Chapter 645: Farewell and Promise

Roland ultimately couldn't stay holed up in his bedroom all day.

Near dusk, Nightingale informed him that Tilly wanted to see him.

Roland had no choice but to put on a coat, tie up his long hair, and head to the office with a stack of papers. When he pushed the door open, Tilly and Ashes were already waiting for him.

Seeing the heavy objects in his hands, Ashes took the initiative to come forward and take the thick stack of papers for him. This gesture surprised Roland somewhat; he hadn't expected that this extraordinary being who had always disliked him would take the initiative to help one day.

The setting sun shining in through the French windows painted the walls orange-red, leaving a golden edge on both of them, with a hint of farewell.

Roland had already roughly guessed Tilly's intentions.

Although he was reluctant, he knew this day would eventually come. The fact that she didn't choose to leave without saying goodbye while he was unconscious was enough to show her sincerity.

"I'm here to say goodbye," Tilly said calmly, as expected. "I need to return to Sleeping Island soon to deal with the Bloodfang Association."

Looking at Tilly's beautiful face and her pupils reflecting the afterglow of the setting sun, Roland was silent for a while before saying, "I understand... When will the Pretty Lady arrive in the Western Region? I'll have the kitchen prepare a farewell feast for you—wait," he suddenly paused, "A trip? You'll come back?"

Ashes couldn't help but cover her mouth.

Tilly chuckled directly, "What, you're not welcome, Brother?"

"No, I mean... how could you..." Roland opened his mouth in surprise, but didn't know what to say for a moment. After stammering for a long time, he blurted out: "Because of the Demon's Moon?"

"I won't deny it if you want to think that way," Tilly spread her hands. "But don't you have higher expectations?"

He was completely stunned.

"Could it be..."

"It's that 'could it be'," Tilly said straightforwardly. "I will bring news of your victory back to Sleeping Island and tell them that Neverwinter in the Western Region of Graycastle has completely broken free from the threat of the church. Everyone can stop living in fear and no longer need to hide on this small island. When you're ready, I'll bring the witches who are willing to go to the Western Region to settle here. I hope you don't mind if they eat too much."

A feeling of unspeakable excitement welled up in Roland's heart. "The Western Region welcomes them at any time!"

"Your buildings can't accommodate that many witches," the Fifth Princess said with a sly smile. "Even if only half of them are willing to come, it's several times more than the Witch Union. And most of them are not combat witches. I plan to hire ships to transport them after the Demon's Moon passes, when the shipping lanes will be much safer."

He agreed immediately, "I'll have enough housing built before next spring. This won't be a problem for Karl."

"In addition, I have three additional conditions," Tilly held out three fingers. "I hope you can agree to them, Brother."

Seeing her serious look, Roland couldn't help but sit up straight. "Tell me."

"First, if they want to leave Neverwinter and go to other towns, you can't restrict their freedom."

"No problem," he replied without hesitation. "But Graycastle is not yet unified, and I can't guarantee that the people in other places will treat witches equally. For safety reasons, I suggest they settle in the Western Region and Sleeping Island for the time being. It won't be too late to leave the Western Region when I can control the entire kingdom."

"I'm just hypothesizing," Tilly nodded in satisfaction. "Secondly, if they don't want to work for you, you can't force them."

Roland poured a cup of tea for both of them. "Then can I entice them to work for me?"

"As long as you don't use coercion," Tilly gave him a definite look.

"Deal," he couldn't help but smile.

It wouldn't be difficult for Roland to get these little girls, who were inexperienced in the world (basically, after awakening, they were busy seeking refuge everywhere), to plunge into the tide of industrialization—he had plenty of reward mechanisms that could make them deeply involved. Not to mention the salary, just putting out soap, wine, and ice cream, and stipulating that only working witches could exchange for them, would generate enough attraction.

The sugar-coated bullets of capital are far more powerful than simple violence.

"Finally, I hope Sleeping Spell can exist independently." Tilly looked a little hesitant when she said this, probably thinking that this request might be a bit harsh. "Of course, a portion of the money earned by Sleeping Spell will be turned over to Neverwinter."

"Sleeping Spell?" Roland was stunned. He remembered that this organization was a bounty-like guild established to resolve conflicts between combat witches and auxiliary witches and to earn profits for Sleeping Island. In other words, almost all the witches on the island belonged to Sleeping Spell. Independent existence would mean that they were all under Tilly's jurisdiction.

He quickly understood why the Fifth Princess hesitated when she said this. Moving here to settle down but managing independently as an independent organization, whether it was accepting bounty missions or dispatching personnel to the fjord, would still be decided by the internal affairs of Sleeping Spell. This move was simply like deliberately guarding against him.

Roland immediately agreed, "Of course, as long as they abide by the laws prevailing within the territory."

Isn't this equivalent to a private company?

In fact, when he realized that the witches of Sleeping Island might move to the Western Region, besides joy, he also had a trace of worry in his heart. He just didn't know whether to include them in the Witch Union.

As one of the three major administrative institutions alongside the City Hall and the First Army, the Witch Union was obviously safer in the hands of Wendy, who was loyal to him. But there were too many witches on Sleeping Island. Once they all joined the Witch Union, it would inevitably weaken Wendy's control, and it wouldn't be so justifiable for him to intervene in management at that time.

If they were not accepted into the Union, it would seem too cold to these witches who had come from afar. Now that Tilly had taken the initiative to bring it up, Roland felt a sense of relief. Besides, it was normal for Tilly to still have a trace of worry in her heart. Trust itself was something that needed time to build, and compared to before, this was already a huge improvement.

"Really?" Tilly couldn't help but be surprised to see him agree so readily.

"Don't worry, I will never go back on my word." Roland laughed.

"Is that so..." Tilly also relaxed. "Then I'll go back to my room to pack my things. The Pretty Lady will arrive in about three days. In addition to the accompanying combat witches, I will also take Iffy and Quietfeather, but I will send them back after the Bloodfang Association's matter is resolved."

"You will also wait until after the Evil Moon to return here?"

"You asked me before if it was because of the Demon's Moon, I said..." She winked, "I don't deny that point."

"In other words, you will come earlier?" Roland asked.

"Just like last year, Brother," Tilly nodded, "I will fight against the evil beasts with you until the heavy snow subsides."