"Ingrid, what year is it this year?"
"Uncle, which country’s calendar are you using?"
"Nali."
Ingrid looked up at him and couldn’t help but murmur,
"You’re Nali, huh? Why do you look like such an old relic... It’s just the beginning of this year, the fifth year of the Empress."
Fisher’s eyes involuntarily flickered. He turned his head towards Ingrid in disbelief, and even Emhardt in his arms was so shocked that it poked its head out, looking Fisher in the eye.
When he left, Elizabeth had only been on the throne for about half a year, but now that he’s back, she’s been ruling for five years already. Had he been away for an entire four and a half years?
"This... how is this possible..."
"Uncle! What... what’s that thing in your arms? It’s so ugly..."
Ingrid, who was looking at the astonished Fisher, was about to say sothing, but was imdiately frightened by the sight of Emhardt in his arms. At first, she thought it was sothing like a spiritual essence hiding there, but upon closer inspection, she realized it was a book with eyes and a mouth!
"You little... say that again and believe in the greatness of the Book Knight..."
Ingrid gaped, quickly raised the Picture Keeper hanging around her neck, and snapped the open-mouthed, swearing book poking its head out.
"Click!"
In an instant, Emhardt’s vision was filled with white light, and it quickly retreated into Fisher’s arms, shouting,
"Ah! It’s demon art! Fisher! My eyes! This girl practices demon art!"
"Shut up... Emhardt, there’s been a mistake in our return, we shouldn’t have..."
Fisher patted Emhardt’s body, speaking with a headache.
But Emhardt squinted its eyes, temporarily blinded by the flash, and popped out, saying to him,
"It must be Paimon’s fault! That guy’s rotten to the core!"
"No, it might be my fault..."
Fisher glanced at his completely healed side, his mind racing with guesses.
During his ti on the Tree Continent, releasing the power Renie had left him was indeed a mistake. When the power was removed and then resealed back into his body, it likely affected the direction and strength of its influence on the threads of fate, which is why he couldn’t return to where he was supposed to be.
This analysis made sense, because the power was completely out of control at the ti. Even though it quieted down for unknown reasons, it wasn’t as it was, otherwise, it wouldn’t have moved from his chest to his side for storage.
But Emhardt felt Fisher had been brainwashed by that vile woman Paimon.
Fisher turned his head to look at Ingrid, who was still incredulous, and then asked,
"Tell everything that happened since about half a year after Elizabeth ascended the throne until now."
"Hey, uncle, I’m the one who treated you to food, and you’re now..."
"Tell , and I’ll take you inside that factory."
Ingrid’s eyes glimred behind her sunglasses, and she then stood, lightly coughing, and said to Fisher,
"No way, you only just arrived in the South Continent a few days ago, and you don’t know about the Western Continent either, so where have you been? The Northern Realm? Drifting at sea?"
"Get to the point."
Ingrid glanced at the equally curious Emhardt nestled in Fisher’s arms, and continued,
"Well, actually, there’s not much to say about your Empress. She’s now one of the preeminent figures not just in the Western Continent, but in the entire world. Under her leadership, the Nali Kingdom is just too... well, it’s hard to describe, but honestly, the difference from before is huge, even from a Schwali perspective like mine, it’s extrely enviable..."
She began to count the past events on her fingers.
Ingrid knew quite a bit about the happenings in the Nali Kingdom, though not in detail.
She only knew that Elizabeth’s economic reforms had beco models of study for the Western Continent and the Northern Realm. It seed she appointed many new officials, implenting systems of examination and assessnt, transforming the system of the Golden Palace from one based on family nas to one passed on by na, detaching the image of each emperor from the shadow of the Gedelin family.
As a result, Elizabeth Gedelin’s official titles could be "Queen Elizabeth", "Elizabeth I", but most people preferred to call her the "Sun Empress" or the "Golden Empress."
The reford Nali Kingdom burst forth with astounding vitality in a short ti, frequently producing new technological and magical achievents, though much of the information and data were not publicly disclosed, so Ingrid was unaware of many specifics.
She could only glimpse the erging Empire, rising like the Sun, from the increasing number of Nali Factories, the wealthier Nali citizens and rchants, and the increasingly assertive diplomacy and military power.
After stabilizing her own backyard, Elizabeth’s ambitions for external expansion quickly beca evident.
Against the old, love-hate entangled neighbor Schwali, Elizabeth’s economic and military strategies were increasingly proactive. Over the past four and a half years, although there hasn’t been an open war, it’s clear to the discerning eye that the Schwali Queen has been losing ground in her contest with Elizabeth.
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