306 Envoy
“Do you have any other questions about this motion?”

Floral sat on the Withering Throne, her eyes fixed on the scroll with the Senate emblem raised by the envoy. Floral’s tone dripped with dissatisfaction. “Yes, I need you to explain what it means to require the full support of Holy Tree City for the next stage of the Ava State military operation? This is because if my understanding is correct, the Senate is implying that we aren’t fully supporting the Ava State expedition.”

She raised her hand to stop the clerk from taking the scroll and turned her gaze to the envoy.

It had been a mere five minutes since Floral and her entourage emerged from the underground root system when the emergency teleportation nexus between Platinum City and Holy Tree City flared to life. A Senate envoy, with all the gravitas that came with the title, stormed into the main hall of White Bone Castle. The envoy addressed Floral, the supreme leader of Emerald Province, proclaiming that he had come with a motion that the Senate had just passed.

Accompanying the envoy was an archbishop of the Holy Spirits Church and a senator from the upper chamber of the Astral Council. Their presence alone was enough to show how much importance the Senate attached to this motion.

The motion was presented to Floral with all the trappings of bureaucracy, but by the time he was done, its purpose was clear.

“You should know what the Senate means, Your Highness Floral.”

The envoy raised his head and said, holding the decree out to her—in the empire’s culture, taking it meant acceptance.

“It means that I’m not going all out by opening Swan Port and Greenwater Port to you and maintaining the operation of two large portals at the same time, while also being in charge of the three empire legions’ supply lines. Then, I’m a little curious. What kind of stance does the Senate want me to have to show support for the legion?”

Floral, who was sitting on the throne, continued speaking in a dissatisfied tone.

The envoy slowly retracted the scroll with the Senate’s golden seal in his hand, sensing that Floral didn’t plan on accepting it. He resisted the urge to look back and heard the snorting of the two witnesses behind him. It was obvious that they were dissatisfied with Floral’s attitude.

It should be clear to everyone what the Senate wanted. The previous motion had already made it clear that they needed to transfer the empire’s Seventh Legion back to the Dragonspine Mountain Pass Fortress to protect Platinum Province and reduce pressure on the border in the direction of the Blackwater Province.

However, this would make it much more difficult to take down the entire Ava State with the remaining two Legions and the Church’s Guardians.

As the Holy Tree Duke conferred by the empire’s empress, wasn’t it obvious what Floral Kane should do?

Could it be that he had to elucidate the motion before she was willing to fulfill her responsibilities?

The envoy complained about Floral’s political immaturity, reminding her, “According to the latest information we received, Ava State has already organized a considerable fleet. For some reason, the Shadow Queen seems to have regained control of the entire High Elf Council. It’s very likely that she will take the initiative to take military action. Before the naval fleet on the eastern front arrives, we need Emerald Province to fulfill the oath we made to the Eighth Holy Spirit back then as a show of loyalty to the empire.”

These words made things very obvious.

Floral understood perfectly well what the other party was trying to say. The situation in Blackwater Province had changed drastically, far beyond what anyone had anticipated. In order to protect the nobles and the royal family and maintain the defense of Platinum Province, the Senate had to redeploy their strongest combat force, the Seventh Legion.

But with the recent political attention garnered by the expedition to Ava State, even Empress Erin had no choice but to proceed with it. Therefore, the Senate hoped that Emerald Province could mobilize their army to participate in the expedition and fill the gap left by the Seventh Legion.

Although Floral understood the Senate’s intentions…

Are these people out of their minds? Asking the Forest Elves to organize an army?

The Forest Elf army was the weakest on the continent in terms of combat strength, morale, organization, and sustained combat ability once out of Ravenwood. Some might even argue that it was debatable if the organized Forest Elves could be called an army at all.

Floral shifted her gaze away from the envoy in front of her to the two witnesses behind him, then spoke in a serious tone,

“As the ruler of Emerald Province, I will do whatever it takes to achieve His ideal world according to the contract with my Eighth Holy Spirit. Please do not question my loyalty on this point.”

The envoy and the two witnesses were taken aback by Floral’s unexpected response. They didn’t know how to react.

Even though she was trying to express her loyalty, it sounded like she was being sarcastic.

Emerald Province was renowned for its distinct cultural beliefs. Even after the notorious Holy Tree Duke, Floral, assumed power and began pushing the Holy Spirits Church faith, most people didn’t buy it. They figured it was all just a political ploy to win the empire’s support. But maybe they were wrong. Maybe Floral truly believed in those things.

Among the top ranks of the Holy Spirits Church, it was widely accepted that the Holy Spirits were nothing more than a mere symbol and a means to an end. No saint, no matter how pious, could ever hope to climb the cutthroat ladder of power.

It’s just a slogan we usually use. Why are you suddenly so serious?

After a moment of silence, the envoy said, “Therefore, Your Grace, you mean that you’re willing to provide an unlimited number of people for the empire’s expedition…”
“I’m very willing to help, but you should know that based on the Forest Elf cultural traditions, our armies’ combat strength will be greatly weakened once they leave Ravenwood Forest. In fact, I believe that some of our special cultural traditions will also greatly affect the morale of our allies.”

It wasn’t easy to participate in an expedition with a group of allies with a corpse-eating tradition.

The envoy immediately explained,”Considering the Forest Elf’s expertise in forest warfare, the empire doesn’t require your army to participate in the sea crossing battle. But we need you to guarantee that the Seventh Legion can take over the defense there after leaving Greenwater Port. And you need to be ready for a potential surprise attack from the Ava State.”

Floral frowned slightly.

If that was all, why was the Senate putting so much pressure on her?

“Is there something else?” she asked, suspicion lacing her tone.

Your army won’t need to participate in the landing battle, but after we capture the city, we may require the Forest Elf army as a reserve to land on the island. They will be in charge of local security. The Forest Elves and the High Elves are of the same lineage, and the Senate believes this will help to minimize resistance.”

Floral’s confusion grew as she probed further, “And?”

Floral couldn’t believe that the empire would just capture the High Elf city without any help from them.

Then, the other party revealed their true intentions.

“Other than that, we need you to deal with the Shadow Queen and encircle Remides Shadowmoon.”

So this was their goal? Requesting the Forest Elf’s deployment was just a cover. What the Senate really hoped for was for her to set up a trap for Remides during her possible surprise attack?

Then, how should she answer?

Should she pretend to agree and tell the Presiding Judge later? Should she work with the empire to foil their own plot?

Or should she reject the offer and prove her loyalty to the Eighth Holy Spirit?

Agree to it.

As she pondered her options, a voice suddenly echoed in the depths of her soul.

It was the voice of the Presiding Judge.

I want to figure out why the empire has chosen such a timing.