âYour Highness, what you should do now is go to Winterfell City and submit to the Northern Duke, begging for his forgiveness,â
Mr. Ji repeated himself.
There was no hesitation, no fear, and he did not feel that such words were unfit to come out of his mouth due to his identity.
As a human, Mr. Jiâs situation among the trolls was somewhat awkward.
Generally, Mr. Ji would have to display his hostility toward humans to show his loyalty to the trolls and to sever ties with his past.
Even more so, he had to appear even more hostile toward humans than the trolls.
This is called âzealotry of the convertedâ.
In reality, many radicals who hate and defame China even more fiercely than foreigners are of Chinese descent, and this is due to this psychology.
But now, facing a troll prince who just fell in the battlefield, Mr. Ji was advising his biological son to beg forgiveness from the enemy.
However, Okamoto suddenly laughed.
As if not angry at all, or suspecting Mr. Jiâs motives, he said: âMr. Ji, you should have advised my foolish father earlier. If he had bowed to the North Territory back then, he wouldnât have ended up in the current predicament!â
Then, he spat a thick wad of phlegm on the skull on the ground, scoffing: âThereâs an old saying among humans that makes a lot of sense:
If you donât have the capability to fight a bull, donât wave a red cape in its face!
Haha, look at my foolish father, knowing full well heâs no match for Marquis
Garcia, yet seeing his absence from the frontline, he thought he had a chance. But did he not even consider, how could the Dark Cavalry possibly ignore his intrusion into the North Territory and do nothing about it?â
Mr. Ji didnât say anything.
He definitely wasnât going to demean Prince Gambick along with Okamoto, that would be downright ungrateful.
Okamoto ranted for a bit, seemed to have vented enough, picked up the skull again and put it back in the box.
The entire process was done with due respect.
Picking up the cup of tea, Okamoto took a big gulp, regaining his composure.
âMr. Ji, is it a bit too late for me to beg for mercy from the Northern Duke now?â
âBut itâs the only choice you have,â Mr. Ji said calmly, âThis time, the Troll
Empireâs war potential has been almost completely depleted by the Dark Cavalry. At least for the next decade, donât even think about assembling a decent army to resist the North Territoryâs battlefront.
If I were the Northern Duke, I would send troops to sweep the area from time to time.
Even though I may not be able to conquer the Royal City, I need to disrupt the recovery process of the Troll Empire to ensure they never again pose a threat to the North Territory.
So, if you want a chance to recuperate, you must beg for peace from the North Territory!â
Okamotoâs fingers tapped gently on the wooden box, making a thud sound.
After a while, he spoke again: âThen, would the Northern Duke agree to negotiate with me?â
Mr. Ji nodded: âAs long as you pose low enough to let the Northern Duke think youâre no threat, his attention will naturally shift elsewhere.
Think about it, if the threat of the trolls is eliminated, what will be the
Northern Dukeâs biggest threat?â
Okamotoâs eyes lit up: âThe Dark Cavalry!â
âExactly!â Mr. Ji nodded, âAlthough we were fooled once by the performance of those two brothers, I absolutely donât believe thereâs no animosity between Marquis Garcia and Duke St. Hilde.
Iâd rather believe that it was the threat of the trolls that made them put aside their animosity temporarily and join forces. But their alliance is extremely fragile!
Especially now that Marquis Garcia returned to the North Territory in triumph, how should Duke St. Hilde reward his good brother?
How can he sleep peacefully with the terrifying attack power of the Dark
Cavalry at his doorstep?â
After hearing Mr. Jiâs words, Okamoto excitedly paced back and forth in the great hall.
As if in the boundless darkness, he finally grasped a ray of light.
âSo, our next key move is to instigate the conflict between the Northern Duke and Marquis Garcia!â
âCorrect. But not just the conflict between the two brothers,â Mr. Jiâs eyes sparkled with a vicious light.
Okamoto was startled and asked: âWhat do you mean?â
âAs far as I know, the St. Hilde familyâs Golden Lion Legion is still gathered outside Ice Rock City, while the armies of various lords in the North Territory are still entrenched in Ice Rock City, the two sides are in a covert standoff.â
Okamoto didnât know about this news.
Clearly, Mr. Ji had his own sources in the North Territory.
Okamoto was aware of this.
Of course, he wouldnât press Mr. Ji on who his informant in the North Territory was.
In fact, he still didnât even know Mr. Jiâs real identity.
However, Mr. Ji had already been approved by both the Emperor of Trolls and the former Southern Prince. He might not be loyal to the trolls but his hostility towards the North Territory couldnât be faked.
So Okamoto chose to trust Mr. Ji.
At this moment, hearing this news, he abruptly raised his head, a flaming gaze on Mr. Ji: âAre you implying that the conflict between Duke St. Hilde and his subordinate lords has reached this extent?â
âIt seems so at the moment. The Dukeâs beloved son has lost two hundred thousand soldiers of the North Territory, such a terrible failure will surely incite a backlash from the lords. Furthermore, thereâs the Dark Cavalry in front of the Duke attracting his hatred.
And, donât forget, Marquis Garcia is also of the St. Hilde family. Itâs not impossible for these lords to accept a change of power in the North Territory.â
Upon hearing Mr. Ji mention the loss of 200,000 North Territory soldiers by Marquis Charles, Okamoto felt a pang in his heart, his gaze involuntarily going to the square box.
Clearly, Okamoto had a firsthand understanding of this.
âSo, North Territory is about to descend into chaos!â
âYes,â Mr. Ji was very confident, âThe North Territory is currently like a bowstring stretched to its limit. Once the external threat is removed, internal conflicts will explode instantly!â
âGood!â Okamoto slammed his fist into the box, causing cracks to emerge, âAfter the coronation ceremony, Iâll ask the emperor for permission to personally travel to the North Territory!â
âYour Highness is wise.â
Okamoto touched the cracks on the wooden box, suddenly remembering something, and turned to ask, âBy the way, I heard the Northern Duke suddenly has a new adopted daughter?â
âYes, her name is Vera St. Hilde. Iâve met her in Yevirâs Tower of Mages, her background is mysterious, but I didnât expect she would end up as the Northern Dukeâs adopted daughter.â âWhat does she look like?â
âStunningly beautiful!â
Okamoto nodded satisfactorily and proposed, âWhat do you think, will the
Northern Duke agree if I seek to marry Miss Vera?â
âCertainly, the Northern Duke would surely be happy to have a troll prince as his son-in-law, especially at a time when he urgently needs external help to solve internal conflicts.
âHahaha!â
Okamotoâs triumphant laughter reverberated in the great hall, as if he had already set his heart on a certain beauty..