Divine Kingship

Chapter 547 Rand Needs Berlan's Reward (Business Trip Ended, Things Should Return to Stability)

It didn't take long for everyone to return to the Land of White.

The fighting has not completely stopped, but the war can be said to be almost over.

In the north, human knights are still hunting down the fleeing orc army.

But at least the human leaders no longer need to worry about the orcs breaching their defenses and disrupting the Northern Union.

Rand and his group finally returned to the White Country.

News of the great victory at the front has reached the Land of White.

Humans not only defeated the orcs militarily, but also thwarted Grand Duke Vladimir's plot in the Wisteria Kingdom.

Although no one knows what really happened in the Wisteria Kingdom.

However, through the accounts of those who fled the Wisteria Kingdom, one can still glimpse a corner of the disaster.

The Wisteria Kingdom betrayed humanity, sacrificing tens of thousands of its citizens. To stop such an evil plan... one need not even imagine how much effort and how many difficulties would be involved.

And the great White King, Ellie and Rand, led the knights to accomplish this great feat.

It is a great achievement worthy of being sung by bards for thousands of years.

This victory against the orcs is also a cause for celebration and joy for the people of the northern kingdoms.

Therefore, the welcome for the victor's triumphant return was exceptionally enthusiastic.

Through the watchtower guard's binoculars, a flock of kingfishers took flight from the thorny thicket thirty miles away. The blacksmith's apprentice was the first to hear the humming sound coming from the depths of the earth. He dropped the quenched mithril sword blank, waded barefoot across the still-frozen drainage ditch, and roared, "It's the Knights! It's our king! Our king has returned in triumph!"

When the triumphant knights appeared on the distant horizon, cheers swept through the entire royal city like a surging tide.

Before the astrological clock in the city hall had even rung, magical ribbons cascaded down the main street of the royal city. The ladies in charge of the procession carried flower baskets, and the pollen from last summer's cellar, stored away, was sent high into the air by a whirlwind. There, it met the holy water sprinkled from the church and transformed into pale golden snowflakes with the scent of honey.

Those who had been preparing opened the skylights of the attic and released hundreds or even thousands of white doves in succession. The procession entered the royal city at noon, and the suspension bridge chains and hundreds of magical fireworks roared at the same time.

Ellie, as the White Queen, rode at the head of the knights.

Meanwhile, Rand and Berlan were talking quietly to each other.

"Victory! That's great! Hahaha, we won!" Rand's joy was palpable.

Victory is not rare for Rand.

Rand wasn't the type to make a big fuss.

But returning from the infernal Wisteria Kingdom to the brightly lit and joyfully bustling White Kingdom capital made Rand truly realize that he had protected something.

Grand Prince Vladimir's matter had always been a heavy burden on Rand's mind.

At present, at least Grand Prince Vladimir can hardly have much influence on reality.

Rand doesn't know what will happen in the future of this world, but at least Grand Duke Vladimir is about to leave this stage.

The victory she had just achieved made Rand feel exhilarated.

Now, Lady Berland, who was using Ellie's appearance, smiled and chatted softly with Rand: "It was indeed not easy, Duke Rand! You saved the world with your wisdom and courage!"

Rand was a little embarrassed by Berlan's serious praise. He knew that even if he hadn't appeared, Grand Duke Vladimir would eventually be defeated by the combined forces of the world's main characters.

Rand knew he couldn't be called a savior of the world; he simply prevented many tragedies from happening again.

He waved his hand and said, "Those warriors who protect the country from orcs and humanity from vampires are the main force in this incident."

Naturally, many brave soldiers died in the war.

"No need to be modest," Berlan smiled slightly, but said no more.

Rand rolled his eyes a couple of times and said, "So, does that mean I can apply for a reward?"

"What do you want?" Berland asked in a voice only Rand could hear. "Theoretically, I have nothing to give you."

In the past, Berlan could have easily granted a piece of land to Rand or Ellie, and then given the profits to the Nicholas family.

But then was before and now is now.

Whatever reward she gives Rand now is essentially no different from transferring money from one hand to the other.

Although she was unwilling to accept Rand, it did not mean that she had no feelings for Rand, and she would never go to someone else.

Now she and Ellie have swapped bodies again... If they can't switch back for the rest of their lives, she'll probably live a very confused life.

She couldn't keep stopping the couple from being affectionate, and she didn't want her sister to be neglected.

In short, if the current situation continues, the White Kingdom will definitely end up in Rand's hands.

Even if she and Ellie hadn't swapped bodies, she would have ended up in Rand's hands anyway.

What she's bestowing upon Rand now is really just a matter of transferring money from one hand to the other.

but……

"According to you, I can try to apply to the Northern Alliance for a reward to recognize your crucial role in this descent of the evil god."

This was the idea that Rand and she had discussed when they were giving bounties to adventurers.

It's actually a very simple economic concept: if you have common goals and common benefits, then you can naturally attract investment from these forces.

Rand was very good at sharing interests with others to form interest groups and achieve common goals.

Rand really liked the term "win-win".

And the White King, Berlan, has learned these things through long-term exchanges with Rand.

It's not that Berlan didn't understand these political or economic tactics before, but he probably didn't pay much attention to them before communicating with Rand.

Anyway, it seems to work very well now.

For example, offering a large reward for investigating a vampire conspiracy.

For example, the reward given to Rand now.

It would be pointless to bestow gifts upon Rand using items from the White Kingdom or the White King's private property, as this would be tantamount to transferring wealth from one hand to the other. However, if the White King spearheads the bestowal of gifts upon Rand, it would be different; the White King would only need to act as a coordinator.

Rand made such a great contribution, shouldn't he be rewarded?

Although the current White King's body is Ellie's soul, he can still take the lead, in his capacity as the White King, to give Rand recognition and rewards, and then... the White King's money will be returned in full, and the money from the other Northern Allied countries will be split 50/50.

“That makes sense,” Rand said, squinting. “I want that too, but I want something else now.”

Berlan could sense that Rand's tone was a bit strange, but he still didn't quite understand: "What else do you want? If I can do it, I won't be stingy."

The White King wouldn't mind giving Rand some reward or funding, but not because of any contributions Rand has made. Even if Rand did nothing, the White King wouldn't mind giving Rand some help.

As the Queen of the White Kingdom and a political figure of great importance in the Northern Alliance, Berlan herself naturally had no way to seek rewards from anyone, and no one was qualified to reward her.

As for Rand, at least for now, he can still accept the rewards. But when Rand's status really rises to a higher level, he may no longer need the rewards, or he may need to launch his own power grabs or increase his productivity.

Rand's gaze fell on the pink lips of the body Ellie was using at that moment: "After the brutal war, I want a kiss from my wife."

Rand had kissed Ellie's lips many times, but if the soul inside this body was the White King Berlan, then he had never experienced it before.

Now Berlan understood; the couple were taking turns causing trouble.

Ellie wanted to kiss Rand with her body, and Rand wanted to kiss Ellie's body.

It's the same old problem. Theoretically, this makes sense, but the current situation is beyond the norm.

Berlan bit his lip.

When using her body, she tries to avoid making such feminine movements and expressions in order to maintain her male identity.

But now that he's using Ellie's body, as Rand's wife, he's always presented himself as a woman, which might have made Berlan feel a little more relaxed.

She knew, of course, that both Rand and Ellie hoped they could have a better life, instead of always being alone.

She didn't dislike Rand either.

But she just couldn't do it.

Sometimes she tries to convince herself, but with little success, and she can't convince herself.

She, the spokesperson for wind and snow, the White King Bolan, is by no means an indecisive person, but in this matter... could she really be having an affair with her brother-in-law? Even with her sister's consent?
Rand didn't press him too hard. Seeing Berlan hesitate, biting his lip, he spurred his horse forward slightly, no longer putting pressure on Berlan.

Rand didn't want Berlan to make any decisions without thinking them through, so he simply used a pretext to appropriately express his own wishes.

If it weren't for the situation where his wife and "brother-in-law" swapped bodies, Rand would have been prepared to take it slow and steady.

Now that the situation of switching bodies has actually occurred, the opportunity is extremely rare, and Rand is not going to let it go. After all, he can't really let Berlan go, can he?
The knights behind the three did not pay much attention to the three leading the way.

It's not that the three mentioned earlier weren't worthy of their attention, but the current scene was truly unsettling for many knights.

For Rand, victory and triumph are probably commonplace.

However, this is not necessarily the case for these knights. They are not all knights of the White Kingdom. A considerable number of them are knights selected from various countries who have excellent fighting spirit and combat skills.

Although they are excellent, they may not always be victorious, and even if they win, they have never enjoyed such a grand welcome ceremony.

Now, flowers are everywhere, and cheers are everywhere.

The warhorses' iron hooves trod on a bright red carpet.

Those who showered flowers and cheered were all young and beautiful girls, although some of them were quite large and burly, with arms big enough to run a horse across.

But overall, what greeted them was a dreamlike scene.

They were all stunned by the sight, and it made them deeply realize what they had been protecting and what the meaning of their desperate fight was.
It is now early spring, and the snowfall has stopped. The warm sunlight shining on their armor reminds them of their childhood, when they diligently studied swordsmanship and horsemanship, and of the lessons their fathers taught them.

Now that the orcs should be destroyed, the next step might be the expansion into the cold northern lands. Many of these knights will inevitably gain permission to expand due to their merits in battle, and they might no longer be knights, but rather some kind of pioneering noble.

Their fate was about to change.

Ellie is about to face her real test.

Ellie glanced back at Rand, then looked at Berlan, who was using her body further back.

The two of them had spoken in hushed tones, so the knights behind them and the cheering crowds nearby hadn't heard them, but Ellie had sharp ears and she had.

Ellie was very pleased that Rand was still able to exert his initiative at this time.

The group stopped in front of the palace. The knights of the knightly order were led away by the officials to rest, while the three leaders dismounted.

Ellie's footsteps clattered on the marble slabs of the palace.

All the ministers who were able to attend were present to welcome their king's return.

Ellie was dignified and solemn at this moment, composed and possessing a kingly demeanor.

For a moment, Rand and Berlan beside him were somewhat dazed, as if the person in front of them was truly the great White King himself, rather than Ellie's soul driving her body.

Ellie walked with firm steps across the long carpet to the throne, where she sat down naturally.

This wasn't the first time Ellie had sat on this throne; she often played around it when she was young.

Later, he spent more time with Rand, and under Berlan's training, many of his memories of this place were awakened, and so far there have been no mistakes.

"My esteemed ministers, is there anything urgent that needs to be reported?" Ellie asked.

The ministers didn't say anything. In fact, there were many things to report, but none of them were as urgent or important as what their king was about to say.

“Then let me first tell you about the situation we encountered in the Wisteria Kingdom.” Ellie was not nervous, and her words were clear and organized. “The nobles and royal family of the Wisteria Kingdom betrayed humanity. They even used force to stop us. They sacrificed a large number of their people to welcome the arrival of the evil demigod Grand Duke Vladimir, who is now in purgatory, but their plan failed in our battle.”

"Because the royal family and nobles of the Wisteria Kingdom acted hastily, only the capital city of the Wisteria Kingdom was destroyed. Other areas were not damaged too much, and we can extract a lot of benefits from it."

Watching Ellie speak eloquently on the throne, Berlan was pleased. Perhaps making Ellie the Queen of the White Kingdom would be a good choice.

However, Berlan was unwilling to do so.

Wouldn't this really steal Ellie's happiness and seize the Rand that belongs to Ellie?

(End of this chapter)