At dusk, in Garnat, the land of Sassa.

Bathed in the setting sun, the Champs-Élysées resembles a golden film. This already magnificent building has become even more splendid after last year's stone decoration and exterior cleaning. Even though the sunlight is not as intense as at noon, the Champs-Élysées still shines with brilliance in the evening, revealing its luxury everywhere.

But aside from its luxury, what is most astonishing is its scale. Within this magnificent complex, the palace gardens alone cover a full twenty hectares, and the most prominent landmark in these gardens is the statue of the Queen.

It is cast in bronze and gilded, shining brightly in the sunlight. The statue is topped with a crown made of various gemstones, all of which are genuine gems. Whether day or night, these gemstones will emit a brilliant light, symbolizing that 'under the leadership of the Queen, the Kingdom of Saar will shine like the rising sun forever'.

On this warm and pleasant evening, Clemento, who had come from Oldenburg, was summoned by the Queen and was being led by the Royal Guard across the green lawn to the Queen's residence.

The entire Champs-Élysées is the Queen's palace and the residence of the royal family. However, it is also where the Queen conducts state affairs. The Privy Council is part of this palace. The Queen also receives ministers, hosts banquets for foreign guests, and holds important celebrations here.

Led by the Royal Guard, Clemento, who was already out of breath after walking a long way, finally arrived at the entrance of a palace.

After the announcement, he went in alone, then climbed the marble steps and went up to the third floor, to the innermost room.

The door was open, and before Clemento even entered, he saw Queen Isabella, dressed in a long blue and white dress, standing by the window looking outside.

He stopped at the doorway, then checked his attire to make sure it was neat and clean before speaking softly:

"His Majesty."

However, he received no response, so Clemento spoke again: "Your Majesty."

Only then did Isabella turn around.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, her golden hair shone brightly, while her face was as white as jade. Her lips were exceptionally red beneath her high, straight nose. Most striking were her deep blue eyes, which were like gemstones set in her flawless, beautiful face that would make anyone's heart flutter.

"Good afternoon, Clemento." Isabella turned around with a smile, her voice soft and gentle, like a spring breeze.

That bright smile dispelled much of the gloom in Clemento's heart, and his expression relaxed as well.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty." Clemento entered and respectfully curtsied before Isabella.

Isabella suddenly sighed, then said to him with concern:

“When I saw you at the Privy Council this morning, I didn’t get a good look at you, Clemento. You’ve really lost a lot of weight. This journey must have taken a lot of suffering for you. You could have rested in Oldenburg before returning to Garnat.”

Clemento, who had been keeping his head down, trembled upon hearing this. He said in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, Clemento is an incompetent man. He has made a grave mistake this time, causing immense losses to our Saar Kingdom. As Marshal, I..."

Before she could finish speaking, Isabella interrupted:

"Stop blaming yourself, Clemento."

"It is thanks to God the Father that you were able to come back safely. God the Father protected you and that's why you were able to return home safely."

Clemento didn't know whether God the Father had protected him, but he knew that the cruel and wicked King of Yan had deliberately let him return, and of course, it was not out of kindness.

He was practically a devil crawling out of hell; if God the Father were alive, Clemento believed this devil would dare to commit the crime of beheading God the Father.

Thinking about the devil, Clemento blurted it out:

“Your Majesty, the people on that continent are all devils. They are fierce, cunning, cruel, and vicious. They have ruthlessly taken the lives of us Sassa people.”

“I watched with my own eyes as that man named Qin Ze threw our heads into the sea. He even smeared our Saharan blood on his face and licked the blood that flowed from us Saharan people. He is a blood-drinking, cannibalistic beast! That damned devil leader!” Clemento said viciously.

After he finished speaking, Isabella frowned and asked questioningly:

"The Yan people have built many warships and they already have cannons, which shows that they are not a backward country. How could the Yan king named 'Qin Ze' drink blood and eat meat? Are they so barbaric?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, this is what I saw with my own eyes. That devil has extremely terrible tastes. Although they have considerable military strength, guns and cannons make them even more ferocious. In essence, they are still a group of barbarians."

“This country is the hell described by the sect. If it is not purified, they will surely extend their reach to our continent of Leon.” Clemento said without changing his expression.

Isabella's brow furrowed even more, and she opened her mouth to say:

“Clemento, you know, I trust you completely.”

"You are our First Minister of Naval Affairs. You and your family have made outstanding contributions to our nation of Saar. This morning at the Privy Council, you recounted everything that happened during this voyage."

"I want to confirm with you again, is there anything you've forgotten or can't remember?" As she said this, Isabella looked Clemento up and down, his face haggard and his appearance emaciated.

The reason I asked this question is that Clemento was extremely excited in front of many ministers in the Privy Council that morning, to the point of being somewhat mad.

This made Isabella worried about Clemento's mental state.

Now, after hearing his explanation, she felt even more strongly that Clemento's mental state had been affected by this severe injury.

In response to Isabella's question, Clemento said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, everything I said is true."

“I will never forget what happened in the South China Sea. The Yan people set a trap to lure us to their port, where we were subjected to heavy artillery fire.”

“We wanted to evacuate, but they laid an ambush at sea. They gave us no way out. When we decided to cease hostilities, they went back on their word and took the opportunity to surround us all. After that… I don’t want to say any more…” Clemento gritted his teeth, his face full of anger.

Isabella said in a deep voice, "Alright, I understand, Clemento. Get some rest when you get back."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Clemento gritted his teeth and said:

"The man let me come back so that we would fear him."

"He doesn't take our Sasiri Kingdom seriously at all!"

"Your Majesty! He...he even said extremely wicked things about you..."