dusk.

Lion Castle.

"How did you fight this battle? Why did you lose like this?!"

Danger was enjoying his dinner when he heard the news, but the content of the news made the juicy tender lamb in his mouth as tasteless as waste paper.

The course of the battle is unknown, and the enemy's losses are unknown.

Their own fleet was completely wiped out, nearly 40,000 naval officers were captured, and almost all of the noble naval officers were killed, with no trace left of Admiral Sir Gaunt.

Dange didn't understand why the naval battle turned out like this?

Both sides had Blackstone warships and used artillery to bombard each other, so shouldn't the civilians be injured and the nobles be captured? How could it be the other way around?

He chewed meaninglessly until the mutton was as soft as batter, and then let it slowly slide into his stomach.

"Is there a traitor in the fleet?"

He stared at the messenger mage as if he were a traitor.

The communicating mage felt a huge psychological pressure. He felt as if he was being stared at by a real lion, and his voice trembled slightly unconsciously.

"No, I don't know. That's all Duke Weilan said in his announcement. He asked us, Aaron, to issue an apology and pay full war reparations, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

"Otherwise, Weilan's plane will come to Lion Castle for a visit!"

Dange didn't know how to describe his mood. He felt a little bit of pleasure that his conspiracy had succeeded, but more of it was fear.

He didn't know what tactics his opponent had used, nor what losses his opponent had suffered in this battle. The only thing he was sure of was that he had completely lost contact with the Northbound Lion Fleet.

Not a single battleship returned.

A fleet that accounted for one-third of the country's naval strength was completely wiped out.

"I understand. You can go down."

He immediately summoned the Eye of the Storm Sanchester.

"Sage, the situation seems to be far beyond our expectations."

Sanchester vaguely knew the situation and was also in a state of extreme shock.

"Obviously, Duke Weilan's magical creations are not limited to airplanes and black stone warships. He also has something very scary hidden."

"Why does he have so many good things?"

Danger couldn't figure it out.

"With his strength at the peak of the seventh ring."

There was a hint of bitterness on Sanchester's face.

"Your Majesty, magic has many subtle properties. And many powerful and subtle properties can only be sensed by high-level mages."

"Only when you reach the fifth ring can you sense the power of destiny, and when you reach the sixth or even seventh ring, you will naturally be able to sense even more terrifying power."

Danger still refused to accept: "The God of Nature and the God of Glory are both high-level mages, and I haven't seen them either. They also possess terrible power."

At this moment, Danger couldn't help but feel a little confused: "Sage, can the kingship really fight against God?"

In a sense, aren't mortals who possess knowledge that ordinary mortals cannot perceive gods? Sanchester could naturally feel Danger's confusion, and he himself was a little frustrated, but his will was much stronger than Danger's.

"Your Majesty, there are no gods in the world, and the power of a high-level wizard is also limited. History has proven this many times."

"The reason why the Northbound Fleet suffered a disastrous defeat is because we were too impulsive, underestimated our opponents, and were not fully prepared!"

"You knew from the beginning that the battle was unwinnable, and now it has only confirmed your expectations."

Danger smiled bitterly: "But I didn't expect to lose so badly!"

"Your Majesty, don't jump to conclusions. The greatest fear in the world comes from the unknown."

"First, carefully investigate the course of the battle and find a way to understand the entire situation clearly before taking the next step."

Originally, this matter did not require him, a sage, to remind him, but Dange was obviously panicked.

What he, as a sage, needs to do is to get him back to normal.

Dange lived up to the title of the Lion King. After taking a few deep breaths, his mind, which had been restless due to fear, basically calmed down.

He sighed softly: "Sage, this Duke Weilan is really a formidable opponent."

Sanchester immediately said: "It is terrible, but it also has obvious shortcomings."

"shortcoming?"

He said: "Yes, he is too kind and afraid of too many sacrifices."

"He is too cautious. He won't act rashly without being fully prepared."

"In the end, he is a mage after all."

"If he spends a lot of time studying magic, then his control over the political situation will not be as sensitive as that of an ordinary king."

"On the contrary, if he puts too much energy into politics, it will greatly delay the progress of his technique."

"After all, there are no gods in this world, only mortals, and everything can't be perfect."

These analyses made a lot of sense and made Dange calmer.

He nodded slowly: "Sage, you are right. Thanks to your reminder, I was almost scared by him."

After thinking quietly for a while, his mind completely calmed down.

"His planes are very powerful, but they also have many weaknesses. As long as we do a good job of targeted defense, we can avoid being threatened by him."

"What is your suggestion, sage?"

"Build strong underground shelters throughout the kingdom, especially beneath Lion Castle. The deeper the better."

"Once you notice the plane has arrived, immediately hide in the underground palace."

"Of course, the most important thing is that we must own an aircraft as soon as possible."

"Yes, we must have it too. Even if it's immature, it must go to heaven!"

Danger nodded: "But these are things for the future. First, I have to completely control Aaron!"

Sanchester was startled: "Your Majesty, isn't this a bit too hasty?"

He felt that he should at least wait until the news of the fleet's defeat spread throughout Aaron, so that the reputation of the nobles would drop to the freezing point, and then take action.

Danger had different ideas.

"If we act too slowly, they will be prepared. If we take action at that time, the situation will get completely out of control. This is certainly not the best way, but I have no choice."

He is not a strong man like Duke Weilan, who has many cards to play, so he can always take the best path.

He is a mortal, and mortals can only weigh the pros and cons.

Sanchester understood.

Although he still felt it was too radical, he couldn't think of a better way, so he remained speechless.

Danger took immediate action.

He called for Aaron's night guards whom he had secretly arranged early in the morning.

This night guard was none other than Blood Flame Sarath, who had been defeated miserably by Rosen.

He is no longer a high-level wizard, but a master of spells. The previous blows did not knock him down, but instead made him work harder.

And he was born a commoner, and now he has become Danger's most valued weapon in the Night Guard.

Looking at the jumping flames in the other party's eyes caused by the magic accident, Dange whispered: "I will convene an emergency noble council and summon all noble councilors to discuss this disastrous defeat."

"And your mission is to make them a thing of the past."

Sarath licked his lips, a hint of cruelty showing on his face.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. My people are ready. No noble will be able to leave the Hall of Heroes standing."

"Very good, go get ready."

After Sarath left, Danger secretly clenched his fists and said, "Let these parasites bleed to death!"

He was confused before, but what happened to Weilan told him that if a country wants to be strong, the first step is to eliminate all the termites! He could have been more patient in looking for opportunities, but the world is changing too fast, and there is no time to dawdle!

. . . . . . . . . .

Almost at the same time, 1,500 kilometers away.

The capital of the Glorious Empire, Metasilin, is known as the 'light of lights, the place where light never fades'.

Information about a failed new weapon test was transmitted along a secret but swift channel of light to the Empire's Central Secretariat, becoming one of countless messages to be processed.

But at the same time, there is a lot of information that is just as important, or even more important, to deal with.

For example, if a serious earthquake occurs in a city in the country, countless houses collapse and countless people are affected, it must be dealt with immediately.

For example, a crazy wizard studied summoning despite the ban and successfully summoned a succubus from another dimension with at least seven levels of power, and the succubus is still at large.

For example. In short, for such a huge and glorious empire, important matters are more numerous than the stars in the sky.

And it attaches much more importance to domestic affairs than foreign affairs.

Because historical experience tells every member of the Glorious Empire that no one can defeat them from the outside, but a small hidden danger within, through continuous accumulation, will eventually be enough to cause the empire to collapse.

So, it took three full hours before the message was handed to an assistant secretary.

"The trial array experiment failed? It seems that it needs improvement."

The message was stamped 'read' and the relevant information was sent to the Royal Lightforge.

Developing new weapons is not an assistant secretary's specialty. Professional matters should be done by professionals.

The Royal Lightforge Bureau is the department in the Empire that specializes in developing glorious weapons.

Therefore, the information about a naval battle that took place in the Gilded Strait simply passed through the center of the empire before it was lost. It was not even worthy of being placed on the Queen's desk.

What is the Queen doing? The Queen is admiring the flowers in the back garden.

Because the 'Starlight Rose' is about to bloom, and this kind of rose only blooms once a year and only blooms for one hour at a time.

When in full bloom, the rose buds will emit cool starlight, decorating the entire garden into a starry sky in the dark night.

Every year when the Starlight Roses are in full bloom, the Glorious Queen holds a grand flower-viewing party in her Never-Sleeping Palace, inviting celebrities from all over the empire to attend.

There are no restrictions on who can be invited, as long as they demonstrate sufficient influence in a certain field.

Therefore, being invited to the Queen's flower-viewing party became the greatest honor in the eyes of every empire citizen.

At this moment in the garden, the queen was surrounded by countless celebrities and scholars, as dazzling as the sun surrounded by stars.

Irene, who had been Vilan's envoy, was also there.

She had just returned to the country and attended the party with her husband as the Queen's cousin, and her seat was not far from the Queen.

"Erin, what's wrong with you today? Why are you always in a trance?"

Irene suddenly heard her cousin's whispering in her heart. She was slightly startled and replied in her heart whisper: "Is there, Your Majesty?"

They used the telepathic whispering technique reserved for the royal family, so they were not worried about being discovered by outsiders.

The Queen chatted with her other subjects as usual while answering in secret.

"Obviously, you didn't even notice your husband calling you several times."

Irene did have something on her mind: "Counting the days, these days should be the days of the naval battle between Duke Weilan and the Lion King."

The queen blinked, and her thick eyelashes fluttered. "What does this have to do with you? Are you worried that the explosive bombs from the naval battle will fall into the Nevernight Palace?"

"To be honest, it would be a good thing if I really fell in. I can just ask for a huge compensation from these two troublemakers."

Irene smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, it's just a work concern. After all, this matter will determine my future work location."

"Hey~ Aren't you planning on going abroad?"

"I've changed my mind. I can't stand being a boring housewife at home. I still find working life more fulfilling."

"Does your husband agree?"

"Why should he disagree, Your Majesty?"

"Well, it's up to you. Although I have noticed that your husband is dissatisfied with you, if you insist on thinking this way, you can just change a man."

Irene didn't want to say more about this matter. She asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, is Duke Weilan really an eight-ring wizard?"

The Queen nodded: "The magic weapon shows that this is the case."

"But considering he is still very young, I highly doubt this will be his final achievement. He may catch up with me in the future, but he probably won't reach the 10th ring."

"But he said that his magic power is not long. Well, he might be lying. Your Majesty, why do you think he can't reach the tenth ring?"

"The information recorded in the magic weapon shows this. This is not my judgment, but the judgment of the Lord of Light."

"But then again, even if he reaches the tenth ring, it is unlikely that he will be able to create a great empire like in ancient times."

“After all, times have changed.”

Irene whispered, "What if he shows the potential to unify the natural alliance?"

"Then of course we will do everything we can to stop him, and if the situation requires, even capture him, imprison him, and then make use of his intelligence and talents."

"Don't you want to destroy him?"

"There's no need for that. After all, he's a genius of the human race. It would be a shame to kill him. After all, our biggest enemy is the alien race on the other side of the sea."

At this point, the queen glanced at Irene and said, "I just happen to be free. I'll tell you who will win."

As she spoke, she casually took out a light-forged gold coin: "The front is Weilan, the back is Aaron, the light helps me see the truth."

She threw the coin onto the table and it came up tails.

Irene was shocked: "Aaron won?"

"Don't be impatient. One time is not enough. You need to try more times."

The queen tossed the coin twenty times in a row, and it landed on the front side 15 times and the back side 5 times, so she put the coin away with satisfaction.

"Okay, prepare to go to Veran as an envoy."

Irene breathed a sigh of relief.

The queen added, "Divorce your husband before you go, and don't delay this good young man."

. . . . . .

About five hours later.

Levender also received news of the fleet's defeat.

It was already late at night, and the 17-year-old little king was sleeping soundly in his bed, so no one disturbed him. The message was delivered directly to the Frost Messenger Lafeng.

Lafengge looked at the news, and a trace of shock flashed in his icy blue eyes: "Is Weilan's navy so strong? Did they hide their strength before?"

No one responded to his message, and he didn't need anyone to respond.

"Back off."

After the spy left, Lafeng got up and went to the secret magic laboratory underground.

There is an extremely huge mysterious magic circle in the laboratory.

Lafengge was standing on the magic circle. With a shake of his magic power, the runes on the magic circle suddenly emitted a deep purple light.

Lafengge closed his eyes, opened his hands, tilted his head slightly, and chanted a strange and mysterious spell.

About five or six minutes later, a black mist appeared out of thin air above his head, and a pair of faint silver eyes emerged from the mist.

A thought came from the black fog: "Master, what do you want to ask this time?"

Lafengge immediately said, "Supreme Great Omniscient One, I would like to inquire about the details of the naval battle in the Gilded Strait."

The thought was silent for a while, then it spoke.

"Master, you almost stumped me. Forget it this time. From now on, you can only ask me questions about magic, not military intelligence. I am not your spy!"

Lafengge immediately said: "I remember, the great and omniscient one."

The mind spoke: "Duke Weilan won, and he suffered almost no losses. His opponents were either killed or captured. In short, none of them had a good ending."

"But how did you win?"

"I won the battle."

"How did you win?"

"I know how to get the answer to your question, but I don't want to waste my time on trivial questions like this. You'd better ask some meaningful questions."

Lafeng was angry, but this mysterious existence did help him solve many problems, so he didn't want to turn against the other party.

So he said, "Supreme Great Omniscient One, thank you for your answer. I have indeed encountered difficulties in magic recently, mainly about how to break through to the eighth ring."

"That's the right question. Breaking through the Eight Rings is not difficult. You just need to make adequate preparations and abandon a little bit of meaningless kindness."

Lafengge chuckled: "What a coincidence, I have already thrown away all my mercy."

In a secret room deep underground, the two wills put aside the trivialities of the world and began to focus on discussing the difficult problems of magic.

(End of this chapter)