In the Name of Empress

She smiled and shook her head, "Roland, don't waste time, I don't want to know these things either, but you must take me with you on the next expedition!"

"Of course, I really need your help." Roland had sparred with Lisa before and knew her current prowess was formidable, so there was naturally no reason to refuse.

Just as Lisa nodded happily, there was a knock on the door, two long and two short—a signal from Alina.

"Come in, the door's not locked."

Roland was a bit surprised; Alina rarely came directly to report to him unless there was urgent intelligence.

Alina looked serious, and she hesitated to speak directly with Lisa present.

Lisa, understanding the situation, stood up voluntarily, "Roland, you two talk first, I'll go prepare lunch."

"There's no rush, Sis, there's still time before lunch."

Roland insisted that Lisa stay, but she just smiled and shook her head.

"I know you trust me, but I'm really not interested in listening."

That made sense, as Lisa wasn't interested in politics or military matters, often dozing off with vacant eyes during high-level meetings; there was no need to torture her.

As she left, Roland picked up a teacup, indicating that Alina should sit casually.

Alina didn't stand on ceremony, sitting in the spot Lisa had just vacated.

The chair emanated warmth; it seemed Lisa had been sitting there for a while.

She suddenly awoke to her senses, smiling self-deprecatingly.

This occupational hazard was really troublesome; what difference did it make how long Lisa sat there, it should be Empress Sylph worrying about it, if at all.

Through close observation and divination, she saw a red line between Roland and Sif, growing deeper in color.

Such a deep red line—it's either a hate that pits them against each other or a love that does the same.

Clearly, it was the latter.

Alina and Sif weren't particularly close, so she naturally wouldn't worry for Sif.

She even carried a bit of a watch-the-show mentality.

Because she also saw a red line between Roland and Lisa, though not as deep as with Sif, it far surpassed that of average couples.

It was such a thrilling spectacle; how could she miss it?

Seeing Alina silent and in a daze, Roland knew the matter was most likely severe, and he masked his shock with a sip of tea.

"What could be so serious that it has you zoning out like that?"

"Oh, it's nothing. If my analysis is correct, the Oden Kingdom will launch a sudden attack on us within a week."

"Pfft!"

Roland spat a mouthful of tea onto the table, his eyes widening instantly.

"You're not joking?"

"Of course not. Do I seem like someone who can't measure the gravity of a situation?" Alina's tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

Despite accepting the reality, Roland still found it hard to understand, "Alright, I'd like to understand the situation better. Who gave them the courage?"

Has the Oden Kingdom gone mad? On what grounds?

Alina placed the intelligence on the table and gave a concise summary, "The current king of the Oden Kingdom, Sven the Seventh, is a young and promising monarch. He studied earlier at the Prudon Military Academy and was friends with King William II of the Prudon Kingdom. Perhaps it's the Prudon Kingdom that gave them the courage."

"King William II of Prudon believes he can stand on his father Frederick's shoulders to achieve great feats and revive the Odin Empire, while Sven the Seventh admires Odin culture and is a spiritual Odin person."

Well now, even a spiritual Odin person?

Though he wanted to laugh, Roland knew it wasn't surprising. William II's father, Frederick, had quite a few admirers, even monarchs who disregarded their own national interests to show him favor.

The Great Emperor Odin had once ruled vast territories in central Rodinia, garnering many admirers.

Odin admiration is quite common on the Rodinia Continent.

Alina wasn't speaking nonsense; her intelligence analysis was meticulous.

The Oden Kingdom had stored up large amounts of grain and crafted enough armor, firearms, and cold weapons to outfit fifty thousand regular troops, and they had purchased war horses from northern nomads.

Not just that, they had also started felling oak trees to build warships.

Roland dismissed the previous points with little concern, but hearing about the oak trees being cut down, his temper flared instantly.

"Those are my trees, they just happen to grow there!"

Alina bit her lip, swallowing back the words of critique.

Roland really had no shame. If she were in a neutral position, she would surely have condemned him harshly, but she was in Roland's camp.

In a way, it's for the best; her father had been too concerned with honor, which ultimately cost him his life and political future.

Given the chance to wield state power, why diffuse it?

If it were up to her, she'd directly campaign for enthronement and declaration as emperor.

Father cherished his reputation too much. However, renown only benefits the victors; seeking empty honor without a complete victory is truly wrong.

Looking at Alina's collected intelligence, Roland fell into deep thought over the sand table before him.

He had read various military works, but that didn't mean he could magically become an excellent battle commander on the spot.

Though both he and Sif could talk at length about the overall strategic layout of a war, strategic deployment ultimately had to be implemented in specific battles.

Roland was severely lacking in qualified battle commanders.

Generals like Delong were excellent division and brigade-level commanders, but battle command exceeded their capabilities.

Roland commanding troops via keyboard was at the level of a martial temple adept, where even Zhao Kuo would have to stand aside in conversation, yet he had no hands-on experience commanding battles.

Sif... she might excel more at charging at the forefront holding high the White Rose banner.

Though reluctant to admit, Roland's only option was Christine.

As an exemplary figure of the High Tier Sanctuary, she was proficient in various military skills and had commanded battles involving tens of thousands of troops more than once.

Not only had she led Divine Court armies, but she had also guest-appeared as a battlefield commander in the Wende Empire.

Although Christine was a heretic and rather indifferent towards Roland, imminent issues call for flexibility, so she must be used.

With a battle commander on hand, Roland had much more confidence.

He felt somewhat indignant; could he truly be unaware of military tactics?

He discreetly placed enemy pieces on the sand table according to intelligence, then added his own troops, marking each with different weight values according to the simulation rules.

Just arranging all this had taken him twenty minutes.

Seeing the multicolored pieces placed across the sand table, Roland felt a headache coming on.

What happened to controlling the board with elegance, treating the battlefield as a chess board?

War was indeed too specialized.

Seeing Roland's serious demeanor and composed contemplation, Alina was somewhat surprised.

She had never heard of Roland having any experience leading troops in battle.

The largest operation he had been involved in was escorting Sif to the Three Overseas Provinces.

During that action, Roland indeed demonstrated remarkable adaptability, but General Bridges was in charge of the specific command, and it had little to do with Roland.

Could he really be a genius? A genius who, without systematic military training or battlefield practice, receives military advice from the Goddess in his dreams?

Just as Alina's assessment of Roland was on the rise, Roland asked in a deep voice:

"Alina, can you help divine the fate of Sven the Seventh and key enemy figures?"

Alina: "..."

She was somewhat embarrassed, looking down as she softly spoken, "Sorry, there are too many involved in the course of war, I can't do it."

"I'm not asking for a divination of the war's outcome; we will surely win this one, no need to predict that. I just want to know their fate's course, like how long they might live, where they will die, can you figure that out?"

Alina hesitated for a few seconds, then softly replied, "If we are sure to win, then certainly."

"Go ahead with the divination then."

Alina took out the Angel Card from her chest, turned over the Holy Throne Angel Card representing victory, placed it in the middle, and then arranged the other cards in sequence.

Once the outcome was confirmed as victory, it was much simpler to calculate.

Moments later, she raised her head with some surprise, murmuring puzzledly, "The fate visible through divination is very blurry, but Sven the Seventh's fate course is exceptionally clear; he will die in the Dellan Earl's Domain."

"Good, what about the others?"

"The fate of most is quite vague, but the renowned commander Gode Johnson's fate is to die in the Oden Imperial Capital. It doesn't make sense; since he can return to the capital, how could he die, perhaps from battlefield injuries?"