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Chapter 56: Ending

"You are not the Lord of the Abyss, you are the Fallen Mother Goddess!"

A roar echoed in the air, but no one heard it except the two archbishops and Count Fulais, who had been mutated beyond recognition.

Along with the roar, there was a dazzling light carrying huge energy that hit Count Fules hard.

After a silent explosion, the place where Count Fulais was standing had completely sunk, and Count Fulais, who was originally standing, was completely blown into pieces.

"it's over!"

Archbishop Aistin closed his eyes and sighed slightly.

...

"Is this… is this the end?"

Roselle looked at Fessomon in disbelief.

Fesom nodded helplessly and explained:

"Although I don't know why, this matter is indeed over! The disaster is over!"

Roselle was in a daze, not paying any attention to Fesomon who had left.

As soon as I returned to the Artisan Church from the Fifth Block, I heard the captain announce that the crisis of the evil god's arrival had been resolved.

This made Russell feel unreal.

Although it lasted for a short time, so many people died at once, and one fragile life after another passed by right before our eyes.

"well!"

Russell looked at his clothes that were covered in dust and wrinkled by himself, tugged them gently, dusted them off, and then walked out the door.

...

"Honestly, there is an indescribable feeling!"

Roselle held a glass of wine and looked at Dumel with lifeless eyes.

At this moment, Roselle was at a reception held by the Conservative Party, which was ostensibly to celebrate the "successful" resolution of the disaster, but in reality to respond to the accusations of the radicals.

Because most of the slums are controlled by conservatives, as soon as this incident was over, these politicians began to blame each other and used this incident to attack each other in order to achieve their own political goals.

As for post-disaster reconstruction and other issues, that is the people's own business.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that the official explanation for this disaster is that a group of blood cult lunatics spread a mutated rabies virus, causing many people to suddenly become extremely aggressive.

At first, Russell was a little surprised that people in this world actually knew about viruses, but then he remembered that Luo Ermo had told him that he could see the spiritual body of creatures behind Luo Ermo's path, so there should be viruses as well! In this way, knowing about viruses is not so strange.

In fact, Roselle was not interested in the verbal battles among these politicians, but he did not expect that the radical Adolf would just make a feint. Instead of using this incident to continue attacking the conservatives, he advised the king to divert the conflicts in the capital through war.

Adolf believed that a perfect victory should inspire the confidence of the people and dilute the sadness brought by the disaster. The key point was that the king was moved, which was the fundamental reason why the conservative "gentlemen" gathered here.

"That's 30,000 people!"

Russell was filled with emotion.

This is the number of people who died in the ghetto, and many more were injured and displaced.

"Ha! What's there to be sad about? This is an extraordinary world!"

Du Meir said with a disdainful curl of his lips.

"Hey! I just feel that these people believe in this god and that god all day long, but when the disaster comes, who cares about them?"

Russell rolled his eyes and explained.

"That's because you don't know. I think a righteous god must have intervened, otherwise this matter wouldn't have ended so unclearly!"

"Intis has so many believers who praise the craftsmen and the sun all day long. Do you think it's all in vain? If the evil god really comes, the two true gods will definitely not sit idly by!"

Du Meier thought for a moment and reminded again:

『

"But you should also pay attention. I once heard a saying: Believe in God's power, but don't believe in His mercy!"

This is because Roselle is a member of the Orthodox Church, so Dumer specifically reminded him.

"Don't believe in His mercy!"

Russell repeated it in a low voice and nodded in agreement.

"By the way! I'm leaving Trier!"

Du Meier took a sip of the red wine in the goblet and said to Roselle with a seductive look.

"Where are you going?"

Roselle looked at Dumel in confusion.

Because he was curious about Dumel's identity and for his own safety, Roselle had asked Lolmed to find out where Ms. Dumel was, but there was no news so far, including the pattern on the tortoise shell.

Roselle even suspected that Zaratul and his organization were being besieged by some Orthodox church.

"I don't know yet! But I can't stay in Trier anymore!"

Du Meier said somewhat helplessly.

"Can't stay? What happened? Have you been discovered by people from the two major churches?"

Apart from these two forces, Roselle couldn't think of anyone else who could have made Sequence 6 Dumel leave Trier and hide.

Oh, yes, there is still the eighth game!

Roselle glanced at Florent, who was mingling with the main members of the conservatives not far away. Roselle did not expect that this guy was from the eighth inning.

"No! If I were discovered, would I still be standing here talking to you?"

Dumer put down the cup in his hand, approached Roselle and said:

"However, the two major churches have indeed stepped up their efforts to search for members of the Blood Worship Cult in the past few days, which has also affected me a little, and..."

Dumel blinked at Russell and asked:

"Aren't you curious about which organization I belong to?"

Roselle shrugged. He was not surprised that Dumel was a member of an organization. It was hard to believe that a Beyonder lurking beside a noble would kill Roselle without any purpose.

"Curious so what? Can you tell me?"

"Why not?"

Du Meier smoothed his hair and continued:

"I used to be a member of the Witch Cult, but because of a disagreement with their ideology, I finally escaped. There were a few people with me, and one of them is now buried in the north of the city!"

When saying this, Dumel's mouth was almost close to Roselle's ear, but Roselle did not feel excited, but felt a chill all over his body.

"Witch Cult? Never heard of it!"

Roselle pretended to be calm and changed the subject to ask about the Witch Cult.

"Why are you panicking? I don't blame you!"

Du Meier saw that Russell looked nervous and explained:

"That person was disobedient. We left the Witch Cult originally because we wanted to get rid of the kind of life that took pleasure in the suffering of others, but in the end..."

"well!"

Du Meier shook his head and continued:

"Let's not talk about him! I don't know when I'll be back this time! Won't you miss me?"

Du Meier gently pressed his body against Roselle, then put his hand on Roselle's face, looking at him lovingly.

Russell looked around guiltily, and after making sure that no one was paying attention, he lowered his head.

『

Chapter 57 Florent's Invitation

As soon as Roselle had comforted Dumel, she left. Roselle even wondered if Dumel came to the banquet just to stay for a while before leaving.

Roselle, who was wandering around aimlessly, accidentally caught a glimpse of a corner. Looking at Florent who was alone not far away, Roselle walked over quickly.

"Monsieur Florent!"

Roselle greeted him warmly, and even hoped that the people nearby would see it and remember it. It would be even better if they could subconsciously think that he and Florent had a good relationship.

"Roselle, how are you these days?"

Florent obviously knew about what Roselle had done at the Artisan Church.

"Oh! That's terrible! I thought I was going to die there!"

Russell shook his head and laughed.

"Yes! This time it's really too dangerous. The kingdom hasn't experienced such a big crisis in a long time!"

Florent also sighed.

Roselle looked at Florian, not knowing whether Florian was truly moved or had some other thoughts.

"By the way, Mr. Florent, is the kingdom really going to war?"

Roselle frowned. He still didn't like war. Only a stable environment would be conducive to Roselle's industrial development plan.

"It's basically confirmed!"

Florent nodded, his mouth corners slightly raised, staring at Russell and asked:

"Shouldn't you be thankful? This is a great opportunity for every noble to rise! If you can seize the opportunity, it may not be impossible for the Gustav family to rise to a higher level."

There was a hint of surprise in Roselle's eyes. In Roselle's opinion, since Florian was willing to attend the conservative banquet, he should be willing to support the conservatives. Why was he so interested in this war?

"Don't be surprised!"

Florent saw the surprise in Roselle's eyes, pointed to the ladies and gentlemen dancing in the hall and said:

"Do you think they came here to stop the king? No! They came here to see how to gain the most benefit from this war."

"In fact, whether it is the conservatives or the radicals, they are all made up of nobles. They don't care whether the kingdom will go to war or with whom. They only care whether the war will bring them benefits and who to go to war with to bring the greatest benefits!"

"But Viscount Drilose and his men were still working hard to stop the war!"

Russell showed confusion on his face, and suddenly felt that he couldn't understand these politicians.

"No, no, no! Roselle, you got one thing wrong. They are not trying to stop the war, but to stop the radicals!"

Florent smiled slightly and drank the wine in his glass without rushing to explain.

"Now that the king has made up his mind, the conservatives can no longer stop him, so the only thing they can do is to try to gain benefits from it?"

Roselle was not stupid, and being born into a baron family, he had some political sense.

Florent nodded and continued:

"Yes! What these conservatives are really worried about is that after the radicals achieve their goals, they will take the opportunity to expand their power and threaten their own positions."

"I'm afraid Joseph is the only one who is worried about whether the war will bring disaster to civilians and the kingdom."

Roselle suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Joseph was not seen at this banquet. Roselle was previously wondering why Joseph, as the leader of the conservatives, would be absent from such a banquet to discuss how to deal with the radicals.

It now seems that these conservative nobles united around Joseph simply to use Joseph's status and ability to protect their own interests.

『

"The purpose of today's banquet is..."

Russell asked tentatively. As a marginal figure, people invited him only out of courtesy and did not really treat him as one of their own.

"Today they came here mainly to discuss how to tear a piece of meat from the radicals!"

Florent didn't hesitate and told Roselle directly.

This made Roselle feel a little alert, and Florent's attitude made Roselle feel a little strange.

The two had only met twice. To Florian, Roselle was actually just a stranger. Why should he tell Roselle so much?

"Mr. Florent, are you sure I can join you to fight against the radicals? I feel like there shouldn't be much difference between one more me and one less me!"

Roselle looked into Florent's eyes, trying to see something from his expression.

"Don't panic!"

As if to ease the suddenly tense atmosphere, Florent shrugged his shoulders and said with a smile:

"Didn't you try to get me to invest in your factory before? I just think you're worth investing in, that's all!"

"Mr. Florent, you are joking. I am just the heir of a baron."

Although he didn't know what Florian saw in him, Roselle didn't think there was anything about him that was worthy of Florian's winning him over.

"You know what? The king knows your name now!"

In order to make Roselle believe what he said, Florent directly threw a big bomb.

"ah?"

Roselle's hand, which was about to put down the cup, suddenly froze. He really didn't understand how he could have attracted the king's attention.

If Roselle remembered correctly, the only thing he had in common with the king was that they were both nobles, but that was all.

"Don't be surprised!"

At this point, Florent suddenly became excited.

"To be honest, I really admire your creative ideas. Revolver, do you still remember?"

As soon as Florent mentioned the revolver, Roselle understood what was going on.

It should be that Ryan's revolver was successfully developed, and the king learned about this weapon of war from the Craftsman Church.

As long as the officers in the army are not stupid, they can see the huge impact of this epoch-making firearm on the war.

"I remember, but it was developed by the people of the Artisan Church. If we want to find you, we should go to the church!"

Although this was a great opportunity to integrate into the conservative faction, Russell did not intend to get involved foolishly.

The water is too deep in this matter. Russell is a small person with weak arms and legs. Who knows if he will die inexplicably.

"Not a revolver. Although it is very powerful, it is still too small to be used in war! The king probably hopes that you can create more powerful weapons, such as improving artillery or something like that."

After hearing Florian's explanation, Roselle gradually understood, but after thinking for a long time, he still did not give any clear answer to the solicitation implied in Florian's words.

Roselle was still a little wary of Florian. How could a member of the Sauron family get mixed up with a group of nobles?

What exactly is Florent? Does he represent his own interests or the interests of a certain group?

Roselle thought it would be better to consult Baron Gustav, as Baron Gustav was the expert on political matters.

Chapter 58: Hard to Find Backers

The stars were twinkling, and Russell sat in the carriage looking up at the sky, feeling inexplicably melancholy.

Coming to this world in a daze and encountering these troublesome things, Roselle suddenly felt that his journey to another world was not as wonderful as he had imagined when he first arrived.

"well!"

Roselle sighed and withdrew his gaze from the sky. The carriage had arrived at the door of his house and he could get off.

"Roselle!"

Hearing the voice, Roselle turned around and saw that it was Fesommon.

"Captain? What brings you here so late?"

Roselle looked at Fesomon squatting on the side of the road, who had obviously been waiting for a while.

Fesom slowly stood up and walked to Roselle.

"Let me tell you that Deacon Taylor will be here tomorrow and you should go to the church to see him."

"Go to the church to find Deacon Taylor? What's going on?"

Roselle frowned and looked at Fessomon with some worry.

"It shouldn't be a big deal. Anyway, I don't have any missions these days."

Fesomone's words made Roselle's brows relax a little.

"Okay, I'll go there tomorrow morning! Why would you bother to come all the way to my house for such a small matter?"

Russell invited.

"It's okay, it's not too far away, I won't go in. It's getting late, I have to go back quickly!"

Fesommon pointed at the dark sky and left without staying any longer.

Watching Fesomon's departing back, Roselle opened his mouth to ask whether the Fesomon Church would participate in this war, but he swallowed the words back.

The main reason was that Russell felt that Fesomon might not be very clear about this matter, so he might as well go and ask Deacon Taylor tomorrow.

No longer thinking about the church, Roselle knocked on Baron Gustav's door.

"Come in!"

A familiar and majestic voice came, and Russell felt inexplicably relieved.

"Father, Florent came to see me again at the conservative dinner today..."

Roselle told Baron Gustav everything that happened tonight and asked about his doubts.

"Obviously, the conservatives hope to obtain better weapons from you so as to gain greater benefits in the war."

"Florent has definitely consulted with the conservatives. This should be the result of their joint discussion."

Baron Gustav gave his opinion based on experience.

"And what about Florent? Will it do him any good?"

Russell continued to ask.

"I'm not sure. I don't know much about this Florent. I have never heard of him before. There should be no one in the Soran family who is active in politics."

Baron Gustav was very sure that he had not made any mistakes in these things after so many years of ups and downs in Intis politics.

"Should I agree to them?"

Roselle looked at Baron Gustav and asked.

Roselle could still shirk or even refuse Florent's solicitation, but once the king's order came down, it was not something Roselle could refuse.

As a noble appointed by the king, Roselle was obliged to do these things for the king. Unless most of the nobles objected, Roselle had no power to refuse.

And at this stage, no one will help Roselle to fight against the king's will.

Baron Gustav looked at Roselle and did not answer immediately. Instead, he sighed and remained silent for a while.

"Whether you agree or not, it will not be a good thing for you or our family."

After a long silence, Baron Gustav spoke.

"Our family is too small. If we join either side, we will be easily eaten up, and there will be no balance between the two forces. So I think you need a strong backer to support you."

Looking at the silent Roselle, Baron Gustav said earnestly:

"To be honest, I didn't expect you to develop so quickly. In my opinion, it's already great that you can hold the position of chief."

Russell smiled bitterly. If possible, he didn't want to be like this. Who could have thought that inventing a revolver would lead to such a mess?

"In fact, I just gave some advice to a person in the Artisan Church. He was the one who made the new weapon."

Russell shook his head and laughed.

"Yes! They are from the church. Even the Soran royal family dare not order them around at will. But you are different. Regardless of whether you are from the Craftsman Church or not, you are first of all a noble appointed by the king. It is your responsibility to serve the king."

Baron Gustav said a few words casually, but this gave Roselle a new idea.

If the Artisan Church is willing to shelter Roselle, then why should we worry so much?

"Father, does the Church of Craftsmen need industrial inventions?"

Roselle thought that since papermaking and printing could bring the universalist potion, then couldn't other technologies also bring a status or protection?

"I think so! I'm not sure."

Baron Gustav thought about it and did not give a definite answer.

Back in the room, Russell did not rush to bed, but took out a piece of paper.

By the way, this piece of paper was produced by Roselle's own factory.

Now Roselle's factory has started production, and to Roselle's surprise, papermaking makes much more money than printing.

Because there is little demand for printing now, the printing work in the factory will be idle from time to time. Roselle is thinking about whether he should ask the bishop of the Artisan Church if he has any plans to print the church scriptures.

"If you ask what is the most important thing in the industrial age, it's the steam engine! If I invent the steam engine, I think the God of Craftsmen will personally give me an award!"

Russell muttered to himself while writing and drawing on paper.

The structure of the steam engine improved by Watt in his previous life was actually not very complicated. With what he had in his mind and combined with current technology, he felt that it should not be a problem to build a steam engine by hand.

"There should be many people like Ryan in the Artisan Church. Maybe we can ask them for help."

Russell stopped the charcoal pencil in his hand and set his sights on Ryan.

Russell had seen Ryan's hands-on ability with his own eyes. Ever since he learned about the revolver, he had been working day and night to rub it out with his hands.

Including bullets, there are no various lathes nowadays that can accurately turn out parts. Ryan made them all bit by bit.

"Oh, by the way, we can invent some necessary hydraulic lathes. They can be used not only for steam engines, but also for making weapons when the king orders us to do so."

Thinking of this, Russell picked up another piece of paper and wrote it down, but he was not in a hurry to draw a picture immediately.

Anyway, the king had just made up his mind, and judging by the efficiency of those gentlemen, there was still a long time before the war actually began, so Roselle was not in a hurry.

Chapter 59: The Church's Concerns

The next morning, Russell arrived at St. Douglas Church.

When Roselle walked into the magnificent church and saw the people praying inside, he remembered that if the underground was not counted, he, a believer of the God of Craftsmen, had only been here once and had never prayed to the God of Craftsmen.

"What a sin! What a sin!"

While muttering some words he had learned from some Buddha, Roselle placed a triangular holy emblem on his chest.

Thinking that Deacon Taylor was not in a hurry, Russell simply found an empty seat and sat down, and began to pray with the bishop.

When Russell lowered his head and emptied his mind, he gradually realized that the troubles he had been having in the past few days didn't seem to be very serious.

After sitting there for more than ten minutes with his mind empty, Russell walked through the long corridor with a smile on his face to the room where Deacon Taylor was.

"Deacon Taylor!"

Russell knocked on the door.

It seemed that Deacon Taylor had been waiting for Russell to come. As soon as Russell put down his hand, Deacon Taylor opened the door.

"It's not a big deal to ask you to come here. The main thing is that the king wants to invite you to attend the dance party at the White Maple Palace."

Deacon Taylor handed an invitation letter to Russell and said.

Russell nodded, took the invitation, and waited for Deacon Taylor's next words. It was just an invitation, even if it was issued by the king himself, it was not worth Deacon Taylor telling him personally.

"The king hopes that you can help Intis's army improve its artillery, rifles, and other gunpowder weapons."

At this point, Deacon Taylor sighed and paused for two or three seconds before continuing:

"Of course, this is between you and the king. The church will not get involved."

Russell was silent for a while, and did not continue the topic. He asked:

"Will the church also participate in this war?"

Compared to the order that the king was about to issue, Roselle was more concerned about the attitude of the church. If the church participated in this war, the nature of the war would be completely different.

"No, this is just the king's own choice. Neither of the two major churches will help the king's army to start a war."

Deacon Taylor replied in the affirmative.

"That's good!"

Roselle breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the church did not join the war, it would just be a minor fight. After all, the churches in other countries were not pushovers. If the king went too far, the church would not turn a blind eye.

Deacon Taylor looked at Roselle, who was secretly relieved. He also knew Roselle's attitude towards this war, and said kindly:

"You are a noble, and the matter between you and the king originally only involved politics, but now you are also a member of the church, so some things are more sensitive."

"What does the deacon mean?"

Russell looked at Deacon Taylor's kind face, but he had a bad feeling in his heart.

"It is well known that our church is good at making various weapons. If the weapons that appear on the battlefield come from the Artisan Church, the church will be in a passive position!"

Deacon Taylor hesitated and tried a more euphemistic approach.

What does it mean?

Russell looked at Deacon Taylor and suddenly felt abandoned.

Deacon Taylor's meaning was very clear. If the people who developed the weapons were not from the Craftsman Church, then things would be very simple.

"You mean to ask me to leave the Artisan Church?"

Deacon Taylor looked at Russell, who had a lonely look in his eyes, and shook his head slightly.

"You are an excellent inventor, with unique ideas and good at creation. In fact, we hope that you can give up your noble status and join the Craftsman Church completely."

Russell was stunned for a moment. He had never expected this approach.

but...

How could Roselle completely abandon his noble status?

The Gustav family only has Roselle as a descendant. If Roselle dares to do this, Baron Gustav will probably be so angry that he will have a cerebral hemorrhage.

"What if not? Let me leave the church?"

Russell looked at Deacon Taylor, unwilling to believe that things had come to this point.

"Alas! Actually, it's not necessary."

Deacon Taylor sighed helplessly and said to Russell:

"The main reason is that the church does not want to face pressure from other churches. This is a very troublesome thing, so the church hopes to avoid this situation as much as possible. If..."

Deacon Taylor paused, then continued:

"If other churches had no objection, there would be no need for this!"

But is this possible?

Russell was deeply skeptical about this, as the relationship between churches might not be as good as it seemed.

But do I have to leave the Church of Craftsmen?

To be honest, Roselle was reluctant to leave the Fesomon team, and even more reluctant to leave the resources of the Craftsman Church. In addition, Roselle also promised Zaratul that he would help him get something from the Craftsman Church.

"You can take your time to think about it. Don't rush to reply. However, no matter what your final answer is, you can get a Sequence 8 potion from the Artisan Church. This is what you deserve!"

Deacon Taylor did not ask Roselle to give an answer immediately. Instead, he took out a piece of paper and handed it to Roselle. On it was the potion formula for a Sequence 8 archaeologist of the Universal Path.

At the same time, Deacon Taylor also said that if Roselle needed it, the church could provide Roselle with potions at any time.

Roselle did not refuse. He took the potion formula and put it in his pocket. He was not in a hurry to advance to Sequence 8 as he had not yet digested the generalist potion!

"Deacon Taylor, if, I mean if!"

Russell looked at Deacon Taylor with fiery eyes and said:

"This weapon was invented by you, and you just happened to improve the weapon the king needed before the war. So what will the church do?"

Deacon Taylor was also stunned, as if he had not expected Russell to ask this, but he reacted in just a moment.

"Roselle, you should know the answer. We are all adults and should understand these things!"

Deacon Taylor didn't give a direct answer, but Russell already understood.

"If I could invent a machine that would change the whole world, what would that do to the church?"

Deacon Taylor was really surprised this time. His pupils couldn't help but dilate. He seemed to understand what the archbishop meant.

"I don't know what will happen, but if nothing unexpected happens, God should personally send down an oracle to tell us what to do."

Having said that, Deacon Taylor pointed to a triangular holy emblem on his chest.

"Oh? It's my pleasure!"

Roselle was confident that once the steam engine came out, he would become a favorite of the Church of Craftsmen, and magic potions would not be a problem in the future.

"I look forward to your work!"

Deacon Taylor nodded, with a hint of expectation in his eyes.

"Deacon Taylor, do you have anything else to say?"

Russell was now eager to go back and continue his steam engine project.

"Well... there is one more question, it's my personal one!"

Deacon Taylor hesitated for a moment before asking his question.

"It's clearly held in the right hand, so why is it called a revolver?"

Deacon Taylor had already asked Ryan this question. Ryan said that it was Russell who gave the name and it has been used ever since, and he didn't know why.

"ah?"

Roselle's expression froze on his face, and for a moment he didn't know how to explain

Chapter 60 A Real Man Should Be Like This

Roselle glanced at the food on the table and really didn't understand the eating habits of these nobles.

Roasted swan, pancakes stuffed with goat eggs, Russell felt that braised chicken feet on the table were better than these things.

"Is this the White Maple Palace banquet?"

Roselle sighed, and his impression of the mysterious Baifeng Palace diminished a bit.

This party was specially organized for the king to discuss the details of the war.

Of course, it doesn't mean that the king's ministers discussed state affairs while dancing, but they danced after the discussion.

Russell was not eligible to participate in the previous stage, but the king did not let Russell miss the ball. Instead, he asked Russell to find him after the ball.

"This gentleman looks very unfamiliar!"

Just as Russell was strolling around alone with nothing to do, a beautiful woman dressed gorgeously came over.

Russell glanced around and noticed that no one was paying attention, then he walked up to him generously.

...

"Mr. Lormo, right?"

As soon as he returned home, Luo Ermo met a stranger at the door.

"Who are you?"

Luo Ermo looked at the person coming vigilantly, with the paper figure already in his hand.

"My name is Chuck Yeager, and I'm a member of the Secret Order. I'll be in charge of keeping in touch with you from now on!"

Luo Ermo did not relax his vigilance, but asked:

"What secret order?"

Who knows if this person was sent by the Eighth Bureau to test him? If this person who calls himself Chuck cannot provide evidence to prove his identity, Lormo will never admit his identity.

"So alert!"

Chuck didn't seem to expect Lormo to be so cautious, and for a moment he didn't know what to do.

"I can't prove my identity. I came here today to give you what you want as soon as possible. Didn't you ask for information about the Moss Ascetic Order and the Witch Path?"

"Since you don't trust me, I'll come back to you after I've established contact with your men in a few days!"

After saying that, Chuck left without giving Lormo a chance to speak.

Luo Ermo looked at Chuck's receding back and did not speak for a long time.

...

"Mr. Russell, please come this way!"

Following the guards through the front half of the White Maple Palace, Roselle finally felt the luxury of the king's life.

"A real man should be like this!"

Russell couldn't help but sigh in his heart as he stood outside the door waiting for the guards to report.

"Mr. Roselle, His Majesty the King invites you in!"

The guard who brought Roselle here said something to Roselle and left, leaving the rest to the guard on duty at the door.

"please!"

The guard was very polite and he must have received many ministers before.

After pushing the door open, the guard bowed and walked out after completing his mission, closing the door behind him.

In front of Roselle was a somewhat old king, sitting behind a red-painted table with his eyes closed as if he was meditating.

This should be the king's study, Roselle guessed.

"Your Majesty, Roselle Gustav is here to see you!"

By candlelight, Roselle could see the paleness of the king's temples, and his old face, whose skin had lost its elasticity and was covered with wrinkles.

Hearing the voice, the king opened his eyes and his captivating gaze fell on Roselle.

When Roselle saw the king open his eyes, he quickly bent down and lowered his head, his body trembling slightly with excitement.

In fact, this is completely different from the calm and composed attitude that Russell had in mind before he came in. It can only be said that this is an instinct.

"It doesn't matter. The king and I are equal in personality. No! At least I won't start a war without reason. My personality is even higher than the king's!"

Russell thought silently in his heart that this moment he was taking the Ah Q spirit to the extreme.

"You are Roselle, you are indeed a handsome man!"

As expected, the king gave him some compliments first. Although Roselle knew that they were just nice words, he still felt very happy about it.

"Your Majesty, you are too kind!"

"No, no, no! Roselle, you probably underestimated your role in the kingdom!"

The king stood up from his seat and walked around the table to stand in front of Roselle.

"You know what? Your weapons will bring huge benefits to the entire kingdom and the Gustav family. This will make the boys in the Intis army even more powerful!"

The king patted Roselle on the shoulder and looked at him affirmatively.

Roselle was somewhat at a loss for words by the king, and could only reply politely:

"I just provided some small ideas. The main thing is that the craftsmanship of the people in the Artisan Church is exquisite enough."

Don't be in a hurry to take credit for the work, and don't be in a hurry to issue a military order, exaggerating the difficulty of the task as much as possible.

This is the political rule that Baron Gustav taught Roselle.

Roselle agreed with this. If Roselle took on the task of manufacturing new weapons, if any problems arose, it would be Roselle's fault.

Since the king's orders cannot be escaped, try to gain as much benefit from them as possible.

"No need to be modest. You should know why I'm looking for you."

The king turned around and returned to the table and sat down.

"I hope you can improve the cannons and muskets, and most importantly, how to produce these weapons quickly!"

' said the King, rather anxiously.

In fact, the disaster in Trier can only be said to be a fuse. The real reason why the king wanted to start a war was that the domestic economic situation was not very good, people in many areas were starving, and many people had begun to be dissatisfied with the king.

So the king hoped for a great victory to consolidate his position and solve the domestic financial problems at the same time.

"Your Majesty, you also know how long it took the people of the Craftsman Church to make that revolver. Even for such skilled people, it took a lot of effort. In such a short time, this... I really have no way to do it!"

Roselle began to complain that if the king was going to get something for nothing like this, he would just quit.

"Think of a solution!"

The king tapped the table with his fingers.

Roselle looked at the table and saw a letter of appointment appointing Roselle as a court baron.

"That's it?"

Roselle cursed in his heart and cursed the king for being stingy.

The so-called court baron is an honorary title with no aristocratic privileges or fiefdoms, only a name.

Seeing that Russell didn't say anything, the king continued to raise the stakes and said:

"Once you succeed in developing it, I will appoint you as a second lieutenant in the Kingdom Guard!"

Roselle curled his lips secretly and sighed at the king's stinginess.

The Kingdom Guard was stationed in Trier. It was an elite force that protected the capital. A second lieutenant was considered quite good, especially for someone from a poor family like Roselle.

As for whether the Kings will default on their debts, Russell is not worried.

Roselle planned to develop the steam engine first and then develop weapons. In this way, with the support of the church, Roselle would not have to worry about the king using a nominal position to get away with it.

Moreover, Roselle only intends to develop a breech-loading rifle. As for the cannon, you want a cannon with just this little bit of stuff given to me? Let the king figure it out himself!