Edersberg is the southernmost city in Aedirn. It has rare forges and woolen mills in Aedirn, a major agricultural country, and its prosperity is second only to the capital, Vengerberg.

Its geographical location is also extremely advantageous, with Vengerberg to the north, Rivia to the south, Lyria to the east, and the Mahakam Mountains where the dwarves live to the west. If you go a little further west and cross the Mahakam Mountains, you will reach Lower Soden, which has now been captured by the Nilfgaardians.

Although this is not a war zone, it is still heavily guarded.

A bunch of guards were guarding a teleportation point at the moment. They were informed that a distinguished guest would be coming today and were ordered to be on high alert. Sure enough, not long after they waited, a fiery red teleportation gate appeared in front of them.

Even without the king's order, they knew which force would come out of the portal at this moment - it was definitely Cintra.

Because nowadays, only the top leaders of Cintra still use portals to travel long distances.

After the Battle of Sodden Mountain, although the warlocks helped the North resist the Black Army, the power of the warlocks was also feared by the kings of the North.

In fact, the kings of the North had long been dissatisfied with the warlock community: the royal advisors were extremely keen on intervening in politics from time to time, and the Warlock Brotherhood often gave the kings "advice" that they found difficult to accept. These were all things the kings hated, and no one wanted an immortal freak who could cast spells to dictate their rule.

In particular, the kings in the north were either incompetent and unambitious, or wise but extremely conceited.

The power displayed by the warlocks in the Battle of Sodden Mountain turned these dissatisfactions into defenses. Although the warlocks in the North have gained respect from the people for their actions in protecting the land, and people still offer flowers at the monument to the 14 warlocks who died on Sodden Mountain, in fact, the warlocks have lost the trust of the rulers.

Especially the portal. Which king would be willing to put his life and death in the hands of a warlock? Who knows what is on the other side of the portal?

For example, during the previous Northern Border Conference, the kings would rather spend more than a month traveling over mountains and hills than just take one step through the portal and travel thousands of miles to Pontar.

Nowadays, only the ruler of Cintra in the North has enough trust in his country's advisors to choose to use the portal, a way of travel that almost puts his life and property in the hands of others.

As expected by the guards, a golden-haired knight rode out of the portal on a horse soon.

…

The famous Lion of Cintra was already known to the North through poetry when he was still the "Lion Knight". After he became a witcher, he became even more popular among the warriors in the North. Anyone who practiced swordsmanship would regard him as an idol to admire.

When they saw Lan riding out of the portal, all the soldiers exclaimed that seeing is believing. The face as dazzling as the sun and the eyes as majestic as a lion praised in poems made people dazzled at a glance. They felt that only a true knight could be worthy of such an appearance, and only such an appearance could adorn a true knight.

Another swordsman from Aedirn focused his gaze on the Sword of the Lady of the Lake behind Lann, and the yearning in his eyes became even more intense.

Then three more demon hunters walked out of the portal, one was as indifferent as a wolf, one was as proud as a griffin, and one was as cold and fierce as a venomous snake. The temperament of these three people alone could convey their bravery. They were all demon hunters, the mutants who specialized in killing monsters praised in poems.

Only a lord as majestic as a lion could intimidate three warriors like this. The soldiers who came to greet Lann couldn't help but admire him in their hearts.

After Lann and the demon hunter, regular servants and guards came out of the portal, all of them in high spirits and well-equipped. This time, the soldiers couldn't help but compare themselves with them, but unexpectedly found that the other side was much better than them.

Until the last few figures appeared in the portal - dwarves.

Some people on Aedirn's side frowned involuntarily.

A slender figure in black armor stepped out of the army and strode forward to greet Lann and others.

"Good day, Lord Lannister, Lion of Cintra. I am Layla of Lyria, you may call me 'Black Layla'."

"Your Majesty has been waiting for you for a long time."

…

Lann and the other demon hunters tightened their expressions, trying their best not to show the discomfort of having just left the portal. Even Black Wind looked more majestic because of this.

The city of Edsberg was a place Lann had never been to before, so naturally he could not use the system's [Teleport] skill and could only use the Mossack's portal.

Fortunately, this was not his first time crossing the portal, so he was still able to try his best to control his expression. In fact, in diplomatic occasions, such a tense expression was more in line with etiquette and could highlight his majesty.

At this moment, Lan En looked at the officer who came out to greet him. As her name suggests, she was a female officer. This was rare in the military camp. Women were generally excluded from the battle sequence on the mainland. But just like Milva in Lan En's team, any woman who could join the army must have something extraordinary.

The female officer who called herself "Black Leila" was tall and agile, with her black hair tied into a whip and hanging down her back. The sideburns on both sides of her head were shaved off, making her look neat and heroic, and even made Lann, who had just returned from Skellige, feel a hint of the islander's atmosphere.

She should be wearing a red shirt inside, with a blood-red collar turned out from under her neck; she is wearing a brown thin cotton coat outside, and black leather armor outside that only reaches her lower abdomen, tightly wrapped around her body with straps; her shoulders and arms are wearing shoulder guards and wrist guards made of whole iron plates, and below her knees are steel shin guards.

This strange outfit is actually very dangerous. There is only a layer of leather armor and cotton clothes on the chest and abdomen, and there is no leather armor on the waist, but the limbs are covered with thick steel. This is not suitable for frontal battlefield charging, but it is more like a special terrain like jungle to ensure flexibility. Therefore, there is no need to worry about heavy weapons like war hammers in the front, but the limbs are covered with more armor, and the pursuit of defensive counterattacks.

This is the kind of attire only a skilled and courageous person would wear. Lann guessed that the female officer in front of him should be from some special forces.

As soon as he heard her self-introduction, Lan's memory was awakened, and he recognized that this was another person who had been described in great detail in history.

"Layla of Lyria?" Lann asked deliberately, "But Queen Mevy has been waiting for a long time? But why do I see you wearing the symbol of Aedirn?"

On Leila's collar, a black, gold and red rose badge was fluttering in the wind.

"Lord Lannister, I am now loyal to His Majesty Demave." Leila lowered her head, "But His Majesty Meve is here too, please follow me."

After confirming his guess with a simple conversation, Lann said no more. He was not a stamp collector like the original character. The talent pool of the people of Cintria was sufficient for the time being, not to mention that Leila was from Aedirn now. As for the relationship between Lann and Demave, although it was not cold, it was definitely not friendly.

…

When Lann arrived, Miwei and Demawi were gathered around a sand table, seemingly discussing the route of the march. After hearing the noise, they were immediately attracted to Lann's side.

"Long time no see, Your Majesty Mi Wei, Your Majesty Demawi." Lan En greeted the two of them in a strict manner, "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

Demave, holding a glass of wine in his hand, snorted in displeasure: "Too slow, Lannister, too slow."

The tone was meaningful, and the words seemed to have a hidden meaning. After bringing Lann and his party to the palace, Leila consciously joined the ranks of the guards behind Demawi, dutifully protecting her king.

Queen Mivi raised her head. She still looked like the heroic rose on the battlefield, and the people of Cintra vaguely felt that she resembled the former Queen Calanthe.

But compared to the talks in the North, Queen Miwei looked much more haggard. Obviously, as the first line against Nilfgaard, she was under unimaginable pressure.

"Thank you for the trouble, Lan. I know the war in Cintra is not going well, but we are separated by Lower Soden, so we can only let you come."

Queen Mevy was still friendly to Lann. In addition to being on the front line against Nilfgaard, Lann had helped Mevy more than once in Pontar Canyon. She was a self-disciplined queen and a rare trustworthy ruler in the North.

Because they could not put their lives and property in the hands of the warlocks, Queen Meve and Demave were unwilling to go to Cintra through the portal, so they could only go through Lann across Lower Soden.

Of course, with King Demavi's arrogance, he would definitely not be willing to go to Cintra to see Lann even if the road was clear.

At this moment, the King of Aedirn snorted again: "I really don't know why you trust the warlock so much. You really don't seem like Calanthe's nephew."

Lann frowned slightly, and spoke in a soothing but pointed tone: "Advisor Mossak is a highly respected druid in the archipelago. He was brought to Cintra by my uncle and was deeply trusted by my aunt when she was alive. He is an elder whom I can entrust my life to. It is also thanks to him that I can come here to meet with the two majesties. Otherwise, I am afraid we will have to wait until we open up Soden before we can meet."

Demawi raised his eyebrows after hearing the tit-for-tat words, and suddenly raised his voice, his words contained anger. But his topic was no longer about Cintra or spellcasters, but Lann's last words.

"Since you know that the Nilfgaardians in Lower Soden are blocking us, then go and open up Lower Soden! Lannister, we have given you so much support, when will you send out your troops?"

King Demawi's words were not polite, and even had a hint of reprimand. Queen Miwei frowned slightly at Demawi's tone, but she was the queen of the United Kingdom after all. Even if she had a strong liking for Lann, she had to put state affairs first.

Obviously, the United Kingdom of Leiria and Rivia also hopes that Lann will send troops as soon as possible, which is also the purpose of their gathering here with Lann to discuss today.

"I have heard Marshal Visegid report the demands of the two majesties."

Lann sat down and shook the wine glass in front of him. Demawi snorted coldly, but tilted his head and asked the wine waiter to come forward and serve the wine.

The tripartite meeting has officially begun.

"We don't want you to send troops right away, Lann. But I still hope that Cintra can relieve our pressure." Queen Meiwei was not as aggressive as Demawi. "The Nilfgaardians' attack on the United Kingdom is getting more and more intense. They are attacking us continuously from Lower Soden."

"At the same time, another Nilfgaardian army is stationed on the other side of the Yaruga River. Although I know they cannot cross the river, I still have to dispatch some troops to guard against them. This means that even with the assistance of Demave, the front-line troops are still tight."

Queen Miwei said sincerely, "We really need Xintra to join us."

Lann was silent for a while. He was not an ungrateful person. His position was Cintra, and preserving the country and its citizens was his top priority. But Queen Miwei did take good care of him, and she also helped him mediate between the kings at the Northern Border Talks. He could not sit back and watch such an ally perish.

After thinking about it, Lann turned his attention to King Demave. He wondered why the monarch of Aedirn was so eager for him to send troops. Could it be that he really cared so much about Queen Demave and was on guard against Nilfgaard?

Demave drank the wine in the cup, then he motioned the wine waiter to come forward and uttered a word: "Scoia'tael."

"Henselt is going further and further, and Nilfgaard seems to be making major moves as well, allowing the scourge of non-human races to spread to Aedirn. I need a peaceful external environment so that I can withdraw my forces and completely eliminate the destabilizing factors within the kingdom without any scruples." Demavi said sternly.

Contrary to the idea of ​​"pacifying the country before fighting foreign enemies", King Demave seemed to think that Nilfgaard was easier to drive away, and wanted to wait until there were no foreign threats before slowly dealing with the unstable factors at home; it may also be because he already has an army stationed abroad and does not want to fight on two fronts.

This also reflects his importance to the Squirrel Party.

"I have formed a special force to deal with the Scoia'tael. Leila, who just picked you up, is one of them." Demave said, "It seems that there are Scoia'tael in Foltest as well. He has also formed a similar force, which seems to be called 'Blue Guards'."

It turns out it was for the Scoia'tael, so screw you!

Lann thought to himself. Speaking of which, he had come into contact with a unit of the Scoia'tael before and showed his identity as the Ancient Blood. He wondered if the leader Iorveth had conveyed his will to the leader of the elves in time.