Lann sorted out his thoughts.

Then he turned to Mi Wei and said sincerely: "Your Majesties must be aware of the current situation in Cintra. Only one in ten soldiers are able to fight. Even though we have absorbed a large number of refugees for military training, it still takes some time for the new recruits to grow up."

"We even spent all our savings to buy food from Aedirn to ensure that the soldiers could take time off from work to participate in training. We have given everything. If we fail, there will be no Cintra in the North."

This sentence shows that we in Cintra are indeed working hard, and it is a last-ditch effort. It's just that the time is still short, and it will take some time to develop.

Queen Mi Wei, I know you are anxious, but please don't be anxious yet.

Mi Wei cast an inquiring gaze towards Demawi, who nodded in affirmation. Cintra did continue to purchase food from Aedirn, and the quantity was quite large. According to the estimation of his intelligence department, the wealth used to purchase supplies was already all that Cintra had.

They had absolutely no idea that Lan had made a fortune from the Mirror Master.

Lann continued, "If we attack rashly under such circumstances, even if Cintra wins, it may not have the population and strength to defend its territory. I believe the North also hopes to rebuild the gateway to the South, not just hope for a victory, right?"

"You know, we in Cintra can't even guarantee the armor rate of our soldiers, and trade cannot import enough iron ore to meet our needs."

Demave nodded again. The reconstruction of Cintra was in his best interest. Even Temeria, which was next to Cintra, had no intention of occupying Cintra's territory. At most, they would support a puppet to take power.

Aedirn had indeed rejected Sintra's request to purchase iron ore more than once. Aedirn was a large agricultural country with few minerals and an underdeveloped iron smelting industry, so it had strict management over iron ore.

Mi Wei's expression eased after hearing the news: "I'm sorry, Lan. The United Kingdom is at war and cannot provide equipment support to Cintra for the time being."

Lann shook his head to indicate that it was okay. "I am not an unreasonable person. I understand the difficulties of your Majesties. So I hope that your Majesties can also understand Cintra more. Now is not the time for Cintra to send troops."

Demawi and Miwei looked at each other.

Mi Wei sighed: "What is your future battle plan, Lan En? When can your soldiers join the battle?"

Lann pondered for a while. Although some key privacy could not be disclosed to the allies fighting together, most of the plans could still be revealed.

"There are about 5,000 people in Cintra who are currently undergoing training. It will take about a month before they can be put into combat." Lane gave a time estimate.

"And I have contacted Kovir. After negotiations, they are willing to release a group of prisoners to form a force. Redania has sent a transport ship to help, and it will arrive in about a month."

"A corps of prisoners?" With the participation of Redania, the whereabouts of this troop could not be hidden from other people in the background. This situation is not without precedent in the North. Mi Wei pondered for a while and commented, "It is enough to be cannon fodder. It can effectively reduce the consumption of Cintra people."

Lan nodded. "Besides that, I also went to Skellige some time ago. My uncle, East, has returned to the throne and mobilized the entire archipelago to support us. They should have a troop crossing the Yaruga River. Then we can join forces with Her Majesty Miwei and fight against Nilfgaard together."

Mi Wei's eyes completely lit up this time.

Skellige frightened the continent's coastline to the point of almost stopping children from crying at night, but when such an opponent became an ally, it was particularly exciting.

"Ester? As expected, he wants to avenge Calanthe." Mi Wei slammed the table hard, almost knocking over the wine glass. "When will they arrive?"

"The fleet should have just set out, probably about a month ago."

Mi Wei took a deep breath and said, "One month? Okay - let the Nilfgaardians run rampant for another month!"

Although Cintra cannot join the battle for the time being, the upcoming arrival of two powerful reinforcements has given Queen Mevi and King Demave a shot in the arm, and therefore they no longer blame Lann for joining the battle as soon as possible.

They also knew that Cintra could not tolerate Nilfgaard more than any other country in the North. If the odds of victory were not so unpredictable and they had to take into account the issue of post-war reconstruction, the lions of Cintra would have roared and charged at the black army.

It's just that understanding is understanding, urging is urging, and forcing is forcing. After all, they are the rulers of a country.

"The training of the army can be solved with time, but what about the weapons and armor of the Cintra soldiers?" Demawi, who was sitting next to him, suddenly said, "Even we are unwilling to sell them to you. I am sure that Foltste and Henselt will not give in either. And if it is that guy Vizimir, you may have to pay a heavy price."

Demawi's words seemed to have a hidden meaning, as if he wanted to point out some direction to Lan.

Lann looked at the Aedirn special forces behind Demave and thought of something. He said without hiding anything: "I plan to go to Mahakam to meet the dwarves there. If possible, in addition to equipment support, I also hope to obtain a heavy infantry from them to fight against the Nilfgaardian cavalry."

This proposal made Queen Miwei look sideways. The Nilfgaardian heavy cavalry was unstoppable on the battlefield, and they almost broke through the North several times in the Battle of Sodden Mountain. It was because the United Kingdom had not encountered this powerful army during this period, otherwise she really didn't know how to deal with it.

"Do you think the dwarven heavy infantry can fight against Nilfgaard's cavalry?" Demave showed a hint of sarcasm. "Forget it, if you can convince Broval Hogg, you can try it. If a large number of dwarves die on the battlefield, it won't be a bad thing for us."

Perhaps because of the proximity to the Mahakam Mountains, the main ethnic groups in Aedirn, in addition to humans, also include a large number of dwarves who go out to make a living. However, due to the recent troubles of the Scoia'tael, King Demave has obviously become wary of the dwarves.

Although Demave would not massacre non-human races without reason - after all, the dwarves paid a lot of taxes - but if there was a chance to weaken the strength and potential of this race in war, he would be happy to see it happen, even -

"I can give you a little help." Demave said.

"There is a saying in my country: 'When in trouble, turn to the dwarves.' Although I don't think this saying has yet spread to Cintra, it seems that you, Lannister, have now learned this truth without a teacher." As he spoke, Demave waved his hand, and the follower beside him respectfully handed over a lead ring.

"I once helped Broval Hogg a little - he is now the great elder of the dwarves. Later he gave me this ring as a thank you." Demave waved his hand, and the follower lowered his head and presented the lead ring to Lann with both hands.

"I see there seem to be dwarves in your group. But if you know something about the social structure of dwarves, you should know they can't help you much. And this ring can at least allow you to meet Brovar smoothly, so that you won't be chased away by them halfway up the mountain in Mahakam."

"As for how much support you can get from them, it depends on your ability."

This time, Lann came to Aedirn with Yarpen's team of dragon-slaying dwarves.

Of course, his relationship with the dwarves was much closer than others imagined.

As early as in Novigrad, Lann used the leader of the non-human race "Cleavers" there to act as a bridge and gave the precious equipment drawings obtained from the Mirror Master as a stepping stone to the dwarf elder.

Some time ago, Zoltan, who was traveling from Novigrad to Cintra for business, brought news that the great dwarf elder of Mahakam showed great interest in the drawings in Lann's hands, and was willing to personally interview Lann about the remaining drawings.

At that time, Lann had not yet returned from Skellige, so Zoltan returned to Novigrad to continue helping Cintra with its business; and when Lann came back, Yarpen took on the responsibility of guiding Lann to Mahakam.

However, Lann looked at the ring in Demawi's hand, thought about it and did not refuse the other party's "help".

After all, I've heard that the dwarf elder has a strange temper, so it's always good to have an extra layer of insurance.

Seeing Lann accept the lead ring, Demawi raised his chin slightly, and spread his hands towards Lann, with his fingertips pointing in the direction of Leila: "Leila is my most outstanding subordinate. It can be said that she is better than all the men under my command. She has entered Mahakam many times and can serve as your guide."

Leila, with her thick black braid hanging behind her, seemed to be unaware of the king's order in advance and was slightly stunned. However, she was loyal and naturally would not have any other thoughts after the king gave the order. She took a step forward and saluted Lann naturally.

Lann smiled: "Thank you for your help, Your Majesty."

"Say less useless words, Lannister." Demave waved his hand. "I just hope that when I ask you to send troops next time, you won't make excuses."

Lann shook his head and said firmly: "Cintra hates Nilfgaard more than any other country in the North."

Demave replied solemnly: "I believe so... and I hope you can do the same."

…

After confirming the most important thing, Lann, Queen Miwei, and King Demawi did not exchange any further pleasantries.

Queen Mivi was eager to return to the front line to personally organize soldiers to fight against Nilfgaard, while King Demave was obviously unwilling to stay at the national border any longer, and immediately set off to return to the capital, Vengerberg.

Lan, led by Leila and Yarpan, went deeper into the Mahakam Mountains.

They were still about three days' journey from the dwarf gathering place, and as they went deeper, the air around them gradually cooled down.

Mahakam is also a mountain range covered with snow all year round. The change of seasons only determines whether the snow is thicker or thinner. The people trudged through the snow, one step deep and one step shallow. The speed of advancement was much slower than on the plains.

Instead, the dwarf team led by Yarpan walked in the front, walking on the mountain road and snow as if it were flat ground. They were also in a very good mood and sang dwarf songs loudly, just like they were back home.

Oh yes, this is their home.

Leila was the only outsider in Lann's team and she seemed a little taciturn.

At first she tried to fulfill her role as a guide at the front of the team, but she soon found that she could never surpass the dwarf. If she rashly sped up and disrupted the climbing rhythm, it might hinder the entire team's progress.

So she could only slow down.

But when Leila had the leisure to observe her team, she found that as a captain of the Aedirn Special Forces, her physical fitness was only considered lower-middle in the team.

Needless to say, Lann was calm and composed. Even his breathing was no different from that on the ground. Leila even doubted that this lion of Cintra could run all the way up the mountain without changing his expression - after all, he was wearing a full set of armor!

Behind Lann were three demon hunters. They dispersed their formation and walked at the front, middle and back of the team to guard against possible monsters that might appear in the mountains.

That is why their expressions can be clearly contrasted with those of the people around them, forming a world of difference. Leila believes that if they ignore the team's forced march, their speed can be at least half faster than it is now.

Then there were several servants wearing special armor following behind Lann. Even Milva, who was a woman like Leila, had the physical strength of a horse.

Finally, there was Lann's personal guard. Although they were still mortals, they were no longer comparable to ordinary troops. Leila felt that everyone in them was as good as the members of her special forces, and could even rival those knights and nobles in the palace who were good at fighting.

Leila cast a silent gaze towards the front of the team, looking at the blond figure in the lead, and the white-haired silent demon hunter behind him.

Is this the Lions of Cintra? A team that even the famous demon hunter "White Wolf" is loyal to?

…

Leila was silent in the team, but her eyes were fixed on the front of the team. Most people would think she was paying attention to Lann, but the sharp-eyed and sharp-eared demon hunter could sense that she was paying attention to Geralt.

Lann winked at Geralt: [Use your skills as a demon hunter to gather some information!]

The white wolf sighed imperceptibly, then gradually slowed down his pace and came to the middle of the team.

Leila could feel his coming, and her movements inevitably became stiff and tense.

"You seem to know me? I've met you before when I was doing a commission in Aedirn?"

Leila didn't look away, but her throat was moving abnormally. As a soldier, she was very calm and serious, and Geralt could feel that she deliberately slowed down her speech to sort out her thoughts.

"You may not know me, but I saw you wielding a sword in Vengerberg. It was the finest swordplay I have ever seen."

Geralt forced himself to stop slapping his forehead.

Got it, it was in Vengerberg. At that time, Yennefer was still the court sorcerer of Vengerberg, and Geralt and Yennefer were having a passionate affair.

Geralt did stay in Vengerberg for quite a while because of this, and took on many commissions.

"After you left, I also paid attention to your poems." Leila had a blank expression on her face, but she kept using honorifics. "I once attended a concert by the poet Dandelion under the giant oak tree Beleukhelis. The story between you and Lady Yennefer was very... fascinating."

This time Geralt couldn't control his actions. He pressed his forehead and turned his head to the side in an unnatural manner.

"I have always been looking forward to you becoming a warrior of Aedirn. If you had joined, the title of Aedirn's first swordsman would no longer be controversial. But later I didn't expect that not only did you not join Aedirn, but even Lady Yennefer left." Leila hesitated when she said this.

Then she hesitated and asked, "I heard that Lady Yennefer has joined Cintra, and you are now loyal to the Lord of Lannister. I wonder if it would be convenient for me to ask..."

Leila looked up, and for the first time, her expression was one of anticipation. "Are you and Lady Yennefer still on good terms? Is the famous unexpected child in the poet's work safe?"

Geralt now had the urge to pull Dandelion out and beat him up.

"We are...all fine. Whether it's me, Yennefer, or the accidental child."

Leila heaved a sigh of relief: "This is the best news I have heard in a long time! Can I tell some of my companions about this news? After all, this is your privacy, but they have been troubled by this for a long time..."

Geralt calmed down again after his violent emotional fluctuations. At this moment, he was truly expressionless: "Okay."

Leila's expression became more relaxed. "Don't worry, we will definitely drive Nilfgaard out of the North, and Cintra will be liberated. You, Lady Yennefer, and the unexpected child will definitely have a happy ending!"

Geralt lowered his head. As a member of Aedirn, shouldn't you drive Nilfgaard away for the benefit of your own country? Why do I suddenly feel that your position is wrong, soldier?

“Thank you for your blessing…”

After a brief conversation with Geralt, although Leila still had that stern expression of a soldier, it was obvious that her brows had relaxed and the atmosphere emanating from her had become softer.

Lann looked back at the center and rear of the team a few more times, as if to see if any soldiers had fallen behind. But his eyes accidentally met Geralt's twice, and there was urging in his eyes.

Geralt looked at Leila again, or to be more precise, at the tricolor rose badge pinned on her collar.

Use your special identity and casual words to disarm the soldiers, and then get down to business.

"Has the Scoia'tael in Aedirn become a serious problem? I heard from His Majesty Demave that you were established specifically to guard against the Scoia'tael?"