âAre you preparing to lead the troops yourself to invade Westland?â
In the study, Lady Grace looked surprised at Marquis Garcia.
Marquis Garcia nodded, saying, âYes, aunt.â
âWhat about Count Angler?â
âHe will stay in the North Territory.â
Seeing Lady Grace frown, Marquis Garcia seemed to guess her thoughts and hastily added:
âAunt, I know you want the Phoenix Butterfly Army to go to Westland, to take this opportunity to contribute to the resurgence of the Morrison family. Therefore, if you trust me, you can let them follow me on this expedition.â
âOf course I donât doubt your military abilities,â Lady Grace stared at Marquis Garcia directly, âItâs just that your body isnât fully recoveredâ¦â
âRest assured, aunt. Even though I canât charge ahead as zealously as before, I still got no issues handling strategic command.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âWhy not let Count Angler lead the troops instead? He has proven himself multiple times as an outstanding commander equal to you, why insist on this unnecessary risk?â
Marquis Garcia hesitated for a moment, gave a wry smile and said, âAunt, please consider me too anxious for excitement. Iâve been away from the battlefield for too long, long enough to be unable to suppress my thirst for victory and fear of⦠becoming truly useless.â
Lady Grace fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked in a deep voice:
âGarcia, do you think we might lose this war?â
Marquis Garciaâs eyes flashed; he opened his mouth to speak, but in the face of Lady Graceâs sharp gaze, he nodded and said haltingly:
âAunt, I just received news that the Emperor will personally lead this war.â
Lady Graceâs face changed, snapping irritably, âThat block-headed lunatic wants to lead the war himself? Are there no sane people left in Dragon City? What about Midela? Doesnât she persuade him?â
Marquis Garcia sighed, âThatâs why I need to personally lead the troops. But donât worry, aunt, I will do my best to preserve the Northern Army, even if it means contradicting the Emperorâs military orders⦠Such a situation, only I can handle it properly.
As for Colin, itâs better to let him stay and guard the North Territory.â
Lady Graceâs face darkened, clearly infuriated by this news. She had thought that this Orc War would be a phoenix rebirth opportunity for the Morrison family. However, now, a disaster is more likely due to that damned Emperor.
Just as the atmosphere in the study sank into silence, the door was suddenly knocked.
âCome in.â Marquis Garcia said casually, then watched as the butler opened the door.
âMy lord, the Cardinal has come to visit.â
âTurennes? He wants to see me?â
âYes.â
Marquis Garcia frowned in bewilderment, and said:
âVery well, bring him in.â
âYes.â
Taking advantage of the situation, Lady Grace rose to her feet and excused herself, âIâll leave first, wonât disturb your meeting.â
âAlright.â Marquis Garcia nodded, and added, âAunt, if you are worried about the war in Westland, you donât have to send the entire Phoenix Butterfly Army to the battlegroundâ¦â
âNo.â Lady Grace shook her head firmly, âThis is the best opportunity for the Morrison family. If we donât give it our all, it can only lead to a loss of morale⦠Once the morale is scattered, it will be difficult to regain it.
Therefore, the Phoenix Butterfly Army will all follow you to Westland, whether we can restore the honor of the Morrison family will depend on the arrangements of the Supreme Lord.â
Having said this, she turned and left.
Marquis Garcia watched the receding figure of the other party, falling into deep thought.
It wasnât until the door was knocked again that Marquis Garcia came back to his senses, only to see Turennes standing at the door, smiling at him, and saying:
âMarquis Garcia, I apologize for my abrupt visit, please forgive me.â
âSit.â Marquis Garcia nodded expressionlessly, seemingly uninterested in dealing with the Cardinal of the Glorious Church.
Turennes did not mind Marquis Garciaâs indifference, and unceremoniously walked into the study, sitting down on the sofa.
The maid stepped lightly, bringing a cup of tea to Turennes, then she picked up the cup Lady Grace had just used, and quietly left.
Turennes naturally noticed Lady Graceâs used teacup, his eyes flashed but he didnât ask any question.
He picked up the teacup, took a small sip, then asked: âMarquis Garcia, did I interrupt your meeting?â
âNo.â Marquis Garcia casually replied, âWhatâs the reason for your visit?â
Turennes put down the teacup and openly said: âMarquis Garcia, I am here to visit the North Territory on Popeâs behalf, to investigate the matter of the eastern nobles diverting the tithe tax to military funding.â
Marquis Garciaâs expression did not change, seemingly not surprised at all, and replied indifferently:
âDid you come to the wrong place then? You should go to White Dew City, not Winterfell City.â
Turennes slightly smiled, and said: âMarquis Garcia, I am here with unlimited sincerity to see you, so you donât have to beat around the bush with me, right?â
Marquis Garcia nodded, he was straightforward and did not like beating around the bush, so he directly stated:
âYou have come to see Count Angler, right? But why do you want to see me?â
âCount Angler is the one you hand-picked and promoted, and you personally gave even the most precious Dark Cavalry to him. Is it wrong to say heâs your successor?â Turennes said seriously, âNow that he has caused trouble, I naturally have to ask for your opinion.â
Marquis Garcia laughed noncommittally, and said: âIf what you want to know is my attitude towards the eastern nobles diverting the tithe tax, I actually support it.
At least under the current situation where the Orcs are about to invade, the Eastland needs to rapidly mobilize and organize, which naturally requires some unconventional means.
I also believe that as the spiritual leader of the Glorious Empire, the Pope surely will understand and support the actions of the eastern nobles.â
Turennesâs smile remained unchanged on his face, seemingly not surprised at Marquis Garciaâs statement, but he also didnât continue discussing the topic, instead asked:
âThen, what are your thoughts on the series of new policies implemented by Count Angler in the North Territory?â
âNew policies?â Marquis Garciaâs eyebrows furrowed, and he said, âIâm not proficient in the governance of the country, those are all matters initiated by Count Angler and carried out by Scholar Doan and Scholar Sunny, I did not participate.
However, judging by the rapid recovery of the North Territory from the turmoil, I think these new policies were rather effective.â
Turennes nodded, indicating that he understood Marquis Garciaâs stance, but then, his face became serious, and he said solemnly:
âMarquis Garcia, but in my eyes, Count Anglerâs new policies are completely blasphemous!â
âWhere did they blaspheme?â Marquis Garcia scoffed, and asked.
âThe lottery! It is an evil thing that arouses deep greed and desire in humans, it is a temptation from the devil! If this continues, everyone will lose the motivation to work and just think about winning the lottery!â
Marquis Garcia shrugged, and said with an indifferent face: âSince you think there is a problem with this policy, I will discuss it with Count Angler and see if it can be cancelledâ¦â
âNo! Thatâs not enough!â Turennes put down the teacup, got up to stand in front of Marquis Garcia, stared into his eyes, and coldly said, âAs a blasphemer, Count Angler must pay the price!â
âWhat price?â
âThe price of life!â