Glancing around, Foltestai said, "Nilfgaard is our enemy, there is no doubt about that."
"Temeria itself is enough to deal with Nilfgaard, but it would be better if there was a gate to keep the enemy out. That's fine too."
"But what happens after that? What happens after we retake Cintra? Who will rule Cintra?"
Folterstadt pointed out a key question: "Lannister? Or is it Cirilla who has not appeared for more than a year?"
Lann frowned. He knew what Foltestai was going to say. But he still answered:
"It's Princess Cirilla, of course. She is Aunt Calanthe's granddaughter and the first in line to the throne."
"Well, now that you've said that, there's the second question."
"Thanks to your story of 'The Knight and the Princess', everyone in the North knows the relationship between the lion and the lion cub, but..." Foltste said, "You are no longer a knight, but a demon hunter, right?"
Lann's lion eyes looked directly at Foltestai: "Yes, I have never denied it."
"Well, as I said - everyone knows about your relationship, so what will happen to Princess Cirilla's marriage when she grows up? As far as I know, demon hunters are infertile."
Foltestai shook his head. "We can't spend so much effort to support Cintra, only to see it collapse again decades later because there is no heir. What should we do then? Hold another meeting and support Cintra again?"
Now the words really hit the nail on the head. Not only Henselt, but also Vizimir II, Queen Mivi, and Demave all showed hesitation on their faces.
Vizimir II frowned, but said, "That's something to consider later. Right now, Nilfgaard's problems are the most important..."
"But it is something that must be considered, sooner or later," Foltestai retorted.
The other kings had to admit that this was indeed an issue worth discussing.
"If you ask me, there is only one solution." Henselt laughed, "Let their princess - that Cirilla - marry the son of someone here. Is that what you are thinking of, Foltersted? I heard that you have many illegitimate children!"
"If I remember correctly, Henselt, you don't have an heir either, and you have never planned to have another one." Demavell of Aedirn said suddenly.
Henselt slammed the table and stood up.
Lann looked at Foltestai and knew that the king had not given up his original idea. It seemed that Adda had not been able to convince her father to give Cintra more help during this period.
Lane knew he had to make some commitments at this point.
"Princess Cirilla is only twelve years old this year, and is far from the age of marriage." Lan said slowly, "But I can assure you that Cintra will definitely have an heir with the bloodline of the lion in the future."
"Not only that!" Henselt stroked his beard, hoping for chaos. "The heir must be related to one of the people who participated in the meeting today. After all, we helped Cintra, so there must be something in return, right? This time I didn't consider myself at all, because I don't have a son!"
Vizimir II fell silent. Demave stopped arguing with Henselt and looked at Lann.
This is in the interests of all countries in the North.
Only Queen Mi Wei lowered her eyes and said, "My two sons are insignificant. They are not fit to be kings, nor do they need to be princes to bring disaster to other countries."
Foltestai praised hypocritically: "So your beauty and kindness are spread across the North, Miwei."
Lan En faced everyone's gaze and looked into their eyes one by one.
But his thoughts went beyond this meeting: if he remembered correctly, everyone present except Queen Miwei had died young.
When and how did they die? Can I speed up the process?
There are so many countries in the north...
Lann said meaningfully: "I am not a person who does not know the big picture. If your majesties insist, the future monarch of Cintra will definitely be a family with your heir."
"I also know that this is the best outcome for Cintra. But the princess is still young, and the specific engagement needs to be discussed."
"Excellent." Foltestai nodded with satisfaction, as if he had won a victory. "Our help to Cintra is also based on this agreement. If Cintra breaks the agreement in the future, we have the right to withdraw our help!"
This was a naked threat, and Lann was looking straight at the other person at this moment.
"Of course. Your Majesties, please rest assured that I will not give you the opportunity to withdraw your help."
Lann made a joke, and the kings present cooperated by laughing to varying degrees.
So Lann laughed too.
…
Just when everyone in the Haji Fortress thought they had achieved great success, a dark force was brewing not far away in the Pontar Valley.
In the forest camp, the non-human race troops who had previously brought fork-tailed dragons and corpse-eating monsters to Queen Miwei were reorganizing their equipment.
Of course, these non-human race troops have a more official name - the Scoia'tael.
Compared to last time, they now have a lot fewer people.
They are of mixed race.
The elves were tall and slender, and many had vine and leaf-shaped tattoos. They carefully checked their bows and arrows, and of course, their knives and spears.
The dwarves used the stones that served as stools as whetstones to sharpen their axes for the last time. They talked and laughed with the elves, without any sign of the tension between them and their fellow tribesmen from the outside world.
Halflings, about the same height as the dwarves but with slimmer arms and legs, were trimming leather slingshots, stuffing stones that had been polished to be as smooth as pebbles into the leather bags.
The gnomes, who are shorter than dwarves and halflings, can only do some logistical work, such as helping everyone organize equipment.
"You are more agile, why don't you act as scouts? Someone has to stand guard." A dwarf suddenly said to the halfling next to him, "Leave the charge to us, after all, you are not good at fighting."
The halfling curled his lips and said, "It's not that we are not good at fighting, we just prefer peace. But humans didn't let us go. This time I will show you how brave halflings can be to protect their families."
The dwarf wrinkled his nose and began to laugh.
The leader of this group of squirrels was a male elf, who was sitting at the edge of the camp.
In terms of body shape, he seemed no different from the elves around him, equally slender and strong.
He was wearing a red turban, and underneath it were a pair of light yellow eyes. Of course, they were not the cat eyes of a witcher, his pupils were of normal shape.
"Iorveth!" Suddenly a companion called out his name, causing the leader of the Squirrel Party to turn around.
"What's up?"
"We have received an order from Nilfgaard." The man who spoke was wearing a linen robe and looked like a spellcaster. "He told us to act immediately and disrupt the meeting."
After hearing this, Iorveth nodded and turned his gaze back to the forest, as if waiting for something.
"He gave the news too late. Even if we take action now, we won't be able to disrupt the meeting."
"But we can try to interfere with the North."
The elf leader stared into the depths of the forest in a trance.
From the eastern mountain peak, the faint sound of an eagle's cry could be heard.
From the plain in the west, there seemed to be another roar that sounded like a dragon, but not a dragon.
The sun gradually set, and one after another, elves and halflings emerged from the dense forest, all of them in a disheveled state, with injuries ranging from minor to serious.
"Thirteen people are missing." The adjutant in charge of counting the number of people stepped forward and whispered in Iorveth's ear.
The elf leader nodded solemnly.
Immediately, a dwarf came forward to help the injured companions and bandage their wounds.
Iorveth continued to stand at the edge of the camp until the moon rose.
But the person he was waiting for still didn't come back.
He couldn't wait any longer. It wasn't because the people who went out were so precious, but because the mission they were going to perform was of utmost importance.
"Let's go and take a look!"
Iorveth picked five trusted men and led them through the woods as if they were walking on flat ground. Even the evening wind could not catch up with their pace.
A faint smell of blood appeared in the air.
“Wow!” “Wow!” “Wow!”
The strange sound startled Iorveth, and when he looked up, he saw a group of wood crows.
These animals rarely appear in such large groups.
In addition to the mission target that the team sent out by Iorveth was going to contact, that guy was often followed by a forest crow.
In other words, their mission was accomplished, and they lured the target out from the depths of the jungle.
But where are they now?
"Tick-tock" "Tick-tock"
Iorveth soon saw them.
A vine that rushed out of the ground pierced through an elf's body like a sharp thorn, entering from the left waist and exiting from the right shoulder.
The ground beneath him had been completely dyed dark red, and his abdominal cavity was like a dried-up pool, still dripping with blood.
[The blood has not yet dried.] Iorveth thought, [They were just killed not long ago.]
Seven or eight crows swooped over the elf's corpse, pecking at the rare fresh meat.
伊欧菲斯带过来的队伍怒气勃发就要上前驱赶乌鸦，好收敛自己同伴的尸体。
但是一只青筋暴起的手按住了他。
这只手的主人内心也不平静，但是他有更大的责任。
“不要惊动我们的任务目标，往前走走看。”
精灵们迟疑地看着首领，虽然心中不愿但是依旧照做。他们也知道丛林里面生存的法则。
小队继续前进，很快就看到了剩余的同伴——
他们有的被野狼啃食着四肢，有的被数不清的扭曲植物埋在地底，也有的好似被一只巨大的手掌直接打碎了身体。
各个死状凄惨。
“全军覆没。”副官脸色难看道。
“他们的任务完成了。”伊欧菲斯喃喃自语，“但是我们不能带他们回家，因为这可能会惊扰那头他们用生命吸引来的任务目标。”
“那头我们牺牲了整整一个小队，才往人类的方向引的怪物。”
“伊欧菲斯，这真的值得吗？”一名精灵队员忍不住出声，“一头怪物真的能够对人类的大军造成伤害？”
首领没有回答，打出几个手势示意众人后退。
狼和乌鸦还没有离去，尸体也都还很新鲜，他们需要尽快离开这里，免得那怪物真的还在附近徘徊而找上他们。
“如果是一般的怪物，那很难说。但是如果是它的话，说不定真的可以。”
伊欧菲斯摇摇头：“不过我也没有想过真的能够靠着它们成事。再厉害的怪物也只是怪物，在成建制的军队面前也不过是螳臂当车。我只需要他们能够制造出足够的骚乱，给我们的刺杀创造机会。”
解释完同伴的疑惑，他最后回头深深望了一眼牺牲在密林深处的同伴，低下头为他们默哀。
“山岳之民的后代，艾恩·希迪的同胞，尽数倒在了追寻自由的路上。你们血与泪不会白流，只会铸就我们复仇的刀剑……”
……
哈吉要塞。
距离会谈已经结束了数天，这段时间里面兰恩都在与各个国王之间签订各种各样的合作协议。而国王与国王之间也利用了这个难得的时间彼此交流，确定之后几年的大致方针。
莱里亚和利维亚联合王国承诺与辛特拉共进退，这是母庸质疑的。在之后辛特拉回击尼弗迦德的时候他们将会兵合一处，共同抵御黑日；
瑞达尼亚将会为辛特拉提供一定程度的战争物资，这些都是哪怕兰恩用钱也买不到的东西；同时维兹米尔二世还承诺利用自己的港口为辛特拉提供水运方面的便利，方便其他各国的资源及时支援辛特拉；
亚甸紧挨着莱里亚和利维亚联合王国，他们将会派出一支部队联合米薇女王共同抗击尼弗迦德，也是少见地直接出兵支援的国家；
科德温坚持先肃清国内的松鼠党，但是亨赛特国王在各方的监督下也确定不会在前线战斗的过程中去翻和亚甸的陈年旧账，如果违反，将会受到北境其他大国的群起攻之；
泰莫利亚的领地内有着诸多非人种族，因此松鼠党也有隐隐冒头的迹象，弗尔特斯泰决定组建专门清扫松鼠党的特种部队和科德温联合起来镇压叛逆，同时也是监督亨赛特不要滥杀无辜做得过火，将种族矛盾加剧到会损害各国利益的程度。
同时对于辛特拉，弗尔特斯泰承诺让玛哈坎的矮人一族提供装备方面的支持，但是要兰恩自己去谈。
虽然兰恩早就有齐格林、卓尔坦、砍刀等在外矮人牵线搭桥，但是矮人一族名义上还是弗尔特斯泰的臣民——哪怕矮人与弗尔特斯泰的关系就跟诺维格瑞的永恒之火与维兹米尔二世一样。
也就是说，如果兰恩最终和矮人商定好了合作，但是弗尔特斯泰反对的话，那计划最终还是会落实不了。
现在兰恩获得了弗尔特斯泰的口头约定，算是把后顾之忧给扫清了。
兰恩也不想再去要更多了。获得了与会五国其中三国的直接帮助，其中甚至包括了两国的兵力支援，兰恩已经很满足了。
回头去和维赛基德元帅接洽一下将辛特拉兵合一处，然后再去史凯利格求得海军的支援，那兵力足够再爆发一次索登山之战了。
收复辛特拉绰绰有余。
等到辛特拉光复的那一天，兰恩也算是真正地有一个国家作为后盾，可利用的资源也将得到一次爆发增长。
届时他的实力也将迎来真正的跃迁，前期做出来的诸多布局才能够有资格去收网……
思维不知道发散到哪里去了，兰恩摇摇头将琐碎的念头赶出去大脑。
什么收网啊之类的都还是没影子的东西，专注于先把脚下的路走稳才对。
“爱丽丝，你觉得把哪几幅画挑出来做礼物比较好？”
此时，兰恩的面前摆着从伊佛瑞克庄园收缴回来的各种画作，都是爱丽丝婚前和婚后创作的，其中有各种题材，包括肖像、风景画、静物画等等。
在笔力上面和爱丽丝现在的水平可能有所差距，但是也足够作为礼物了。
反正有米薇女王开头了，兰恩打算给与会的每个国王都送一份过去。
听到兰恩的疑问，爱丽丝却恍惚了一下：“抱歉，我走神了……”
“哦？”兰恩挑了挑眉，“是这些画让你想起从前的日子了？”
爱丽丝摇摇头：“不是的，虽然跟在你身边的旅途还短暂，但是这些精彩的日子让我几乎都要忘了过去的痛苦了……”
“我只是在感叹尼弗迦德……在我受教育的时候，那还是只有知识丰富的人才知道的名字；在我和欧吉尔德刚刚结婚的那会，虽然听到它极速地崛起，但是却没想到今天会成为这样一个统一了南方的帝国。”
“它是你命中注定的敌人，对吧？”
兰恩点点头：“我有不得不和他作战的理由。随着我的成长，这些理由越来越多，也扎根得越来越深。”
“我觉得。”爱丽丝说道，“如果要真的对付这样一个统一了南方的帝国，北方是不是也该出现一位雄主呢？”
兰恩挑眉：“你是想说‘北境之王’？”
爱丽丝捂嘴轻笑：“我还以为你会嘲笑我的奇思妙想呢。但是兰恩你能够这么顺畅地理解我的意思，甚至连头衔都想好了——莫非你也早就有跟我一样的看法？”
狮子伯爵愣了一下，眼中的笑意更浓了。
爱丽丝垂下眼帘：“我是不是太聪明了？对于一名女士这似乎不是好事？”
兰恩看着画中妖灵摇头：“不要否定自己，优秀不是错误。你的智慧对于我来说是惊喜，是天大的好事。”
两人对视一眼，又很有默契地移开目光，再次投射到眼前的画作之上。
他们很快就挑选出了三幅合乎收礼者喜好的画作，分别送给亨赛特、德马维和弗尔特斯泰。
兰恩正打算喊侍从进屋，却猛然听到房门口传来了急促的敲门声。
“大人，大人！有情况！”
兰恩一愣，听声音似乎是豪斯，他不应该在管家团里面吗，怎么现在就回来了？
“进！”
豪斯撞门而入，见到兰恩急切地正准备张口，突然被一声巨响打断了话。
“呜——”
那声音足够让哈吉要塞内的每一个人都听到，那是军号。
而且听节奏，不再是之前兰恩等人到来时的识别敌我的联络号，而是——
“敌袭？”
兰恩猛然一惊，在这里，北境大国汇集之地，谁有胆子袭击？
走廊里面顿时喧闹起来，到处都是呼和声、叫骂声和钢铁护胫撞击地面的碰撞声。
不等兰恩的命令，所有的辛特拉士兵快速而有序地集合完毕到屋外，各个国王的护卫队也都集结到了各自誓主的身边，等待命令。
大步走到窗口，兰恩向着不远处巡视，视线内是科德温的军营驻扎点。
独角兽的旗帜下燃起了大片的火光，数个身影借着抢来的马在帐篷之间横冲直撞，手里不停地往人群中泼洒着不知名的**和各种各样的粉末。
夜色已至，兰恩看不清那几个身影的相貌，但是军营中远远传来的惨叫声替他解答了疑惑。
“松鼠党！！”
兰恩皱眉，实在没想到居然会在这个地方碰到这个组织。
这一路上兰恩已经在太多的地方听了太多人以各种形式提起这个组织。
简单来说这就是一个在北境人类的压迫下由不满现状的“非人种族”组成的游击队。
他们被称为“松鼠党”的原因有两个：其一是因为这些游击队员会在帽子或者衣物上挂上松鼠的毛皮作为装饰；其二则是因为这些游击队员总是隐藏在森林之中，像松鼠一样以坚果为食。
当然这种一开始为了反抗压迫而崛起的组织，时间长了往往都会变质。
兰恩记得后来部分松鼠党领袖因为种种政治因素考虑还会摇身一变成为尼弗迦德军中的军官与北境对抗，也算是为了人类效力。