Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

"Eric, do you remember that talking dog we met?"

I introduced the mission of the demon god Clavicus Weir to Eric, and pointed out that Madeline was most likely the daughter of Sebastian Lot, and the artifact axe in her hand was the Axe of Regret we were looking for. At the beginning, Sebastian could not accept that his daughter became a believer of Hircine, and asked the demon god of wishes for a cure, but Weir was notoriously unreliable and actually instigated a wizard to kill werewolves with an axe.

"How is your relationship with Madeline? Is it possible to put me in touch with her? I'll try to persuade her to give me the axe."

"Why don't you go find a saber-tooth tiger and see if you can convince her to give you her teeth?"

That's right... I did find the saber-toothed tiger, and gave her a small gift. But back to business, weapons are to warriors like claws to tigers and wolves, they are the ones that save lives and make a living, especially divine weapons are rare, who would be willing to give them away easily?

The Axe of Regret is one of the worst enchanted weapons in the game, but this judgment is based on the fact that Dragonborn can own all the artifacts in Skyrim. Even though my father is Baron Helgen, he only has one enchanted weapon, the Blade of Falkreath. I later learned that the purple glow on the sword was actually enchanted with electrical damage. If I hadn't picked up a wooden stick by mistake, I would have enjoyed the Yang Mouxin meal on the spot. Now every time I think of my father's pout at that time, I feel a numbness all over my body.

So, this mission of Barbas is quite tricky. I can't afford to offend either the Companions or the vampire family, but this unlucky guy even guaranteed me in exchange for the vampires giving up the Howling Wind Bastion in advance. If I can't get the Axe of Regret, I will be the unlucky one. Since the axe is already in Madeline's hands, she may have killed her father. It is definitely not easy to talk to such a cold-blooded person.

What should I do?

Eric didn't know much about the agreement I had reached with Will and Barbas. What he was most concerned about was how Miss Angie viewed his status as a high-ranking member of the Companions and his werewolf bloodline. His status in the Companions was the basis for his pursuit of Angie, but if he turned into a werewolf, it might wipe out all the goodwill he had accumulated. As long as he could get the beauty, it was not unacceptable for him to give up his future in the Companions. He was just afraid that if he lost his future, Angie would dislike him. This was also a dilemma.

I have no idea how to answer this question. Marriage itself is not a selling point of the game. It is done in a perfunctory way. The protagonist often wins the other person's heart just by helping with a small task. In addition, Angie is set in the game so that she cannot get married. The emotions in the other world are naturally not that simple. Eric is already very good at chasing girls, but he still feels uneasy. For a straight male cancer patient like me, I am afraid that I am doomed to be alone.

We both faced a dilemma, but neither of us could help the other, so we could only comfort each other and leave it to fate. Before we parted, Eric did not forget to give me some advice.

"Go back and tell Miss Angie not to worry. I'll go find her when I'm done here. I'll also bring the mammoth cheese ball with me."

Stein and I checked into a room at Mare Banner. The Red Guard hostess had disappeared. According to Riya, she had contacted Kematu from Hammerfell Province who was hunting down the traitors, and had brought Satia back for trial. Stein was excitedly sorting out his gains from the market, and he also said that he would continue to train with the Companions tomorrow while I was meeting the lord. The young man was very happy that he had this opportunity, and expressed his gratitude to me sincerely.

Dragonsreach Palace was no longer as lively as it was last time. Lord Balgruuf was discussing something with Holongnar, Irileth, and Proventus. He read Danger's letter carefully and looked up at me.

"I heard you were from Loristed?"

"Yes, sir. But I'm afraid it should be called Hofdilsted now."

Balgruuf's face flashed with displeasure, and he did not continue the topic, instead asking about our battle with the Imperial Legion. As for the details of tactics, I evaded them by saying that I was not responsible for military affairs, but I could still tell you everything about the results of the battle. An army of 200 people is already a large army in Skyrim, and many lords have a standing army of this number. After suffering such a big loss, it is unknown whether Tullius can still provide protection to Whiterun.

Both Whiterun and Falkreath suffered at the hands of the Imperial Legion, but the biggest threat now comes from the Stormcloaks. Danger has already hinted in his letter, and I have clearly analyzed the situation in person. If Balgruuf refuses our goodwill, he will be isolated and helpless, surrounded by Windhelm in the east, Morningstar in the north, and Falkreath in the south. Once the Stormcloaks take Whiterun, they will have two-thirds of the world. With Ulfric's character, how can he resist the urge to take action?

Balgruuf handed the letter to the other three people for them to circulate and asked for their opinions calmly.

"Sir, we should be cautious in everything. I suggest we continue to wait and see."

"The prey is watching..."

"But if we declare an alliance with Falkreath at this time, it would be tantamount to actively offending General Tullius..."

"Come on, Proventus, General Tullius is the offender. Without his authorization, Lord Igmund's ridiculous so-called evidence would not be recognized by the Lords' Council."

"But the boxes of gold..."

"Damn it! That gold isn't even enough to buy the town of Loristed!"

"If you ask me, no matter which side we join, we will become the force that tips the scales. But with our current strength, if we fight against both the Stormcloaks and the Empire at the same time..."

Lord Balgruuf has a unique charm. No matter how many people there are in his court, they will always quarrel because of different opinions. But after being trained by Danger, I am no longer a political novice. From my observation, Balgruuf deliberately created such a situation. The court atmosphere in Whiterun is much more complicated than that in Falkreath. Both the steward Proventus and the garrison commander Caius are imperials. It is worth exploring who they are loyal to. The lord's brother, Holungar, is a fanatical warmonger. He has repeatedly requested to send troops to assist the imperial army, but was forcibly suppressed by Balgruuf. The Gray Mane family has a great influence on the Companions and has a very close relationship with the Stormcloaks. The War Mad family has financial resources that cannot be ignored. Their support for the Empire seems to be only for their own economic interests, so they always do some small tricks behind the scenes.

This is just the larger forces, the influence of other small and medium-sized forces is relatively small, but it is only relative. For example, the War Bear family who is married to the steward, the Cold Plow family and the Pelagias family who own farms, these guys are constantly trying to influence Balgruuf's decision for their own interests, and no matter what the lord chooses, it is impossible to please everyone at the same time.

Since it is inevitable to offend people, it is better to disperse the conflicts rather than let them concentrate on oneself. The court meeting of Whiterun has become a big stage for all parties to speak freely, and Balgruuf sits firmly on the Diaoyutai, playing the role of an aloof arbitrator. He skillfully balances various viewpoints and guides the conclusion to the direction he is most pleased with, and then makes a decision happily as an enlightened monarch, gaining a reputation for being easy to follow, but transferring the resentment of not being able to get what he wants to do to his political enemies who are against each other.

It must be said that this old guy is really good at the art of being a king. Few Nords can be like him, showing a strong and upright image, but at the same time he is full of tricks. Danger is too scheming, and he looks like a bad old man; Ulfric is too tough, and those who refuse to obey his orders will be regarded as his enemies. Even his allies can't stand his aggressive momentum; Igrod of Morthal is too crazy, Skard of Morningstar is too stupid, and Igmund of Markar is too cowardly. As for the other lords, they are just good-for-nothings and are really not worth mentioning.

However, Balgruuf has a great shortcoming: he is good at making plans but lacks decisiveness. He always bets on both sides in a dirty way, hoping to take all the advantages, but how can such a good thing happen in Skyrim now? I can see that he is very tempted by the plan we provide. Taking this path may give him the opportunity to be crowned the High King in the future. But the risk is also great. With the power of two territories, we have to fight against the Empire and the Stormcloaks at the same time. Both territories were first severely damaged by dragons and then poisoned by the army. It can be said that they are brothers in distress and share the same suffering.

I was politely asked to leave Dragon's Reach. Balgruuf said he would gather all the nobles in Whiterun tomorrow morning to discuss our alliance proposal so as to make a choice that would be in the interests of the majority. Lord Whiterun invited me to attend the meeting and explain the position of Falkreath, so I had a day to wander around the city. This was a good opportunity. I was going to visit the legendary Jade Axe Wolf Girl and try to negotiate with her first. It would be best if I could obtain the Axe of Regret in a peaceful way, even if it cost more money.

However, I could not find Madeleine, Eric and Farkas were missing, and there were fewer people on the playground than yesterday. I ignored the sweaty Stein and went straight into the house to find Donna, and sure enough, I got a note from Eric.

"Locke, I have to complete an urgent mission. Traces of a giant dragon have been found in the area of ​​Lake Yokilin in Cangyuan Territory. It has already caused damage to the nearby Anjia Mill and killed at least five Stormcloak soldiers. Don't worry about my safety. This mission will be completed by six members of the comrades. You just need to remember to bring my message to Miss Angie. Regarding the matter of finding the axe you mentioned, please do not act rashly and wait for me to talk to you."

Lake Jokilin and Anja Mill are very close to the Stormcloaks' base, Windhelm, but they are under the jurisdiction of the Cangyuan Territory. Alduin has been dormant for more than four months since the Western Watchtower incident in the Hearthfire Moon last year, and finally took action again. What followed was a problem that I had almost forgotten.

What is the legend about the giant dragon destroying the world?