I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

P.S.: This kind of "intelligence exchange" plot is really hard to write! (Leopard paralyzed.jpg)

The war in the north has come to an end, and the final chapter is about to begin... This book is now in its final countdown, and I'm a little reluctant to say goodbye! (crying leopard head.jpg)

Chapter 1091 Ogata's Taunt, the Meeting Between Satsuma and Choshu! [5000]

"Establish...a new nation?"

So surprised was Qing Deng that he couldn't help but look like he thought, "Did I hear that right?"

After a long pause, Qingdeng said solemnly:

"Alice once told me that you had been planning to 'build a nation' for a long time."

"For this reason, you regarded Alice as the so-called 'future crown princess' and subjected her to harsh and excessive education, driving her to the brink of collapse and forcing her to flee."

"It seems that even after all these years, you haven't given up on your ambition."

"Not only did they not give up, but they went even further, even planning to establish your 'country' in a remote part of the Far East."

Mael chuckled a few times:

"Give up? How could I possibly give up? This is my life's work."

Qingdeng picked up the conversation again:

"What kind of pursuits you have is your own business, and I have no say in it."

"However, I am quite curious. As far as I know, the 'new country' in your mind is the restored Orleans dynasty."

"Let me ask you this seriously—are you serious? Do you really intend to restore the Orleans dynasty in Ezo?"

Qing Deng's question was not meant to be sarcastic.

He was genuinely curious about Mael's thought process.

If you want to restore the Orleans dynasty, shouldn't you plant the Orleans family flag on French soil?

There are more bears than people in Ezo (Hokkaido) – this is no exaggeration. Apart from the Matsumae Domain at the southernmost tip and the various Ainu tribes, there is almost no trace of civilization.

More importantly, there are no French people in Ezo (Hokkaido).

To restore the Orleans dynasty in this primitive region devoid of any French people...

This made Qing Deng feel as if someone was telling him, "I will revive the Han Dynasty in Central Africa!", "I will promote the glory of the Tang Dynasty in Antarctica!", "I will plant the flag of the Ming Dynasty on the moon!"

Mael opened his mouth, ready to explain.

However, before he could speak, Qing Deng interrupted him, saying:

"Wait a minute, she should be allowed to sit in on the following content."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Ogata and gestured with his eyes: Mr. Ogata, keep an eye on him for me.

Ogata nodded and silently replied: No problem, leave it to me.

Qingdeng turned and walked out of the secret room.

Taking advantage of this moment, Ogata took out a face towel and a headscarf from his pocket and put them on one by one—he transformed back into "Kazuma Majima," who was forced to cover his face with a white cloth because of his pockmarked face.

The reason he changed his identity was so that the person who was about to arrive wouldn't recognize him.

A short while later, Qingdeng returned to Mael, with another person beside him.

Elodie clung tightly to Qingdeng's side, pursing her lips and looking at her father, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, with a complicated expression.

She unconsciously stood to the side and behind Qingdeng, letting Qingdeng act as a "buffer" between her and Mael, as if doing so would make her feel a little better.

“Father…” (in French)

Mael's eyes twitched slightly, revealing a similarly complex expression.

"Alice..." (French)

The father and daughter's long-awaited reunion was neither a spectacular event nor an overwhelming display of emotion.

There was only an eerie calm... The two stared at each other intently.

Finally, Elodie spoke first, breaking the silence.

To accommodate Aoto and Ogata, who were not fluent in French, Elodie spoke in Japanese:

“Father, this is a question I’ve wanted to ask you for a long time—why are you so determined to restore the Orleans dynasty?”

“We are indeed descendants of the Orleans family, but we are only a collateral branch of the family. The legitimate direct line has not yet died out. Even if we restore the Orleans dynasty, it will not be legitimate.”

“Father, you are an exceptionally intelligent business genius. You can earn tons of gold coins with a snap of your fingers and acquire vast amounts of jewels with a single word.”

“Even if we were just law-abiding businessmen, we could live a wonderfully fulfilling life. Why torture ourselves like this? And why... torture me and Grandpa?”

"If your life's wish is to put a crown on your head, then I have nothing more to say."

"However, to restore the Orleans dynasty in the Far East... I'm sorry, but I cannot understand such an act!"

"Father, is the restoration of the Orleans dynasty really that important to you?"

"Is it so important that moral principles are disregarded?"

"So important that you'd rather be separated from your family than lose them?"

Just as Elodie arrived, Chinden succinctly explained Mael's plan to "restore the Orleans dynasty in Ezo" (Hokkaido).

After hearing this, Elodie was stunned and couldn't recover for a long time.

Like Qingdeng, she simply couldn't understand Mael's actions.

What she couldn't understand even more was Mael's obsession with establishing a nation.

The questions she had just asked had been building up in her heart for a long time, and now they were finally being released, a hint of satisfaction appearing between her brows.

Meeting his daughter's sharp gaze, Mael's lips curled into a faint smile:

"Alice, you've become much more confident since I last saw you."

"It seems that Tachibana Aoto is indeed taking good care of you."

"Alright, this is a rare opportunity, so I'll get straight to the point today."

Mael took a deep breath—his very first words stunned Elodie.

“From the very beginning, I never took the restoration of the Orleans dynasty seriously.”

"The reason for raising the banner of 'restoring the Orleans dynasty' is purely to use the name 'Orleans' to help me win people's hearts."

"Although we are only a collateral branch of the family, we still have the blood of the Orleans family flowing through our veins, and naturally possess the legitimacy to restore the Orleans dynasty."

"The direct descendants of the family are all good-for-nothings who eat all day long. If I really succeed in restoring the Orleans dynasty, even if these guys have opinions about me, they can't do anything to me."

"As for why I would give up a comfortable and privileged life to work tirelessly for the restoration cause... it is of course because this matter is extremely difficult."

Elodie blinked her beautiful eyes, her face full of confusion:

"W-What do you mean?"

Mael explained in detail:

"Building a country from scratch is an incredibly difficult undertaking."

"Even a genius like me has repeatedly encountered setbacks."

"But it is precisely because it is difficult that it is so attractive to me."

"When I was in my twenties, I achieved tremendous success in the business world and earned more money than I could spend in ten lifetimes."

At this point, Mael turned his head and stared intently at Qingdeng.

“Ju Qingdeng, you also became famous at a young age, so I think you can understand this feeling to some extent.”

"There's no need to worry about survival. Having grown tired of fine wine and accustomed to luxury, all you see in the world is boring stuff."

"When I was wandering aimlessly because I had lost my purpose in life, I suddenly realized that there was still an achievement in this world—an achievement worth my all—that is to build a brand new country!"

"Indeed, this is by no means an easy task, and the process is bound to be fraught with difficulties and obstacles."

"However, while I felt it was extremely difficult, I also felt it was incredibly enjoyable!"

"The income from selling arms alone is far from enough to support me in realizing this ambition."

"I need more abundant resources, I need more talent, and I need a rich base."

"So I set my sights on the Far East, on Ezochi."

"This land covers a considerable area and has very rich forest and mineral resources."

"More importantly, it was a no-man's-land, inhabited by uncivilized natives."

"This is the perfect first territory for my 'new kingdom'."

"According to the plan, I will annex Ezo and then absorb people from Europe."

“Even in affluent Europe, there are countless people who are dissatisfied with life and want to venture abroad.”

"After completely conquering Ezo and accumulating sufficient strength, I will march west and seize the former French territory in one fell swoop!"

"This is by no means impossible."

"In my opinion, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, who is currently in charge of France, is a complete and utter mediocre ruler."

"I am certain that within a few years, France under Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte will be in chaos, and the time will be ripe to reclaim France!"

At this point, Mael's emotions soared to unprecedented heights, his tone filled with fervor.

Elodie was startled and involuntarily took a half step back.

Mael continued his narration, his eyes shining with rapture:

"Ah... what a magnificent undertaking this is!"

"Compared to this, the mere arms trade is utterly insignificant!"

"If this great undertaking can be accomplished, the name of Mael de Orléans will be forever etched in history!"

Upon hearing this, Elodie stared in disbelief, her eyes glazed over, and her mind was thrown into utter chaos.

Suddenly, her expression darkened slightly, and she bit her lip gently: