so furious that he almost ordered the gendarmerie to arrest the two bastards who lied about military intelligence on the spot.

But he held back and just asked them to come back and report immediately.

This is sheer nonsense. There are only a few strong men in the world who are capable of killing nearly 100,000 Yehu. And they are all powerful men from high-ranking tribes. How could they appear in such a desolate place as Skyrim Province?

He simply couldn't imagine that strong people of Sophia and Roland's level would appear in Skyrim Province.

Until the so-called "Viscount Dorothy" came to Neubodenburg.

With great doubt, Senior Official Rivers met with Viscount Dorothy.

The moment he saw the Viscount, his knees went weak and he knelt down on one knee.

"Mr. Chairman, why are you here?"

Looking at the sweaty Rivers, Roland smiled and raised his hand to signal him to stand up.

"It doesn't matter why I came. You can even think of me as a tourist."

With Roland's permission, Rivers stood up cautiously, but he was somewhat disapproving in his heart.

tourism?

This kind of nonsense can only fool young people who are uninformed.

However, he had high emotional intelligence and did not refute. Instead, he followed Roland's words and even recommended nearby tourist attractions to Roland.

For example.
After thinking for a moment, Rivers said somewhat dejectedly: "The urban layout of New Bodenburg is similar to that of Bodenburg and Pinewood City. With your discerning eyes, I'm afraid you won't think it's a good place to travel."

"That's not necessarily true. I never think that traveling means going to a place planned by others. The greatest joy of traveling is exploration and the unknown. If I make a plan in advance, I might even think there's no need to go." Roland said with a smile.

Rivers does not agree with Roland's point of view.

This is the southern continent, not the core area of ​​Rodinia.

If you like to travel to unplanned places in the southern continent, you are likely to encounter danger.

Roland was extremely powerful and could crush tens of thousands of Yahoos by himself, so there was no danger to him. If others followed his example and traveled like him, they would sooner or later be taught a lesson by the savage cannibalistic natives.

Now that Viscount Dorothy is Roland, Rivers has resolved his previous doubts.

He certainly had the ability to crush an entire Yahoo army.

Hamos and Hales may have exaggerated the number of enemy killed, but the progress of the war is reliable.

After confirming that they were not lying, Rivers did not feel relieved at all, and became even more worried.

"Mr. Chairman, you were on the battlefield at the time. I would like to ask you about the situation on the battlefield. Is that convenient?"

"Of course. We are all members of the Rodinia Alliance. There is no need to be so polite."

Roland came to New Bodenburg to remind the senior officials of Rivers and the military and political officials of Skyrim Province to understand the serious situation they were facing and not to misjudge it.

He described the battle situation of that day in great detail.

Rivers's expression turned particularly ugly. He certainly didn't dare to doubt Roland's words.
"Mr. Chairman, I completely trust your judgment, but I find it a little hard to accept."

Seeing Rivers' smug expression turn into a bitter one, Roland certainly understood what he was suffering from.

He would also have a headache if he were in his place.

Originally he planned to expand the territory for the kingdom and establish great military achievements, but now he can't even keep the province of Skyrim. Who wouldn't be troubled?
And it wasn't even his fault.

But sympathy aside, Roland did not intend to get deeply involved in this matter.

After all, this was an internal affair of the Kingdom of Pruden. He did not hold an official position in the Kingdom of Pruden. If he meddled too much, others might not appreciate it, and he did not want to curry favor with others.

You can ask him to do something, but you have to pay him.

The cost of keeping Skyrim was not low.

Seeing that Rivers had been silent for a long time, Roland simply changed the subject and asked with a smile, "Mr. Rivers, how are you going to deal with this?"

"Mr. Roland, this is our country's internal affairs and should not cause you any trouble. Since you want to know, I will give you a brief report according to the alliance rules."

Rivers stood up, cleared his throat, sorted out his thoughts, and reported his ideas to Roland.

There is no way to run away.

This is the southernmost tip of the southern continent. If you return home by land, you will need to pass through the territories of many barbarians such as the Yahoos and Centaurs, which is too risky.

If it was before, the biggest enemy of this route would be logistics. But now the barbarians have someone behind them, and it is almost impossible to pass freely through their territory.

If you take this route, it will be almost impossible to return home and the losses will be severe.

The soldiers might mutiny before he returned to the pine forest.

The land route is blocked and the sea route is equally dangerous.

The naval strength of the Kingdom of Pruden ranks last among the major countries in Rodinia, and every ocean voyage is a severe test for the kingdom's navy.

Most of the ships they brought to Skyrim were hired from countries like Sussex, and they even bribed the generals along the way to get protection.

In any case, the cost of sea transportation is very high, the cycle is long, and it is almost impossible to withdraw.

Since escape is blocked, the only two options left are fighting to the end or surrendering.

Resistance without support was doomed to failure, and he would rather die than surrender to Yehuda.

There were dead ends all around, and even a seasoned official like Rivers could not help but look dejected.

Just when his brain was about to explode, he saw Roland's half-smile from the corner of his eye. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said tentatively:

"Mr. Chairman, the situation has developed beyond my ability and authority. My personal honor and disgrace are not worth mentioning, but for the safety of the 900,000 people and more than 70,000 soldiers in Skyrim Province, I implore you to make the decision for us."

Roland smiled at Rivers, and when he wiped his sweat for the third time, he teased him softly, "I thought you were confident that you could handle it alone."

Rivers breathed a sigh of relief and said with a self-deprecating smile: "You think too highly of me. I just don't know how to start."

Officer Pruden is just straightforward, not really stupid.

He could understand Roland's position. Regardless of whether Roland was just passing by or had some special purpose in coming to the southern continent, he was indeed in Skyrim when the Yehu invaded.

Roland can certainly come and go freely, but if he abandons the millions of soldiers and civilians in Skyrim, there will be no need for the Rodinia Alliance to exist.

If people's morale is low, it will be impossible to lead the team.

Roland may not like to get involved in this matter, but he must safeguard the interests of the countries in the Rodinia Alliance.

He is the initiator and sponsor of the alliance, the voice of the alliance, and the representative of five of the six permanent chair countries.

If he doesn't take care of things, who will?
Grabbing the handkerchief for the fourth time, Rivers finally wiped the sweat off his face, and before Roland could ask any more questions, he quickly said:

"Dear Chairman, I am willing to pay any price as long as I can protect these one million soldiers and civilians."

This is the attitude that must be had.

Roland tried his best to help him. If he still hesitated to negotiate terms, he would be an ungrateful person. Since Rivers had a positive attitude and no unrealistic fantasies, things would be easy to handle.

"Mr. Rivers, before we discuss countermeasures, I must make one thing clear to you. For some unspeakable reasons, the Southern Continent has become the default sphere of influence of the Dark Elves. At least I cannot openly oppose their expansion here."

Looking at Rivers's face that turned pale instantly, Roland said calmly: "But it is my duty to protect the interests of all the countries in the alliance. This is also my position and reason for fighting for the interests of your country."

Rivers breathed a sigh of relief and wiped his sweat for the fifth time.

Roland's words were both obscure and clear.

He could vaguely guess that there was some kind of dirty deal between Roland and the Dark Elves. He certainly didn't dare to accuse Roland of exchanging benefits with the Dark Elves in private. This was not something he should worry about.

He was not lying. Ever since Yehu formed an organized army, the situation had gotten out of control and was beyond his ability and responsibility.

Roland was able to gather the Yehu in a small space and annihilate them all in one fell swoop, and his combat power had long surpassed Rivers' understanding.

He seemed to see the beginning of a new era, but he could not buy a ticket for the ship sailing to the new era.

What else could he say?
As the helmsman of the old ship, the Skyline, he must take the passengers ashore.

Then, he will probably have to retire.

Rivers thought silently.

He was only forty-three years old this year, but he had already become one of the powerful provincial officials. His future was limitless. However, after the loss of Sky Province, his official career came to an end.

For the Sussex Empire, there are dozens of overseas territories like Skyrim Province, but for the Kingdom of Pruden, this is almost all.

Having lost 90 percent of his overseas territories, he was lucky enough not to go to jail for such a stain, let alone further promotion.

Rivers, who had given up his fantasy, was in a good mood. He had completely laid down and let Roland make the decision.

After Roland briefly analyzed the interests involved, he expressed his attitude quickly and firmly.

"Mr. Chairman, I mean any price. You don't have to worry about my insignificant personal interests. Just keep them safe."

Roland carefully looked at the slightly fatter Rivers in front of him and gained a new understanding of this old-fashioned official.

Rivers, male, was born in Pruden Alhaisen. His father was a lower-class noble, but he could not inherit the family name, so he was actually a commoner. He served in the army before the age of 33 and was promoted to colonel due to his accumulated military merits.

Seeing no future in the army, he retired and served as a local official, rising through the ranks to high office.

He is taciturn and henpecked.

All of the above information comes from the archives of provincial officials across the alliance compiled by Raikkonen.

Although this man had accepted bribes of several thousand gold marks and kept three young girls in Skyrim Province, including a Centaur girl, Roland still believed that he was a man of both talent and virtue and worthy of being employed.

He is capable and responsible. Although his personal morality is slightly flawed, his family values ​​are relatively traditional. He is considered a pretty good official in this era.

Considering that this guy is likely to be fired after returning to his country, Roland has begun to think about what position in the league would be more appropriate for Rivers.

As the leader of the alliance, it is not easy for him to directly recruit people from various countries, but he does not mind picking up outstanding officials abandoned by various countries.

Although in the era before Roland traveled through time, a warm-hearted man was not worthy of sitting at the same table with a dog, but in this era, being able to treat his wife and family well is definitely considered a high-quality man.

Roland selectively ignored the fact that Rivers had three lovers in Skyrim. He did not think it was a fatal flaw.

If Rivers held all the power in Skyrim and remained chaste, Roland would not dare to use him.

A saintly character does not necessarily mean strict self-discipline, but is more likely to be a performance.

Roland, who already regarded Rivers as an important subordinate in the future, certainly wanted to leave a good impression in front of his future subordinate.

He said calmly, "I have some contacts with the top leaders of the Darkin forces. I can try to connect you. You talk to them, and I will support you."

Rivers quickly bowed to Roland to express his gratitude.

"On behalf of the millions of soldiers and civilians in Skyrim Province, I thank you for your kindness."

The corners of Roland's lips curled up slightly, and he liked Rivers even better.

Not only is he capable, but he also has good vision and is sensible.

There are some things that are indeed inconvenient for him to directly intervene in. If he negotiates with Milones himself, there will be no room for maneuver once the negotiations break down.

Let Rivers go first and test the opponent's bottom line before continuing.

It was not difficult to contact Milones. Roland easily found the Darkin's intelligence contact in New Bodenburg and asked him to help make the contact.

Milones responded very quickly. He accepted Roland's request for peace and agreed to peace talks.

Roland did not find his response strange at all. After all, the record of the Holy Light defeating nearly 100,000 Yehu was there and could be checked at any time. No matter how reluctant Milones was, he had to sit down and talk.

Even though this guy seemed to be annoyed and described accepting the negotiation as a blessing.

Three days later, the negotiations went ahead as scheduled, at the town of Rama on the northern border.

The town was the final battleground of the Yahoo invasion.

Because of the destruction of war, this once bustling town is now like a ghost town.

No matter how you think about it, this place is not suitable for negotiations, but Milones still chose it.

Rivers did not become the chief negotiator, which was Milones' request.

He set a precondition for the negotiations: Roland himself must come.

He didn't want to waste his breath on small fry.

Roland accepted the arrangement.

Milones is a professional diplomat after all, and these little tricks are useless to him.

Roland thought this would be a tough negotiation, but he didn't expect Milones to seem absent-minded and to be very casual about the details of the negotiation.

The casualness was so great that Roland once thought Milones was trying to amuse him.

After confirming that Milones was serious about the negotiations, Roland simply revealed his cards.

"How much will it cost to keep Skyrim?"

Milones did not answer directly, but asked: "Sky Province is an overseas province of the Kingdom of Pruden. They don't seem to have a good relationship with you. Why do you want to fight for their interests?"

"Because they are my allies and members of the Rodinia Alliance. As the chairman of the alliance, I have to do this."

Roland spoke very calmly, his eyes were particularly calm, as if he was talking about what to eat for breakfast.

Milones looked at Roland with complicated eyes. After a long while, he slowly said, "Skyrim Province is not worth mentioning compared to the entire southern continent. Apart from its superior geographical location, it does not have much value."

"I feel a little embarrassed to speak up. After all, the value of my request is far higher than that of a Skyrim province."

Roland smiled and responded, "Let's talk about it. We have signed a peace agreement, which can also be considered a covenant to some extent."

"I would like to ask for your help in dealing with the moving island of Risenburg."

"Riseburg?" Roland frowned.

He had heard of this mysterious moving island. It was said that there were countless hidden powerful men on the island who could easily crush their enemies every time they made a move. However, this was only a folk legend after all and had never been recorded in formal history.

What is the mysterious origin of Risenburg?
"Riseburg is the descendant of the God's Punishment Legion. After the God's Punishment Legion, which was responsible for cleaning in the 3456th era, completed its mission, they used Riseburg as their base and formed the Heaven's Condemnation Legion, preparing to cooperate with the Goddess of Descend to destroy everything on the final day of return."

It turned out to be the case.

The mysterious and missing God's Punishment Legion.

A mysterious moving island of unknown origin.

It is indeed hidden deep enough. (End of this chapter)