Diana fell silent, her hand resting on her forehead. After a long moment, she sighed, "How can I put it? The war spells you mentioned have such a devastating effect. If the temple discovered we released them into the secular world, we'd be in big trouble."

"Hmm... okay," Firth muttered. "I don't understand this, I'm just saying." She leaned back a little and looked up at Cesar. "Are you sure you'll stay in Fort Gural?"

"I'm afraid we'll have to stay. All we can decide is how to view it," Cesar said. "This war could be as short as a year or two, and I can't say if it'll be longer. Our past experiences have either been single sieges or territory-wide rebellions, nothing compared to this."

"According to you," Diana said, "it's not a question of whether or not to set up a testing ground. It's a question of whether or not to set up a testing ground. Which war spells can be used, and which ones will definitely cause trouble if used?

I do have my own criteria for judging this—primarily the political risk. Personally, I hope you won't rely on this, and only use it when you have to in a crisis."

Cesar nodded. "We really have to do it. Although there are several towns south of Gural Fortress that could theoretically be used as testing grounds, we only have full control over the fortress itself and the surrounding towns..."

Diana held her chin high. "Don't worry about that. Our princess is very skilled in commandeering and appropriation. She's learned all about it from her time at the chancellor's house. However, this will take a long time, and we still need to build the test site in Gural Fortress during this time."

"Is there any intelligence that's not so military or strategic?" Fils looked at the map of the Yestren School. "I mean, what's the climate and geography like there?"

"It seems that you are more concerned with things other than humans..." She looked at Fils, "How did our ancestors get here..."

Cesar glanced at Diana, who was mumbling to herself. "Based on the monsoon, the latitude, and the geography," he stretched out his hand and paddled from Anglan all the way to Gural, "this place is hot and humid—not scorching, but muggy, hot and muggy. And because it's near an inland sea, the rainfall is heavy, and the paths can easily become slushy."

"I've never known what it's like to be hot and stuffy in Neuen," said Firth. "Aside from the mountains that serve as a natural barrier, is there any other noticeable terrain?"

"The mountains flatten out to the west," Cesar said, studying the map. "The further west you go, the flatter the terrain becomes, making it more suitable for grazing. To the north, there are low hills, not as steep as the Wala Mountains, and the marching efficiency is not much different from the plains."

"There's a vast, humid rainforest to the north," Diana said. "It's overgrown with swamps, full of mosquitoes and poisons, making it almost impossible to march. There are some very primitive villages there, but no one cares about them, at least not the Empire or Olidan. There are some imperial towns in the hills near the southern Kasar Empire, but there are no farmlands because the area is not suitable for growing crops. Instead, there are quarries, forests, and mines. However, the geology is not very solid and is prone to collapse, so only shallow open-pit mines can be mined."

"Is it crowded?" Fils asked. Cesar felt she didn't care what he asked. It seemed more like Diana was pointing out how little she cared about human society, forcing her to ask. It was truly bizarre when ancestors were questioned by their descendants.

Cesar was more interested in those open-pit mines that could only tap shallow veins due to mining conditions, the large forests that could provide high-quality timber, and the towns and cities that grew up around the mines. Of course, the most important thing was the construction workers, blacksmiths, carpenters and other craftsmen who were indispensable to the towns and cities.

"There are a lot of people," Diana pondered. "There are some fairly large towns to the south and north of the fortress. Some rely on logging, some on mining, some on herding and pottery making, but they're all too ordinary, and few people really pay attention to them." She caught a glimpse of Cesar's expression and raised her eyebrows. "Can I ask what you plan to do when you get to Gular, Cesar?"

"I'll visit all the surrounding towns, mines, and forests one by one," he said. "Then I'll know what I want to do."

"Okay," Diana sighed, "but don't forget that we'll still be exiled in the wilderness at night. Don't get too tired during the day. When dusk comes, go to your bedroom and prepare to sleep."

Cesar hugged Phils tightly as she looked up at him and kissed her forehead silently.

......

Diana leaned against the blinds of her bedroom, her gaze drifting through the dim twilight outside, following the lingering moon as it rose higher and higher. "There's something I haven't said, Cesar," she began. "I don't need to explain it to you so clearly, but since you're still here... do you want to hear it?"

"Go ahead," Cesar said.

That being said, he actually wanted to stay in her bedroom and learn more about the situation, so he stayed. They played Castalli until dusk, with Firth watching beside them. As dusk fell, she became somewhat unconscious and dozed off on his arm.

When Diana put away the divine text, Cesar simply held her hand, not getting up to leave. Since Diana hadn't yet sent him away, he let her do as she pleased. He said nothing, feeling her hand white and cold, devoid of warmth. Holding it in his, it felt like a small flower freshly plucked from a mausoleum on a cold night.

Diana considered her words for a moment. "We brought her out of the dream of the real Ferrieres, just like plucking a flower. It may seem to retain its scent and vitality, but we all know what happens to a plant without roots." She paused, as if giving him some time to think and calm down. "I don't want you to hold her all night. It's not that I'm being demanding, Cesar...you know what I mean."

"That's all you say."

"If you can find more ownerless souls in the wasteland, maybe she can be active for a while, but that's all. Because what we are doing, after all, is to add fuel to a candle that will eventually burn out.

At other times, it would be better for her to keep it almost extinguished like this, with only a little flame left."

Chapter 172 Hope

Cesar had nothing to say, so he said nothing.

"There are ways," Diana said in a barely audible voice, "but every method is related to my true ancestor, and requires her consent. Watching her own shadow fall in love with someone from the future, and being forced to confuse her own memories with hers in dreams, is already very offensive, not to mention the rumored cruelty of Ferriers. No matter what, getting her to do something for little Ferriers can only be done by force."

"I'm the one who's wrong," Cesar said. "You don't have to take my side. You can accuse me of being hostile to real people because of an illusion, and of causing you to be at odds with your ancestors. You don't even have to help us like this."

"There are many things I want to blame you for, but I won't. This isn't your fault... If everything had to be judged by reason, the world would be much darker."

Diana came over to them from the window, stretched out her right hand, and reached for Phils's forehead, but it passed through like an illusion. Cesar placed the back of his hand on Phils's forehead, and Diana pressed down with the tip of her index finger against his palm, and finally received a response as if she were touching a real person.

"She almost depends on you for her existence," she said. "I used the mage's methods to find a way to observe her, but most of the time, I can't touch her like you can. This is a question I've been thinking about, ever since I discovered that you could always touch her and it bothered me until now... because you actually did nothing. Whether it's because of Analik or for some other subtle reason, I really can't tell."

Cesar slowly stroked Phils's cheek. "I don't think I've ever asked for reasons. I think some things don't need to be questioned; the word 'miracle' itself is precious—some unspoken and unspoken reasons brought her to me, giving me hope to continue living. I can see her with my eyes and touch her with my hands, and that's enough for me to find some direction in this pathless world. In order for me to always see her and touch her, I will also find ways to do many things, regardless of whether they are what I should do or not."

Diana looked at him.

"You might have noticed that I'm always evaluating the pros and cons, but when it comes to the critical moment, I become like a reckless person," Cesar continued. "In most dilemmas, I would just jump off the cliff and either die or fly away. I jump first, then try to grasp at any hope, no matter how small. In the end, it's nothing more than seeking hope in despair, hoping for a miracle."

She pulled a letter from her bedroom drawer and held it out to him. It was the one Cesar had sent in the name of her deceased teacher. It was this letter that had brought her from Anglan to Gonzales, first saving the precarious battlefield and then preserving Fils's existence and life. "Your grasping at hope is not a very honorable method, Cesar," she said. "If you were a god, you would at least be the Lord of Lies."

"Yes." he said.

"Anything else you want to say?"

"Your teacher didn't bring anything with him. Only the dagger can be considered a relic."

"Go to your bedroom and bring it to me."

"I have it with me," Cesar said, drawing his dagger from the pouch at the back of his belt. It was a fine decorative dagger, but sharper than the deadly blades of the common world.

"It looks sharper than before," Diana said. "You've taken better care of it than its original owner."

"It is very sharp indeed," he said. "I was taught how to handle a blade, so I sharpen it often." He put the dagger into her open right hand.

"I thought you were going to say you were a victim, that you were just being defensive."

"I'm already going against common sense, hating the person who should be the victim for the sake of someone else's illusion. How can I use common sense to justify myself..."

"So how do you want to end this, Cesar?"

Cesar stood up and knelt on one knee in front of Diana. He took the hand holding the knife and placed it on his lips, touching the back of her hand with his lips. This wasn't a real kiss, but a way of showing respect. "Whatever the reason, you've put this past aside and saved her. Naturally, I won't beg for any forgiveness."

"You are such a..." Her voice became smaller and smaller.

"What?" Cesar raised his head, trying to hear more clearly, but still couldn't hear anything.

"Don't talk about it," Diana said. "It's not your fault, and I don't hold any hatred against you. If I hated a friend who could say such things, I would have ended up like my ancestor, Ferriers."

After a while, Cesar sat back down, and Diana returned to gazing out the window at the hazy night sky. He slowly caressed the shadow in his arms, touching her contours like a blind man identifying someone he couldn't see, from her forehead to the tip of her nose, from her cheek to her ear, with unwavering tenderness, for he felt the person in his arms was more fragile than a piece of thin silk. He still sought, not love born of pity, but solace in her.

Although the beastman priest said he had found a way to overcome Analik's way curse, he still wanted her to hold his hand, guide him, comfort and soothe him as she had in the past.

Cesar once thought that the change of position would make his

His mood changed, and he would change from being the one being saved to being the one saving her, but it still didn't work. There was a thought that always lingered in his mind and could not be dispelled, - she came into this world, as if it was just to let him walk on the right path, instead of being trapped in the bloody fog and losing himself.

He could have bid her farewell with regret after giving so much, saying he couldn't save her, that he no longer needed her. No one could have blamed him then. He could have let go of the past and moved on to something higher, like everyone else who bids farewell to a loved one with regret. But no, he wasn't moving towards something higher just to reach higher. He didn't want her to give him so much hope only to end up like this.

Whether it was playing the role of a false aristocrat to flatter, telling lies with eloquence, or flattering others with insincere flattery, it was ultimately all just a means, not the real thing. He placed his finger on her cheek, touching her like a blind man, using a feeling that preceded vision, language, or perhaps the earliest human language. This was something only he could feel, and it was the only real thing. He would do many, many more shameful things for this real thing.

Chapter 173: The Royal Accounts

......

Saino patted his wife's shoulder, glanced at Isley outside, and gestured for her to go to the bedroom to write her report. She nodded with a gentle smile, picked up the inkwell, rolled up the paper, and quickly stood up and left the study. She was sensible and tactful, never questioning matters that didn't concern her, and always willingly complied with his requests. She was exactly what Saino wanted in a lover.

In the Borgia family, he was a model of marital relations. Forced into marriage with an imperial noble, Garcia fathered children and then pursued separate lovers, leaving the two of them estranged from each other. This was especially true of his beloved eldest sister, now the queen. Other family members were either immersed in romantic affairs or plagued by mutual suspicion, scheming for wealth and power.

For Sainuo, what qualifies as a model is not only that she is sensible, can always stay by his side to assist him, and can compromise with him when necessary, but also that he does not miss anyone other than her, even someone he has loved in the past.

Then the voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Are you still copying others to create your weird and perfect family, Uncle Saino? Aren't you tired?"

Saino sat down on the bench, leaned forward on the desk, and looked at Yisili who had spoken rudely to him. "You should be more careful with your words, my dear niece."

"I was very tactful," Isley said, putting her hands behind her back and peeking out of the study on tiptoe. "I didn't say a single dirty word to her. I was only asking you, 'Are you out of your mind?'"

"Maybe I should cut off your tongue and see if it grows as fast as your arms and legs," said Sayno.

Isley walked back to the desk, bent over, and gave him a mocking smile. "Is that all? I thought you were going to tell me more about your ridiculous fantasies. What did you tell me? Find someone truly worthy of love, and then make that your home? Your so-called home is the wife playing wife, the husband playing husband, the children playing children, each doing their part and performing a puppet show in front of outsiders like us?"

"I don't consider you an outsider, Isley."

"It's truly horrible not to be treated as an outsider by you, uncle," she said. "Even in this state, you still believe you have a perfect family, surrounded by loved ones. Don't you find that bizarre? Honestly, I think you're a lousy puppeteer, taking a trembling little noble and asking her to play your ideal wife. To her left are family affairs she's not allowed to interfere in, to her right is the crazy old patriarch she must endure, behind her are her former blood relatives who pay their respects to her, and in front of her is you, the husband who would stab your sister-in-law to death if he doesn't like her. Wherever she goes, there are an absurd number of rules and taboos. I bet you must think she's both sensible and knows her limits, right?"

Saino sighed. "How long are you going to keep complaining?" he asked. "I'd love to argue with you all afternoon like we used to, but I can't do that now. We have to prepare for war."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say is true." She straightened up. "Anyway, that's what we're here for. So, what do you want me to be responsible for? Is it to sneak into the fortress on the eve of the Imperial general's attack on Gular and open the city gates with the help of internal and external forces? Or is it to guide the beastmen lost in the jungles and mountains and lead them towards Olidan?"

Sayno stared at her for a long moment, but said nothing. He hoped she understood what he meant. Perhaps because his gaze reminded her of that night filled with the smell of blood, for a moment, Isley felt very uncomfortable, and her expression turned grim. "I have tried very hard to act like a knight," she said. "I wear armor, lead troops, and lead raids. What else is there? Do you really want me to be a flashy knight forever, dressed up in all kinds of clothes and waving at passers-by on horseback?"

"Your overall quality has withstood our test, and your physical ability is also suitable for risky night battles and surprise attacks." Saino said, "You can lead troops into desperate situations time and time again, changing the battlefield situation while still returning intact, and eventually become a respected legend. However, being a spy is not allowed.

. "

"The feeling of struggling on the battlefield and lurking in the darkness is completely different."

"I do not care."

"You talk like you care about anything."

Isley said, "Please, how many times have you watched me return with a half-broken body, and then, once they've healed, you've thrown me out to fight again? You don't think I should necessarily understand what you call reason, do you? Can you resolve my personal grudge first before you talk to me about reason and propriety?"

"Some things should be left to happen naturally," Saino said slowly. "I've had your brother Isett put him in a life-or-death situation. There's the beastman tribe migrating south ahead, and behind him, the old imperial general who's gradually becoming restless. If he dies, it means he's unqualified, but his sacrifice can provide us with a sufficient buffer. If he survives and still holds the Gular Fortress, it means his abilities deserve better treatment."

"You are joking?"

"And you, Isley," he said emphatically, "you could have continued on your path and become a legendary knight. But then something happened—old Thane killed your uncle, the one who cared the most for you when you were a child. Because of this, you want revenge. You want to kill old Thane's only son without compromise, even at the cost of your own life and your current status. But do you know? You've already failed, while the other party is unharmed. You're squandering my patience and wasting my time just for a court poet who's seeking death by traveling the mountains."

Saino stood up, a huge shadow cast over him as he walked towards her, looking down at her. "Look at you, Isri. You were so glorious and beautiful when you rode through the capital, but now you look like a clown. We are redeeming the kingdom's fate, defeating those who oppose us all, fighting for something we will never give up. At this moment, I care not for your grudges, nor for my headstrong sister's desire for revenge, for the enemies we face are so numerous that they exceed your narrow vision and impoverished imagination. At this moment, no one can stand alone."

"That's it? I have to throw myself into an endless war and give up myself, watching him become more and more powerful but unable to do anything? Just because you think the feelings of some people are insignificant, I really have to think of myself as insignificant?

Saino patted her shoulder and smiled. "You're right. That's why I hope you can find a family to comfort your poor little head. Otherwise, you will become more and more sick like your aunt."

"I don't know what made her sick."

"My eldest sister is the most capable of all my sisters, but she's been a little mentally unstable lately," he said. "She was the one who contributed the most to selling Nuoyi to the grassland people. It was your grandfather, who had deep feelings for Nuoyi, who considered it for a long time before reluctantly agreeing to her idea."

"For revenge?"

Sainuo's smile became even more playful. "Don't use your childish little head to infer yourself, Yisili. The reason for this is actually very simple. First, it wasn't for revenge, because at that time she and Old Thane had no grudge. Second, it wasn't for family grudges, because she didn't care about old family grudges. The main reason was that the royal family wanted to settle accounts. She found that once the war was temporarily suspended, many debts would have to be repaid by the royal family to Noyen. She said this was complete nonsense. How could they return money that had gone into the royal family's pocket? She found a way to find the chief of the grassland people and tried to resolve the accounts by destroying the source of the accounts."

Isley tilted her head slightly. "What's expected?"

"As expected, Old Thane will be thrown into prison and humiliated. A small number of local nobles will be killed or injured, and only one in ten civilians will survive. Those who survive will be enslaved. The vacant population will be just enough to fill the gap with refugees from the empire."

Chapter 174: Just a Romantic Accident

"But she failed," said Isri.

"As far as the results are concerned," Saino denied, "she succeeded. Now the royal family no longer needs to repay the excess debt to Noien. With the Empire's assistance, the gains and losses of the city of Noien are no longer important. The only one who has truly failed is your increasingly manic grandfather."

"is it?"

"They have different expectations. Some think destroying the accounts is a good outcome, while others want to take back their homeland from their brothers. Do you understand what I mean? My hopes for Cesar are different from yours, but it's the same principle."

Islera thought about it seriously, acting like a young person accepting instruction from their elders. "I don't understand what you're hoping for," she said. "You don't care about those family members you deem incompetent. Even the current queen, your most capable eldest sister, you don't take her opinions seriously. If you don't care about anything, why do you pretend we're a family and demand we treat each other like family?" Monthly fee (group 69493) 6135

"Some things are in line with the needs of the family," Sainuo said indifferently, "but others are not. When she found the grassland people to betray Noyen, I was the first to stand up and agree with her, and it was I who helped her convince our stubborn patriarch. But now, she wants to instigate you to murder your uncle. Since this is not in line with the family's

If she needs it, I won't agree with her, and I won't let my family help her for her personal grudge."

Yisili stared at him for a long time, "I only heard that you really want to be the chief, and you also want to

Do you enjoy manipulating everyone else's thoughts with your own?

"I don't think I need to answer this question, but I have to say I don't really enjoy it. It's just part of my life."

"I want to say you're mentally ill, a lunatic who enjoys manipulating others. I also want to say that among all the lunatics who can't be understood by common sense, you're the most extreme one. But you say this is part of life? Are you serious?"

"Life," Saino sighed to the playful young man, "life is like this. For our own survival, there are things you have to do. Blood ties unite us and provide us with family we can rely on, but some family members endanger us. Not only can we not rely on them, but they can also bring harm. When you realize that it is better for them not to exist, you won't ask me such stupid questions."

"Then why did you kill my mother and leave Cesare alone? She may have done harm to the Borgias, but doesn't that mean he has?"

He shook his head. "Because your mother is so stupid, so stupid, I don't even need to test her. Your Uncle Cesar is different. He defended Neuen and saved Gonzales from his conspiracy and rebellion. Now he is heading north to defend the Gural Fortress while we quell the noble rebellion. As for what he actually did, he didn't actually do anything to harm the family, right? He didn't kill your useless uncle at all. Not only that, he also has a good relationship with Garcia and is under his care. Do you understand me?"

Yisili's face looked grim.

"I don't understand," she said.

"I'm not forcing you to understand, Isley," said Sayno. "I'm not saying Cesar is superior to your other blood relatives. It's just that when we live in hardship, you have to realize which people can guard your farmland, mend your clothes, and fill your stomach, and which ones are just mosquitoes, doing nothing but buzzing and biting people and sucking blood. After you understand, you know that some people can die, and some can't. That's why I think he can go guard the farmland, and you, Isley, if he succeeds in guarding our farmland, you'd better throw your personal grudge away from me."

Yisili sneered, "Perhaps you can control where I go in reality, but you can't control my dreams, or the wasteland, and certainly not my aunt who is seeking help from the Imperial Chancellor."

What a stubborn young man, Saino thought, why couldn't she understand his gentle persuasion?

"Alright, I won't force you." He had no choice but to spread his hands. "Actually, there's no need for me to bother with this. The family feuds between the Imperial Chancellor and the Third Princess, Altinia, are beyond my purview. As long as you stay by my side and fight according to my instructions, it doesn't matter what dreams you have. Even if your Uncle Cesar dies, at least he can give us enough of a buffer. But you'd better not let waking up with no limbs happen again."

......

Unaccustomed to the wilderness, and haunted by the long journeys he'd been traveling in his dreams, Cesar hadn't slept well lately. Urbino had been preoccupied with various political matters, and they'd only met a few times, rarely speaking. But for some reason, Urbino kept an enigmatic smile on his face. Cesar sensed something was amiss, but he didn't dare question it.

If he had to speculate, he thought it was most likely because he had stayed in Diana's bedroom that night. The fact that others couldn't detect Phils's presence naturally led to speculation. This would attract a lot of strange looks, but since her father hadn't asked him about it, he just let it go.

Cesar left the newly pitched camp outside the city and headed towards the convoys carrying military supplies to Fort Gural and Gonzales. As he walked, he took a basin of clean water from Gouzi and began washing the piles of wooden boxes. While he washed his hair, Altinya, still wearing her striking armor and red battle robe, was patrolling nearby, inspecting the distribution of supplies.

When he was done, she was standing beside him.

"You look hungover, teacher," Altinia said. "How does it feel to travel long distances in a dream?"

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