Becoming a wet nurse is not the end of the story.

Having finished speaking, Lin Xueyin gracefully returned to her seat, closed her eyes, and quietly waited for the other party's reply. However, the air gradually grew cold.

Emperor Edward did not press the matter further. Instead, he waved his hand, ordering everyone to return and discuss the matter further before deciding on a course of action.

Volume Two, Academy Chapter: Chapter Forty-Three: Lin Xueyin's Imperial Strategy

Before she even opened her eyes and got out of bed, she heard a soft cry and felt a weight on her body as a warm, soft body landed on top of her.

"Ugh, Aria, what are you doing?" He struggled to open his eyes and saw Aria lying on top of him with an admiring look on her face.

"Xueyin, I heard everything you said in the main hall yesterday. You are amazing. You know so much. Even my master agrees with your ideas."

"Can't help it?" Upon hearing this, Lin Xueyin understood that while some of what she said had been taken to heart by the nobles, a large part of it had not. It seemed that there were some circumstances she was unaware of, preventing them from fully accepting her judgment.

Of course, this had nothing to do with her anymore, but then she heard Arya tell her that the prince wanted her to meet him.

"Xueyin, I know you don't want to go, but it's His Highness's request after all, so I can't do anything about it. Besides, His Highness is worried that you might overthink things, so he asked the Princess to come with me to accompany you. What is there to worry about?"

"Alright, then I'll go with you to take a look. But it's a promise, if anything seems wrong, I'll run away first."

He nodded with a wry smile, then tapped Lin Xueyin's forehead a few times, eliciting a few playful reproaches from her, which made him feel very pleased.

Going out is always a hassle for girls, and Lin Xueyin knows this all too well. That's right, she was dragged by Ailiya to put on some light makeup, which was of course not her intention.

Princess Irabel had instructed her that it would be better to dress up a bit before meeting the crown prince, so as not to be impolite.

Then it took a full hour of fussing before they finally left for the prince's palace. Of course, all that was in the past. At this moment, Lin Xueyin and Ailiya were already sitting in front of Ikux and Irabel.

"Baron Lin, I apologize for disturbing you, but I would like to discuss with you again the results of our discussion on the alliance between our two races after the meeting."

"Huh? It's not good to talk to me about such important military and national affairs. I just wanted to annoy that beast prince. Who told him to bully our Aria?"

After saying that, Lin Xueyin felt a sharp gaze fall on her, but upon closer inspection, she found nothing. She could only touch her nose, wondering if she had imagined it.

Especially when he felt Arya's soft hands covering his own, he stopped thinking about it.

"That's right, the orcs hope to obtain enough horses, equipment, and some provisions and supplies from us. Of course, they will use ice crystals in exchange."

"Hmm, so you mean they've backed down this time and are ready to engage in equal trade with us?" Lin Xueyin frowned slightly, seemingly finding the outcome hard to believe.

"What's wrong, Yukine? Is something the problem?"

"It's nothing, it's just that the beastmen were so arrogant before, it seems a bit wrong to make them so restrained just because of the mere demons."

"I knew you'd have doubts. It's not that they didn't mention anything; it's just that the initiative is on our side, and they've already lost the upper hand."

"However, Baron Lin, even with an alliance between the two races, the threat from the demon race is imminent, and I am worried..."

Although she didn't explicitly state what she was worried about, everyone around her already knew. Lin Xueyin looked at Irabel, who was also somewhat troubled. As a princess of a country, she couldn't ignore this matter.

"Hehe, actually, the current situation is not that complicated. Some people say that the best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting, or the best diplomacy is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Indeed, the demons occupy most of the central part of the Tianluo Continent, and their people are powerful and strong. It is truly impossible to contend with them."

Seeing that Ikux was listening attentively, Lin Xueyin continued, "Humans occupy the eastern continent, with vast plains and natural defenses of mountains and rivers. They have abundant resources and a large army, which allows them to defend the region, but they cannot easily turn their attention to external threats."

"The southern elves are peace-loving and can be our allies, not our enemies. The northern beastmen, on the other hand, are ambitious and treacherous. Although they have been forced to sign an alliance with us today due to circumstances, who knows if they will break the treaty and invade our human race again in the future?"

After calming down slightly, he continued, "The beastmen can be used, but not trusted. Therefore, our best course of action now is to ally with the elves in the south and the beastmen in the north. When the demons launch their northern expedition against the beastmen, the battlefield will be with the beastmen. With both sides fighting, we can send troops to support them or sell our supplies. At that time, they will weaken while we will strengthen, and it is not impossible for our human race to continue to expand."

Lin Xueyin's words left him dumbfounded and speechless. "The best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting, and the best diplomacy is to subdue the enemy without fighting." Who was the master who summarized this? Although he could not say that he was well-versed in policies and military books, he had never heard such words before.

But then Lin Xueyin continued speaking rapidly, “The so-called strategy for governing a country is not to be concerned with small gains. To lose petty gains in exchange for greater national interests is what is meant by acting when it is in the interest of the country and stopping when it is not.”

Aliya, who was completely bewildered by what she had heard, looked at Lin Xueyin with a look that went beyond mere horror. She had no idea what kind of monster she had brought out of that small town.

His combat prowess is enough to easily defeat an orc prince, a mage, and a high-ranking priest. He is also a master alchemist. Finally, he is here discussing military and political strategies with a crown prince. Is this something a single person could accomplish?

"The Southern Alliance is with the Elves, the Northern Alliance with the Beastmen, observing the changing times and waiting for the opportune moment—is this the strategy you've told me the Empire currently needs?"

"Of course, don't worry about small losses. Give first, then take. When the time comes, those who have taken from me will have to give me back. Of course, I'm just saying. Whether you actually do it or not is up to you."

After a brief silence, Ikux glanced at the girl again, a strange glint in his eyes, before rising to thank her.

"Thank you for your explanation, Baron Lin. I have prepared lunch at home and hope to have the honor of inviting you to dine with me."

"Brother, no need. Xueyin and I have already made plans to go back and eat, so please don't mention having a meal with her."

Irabel pulled Lin Xueyin to her side, then bid farewell to her older brother, saying, "There are still many things to do in the palace, brother, you should go and attend to those political matters first."

Before Ikux could speak, he had already pulled Lin Xueyin away hastily, leaving the imperial prince helpless.

Volume Two, The Academy: Chapter Forty-Four: Lockdark's Invitation

A week has passed since the orcs arrived. During this time, Lin Xueyin has had a pretty good time. First, she restored the arm of the student who had been cut off, a student who was resisting her and whom they couldn't handle.

After that, he continued to work on potions in his workshop, or went to the library with Arya to learn about the history of the continent and the general situation of various countries and races.

Irabelle would often come to his place to eat and sleep together. Of course, she would fall asleep in his arms, not him being held by her.

Of course, it felt so good to sleep with my body pressed tightly against the other person's soft chest. It was so soft and had a faint, alluring fragrance.

However, Lin Xueyin was not feeling so comfortable at the moment. Looking at the invitation on the table, what should have been a happy morning turned into a very unpleasant one.

"Sister Xueyin, if you don't like it, we shouldn't go."

“I’d like to, but the other party said they found some clues about my previous assassination attempt, so I think it would be better if I went to meet him. Would you like to come with me?”

They looked at each other, seemingly already knowing that Lin Xueyin would say that, and simply smiled and nodded at Lin Xueyin.

"Hahaha, Baron Lin, welcome to... your arrival."

Inside the Giant Blade Inn, Lockdak was caught off guard when he saw Lin Xueyin walk into the private room he had prepared, only to be surprised by the two adorable little girls behind her.

"What, you're not welcome?"

Kaliel's ambiguous smile made the duke's son take a deep breath, but after glancing at Lin Xueyin's doting gaze towards the two of them, he said nothing more.

"Please have a seat, please have a seat. The mandarin fish and braised lobster here are very good. I specially asked the chef here to make a dish. I hope you can try it."

His polite manners and speech made Lin Xueyin feel as if she were bathed in a spring breeze, as few people she had ever known before could give her this feeling.

"Then I'll try it without being polite. You two should also try it later; I can't afford this kind of food."

He gently stroked the two little girls beside him, looking into their expectant eyes, his eyes filled with doting affection for them.

"Thank you, Xueyin-jie. We won't be polite either." She pouted expectantly, waiting for the delicious food to come.

Looking at the group of people in front of him, Lockdak wanted to say, "If you want to eat here in the future, I'll invite you to eat here." However, considering her long-standing coldness towards him, he decided it was better to proceed gradually.

"Um, Your Grace, I was wondering if you could tell me about that clue?"

Getting down to business, Lockdak sat up straight and gestured with his fingers on the table as he spoke.

"My men discovered a soldier while investigating the assassin, but he was also killed by some people to silence him, which cut off the last clue."

"Huh? Does that mean there are no more clues?"

Lin Xueyin stared wide-eyed in surprise and slammed her hand on the table. He said there were clues, which was why she came. If there weren't any, what was she doing here?

"Don't worry, don't worry, Baron Lin, although I don't have those clues, I have found some other clues." As he said this, the door was pushed open, and several waiters came in carrying some plates.

It was filled with a sumptuous feast of fragrant food, which whetted everyone's appetite.

"Come on, try these dishes first. They are all local specialties."

"Mmm, so delicious." Lin Xueyin picked up her knife and fork, cut the food in front of her, and put it on her plate. She then put the roasted lobster meat, which was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and had a rich aroma, into her mouth.

"Mmm, this is delicious."

"Eat more if you like it." Although he was attentive, he was polite, making her feel neither too close and off-putting, nor too neglected. In particular, he even helped the two little girls serve food, so Lin Xueyin's impression of him wasn't too bad.

"Your Excellency, what exactly is this clue you mentioned?"

After taking another bite of the tender and delicious fish, Lin Xueyin remembered the clue she had mentioned earlier and quickly asked again.

"Ah, aren't we going to eat first?" Seeing Lin Xueyin's determined look, Lockdak knew it would be better to reveal the clue first.

"Here's the thing, when our people were investigating the murder of that man, they discovered that it was the two people known as the Dark Twins who silenced him. I'm wondering if the mastermind behind this might have sent someone to kill him."

"Hey? Kassa, what's wrong with you?" Lin Xueyin gently patted Kassa's back as she coughed incessantly, looking at her with some concern.

"Maybe you ate a thorn."

"No, no, Xueyin-jie, I just choked, it's okay, it's okay."

"It's alright, it's alright." Patting the little girl's pretty back, Lin Xueyin looked up again and glanced at Lockdak to the side.

"We've been tracking down those two assassins, but so far we haven't found any leads." He sighed as he said this.

"Please wait a few more days. We need to find more clues to determine who dared to kill Baron Lin."

"Well, thank you very much then." Having said that, he didn't continue the topic. Lockdak also tactfully changed the subject, telling Lin Xueyin about what he had seen and heard outside, which made her let out a series of silvery laughs.

Lin Xueyin's beautiful smile made Lockdak, who was used to seeing beautiful women, stare at her for a moment. Noticing the aggressive look in his eyes, she restrained herself slightly.

Watching Lin Xueyin leave with the two little girls, Lockdak gently brought the cup Lin Xueyin had used to his lips and sniffed it carefully, as if he could still smell its faint fragrance.

"Lin Xueyin, you can only be mine from now on. If you can stay with me obediently, you can suffer less."

"Your Highness, should we...?"

"No need. Just keep an eye on her surroundings to see if anyone else appears, and keep track of her daily schedule. As for what happens next, don't be too aggressive, lest you alert her."

"Oh, right, we must find the Dark Twins who killed that man before. That will be of great use to me, especially to Lin Xueyin."

He sneered and turned his gaze to the window, where Lin Xueyin had led the two little sisters, Kalier and Kashaer, away. Their pretty backs made him stare in fascination.

Volume Two, Academy Chapter 45: Wanting to Leave

What kind of people are the Dark Night Twins? Lin Xueyin was very puzzled. Just from their names, they sounded like two very powerful assassins. She just didn't know what role they played in her incident.

Of course, the confusion in his heart was not shown on his face, at least not to Kaliel and Kashael, so as not to worry them.

And so time passed, and the movements of the demon army were eventually discovered.

"Huh? You're saying the Demon Clan didn't attack the Beast Clan, but instead attacked a lizardman tribe in the west?" Hearing what Irabel said, Lin Xueyin stood up from her chair in surprise.

"Yes, the Northern Beastman Alliance, seeing that they were not attacked, suddenly launched an attack on our Sunset Pass. The weapons and supplies we had given them became their weapons, and they launched a fierce attack on us instead."

Speaking of this, Irabel gritted his teeth. What did they say back then? They agreed to be allies and not invade each other's territory. Now that the crisis has passed, they've torn up the alliance and launched an attack on us.

That wasn't all; in the end, Yukine became the focus of discussion in the court council, and some nobles even demanded that Yukine, who had advocated for the alliance, be severely punished.

"Hmm, I'm afraid I'm not entirely safe now either."