Chapter 779 The King's Order
Roland tapped the table, and the hall instantly quieted down.
"After the Months of the Demons ends, next year will be the most important year for Graycastle," he said, rising from the main seat and walking step by step behind the crowd. "I will unify the entire territory and hold a coronation ceremony to become the rightful King of Graycastle. And you will be my first batch of key ministers, assisting me in governing this country together."
If it were two years ago... this "ambitious declaration" would only be regarded by everyone as the Fourth Prince's ignorant and arrogant words.
If it were a year ago, it would be a distant goal that could be tried hard to achieve.
But today, no one would doubt Roland's words.
The crowd stood up one after another, right hand on chest, bowing to him and saying, "It is my honor, Your Majesty!" Their complaints and defenses vanished in an instant, and a trace of excitement appeared on their faces—the longer they stayed in the City Hall, the more they understood the power that Neverwinter City possessed.
Undoubtedly, as long as he made this decision, incorporating the entire territory of Graycastle into his rule would become an undisputed matter.
And they, too, could follow His Majesty and become one of the most powerful people in the kingdom.
Roland pressed down his palm, signaling everyone to sit down. "Not only that, but the territory governed by Graycastle will become wider than ever before, from the Barren Lands in the west to the Fiord Islands in the east, from the Endless Cape in the south to the Hermes Plateau in the north, all will follow my will!"
"To achieve this, the First Army will undoubtedly be the busiest department next year, and only a small garrison will be left to guard Neverwinter City. Therefore, exploring the Impassable Mountain Range is a necessary measure to eliminate hidden dangers. I don't want the backyard to catch fire at that time, and the capital to be attacked by enemies of unknown origin!"
"Your Majesty, perhaps we can rely solely on the First Army and the Witch Union to enter the Snow Mountain..." Carter suggested softly.
"In a dark cave with extremely complex terrain, the power of qiangzhi cannons is very limited," Roland interrupted him. "There are no pre-set ambush points, nor are there any maps for reference. If you encounter mixed breeds, how much casualties do you think the First Army will have to pay to repel those monsters?"
The Chief Knight was silent for a moment.
"This is the reason why we must cooperate in exploration—the God's Punishment Witches of Taquila and the Witch Union can complement each other. The First Army is responsible for the rearguard, and sentry posts are established at the key intersections that have been explored to ensure the smooth flow of the retreat route. This is the most secure approach." Roland paused and suddenly raised his voice, "Listen carefully, don't tell me how difficult it is to implement this plan, you are sitting here to solve difficulties! If you can't do it, the City Hall doesn't need people who can't meet my requirements!"
He looked towards the Chief of the City Hall, "Barovs. Mons!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The latter shivered.
"Are there still problems with the final accounts and logistics?"
"I think... no more," the old chief wiped the sweat from his face. "I'll come up with a plan in five days."
"Three days," Roland said unquestioningly. Then he turned his gaze to the Minister of Agriculture, "Ceny. Dali!"
"Here!"
"The grain reserves are not enough, transfer them from the Longsong District. There are plenty of cement ships, understand?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Karl. Vanbert!"
"Your Majesty, I will carefully check the geological stability of the mining areas and kiln groups to ensure that no collapse accidents occur," the Minister of Construction said quickly and proactively.
"Very good..." Roland smiled. "Then next."
...
This time, all the problems were readily solved. When the ministers realized that he was determined, the planned tasks were quickly distributed, and no one dared to shirk a word.
After determining the specific responsible persons, the next step was to determine the departure team.
As Pasha's voice directly rang in their minds, everyone was once again panicked. Fortunately, Roland's calm and composed scene of talking with the tentacle monster gave the ministers a trace of comfort, and they finally didn't do the embarrassing thing of jumping out of the window and fleeing.
Presumably thinking that since they had already promised His Majesty, they closed their eyes and listened with a firm heart. The ministers of various departments buried their heads, pretending to be in deep thought, but in reality, they were avoiding eye contact with the tentacle monster, as if that voice was not an ordinary conversation, but a hellish language that could seize people's minds.
Roland found this situation quite amusing.
Edith, who looked directly at the light curtain, became the most conspicuous one in the crowd.
Even sometimes, she would try to learn from Roland and have conversations with the high-level witches of Taquila.
Barovs also raised his head several times, seemingly not wanting his opponent to steal the limelight, but he never managed to interject a word.
Fortunately, Roland had already planned for this and did not need much participation from the City Hall.
In the end, Taquila agreed to send fifty God's Punishment Witches to fight alongside the main combatants of the Witch Union, and the First Army, commanded by Brian, would send five hundred people to participate in this operation.
The remaining troops stationed in Neverwinter City were temporarily handed over to Carter, who would continue to guard against sporadic attacks by demonic beasts on the border.
After reaching an agreement on the exploration plan, Roland was about to end the bilateral talks when Edith suddenly raised her hand.
"Your Majesty, I request to join the Snow Mountain exploration team and go to the Impassable Mountain Range in the West with the First Army."
Barovs twitched the corner of his mouth, "You are neither a witch nor a soldier, don't cause trouble for His Majesty."
"I have served as a swordsmanship instructor in the Knights Camp. It is difficult for ordinary people to last five rounds in my hands, and demonic beasts are no exception. I am fully capable of protecting myself," she said unmoved.
Roland asked, "What is the reason for your request?"
"The Battle of Divine Will is getting closer and closer, but few of the ministers present can tell what a demon looks like, or what the underground alien race is like. If you don't even know your opponents, how can you help you manage the City Hall? Some people may think that it is the First Army's business, and that their departments have nothing to do with the Battle of Divine Will, but the fact is that when the war starts, whether it is the Ministry of Construction or the Ministry of Agriculture, they will all be involved and serve the war—therefore, only by knowing the characteristics of the enemy and understanding who you are fighting against can you better share your burdens." Edith spoke eloquently.
"You..." The old chief wanted to refute, but he didn't know where to start.
Roland couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth. This was an interesting idea. Although it was a bit far-fetched, it suddenly gave him an idea—if he could turn her approach into a default rule, that is, if you want to go further on the path of power, you must be transferred to the front line or a city at war to gain promotion qualifications, it might be a good idea. In this way, at least he could ensure that the officials of the City Hall would not despise the Battle of Destiny, nor would they recklessly issue some outrageous and unrealistic orders.
In addition, Edith does have combat skills, and there is no harm in letting her follow the First Army.
Thinking of this, he nodded to the Pearl of the North.
"Then, prepare to depart."
"Yes, Your Majesty." She brushed a strand of hair that had fallen beside her ear and saluted with a smile.