What did you do with the dice?

But what he didn't expect was that soon after he turned around and left the room, while the takeaway was still warm in Ai Li's hand, "two traitorous elves with fake sisterhood" took Ai Li and the things to Sanita's room and took them away on the spot under the pretext of "using magic to check whether they were dangerous goods sent by spies."

Ai Li was quite naive, but after hearing Sanitieta's serious words, he became very nervous. He was very decisive when giving things away and even apologized to Sanitieta.

If Rusha was here, she would definitely not be able to accept the condemnation of her conscience. She would laugh and say, "Haha, do you really believe it? Actually, I am a Zuwang Taoist. I was just kidding you. Don't be angry. I'll treat you to something delicious."

It's a shame Sanita had no conscience. Faced with Ai Li's innocent apology, he actually nodded and solemnly told her to "be more careful next time." He didn't even check in front of her, but simply put the things away. "What kind of relationship do we have? Why do we need to play this game with each other?" "The key between us is mutual trust. Alijie, Sana, go play with Ai Li. Take this money, and find those skilled cooks in the barracks to make you some food. I'll just bring the food back when the results come in."

The two elves didn't know what fraud was. They were happy to get a small advantage. So they took the copper coins given to them by Sanita and, with Ai Li, who was still worried that he had received something bad, ran to buy the candied haws that they had set their eyes on.

Rusalka: This type of telecommunications fraud is simply too primitive. It's a pity that the targets of the fraud happen to be primitive people who have never used the Internet.

However, the knight's report was good news for Theresa, who had not been doing well so far. "Oh, thank you~"

"These are all things I'm supposed to do. It's my duty. Oh, and there's one more thing I need to report to you. It's intelligence from the northern border of Esdi regarding the El Empire. They say the El Empire seems to have recently deployed a large number of troops to the United Kingdom. I suspect they're trying to take advantage of the momentum of conquering the United Kingdom to forcibly break through the Elf Forest blockade and attack northern Sinidi. Or maybe they're planning to attack the northern border wall between us and the United Kingdom. In any case, it doesn't seem like they're going to develop the ruins."

"Okay, I understand. I'll deal with things over there after I finish this. Please reply to the messenger and tell him to pay more attention to the defense forces on the north wall. There's no need to worry about Sinidi."

After the knight bowed and left, Theresa was lost in thought.

----

In the barracks of the Pearl Tear Army, Sanitta did not rush to send out the troops, but let the entire army under the leadership of Pearl Tear continue to rest - apart from the inexplicable condemnation of Luca from the Delai family, which made people laugh, this was the reward they deserved after taking the initiative to break through the two wizard towers.

Once the east, west and north walls fall, there will naturally be no defenders on the south wall to resist, and they will be able to take advantage without getting hurt.

Rusalka was unusually calm this time. The cooldown of his two major skills, [Secondary Furnace Core] and [Twelve Trials], would not be refreshed for another week. Although the specialty copy could copy the Twelve Trials, this also meant that he could not copy the damage reduction of the Heavy Armor Master or the damage increase of the Giant Weapon Master. It would be uncomfortable to have an incomplete construction during the battle.

A week later, the fighting on the three city walls finally subsided. Sanita then leisurely led his troops to pack up the things in the camp and prepare to enter the military area left by Alice City.

However, since the gate of Alice City was not a mechanical lifting structure, after the Mage Tower was completely destroyed, there was no way to lift it up even if they had occupied the interior. They could only set up ladders from the outside and gradually climb up the city wall that was no longer defended by the enemy. This took another day.

On the city wall, there were only some people sent by the Great Duke Gode to support Rusalka's army, and they were kind enough to lend them a hand.

The last of the noble coalition forces to go up the stairs immediately picked up their chess pieces and began to look for suitable places to insert them. Rusalka thought they were particularly funny, just like pet dogs that were eager to mark their territory after taking a walk.

After laughing, he immediately ordered Shana to run into the city carrying the flag of the Pearl Tear Territory, and asked her to climb up the wizard tower that he had demolished, and plant the flag in the center of the top of the wizard tower, making it appear taller than anyone else.

Rusalka put his hands on his hips and looked up with satisfaction at the Pearl Tears flag fluttering in the wind in the distance. Then a big and strong man came into the frame, occupying half of his field of vision, and stretched out his hand to him.

"Nice to meet you, Great Knight Rusalka. I am Gao Dewei, the current head of the Guardian Knight Family."

"Great Duke Gaode? You're so polite, even coming all alone."

Rusalka reached out and shook it without hesitation.

"Hello, I am Rusalka, the guardian knight of the Pearl Tear family."

"Let's not waste any more pleasantries. The Imperial Guards on the city walls have all withdrawn from the city walls. They seem determined to defend the inner city to the death. The believers of the Church of the Seven Sins will probably establish a defense line in the city, but they are short-handed, so a breakthrough is only a matter of time. However, you and I both know that after this battle, the Kingdom of Sneidi will never be the same again. Even if we win, Grand Duke Oaks can retreat to the north, and we can't advance and provoke a larger civil war. It will eventually turn into a situation where we are both vassals and not vassals."

"The Delai family has been severely damaged. The casualties in this battle were heavy, and their control over the nobles has been greatly reduced."

"The financial situation of our Guardian Knight family is dire. We have already taken in too many refugees within our family territory. Without the support of the Church of the Goddess of Wealth, we are struggling. We have reached the point where we have no choice but to fight. Moreover, we don't know much about statecraft, and we can't even manage the country well. Even if we fully support Crown Prince Siloxis, it will be difficult for us to restore the kingdom to its former glory."

"The Mebius family has long lost its former dominance, and the power of its bloodline is constantly weakening. The Fourth Prince is unwilling to accept this, which is why this rebellion has occurred. War brings suffering to the people, and death brings even greater suffering to the people. Alas..."

His sigh plunged the future of the kingdom into a deep fog.

"I heard from Gao Hong that the Grand Prince believes you and your advisor have the talent to govern a country. You were able to not only absorb the refugees but also bring prosperity to the border in such a short period of time. So, I'd like to hear your ideas for the future. For example, like your Pearl Tear Territory, handing it over to Eside to co-govern?"

Rusalka treated the kingdom's situation as a story, and only felt a little touched when he mentioned the last sentence: (Huh? He could guess this?)

Sanitta scoffed, "Do you have a stereotype that every great knight should be as strong-limbed and simple-minded as you? Just because he doesn't understand governance doesn't mean he doesn't like the news like you do. Besides, your dual citizenship is well-known far and wide, so why is it so hard to guess that you, the Pearl Tear Territory, are planning to implement co-governance?"

Rusalka: (I don't believe it. He must have had aides telling him so!)

However, since this "online best friend" whom he had never met before actually asked Rusalka such a difficult question that sounded very historical, he certainly didn't want to miss such a good opportunity. He answered almost without hesitation, "I suggest importing a large number of Filins from the Aiel Empire to solve the kingdom's fertility and labor shortage problems."

But this is far from Rusalka's limit. Now that the topic has come to this, he is going to show off his Taiping technique.

"Actually, I've long felt that the rate of wizards in Snidy is too low. There must be something wrong with the education system. After I take over Alice City, I'm going to establish a magic academy."

Although Gao Dewei was a little confused just now, he nodded at this sentence. Rusalka was right. He had also considered that the cost of learning magic was too high.

He had even tried to popularize magic education in the territory before, but he soon discovered that the hardest thing to find was not talented children, but wizards who were willing to systematically teach wizard apprentices. The employment cost and mobility were too high, and there was discrimination among wizard apprentices based on their origins. This plan could be implemented for the children of nobles and wealthy businessmen in a few wealthy areas, but it was almost impossible to popularize it among civilians.

But now that Rusalka, a "successful person", agrees with him, this undoubtedly makes him feel expectant. Could it be that this Lord of Pearl Tears, who has become so famous all the time, has a better trick?

Rusalka shook her head and continued, "Then we recruit a large number of Filin people into the academy. This is called recruiting cat talents. After they are recruited, they will serve as study partners for good students. The good students will be paired with two. The standard pairing is one black and one white, but you can also customize the colors."

After being held captive for about five full seconds, Gao Dewei spoke with an awkward tone that was completely inconsistent with his size and appearance, "This... Great Knight Rusalka, I know you and your wife have a good relationship, but let's talk about racial differences. In fact, in the minds of both the Sinidi and Esidi people, the Filin people are all orc barbarians. Most of the Filin people are not as kind as your wife. In fact, they are brutal and bloodthirsty by nature.

Furthermore, the Orcs can't learn magic, and the same is true for their offspring; instead, they degenerate. And, to be slightly offensive to your general, the black Filin tribe actually has a sinister connotation among the people. It might be difficult to convince the public to accept the Filin tribe."

Rusalka spread her hands. "What are you doing? We are great knights. We can't discriminate. All creatures on this earth are created equal. How can we treat someone differently just because they look different? Besides, the Black Filin people only have black hair, but their skin is white. What's their crime?"

Gao Dewei racked his brains but couldn't figure it out. Why was it the Filin tribe? If the orcs could learn magic, shouldn't the Fox tribe also be one of them?

"Is there any story about the black-skinned Filin people? I really don't know much about the Filin people."

Sanitieta thought, this is bad, Gao Dewei is actually the supporting actor, won’t Rushaka take off now?

As expected, the latter immediately countered with a series of smooth moves: "There is a reason. If you are dark-skinned, my academy won't accept you. You'll have to ask the Twelve Gods to see if their kingdoms are willing to accept you. I can only provide a one-way ticket for free."

Sani Tower:?

Gao Dewei:?

Chapter 285 Theresa's Moonlight Invitation

The campfire at night illuminated the camp. Rusalka sat by the fire, flipping a sweet potato back and forth with the tip of an iron spear.

The wizard tower over there seemed to have really shrunken itself into a hedgehog, allowing the army to freely climb the ladders onto the walls, set up camp in the city, light fires, cook, and sing and dance.

Even when some soldiers walked around the shield, the mage tower didn't react at all. Its main strategy was to not attack others unless they attacked it.

They were probably frightened by the miserable plight of their colleagues. The wizards inside began to realize that their lives were more precious. They could fight for Grand Duke Oaks and the Church of the Seven Sins when the wind was favorable, but it was not worth it to risk their lives in an unfavorable battle. However, they were embarrassed to surrender, so they couldn't say it out of face. So they did not interfere with each other in this tacit way, probably intending to wait until the end to see who would win - after all, there is no force that doesn't want to gain a group of wizards, or even a great wizard.

The wizard's camp has always been flexible. After all, they have the capital to be slaves of three surnames - they master mysterious and ever-changing magic.

The night belongs to the night watchmen and night owls, as well as Rusalka, who has had a long rest during the day.

Phoenix, her face flushed red by the flames, leaned against Rusalka. She also had a sweet potato in her hand, but she was too impatient and ate it before it was even hot. Then she started wagging her tail and staring at the one Rusalka was still roasting over the fire: "It's done."

Rusalka: "No, I like hot food."

After just a few seconds, Phoenix's ears pricked up and twitched, and she suddenly spoke again, her tone rising a little: "Okay."

When Rusalka heard this, she understood what she meant and handed the stick to her without hesitation. The latter took it away without hesitation and swallowed the sweet potato in a few big mouthfuls as usual without any manners.

Robbery is like this: if you don't give her sweet potatoes, she will take Rusalka into the house to eat meat.

Of course Phoenix holds a grudge. When Rusalka joked about the Filin tribe and Gao Dewei during the day, she did nothing but stood by and listened. That was to give Rusalka face: at night she would eat a lot of his rice and turn her anger into appetite.

Sanita came over with two elves and found a place to sit on the side. The way the two elves moved freely with the sleeping bag reminded Rusalka of some management and construction games, such as Minecraft, the main feature of which is that you can carry a bed with you and sleep anywhere.

He magically took out two sweet potatoes from his pocket. Rusalka was happy again. She asked Phoenix for the pistol head back, stuck the new sweet potatoes on them and started roasting them.

It doesn’t matter whether you eat it or not. The main thing is to enjoy the process and atmosphere of slowly roasting the sweet potatoes.

"This Alice City is said to be unbreakable. I thought this would be a legendary battle, but I've only been here for nine days and I'm already sitting in the campground eating barbecue. I haven't even fought a decent battle. I'm very disappointed. If this reality were a novel or comic, readers would definitely be furious. The Seven Sins Church made a strong appearance, but in the end, we just flattened it like a huge pile of shit.

Now that we've arrived in the royal city, and Teresa, that nerdy, badass woman, has even arrived in person, isn't she planning an epic battle for me? I just hope the cultists on the other side summon the Lord of Hell and his self-proclaimed invincible army, so I can complete my mission as the Overlord and have him die with a sense of humiliation.

Last time, this guy was still stubbornly saying I won by having more people. This time, I'll let him know that even if he has all his minions, I still can't have more than him. I, Alice, have hundreds of talented generals and a million-strong army. Even a single spit from each of them will disgust him to death. When he's about to die, I'll tell him, "Making more people is awesome. Do you accept that?" Maybe I'll even unlock the achievement [Anger the Demon Lord to Death]."

"You're such a jinx again, huh? What kind of antisocial personality are you? You can't stand seeing everyone living happily? And you're just wishful thinking. There are so many forces in Alice City. If you summon the Lord of Change from last time, they'll all just be your dogs doing quests to gain experience. How could that be possible?"

Sani Iron Tower also roasted a round, unidentified local food over the fire. "Besides, regarding Alice City, you have to put it in the context of the times. What kind of military training was there when Alice City was built? Could you get through the Mage Tower so quickly? I don't believe you don't have at least three Archmages manning a Mage Tower. Take, for example, this stupid city gate separating us from the outside world. It wasn't designed to withstand an invasion. If the Mage Tower's power supply is cut off and it's simply lowered and unable to open, wouldn't that be cutting off our own escape route? In fact, it only takes two or three Archmages working together to forcibly activate the runes on the gate to raise it."

He paused, then continued, "The power core beneath the Forbidden Magic Wall is connected to the melt-cutting runes on the wall. Once activated, they can instantly rip the defenders' ladders in two. Furthermore, the entire wall is covered in gravity runes. The geology of this area outside the city is exceptionally soft, clearly intentionally filled with material for the purpose of creating a moat using the Ground Sinking and Water Diversion spells. But among the mages in the tower, has any one specifically studied how to activate these mechanisms? Mages these days are too utilitarian. Who cares about such things anymore?"

"Not to mention the crossbows on the city walls. They even had slots for enchantments and slots for venom filling. I checked, and now only traces remain. There aren't enough mages, alchemists, or craftsmen willing to regularly maintain them."

Rusalka sighed, "Alas, if we hadn't used our full strength, why wouldn't this Alice City break in two right now?"

Sani Tower: "So, the fact that it was able to hold out for over a month against the most elite troops of the three Sindhi and even Esdi without proper maintenance for over a hundred years, relying solely on its shield, outer walls, and a defender of this size and quality, is a testament to its impressive capabilities."

Regarding the defeat in the Alice City defense, the outspoken General Rusalka commented: "These human soldiers of Sinidi have been through so many training changes, but has it really helped? It's just the same old story. The Seven Sins Church has a point. Who did I lead when I took Alice City? I led fanatical followers of demonic power! What kind of people are your defenders? What's the current level of Sinidi's magical power? They only have a few mages. That ice mage next door, Sarslin, is the core mage of the army. Can he fight? No, he doesn't have the ability, you know? If this goes on, we'll lose to Esdi. After Esdi, we'll lose to the El Empire, then the elves, then the seafood. No one will lose next. They have no dignity left."

Compared to the elves and cats beside him who didn't understand the clichés, Sanita immediately showed a puzzled expression. "So, you just made Duke Gode completely dumbfounded, and all he could say was 'I'll go back and think about it'. The introductory sentence is here. Next, you have to start naturalizing some of the Filin people, right?"

Rusalka hugged Phoenix and said, "I've already naturalized. There's a white one over here, and there's a black one over there in the Paladin camp. Let's not talk about positions, let's talk about conclusions. Is it true that our Pearl Tear Territory's black and white troops are much stronger than the purely local army of Snidi?"

Sanita: "Your thoughts are quite rare. Remember to turn off your private messages."

Phoenix didn't understand what they were saying, but since they mentioned the Filin tribe, it was definitely not something good. So she first snatched the sweet potato from his hand and cut off his food supply.

----

【Long rest completed】

As soon as Rusalka opened her eyes, two pieces of good news popped up on the system.

【Twelve Trials have been restored】

[Secondary Furnace Core Restored]

Boundless fighting spirit fills the body, and the desire to kill is rising!

Rusalka immediately found a soldier in light leather armor leading a horse at the door. She called over and thrust the prepared letter into his hand: "You, go and deliver the letter to Theresa of the Golden Blade."

The soldier was stunned for a moment and pointed at himself: "Me? Delivering a letter?"

Rushakana was puzzled. Why wasn't she happy? Did she wake up with a reduced Charm? He was happy with the idea of ​​conquering Phoenix, but did this lousy messenger need a bond storyline to be able to be used? "Why are you so surprised? I didn't ask you to get rid of Theresa. Aren't you a messenger?"

"Um, Commander, I'm the groom responsible for feeding the messenger's horses. Of course, it's not that I can't deliver the message. I've actually been practicing silently for my dream of becoming a messenger. It's just that you promoted me to meet the Great Saint Lady so suddenly that I'm a little nervous and afraid of losing face for you. But if you don't mind, I..."

Rusalka shattered his dream on the spot: "That's fine, just find the messenger for me!"

Sanitieta: (No, buddy, can't you even tell who's who in our camp? I think if those spy intelligence officers on the other side knew about this, they'd be furious. There's no need to memorize lines or act emotionally; you'd believe me if I just said a position.)

Rusalka said stubbornly: (Can you remember the name of every piece of bread you have ever eaten in your life?)

----

Several other armies were sorting out their armaments, trying to find ways to disassemble the weapons and transport them to the city for reassembly, or they were tinkering with ways to raise the gates of Alice City. Zhu Lei's army was now following the instructions of Sani Iron Tower, riding horses to walk around every nearby building and every hidden place to check for any safety hazards.

The city of Hendalia has become a lesson for others. Sanita doesn't want the Church of the Seven Sins to start the damn blood ritual again as Rusalka said while he is fighting - there are too many soldiers and residents in the city this time, it's really difficult to go straight to hell.

The reason Rusalka and his men were able to bring in war horses was entirely thanks to Rusalka's sudden inspiration: "It doesn't matter if the horses can't climb ladders. Can't we just pull them up? Blindfold the horses, tie them up with strong ropes on the city wall, and find some men to haul them up like that."

So the Rusalka army spent another day or so hoisting the poor war horses up one by one, brushing against the city wall.

This method was a good one, but it was difficult to transport large equipment, including trebuchets, from outside the city walls. You couldn't just hoist them up like you would a horse; that would be a bit unreasonable. Not to mention whether hoisting them up would damage them, such large items wouldn't even fit on the city walls. So, they had to resort to the next best thing: dismantling the trebuchet's base, leaving only the launch port and throwing mechanism, dismantling the ladder from the ladder truck, bringing it back to the city, and having military craftsmen install the mounting spikes and portable chassis.

As for Rusalka's further proposal to build a tower crane, it was directly vetoed by Sani Tower: By the time you build this thing and make it of qualified quality and put it into use, the enemy troops in the inner city will probably starve to death. What's the point of fighting?

Now that there were no large military equipment to assist in attacking the city walls and cover the soldiers climbing the ladders, it was actually more difficult for the army to attack the inner city than the outer city.

Sani Iron Tower: "But the good news is that the inner city's walls are far less strong and strategically wide than the outer city's. The gates are also mechanically assisted magic pull structures. This means that if someone can break in and unlock the gate mechanism, they can also open the main gate. Even if they can't open the main gate, the inner city's walls aren't as ridiculously strong as the outer city's. Probably without the use of the Forbidden Magic Stone Powder, I should be able to destroy a hole with [Earthquake]."

Rusalka thought: The wizard is really awesome in the later stages. He can open a hole in the city wall just by opening his mouth. Can other professions do that?

But he quickly straightened his chest, patted it proudly, and said, "Oh, you're being too subtle. What do you mean by 'if someone' could break in and open the gate? Mr. Sa, open up a little. My ID number is 310..."

Just as the two were discussing the attack plan in a haphazard manner, the messenger came running back from outside the door and delivered a reply letter from Theresa.

Theresa's message was relatively simple and easy to understand. She asked Rusalka to meet under the fountain in the pedestrian square tonight, and she would also mention some information about Rewi Alley's life story. In this way, if Rusalka believed her, it would be okay for her to go to the appointment alone. After all, Rewi Alley only had some paper documents, which could be passed on to her later, so there was no need to explain them in detail to her face to face.

Ah, what a proactive indication this is. Rusalka read the beautiful handwriting and couldn't help but look forward to the beautiful moonlight spreading over the Fountain Square tonight.

Since Phoenix was nearby, Rusalka opened the private chat channel.

(Brother, do you think the flower shops in this city are still open now? Are the roses in this season still as hot as the scorching summer sun?)

(I don’t know, but if you want a wreath, I can have two elves make it for you right away. I promise you’ll be as peaceful as the snow in winter.)

(You're just a jealous dog. I'm going to meet all the idols in the Estelle, and you can only be a cameraman in a dark corner.)

(I laughed. This is the first time I've seen someone bring a knife to a date. You're meeting Hoshino Ai? So you're bringing Rei along? I haven't told her the contents of the letter Theresa sent her yet.)

Rusalka shook her head, raised her index finger, and exited the private chat mode. She said, "Telling her now will only make her anxious for nothing. It's better to give her a surprise when the time comes. However, I'm magnanimous enough to allow you to secretly follow along and enjoy the show. But you have to promise me that you won't bring those two elves who are more trouble than help. I can already imagine them playing pitiful after they do something bad. I must move in advance to eliminate the possibility of them committing a crime. My dear brother, you don't want to send those two elves to Mawei Slope with your own hands, do you?"

Sanitieta looked at him helplessly and slapped Rusalka's hand away. "Seriously, I think this is very strange. Theresa didn't mention anything about Hydra's life or death, or her joining our Pearl Tear Territory. She also glossed over me, but she's so concerned about Rei, a little girl who has no influence on the war. She knew it was almost impossible for me to tell Rei after I deciphered the letter, but she still mentioned this to you. Don't you think it's strange?"

Rusalka didn't find this strange at all. Ai Li was a candidate for the Radiant Sister, a favorite of Theresa. If you put yourself in her shoes, you'd know he liked her too. That's the value of being loved by everyone. What's wrong with paying more attention? "So now you're predicting her predictions about you? Honestly, I think you've already elevated your level of competition beyond the Eternal Plane. If you keep this up, I suspect your thoughts will return to Earth."

Sanitita waved his hand and said, "Brother Xiao, think carefully. I have used this trick before. It was the letter of inquiry I used against Viscount Consnat when we first arrived here."

After he said that, Rusalka did remember. After all, it was something related to him, so he remembered it quite clearly. "You mean, she said that on purpose just to make me let down my guard against Ai Li before I go back tonight? What do you mean, is she going to start killing werewolves?"

Sanita nodded: "It is possible that this is the case."

"Okay, then I'll take Ai Li out now, lock her in a cage, and hang her on the flagpole in the center of the camp. That's pretty safe, right? If those two elves try to stop us, they can just lock her up together."

"Are you crazy? Phoenix, come back! He was just joking."