The sun is shining brightly, the sea breeze is blowing, and looking at the boundless sea, anyone who sees this scene for the first time will feel a sense of majesty, relaxation and joy in their hearts.
Take a deep breath, breathe in the salty sea breeze, walk on the soft and comfortable beach, and look at the extremely happy people around you.
"Is this the shore of the tide? Is this the base of the Tsar, the most feared pirate in the Western Ocean?" The people in front of me, whether they are men, women, old or young, are all so carefree. They
They live in happiness every day, but perhaps their sorrow is just that they accidentally broke a beautiful cup, or they feel that the island is not big enough and is not as vast as the land.
Ryan sat on a wooden box in front of the pier, took a deep breath of his last cigarette, and exhaled a cloud of emotional smoke. It has been a long time since he and his companion Saga came to this island called 'Tideside'.
For a while, this place was far away from the mainland and almost isolated from the rest of the world. He has not yet entertained the idea of going back, because after staying there for so long, he still couldn't believe that the pirate giant's base was such a paradise on earth.
The people here are simple and kind, and the girls here are innocent and cute. There is no intrigue, indifference, and competition. When Ryan first came to this island, he was infected by the enthusiasm of the people here. They treated him like
Like a relative who has returned from afar, he is full of care and kindness.
"Hey, are you thirsty?" A coconut was thrown over, followed by a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl wearing a swimsuit: "I see you have been sitting here smoking for so long.
You must be thirsty and hungry. Drink quickly."
Seeing the smile on the girl's face, Ryan couldn't help but smile. He flicked his fingers on the coconut. With a 'thud' sound, a small hole popped out of the coconut shell. He took a long sip and licked the dryness.
The lips said: "How do you know that I am thirsty? Have you been paying attention to me?"
The girl was ashamed and ashamed when he said this, she lowered her head and said nothing. Sometimes she would speak even if she didn't speak.
Ryan took another sip and said: "The climate here is very good, but it's not hot anymore. You are wearing such cool clothes. Be careful and you may catch a cold."
"Thank you... thank you." The little girl kicked her feet in the sand and didn't dare to raise her head to look at him. She just said: "Why don't you play with us? Look at your friend. He is with us.
It was a lot of fun.”
Saga is a very dull person, always hiding something in his heart, but when he got here, he was so happy that he forgot about everything. He played with the people here every day and forgot all his worries.
"Don't you like it here?" The little girl finally couldn't help but raise her head and look at the handsome young man she fell in love with.
"I like here."
"Then why are you always alone?" the little girl asked curiously.
Ryan sighed: "Because I like this place so much. I always feel that this place is like a dream. It's so beautiful. It's so beautiful that I worry that this dream will break if I touch it."
The little girl took his hand and smiled: "This is not a dream. Come, come and play with us."
Ryan didn't want to resist, nor was he willing to resist. He was pulled into the crowd by this happy little girl, and they played games together. They played in the sand together and danced interesting and funny weird dances on the beach.
Happy days always pass faster in time. Unknowingly, dusk has fallen. The people on the island have returned to their residences, and Ryan and Saga also have their own residences.
"You guys had a lot of fun today." When they entered the room, there was already someone in the room. It was Outlet. He had never appeared since he sent them to this island, and he didn't come until this time.
meet them.
"Do you always like to break into other people's houses without permission?" Ryan sat down unhappily and poured himself a glass of water.
The house is a small wooden house, not too big or too small. It can accommodate two people without any problem.
Outlet didn't take it seriously and said calmly: "It seems that you like it here very much. I'm worried that you arrogant people will not be used to living on such a remote island."
Saga said: "I really can't believe that this is the residence of the Pirate Czar. The rumored group of bloodthirsty bandits who kill without batting an eye can actually live in such a beautiful place."
"Are you surprised?" Outles said: "Maxine and many of her subordinates like to live here. They were pirates when they went to sea, and they were no different from ordinary people when they came back. And the rumors you heard,
Many of them are just rumors, some people always like to exaggerate things, and exaggerated rumors will only become more and more bizarre."
"You seem to be saying that the Tsar is a good man, right?" Ryan asked.
Outrest smiled softly, neither answering nor denying, he just continued: "Maxine and the others don't live here most of the time, she has another place as their pirate habitat. However,
My coming here has nothing to do with them, I just want to ask you, do you still want revenge?"
"Of course." Ryan replied.
Outlet narrowed his eyes and looked at them: "You hesitated to answer."
Ryan said: "We will never change our determination for revenge."
Outlet sighed: "We are somewhat responsible for the fact that the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group has become what it is now."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ice Monk Saga was a little confused by his words.
Outlet said: "Actually, we are the ones who secretly hired you to go to the Blurred Realm."
Saga and Ryan were both stunned: "What, it's you!?"
"Don't be angry. The mission is entrusted by us, but the one who is willing to accept this mission is your captain. Don't vent your anger on me."
Ryan and Saga were indeed angry. The reason why the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group ended up like this was because they were commissioned to go to the Realm of Twilight. If not, how could they have ended up in this tragic scene.
Saga asked: "The Tsar's men are so powerful, why do they hire others to take risks in the ten forbidden places? Is it to find a scapegoat to help you clear the way?"
Outlets did not answer, but said: "This is not what you should ask. If you want revenge, can I help you?"
"We want to take revenge with our own hands and don't want to borrow others' hands," Ryan said.
"You misunderstood." Outlets said: "I don't like to help others deal with personal matters. What I mean by helping is making you stronger."
"Can you make us stronger?"
Outlet said: "I can't, but someone can. If you agree, I will take you to a place to meet a person in a few days, but you have to think clearly. After meeting that person, you will be ours.
Now, you have to completely get rid of your identity as the Iron-Blooded Mercenary Group, otherwise there is only a dead end."
Saga thought for a moment and asked, "What if we don't see that person."
"It's okay if you don't see me." Outlet said, "Do you still remember what I told you on the boat when we came here? When you come here, you have no freedom. You can only stay here for the rest of your life and cannot leave."
Ryan and Saga looked at each other and thought for a long time: "Okay, we agree to join you, but only after we take revenge."
Outlet shook his head and stood up and said: "You have no right to raise conditions. I'm leaving. I will pick you up in a few days."
…
St. Picea, the royal capital.
Under the current situation, Radat could not accept the defeat in front of him. More importantly, there was a real chance of victory in joining forces with the Holy Gripen Empire to attack Demon Moon. So after two days of thinking and Duan's persuasion, Radat decided to
Fight with the Demon Moon with all your strength, and at least sweep the Demon Moon back to the north of the Vulkan Mountains.
However, this matter was unanimously opposed by many old ministers, saying that the domestic political situation had just stabilized, and the king had not been in power for a long time, but his status was still unstable. In fact, he should first stabilize the country, eliminate rebellion, and calm people's hearts.
But Duan, who instigated Lada's special war, also had his own theory. He felt that it was precisely because of the instability of the domestic public that he should be tough on the outside world and use war to strengthen the cohesion of domestic forces and let the people at all levels unite with the outside world.
This also makes sense. There have been many examples in history of using foreign wars to unite the country and consolidate the stability of royal power. When external aggression made people uneasy, internal conflicts were quickly and temporarily subsided. Of course, most ministers opposed it.
War, there are some other ideas in it. After Radat took office, he vigorously purged some civil and military officials in the royal capital and the country, and appointed many of his cronies. However, there were many people inside and outside the royal capital who did not follow the trend and followed the iron-blooded prince.
Although these people did not follow Zalbog, they were not loyal to Radat. In fact, when Zalbog took over the power, they all had an ambiguous relationship with Zalbog. If Radat this time
Deciding to go on an all-out campaign and succeeding, the frontline soldiers won military honors and were naturally loyal to Radat. In this way, King Radat had his own trusted followers inside and soldiers who were loyal to him outside, so these still have a noble status.
, the old ministers who hold power naturally have no place to stand.
However, in fact, although the opponents have status and prestige, not all ministers are opposed to it. There are also many supporters who want to resist the national humiliation. Some of these people are public-spirited for the country, and some are selfish, letting their family members fight on the battlefield.
Those who have made great achievements in the past have even followed Du An and formed a faction of supporters.
Some people support and some oppose. Radat's decision to launch a war against Demon Moon has certain confidence, not to mention that he wants to establish his own authority from the bottom of his heart. In fact, Radat is not a monarch with great talents and strategies at all.
After taking office, his distrustful attitude towards the domestic political situation, foreign wars, repeated appointments and deployments of the army can be seen. He had been hiding in the shadow of Zalberg before, just to save his own life.
, to protect his throne, and now he wants to go to war with foreign countries, he just wants to consolidate himself. He does not really have any foresight or achievements.