The Gray Robe saw the nominal king of this country at the ball.
After understanding the situation, the Gray Robe felt that this king was not simple and not a coward; it was just a matter of the prevailing trends.
Moreover, Cliff’s current state seemed quite comfortable, with food and drink readily available, and he didn’t manage affairs, even allowing freedom. This nominal king had completely come to terms with things; since there was no way to resist, he might as well enjoy himself.
Thus, Cliff kindly greeted the Gray Robe, who didn’t know what expression to wear in front of this king and could only respond with a casual nod.
“Wow, it really is you, the Gray Robe’s scholar.”
Hearing this voice, the Gray Robe instinctively turned around and saw Altan, whose figure had already changed.
“Who are you, sir?”
Altan extended his hand and introduced himself to the Gray Robe.
“Are you one of the Avalar people living in the royal capital?”
Faced with the Avalar, the Gray Robe couldn’t help but want to get rid of him as soon as possible, but even in Castile, there were proper-working Avalar, let alone in the capital of another country.
“What Avalar?”
Altan rebutted, “I have long been a Northerner! A Cape Northerner, understand?”
Seeing Altan’s intense words, the Gray Robe for a moment didn’t know how to respond and could only nod repeatedly.
Then, Altan leaned closer to the Gray Robe and asked, “How are things on Sorren’s side? Still the same as before?”
In the face of this question, the Gray Robe for a moment didn’t know from which standpoint to answer, but seeing that Altan had fully taken on the demeanor of a Cape person, he said, “For us, the situation is worse than before. The firepower of cannons and firearms in the magic-free areas is too great; in the past, those areas could still compete with the Avalar, but now they can only give up.”
Then, the Gray Robe elaborated on the appearance of the cannons in the magic-free areas to Altan.
Upon hearing the Gray Robe talk about the destructive power of the cannons, Altan showed disdain: “Is that it? That’s probably not even as good as the old stuff our Northern Army has eliminated.”
The Gray Robe’s eyelids twitched. Altan had completely regarded himself as part of this country, even identifying himself as a Northerner.
However, the Gray Robe understood that Altan was not simply bought off but had indeed seen the strength of this country and, after making a judgment, had completely sided with it.
After chatting with Altan, the Gray Robe realized that his understanding of military strength was merely the tip of the iceberg under the Northern Border Governor’s control. He suddenly felt worried. If he learned about the strength of this country, would he, like Altan, fall into a somewhat crazy fervor?
Especially when the Gray Robe learned that a certain cult under this country possessed some forbidden knowledge.
Nothing is more attractive to scholars than forbidden knowledge.
Halfway through the ball, the venue’s main door suddenly opened, and a disheveled young man arrived at the scene of the ball with officials by his side, quickly approaching Lind.
“Sorry, brother-in-law, I’m late.”
Seeing Sean, Lind patted the other’s shoulder and said, “Now that you’re back, it’s fine. Your sister was worried about you.”
Sean helplessly glanced at Lena, who was passionately discussing the grand topic, completely unaware of the change in the atmosphere of the ball, and awkwardly smiled.
Lind, as if nothing had happened, immediately changed the topic and asked, “How was the road construction?”
“Everything went smoothly, but we encountered a small problem along the way, which is why I’m back a bit late. However, it won’t hinder the subsequent plans.”
“No need to rush; time is on our side.”
While speaking, Lind and Sean sat down and began discussing serious matters.
Since Sean entered the venue, the atmosphere completely changed. The Gray Robe keenly noticed that many people, especially the young girls brought by the officials, were looking at Sean with eager eyes.
It seemed that the Governor had not only organized this ball for Castile.
Noticing the Gray Robe’s confused gaze, Altan introduced, “That is the Governor’s wife’s younger brother, Sean Lars, who is currently mainly responsible for the construction of key passages in the kingdom.”
“He is quite the hot figure in the kingdom right now, especially since everyone knows that the Governor isn’t thinking about remarrying anytime soon, and this Lars hasn’t married yet.”
Altan briefly introduced Sean to the Gray Robe, who understood with just a quick glance. Not only did Sean look as charismatic as the Governor’s wife, but he was also filled with the aura of a Young Noble, suggesting he might have been groomed as an heir and now held considerable power. No wonder he had become the object of infatuation for countless young girls present.
Such talent would undoubtedly be considered a charming figure even in Castile.
However, Sean had no interest in the eager gazes around him and excitedly discussed future plans with Lind.
“The encirclement of the Eastern Border has already taken shape, and I’ve made contingency plans for each key passage; even if they’re blown up, we can quickly reconstruct them or seamlessly connect to another road.”
“A batch of work teams has also been fully trained; here is the list of personnel from the first batch.”
“I purposely left some intersections open; once the Black Fog dissipates, the railways can directly connect to the Eastern Border.”
“Those nobility who refused to cooperate along the way have all been taken down and are currently being escorted to the royal capital one by one.”
As Lind listened to Sean’s report, he examined the materials being handed over.
“Have Lauri prepare and send the troops outside the Broken Snow Territory back gradually to get armed and learn to use the equipment.”
“Have Lantern Dream prepare to contact the military, getting Kara ready for combat.”
“Notify Lady Judith to increase the intensity of the drills; during this time, don’t let An Zhu act rashly.”
Watching Lind calmly give orders to Lucanus, Sean suddenly felt invigorated, all fatigue swept away; at least the things he was doing were indeed effective.
These orders would later be transmitted to various places through messaging by the staff team, and the entire kingdom would awaken from its slumber for war; with each awakening, the machinery of this country would become even stronger.
“Thank you for your hard work; it’s not easy to come back, so take a good rest.”
After organizing Sean’s work and tasks, Lind patted Sean’s shoulder as encouragement.
Sean immediately excitedly said, “It’s what I should be doing!”
Looking at this excited little brother-in-law, Lind helplessly waved his hand, “Go rest; this ball is not only for receiving guests but also to welcome you back; you should get to know the officials of the royal capital.”
Upon hearing Lind’s order, Sean nodded, turning to look at the nobility.
Although many young girls were staring at Sean with burning gazes, he remained utterly indifferent.
He was to be the man who became his sister’s right-hand man; women were a distraction.
