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"On behalf of all members of the Sarkaz Democratic Union, I would like to express our sincerest gratitude to the Lich King's Court."

He slowly rose and bowed to Emengard.

This honor stunned Emengard. She could sense the genuine excitement and joy of the man before her, which left her momentarily at a loss.

In her mind, no one in a high position in the Sarkaz would ever bow down to someone weaker than them.

Even if they need that person right now, they will not lower their proud heads.

At this moment, Shen Lin's figure was reflected in Emengard's clear eyes. She now understood exactly how the man had created that remarkable miracle on this land.

The answer is both simple and complex.

It has only one word, and its name is "love".

No data model or mathematical formula can summarize what "love" is.

It transcends the narrow framework of all attempts to measure with precise yardsticks and analyze with cold numbers.

But it truly exists in everyone's heart, and it can shine brightly at crucial moments.

Can liches be absolutely certain that every decision they make is for the sake of protecting knowledge, without any selfish motives?

I'm afraid not. She can't do it, and neither can her teacher.

She had thought she had seen the end of the lich in her teacher, but now, seeing this man, she suddenly realized that she still had a long way to go.

Collecting knowledge, protecting knowledge, and passing on the torch are the duties of every lich.

Although the lich accumulated enough knowledge during its long lifespan, it was knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, and had some understanding of Originium Arts and art appreciation.

But a lich's long life shouldn't be limited to duties; there should also be other things they are capable of doing.

What truly matters is not how they preserve this knowledge, but how they use it.

Knowledge should be put into practice to realize its value, rather than being buried in old memories and gathering dust.

Emengard gently closed her eyes, sighing inwardly. Those involved are often blinded, while bystanders see things more clearly.

The lich's thirst for knowledge and disregard for political struggles ultimately led him into another quagmire.

This is an eternal battlefield, where all who step onto it, regardless of their status or wealth, must make equal choices.

Whether they live or die, their fate was already beyond their control the moment they set foot on this land.

"Actually... um... I wanted to ask you one last question."

Seemingly remembering something very important, Emengard's expression suddenly turned somewhat strange. While keeping an eye on Shen Lin's expression, she cautiously made her final request.

She lowered her head slightly, her toes unconsciously tracing circles on the ground, her voice growing softer, as if afraid of disturbing something, or perhaps afraid of being rejected.

"Because this issue is really important to me."

"Don't be shy, I can answer any of your questions."

Now in a great mood thanks to the lich girl's support, Shen Lin smiled gently, his eyes radiating a reassuring calm, and spoke softly.

After a brief silence, Emengard gritted his teeth, as if making a tremendous decision, and stammered out the question that had been weighing on his mind for so long.

"Um...did you...fail the exam in Letania before?"

Under the girl's sparkling gaze, the smile on Shen Lin's face slowly froze.

PS: (*σ'?`)σ Hehehe~ Today's update is here!

The author will continue to work hard and strive to bring better storylines to everyone!

All the foreshadowing has been laid out, and we're about to enter the Electoral War. The author will work hard to develop the plot, and hehe, I definitely won't let you guys down!

I'm also extremely grateful for the support from all the big shots!!

Sending love to all the experts!

(*?︶?*).。 .:*?

Chapter Thirty-Three: A Difficult Situation to Overcome

In just one year, he went from being a failed art student in Letania to becoming the head of Kazdel, a feat that would be fascinating to tell in any story.

Recalling the astonished look on Emengard's face when he received the answer a few days ago, Shen Lin couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead.

After spending so much time focused on Kazdel's development, he had almost forgotten that he was once a failed student in Letania.

That Emengard is really something, always bringing up the most sensitive topics.

Shen Lin's previous confidence stemmed entirely from his understanding of the plot.

In the world he inhabits, every character and every story follows a predetermined path, but he is like an "outsider" who understands the script, always able to anticipate and cleverly plan ahead.

However, with his involvement, many of the original plot points have deviated slightly from the original storyline.

What was thought to be just a minor ripple turned out to trigger a huge chain reaction.

A butterfly flapping its wings is enough to stir up a storm in the distance.

Shen Lin just received a secret letter from a shapeshifter.

Yesterday, an unexpected guest arrived at the Scars Mall in Kazdel City. He was a client from a noble family in Letania.

He made a large deposit of gold bars to "Scareye," the manager of Scar Mall, requesting that his mercenaries find an opportunity to stop Kazdel's power plant.

If things go well, they will provide the Elector with countless riches when he enters Kazdel.

Upon seeing this, Shen Lin searched his memory for information about the "Scar Mall" organization.

Before the Sarkaz Democratic Union was founded, Scar Marketplace was the largest unofficial mercenary organization in Kazdel, and could also be called Kazdel's "talent market".

There, every registered mercenary can receive their own token. In addition to completing mercenary missions to earn rewards, they can also collect their companions' tokens and exchange them for loot in the Scar Marketplace.

The Letanians were truly confident in their mercenaries, managing to bring their mobile city to a standstill.

Shen Lin gently shook his head. The letter contained more than just that, and he continued reading.

The following content is very brief, with almost no wasted words.

The letter mentioned that the Elector needed to attend a party and would not be present in this battle.

Before Shen Lin could even catch his breath, what he saw next made his heart leap into his throat again.

This time, the Elector of Letania deployed a total of sixteen high-speed warships, including two supply ships, five large gunboats, and seven assault ships...

Upon seeing this, Shen Lin's heart sank.

Before the war, he had already considered many possible scenarios, and the current situation was the worst Shen Lin could have foreseen.

If they only send this force, then although some casualties will inevitably occur among the Sarkaz, they will eventually be able to keep them all in Kazdel.

However, when his gaze finally settled on the last few words of the letter, his expression instantly turned cold, and a deep sense of powerlessness gripped his heart like vines.

There are also two Dreadnought-class warships.

"..."

At this moment, Shen Lin finally understood where the vague unease that had been lingering in his heart came from. He closed his eyes and lay back on the chair behind him.

After the brutal war to protect Kazdel, Kazdel did not achieve any real results; they simply managed to hold onto their land, and that was all.

With each breakthrough in the Originium industry, the leading powers in Terra have witnessed tremendous changes.

Significant breakthroughs have been achieved in technologies such as more terrifying high-speed warships and more advanced and violent Originium triggering devices, which have become the mainstream of modern warfare in Terra.

This is why Victoria was able to hold a place among the great nations of Terra. They did not possess the terrifying personal power comparable to the Witch King, but their artillery could destroy any obstacle.

Although Kazdel won the war that determined its survival, it did not catch the wave of reforms or reap their benefits, a situation that lasted for nearly a century and a half.

For a lost century and a half, Kazdel seemed to be trapped in a long and dull dream. The ancient city walls were mottled and worn by the erosion of time, the battlefields where blood was once shed were overgrown with weeds, and the glorious battle flags were covered with dust in the attics.

Already lagging behind the nations of Terra, they are now fighting with the most primitive forces.

What are the current standards for judging a powerful nation in Terra?

Aside from beings like the Witch King who can single-handedly change the course of a battlefield, the most basic qualification for judging whether a nation stands among the powerful nations is whether it possesses dreadnoughts.

Even without firing a single shot, any dreadnought could crush a small country like Shelag with its massive size, comparable to a mobile city.

All the powerful nations have entered an era of rapid development in Originium industrialization, but Kazdel is struggling to move forward.

If Kazdel were given another three years to advance Kazdel Originium Industries' progress, Shen Lin would be fully confident in changing the current situation.

But nothing will show mercy to this nation abandoned by the times—not time, not other countries.

Kazdel is like a toddler learning to walk, about to face the most ferocious and savage war beasts on Terra.

It is no exaggeration to say that if a Dreadnought-class battleship were equipped with a gunner skilled in Originium Arts, a single attack could wipe out half of Kazdel.

Moreover, the firepower advantage exerted by the two Dreadnought-class warships is not as simple as one plus one equals two.

What's even more disheartening is that the armor of dreadnoughts is usually equipped with Originium spells similar to the Emengard array, meaning that attacks with the power of a typical city defense cannon can damage their armor.

As for Letania, whose magic was incomplete after Syracuse's break, it is still unknown how terrifying its dominance will be after the Witch King and Fremont repaired and completed it.

Shen Lin kept thinking about other possibilities, but he rejected them one by one.

Their only weakness, which can hardly be called a weakness, is their ability to board ships and use high-level combat personnel to infiltrate warships and behead their commanders from inside.

But there's no reason why the enemy wouldn't have thought of this fighting method. Would they give them such an opportunity?

Originally, Blood Lord Ducarle's Originium Arts were an important part of Shen Lin's battle plan, because he could precisely teleport a portion of the Sarkaz to the enemy's warships.

With the help of the shapeshifters from within and without, they can achieve excellent results.

However, for dreadnoughts, they also need to deal with the autonomous defensive offensive inside the warship, a task that ordinary Sarkaz soldiers would find difficult to accomplish.

Furthermore, because the Dreadnought has a magical barrier, the amplification from the external Originium altar cannot penetrate the ship's armor to amplify the Sarkaz fighting inside.

However, the Blood Demon Lord's teleportation is not unlimited; he needs to be within a certain distance of the warship to accurately activate the effect.

What price would they have to pay to get through the combined firepower of these assault fleet gunboats and dreadnoughts?

This is war. Now, Shen Lin can't just think about how to kill the enemy. Every decision he makes concerns the lives of countless Sarkaz people. He has to consider everything that is about to happen.

This is a battle that all Sarkaz must face, and a battle that they must consider the consequences of.

In fact, even if they risked all of the Sarkaz's current manpower, they would certainly be able to conquer this war, without counting casualties, of course.

But that's the worst-case scenario.

The essence of this battle was to preserve the Sarkaz's remaining strength in order to gain a brief respite.

"Call one by one"

Shen Lin let out a soft breath and gently closed his eyes.

Has it finally come to this?

What Shen Lin needs to do now is to use all the power he can to fight for Kazdel's last hope.

He has to do it.

He felt he had reached a bottleneck; the stars within him were countless, but scattered and not gathered, as if something important was missing.

He could now sense that his power was no less than that of any king of the royal court. If he went all out, he might not be able to defeat his opponent, but he could ensure that he would not be defeated.

Even with this rate of improvement that would leave 99% of Terra's creatures in awe, Shen Lin was still not entirely satisfied.

The reason is simple: Kazdel needs far too much time.

Shen Lin opened his system panel and stared at his [Blue Talent: Artistic Talent] for a long time. This was the only blue talent he had in his talent bar so far.

He thought that his talent would evolve after he published that article, but so far there has been no progress, which made Shen Lin scratch his head.

It seems that the conditions for this talent to evolve are even more demanding than he imagined.

A soft knock on the door, like a falling leaf, interrupted his thoughts. He paused slightly and looked up from his desk piled high with documents.

His gaze drifted toward the doorway, and after a moment's hesitation, he softly replied.

"Please come in."

The door seemed to be gently pushed open, and a spirited figure walked in. Her smart uniform could not hide her proud figure, and her golden eyes revealed competence and sharpness.

It was as if a cold gleam had been drawn from its sheath, its brilliance fully revealed.

"Shen Lin, all residents of Kazdel City have been safely evacuated and settled in designated locations. These are the people in charge of the evacuation in each area. Please take a look."

After receiving the report from Ersula, Shen Lin glanced through it. It detailed who in the union was in charge of which area's evacuation operation, how many people were in the area, and so on.