CHAPTER 325: CHAPTER 18: PREPARATIONS

Losa and his group settled down at Anna’s private manor.

The decor here appears much fresher and more elegant, lacking the luxuriant burst of nouveau riche air that Oriental nobles carry, and without the expansive grandeur of Brahna Palace.

They had just returned when the rich aroma of meat began wafting from the manor’s kitchen.

Soldiers, having shed their heavy armor, received the notification to dine and gathered eagerly in the garden.

Soon, cooks brought out large barrels of pea and onion stewed lamb and basketfuls of white bread stacked on long rectangular tables, available for their selection.

The lamb in the barrels is substantial, with peas and onions merely as side dishes.

They served themselves onto individual plates, dipping bread into the stew.

Greek nobles almost never eat pork, considered impure and lowly meat made from waste by-products; wealthier Gaul and Apennine nobles are similar in this regard.

Many farmers, while renovating their homes, would connect the lavatory to a pig trough, and pigs in this era had not been bred for taste improvements, so their flavor was quite ordinary.

Lamb is considered middle-tier meat, a staple food among the nobles.

Beef is classified as top-tier meat; given the value of cattle, many affluent nobles cannot freely indulge in beef consumption.

Soldiers are noticeably satisfied with this meal, as even under Losa’s command, it is rare for them to have such ample servings of meat.

At Losa’s table, first served were roasted oysters and snails as appetizers.

Then the manor servants brought out all sorts of roasted meats, exquisitely baked white bread, and other main dishes.

This bread pairs well with the fig jam from the neighboring plates; take a bite of bread, then savor a quail stuffed with fruits and spices, the taste is quite delightful.

Having eaten their fill, Jeanne, tasting the dessert in small bites, eagerly said, "Let’s go out into the city and take a look; I’ve never strolled through this City of World Desire."

Furinjira scoffed lightly, "It’s just an ordinary city built by mortals; we saw similar ones on our way here.

But since you suggested it, let’s accompany Jeanne for a walk in the streets."

Chelina, without expressing any emotions, glanced at Losa; although she said nothing, she clearly felt moved.

She is not one for festivities, but the Constantinople of her era was rebuilt by the Turkic people, changing its layout drastically, quite different from the current one.

"Alright, then you all go have a look; I need to wait here for Anna’s return... Prajna, you should go too. Don’t worry about my safety; this is Anna’s domain, there won’t be any danger."

Prajna initially wanted to decline, but after considering, she replied, "Alright."

Losa watched them leave and returned leisurely to his room, where he took a book emanating a faint magic aura from the well-stocked bookshelf and began reading.

His proficiency in flame magic has been improving daily, though he still falls short of a formal wizard.

Yet, even without guidance, he can barely grasp the basics of some simple magic books.

...

A long time passed.

As Losa was deeply absorbed in reading, a figure appeared in front of him out of thin air, quickly taking shape into Anna’s silhouette: "Are you the only one left?"

"Yes, they went out to explore; it is the City of World Desire after all.

By the way, aren’t you not adept at space magic? How can you teleport back and forth like this?"

Anna elegantly sat opposite Losa: "I’ve told you, this is my realm; not being skilled in space magic doesn’t mean I can’t have someone set up a few small teleportation arrays."

"Is the problem resolved?"

"Of course, it was merely a group of lunatics obsessed with old gods’ wisdom, dissecting humans, seeking to uncover the mysteries of creation."

Anna replied indifferently, "If they hadn’t stolen numerous newly buried corpses, suspected to be the work of ghouls, I might not have even noticed them."

Losa inquired, "Who is the evil god these cultists worship?"

"Asclepius."

He was briefly stunned upon hearing this: "Even the Medical God is labeled as an evil god?"

Anna was silent for a moment before speaking, "The old gods are all evil gods. Only gods who do not manifest their miracles are the one true god."

Losa realized, recalling the deities from Greek mythology he had read about in his previous life, if they truly existed, they indeed resembled evil gods.

"Losa, this diplomatic mission includes your Germanic King’s eldest son. If you encounter him in the arena, how do you plan to respond?"

Losa was somewhat surprised, "Are you going to cooperate with Germania in some aspect? Even sending Emperor Henry’s eldest son as an envoy?"

Anna said meaningfully, "William II, King of the Two Sicilies, passed away last month. Do you know what this implies?"

"Just tell me directly; I’m not deeply knowledgeable about these matters."

After Anna’s explanation, Losa finally understood what had transpired.

The relationship between the Germania Empire and the Eastern Empire fluctuates frequently.

During their honeymoon period, the Eastern Empire’s Emperor would call the Germania Emperor the Lord of the Western Empire, and they address each other as brothers.

When relations are poor, they refer to each other as the King of the Germans.

Correspondingly, the Germania Empire’s Emperor would also call the Eastern Empire’s Emperor the King of Greece, a quite insulting title.

The Eastern Empire and Germania had previously fought for influence in the Northern Apennines, and Conrad’s father, William Alamic, Marquis of Monferrat, was one of the Eastern Empire’s representatives.

But the relationship between nations changes with interests.

Not long ago, William II of the Two Sicilies died, and the only heir was his aunt, Princess Constance, married to the German Emperor’s eldest son, Henry Junior.

In other words, Emperor Henry’s eldest son, before inheriting the emperor’s title, will soon acquire a crown of the Two Sicilies Kingdom.

However, the Sicilian nobles were unwilling to accept the rule of a foreigner, and they elected William II’s cousin, Count Tancred of Lecce, to be crowned King of Sicily.

Their relationships are like water and fire, and war might break out at any time.

The Eastern Empire, long suffering from hundreds of years of plunder by Norman bandits, naturally looks forward to seizing sufficient interests in this conflict, even restoring its rule over Southern Italy.

The parties quickly agreed to cooperate.

This time, the Emperor sent Henry Junior to Constantinople to discuss cooperation details with the Eastern Empire and the specific post-war spoils agreement.

"Now, you should tell me what you’ll do if you encounter Henry Crown Prince, right?"

Losa frowned; he was a vassal of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and ordinarily, he could completely ignore the Hohenstaufen imperial family, but the Habsburg Family still has to beg for food under them.

"If I encounter him, I’ll show mercy."

"How will you show mercy?"

Losa rolled his eyes, "I’ll ensure not to leave him any fatal or crippling injuries. Do I need to tie my hands and admit defeat directly? I’m not his vassal."

Even if he were Emperor Henry’s vassal, there’s no need to do so entirely.

Nobles killing kings in duels have been common throughout history, let alone just a crown prince.

If they meet, he might bow to him out of respect, or ignore him, depending on his mood.

Anna said with satisfaction, "That’s good. I must remind you that the Germania envoy group has sent many skilled warriors, including Austrian Marquis Leopold and his witch consultant. You must handle this carefully."

Leopold is here too?

When he was first enfeoffed with Jorgelisburg, he received a lot of help from Leopold.

Though the help quickly became insignificant due to the rapid expansion of his territory, he still appreciated Leopold’s favor.

Losa curiously asked, "Don’t you have a magical army that has taken magic potion? Just let them handle it."

The retained veteran group is powerful, but he is not confident they can surpass the special army that has taken magic potions, whose capabilities have far exceeded ordinary forces.

Moreover, these veteran soldiers followed him through bloody battles without losing many, and he doesn’t want to suffer heavy losses because of a duel.

Anna reluctantly said, "They’re executing important military duties and can’t return to Constantinople in a short time. If they were here, I wouldn’t be this worried."

Seeing through Losa’s concerns, Anna quickly assured him, "Don’t worry, since you’re going to the arena, I’ll definitely prepare healing magic potions for your soldiers. As long as there’s still a breath left, they’ll surely recover."

Losa thought for a moment before agreeing, "Alright, I’ll do my best."

After all, the benefactor is generous, providing sufficient funds.

Moreover, he had previously dealt with the magic potion army; the Assassins took magic potions as well, yet they were no match for the veteran soldiers under him.