When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1160 (within)?

Beneath the towering mosaic stained-glass windows, in a royal palace on the outskirts of Long Song, Duke Omes sat impatiently on his throne.

He supported his face with his right fist, while his left hand, with its bulging veins, gripped the wolf head armrest tightly.

Before them, the courtiers, dressed in silk robes and thick black gowns, stood in two rows, pointing at each other and making a noisy commotion.

However, if we insist on analyzing it, we can find that there are actually two opposing camps amidst the noise.

“Cardinal Nader.” As the Minister of Alchemy, Colin looked at the old man dressed as a priest across from him with a forced smile. “Didn’t you guarantee that as long as the Red Dragon’s Breath was used, the Holy Alliance’s locomotive laboratory would be destroyed and they would definitely not be able to build a new lathe within ten days?”
And now? The red dragon's breath we stole at such a high price has been wasted by the Franzians!

The old man who was being scolded was over seventy years old and had a well-groomed, rectangular, waterfall-like beard.

At this level, aside from a few with fiery tempers, most people have pretty good manners.

Upon hearing this, Cardinal Nader simply smiled slightly: "The plan itself is not the problem; it's the Fran people's execution that's the problem. Didn't you see how the Holy Alliance was put on the defensive at the beginning?"

"And then what happened?" Colin asked indignantly, as if the national treasury were his own parents. "Do you know how much we paid to steal this red dragon's breath?"

"Ha!" A new courtier joined the fray, angrily hurling insults at Colin, "You act like having the Red Dragon's Breath means you can research and develop it yourself."

"It's entirely possible for me to unleash the Red Dragon's Breath!"

"The Red Dragon's Breath requires the blood of a Red Dragon. Do you have the blood of a Red Dragon? What do you have? Do you even have any?"

Several visible veins bulged on Colin's bald head: "You actually believe what the Holy Alliance says?"

To put it bluntly, the Holy Alliance even claims that the seeds of the Holy Favor are extracted from the excrement of the Holy Grandson. Why don't you go and eat them yourself?

"Filthy language, disturbing the palace! Can't you see His Highness is still here? Isn't this an insult to His Highness's ears?"

Duke Omes did not intervene as he listened to the following argument.

Arguments are commonplace for Leia. Before any formal discussion, she always makes this statement, which is nothing more than a matter of dividing the blame and assigning responsibility.

If the courtiers were united, he would become suspicious.

However, listening to the monotonous arguments, Omes still found himself drifting off into a daze.

Compared to the chaotic and noisy city of Changge, where the old noble forces were deeply entrenched, he preferred the wilderness and nature.

After the Duke of Omes seized power from the king, he spent most of his reign in this palace.

It has to be said that the climate on Heshangyu Island is much better than that of Jingjiyuan. I'm not exaggerating when I say that.

Warm and humid, with spring-like weather all year round, lush green grass, and a sea of ​​flowers.

Compared to the arid, cold thorn garden full of berries and brambles, Duke Omes felt much more cheerful here.

However, this joy often doesn't last long before it's shattered by unexpected news.

Looking at the newspaper article about the Saint Union clockwork motorcycle, he felt a throbbing pain in his head.

Signing the humiliating Treaty of Wolfbridge, which ceded five counties to the Holy Alliance, was already shameful enough.

But that was before he came to power, so he could still blame it on the Blue Bee dynasty.

However, the Sixth Grand Council was an issue he couldn't avoid.

As for the Dawn Island War, it left Omes utterly disappointed and, for the first time, filled him with both doubt and fear regarding the existence of the Holy Alliance.

He knew how weak the Five Cities Alliance on Dawn Island was.

When he heard about the Five Cities Alliance uprising, he even felt as if a windfall had fallen on his head right after he took office.

But to everyone's surprise, the pie that was supposed to hit them on the head could actually fly away.

Just like the Thousand River Valley War, the Five Cities Alliance grew stronger and more outrageous with each battle.

In the end, his son, currently Leia's top player, was actually defeated by Dawn Island.

As a result, even most of Dawn Island, which is located near River Island, is no longer under Leia's jurisdiction.

Today, a proverb that doesn't even qualify as a jingle is circulating in Changge City:
"Before Duke Omes arrived, the Kingdom of Leia was no match for the Holy Alliance. After Duke Omes arrived, the Kingdom of Leia was still no match for the Holy Alliance."

Duke Omes had never won against the Holy Alliance before becoming regent, and he still hadn't won against them after becoming regent.

Although he didn't say it outright, Duke Omes still broke down.

Among the many powerful nobles of Leia who rose to prominence due to alcoholism, Duke Omes was considered to have a relatively good temper.

However, this proverb still caused the Duke of Omes to launch a city-wide search to find the person who spread it.

They even listed this phrase as a forbidden word, and anyone who uttered it would lose their head!
This matter is not over yet; now there's a whole host of other troubles. Immediately on the horizon is the ongoing conflict between the reformers and the conservatives at the Leia court.

Colin and Nader, who are currently arguing, are not the behind-the-scenes bosses of either faction, but they are certainly at the forefront of their respective camps.

After the Holy Alliance launched an alchemical revolution, alchemists who were previously universally condemned gradually rose to prominence.

In particular, the emergence of runecrafters in Farron and the formation of rangers in Norn, coupled with the complete deregulation of alchemists by the Sixth Grand Council, further solidified this trend.

However, compared to the open atmosphere and formal status of the Holy Alliance, the alchemists currently exist in the kingdom as "the Regent's patrons".

The meaning is very simple.

In the Holy Alliance, even if the Holy Grandson dies, no matter who succeeds him, the identities of alchemists, or rather, miracle priests and technical priests, will not change.

Because the Holy Alliance has the Holy Way Sect as its guarantor, it defines magic and alchemy as miracles and theological techniques.

After all, in the doctrine of the Holy Way Sect, all regular natural phenomena are the ultimate truth leading to the Holy Father.

Clearly, both alchemy and magic are natural phenomena governed by certain rules.

Compared to ordinary monks who chant scriptures, these miraculous monks are seen as beings who are closer to the Father.

Within Leia's court, alchemists were not seen as beings close to the Father, but rather as tools or craftsmen.

The French are slightly better; they only regard him as an engineer.

Colin is clearly a representative of alchemists, while Cardinal Nader is obviously a more conservative figure.

However, Cardinal Nader, despite being conservative, wasn't overly so.

He also agreed that alchemists were necessary, but felt that they should not be given too high a status and power, otherwise it would be considered blasphemy.

With the Holy Alliance and the Franco-Government now on their heels, the immense pressure for reform that was previously felt has long since vanished.

Moreover, King Gigi's actions laid the foundation for numerous reforms, which can be considered his most valuable intangible legacy.

Feeling that the time was about right, and that the cutting and dividing of the pots were basically completed, Duke Omes finally spoke up: "Alright, let's stick to these agreements. I didn't come here today for these matters."

When Omes spoke, the courtiers naturally fell silent.

The Regent cleared his throat: "The Holy Alliance's exposition is already underway and we are too late."

Moreover, compared to retaliating against the Holy Alliance, we have more important matters to attend to.

The regent didn't need to explain further; the courtiers already knew what he meant.

"The problem with the Frontier Knights."

Compared to the bustling noise of a vegetable market just moments before, the palace was now as quiet as a library.

After the fall of the Blue Bee Dynasty and the fall of the Holy Throne City, the Frontier Knights lost much of their legitimacy to rule.

Coupled with several defeats in foreign wars, the Frontier Knights were already on the verge of collapse.

Therefore, in order to ensure that his own internal situation would not collapse, the new Grand Master of the Border Knights made a decision that went against the wishes of his ancestors.

He felt he should give up his independence and give it to Lay's dog.

Omes happened to be very familiar with their abilities, and he also needed to bring in outside soldiers to balance the internal forces.

The two sides quickly reached an agreement, and the Frontier Knights successfully annexed the Frontier Knights.

But before things could get any better for more than a few days, new problems arose.

Simply put, after several defeats, including the defeat at Dawn Island, the Frontier Knights' internal fighting strength was greatly reduced.

With the arrival of the Alexei Shooting Army at Fat Beef Fortress, the pressure on the Frontier Knights in the west increased dramatically.

They were barely able to hold on thanks to Leia's blood transfusions, but then the royal court launched an attack on the Border Knights after the new year.

Besieged on two fronts, even the seasoned knights could not withstand the onslaught.

This time, they chose true inland attachment—moving the entire family to Leia.

Duke Omes clearly wanted to agree to this request, but unfortunately, the two factions that were originally divided on this issue now shared the same interests.

"Absolutely not!"

(End of this chapter)