Otto finally met the legendary Fourth Prince of Graycastle.

After confirming that he was indeed a noble from the Kingdom of Dawn, Carter led him into the castle. Then, servants brought washing utensils, new clothes, and hot food. At the same time, Carter searched him all over.

This was probably the most discourteous reception Otto had ever experienced.

The Fourth Prince was in a north-facing room on the third floor of the castle. The first thing that caught the eye when the door was opened was a floor-to-ceiling window that took up half the wall. The snow scene outside made the room very bright. Although the fireplace wasn't lit, the room was particularly warm.

The prince was sitting at a mahogany table, flipping through a black leather notebook in his hand—Otto realized it was his own diary. The ambassador's official documents and family seal were also placed aside, indicating that the hotel where he was staying had been thoroughly searched.

His hair color was the same as Tifieco's, and his appearance also showed some resemblance, but the feeling he gave was very different. Whether it was his sitting posture or expression, he seemed very casual, which matched the rumor that the Fourth Prince liked to do things his own way.

Seeing him appear, he closed the notebook and smiled, "You are the envoy from the Kingdom of Dawn? Please sit down."

Otto bowed according to noble etiquette. No matter how badly the other party behaved, he had to follow the proper procedure—after all, the Fourth Prince might not care about being made a laughingstock, but he represented the face of the Dawn royal family.

"I took a quick look at what you wrote," the prince said with a smile. "Some aspects are indeed recorded in great detail, so it's no wonder you were misunderstood. And my people don't know where you come from. They reported you out of enthusiasm because of my orders. I apologize to you for this."

Reported by the people…? Otto frowned slightly. However, no amount of explanation could excuse the impudent assault of a nobleman, especially since the other party was a commoner. If he weren't burdened with an important mission, he would definitely demand that His Highness bring the person who assaulted him to justice. He suppressed the displeasure in his heart, "No, Your Highness, you did it for the stability of the territory. It's just… this may harm innocent outsiders. Most people probably can't produce documents to prove their identity like I can."

"You don't need to worry about that. The evidence collection of the Ministry of Justice has nothing to do with identity documents. We have a series of measures to ensure the innocence of innocent people," the Fourth Prince waved his hand. "How should I put it, we won't wrong a good person, nor will we let go of a bad person." At this point, he raised the corners of his mouth, "I've also heard about the process of your arrest. If you followed their requirements, you wouldn't have been harmed at all. The process was a bit rough, but it was a last resort. You must know that some heinous criminals may pull out weapons and try to fight back at any time. Since the beginning of winter, two policemen in Border Town have been injured during arrests."

Police… probably referring to those patrolmen. What is the Ministry of Justice, an organization that manages the patrolmen? He suppressed the doubts in his heart, "Does this happen often?"

"It happens once or twice a month," His Highness the Prince spread his hands. "Perhaps Tifieco is also feeling bored in this endless winter."

He didn't hide his hostility towards the new king. Otto realized that the conflict between the two sides was clearly irreconcilable. He hesitated for a moment, "When I passed through the capital, I heard some folk rumors… Are you really planning to push Tifieco off the throne?"

"Does the rumor say that the new king's throne is already in jeopardy?" the other party said directly. "Tifieco should never have touched the throne. In order to seize power, he murdered his father, framed his elder brother, and drove his third sister out of Graycastle; the entire Southern Territory was destroyed by war, and the people were displaced. These are all the crimes he committed. Only by overthrowing him can Graycastle restore its former prosperity."

Otto was slightly choked. Roland Wimbledon's reaction was even more intense than the new king's. At least in terms of fighting determination, Tifieco was far from being so active… The positions and momentum of the two seemed to be reversed.

He cleared his throat before continuing, "In that case, the Kingdom of Dawn, as a friendly neighbor, hopes that Graycastle can restore stability as soon as possible. I have brought the alliance of Digen Moria, the Lord of Dawn."

"Oh?" the prince said with interest. "Where is it?"

"In order to avoid leaking the news, I didn't carry the document, but His Majesty granted me the power to sign it myself," Otto repeated the mutual defense treaty entrusted by the Lord of Dawn. "If the two countries can support each other, they can effectively contain the Church's offensive and avoid repeating the mistakes of Eternal Winter and Wolfheart."

"That's it?"

The prince's response surprised him. What did he mean by "that's it?" He had already made it very clear. As he was about to repeat it, the other party shook his head, "This plan may not be effective. The Church's determination to annex the Four Kingdoms is much stronger than you think. Coupled with the outstanding combat power of the God's Punishment Army and the witches, your so-called garrison of a few troops on the border is likely to be surrounded and annihilated before they even set off."

"God's Punishment Army and… witches?" Otto asked in surprise.

"It seems you know nothing about the Church's ambitions," the Fourth Prince took a sip of tea. "I will tell you all the information I have, and I hope you can bring this news back to the Kingdom of Dawn so that the king can re-examine this alliance. If you want to defeat the Church, what you need is not deterrence, but a full-force strike."

The meeting didn't end until evening. When the prince put down his teacup, the wilderness and forest behind him had become pitch black. Strange lights lit up in the room, brighter and purer than candlelight, but Otto was in no mood to pay attention to it. He felt the cold sweat on his back had soaked his clothes, his fingers unconsciously clenched into fists, his palms were slippery, and his mind was filled with the prince's words.

Extraordinary warriors created by wild witches, combat witches secretly cultivated as Purity Relics… and the Church's goal of destroying the Four Kingdoms at all costs was to prepare for an upcoming doomsday war! This news was too unbelievable!

But many details matched the information he had learned, such as the Mad Pills used by the Church to weaken the kingdoms' resistance, the carriages constantly collecting female orphans to go to the Holy City, and their attitude towards defeated nobles—if it was to completely erase the influence of the nobles and realize a completely unified Church kingdom, then everything would make sense.

"I… I can't make a decision," Otto stammered. "These things are too important. I must report to His Majesty."

"Of course, it concerns the life and death of the two countries," the prince said calmly. "It can't be too careful, but don't forget that we have very little time left."

…

As he was about to leave, Otto walked to the door and hesitated, looking back, "Your Highness, I heard that Border Town has recruited a group of witches… I wonder if you have heard of the name Andrea."

"Ah, she was originally a noble from the Kingdom of Dawn, but unfortunately, she was exiled to Graycastle." The prince raised his eyebrows. "What, do you know her?"

"Yes!" Otto's heart jumped. "Can you… can you let me see her?"

The prince nodded, "I can arrange it for you, but whether she will see you or not depends on her own decision."

"Isn't Andrea one of your…"

He shook his head with a smile, "Witches are just people who live here, not my servants, and I can't control their thoughts either."