Sitting in the rented carriage, Rachel lifted a corner of the window, glancing at the long procession of slaves ahead, then at Todd beside her, who remained motionless with his eyes closed. Next, she lowered the window, leaned back, and waited quietly.
About two minutes later, Todd opened his eyes.
"Is the meeting of the Kingdom of Muxi over?" Rachel asked softly.
Todd twisted his neck clockwise, nodded, and said, "The Knights of Twilight have expanded to 1,900 members, with the proportion of non-humans reaching 30%; the Twilight Constitution has been reviewed and will be promulgated next week, and the list of court members has been finalized; the delegation from Holy Guard City has arrived in Twilight City..."
“Saint Guard City?” Rachel asked casually. “The one that Queen Silver Ring’s original vassal state?”
Although Todd didn't understand why the other person asked that question, he still nodded in agreement.
"The first ocean-going vessel from the Muxi Shipyard has been launched. It adopts a new design from the Muxi Academy, and I heard that it is superior to ordinary merchant ships in both speed and durability." Todd seemed a little excited when talking about what he had seen and heard at the meeting: "There was also the kingdom's first drama competition, the completion of the outer perimeter of the royal city, the completion of the summer planting in the farmland... So much has happened in the Muxi Kingdom during the time I was away."
"Your Majesty, I have a question regarding the rescue of Boyle and Aisha."
Todd was taken aback by Rachel's words: "A problem? What problem?"
"What are your plans for the entire rescue operation?"
Todd looked at Rachel, who had a serious expression on her face, and said, "Plans? If we can get close to the prison wagon under the cover of night, I can rescue Boyle in the shortest time. Once we rescue him, we'll know Aisha's whereabouts. But the slave escort team is heavily guarded. We'll probably have to wait until we enter the city before we can make our move."
Rachel twirled a strand of hair between her fingers and lowered her voice further: "Perhaps you misunderstood me. What I meant was, if the cost of rescuing these two is too high, shouldn't you be concerned about your own safety first?"
Todd's face darkened, and he instantly understood the other person's meaning: "Are you suggesting that if the rescue is too difficult, we should abandon these two?"
Rachel looked somewhat conflicted, but ultimately nodded resolutely.
"Without Aisha, the two of us probably wouldn't have even made it to the North; without Boyle, I might have become a mindless monster by now!"
Facing Todd's barely concealed anger, Rachel lowered her head slightly, her voice filled with barely suppressed emotion: "My original home no longer exists in my memory. For so many years, I have had no relatives or friends. After so many years of being homeless and wandering, I have finally found my home in the Kingdom of Muxi. I do not want to see, nor am I willing to see, anyone or anything disturb or affect this sacred land."
"And Your Majesty, as the king, is like the head of a family. If anything happens to you, this family, this kingdom, will only be like countless fleeting kingdoms, disappearing into the long river of history."
Todd recalled his time with Rachel, this intelligent woman who had been by his side through poverty and wealth, war and peace. She always stood quietly behind the scenes, never asking for anything, never seeking anything in return.
As she said, she truly regarded the Kingdom of Muxi as her final destination and her only home.
Todd sighed, rubbed his nose, and slowly said, "Ratchet, in the eyes of the world, I may not be a qualified king. I do not crave power, nor do I covet wealth. I uphold justice, even to the point of being somewhat pedantic; I am passionate, even to the point of sometimes being slightly reckless. I protect every soul, love every subject, and hope to bring them the best life and the most beautiful world..."
“If these explanations fail to convince you, then I will offer a more worldly one. Regarding the rescue of Boyle and Aisha, on the one hand, it is because these two people once helped me, and I must repay them; on the other hand, in the Soul Space, I had a long discussion with Emerson about the future of the Kingdom of Muxi.”
"From a strategic perspective, the expansion of the Muxi Kingdom has reached a bottleneck. Because the kingdom's capital, Muxi City, is located by the sea, its military control capabilities and administrative communication levels are limited. An excessively large territory would cause various problems in the kingdom's management. Therefore, controlling Silver Ring City is already the limit of the kingdom's area. If it wants to continue to expand, there are only three ways."
"The first option is to relocate the capital. Moving the kingdom's capital eastward would be a huge challenge for the kingdom, both in terms of financial and human resources. If not handled properly, it could lead to administrative chaos and disorder in resource allocation."
"The second option is to upgrade the kingdom's internal transportation and communication. First, regarding transportation, building roads and bridges, and finding better modes of transport are prerequisites for the rapid transport of resources within the kingdom, and also essential for ensuring the kingdom's army can quickly garrison cities during wartime. However, the construction of roads and bridges, as well as the upgrading of transportation vehicles, require substantial investment and maintenance, which is difficult to achieve at this stage. As for communication, currently, communication between Muxi City and Silver Ring City relies primarily on fast horses and lighthouses. This method is costly and inefficient. Muxi Academy is researching new communication methods, but it will be difficult to change the current situation in the short term."
Rachel asked, puzzled, "What does all this have to do with rescuing Boyle and Aisha?"
Todd patted his knee and said, "This question is related to what I'm about to say. The third way for the kingdom to expand its territory is to establish a puppet regime. The northern kingdoms are powerful, led by the Kingdom of Ulster and the Kingdom of Connaught. The territories of these two kingdoms are separated from the Kingdom of Muxi only by the Falling Star Mountain Range. Although it seems that their relationship is hostile now and war will break out soon, once their resources are depleted to a certain extent, these two kingdoms will inevitably join forces and raid southwards again."
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