After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

"Silence! Silence!"

The rapid, heavy thuds of the wooden hammer were quickly drowned out by the argument of hundreds of people.

Prime Minister Haq of the Southern Principality was blushing furiously, looking extremely embarrassed. He was the first prime minister of the Southern Principality, and very likely the last.

"Silence! Silence! Please be quiet!"

Field Marshal Paul abruptly rose from his seat, and his angry shout finally restored order to the council. Paul's solemn and steady gaze swept over the councilors, who were composed of nobles and wealthy merchants, and after a few seconds of silence, he turned and saluted Hack.

"Your Excellency, please continue."

"Thank you, Paul, and thank you everyone." Hack slowly stood up, tucked in his large belly, put down the wooden hammer, took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, then adjusted his monocle, put his hands on his hips, and spread out the documents on the table.

"Gentlemen, I believe you have all heard of the great battle that has broken out in the Central District. We have indeed broken free from the control of the Kingdom as a result, but we cannot deny that a powerful enemy from the north will once again unleash the flames of war, causing our Southern Duchy to burn and shed blood."

Haq's words were endorsed by the vast majority of members of parliament, who looked at each other and nodded frequently in affirmation. The Prime Minister's judgment was also a consensus among them.

"For countless years, the Southern Principality has been striving for independence. We have tried to achieve our goal through peaceful means, but almost every king has never given up the exploitation of the Southern Principality."

"The powerful northern lords are squeezed against the high walls of war; the wealthy southern lords humbly offer up the wealth they have worked so hard to earn."

"We have paid too high a price for today!"

Hack raised his clenched fist, his voice gradually becoming more forceful.

"To be or not to be, to submit or to resist, the war will not stop because of our arguments. The blizzard is howling in the central region, and the next winter is just around the corner!"

"Gentlemen, abandon your illusions and cease your brilliant eloquence. The tyrant of the North is equally learned, and a new political system is taking shape in his hands, in which there is no place for us..."

A shrewd politician will not miss any opportunity to understand his opponent.

Oswald's series of reforms implemented in the Northern Territory, as well as his series of programs and articles (excluding bishop anecdotes), became essential reading for Hack.

He had to admit that Oswald was a respectable idealist, but no matter how much he agreed with him, Hacker had no position to express in support.

"Your position determines your perspective"—this is one of the cruelest sayings in human society, and countless pioneers have fallen into an endless abyss because of it.

Hark didn't need to pay attention to these madmen who were ahead of their time; the political system of the Southern Principality was already advanced enough, until that madman became the most powerful warlord of the era.

The occupation of the Eastern Territory, the submission of the Western Territory, and the Central District embroiled in war are all forcing the newly established Southern Duchy to make a dangerous choice.

"Having said this, I pray that Heaven will protect the Southern Principality."

With a loud bang, the gavel fell silent in the council chamber, signaling the end of the meeting.

A sea breeze swept through the bustling streets. In the Prime Minister's private lounge, Haq unbuttoned his coat one button at a time and poured himself a glass of red wine, a specialty of the Southern Principality, by the window.

The bright red liquid in the glass sparkles like liquid gemstones, and when held to the nose, it releases a refreshing fruity aroma.

"I've heard that the Duchess of the North really likes this red wine."

General Paul took off his military cap, knocked on the door that was already open, and smiled at Huck from the doorway.

"After all, we are from the South. Speaking of which, many of our young people are in the North. They... are really outstanding."

Harker warmly welcomed Paul's arrival, and took out his own private collection of gold-inlaid wine glasses to pour him a glass of wine.

Paul accepted the glass and nodded steadily in thanks. After taking a sip, he heard Hark complain, "The parliament has lost control. There are surrenderers and rebels. It's hard for us to come up with a unified opinion."

"From a soldier's perspective, I can tell you very clearly, Your Excellency the Prime Minister." Pol's weathered face remained as calm as ever.

"We have no chance of defeating the Northern army on the front lines. According to the news brought back by the merchants, Oswald, who captured the palace, distributed a gold coin to each of his soldiers."

"How many of them are there?" Huck asked, frowning.

Pol's face remained calm and composed. "The number of soldiers around the royal city alone is close to 70,000."

"This is insane."

Hack, looking up, sighed deeply. Everyone knows that giving soldiers bounties can enhance the fighting power of the troops; sometimes, a small reward can win the loyalty of the soldiers.

That's 70,000 gold coins! Even Haq, who had heard of Oswald's various virtues and deeds, was once again shocked by the tyrant's actions.

The soldiers of the Northern Army were loyal enough that Oswald could even send them off to develop on their own and then bring them all back with a single order!

"Don't be discouraged, my Prime Minister. Even if Silver City is breached, I can buy you about fourteen days to evacuate."

When Bohr said this, he also took a deep breath.

"General, at a normal marching speed, it would only take ten days to travel from Silver City to the capital." Hark finished his glass of red wine with a wry smile. "However, I think I understand your attitude, General Paul."

Paul shook his head and looked earnestly at Hark. "Please don't misunderstand, Your Excellency, I'm merely stating the objective facts. As long as you issue the battle order, your subordinates and the soldiers of the Duchy will fight to the death."

"I am meeting with you today mainly for another matter."

Compared to the overwhelmingly powerful Northern Army, the intelligence that Bohr gathered from various sources was revealing an even more terrifying message to him.

Are curses the only disasters facing humanity?

Leaving aside the undead calamity, no one knows why these monsters appeared; their appearance seems more like a harbinger of the apocalypse.

Last year, the undead army from the Southern Territory launched a horrific massacre in the Elven Kingdom, and many heroes involved in the incident perished, including the kingdom's guardian, Mr. Medivh, as well as a number of high-ranking officials from the Southern Territory.

In retrospect, the cursed princess was also a key part of this massacre, and after the incident, rumors about whether the king was still alive spread everywhere.

Given that Duke Oswald did not publicize the king's death after seizing the royal city, Pol is more inclined to believe that the king had already died at the hands of the cursed princess.

So the people who ultimately cooperated with them and caused the deaths of nearly 50,000 soldiers of the Southern Principality were those madmen who betrayed humanity!

Led by the Great Sage, along with the Mage Association and a group of former heroes, a madman turned the world upside down!

They bound the sun, used demons to disrupt the situation, and now they're creating a large number of monsters in the royal city...

How could Bohr not be worried? Once the royal city is occupied by Duke Oswald, the cavalry of the northern army will definitely not be the ones to appear at the gates of the southern duchy's city any faster.

What are they going to do? Simply use everything they can to continue resisting Duke Oswald.

After downing the glass of red wine in one gulp, Pol stood up and solemnly put on his military cap.

"Your Excellency, I have no intention of influencing your decision, but please remember what I said today: be wary of those who worship goddesses, no matter what help they may bring you..."