What did you do with the dice?

After all, he was one of them, so Grand Duke Oaks felt a bit embarrassed. So another knight beside him stood up and saluted Rusalka, "Your Majesty, Grand Duke Pearl Tears, even if he didn't formally challenge you to a knightly duel, he's asking for your guidance out of goodwill. As a Grand Duke, how could you launch a surprise attack?"

Rusalka waved her hand and smiled kindly, "Alright, then, to make up for what I just did, I'll just stand here and do nothing. I'll let you hit me first. Then I'll hit you with all my strength. After you're done, I'll fight back, okay?"

"Your Majesty is so open-minded. I will not be polite. Please enlighten me."

The young knight drew the heavy-looking black warhammer from behind him and struck Rusalka in the chest with a powerful blow. After a resounding roar, Rusalka remained motionless.

"Ah, you really hit me?"

The Holy Slash light burst out from his chest and directly bounced the heavy hammer back, and Rusha

Ka himself grabbed the opponent's arm before he could retract it, and unceremoniously activated the Holy Slash again, blowing off the opponent's arm. The sledgehammer fell directly along with the broken arm, creating a dent in the ground.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the opponent immediately used Qi to block the blood from the wound, and then shouted to Rusalka: "Wait, I surrender!"

But unexpectedly, Rusalka brought back the tricks from the Elf Forest: "Surrender is invalid, period. Ha, I don't accept surrender!"

As soon as he shouted this, everyone around him was stunned. They stared at him with wide eyes, not daring to say a word. They secretly glanced at Phoenix who was still eating peacefully, and thought to themselves: It’s true that the wife of this El Empire cannot be married. It seems that he has been assimilated.

Ignoring the latter's wails, he picked up an empty chair nearby and pounded it hard on his head. Seeing the chair leg broken by his head, Rusalka, knowing that he was "cheating," blew off his right arm again: "You still dare to use Qi to protect yourself? If you do that again, you'll turn into a tumbler."

Now the other party was obedient. Rusalka stretched out her hand and hooked the side, and three soldiers stood up and handed over the chairs they were sitting on.

After he was satisfied with the banging, and seeing the other man lying motionless on the ground pretending to be dead, he threw an ink ball at him. Then he said to Ai Li, who was peeking over, "Little Ai Li, there's a wounded man suddenly spawned here. Please come over and help him reattach his hand."

Ai Li trotted over and used magic on the knight on the ground. Soon, the knight grew two new arms and the wound on his head healed instantly.

The people around were sweating coldly when they saw this. One was beating and the other was healing. After the healing, they would fight again. Those who knew knew that this was a couple of a paladin and a priest, while those who didn't thought it was a couple of a sorcerer and a necromancer. No wonder Esdi had the strongest military strength and Sinidi's interrogator was still too conservative.

Although the man's body had recovered, the armor he was wearing had become a vest. Rusalka kindly said, "Your armor is of poor quality. Considering you're a man of ambition, and considering you've persevered even after being beaten like this, why don't you come to our Pearl Tear Territory to buy a new one? I'll give you a 20% discount."

Oh my god, did he insist on doing this? It was obviously you who didn't agree with his surrender, okay?

Sanita: (You mean by 20% off, right? I'm really impressed. I haven't checked the private chat channel for a while and you're already making a big fuss. You've been a Grand Duke for a long time, and you're still fighting privately with other people's knights. How shameful!)

Rusalka: (How can I be looked down upon by others?)

Sanita: (Then why don't you just challenge a knight to a duel? That way, the winner will look a bit more respectable. Please, brother, this is Alice's Royal City. You are here to form an alliance with the nobles, not to swear brotherhood with bandits.)

Rusalka: Oh, who understands all these red tapes? Winning is the real deal!

No, he had to boast a few more times before his brother took over the conversation: "I know that many of you in your family have made breakthroughs recently and you're all very proud of yourself. But there's one thing I want you all to know: you've become stronger. But that doesn't mean I've become weaker. Have you forgotten who shed the tears of our Pearl Lei family?"

The founder of Shangri-La didn't even know that the name he chose had this allusion, so the poet who wrote the name for him seemed to be hiding his talent.

But there was nothing wrong with crying, because he really wanted to cry: he was originally an uneducated knight, and in order to become a qualified noble, he went to school to study and educate future generations, hoping that one day he would be able to get rid of the ruffian spirit left over from the battlefield and make the Zhulei family a truly noble hereditary aristocracy.

Unexpectedly, Rusalka directly defeated the family's hundreds of years of inheritance: He is still a noble, he is even more cruel than a bandit. Other knights' duels are "stop when it's enough", but he "stops when it's time".

There will probably be more jokes in the kingdom from now on: the Zhulei family created the first duel method in the kingdom that does not allow the opponent to surrender.

Rusalka wiped her hands as if nothing had happened and returned to her seat. "It's good to exercise after dinner. What was I talking about just now? Oh, right, peace and prosperity for the country and the people."

Seeing that no one was saying anything, he suddenly had an idea and took out his key from the system space and changed the subject: "However, these good days only have less than a year left."

Rusalka hadn't looked at the key since she last got it. Now that she had it out, she realized it wasn't really a "key" anymore.

It had already become countless shattered fragments, and like mutually repelling magnets, they were constantly resisting each other.

The reason why the fragments were floating in Rusalka's hand and did not fall to the ground was because the fragments were forcibly pulled by the red silk threads, barely maintaining a long strip shape.

But as time passed, those densely packed red threads began to break at a visible rate. It looked like in about a year, it would completely lose its function. That would be the day the key would be completely shattered.

"According to reliable information, the demon army will return on August 1st of next year!"

When Rusalka said this, no one was convinced.

It’s not because it sounds a bit exaggerated to say that the seal can be broken so easily, but simply because Rusalka’s expression when he said this didn’t match his words very well.

There was not only a little

There is no sign of nervousness, but rather a hint of happiness and anticipation. It makes one suspect that the person he said would come into the world at this time next year is not actually a demon, but his first son or something, and he did it to cheer everyone up.

Considering that there's a chance his mental state could be inherited, then in a sense, it's pretty much the same?

However, they had to interact and give this Pearl Tear Master some respect. An old wizard from Alice City responded in the crowd, "Although that 'Hell Lord' declared an invasion of the Royal City, after strict control, we've discovered that there's been no activity in the Seven Sin Realms recently, and the demon followers haven't shown any signs of activity."

Rusalka interrupted his ignorant speech: "That's not the Lord of Hell, but the End, the End! Do you know what the End is? That's the devil's god!"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment after hearing this. After all, at that time, everyone thought that the person projected on Alice City was just one of the six lords brought in by the Church of the Seven Sins. Even if they didn't match, at most they would think that hell might be keeping up with the times and a new lord was born.

Everyone may have heard of the Messenger of the End, a being that is synonymous with the leader of the devil's followers. It is said that the gods will reward you for killing him.

But the end does sound mysterious. It is hard for people who have always believed that there are only twelve gods in the world to believe that there is a thirteenth demon god. If you say that the demons also have gods, why did no one mention this end during the first demon war?

Actually, there's a source for the answer to this question. It seems it's because he was late for the First Demon War. But even Sanitieta couldn't help but laugh after hearing it, thinking that this reason sounded even more ridiculous. Speaking it out would only make it less convincing, so it's better not to say it.

Seeing that no one realized the seriousness of the problem, Rusalka said, "Everyone, I am serious. I swear on the honor of the Pearl Tears family."

Half of the nobles and guards present began to believe it - the half who were not very familiar with Rusalka.

Rusalka sighed and said, "If what I said is true, then the world will remain peaceful forever, and I will never have a reason to wield a weapon to fight again until the end of my life."

A serious look immediately came across the other half's face, and now he had to believe it.

Shangri-La regretted not learning magic. Otherwise, he would have used invisibility and left quietly.

An earl who had fought with Rusalka in Alice City asked anxiously, "Oh my God, if that's the case, doesn't Lord Sanitieta have any solution?"

Rusalka didn't know how to be tactful. He was a young fool, speaking frankly. "No, and this time the demons have their own gods. The worst-case scenario is that they will be even more powerful than the first demon war. Even if we become stronger, as Sneidi, bordering the Seven Sin Realms and bearing the brunt of the impact, our chances of winning are not optimistic."

Sanita: (Is there anyone who mobilizes people before a war like you?)

Rusalka: (My boasting doesn't mean the demons are weaker. Even if I'm exaggerating, it's still good. At least the demons aren't strong.)

hiss--

Everyone present was stunned after hearing this, and the atmosphere in the venue suddenly became very solemn. Although the Demon War was a memory from a long time ago, let's not forget that Sneidi had just fought a large-scale civil war, and the cruelty of the war had not yet faded from the memories of the survivors present.

Now that they have finally recovered, they are told that they will soon have to deal with an even more difficult demon that is completely inhumane and will not leave any survivors. This is an unparalleled pressure on everyone.

Everyone was talking about it, and some nobles thought that they should immediately ask for help from Esdi, an expert in dealing with demons, and send out their most elite Paladin Legion to block the border of the Seven Sins Domain.

Some nobles also believed that Sinidi had been through war for a long time and might not be able to stop the demon army. So they simply took advantage of the remaining year to immediately transfer the manpower and military supplies and retreat to the Holy Light Kingdom of Esdi to jointly defend and gather defensive forces to resist.

Some people also hope that Sani Iron Tower can work with the wizard to communicate with the Supreme Lord of Arcane to pray for the help of the gods and re-strengthen the seal.

Some radicals were even discussing whether they could sacrifice the second prince that Rusalka had found and re-apply the blood seal.

Only a very small number of people expressed that they would obey the arrangements of the Grand Duke and King Mebius, live up to the spirit of their ancestors who sacrificed themselves to seal the seal, and live and die with Sinidi.

Rusalka pulled out a small loudspeaker, muffled the clamor, and asked, "What if we choose to withdraw all our manpower to Esdi? What will happen to the citizens of Snidi?"

An elderly marquis replied, "In reply to Grand Duke Pearl Tears, after the First Demon War, the continent's population plummeted by half, and humanity lost the vast majority of its elite warriors. Yet, we are still the world's hegemon, and Sneidi remains prosperous."

The other nobles chose to remain silent after hearing this. But silence itself was also a form of response. For them, as long as they could survive the Demon War, allow their family to continue, and continue to be great in the revived and rebuilt city-state, they would be worthy of the great achievements of their ancestors.

This was their victory, and of course people only cared about their own victory. Because war is like a game, with life and death, winners and losers, do you really want to be the loser?

Rusalka looked at their eyes and suddenly had a sense of enlightenment in her heart: the decision made by humans at this moment was exactly the same as that of the twelve gods.

However, we are human beings on earth, not gods high above. If humans lack a focused belief, they will not be able to defeat any opponent.

Therefore, we cannot rely on the theocratic state of Esdi, nor can we pray to the gods. As the God of Truth said, what do the thousands of reasons in our hearts have to do with these gods?

If you want to survive, you can only rely on yourself.

"enough!"

Rusalka slammed the table, and the huge bang made the whole venue silent.

Since my good brother said that this method cannot boost morale.

Then he's about to start his speech!

Sanitieta: What, he still has bad manuscripts?

Chapter 475 No Clothes

If the good brother told Rusalka to be more reserved, at least pretend to be.

Sorry, I can’t do it. It’s so tiring.

But if you say that this is related to whether he can fight this last and possibly the most intense battle on the eternal plane happily.

Rusalka felt that she was born to be an orthodox nobleman and a genuine knight.

"I can tolerate your wanton exploitation of your subjects, your extravagance and debauchery, and your brutality. But I cannot tolerate you abandoning your territory and fleeing."

"What are we? Nobles! And as nobles, we must have our own bottom line. When war strikes and the country faces life and death, you can choose not to sacrifice your life for your country, you can even choose to disobey the orders of the ruler. But you must never refuse to risk your life to protect your territory and those who rule over you."

"Because no matter how unqualified you are, you are at least the lord in the hearts of your people, a leader who stands high above everyone else!"

"Their expectations of you are just like your current hopes in the almighty gods, the demon-suppressing Paladins of Esidi next door, and even the nation's strongest mage, Sanita. They're willing to endure the hardships and hardships of life, even if they're led by someone who doesn't even know the price of bread. They persevere because they believe you will give them a chance to survive."

"Now, I can tell you frankly that the gods will not respond to the requests of ants like us. I'm afraid Esidi can't even protect himself, and Sanita is powerless."

The eldest son of an earl couldn't help but ask, "Then what should we do? Just because we, Sneidi, are close to the Seven Sins, are we destined to repeat history and sacrifice ourselves once again as the vanguard of the demonic war?"

He was very restrained in not mentioning cannon fodder. After all, during the first demon war, human history was still controlled by the shadow cast by the dragon's wings in the sky. When the first batch of demons emerged from the Seven Sin Realms, the first to suffer were the humans who were vassals.

It's certainly stressful for a giant dragon to fight the most elite demons in the sky. But what if I say that humans on earth not only have to face an endless army of ground demons, but also dragons behind them who can launch ranged attacks without distinguishing friend from foe?

At that time, the world's creatures suddenly decreased by half. Although the Shanghai people were not counted, considering the base number, humans were definitely the ones who suffered the most sacrifices.

At that time, humans had not yet developed so many national systems, and everyone was mixed together. Now Sinidi is an independent country, and its population is less than half of the world's human population. If you do the math, it's hard not to wonder whether they will be wiped out.

Rusalka's answer was resounding: "You are totally wrong! This time is completely different from before."

"Because this time, Sneidi has me, the Grand Duke of Pearl Tears, Rusalka!" He paused and added, "and the Grand Mage Sanitita."

His voice was so firm, and his eyes were as majestic as a lion, which made everyone present feel inexplicably relieved.

Sanita: (Thank you for mentioning me.)

But appeasing the crowd was only a prerequisite; the goal was to unite them all to become cogs in the Pearl Tear Territory's war machine. So, Rusalka continued her speech: "Listen carefully, you rabble next to you, all dressed up in fancy clothes and with more impressive titles than the last. If you consider yourselves to be powerful beings who trample over the heads of countless ordinary people, truly transcendent beings who wield power, then since the ancient giants have fallen and can no longer hold up the sky for us, we should rise up on our own and become the new giants who hold up the sky above the heads of those weaklings."

"And those of you who are pampered among us—yes, I'm talking about you nobles sitting at the central table. You guys have enjoyed the benefits of being high and mighty for generations. There's nothing to hide, and there's no need to feel ashamed of your pampered lifestyle. We all have our obligations."

"Now is the time for us, the ruling class, to use the weapons in our hands and the consciousness in our hearts to safeguard our interests!"

"Of course, if you can't even fulfill this most basic noble duty, how can you be considered a noble of our Sneidi?! I will draw my sword and kill you right now, leaving your title to those who are willing to sacrifice their lives for this duty!"

"But I'm not so heartless. I know everyone is afraid of their bloodline being cut off and feeling guilty about their ancestors after death. So I will allow each family to send a few descendants to continue the bloodline. Let them take money, supplies, and tokens, and flee to where they want to go and leave behind descendants. After the war, they can return home and restore their original titles."

"In addition, I will open up all trade in my Pearl Tear Territory, abolish all tariffs, and provide food and equipment supplies. Within a year, I want to see

There are only citizens retreating eastward in Sinidi, no nobles or soldiers fleeing eastward!"

"If Sinidi is destined to perish in this war, then I, the Grand Duke of Pearl Tears, an invincible man without an heir, will take my wife, my ancestors, and even the future of my entire family with me, and let the enemy be buried with Sinidi!"

Shangri-La's blood boiled as he listened to this soul-stirring speech, brimming with chivalrous virtues and noble honor. His opinion of Rusalka suddenly changed: "As expected, this descendant of the Pearl Tears family still has my true knightly blood flowing through his veins. Although he may be careless on a daily basis, his display of virtue at crucial moments truly proves him to be the legitimate heir!"

But his instinct seemed to react, making him feel that there was something wrong with the sentence just now, as if there was a missing object.

Sanitieta: (Well done, you are indeed my good eldest son. You didn’t write me into your life and death book, which is like an old general marking his troops on the stage.)

Rusalka: (Of course not. If you, my good adopted son, die, who will carry on the Pearl Tears family line?)

Sanita: (Silly dog.)

Rusalka pulled the torch from the system space, jumped onto the table, and raised it high, allowing it to form a sacred circular halo of virtue behind her. "I will ignite the hope of the living and become the firewood that keeps the rest of humanity alive! For humanity!"

I have to say that Rusalka's serious speech was very expressive and almost everyone couldn't help but applaud.

Even the noble lackeys sitting at the guest table nearby puffed out their chests proudly after hearing Rusalka's words.

Duke Gaode, a true ally of the Pearl Tears, was the first to raise his glass, drawing his sword from his waist and resting it on the rim. He responded, "How could a great knight die with a shield intact? The Guardian Knights are no different. We are willing to dedicate our lives to Sneedi and become the nation's strongest shield."

Although Grand Duke Oaks was slapped twice in the face by Rusalka, he still laughed heartily, considering that it was because of his own embarrassing behavior and that the straightforward character of the North could not afford to lose. "In our Oaks family, there are no cowards who flee, only warriors who die in battle. We will not retreat until the last drop of our family's blood has completely dyed the vast snowy lands of the North red."

The situation was stronger than anyone else. The three Grand Dukes were willing to form an alliance, so De Lai Wangsheng, whether he wanted to or not, had no choice but to raise his cup and draw his sword, offering a few plausible excuses: "The De Lai family is no exception. My father was murdered by the demon believers. The family feud will never be forgotten. They must pay with blood."

The eldest prince, Charronus, would not back down. "Though Mebius has fallen, and my body may perish, the courage and spirit that our ancestors engraved in our blood will never perish in my hands. Furthermore, I heard that Lord Pearl of Tears has already brought my brother back. If I die in battle, he will inherit our family's bloodline. My dear nobles, I will bear witness to this great alliance, allowing Sinidi to be reborn from the flames of war and once again rise to glory!"

"Let's begin! Announce to the world that we, Snidy, will begin a year-long preparation for the final battle! History will remain unchanged this time, and we will once again defeat the devil and the end!"

In this way, Challens cut his arm with a knife, letting the blood turn into runes in the air, forming a piece of contract paper from the Supreme Lord of Arcane.

August 1, 548 in the Kingdom Calendar, was the first time in the history of the nation of Sinidi that the Grand Duke and the royal family jointly concluded a divine contract. Under the witness of the Supreme Lord of Arcane, the heir to the throne of the Mebius family, representing the highest level of power in Sinidi, and the four Grand Dukes took the lead in jointly signing the "Flame Alliance" treaty. Afterwards, nobles from all over the country responded and added their own names.

The treaty abolished all domestic commodity taxes, advocated "joint progress and retreat", and openly mobilized the resources of all the signatory families of the treaty.

Moreover, the treaty is not limited to internal restrictions, but also actively seeks allies of all races from the outside world to join together to make final preparations for the upcoming Second Demon War.

Subsequently, with the efforts of Rusalka and Sanita, on August 15 of the same year, the elves took the lead and Suarez signed her name on the contract on behalf of the elves. Alijie thought that she could not fall behind, so she signed one as well.