Volume 3: The Land of Mist Chapter 32: Audience
"Are you...crazy?"
After listening to the other party's plan, Ward was silent for a long time, and finally he could only ask this question.
"Maybe."
Remedios replied with a nonchalant nod, her expression still terrifyingly calm.
"But... this is something that is impossible to do."
The first King of Mist in history dispelled the thick fog that blocked Ava, and in the tens of thousands of years since then, there has never been a thick fog that completely isolated Ava - although more than one King of Mist claimed that he could do it, and the last King of Mist used this to threaten the rebels before he was overthrown, but he did not do so until his death.
The Continent Lord is the King of Mist who is only in shackles in terms of authority. Since no King of Mist has ever done it, Ward should not believe that he can do it from a rational point of view...
"I have my own way."
Remedios replied without any concern.
Looking at the other person's face without any emotion, Ward still panicked:
"You don't care about your soul at all... Well, I guess you really don't care about your soul being annihilated. But if you really do this, then for Avazhou..."
"The entire Ava continent will be isolated from the real world by the fog. Time and space will be disordered, and the boundary between self and others will be blurred. Compared with reality, we will be closer to concepts. In simple terms, we will return to a state closer to creation. Or according to the theory of the Takma Cult, we will change from causal time to cyclic time... Is that right?"
Remedios answered for him.
"You know..."
Ward spoke a little weakly after hearing Remedios's calm and methodical answer.
"Then why do you still do this?"
"Because I have no choice."
Remedios replied.
"This is the only way I can think of to preserve Ava and prevent the empire from expanding."
"Preserve Ava? What does it mean to so many of our kind living there? Without the distinction between 'you' and 'me', and without the perception of the past and the present, are we truly alive? Or are we just puppets driven by concepts?"
Ward immediately asked back.
"Is that so? I didn't know you were so opposed to becoming a 'puppet'."
Although there was still no emotion in Remedios' voice, Ward still heard the sarcasm in it.
"This and that are two completely different things. Cooperating with the Empire does not mean that I will become their puppet. This is just an exchange of interests. We are on an equal footing."
Ward's expression became serious and he spoke.
"Secondly, even if I become a puppet of the empire, it is better than being transformed by the original spirit into a ghost circulating in reincarnation."
What Remedios was planning to do was almost equivalent to having all the elves in the entire Ava continent jump into the Phoenix Holy Fire, so that the souls of all the elves could gain eternal life.
Only a true madman would do such a thing.
But who can say that the man in front of us, who has lived for more than 1,200 years, is not a madman?
"I told you, I have no choice ."
Remedios repeated.
"What do you mean by no choice... Even if we give up the peace talks and gather the power of Ava to fight against the Imperial Expeditionary Force, the odds of winning or losing are only 30-70. Isn't this a thousand times better than your self-destructive plan?"
"Gather the strength of the entire continent?"
After hearing Ward's words, Remedios forced a stiff smile on her face for the first time.
She looked like a dull, lifeless sculpture.
"If I don't take the initiative to invite you here, I will be impeached in three days. Tell me, do you have any better suggestions for mobilizing the power of the entire continent?"
"I just hoped that you would give me a chance to negotiate with the Empire, and not let those pro-war people around me blind my mind..."
“No one can cloud my mind.”
Remedios interrupted.
"And your idea is to deprive everyone of their thoughts? In comparison, I would rather die under the sword of the Imperial Expeditionary Force."
For the Fengge family, the yearning for freedom and the distance is deeply engraved in their souls. Therefore, blocking the coastline with fog and returning Ava to chaos is an outcome he absolutely cannot accept.
After saying this, Ward suddenly calmed down. He looked at Remedios's back and said to her as if he understood something:
"You are actually threatening me, right?"
"How do you understand your freedom? Without Yinsu City's naval support, Fengsui City's logistical supplies, and Clockwork City's equipment support, the probability of defeating the Imperial Expeditionary Force is less than half. Blockading Ava Continent is my only option."
The other party replied.
When Ward heard this, he felt a little relieved.
It turned out that the other party was using this as a bargaining chip to threaten me, and he was not really crazy.
Since he is not really crazy, he has the capital to continue bargaining.
"I don't understand why you are unwilling to try to contact the envoys from the Empire? Not everything can be solved by swords and magic. The possibility of reconciliation always exists."
Thinking of this, Ward immediately regained the momentum he had at the Moon Wheel Meeting:
"For more than 10,000 years, we have maintained a neutral attitude, which is the biggest reason why we have been able to prosper until now. And now. If we talk to the Empire again..."
"Can."
Before Ward could finish his words, Remedios, who was stroking the dragon crystal glass on the display case, answered casually.
Such a decisive agreement left Ward unable to react for a moment.
"Can?"
He repeated it doubtfully to make sure the other party was right.
"The members of the Eighth Order who were supposed to come and discuss the various matters concerning the peace talks with you and prepare to baptize you have already arrived. You can have a good chat here, and this is also the reason why I invited you here this time."
Ward complained about the two points of "please come over" and "baptism", but Remedios ignored him and just clapped her hands, and two fully armed Phoenix Guards outside the door walked in.
"Let them all come in."
She said so.
…………
"Is this how I can go in?"
William looked at the white and elegant castle in front of him, which was faintly glowing as if covered with a layer of moonlight, and turned to look at Morton beside him and asked.
"Don't you need to check if anyone is carrying weapons or something?"
"This is Yuefa City, sir."
The other party looked at William with a smile on his face and answered.
"Ever since the imperial delegation assassinated the previous ruler here eight hundred years ago, no one from the empire has ever set foot in this city. The defense measures against you humans are more numerous than you can imagine."
As he spoke, he pushed open the ivory-white door.
