As a villain, I really don't want to be pursued by the heroine.

She is not a girlfriend or fiancée. Even if it is not an important topic, ordinary nobles rarely bring maids with them when talking to other nobles. Most of them will even take the initiative to ask the maids to leave.

There are only two possibilities for why Roy brought her along on purpose.

First, it is not difficult to see that the relationship between them is far more intimate than that between an ordinary master and servant.

But Douglas cares more about the second possibility.

Bringing her to participate in this meeting specifically shows that in Roy's eyes, she is qualified to talk to him, the Prince of Jinsha!

This Alice is probably not an ordinary person!

In just a few seconds, Douglas had another guess about the identity of the blonde maid.

Leaving the banquet hall, we came to the corridor deep in the courtyard.

Douglas' heartbeat couldn't help but quicken.

To this day, he still can't figure out how a marquis's son could unite all the major forces around him, and he can't figure out the other party's purpose in doing so.

But the attitudes of all the major forces just now were not friendly, and they clearly excluded his Golden Sands Country.

His intuition told him that tonight's conversation might determine his own fate and even the fate of the Kingdom of Golden Sands.

Must be treated with caution.

In short, in order to explore Roy's true identity, he needs to figure out one thing first.

"This time, Mr. Roy came to visit our country of Golden Sands on a school trip. I bet his motives aren't simple, are they?"

The boy's brief silence seemed to last a century.

Chapter 11: A Big Picture

In Douglas's view, people in power should not speak too clearly.

As a prince, he should have the dignity of a king. As the middleman between major forces, Roy also has extraordinary scheming.

Just stop when you have enough.

This is called pretentiousness.

That's how he and Jason communicated anyway.

But Roy was confused.

purpose?

No, I'm just here to eat, drink and have fun. What other purpose could I have? Do I need to make a travel plan for you and write a review?

Even though he was complaining in his heart, since the other party liked this tone, Roy had no choice but to cooperate reluctantly.

That's called thoughtfulness.

When Douglas was already feeling uneasy about the silence, Roy finally spoke.

The young man looked away, his eyes becoming vague. Maintaining the demeanor he had only when dating Charlotte, he smiled gently and leisurely. "I've heard that the Golden Sand Country's golden abyss is bottomless, and the desert scenery is breathtakingly beautiful. The tenacious people of the Golden Sand Country, who established themselves on the cliffs of the Western Regions, have long yearned for this great nation."

"Although I've visited you once before, I was busy with important matters and the memories were not very pleasant. Now, I can take advantage of the school trip to visit the capital of Jinsha and accompany Charlotte and the others to appreciate the scenery of your country's western region."

In order to cater to Douglas's preferences, Roy spent a long time thinking before coming up with some flowery nonsense literature.

It's really tiring to talk to the nobles of Jinsha.

A gentle breeze blew.

The boy's words had already stirred up a storm in the prince's heart!

The previous paragraph, seemingly praising the history of the Kingdom of Jinsha, actually acknowledged the Kingdom of Jinsha's status, in line with the customary commercial flattery among aristocrats.

But it was the second paragraph that shocked Douglas.

He was overwhelmed with important tasks and was not very happy - because of the last attack by cultists at the border, Roy obviously had some complaints about the Kingdom of Sands!

Accompany Charlotte and the others for a stroll - by mentioning them specifically, Roy was probably hinting that they had a close relationship and had already formed a private alliance.

The combined meaning is that the Jinsha Kingdom is good, but its previous performance was not very good. Our various forces came to investigate this time to determine whether the Jinsha Kingdom is worthy of cooperation.

And the attitudes of Charlotte and others at the banquet just now actually reflected whether various forces were willing to cooperate with the Kingdom of Sands!

It's obvious that they are not interested in the Kingdom of Sands!

Douglas's breathing was a little difficult: "So...what do you think of our country?"

"It's only been one day since we've been here. It's too early to draw conclusions, isn't it?" Roy said with amusement.

I didn’t expect that the senior cares so much about his family’s international image.

"Actually, Charlotte and the others didn't really want to come at first, but I'm quite interested in the Land of Sands."

After hearing this, Douglas became more spirited and looked at Roy with a brighter expression.

The Lionheart Kingdom and other factions showed no interest in Jinsha, but Roy hinted that he could change the attitudes of all parties involved?!

Roy was clearly extending an olive branch to him, inviting Jinsha to join his alliance!

While thinking, Douglas was even too busy to keep a calm expression.

The exchanges between the various forces in Viszea are very limited. They are not enemies of each other, but they are not united either.

Since the battle with the demons in the Third Age, due to the lack of common enemies and interests, and the inability to determine hierarchy, cooperation among the forces in the Western Continent has gradually faded, and almost entirely relies on the Magicians' Society as the intermediary link.

Douglas never thought this was a good thing.

A country that remains complacent will only miss opportunities for development.

But if all parties are willing to form an alliance and form further cooperation, then each member will have more benefits to gain.

For example, the druid spells of the Emerald Council are undoubtedly a treasure worth a fortune for the Kingdom of Gold Sands, where usable soil is scarce.

The Kingdom of Golden Sands leads the Western Continent in forging industry, which will surely attract the two major military powers, Lionheart and Winter.

At this moment, Douglas finally got a glimpse of Roy's tip of the iceberg!

No wonder he wanted to unite so many factions, even going so far as to intervene in the empire's internal disputes. Roy Ironblad's ambitions were so grand that he wanted to establish an alliance where all factions could advance and retreat together?!

Just thinking of that scene made Douglas shudder.

There is excitement, fear, reluctance, and panic.

The plan is huge, and Roy has only taken one step so far.

But now, he had to consider whether the Kingdom of Sands should follow in his footsteps.

If the alliance can be formed, the forces that join earlier will naturally gain more benefits.

Douglas had no doubt that by then the Lionheart Kingdom would be on par with the Citadel and become the second center of the Western Continent.

What is worrying is that all parties are not interested in the country of gold and sand.

Everyone is cooking the meat, why aren't they willing to give us Jinsha people some soup?!

And now, only Roy can change the minds of all parties!

Knowing when to advance and when to retreat has always been Douglas's secret to success.

At this moment, he discarded his princely arrogance, bent down slightly, and said humbly, "Mr. Roy, please tell me, what should I do to change their attitude?"

Roy's eyes flickered.

It was unusual for a prince to be so humble.

I didn’t realize that the senior has such deep feelings for his hometown and is so unwilling to let his hometown be looked down upon by foreigners!

Moved by their patriotism, Roy consoled them, "Actually, there's no need to do anything special. Senior, all you need to do is recommend some of your Golden Sands Country's delicacies, specialties, and tourist attractions, and let me show them around."

"A school trip is all about eating, drinking, and having fun. I believe they will definitely appreciate the charm of our senior's hometown!"

"Excuse me Mr. Roy!"

"Senior, you are being so formal. Why did you call me Mr.?"

I remember that Douglas in the original work was a tough guy, but I didn't expect him to be so fragile when talking about his hometown. Perhaps this is also a kind of chivalrous and tender heart.

Thinking of this, Roy was a little amused.

Recommended places to visit? I see. Are you asking about the unique advantages of the Land of Golden Sands?

It is called a school trip, but in fact it is to see the big picture from a small perspective, to see the strengths and weaknesses of our country, and then decide whether to cooperate.

This is the chance to change their attitude towards the Land of Sands!

After just a few seconds of thinking, Douglas carefully selected countless advantageous industries, striving to maximize the charm of the Golden Sands Kingdom!

"When it comes to the characteristics of our golden land, we must mention the gold jewelry from Atelier Platinum and the amorous dancers from the Western Regions..."

Who would have thought that just after he said this, the little maid who had been silent till then suddenly spoke out as if her tail had been stepped on, with even a hint of fear in her eyes: "Master! The dancers in the Western Region are too dangerous, absolutely not!"

"Okay, okay, I won't watch the Dancer." Roy said soothingly, then looked at Douglas: "Senior, do you have any other recommendations?"

Even without the maid's reminder, Roy knew that taking his girlfriend to see a beautiful woman dancing was a suicidal act.

Seeing that Roy was not at all angry because of the abrupt remarks and was even willing to listen to the other party's opinions, Douglas became more and more convinced that Alice was not a simple servant, but a high-ranking church official who could influence Roy's decision.

Chapter 12 Work-related Injury

After that, Douglas selected several good attractions, all of which were designed to show the big picture from the small, symbolizing the epitome of the country's military, financial and cultural strength, so as to maximize the display of the country's comprehensive national strength.

"In short, you must go to the Platinum Workshop. Although the master has been in seclusion recently and cannot meet with others, in addition to extraordinary weaponry, you can also find the most expensive and finest gold jewelry in the Western Continent at the workshop."

I'm not bragging.

[Platinum Workshop] is an all-round workshop that not only forges weapons but also produces various jewelry.

If a noble daughter does not have one or two pieces of jewelry made by a workshop, she will be laughed at.

After spending so much time with Charlotte and the others, even Roy knew a thing or two about this.

"Besides the workshop, well, you guys came at the perfect time." Douglas' eyes lit up as he introduced enthusiastically, "The night after tomorrow is the Fenghuo Gala."

"Wind and Fire Gala?"

"Well, every spring at the end of the month, our country of Golden Sands will light an eternal bonfire and hold a party. The bonfire symbolizes the flame of civilization, the unyielding will, and the hope bestowed by the goddess."

Douglas paused before continuing, "Legend has it that men and women dancing together in front of a bonfire carry the legacy of civilization and good wishes for the future. Their love will last forever, like an everlasting flame."

It sounds very similar to the Aurora in the Winter Empire.

Phoenix once complained that the original meaning of the Imperial Aurora had nothing to do with love. But today, these traditional festivals are more or less tainted with the shadow of love.

Maybe people just want to find an excuse to complain. It's a holiday, and there's nothing wrong with having fun as long as you don't forget your roots.

"I believe Charlotte and the others will enjoy the party."

"Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Roy."

The two shook hands and said goodbye.

I never thought that Douglas would be so enthusiastic about promoting the culture of his hometown.

With His Royal Highness the Prince's enthusiastic recommendation, I can really look forward to this school trip.

With a passion for traveling, Roy left happily.

However, Douglas stayed where he was, the smile on his face gradually faded and turned into solemnity.

He snapped his fingers.

As the evening breeze blew by, a few masked dark shadows appeared behind him.

Different from the long-standing extraordinary forces of other forces, the [Sand Shadow Guards] are Douglas' own trusted forces, serving as guards, killers, and even an intelligence agency.

Being able to stand out from the struggle of the Jinsha royal family is inseparable from the contribution of this hidden blade.

"Keep an eye on Roy Ironblad and his group, but don't disturb them."

There's nothing strange about this command.

Any foreign noble of high enough status who sets foot in the Kingdom of Golden Sands will be monitored by the [Sand Shadow Guards].

Although Roy Ironblad is only the son of a marquis, he has close ties with many forces, so it is natural to pay attention to him.

However, the next command left everyone dumbfounded.

"Tell the following shop owners about my secret forest and tell them to treat Roy and his group as honored guests and give them priority in hospitality. Make sure they have a satisfying trip! At the same time, make sure they leave no trace and don't disturb their fun!"