Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

“Manfred, if you have any thoughts, you can speak them. There are only the two of us here. I am your master, and you can seek my guidance and answers.”

"Seek my guidance"—this was a statement unique to Therese's arrogance. But Manfred had no doubt that Therese was qualified to say it.

Who else could be more capable than Beatrice? A Sarkaz soldier who rose from humble beginnings, a Sarkaz general who repeatedly distinguished himself on the battlefield, a Sarkaz hero who took the head of an enemy general amidst a sea of ​​soldiers, and an unprecedented Sarkaz regent who led his followers to victory over the Demon King!

Who could have imagined that all these changes would happen to one person? And who could have imagined that after these already astonishing events, which were written into the annals of Sarkaz where there was almost nothing but the Demon King, he could still create another miracle, entering Londinium without shedding a drop of blood, dominating Victoria, and looking down on the entire Terra!

What defines a legend? A king who can shake the land – that's Theresis!

Manfred asked, “But General, the Sarkaz are only just beginning to rally in celebration of your victory and are only just starting to unite! Even the Lords of the Royal Court have begun to formally consider your invitation to form an alliance. If we fail… the consequences will be unimaginable.”

This is what he worries about most.

After the military council of Kazdel officially took control of Lontinim, Theresis sent messengers to the Sarkaz Ten Courts, hoping to gain their help and form an alliance with them.

This would have been impossible in the past. The independence of the Ten Kings' Courts had reached the point where they wouldn't reveal themselves even if Kazdel were on the verge of collapse, unless their own interests were threatened. In the end, the differences between the Blood Demons, Liches, Wendigos, and Carrion Eaters were not much different from those between Felin and Lupo; they were simply forcibly given the name Sarkaz and treated with equal discrimination.

But now, the situation has finally changed. The Blood Demon Royal Court has officially accepted Theresis's invitation, and the King of the Court himself is on his way to Lontinim. The Carrion Eaters have also clearly shown a tendency to agree; once the King joins, manpower will no longer be a problem. Furthermore, the leader of the Shapeshifter group, which has been operating outside the Royal Court, has recently appeared in Lontinim. Although he has not yet officially agreed to join, this is already an extremely positive sign.

It can be said that among the ten royal courts, apart from the Slug Royal Court, which harbored resentment over Theresis's betrayal of Theresia and her seizure of power and explicitly rejected Theresis's invitation, sending an envoy to convey the message, "Let the regent take his army to Londinium and eat shit," the other major royal courts either had already agreed or were still wavering.

This is an incredibly favorable situation, so why is the Regent showing signs of backing down at this moment?

Therese sighed, and a slight, bitter smile appeared on his resolute face as he nodded, facing the apprentice he had raised from scratch.

“You’re right, Manfred. But I have to correct you on one point.”

"The fact that we can't hold Lentinium doesn't mean we've lost. The Sarkaz are after Kazdel. The fall of one Victoria city means that another Kazdel will rise from the ruins."

"What we are planning is how to ensure that the Sarkaz gain the greatest benefit in this [fall].

He paused, then suddenly asked a question:

"Manfred, answer me, what has the Sarkaz experienced the most?"

“War.” Manfred uttered the word almost without hesitation or thought.

War, and the suffering that war brings, the pain of Oripathy, displacement, the pain of separation from family, and so on.

But ultimately, the root of everything is war.

Therese nodded with satisfaction:

"That's the answer."

"Since the Sarkaz have experienced war the most, and war is the shackle that the enemy has imposed on us, enslaving and harming the Sarkaz for thousands of years, then we must break free from it, and then, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, war for war!"

“Lentinium is a bait. Even if we lose it, the vast Victoria still has more than sixty mobile cities and surrounding lands, and forty million people. But Victoria cannot give up Lentinium, just as we Sarkaz have never given up Kazdel for thousands of years!”

Therese's lips curled up slightly, a smile full of irony, an irony of the cycle of history and the recurrence of cause and effect.

A realization dawned on Manfred's eyes. He understood what Therese meant—whoever owned Lentinium owned the power to speak on behalf of Victoria.

Therefore, sooner or later the Grand Dukes will vie for this microphone, for the power to expel the Sarkaz and represent Victoria, which will inevitably lead to conflict.

Struggle is the beginning of war.

"General, your insight is brilliant!" Manfred said with genuine admiration, while eagerly asking, "Then, is there anything I can do?"

He was, after all, a young man, full of vigor and a bit restless.

Therese nodded to him:

"Have."

"It will be a long time before we can pry Victoria through Lentinium, and then pry Terra from Victoria, and let this land taste the bitterness of war. In the meantime, you can try."

"Victoria is not the only country on earth with sharp contradictions. You can try to be the spark that ignites the powder keg."

"Don't worry about success or failure; this can effectively help you grow... and at the same time, it can help you see this land clearly."

After speaking, he remained silent for a moment. Just as Manfred thought the conversation was over and was about to leave, he suddenly spoke again, calling out to Manfred as he turned around.

"You are too young; it's a bit of a stretch to say that you can do this based solely on your name and identity."

"Give me your name."

"It was very meaningful," Therese said earnestly.

P.S.: Traveling in Chengdu. My legs are killing me!

Volume 1: Chapter 224 The Elector's Rebellion, the Empress's Sudden Death

Manfred may not have been unaware of the meaning behind Therese's last words, but he didn't point it out to Therese. This would have made Therese's final tenderness, which seemed awkward and ironic, given that she had been iron-blooded her whole life and even turned against Theresa for her ideals.

He simply followed Theresis's advice and came to Letania to carry out his will, just as Theresis needed him to.

The conflicts among the Electors of Letania were not fundamentally different from those among the Grand Dukes of Victoria. Both stemmed from the power vacuum created by the death of a powerful monarch, which was then contested by several ambitious individuals capable of filling the void. The only difference was that Victoria had personally led the emperor to his execution, while Letania, with its limited autonomy, had restricted the Empress's control.

To further complicate matters, Manfred first identified the most likely candidate to ally with the Sarkaz—the Teutonic Elector.

This Elector Elector stationed on the border retained a considerable degree of military naiveté. To make an analogy, she was like a weakened version of the Grand Duke of Windermere. However, compared to the Victorian politicians whose moral standards were almost nonexistent, this Elector Elector of Letania, with her realistic mind, was preoccupied with the idea of ​​reunifying Letania under her leadership. While harboring selfish motives, she was indeed pursuing her ambitions for the future of the country.

Therefore, as long as the right rhetoric is used and the right bargaining chips are offered, the Teutonic Elector can accept cooperation with the Sarkaz. This is fundamentally different from the Grand Duke Cavendish who brought the military council into Londinium—that fool only thought he could control the situation, while the Teutonic Elector, most of the time, did indeed hold the initiative.

Thus, the Teutonic Elector, with the help of the Sarkaz, rapidly expanded his influence, control, and prestige. His power, however, inevitably brought with it the Queen's suspicion.

Manfred didn't even have to do anything; he only needed to genuinely help the Teutons to reap the benefits while rapidly escalating the internal conflicts between the central government and local authorities, and between the Empress and the Electors of Letania.

This is just the first step in Manfred's plan.

To paraphrase a slogan once used by the Victorian royalists, even if the emperor fails many times, he is still the emperor, while dukes, nobles, and rebellious citizens will have nothing left after just one failure.

The same applies to Letania. Although the Empress's power has waned, her position remains unshakeable until the power balance within the Electorate is completely tilted. She is the "Son of Heaven," and the best way for the Electorate to avoid being attacked by the other Electorate is to "respect the King and expel the barbarians."

Teuton, a staunch rebel, sought to abolish the electoral system and establish a fully centralized monarchy like Ursus and Yan, with immense power. His conflicts with other electors were inherent and irreconcilable.

After his power expanded, Manfred could naturally extend new invitations for cooperation to the other Electors of Letania who felt threatened.

Electors could certainly choose not to cooperate with the Sarkaz, but very few would make that choice. The reason is simple: it's not worth it.

The Sarkaz are nothing but a group of rootless people, and the Kazdel Military Council is a ragtag organization without even a headquarters. Cooperating with them is like recruiting a group of mercenaries; as long as you offer them benefits, they will come when called and leave when dismissed.

The costs and benefits of cooperating with other electors, minor nobles, or foreign powers are far greater than those of recruiting a group of mercenaries.

The balance hasn't been disrupted to the point where alliances and counter-alliances are necessary. As long as one can do the math, Sarkaz's proposal is the most reasonable choice.

Manfred carefully selected from several electors, ultimately choosing Maria Wittenbach, the Bavarian Great Elector. A two-faced noblewoman, equally dissatisfied with both the Empress and the Great Elector, yet cautiously maintaining neutrality in all conflicts.

The negotiations were effortless, and the supposedly "neutral" and "impartial" noblewoman accepted the military council's offer without much hesitation.

She wasn't stupid; she wasn't unaware of the dangers of the Sarkaz. But people always tend to prioritize immediate power over historical evils. That's why philosophers sometimes lament that the only lesson humanity learns from history is that humanity never learns anything from history.

To achieve her goals, she went beyond Manfred's expectations and contributed an incredibly attractive item to this "game"—the Witch King's Horn.

After the fall of the Witch King, the eternal sun and moon of Letania, it was only natural that his legacy was not entirely inherited by the Queen. The Queen received only a small portion, while the majority, including the Witch King's horns, crown, and most of his collection of books, musical scores, magical research materials, and so on, were divided among the Electors.

Among the inheritance received by the Elector of Bavaria was a spiral horn.

According to the research of the tower sorcerers, this whirlwind inherited some of the Witch King's abilities, especially his most fearsome ability to make people "disappear." Once the spell left within the whirlwind is activated, it will obliterate all living things within a hundred-meter radius. This ability, of course, is not as awe-inspiring as the Witch King's ability to vanish an entire city, but it is perfectly adequate.

Guided step by step by Manfred, the mole within the city, and a sentry in the Teutonic Elector's guard, the Queen and the Elector walked into the trap without serious injury.

This was an extremely satisfying ending, so satisfying that even the Bavarian Elector praised it, saying:

“Well done, Manfred. When it comes to intrigue, the Sarkaz are truly unmatched.”

Manfred sneered inwardly, feeling both disdain and mockery for the Bavarian Elector's continued barbed remarks even at this stage.

Without that vortex, the situation in Letania would be far more chaotic now. It would be "war."

But why was that spiral angle preserved, and why is it being taken out now? You, Elector of Bavaria, dare to say that even without the assistance of the Military Council, you wouldn't have done these things yourself someday in the future?

Of course, assumptions are useless. Manfred nodded indifferently, as if he didn't care at all, and said:

"It's my pleasure."

"The Queen and the Teutonic Elector are now missing. As the first Elector to arrive at the scene and witness all of this, Your Excellency Maria, you should know what to do next without us having to tell you."

“Of course.” Maria chuckled, glanced at Manfred, and beckoned to her secretary. “Prepare a press conference for me. I want to announce this heartbreaking news myself. Also, please have the Black Queen return to the Queen’s Voice to take charge.”

The Black Queen is in charge of military campaigns and spends most of her time patrolling the four borders of Letania. She knows nothing about politics, so when the time comes, she can only rely on the Electors.

Maria had plenty of ways to seize the power of "regency" for herself.

As long as everything goes smoothly, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

"The Elector rebelled, and the Empress perished with him—what pleasing news, isn't it?"

Pushing open the hospital doors, Roy suppressed a smile and spoke as if to himself.

The expressions of the Teutonic Elector and the Queen on either side of him had turned completely dark.

Book 1: Chapter 225 Come Out, Margaret!

The wide streets were bustling with people. The weather was rather muggy as summer approached. A scorching hot wind blew past the Bavarian Elector's personal guard, who stood silently with their banners waving. For a moment, the smug Maria suddenly shivered.

An awkward silence filled the air. The figures of the Queen and the Teutonic Elector standing together appeared so harmonious that there was not a trace of the usual disharmony. The person squeezed and gathered in the center by the two of them was someone the Bavarian Elector recognized yet remained utterly bewildered by.

That was undoubtedly a Kuranta, and she had most likely seen that Kuranta somewhere before, but her tense brain was unable to process Roy's identity.

It was the Teutonic Elector who stepped forward first, breaking the nauseating silence.

"Where is my... Royal Guard?"

His voice, though not loud, carried throughout the entire plaza with the aid of some kind of Originium Arts, and was even gradually spreading outwards.

The Teutonic Guard, who had been forced to join the Bavarian Elector's forces after Teuton's disappearance in an attempt to find Rhodes and exact revenge, suddenly snapped out of their daze, quickly broke away from the Bavarian ranks, regrouped, and stood between the Teutonic Elector and the Bavarian Elector.