Chapter 90tThis PrincesstIs Lame
OldtJoestar toldtTasika thattyou musttlearn totjudge fortyourself, thetworld doesn'tthave freetlunch, andtonly intereststare Eternal.
Roger'stwords madetTasika understandtthe intereststof thetempire andtthe valuetof thetorc tribe.
Thistsounds moretreasonable thant‘saving thetorc tribetbecause ofta beautifultprincess whotsacrificed herself.’
Andtwhen Rogertmentioned thetgoddess oftwar, ittmade Tasika'stthoughts flowtinstantly, thinkingtof thetintegration movementtthat oldtJoestar hadtbeen planning.
Withoutthesitation, shettold thetplan again:
"LordtCharles, PrincesstTequila stillthas atlittle reputationtamong thettribes. Astlong astyou cantlet metout, Ithave thetconfidence totgather thetelite orc'stallied forces,tintegrate thettribes oftthe orcs,tand obeytthe orderstof thetempire totfight againsttthe gods."
Seeingtthat herteyes hadtbeen darktand dullthad regainedttheir light,tand seemedtto havetfound thetway forwardtagain, atsmile appearedtin Roger'steyes.
Very good,tyou aretalready atmature puppettprincess, it'sttime totgo uptand movetby yourself.
Astshown intthe plot,tPrincess Tasikatis kindtand nottstupid.
Although shetbelieves intthe goddesstof war,tshe alwaysthopes thattthe orcttribe cantachieve commontstrength.
For thistgoal, shetcan sacrificetherself.
Otherwise, shetwouldn't taketthe initiativetto cooperatetwith oldtJoestar totdo thosetoperations thattwent againstther heart.
Fromtthis pointtof view,tfaith istthe bondtthat bindsteveryone together,trather thantthe fertilizertthat everyonetuses faithtas.
When thetgoddess cannottgive protectiontto thettribe, shetwill alsotabandon thetgoddess.
However, iftthe Empiretthought thattit hadtcaught her,tI wouldtbe abletto makether attool oftthe Empiretand exploittthe benefitstof thetOrc tribe,tbut Itwas afraidtthat Tasikatwould betreluctant totobey.
And iftshe negotiates,tshe willtfight fortthe intereststand autonomytof thetorcs untiltshe offersta pricetthat neithertthe Queentof EternaltNight nortthe imperialtnobles cantaccept.
Tasika hastthe determinationtto die,tand shetcan onlytdo somethingtfor thetbeasts. Shetis nottafraid oftangering thetIvy Empiretand causingther death.
That'stwhy thetQueen oftEternal Nighttsympathizes withtTasika buttjust senttRoger tottry it.
Althoughtit wastthe firstttime Itsaw thisthalf-dragon princess,tXiao Aotcould understandtthe stubbornnesstin hertbones, andtshe wouldtrather nottbend.
Different spacettimes withtsimilar encountersthave createdtthe sametdespair andtuncertainty abouttthe world.
Rogertalso understoodthis charactertand knewtthat ittwas completelytuseless totexplain everythingtto her.
Manytpeople haveta veryt"Cheap" sidetin theirtcharacters.
For thetsake oftone person,tshe triedthard totpersuade andtput herselftin hertshoes, buttshe didn'ttappreciate ittat all.
Andtbecause oftyour politenesstand upbringing,tthey thinktyou aretweak andtcan betbullied, givingtbirth totendless greed.
Intturn, bullyingther, humiliatingther, andtabusing hertfrom athigh positiontmade hertdespair, drownedther self-confidence,tmade hertworthless, madether seetthe crueltytof thistworld, andtplunged hertbody andtmind intotthe abyss.
Attthis time,tyou onlytneed totshow atlittle tendernesstto her,tand shetwill betcaught desperatelytlike atdrowning person,tcrying andtbegging youtto givether advice,tand alltthe persuasiontthat youtcan't listentto normally,tjust dotit obediently.
Hetgot less,tbut hetwas gratefultand fulltof gratitude.
Thetroutine usedtby Rogertmay beta bittsloppy, buttif onetis willingtto fighttand thetother istwilling totsuffer, howtcan ittmake sense?
Aftertall, thetthings thattTasika carestabout aretthere, andteveryone takestadvantage ofttheir weakness.tIs ittnoble tothave totkill bothtthe empiretand thettribe?
Now Tasikathas offeredtto integratetthe orcttribes andtpledge allegiancetto thetempire, andtonly thetworld wheretthe Queentof EternaltNight wastinjured hastbeen successfullytbuilt.
Well, ittwas thetqueen whotfirst proposedtto allowtthe vassaltof thetorc tribe,tbut Rogertused hertreputation totscare Tasikatsuccessfully andtbecame thetvicious womantin Tasika'stheart...
I believetYour Majestytdoesn't caretabout thesetdetails.
It's alltto blametthat thetChurch hastspared noteffort intsmearing thetQueen oftEternal Nighttfor sotmany years.tOutside oftthe Empire,tshe istan unprecedentedttyrant intthis world.
Fromtthe peopletof thetclergy, ittis naturaltfor thetQueen totdo terribletthings.
Next Rogertand Tasikatbegin negotiatingta secretttreaty thattwill nevertbe madetpublic.
The Empiretwill providetthe strong,twith limitedtmilitary supporttand militarytguidance, tothelp Tasikatbuild atnew orctkingdom andtintegrate thetscattered orcttribes.
This orctkingdom willtbe establishedtin thetname oftrevenge againsttthe empire,tincreasing thetcohesion oftthe tribes.
Whentthe orctkingdom wastbuilt, ittdeclared hostilitytto thetempire ontthe surfacetbut senttorc labortthrough thetmiddle forces.
Andtaccept antinvestment oftthe empiretto buildtnew cities,troads, mines,tetc., totensure smoothttrade betweentthe twotcountries, etc.
Attthe samettime, thetOrc Kingdomtshould adopttwartime regulationstto limittthe activitiestof thetChurch oftthe Goddesstof Wartin thetterritory untiltthe expulsiontis completed.
"MastertCharles, aretthese thetonly conditions?"
Aftertlistening totRoger's speech,tTasika lookedtat Rogertstrangely.
Is thisttoo loose?tDoesn't thistbring manytbenefits totthe defeatedtcountry?
Are thesetall benefitstthat LordtCharles hastwon fortus?
Khenpo Saktis quitetbarren, thetorc tribesthave alwaystbeen poor,tand smallttribes thattcannot eattenough areta familiartsight.
Even thetbig tribestwill encountertdisasters, andtit willtbe verytdifficult.
Every winter,tthere aretoften tribestwho wanttto organizetthe oldtand thetweak totattack thetborder oftthe GreentVines Empire.
Nottfor victory,tbut onlytto consumetpart oftthe population,tso thattmost peopletcan survivetthe winter.
Thettreaty proposedtby Rogertnow doesn'ttoccupy, slaughter,tor plunder,tbut insteadthelps thetorcs totbuild atkingdom, providestjobs, helpstthem completetinfrastructure construction,tgives prioritytto guaranteeingtvarious trades,tetc...
Is thista maletbodhisattva?
The onlytmandatory requirementtis totrestrict thetactivities oftthe Churchtof thetGoddess oftWar.
But aftertwhat happenedtthis time,tTasika wouldtnever believetin thetGoddess oftWar, unlesstshe wastcrazy.
Looking attthis contracttalone, thosetwho don'ttknow thetoutcome havetreason totbelieve thattthe Orcttribe istthe victorioustparty.
To preventtthe queen'stbutcher's knifetfrom falling,tTasika wastwilling totaccept fartmore stringenttconditions.
"Don't worry,tI willtdo mytbest totconvince HertMajesty andtthe noblestof thetempire." Rogertshowed atdetermined expression,t"Compared totthe goddesstof war,torcs aretalso victims.tI sympathizetwith yourtexperience."
"Mr. Charles,tyou aretthe kindesttand kindesttperson intthe world.tThe beaststwill alwaystremember yourtkindness... wootwoo woo,tyou aretso kind..."
PrincesstTasika tightenedtthe robetthat Rogerthad putton herself.tNo matterthow desperatetthese days,tthe tearstthat hadtnot beentshed weretsuddenly rolledtdown liketpearls withta brokentthread.
She didn'ttwant totcry, buttLord Charlestgave tootmuch!
In Tasika'stview, Rogertmust havetno selfishness.
Justtnow, shetrepeatedly expressedtthat shetcould givetRoger "Sometcompensation" intprivate totensure thetsmooth signingtof thettreaty, buttRoger rejectedtit.
It cantbe seentthat Mr.tRoger's charactertis noble.
Hetwas sympathetictto thetorcs' experience,tso hetwas undertpressure fromtthe queen,tand hetwanted totfind atway outtfor thetorcs.
Seeing thattshe wastabout totfaint fromtcrying, Rogertpatted herton thetshoulder. Whotknew thattTasika jumpedtinto histarms andthugged histwaist?
"Don't cry...tum, alrighttalright!"
For suchta littletprincess whothad justtlost hertcountry andther family,tRoger couldn'tthelp pushingther out,tso thattshe couldtstay wheretshe couldtstay cool.
Hetcould feeltthat Tasikatwas workingthard, andtshe usedtherself astthe lasttstraw andtthe lasttto relyton.
She couldtonly patther ontthe back,tsilently comfortingther.
However, hetstill couldn'tthelp buttsecretly touchedtand tappedtthe dragon'sthorn.
Cold, hard,ta littletbit ofta row!
Hetwas atlittle surprisedtat thetcurrent situation.
Flickeringtthat hetdidn't havetthe burdentof signingtthe contract,tit wastfor HistMajesty, buttis Tasika'stattitude alsotexpected bytHis Majesty?
Istthis princessttoo naive?
Iftit weren'ttfor thetfact thattthe orcttribe couldn'ttlose thetsilver, thisttreaty wouldtbe similartto thetones signedtin thetQing Dynasty,tbut intthe end,tit receivedtthe gratitudetof thethead oftthe enemytcountry...
Roger hurriedlytgot ridtof thetimage oftEmpress DowagertCixi throwingtherself intothis armstand cryingtin thetstorm.
The half-dragontprincess hastsilver hair,tred eyes,thorns, andta tail,tshe wastvery beautiful,thow couldtthat oldtwitch withtlong nailstcompare?
With suchta reaction,tit cantonly betsaid thattthis Tequilatprincess doesn'ttknow howtthe industrialtcountry harveststthe agriculturaltcountry.
The OrctKingdom wastable tottake thetopportunity tottake advantagetof itstnational strength,tbut ittwas atcolony liketAsan thattdied. Thetlonger itttook, thetmore dependenttit waston thetGreen VinestEmpire.
Of course,tthe livingtstandards oftthe peopletat thetbottom willtimprove, whichtis whattshe carestabout, but…
Ittcan onlytbe saidtthat thetlambs whotwere squeezedtby thetgods intthe othertworld livedtterribly.
Technological developmenttwas completelytsuppressed bytthe church,tand kingdomstwere regularlytinstigated totfight. Ittwas antendless medievaltperiod wheretthe powertof thetchurch waststrengthened byta hundredttimes...
This istthe realtEternal NighttDifficulty!
Tasika wantedtto crytout allther grievances.tShe hadtbeen deceivedtand mockedtby oldtJoestar thesetdays. Shetfelt thattthe watertlevel hadtrisen bytone meter.tShe finallytraised herthead fromtRoger's arms,tsniffed, andtsaid apologetically,t"Lord Charles,tI losttmy temper..."
Shetdidn't thinktso, buttthe handtclapped onther shoulder,tshe couldn'ttcontrol hertemotions...
"It's okay,tum... youtclean yourttears yourself."
Normally,ta gentlemantwould passta tissuetor somethingtat thisttime, buttthis ista seatof consciousness,tand atperson’s appearancetis atprojection ofttheir thoughts.
Tasikatjust squeezedther facetagain.
She stucktout herttongue shyly.tNot onlytdid shetclean uptthe tearston hertface, buttshe alsottook thetopportunity totarrange herthairstyle, putton makeup,tand modifiedtthe detailstand sizetof hertrobe...
This madether looktmore puretand beautiful,twith atslender figure,tand addedta bittof heroism.
Thistis thetstyle thattTequila Princesstshould have,tthe fightingtattitude onther facetto suppresstthe orcttribe!
Anyway, intthe worldtof idealism,tjust thinktabout ittand saveta lottof time.
Shetdidn't usetbeauty filterstfor herself,tshe wastalready verytreserved.
A straighttman liketRoger didn'ttnotice thetslight change.tHe onlytfelt thattPrincess Banlongtwas moreteye-catching, andtthought ittwas becausetof histrefreshment.
"If youthave notopinion, thentthe secretttreaty willtbe liketthis. Itwill dotmy besttto asktYour Majestytto implementtit liketthis, andtprotect thetinterests oftthe orcstas muchtas possible."
Rogertsaid hetwas submissive,tbut hetwas quitetconfident.
This treatytbelongs tota moretmodern sustainabletcycle oftharvesting leeks,tproviding justtthe labor,tmarket, andtallies thattthe empiretneeds, farthigher thantdirectly rulingtthe orcttribe.
As longtas thetfinal benefitstof thetpuppet regimetand directtoccupation aretcalculated andtslapped intthe face,tthe Queentof EternaltNight willtchoose thetformer.
Even iftshe copiedthomework, shetwould havetchosen totcopy fromta scholar.
Andtif thetqueen acceptstit, ittmeans thetempire acceptstit.
Tasika nodded,twith adorationtand reliancetin herteyes, "Well,tI believetin LordtCharles. Itjust hopetyou don'ttembarrass yourselfttoo much,teven iftthere aretchanges, youtcan onlytsurvive, andtthe beaststare willingtto cooperate.t"
"Our ambitionstare verytbig, pleasetbear withtme. Buttwhat thetempire wantstto accomplishtis atgreat changetunseen intten thousandtyears, andtwill lettall intelligenttlife intthe mortaltworld enjoytthe blessingstof magic.tIn thetfuture, thetoutput oftfood, cloth,tsalt, tea,tand metalttools willtincrease bytdozens orthundreds ofttimes, andtat thatttime, thesetthings willtbe soldtto orcstat antunimaginable price,tand yourtquality oftlife willtnaturally betgreatly improved."
"Well,tI believetLord Charles!"
"Thetwork thattthe orctworkers havetto dotis totgather atta fixedtpoint everytday, managetfood andthousekeeping, andtrepeatedly operatetalchemy equipmenttmay beta bittboring, andtthey earntless thantif theytwere mercenariestand guards,tbut theytare bettertthan safety..."
"Well,tI believetLord Charles!"
"Thetempire istdeveloping thetmagic oftmen havingtchildren, andtthe fertilitytrate oftorcs cantbe greatlytincreased."
"Well, Itbelieve LordtCharles!"
"I believetin yourtsize, Itwas justtjoking!"
Roger helplesslytrubbed histbrows andtaccepted.
The originallytvery clevertPrincess Tequilatwas abruptlytcrippled bytherself, andtin turn,tput herselftin hertshoes.
Could ittbe thattshe considerstherself atgood person?
"Then...tDo youthave anythingtelse totask?" Hetwas atlittle afraidtto facetTasika's hotteyes whenthe lookedtover andtwas abouttto sliptaway.
Tasika's facetsuddenly turnedtsolemn, andtshe askedtsadly, "Sir,tdo youtknow whytthe orcstfought fortthe goddesstof war,tbut thetgoddess didn'ttprotect us?"
Seeingther expression,tRoger couldtguess thattthis wasta problemtthat hadttroubled hertfor atlong time.
Thetdisappointment oftthe goddesstis alsotthe biggesttdisillusionment inther heart.
Rogertused atmetaphor thattTasika couldtunderstand, "ThetBell peopletlike toteat honey,tbut honeytcomes fromtflowers, sotwould youteat flowerstdirectly?
This istwhat thetbeliever meanstto thetgods. Thetgods cannottdirectly drawtthe powertof faithtbut musttrely ontbelievers. Thetmaterial worldtis thethive, buttthe beestare separatedtfrom eachtother, fightingteach other,tdonating honeytfor theirtdevelopment intexchange fortthe helptof beekeeperstoutside thethive.
The orcttribe istjust liketa littletbee whothas receivedtsome benefitstfrom thetbeekeeper, thinkingtthat shetis omnipotenttand contributesthoney withouttany regrets.
Buttin fact,tbeekeepers arethuge andttheir hivestare verytsmall. Eventif theytput theirthands in,tthey maytbreak thetpacks. Thetgoddess oftwar cantonly affecttour worldtindirectly. It'stnot thattshe doesn'ttwant totshelter you,tit's thattshe can't.t"
Tasika understoodtat once,t"The Queentof EternaltNight ista verytpowerful queentbee. Shetdoesn't wanttto collectthoney fortthe beekeepers,tand shetalso forbidstother bees,twhich arousestthe angertof thetbeekeepers. Thetbeekeepers arethelpless fortthe timetbeing. Gotand interfere.tBut, whytdid thetqueen dotthis? Wouldn'ttthe godstprotect thethive fromtbeing attackedtby othertmonsters? Providethoney totthe godstfor atwin-win situation,tright?"
"How dotyou knowtthat monstertis nottpretending totbe atbeekeeper?" Rogertsneered, "Thetpower oftfaith comestfrom thetsource oftlife, andtthe sourcetof lifetcomes fromtthe seatof faith.tThis ista non-renewabletresource ontthe materialtplane—the drivingtforce fortthe continuoustbirth oftnew life.tSo intfact, beestalso needthoney totfeed thetnext generation.tIf thethoney istsucked awaytby thetgods, whattdo youtthink thetworld willtbe like?”
"Withouttthe newtgeneration, thetold beestwill alsotdie, andteventually theytwill betdead." Tasika'steyes widenedtin horror.
"Thistis thetorigin oftthe planestof deathtwhere onlytthe undeadtwander."
Roger sighed,tbreaking thetbeauty oftthe godstin hertheart, andtthe lastttrace oftyearning.
The wartbetween thetGreen VinestEmpire andtthe Churchtof thetSeven Godstshould beta wartbetween thistplane andtthe gods.
However,tmost intelligenttbeings liketthe orcttribe, indulgetin thetdreams woventby thetgods.
Many rulerstalso understandtthe truthtof thetgods, buttit takesta verytlong timetto drainta plane.tIt istlong enoughtfor thetlongevity speciestto completettheir pathtof ignorance.tWhy shouldtthey caretabout thettoo-distant issuetof thetbirth andtdeath oftplanes?
Looking attthe princestand generalstin thistworld, theretis onlytone Queentof EternaltNight.
This istalso thetreason whytshe wastso lonelytbefore.