When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

#672 - Hold on firmly, there is a way

"What kind of Saintly Grandson is he? Does he even qualify as a saint?!"

Cerromis hurled the letter in her hand to the ground, still furious as she roared at Novia before her.

Novia picked at her ear, nonchalantly saying, "Why are you yelling at me? Go find Otadila. This isn't my decision."

"The Demon Hunter Corps attacked the Avis Temple, and it has fallen! Now, Solla Fort is an isolated city, and all the pressure from the front lines is on me!

Otadila is still trying to persuade me to sign the Black Serpent Bay Joint Declaration, acknowledging some kind of federation and tariffs! Isn't this just taking advantage of the situation?"

Cerromis pointed at the letter on the ground, her chest heaving violently, anger almost driving her to lose her mind.

Novia yawned lazily, completely unconcerned by her rage, and slowly said, "Lord Hohn's attitude is written clearly in the letter. Whether it's taking advantage of the situation or not isn't important to me. What's important is that I've been flying all day, and my hair is all tangled. Do you have a decent bathroom here so I can take a shower first?"

"Novia!" Cerromis stamped her foot in anger. "Do you know what time it is? The Avis Temple is gone! We're isolated and without help!"

"Alright, alright, stop yelling. I'm the one who told you the news," Novia waved her hand dismissively. "If you're angry, be angry at Otadila. I'm just the messenger.

You've seen the Saintly Grandson's demands and conditions. I can't make decisions about this. I'm not the Savior Army.

Anyway, you have a few hours to consider. After I take a shower and get some sleep, I'll leave before dawn. Let me know when you've made a decision."

"Don't leave!" Cerromis reached out to stop her, but Novia easily bypassed her. "Explain yourself first. What exactly did Otadila say?"

"Don't worry, I'll come see you after I shower," Novia said, waving as she walked away. "But, Cerromis, let me give you a piece of advice. Think carefully.

Once the church reaches the gates of Tiannv City, you won't even be qualified to negotiate with that Saintly Grandson."

After Novia left, Cerromis stared fixedly at the floor, took a deep breath, and tried to suppress the anger in her heart.

She glanced coldly at the letter on the ground, took another deep breath, then called for a servant and told them to arrange for Novia to rest in the inner fort.

"Go and summon all the combatant Mystic Party wizards and commanders." Picking up the letter from the ground, Cerromis sat cross-legged in front of the low table, re-reading it as she turned to give instructions, her voice as cold as the winter night wind. "Immediately!"

............

Inside the grand conference hall, the lights flickered, the long table was piled with maps and documents, shadows twisted and turned on the walls, and the air was filled with the strange smell of rosin and oil lamps.

Cerromis sat upright in the main seat, looking around at the Mystic Party members and officers at the table.

Everyone knew the situation in Solla Fort, but no one spoke first.

"The Avis Temple has fallen," Cerromis said bluntly. "Now Solla Fort is an isolated city. Once the surrounding church armies gather, we will probably face twice as many troops as we do now. What do you all think?"

The castle hall, warm but sweltering, was now as cold as winter.

"We still have time," an elderly wizard stood up, trying to ease the atmosphere. "If we hold firm, there will be a way!"

"Hold firm?!" A young officer interrupted him directly, his voice urgent. "With the temple lost, the Red Dragon's Breath can't be transported from the rear. Once the Red Dragon's Breath is used up, how will we defend?"

"Then what do you suggest? Abandon the city and run?" A wizard family head retorted coldly. "We've worked so hard to build this place for so many years. Every stone in Solla Fort and every acre of land in the Southern County is soaked with our blood and sweat. Just give it up like that? I can't accept that!"

"Then tell me a way!" The young officer slammed the table. "I don't believe we can fight to the end with our limited forces! Be rational. We should think about how to preserve our strength..."

"Rational? How can you ask me to be rational?!" Cerromis slammed the table, her voice drowning out everyone's arguments. "Solla Fort is the last line of defense for the Southern County. If we abandon it, where will we go?"

Everyone was momentarily speechless, and the conference hall fell into a brief silence.

"In that case, why don't we invite the Savior Army?" A more neutral councilor said. "No matter what, they are also anti-church. Compared to the church, at least they are not our mortal enemies."

"No!" Someone immediately objected. "What if the Savior Army comes? The Avis Temple has already fallen. At most, they will only hold the border of the Central County. Submitting now is just giving away benefits and claims for nothing."

"But at least the Savior Army is anti-church," another voice retorted. "At least Hohn is anti-church. It's better to give the Southern County to the Savior Army than to the church. If we don't have a good time, the church shouldn't have a good time either."

"Old He Wu has a fair point..."

Amid the increasingly fierce arguments, Cerromis stared at the letter in front of her without saying a word.

As a Fran, Cerromis was absolutely against the church. Even if Hohn was a church heretic, he was still a member of the Misella Church.

But the problem now was that the nobles were unwilling to negotiate peace as they had in the past, because this time they had come to occupy land.

Unlike before, when they only wanted to force the Mystic Party to cede benefits and control their numbers.

The Southern County, due to the benefits of border trade, and after the development by Cerromis and other Mystic Party members, the sweet branch and spice plantations had become quite large.

Thanks to the hard work of the Mystic Party, the overall economic level of the Southern County was the highest in the entire Black Serpent Bay, which was why Athena and others were unwilling to hand over tariffs.

But now, not to mention tariffs, even the pass was almost gone.

Cerromis was unwilling to give the fruits of her development to the Fran Church just like that, but the Hohn Church in the north was also a church.

At this time, a Black Serpent Bay warrior leader stood up and said to the silent Cerromis, "Your Excellency, I propose that the officers sent by Lord Hohn to provide support participate in the discussion. Perhaps they will give us some new suggestions."

Cerromis narrowed her eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and nodded, "Alright."

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A moment later, a young officer named Danio was brought into the conference hall.

After giving a simple salute to Cerromis, he said directly, "Everyone, I am very aware of your situation and understand your concerns.

But what I want to say is that His Majesty is by no means a plunderer. The Savior Army can take the Avis Temple within ten days and support Solla Fort."

"Ten days?" Cerromis stared at him, her voice low. "Are you sure it's ten days?"

An old wizard in the corner said slowly, "Tsk, taking the temple in ten days, alas, compared to Lord Hohn, Misella's methods are a bit weak."

Low laughter spread around the table, and Danio glared at the crowd.

Stepping forward, Danio looked directly into Cerromis's eyes: "Confidence comes from strength, Your Excellency Cerromis.

I want to reiterate that the Church of the Holy Father will be a tolerant church. As long as you are anti-papal, we will not interfere with your freedom of belief.

If you do not want to continue in the future, you can even withdraw from the Black Serpent Bay Federation through a referendum, but now is a time of war and we must unite."

Cerromis did not answer, and the others in the hall did not dare to reply either.

She tapped the table lightly with her fingertips, her eyes fixed on the map, her brow furrowed slightly, her white and slender hands clenched and released several times, finally resting on the armrest of the chair, her knuckles slightly white from the force.

After a long silence, she sighed, as if blowing away all the suppressed emotions in the sigh: "Prepare yourselves, send away all the young wizards from the various Mystic Parties."

The next morning, the sun only showed a red halo on the horizon, and Novia hovered by the high walls of the fortress, bidding farewell to Cerromis.

"This time, I'm afraid it's a permanent farewell," Cerromis said with a complex expression, looking up at Novia's back.

"Don't say that kind of thing." Frowning, Novia was uncharacteristically serious for once. "That Saintly Grandson is a man of his word. If you sign the Black Serpent Bay Joint Declaration, he will definitely come back to save you."

Cerromis sighed and murmured, "I know he will come back to save me, but..."

She shook her head, did not continue, and just waved for Novia to leave.

Watching Novia's gradually receding back, Cerromis said softly, "Taking the Avis Temple within ten days... Holding firm, there will be a way... What's the difference?"