Firefly Journey

Chapter 286 The Storm is Coming (1)

After visiting Robert and his sister, Lin Yuanran had a better understanding of the situation. It seemed that they were not opposed to the marriage.

There's really nothing we can do about it.

Although the Robert family was one of the few powerful noble families in the Debasa Empire, they still had to consider the emperor's feelings. Marrying you off to a woman from your clan was not the same as having your entire family executed, so it wouldn't necessarily lead to a complete falling out.

Whether for the sake of her family or for her own little secrets, Finney couldn't possibly refuse.

Since the parties involved have accepted their fate, Jamie has no need to stop them; he should just let things take their course.

Lin Yuanran chatted happily with the brother and sister, declined their invitation to stay for dinner, and returned to the embassy.

As soon as he returned to his room, he immediately summoned the little clay figure to send a message to Lü Jianming.

He noticed the layout of the courtyard in the Philippines.

From the conversation, I learned that the courtyard belonged entirely to Finne, and she was in charge of everything that was planted there.

In other words, the flowers in the yard were likely chosen because she liked them.

Since that's the case, Lin Yuanran, as Lü Jianming's vanguard, naturally had to send back this important intelligence so that Lü Jianming could prepare in advance.

"I'm so good to him."

Lin Yuanran sighed to himself.

The remaining days in the empire were boring. Lin Yuanran spent his days cultivating, but unfortunately, he was still far from becoming a demigod.

During that time, he often visited Dupippen, and the two would often drink wine and talk about the town's past, which was a way to pass the time.

The day before he was to be informed of the signing of the written alliance agreement, Lü Jianming's clay figurine returned. Besides expressing gratitude to Lin Yuanran for getting things done, it also carried another message.

Before Lin Yuanran went on his mission to the Empire, he and Lü Jianming encountered an attack during the God Parade.

With their abilities, they managed to quell the situation before it spiraled out of control, but they were unable to find the culprit.

The little clay figure that Lü Jianming sent this time brought the follow-up results of that incident.

As Lin Yuanran had expected, the matter was indeed related to the Empire.

The person who drugged the monster carrying the statue and then overturned it was a low-ranking official in the Ministry of Rites. He abused his position to do it.

The Danyang government found letters in his home exchanged between him and certain nobles of the empire.

Of course, those nobles were not well-known, and could even be said to be far removed from the empire's power circles, but it was precisely because they were peripheral figures that this matter was unusual.

Could someone with scraps of material really have planned such an arson attack?

There must be a deeper connection involved.

They launch a terrorist attack over there, and then immediately agree to an alliance and marriage here. Doesn't that create division?

However, these are matters for the Chu court officials to worry about, and have little to do with Lin Yuanran, a mere official in the Ministry of Rites.

He just needed to do his job properly and wait for Mr. Blair's next instructions.

This feeling of being caught up in something yet viewing it as an outsider is undeniably peculiar.

After many days of waiting, the result has finally been achieved.

Ten days later, the details of the alliance were finalized. During this period, Lin Yuanran and Du Guangting participated in the drafting process multiple times, and the final agreement was acceptable to both sides.

In this alliance, the State of Chu played the roles of initiator and appeaser, so in terms of interests, it leaned more towards the Debasa Empire, but it was still within the acceptable range for the State of Chu.

After signing the agreement, Lin Yuanran breathed a long sigh of relief. This matter was over, and he could go back to his muddled ways.

The following day, the envoy's caravan from Chu departed from Guangyaochen, accompanied by the caravan of the Robert family.

Just two days after they left, dozens of northern snow-maned horses returned to Radiant City.

Those were Mond Tobe and his personal guards.

……

……

Tundra, Wagnerian garrison.

A figure hurriedly walked into the large tent, which had only a few people inside.

“My esteemed teacher, Mond Toby is gone, but the number of troops stationed here remains the same,” Nem said.

"Gone?" Cassius, who was studying the map, turned his gaze back and asked, "Has the Imperial Army made any new moves?"

"No, there have been no special military operations for several days."

“That’s strange…” Cassius pondered.

What could be the reason that would cause this Imperial Army commander to leave the army?

Just as Cassius was puzzled, Hugh, the strategist of the Valkyrie Alliance, said, "Since Mondl led his army on the northern expedition, he has hardly left the barracks. There are very few people within the Empire who can command him."

His disappearance without troops suggests the mission was top secret, likely a summons from within the empire, possibly an order personally given by Henry I.

Cassius nodded: "That makes sense, but I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing for Dongyuan."

“It’s a good thing for now,” Nell chimed in. “We’re currently trying to form an alliance with the Frost Troll Horde, but the Imperial Army has been interfering. Now that the Imperial Army’s commander is gone, isn’t this the perfect opportunity for us to carry out our plan?”

The Frost Trolls are native to the tundra and are quite numerous. Their former chieftain, McCullicius, was once seen but died outside the Yedern Mountains.

The current chieftain is a young girl, McCauley's daughter. After McCauley's death, the troll tribe was leaderless, and it was unlikely that they would submit to a little girl. However, the appearance of a troll changed this mind.

The troll was called Simon of "Ice Crack," and he was Macaulay's younger brother.

As is widely known, there are three and a half famous swordsmen in the Pan-Ancient Continent, and Simon is one of them.

With Simon's strong support, the trolls had no choice but to submit to Macaulay's daughter and offer no further objections.

The Frost Trolls are known for their fierce and arrogant nature, disdaining to form alliances with any power, and for many years have been fighting alone against the Imperial Northern Expeditionary Army.

With Afra, Macaulay's daughter, coming to power, unlike her father, she focused on changing the tribe's structure. After years of effort, she finally changed some of the mindsets, withstood pressure, and attempted to form alliances with other tribes.

Within the tribe, several elder trolls disagreed with Afra's actions, believing she was violating ancestral laws. However, Afra knew perfectly well that these old men had long since pledged allegiance to the Empire, coveting her chieftainship, and naturally, they would oppose her.

She didn't have a good solution to this and could only seek help from outside.

Fortunately, with Mond Toby absent, the Valkyrie Alliance can swiftly help Afra eliminate its internal strife, thereby gaining the friendship of the Frost Troll Horde.

That's why Nell made this suggestion.

Cassius thought about it carefully and decided that this method was feasible.

“Nell is right. I need to think about the specific steps to take.” Cassius then looked at Hugh.

After years of getting to know each other, Cassius trusted Hugh completely and recognized his abilities, always seeking his opinion on everything.

What do you think, Hugh?