After Roland expressed his thoughts, he looked at the other person, "Do you really think letting Earl Quinn manage the Dawn, even if it means having a decadent neighboring country, is worse?"
Faced with the question, Edith did not show the slightest surprise. "In fact, I believe the two are neck and neck in the short term. A stable ally can provide you with resources, population, and assistance in the war of divine will. This point may be uncertain for other nobles, but Earl Quinn has Andrea as a guarantee, and there is some confidence in this regard."
She... admitted that? This made Roland somewhat confused. He thought her rebuttal would focus on the untrustworthiness of nobles, and what did she mean by "short term?"
"Conversely, after the Dawn falls into chaos, the new order will need blood and fire to be reforged, which will inevitably lead to the kingdom's decline. If the demons invade again, the neighboring country will become like Graycastle's eastern and southern territories, filled with refugees and overgrown with weeds. At that time, with a little arrangement, Graycastle can obtain a large number of people, and unlike other situations, these people will belong to you forever."
"But didn't you just say that allies can provide resources and war assistance in addition to population?" Nightingale said unhappily, "Leaving aside the fact that one advantage is not as good as three, have you not considered how many refugees will die helplessly due to lack of food and clothing during the migration process?"
Edith retorted sharply, "The three advantages seem to be greater than one, but they are conditional. In order to fully utilize the resources of an ally, Your Majesty needs to invest certain chips, such as steam engines, Gold Number Two, and even firearms. Without these, it is impossible for the Dawn to confront the demons on its own, let alone support Graycastle on the battlefield. This is a considerable expense, and although it can be exchanged for more advantages, the weight of the chips cannot be ignored when Winter City's own needs have not yet been met. Therefore, with one increase and one decrease, I believe the two are basically equal."
Roland couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. To be able to see the advantages of providing assistance is a rare existence in the entire Graycastle. If it were Barov, he would definitely disagree with sending his own goods and technology as "support items" to neighboring countries.
"Since the benefits are basically equal, why do you still insist that a chaotic Dawn is better?"
"Because of the witches, Your Majesty." Edith's answer surprised both of them.
"Wit...ches?" Roland asked in surprise.
The Pearl of the North pointed a finger, "Yes, please imagine that the new Dawn no longer sees persecuting witches as a matter of course. Even influenced by Andrea, Earl Quinn is likely to support witches and emulate your policies, allowing them to participate in production and construction. Without the pressure to survive, the newly awakened witches will no longer migrate to Graycastle, which has already caused you a loss—this is the first point."
"Secondly, the Dawn Kingdom is more advantageous to Graycastle in terms of location. Whether it is the demons invading Wolfheart and Everwinter, or the embers of the Church's fugitives, both will push the witches of the two countries to the south. Once the Dawn is in a stable state, will they continue to migrate to Graycastle? The answer is obviously no. Perhaps in a few decades, the neighboring country will have more witches than Graycastle. Compared to the former, this trend makes me feel more uneasy."
"It's good if everyone can live well... what's wrong with that? Why are you so uneasy?" Nightingale's tone unknowingly lost its previous momentum.
Edith did not look at Nightingale, but raised her head to look directly at Roland, "Have you ever considered the possibility that one or several witches with incredible abilities can instantly change the gap between kingdoms?"
"Like Anna?"
"That's right, like Anna, like Agatha, like Soroya... their abilities can all be called incredible. The moment you had them, Winter City opened up a gap with the territories of other nobles, which is why you can get to where you are today." Edith said slowly, "In addition, your knowledge and vision are unmatched, and as long as you are still in power, and all the members of the Witch Union are present, Graycastle will hardly encounter challengers other than the demons."
Speaking of this, she paused slightly, "But what about after that? After a hundred years, the neighboring country will be no different from Graycastle. Witches will be working in various fields, and the knowledge you have written cannot be restricted within Winter City. They can learn how to manufacture machines, master everything you have taught... Then, as long as a Dawn witch awakens with an irreplaceable ability, Graycastle may become the backward one!"
"That's impossible..." Nightingale subconsciously wanted to refute, but stopped halfway through.
"Moreover, this is only based on the foundation of a god-like ability like Anna's, and can you guarantee that Anna is the end for all witches?" Edith asked word by word, "If the other party's ability is even more amazing than Anna's, would the subsequent successors of the Dawn still be willing to treat Graycastle as an ally!"
Roland almost wanted to applaud this speech.
Edith was not thinking short-sightedly, but thinking too far ahead—most people can only see the changes in recent years, but she has already set her sights on a hundred years later!
If it were just that, it would be fine, but in her words, Roland actually heard a hint of technological explosion. As a "person who has been there," he naturally knows that the speed of human technological advancement is constantly increasing. From apes to lighting bonfires, and from steam power to the information age, a person in modern society can witness changes in their short life that could not be seen in the past tens of thousands of years.
Now that witches have joined this process, this process may be further shortened. The emergence of one or two key witches may lead to a technological revolution. The fact is just as the other party said. If Anna had awakened in Glow City instead of Border Town, where he would be today is still a question mark.
When the members of the Witch Union successively grow old, and new key witches appear in the Dawn, then the result is almost self-evident. This is also why Edith insists that if the Dawn cannot be controlled, it is better to let them fall into chaos.
Roland believes that if he were a native lord, he would undoubtedly have been persuaded by Edith at this moment. Any monarch hopes that his country can last forever and that his descendants can continue his glory. Such behavior as cultivating an opponent who may threaten the kingdom must be prevented.
There is still time to change his mind now, and all he has to pay is a small breach of contract and deception, and then let Otto fend for himself.
But he is not.
The country that Roland cares about is not here.
In addition, he does not care what the kingdom will look like after his death. Compared with establishing a long-lasting ruler, he prefers to see the progress of all mankind. No matter who the successor of Graycastle is, he has no responsibility or obligation to protect them. As long as he raises the development to a new height as much as possible in this life and solves the mystery of the war of divine will, he will feel that his trip was worthwhile.
As for which of the four kingdoms is stronger or weaker after that, it is their own choice.
Finally, there is a seemingly small but hard-to-ignore obsession in his heart. To easily erase agreements for the sake of profit and turn lies into bargaining chips... when he realized this conditioned reflex of resistance, he clearly understood that he could never become a true politician in his life.
"Wonderful reasoning," Roland looked at Edith with satisfaction, "But I will not withdraw the order I have issued."
"Your Majesty..." The latter was surprised.
"I know what you want to say, such as a true king should prioritize interests, and that deception is just common practice in the royal family," he interrupted the other party, "But what I want to say is that besides kings, there are other rulers in this world..."
"Other... rulers?" Edith repeated in confusion.
"That's right, such as a person with idealism."
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