Therefore, the advice from the Schwarz Family to the Lungmen merchant caravan was to continue waiting, not reopening the western trade route until the war was completely confirmed to be over. Although this would incur significant losses, it was also the safest approach.
After listening to Beatrice finish speaking, Exusiai showed a frustrated expression. "Huh? It's going to take that much longer!"
"This is for everyone's safety, after all. If we run into soldiers still on the battlefield during transport, especially since they're not our own people, we all know what the outcome could be."
Beatrice's words made Texas deeply agree. She considered herself quite skilled, but she didn't dare to confront regular military forces. Even if they were routed troops, they were still soldiers—their combat prowess was nothing like the usual thugs and security guards we encounter.
"Exactly. You should know that on our way back, we even encountered the Sarkaz Royal Court Army. If their target had been us, I'd only have been confident I could bring back Sister Ch'en alone," Flandre Scarlet said from the side.
Hearing her words, everyone looked over.
"Royal Court Army! Is it the Royal Court Army I know?" It was Exusiai who spoke again. "But as far as I know, currently there are only two Sarkaz forces that can be called Court Armies. Are you sure you could survive an encounter with them?"
Among the Sarkaz, only the direct armies of the Ten Courts are referred to as Court Armies. But currently, only two Courts are active in Kazdel and participating in this war: the Scavenger Court led by the Nachzehrer King and the Sanguine Court led by the Great Blood Demon Lord. And the reputations of these two Courts are the kind that can make children stop crying at night. With the combat strength of a merchant caravan, they wouldn't even be able to make a ripple in front of them.
"Definitely not mistaken. After all, it was Old Man Nezzsalem personally leading them—it couldn't have been some ragtag group!" Flandre said firmly.
"Nezzsalem... such a familiar name." Exusiai scratched her head, feeling the name was very familiar but unable to recall who it was.
"The Nachzehrer King! You actually encountered him!" This time it was Texas who spoke. Her gaze toward Flandre was filled with shock. After all, the title 'god of war' for this Nachzehrer King was earned through hard-fought battles against the allied forces of Terra's nations. There wasn't an ounce of exaggeration—it was a title recognized across all of Terra.
"The Nachzehrer King! Hiss~~ I remember he's called the god of war." Beside them, Beatrice also hadn't expected Flandre's return journey to be so thrilling and dangerous.
"So how did you escape from them?" Exusiai stared at Flandre, asking in astonishment.
"We didn't escape. That Old Man came to the front lines to fight the Ursus people. We're not Ursus. He just asked a couple of questions and then let us go."
Flandre's words left the group exchanging bewildered glances. Was the Nachzehrer King really that easygoing?
"You didn't run into a fake, did you?" Exusiai quipped.
"You're saying someone impersonated the Nachzehrer King, with a group of Scavengers backing him up as proof?" Flandre mentioned that there were quite a few Scavengers present at the time. And that was on the battlefield—who would dare to impersonate a Court Lord there?
Meanwhile, at the Governors Mansion, Wei Yenwu was also listening to the Shadow Guards recount their encounter with the two Sarkaz Court Lords on their way back. So the two Court Lords had personally come to invite Flandre back to Kazdel, but she refused. Especially the part where she refused the Nachzehrer King, which Wei Yenwu found quite satisfying.
Indeed, our Lungmen has vast wealth and resources. The child lacks nothing here—she can eat whatever she wants, play whatever she wants. Why go back to that backwater Kazdel? To star in a reality show?
As for Flandre's fight with that Duq'arael, Wei Yenwu didn't think much of it. After all, the little one's heart is with Lungmen and she doesn't want to return. What can you, Great Blood Demon Lord, do about it? You're just the head of your own clan, but you can't control others living it up elsewhere!
Here, Flandre was also recounting how and why she refused the Court Lords. After hearing her story, Beatrice and the others could barely keep their expressions straight. They never expected Flandre to use such an excuse and actually get the Court Lords to let them go.
"So from what you're saying, that Nezzsalem is actually a good person?" Exusiai found it hard to believe that the notoriously fearsome Nachzehrer King could be so reasonable.
"To be precise, only in front of Flandre. After all, they're both Sarkaz. If it were you or me, we'd probably be dried out by now!" Texas beside them saw things clearly. The fact that they let the caravan go was clearly out of respect for Flandre. If she hadn't been with the caravan at the time, it would have been long gone.
"I never expected such a legendary figure to appear on the battlefield. Looking at it this way, the western route really isn't safe to travel yet. Otherwise, if we really ran into them, next year today would be our anniversary of death."
Exusiai immediately stated that she would absolutely follow Lungmen's suggestion—she wouldn't wander west until the war was completely over. Mainly because if she really encountered Court Armies or Court Lords patrolling the roads, she had no confidence in escaping successfully from them.
After finishing their meal, the group left the restaurant and went out to have fun together. It wasn't until 4 PM that everyone left the amusement park together.
"By the way, why did you two come to the amusement park to play today?" Flandre looked at the two and asked.
"Well, we didn't have much to do, so Texas and I went out for a stroll. When we passed by here, they happened to be running a lucky wheel activity. You know how it is—I can't resist that kind of thing. I ended up accidentally winning first prize: a free day pass to play here. We figured since we were going to play somewhere anyway, and today it was free here, we might as well come. We just didn't expect to run into you."
Exusiai was very happy. Today she got a free day at the amusement park, and she also met Beatrice, the wealthy big boss, strengthening their connection. Penguin Logistics' future success seemed just around the corner.
"That really was lucky... We're heading back now. See you next time!" Although Beatrice was indeed surprised that in a place as big as Lungmen they could coincidentally run into the two, she had only mentioned coming to the amusement park to Madam Fumizuki yesterday, so she could confirm they weren't deliberately approaching Flandre. She was happy to make another friend. After all, Laterano people in Lungmen were quite rare.
When the two returned home, they hadn't even settled in before receiving a message that Wei Yenwu wanted Flandre to come to the Governors Mansion—there was an urgent matter he needed to discuss with her.
Flandre yawned. "Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
"Let's go check it out together. Since the Governor says it's urgent, it must be something significant. How about you sleep in the car on the way, and I'll wake you when we arrive?" Noticing Flandre seemed tired, Beatrice reached out and rubbed her forehead.
"Alright!" Flandre curled up and lay in Beatrice's arms, closing her eyes and falling asleep.
When she woke up again, they were already inside the Governors Mansion. Wei Yenwu was working at his desk not far away. Seeing her awake, Madam Fumizuki had someone bring her a steaming cup of black tea. After drinking the tea, Flandre felt a bit more energetic.
"I should have waited until tomorrow to discuss this, but I received news that the Observation Team has already entered the city, which is why I called you over so late." Wei Yenwu explained the matter of the Imperial Court preparing to investigate Flandre.
"Of course, personally, I trust you and know that your two encounters with Ursus military forces weren't initiated by you. But the information the Imperial Court has received might be somewhat distorted. Plus, because of me, there might be people who don't want to see you stay here. So those Observation Team members might deliberately arrange provocations to lure you into saying something inappropriate, giving them so-called 'evidence.' That's why I hope you'll be extra cautious during this period."
After Wei Yenwu finished speaking, Flandre looked puzzled. "Isn't Lungmen your territory? Why are those guys sticking their noses in so far and meddling so much?"
After Flandre spoke, Wei Yenwu laughed heartily. "Precisely because Lungmen is my territory, and I've made it very prosperous, some people are jealous. But they can't do anything to me, so they can only cause trouble for people around me or those I'm in contact with."
After Wei Yenwu finished, Flandre shook her head. She was just a child—this kind of court politics was beyond her understanding. But she understood the meaning behind Wei Yenwu's words.
"No problem. I happen to have gotten a lot of books from Leithanien earlier. I'll stay home and read during this time. As long as I don't go out, they can't do anything to me, right?"
The best way to deal with those trying to cause her trouble was to remain unchanged in response to their changes. After all, she was already planning to study the books the White Queen had given her at home, so if she didn't go out, even if they wanted to target her, it would be hard for them to find an opportunity.
You should know that where Flandre lives is also a sparsely populated villa area. Ordinary people can't get in, and those who live there aren't ordinary either. The villa Property Management is also an industry of the Schwarz Family—even if they wanted to bribe someone, it would be impossible. So as long as she didn't go out, those people would have no way to get to her.
"Not going out... That could work, but wouldn't it be too hard on you?" Wei Yenwu asked.
"Actually, there's another way. When Flandre gets bored staying in, I can take her to Flower Village to play. The renovations there are almost complete," Beatrice suggested from the side.
Hearing her, the two nodded. "That's also a good method."
Flandre thought of the hills covered in flowers she had seen before. "It's almost winter. Will there still be flowers there?"
"There will be. To create a scenery where flowers bloom all year round, we built a Plum Garden in Flower Village."