Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

"who?"

Taylor reacted the fastest, instantly blocking the car door.

On the other side of the carriage, W licked his lips, one hand already inside his coat, his fingertips touching a round, hard object.

She loves these unplanned "surprises".

Hedley, standing next to him, frowned and peered out through the crack in the car window.

A tall, thin old man dressed in a scholar's robe stood not far away.

His hair was gray and his face was withered, but his eyes, sunken in their sockets, seemed to be able to see into people's hearts.

“In Trinityl, there are very few who dare to speak to the Elector in such a tone,” Gertrude said calmly.

She didn't recognize the person, but their attire and unfathomable aura suggested they were someone of extraordinary origin.

Lacey opened her eyes, her gaze passing through Taylor and landing on the old man.

do not know.

However, he did not sense any killing intent from the other party.

"What can I do for you, sir?" Lacey asked.

The old man ignored Lacey, his gaze sweeping over the people at the carriage door before finally settling on Hedley and W, his eyes flickering slightly.

"what?"

"Sarkaz? You guys are from Kazdel?"

Both Hedley and W were taken aback.

The other person's tone was very familiar.

Hedley then took a closer look at the other party, at the lingering Originium Arts fluctuations, that ancient and powerful aura...

His heart sank suddenly.

"you are……"

"Looks like you youngsters haven't completely forgotten the old man's bones." The old man grinned.

“I am Fremont.”

Fremont!

Lord of the Sarkaz Lich King's Court!

Why is he here?

Not only Hadley, but even Lacey was stunned for a moment.

As a Sarkaz who had lived for over three hundred years, he was naturally familiar with the name of the Lich King's Court, but he never expected that the ruler of the court would appear in Trinitylme.

W's hand, which was about to pull out a bomb, froze in mid-air, and the fanatical smile on his face also solidified.

No matter how lawless she was, she knew that the person in front of her was one of the top figures in Sarkaz history who should never be provoked.

In Kazdel, the consequences of offending the Lord of the Royal Court are far more severe than those of offending the two princes.

Although Taylor and Gertrude did not understand the significance of the name, they sensed the seriousness of the situation from the dramatic change in Hadley's expression.

Taylor gripped his weapon tighter; he didn't care who the other person was, any threat to Lacey had to be eliminated.

Fremont seemed pleased with Hedley's shock and eagerly stepped forward, as if he had a lot of questions to ask Kazdel.

But Lacey's voice rang out at the right moment: "This is not the place to talk."

He gestured for Taylor to relax, then stepped down from the carriage and stood calmly before Fremont. "Your Excellency Fremont, I have long admired your name."

“If you don’t mind, we’d like to find a more suitable place to talk.”

Fremont then turned his attention back to the young man.

He looked Lacey up and down and nodded approvingly: "You've got guts."

"That's true. It's really inappropriate to talk in the street like this."

"Come with me, my place is nearby, and I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

After saying that, he turned around and slowly walked towards a quiet alley.

Hedley and W exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.

They looked at Lacey, awaiting his decision.

“Let’s go.” Lacey said without hesitation.

The group followed Fremont through several alleyways and arrived at an inconspicuous two-story building.

This place is far from the main road, making it exceptionally quiet.

As soon as I opened the door, a scholarly atmosphere greeted me.

The living room has been transformed into a huge study, with bookshelves reaching the ceiling and crammed with all sorts of heavy classics. Many of the books have worn-out covers, clearly indicating that they have been read countless times.

"Sit anywhere."

Fremont pointed to several armchairs that looked older than himself, then walked over to a tea set and began to slowly boil water.

Lacey calmly sat down in a chair, while the others stood behind him.

Instead of asking Lacey first, Fremont pushed the brewed tea in front of Hedley and said, "Tell me, how is Kazdel doing now?"

Hedley held the steaming cup of tea, feeling the warmth from his palms, and his nervousness eased slightly.

Facing this legendary ruler of the Lich King's court, he dared not conceal anything and succinctly explained the current situation of Kazdel.

"His Excellency Theresis has formally established a military council, which has unified the vast majority of Kazdel's armed forces."

"And Princess Theresa built the Tower of Babel, dedicated to uniting all Sarkaz, as well as... other races of Terra, in search of a new way out."

Kazdel is currently being rebuilt, but the future remains uncertain.

Fremont listened quietly, his deep blue eyes flickering unpredictably, revealing neither joy nor anger.

He didn't comment on who was right or wrong between Theresis and Theresia, but simply picked up his teacup, gently blew on the steam, and then turned his gaze to Lacey, who had remained silent throughout.

"Little one, I've read the book you wrote."

"Many of your ideas are insightful, and it's clear that you genuinely want to set sail again for the broken ship of Letania."

Gertrude, standing to the side, felt a chill run down her spine. Had the influence of this book spread so far that even a reclusive old monster like her had a copy?

Lacey nodded slightly, remaining silent and waiting for the other person to continue.

Sure enough, Fremont changed the subject: "But I've noticed that you seem particularly fixated on starting a war?"

"Whether it's the emphasis on the army at the end of the book or the methods you used to take over Vaser territory, it's all full of gunpowder."

"Young man, I must remind you, war is Pandora's box."

“Once it’s opened, it will only drag Letania, and even this land, into an endless quagmire.”

His words carried a weariness and disgust stemming from having experienced too many wars.

W, however, crossed his arms and looked at Lacey with great interest, wanting to hear how this employer, who always managed to create miracles, would answer this pointed question.

In her view, war was just a daily occurrence for the Sarkaz, neither good nor bad.

Lacey could see Fremont's aversion to war, but he did not go along with Fremont's words to whitewash the situation.

"Your Excellency is right, war is hell."

"But have you ever thought that sometimes, the door to hell is not something we choose to open?"

He paused, organizing his thoughts: "For Terra now, war is not a choice, but an inevitable outcome."

Fremont raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.

Lacey held up one finger: "First, there's the interior of Letania."

"The humiliating outcome of the Four Emperors Battle brought the national sentiment of the entire country to its lowest point."

"The people need a victory, a resounding victory, to wash away the shame and vent their anger."

"If this emotion is not guided to be released outward, it will only explode internally and shatter the entire country."

"Neither I nor the Gemini Queen can suppress it; we can only guide it."

Lacey held up a second finger: "Secondly, Ursus."

"That vast empire has just as many internal conflicts as we do."

"The rule of the Ursus Emperor is crumbling, and the antagonism between nobles and commoners is becoming increasingly acute."

"For them, launching a foreign war is the cheapest and most effective way to divert domestic conflicts and unite the people."

"Who will their swords strike? Kazimir? The Eastern Kingdom? The Great Yan?"

Lacey extended her third finger: "Finally, it's Victoria."

"In a country where the throne is held high, the dukes each hold their own armies and are outwardly united but inwardly divided."

"A country like that only needs a single spark to ignite a prairie fire, and that fire will inevitably spread to the entire continent."

Lacey withdrew her hand, leaned forward slightly, and looked directly into Fremont's eyes: "So, Your Excellency, you see, the shadow of war has already fallen over Terra."

"Everything I did was not choosing war, but preparing for an inevitable war."

His words were logically clear and progressively detailed, providing a thorough analysis of the overall situation on the continent of Terra.

Gertrude's eyes gleamed with admiration. She had always thought that Lacey was good at manipulating people and devising specific tactics, but she never expected that he also had such profound insights into international politics.

Hedley listened silently, his heart filled with turmoil.

He spent his entire life in war and wandering, but he had never looked down on the root causes of war from such a high perspective as Lacey.

He suddenly understood why this young man had risen from an unknown nobody to become a regional elector in such a short time.

Fremont remained silent for a long time, and the study fell silent once again.

He seemed to be processing Lacey's remarks.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but instead asking a seemingly unrelated question:

"Then, what is your opinion on the Witch King and the rule of Helhunzoren?"

……

Holy Lytanian Empire: Chapter 51: The Witch King? Nothing at all!

Upon hearing this question, Gertrude's heart was also in suspense.

She was born into a family of remnants of the Witch King's faction and had complex feelings about that era.

She was curious how Lacey, the gravedigger of the old era, would evaluate the pioneers of that era.

Everyone assumed that Lacey would give a relatively neutral, or at least well-considered, assessment.

However, Lacey just scoffed.

"boom!"

Fremont slammed the teacup down on the table, spilling tea that left a few damp marks on the back of his dry hand.

For the first time, obvious displeasure appeared on his usually calm and composed face.

“Young man, arrogance is a sign of ignorance,” Fremont’s voice turned cold.

"During the early part of Herhunzoren's reign, he revised the Golden Melody, which had been incomplete due to the independence of Syracuse, thus restoring Letania to its original state."

"He transformed the aristocratic research towers into universities open to all talented commoners; he also greatly weakened the real power of the electors in various regions and centralized power in the central government."

"Do you think these achievements deserve nothing more than a sneer?"

As a mentor and friend to the Witch King, Fremont genuinely acknowledged his close friend's early achievements.

Lacey's light laugh was tantamount to a complete denial of the years he and his best friend had fought together.

Despite Fremont's fury that could freeze one's soul, Lacey remained calm.

“Your Excellency Fremont, I acknowledge all that you have said,” Lacey said frankly.

"But have you ever considered the true quality of these so-called achievements?"

He stood up and paced back and forth in front of the bookshelf, as if organizing his thoughts.