The Lake Goddess Witch's face changed several times, caught between leaving and entering, seemingly at a loss.
"Princess Morgiana? Perfect timing, we just ordered hotpot, join us." Ryan clearly knew why the Lake Goddess Witch was here, and to avoid awkwardness, he promptly invited, "You haven't had dinner yet, right?"
"Yes, Princess Morgiana," Sulia also followed Ryan's lead, smiling gracefully and saying, "Since you're here, let's enjoy the hotpot together, it's all right."
Morgiana hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded in agreement.
The Lake Goddess Witch originally planned to come over in the evening to find Ryan. Seeing that there were no servants around Ryan's room, she decided to knock and enter directly.
She hadn't expected that since it was their own castle, Francois hadn't arranged for servants to guard outside.
Today, Morgiana was dressed in a classic white silk gown. Accepting the invitation, she sat down next to Ryan, and spoke calmly, "A family dinner?"
"Please, Princess Morgiana." Ryan poured the Lake Goddess Witch a glass of red wine. Morgiana's attention was clearly not on the food; she ate a few bites absentmindedly, her gaze occasionally resting on Sulia.
This made Sulia feel uncomfortable. The lady knight had stayed at Ryan's place several times and was not ignorant of the relationship between Morgiana and Ryan. She smiled kindly at Morgiana without saying a word.
Having the full support of the Lake Fairy, even Morgiana couldn't threaten her position. Ryan's wife was destined to be her.
Morgiana could sense the goodwill and determination Sulia expressed, and just as Sulia had thought, the Lake Goddess Witch couldn't defy the Lake Fairy's decision. So, Morgiana, who had significant authority in this country, simply nodded at Sulia and stopped looking at her, continuing to eat.
The presence of the Lake Goddess Witch considerably cooled the atmosphere of the hotpot feast. With her around, many topics couldn't be discussed. This was something both Ryan and Francois noticed. Duke Winford simply shifted the conversation to the Lake Goddess Witch: "Princess Morgiana, you came to find Ryan at this hour, is there something you need?"
"I came to discuss matters concerning Mousilon," Morgiana said straightforwardly, "As everyone knows, the Duke of Laon-Leoconval's army of knights still cannot conquer Mousilon..."
Morgiana shared what she knew with Francois and his family, including the previously mentioned affairs concerning the Black Grail Knights.
"Mousilon indeed poses a problem," Francois responded after listening, nodding thoughtfully. "But my princess, the kingdom is currently exhausted, we cannot consider reclaiming Mousilon now."
"But the threat of Mousilon remains. If we don't attack Mousilon, we won't know what Arkaim has done to Matthew Horner, nor will we know the next plans of the Vampire Count Manfred and the Lich King Arkaim," Morgiana expressed her viewpoint, "This is sitting ducks."
Ryan and Francois agreed with her, but attacking Mousilon at this time was unrealistic.
"Arkaim and Manfred's targets are actually very clear. All their actions aim to resurrect the Lord of the Dead, Nagash," at this point, Gerard offered his opinion. The knight placed a piece of cooked beef into his bowl, "So we only need to think, what does Nagash's resurrection require?"
"First, we can be sure that Nagash's resurrection requires several vessels capable of holding tremendous magical power, like Princess Morgiana, and not just a few. Based on available intelligence, apart from the archbishop of the Mercy Goddess, other religious sects have also had chosen priests disappear," Ryan pondered. "So, we can be sure, the vampires' targets will definitely be these chosen ones who walk the earth."
"Yes," Morgiana agreed.
"Then... the Nine Scrolls of Nagash. Concerning the Nine Scrolls of Nagash, we only know that the scroll located in the Duchy of Berleon has been taken by Matthew Horner. As for the other scrolls, about fifty years ago, Arkaim gathered a large undead army to attack the capital of the Empire, Brunwick. While drawing the city's defenses, he sneaked into the underground sanctuary of the Church of Justice and stole one of the scrolls, which was 'the Battle of the Rick River,' where Charlemagne used the warhammer 'Ghal Maraz' to smash Nagash's head and seized it," Ryan continued. "Besides the scrolls and sacrifices, what else is
needed to resurrect Nagash?"
At this point, Francois's eyes sparkled with insight: "Do you think, could the Staff of Nagash be one of the essential artifacts?"
"The Staff of Nagash? Very likely! I remember that staff is now kept at the La-Maisonneral Monastery in the Grey Mountains?" Morgiana's azure eyes lit up. "You were the one who defeated the Sanctum Necromancer Heinrich Kemmler there, stopping Kemmler from stealing the Staff of Nagash."
Nearly fifteen years ago, Duke Winford, Francois, became famous worldwide for the Battle of Maisonneral Monastery, which occurred at a well-known natural god Tal's church in the Grey Mountains called La-Maisonneral Monastery. This monastery was first attacked by a Skaven Grey Seer who stole an artifact, then Kemmler's army of the dead and Francois's army of knights arrived subsequently, resulting in a three-way battle. The Skaven collapsed first, then the undead army was defeated by Francois leading his knights. Francois cut half of Kemmler's head off with a sword, reclaiming the stolen artifact. Kemmler, dazed from the blow, suffered a split personality and greatly diminished power, and was forced to retreat.
That artifact was the "Staff of Nagash."
"Yes, that staff is too powerful. I've ordered the Lake Prophet to reseal it within the Maisonneral Monastery and guard it heavily," Francois nodded. "The Staff of Nagash cannot be destroyed, only sealed. We also cannot seal it in a densely populated area, so keeping it sealed in the monastery is the best choice."
"So the Staff of Nagash must also be an essential component for resurrecting Nagash," the lady knight Sulia said softly. She turned to Francois, "Father, that Kemmler must also be a crucial executor of Nagash's resurrection plan."
"Indeed, that scum Kemmler is now hiding in the Grey Mountains, and it's very likely he's in Blackstone Fortress, secretly corrupting the eastern borders of Brittany," Francois's eyes were filled with icy fury. He had sworn to kill Kemmler. "However, we are helpless against Blackstone Fortress; located deep in the Grey Mountains, its steep terrain and strong fortifications make it impregnable. We have only a few trebuchets here, and our elite troops are all cavalry; how could they possibly breach such a rugged mountain fortress?"
Everyone's brow was furrowed. Yes, knights couldn't display their combat prowess in mountainous terrain, and Brittany's siege weapons were cumbersome trebuchets that were difficult to transport and assemble. Therefore, for over a decade, Francois had been unable to do anything about Blackstone Fortress. All he could do was drive away the undead, unable to eradicate them completely.
For a moment, the dining room was left with only the bubbling sound of the hotpot as everyone pondered.
"Perhaps we can also talk with the Empire about this; they surely wouldn't want to see a vampire stronghold in the Grey Mountains," Julius suggested.
"No, there's a problem here. If we reclaim Blackstone Fortress, humans won't be able to settle there, and the fortress is very likely to become a ghost town. Vampires reclaiming Blackstone Fortress is just a matter of time," Francois shook his head repeatedly. "That won't do, and the Empire's troops aren't skilled in mountain warfare either."
"If the Empire isn't an option... what about the dwarves?" Ryan's eyes brightened. He held Sulia's hand under the table and said to Morgiana and Francois, "How about we ask our dwarf friends for help? Since we can't settle in Blackstone Fortress, why not simply give it to the dwarves as a favor?"
"Give it to the dwarves? Hmm, that's a good idea. It's better for the dwarves to hold it than the vampires. As long as we define the borders, form an alliance, and engage in trade, providing food supplies, conflicts between dwarves and humans are unlikely. But would the dwarves agree?" Francois pondered the pros and cons.
"They will. There's a dwarf and his clan who really need this fortress," Ryan said with a smile. "He's a king without a home; he definitely won't refuse."
The rest of the dinner passed in discussions.
"I think it's feasible. Everyone's here these days," after thorough deliberation, Francois and Ryan agreed on a complete plan, and Duke Winford was pleased: "The negotiations with the dwarves are up to you, Ryan. You've always been good at communicating with races like dwarves and elves."
"No problem, in this case, it's the dwarves who need to ask us, not us desperately needing the dwarves' help. Although dwarves are stubborn and proud, as long as the wording is appropriate and the attitude is sincere, they definitely won't refuse. And dwarves aren
't fools; they remember the help they receive, and if we need help in the future, the dwarves will also lend us a hand," Ryan said with a laugh.
The lady knight listened as Ryan so easily solved a problem that had troubled her father for years. Her dignified face was all smiles, and her eyes sparkled as she clung to Ryan's arm: "Ryan, my husband, you really have a way."
"It's not me, Sulia, it's just that the opportunity is right," Ryan gently brushed through Sulia's iris-scented golden curls: "My lady."
The lady knight's face turned red, but her tone was serious: "It's because you're capable, Ryan, not just the opportunity. You thought of these things, not father."
"Ha ha ha ha~" Francois chuckled and shook his head: "Sulia, you really are... I didn't think of it, you don't have to say it out loud! Give me some face in front of Ryan!"
"Father... isn't Ryan already family?" the lady knight said softly, her face still red.
"Ha ha ha ha~" Laughter filled the dining room.
...
The next day, the Empire and Ryan's side officially signed the contract for the employment of the Ugric Cavalry and the contract for opening up a limited supply of mixed-blood elven warhorses and increasing the export of wood elven medicinal products.
The contract had just been signed when Duke Boldrick Bodric stood up, stopping everyone preparing to leave: "Ladies and gentlemen, please wait."
"I would like to introduce someone."
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