reincarnation npc, but tomorrow's ark

Bai Ye beckoned to the old duke's subordinate and asked him for a chair and a cup of tea.

He didn't want to stand there all the time; it looked a bit silly.

The Duke's subordinate, trembling with fear, complied, bringing chairs and tea before fleeing as if fleeing. At that moment, the auras of Bai Ye and the Duke clashed, like two storms tearing each other apart. He had no desire to get involved.

……

After a moment, old Wellington made a decision:

"If the Sarkaz are willing to make reparations, a ceasefire and peace talks are not unacceptable. However, how can they satisfy the appetites of the eight dukes?"

Bai Ye shook his head:

“I want to correct something. The compensation is only for the innocent citizens of Lontinim who were implicated. It has nothing to do with you, not even a single gold coin.”

“You invited the Sarkaz into Lontinim yourselves, and for the past four years, you have simply sat in your own territory and watched as Lontinim was occupied and transformed by the Sarkaz, without doing anything.”

"In my opinion, you have not suffered any losses and have no right to claim compensation."

Chapter 87 Each with their own thoughts

(My mule holiday is almost over)

-------------------------------------

HMS Glory, the high-speed battleship owned by the Duke of Caesar. At this moment, the Grand Duke of Victoria sat upright in a sofa chair on the bridge.

Unlike the minimalist interior of the "Gastronomy", the bridge of the "Glory" exudes elegance and luxury from design to layout, with various exquisite decorations and works of art adorning the space, befitting the Duke's travels.

Perhaps this is the norm for nobles, while someone like old Wellington might be an anomaly. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why other nobles feared him, ostracized him, and tried to weaken him.

No one likes someone who doesn't fit in. Especially when that person is so strong and aloof, it breeds suspicion.

……

"What do you think old Wellington will choose?" Duke Cassel asked, sitting calmly on the sofa with his wine glass in hand, showing no sign of panic.

It's as if the threat against their coach is a hoax.

The senior officer standing next to her shook his head.

These officers were on edge; they were nervous, fearing something bad might happen.

“Relax, I know that young man named Bai Ye. He’s a good lad and certainly won’t do anything impulsive,” Duke Kester said with a smile.

Clearly, Duke Castle had heard of Bai Ye before, after all, Bai Ye had "stolen" her pawns in Shelag and destroyed her various plans and arrangements for the Snow Realm.

"Actually, if you pay a little attention, you can see what kind of person Bai Ye really is. After all, he always does some amazing things. Although he tries his best to hide himself and stay behind the scenes, someone as radiant as him cannot be hidden."

"Moreover, he has written so many books that have helped us understand a completely new race."

The senior officer asked:

"So, you know him very well?"

"I wouldn't say I know it very well, but..."

As he spoke, the Duke of Caesar picked up a thick book from the desk beside him, and the author's name, White Night, was prominently displayed in the author's column.

"Unfortunately, some of us are too arrogant to even take the time to understand things beyond what we are fighting for."

The Duke of Caesar raised his head and narrowed his eyes:

"Guess how many of us out of the seven would prefer that old Wellington just die right now?"

The senior officer shook his head. This was hardly an interesting discussion.

Kester smiled:

"I do hope he can live, since our goals and pursuits are actually different. If possible, perhaps we can reach a consensus."

The senior officer retorted:

“If possible, I would still hope for a war. Victoria has been tainted by dust for too long. We live in a disgusting age, an age that has lost its vitality, pride and virtue. Only war can stop people from falling into depravity, because war offers an unavoidable option: glory or death. A war for Victoria, a common enemy, can reunite us and lead us to new glory.”

The Duke of Caesar shook his head:

“No, child, you are wrong. We don’t need a pointless war, especially one that ended before it even began. The Victorian War? That’s a ridiculous lie. Don’t forget, these demons were invited into Londinium by us.”

"They're just some demons. Bai Ye came here for their lives. If we can get into the city quickly, no one will want to waste time on these demons."

She paused, then continued:

"I think old Wellington will make the choice he should make."

-------------------------------------

"It seems my war is not here."

Old Wellington picked up his pipe.

The clash of armies, the battles between troops, the smoke and fire of war truly made him feel refreshed. The brief confrontation before also made him realize that the King of Carrion was indeed a rare and formidable opponent.

The last time old Wellington felt this way was when the old Gallic guards were there.

However, he had to suppress his emotions and cool his boiling blood. After all, Bai Ye had indeed put him in a very disadvantageous position.

The purpose of war is never war itself; the dukes have other, more important things to accomplish, rather than being dragged here by Bai Ye alone.

Moreover, Bai Ye mentioned Abrahana, which was one of the reasons why Old Wellington had to give up.

“We will hold an emergency meeting to discuss your proposal. If all goes well, we will be able to reach a temporary ceasefire agreement soon,” Wellington said, looking at Bai Ye.

Bai Ye smiled:

"I hope I'll hear good news soon."

As he spoke, Bai Ye walked out of the command room. An officer next to him called over soldiers to repair and replace the door that Bai Ye had torn open, while Bai Ye stood in the corridor of the warship, looking out the porthole.

Inside the room, Wellington connected to the communication channels with the other dukes. Ten minutes later, the door to the command room opened again, and a senior officer invited Bai Ye in.

The Duke of Wellington looked at Bai Ye and slowly said:

"Young man, you have succeeded."

"We choose to cease hostilities and will clear the way for our retreat. We can then choose a location to discuss and sign an agreement regarding compensation for the civilians."

"However, you must also guarantee that the Sarkaz will not attack our army again. We have witnessed the Sarkaz's decapitation tactics in the past; their strongmen can break through the blockade of high-speed warships and directly decapitate our dukes."

The Duke of Wellington was referring to the King of Carrion, and now Wellington was terrified that the old man, like Bai Ye, had also stormed onto his warship.

In fact, this wasn't just him being overly worried. Bai Ye knew that in the timeline before his transmigration, the Sarkaz had already used the boarding and decapitation tactic.

Yes, all tactics eventually turn into boarding maneuvers. However, the one who carried it out wasn't the King of Carrion, but the Blood Lord who has already been killed.

He brought the offspring of the Blood Court to Duke Windermere's warship and successfully beheaded him.

……

However, Bai Ye always felt that the old duke in front of him seemed to be implying something.

He didn't seem worried that the Sarkaz would renege on their promises after the ceasefire and court their own demise. Clearly, he had other motives for saying those words.

Chapter Eighty-Eight Warriors

“We need a guarantee. Just like the guarantee you made to the citizens of Lentinium.”

Bai Ye suddenly realized what was going on after hearing this.

So that's what you were waiting for. You just wanted to see the Breath of Kings, didn't you?

So it was for this sword.

However, Bai Ye had no intention of granting these dukes their wishes.

After pondering for a moment, Bai Ye pretended not to understand the Duke of Wellington's subtext and chuckled as he said:

“I will vouch for the Sarkaz.”

Bai Ye paused deliberately before continuing:

"And my reputation is backed by Kazimierz, Lungmen, Ursus, and Iberia. The Adventurers' Guild is almost everywhere in this land, and I would never joke about my reputation."

Old Wellington was speechless at those words, but he didn't give up. In fact, he preferred directness to indirect approaches.

Looking at Bai Ye, he said:

“I need that legendary sword, the Victorian national sword ‘Breath of Kings’, as collateral.”

Bai Ye shook his head after hearing this:

“Then I also need to provide a guarantee, after all, compared to me, the dukes’ credibility seems to be less convincing… I sincerely invite Miss Abrahana to visit the core city of Chernobog. Since her sister parted ways with Little Hill County, she has missed her sister dearly and hopes that Your Excellency can reunite the sisters.”

"..."

The two men locked eyes, each seeing an unyielding will in the other's gaze. In the end, old Wellington was the first to give up.

"Then we'll each act as guarantors," he conceded once again.

“I would be happy to,” Bai Ye said with a smile. “However, the invitation I just gave was not a joke. It is still valid, and the core city welcomes your visit and Miss Abrahana’s visit.”

"Heh, I wouldn't dare set foot in that place lightly. You turned that city into a river of blood on the Night of the Blood. I, this old man, still want to live a few more years," old Wellington sneered.

Bai Ye shook his head:

"There is a saying in the Ursus Empire: 'Treat friends with the warmth of spring and enemies with the coldness of winter.'"

"Our attitude has always depended on the people we face; it's about whether you choose to be our friend or our enemy."

"..." Old Wellington remained silent.

Bai Ye then saluted and walked out of the command room.

Putting his hat back on, Bai Ye leaped off the Gastrill.

The dukes needed time to coordinate the fleet formation and make way for the Sarkaz to evacuate, while White Night also needed to notify the Sarkaz who were still holding out in the city port.

-------------------------------------

Bai Ye didn't know what Manfred and the King of Carrion had said, but when he returned, he found that the Sarkaz had already made preparations for evacuation.

When they saw Bai Ye, many Sarkaz people bowed to him. Some of them Bai Ye had seen in the city before. It seemed that they had given up their chance to escape and chosen to join up with the army of the Carrion King.

Clearly, these people were extremely grateful to Bai Ye. However, many more Sarkaz looked on with suspicion and distrust. Some believed this was Bai Ye's malicious act, a ploy to lure them out of the fortress and then capture them all. Others thought Bai Ye had made harsh promises to the Sarkaz, creating an endless debt, a new way to enslave them…

Fortunately, Manfred managed to quell the unrest by giving a successful speech that calmed the Sarkaz and persuaded them to obediently follow the Carrion King back to Kazdel.

……

The Duke's allied fleet slowly opened a huge gap, and the Sarkaz passed through this steel canyon and left Londinium. At first, they looked uneasily at the high-speed warships on both sides of the gap, fearing that the gap would suddenly close or that the cannons would suddenly be pointed at them and fire.

Fortunately, the Duke ultimately kept his promise, or rather, under the watchful eye of the White Night, the Sarkaz successfully evacuated Londinium, just as they had been welcomed into the city by the Dukes years before, and now, they were being sent away by the same people. For many Sarkaz, these four years had felt like a dream.

They came at Theresis's call, full of hope, but now as they leave, they feel lost about the uncertain future.

However, this was clearly beyond Bai Ye's ability to resolve. Kazdel naturally had others who could help them, and Bai Ye had already fulfilled his final promise to Theresis, ensuring that these Sarkaz could leave Victoria alive.

……

“I hate you for shattering our future and our hope for racial revival, but I also thank you, at least you spared us a way out.” Manfred stood beside White Night, watching the departing Sarkaz army five, and spoke slowly.

"I hope that this time, you can get on the right track. The future is still there, and hope remains." Bai Ye was not angry at the general's words; he simply spoke calmly.

Manfred shook his head:

"Sometimes I really want to ask you, 'You've only lived once, so why do you say that the future chosen by our race is wrong...'"

Bai Ye shook his head, smiled, and leaned close to Manfred's ear, while the Sarkaz general also bent down and lowered his head.

“I’ve lived more than once,” Bai Ye said softly.

Sarkaz's eyes widened upon hearing this.

He paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed:

“I see…I see.”

Bai Ye didn't quite understand what he had figured out, but as long as the person was happy, that was all that mattered.

In a strict sense, how many times has Bai Ye actually lived? He himself doesn't know.

However, at least Luna did allow him to travel through time and gave him a second chance. Therefore, he would definitely not waste this hard-won opportunity.

Theresis carries the fate of the Sarkaz, but what Bai Ye carries is even heavier.