The first impression of the beautiful woman in men's clothing in front of him was that of a soldier.

Although she was a woman,

she had a straight back and a firm gaze. Whether it was the movements of her hands and feet or the expressions on her face, she showed a majestic and solemn temperament.

Even in front of Shen He, who released an oppressive force like a giant dragon, she did not show any fear or retreat.

For some reason, Shen He suddenly thought of Altria.

Perhaps only such a person would not worship the dragon as much as ordinary people.

Just as Shen He was thinking, Kurush walked in front of him step by step under pressure.

Then he sat on the sofa.

When she sat down, the oppressive force quickly faded like a tide.

"Not bad."

Shen He's mouth curled up with a smile.

He defined himself as a strong man with great strength and full of arrogance.

"I am the current head of the Karsten family, one of the candidates for King Grunica, Kurush Karsten."

This series of titles represents Kurush's attention to Shen He, and at the same time, it also means that Shen He wants to announce his origins.

"Shen He, traveler." Shen He just said two simple words.

"Just a traveler?" Crusch stared at Shen He with sharp eyes.

She has the protection of distinguishing wind direction, which can see subtle changes, and the effect is to distinguish whether the other party is lying.

But, Shen He in front of him did not lie.

"Yes, traveler." Shen He nodded, "But I am a close friend of Reinhard, and I was entrusted by him to find the true wise king among the candidates of the kingdom today."

"...The contemporary swordsman, Reinhard." Crusch took a breath slowly.

Because her protection told her that the words of the person in front of her were not lying either.

He really represented Reinhard to find a candidate for king to support.

This cannot be lied, because it is easy to verify.

However, the meaning of the name Reinhard made Crusch uneasy.

The strongest man in the kingdom, the leader of the Knights, and the contemporary swordsman of the Sword Saint family.

Even an ordinary person with no background can become the most favorable candidate for the king election with the support of Reinhard. If she is supported, the hope of winning for Karlsten's contemporary family will instantly crush any other candidates.

"I have a question." Crusch tried to calm himself down, and keenly discovered the biggest question point, "Sir, you are not from the Kingdom of Grunica, right?"

Participating in the election of the king of another country as an outsider is a very sensitive matter in any country.

As the head of the Kingdom Knights, Reinhard could not fail to understand this.

"Yes." Shen He no longer had the initial oppression, as if he was just an ordinary person, "But there is only one reason why I am here, and that is Reinhard's trust and friendship." "......

I understand." Crusch nodded carefully.

If this is the case, then the other party cannot actually be regarded as an outsider.

Instead, it should be regarded as a member of Reinhard's side.

Being able to win over strong outsiders

is also a manifestation of the ability of being a king.

"So -" Shen He leaned forward slightly, squinting his eyes, "If you are really a wise king, then prove it to me."

"......"

Kurush was silent for a while.

She had never seen this form before.

Normally, if someone chooses a king as a supporter, it must be through observation, contact, and then make a judgment in his heart.

But now, the other party needs her to prove it herself.

However, after just a little thought, Kurush knew what to do. Reinhard's support must not be given up easily.

"The Kingdom of Grunica is now just a false prosperity." Kurush began to describe his own philosophy, "The contract with the dragon is both a guarantee and a constraint. After all, the Kingdom of Grunica is not owned by the dragon, but the place where we belong..."

Kurush's biggest philosophy is to be skeptical about the contract with the dragon.

She even said that the day she became king was the day to cancel the contract with the dragon.

Shen He listened carefully, but was a little disappointed.

This is the difference in thinking.

So much so that before he finished listening, he couldn't help but raise his hand and interrupted Crusch's story.

"Three questions." Shen He held up three fingers. "First, under the protection of the dragon's contract, what is the biggest drawback in the Kingdom of Grunica? Second, after the contract with the dragon is cancelled, the difficulties that the Kingdom of Grunica may face? Third, assuming that the contract has been cancelled, how will you make the kingdom prosperous?"

Three questions, straight to the core.

Crusch couldn't help but stand up suddenly, unable to control the surging emotions in his heart.

It's impossible that she hadn't thought about what Shen He asked.

But it was just a messy thought.

It was the first time that they were put together like this, complementing each other.

It even made her feel that if she could figure out these three questions, she could correctly identify where the future of the kingdom lies.

Shen He didn't say anything else, nor did he have a serious expression. He just sat casually on the sofa, watching Crusch stand up in front of him, watching her sit down again, watching her fall into deep thought.

The scope of these three questions is very wide.

But in the same way, Shen He didn't ask Crusch to give a very detailed answer.

He just wanted an idea.

In other words, let Crusch think for himself first, so that he can be even more impressive when he shows off.

Time passed by little by little.

Wilhelm, who was standing behind Crusch, looked at his master with a little worry.

An hour later.

Crusch finally came back from his long thoughts, and seemed to have gotten the answer.

"Grunica's biggest drawback now is that it relies too much on the covenant, and it can't even solve any difficulties outside the scope of the covenant, just like the failure of the expedition against the white whale fourteen years ago."

"After the contract between the dragon and the dragon is cancelled, I think the biggest problem is the fragility of the country after losing its protection."

"After the contract is cancelled, I will make the people bear all the responsibilities that belonged to the dragon in the past. Whether it is war, plague, or famine, only by relying on themselves to get through all of this, the kingdom will usher in real prosperity!"

Crusch summarized these three problems as self-blame, self-purification, and self-help.

Blame the country's past weakness, understand the country's current fragility, and save the country's future.

Even Wilhelm, who was standing behind her, couldn't help but show admiration and pride.

In this kingdom.

Only the head of the family he chose can have such courage.

In fact, Shen He was also quite amazed.

Being able to see these three things clearly in this era is already considered to have a vision that transcends the times.

However, he still showed no expression on the surface, and even lowered his eyes.

"None of the three answers is what I want."

Shen He understood that Crusch's ability was equivalent to a micro-expression lie detector.

Therefore, he did not say "very disappointed".

Instead, he changed to a way of expression that was almost the same in meaning, but it was not a lie.

As expected, Crusch showed an expression of dissatisfaction, and even Wilhelm felt that Shen He was deliberately looking for trouble.

"Please teach me." Crusch was polite and put on the attitude of a learner.

"The first question is that the biggest problem of the contemporary kingdom is that it does not make progress." Shen He did not continue to keep the secret, "A country is like a boat sailing against the current, if it does not advance, it will retreat! Has the current Kingdom of Grunica made obvious progress compared to the Kingdom of Grunica four hundred years ago? Is the glory of the king today better than the glory of the Lion King?"

Crusch's expression was stunned.

Isn't this the question she raised?

Excessive favor will lead to stagnation, stagnation will lead to degeneration, and degeneration will sound the death knell.

That's why she said that the biggest problem of the kingdom now is over-reliance on dragons.

"The focus is different." Shen He naturally understood what Kurush was thinking. He explained slowly, "Dependence on dragons, lack of ambition, and weakness of the kingdom. These three elements are interdependent, but also relatively independent."

This is the advantage of scientific thinking.

Kurush used basic reverse logic to attribute the cause of "weak kingdom" to the initial "dependence on dragons".

But in fact, it is "lack of ambition" that has a direct effect on "weak kingdom".

Even further exploration, it is easy to find that "lack of ambition" is the biggest root thought that causes a series of problems in the kingdom.

"The most important thing for a country is the guiding ideology." Seeing that Kurush still didn't quite understand, Shen He simply said directly, "For example, relying on dragons will indeed lead to a lack of ambition, but if the king lists the word "progress" as the guiding ideology of the kingdom, and strives to make progress from top to bottom, every week, every month, and every year, and to be more prosperous, and let this spirit be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, then, will the protection of dragons still lead to a lack of ambition?"

In modern society, the first step to governing a country is to establish a framework.

Whether it is a free and equal capitalist system or a socialist system that liberates productivity and eliminates polarization, the core spirit as a guiding ideology is indispensable.

It can be said that ideology is a beacon that illuminates the country's progress. Without it, the country's development will lose its direction.

"Is this possible?"

Kurush felt at this time that a new door seemed to appear in front of her.

But she didn't dare to open it.

Because she doubted, or was afraid, whether there would be only lies behind the door.

"Do you think that as long as the protection of dragons still exists, people will not be able to make progress?" Shen He's mouth curled up with a smile.

"Isn't it?" Crusch clenched his fists slightly and stared at Shen He.

Unconsciously, she had completely put herself in the position of a student, and even hoped to get the right answer from Shen He.

"Gifts will lead to stagnation." Shen He said the sentence that Crusch just thought of, but he immediately said, "Desire will drive progress. If the people stop moving forward, it can only mean that the king has not let them see the desire they desire and cannot be realized through the dragon."

Boom!

Crusch only felt a huge thunder exploded in her mind.

She understood, she already understood!

The dragon will not help them to defeat the white whale, so for more than ten years, those who survived the great crusade fourteen years ago have been honing themselves all the time and trying to become stronger.

Because they have the desire to defeat the white whale again.

If, if! She can make the people desire to be strong without relying on the dragon, and desire to be self-reliant, then even under the protection of the dragon, people will be refreshed.

No more stagnation!

Crusch trembled all over.

She now felt that her desire to cancel Yu Long's contract in the past was a bit immature, or in other words, she just saw a vague river in the fog and rashly waded across it, but did not find the bridge hidden under the river.

Because -

the essence of canceling the contract to save the kingdom is still to force people to change their minds by canceling the contract.

Thoughts! What is really important is not the contract, but the thoughts!

"It seems that you have understood it a little." Shen He was a little proud.

"Yes!" Kurush stood up suddenly, looked at Shen He with a sharp gaze, and then bowed ninety degrees, "Please teach me, sir!"

She had already determined in her heart. The person

in front of her was definitely a great sage.

Although he was an outsider, he had such a thorough understanding of the current situation of the Kingdom of Grunica.

Even just a few words made her feel like she had suddenly realized something.

At this time, Crusch already understood why the kingdom's swordmaster, Reinhard, would trust him so much and even ask him to choose the real wise king.

"No hurry." Shen He was not in a hurry when he saw that he had successfully gained the attention of the other party. "Among the current candidates for the king, I have only met you and Emilia."

"Emilia... I see."

Crusch suddenly remembered that he had heard that Emilia's supporter, Border Count Roswaal, had gone to the Knights to meet with Reinhard.

At that time, I thought he was seeking the support of the swordmaster for Emilia.

But now it seems that it was probably to confirm the authenticity of Shen He's identity.

It's just...

Crusch thought about the remaining two questions and felt itchy.

What are the answers to those two questions?

He just said that she was wrong, but didn't continue.

This made Crusch look at Shen He with a very resentful look.

"I also have some understanding of the four candidates for the king who have appeared so far." Shen He felt a little uncomfortable with such a look that was totally inconsistent with his personality, so he simply said, "You are not inferior to the others in terms of vision or ability, but... I also need to know more."

There is nothing wrong with needing to know more.

But Shen He just didn't want to stand on the side of Crusch so quickly. In

that case, his status with Emilia would become more awkward.

The reason why he came here so quickly

was also to deepen his influence and strengthen his position with Crusch, and at the same time, to gain some reputation before the White Whale and the Witch Cult levels officially began.