in the name of the queen

Chapter 124 Who is a serious person who keeps a diary?
  Sophia couldn't guess why Sif didn't collapse when she faced her head-on.

But she didn't care about this small setback, and even looked forward to it a little more.

Sif is a promising opponent in the future.

Fortunately, Sophia didn't know what Sif was thinking, otherwise she might have been frozen to pieces on the spot.

This is how the thank you dinner ended.

The next day, Sophia drifted away.

She didn't take a boat. The boat was moving too slowly.

She went directly to the seaside, froze a small glacier, and carried herself across the ocean.

In just over a day, she could land at the ice-free port in the north of the empire and transfer to a carriage to go back.

Special envoys and dignitaries from other countries also left one after another.

Shortly after they left, the convoy flying the white rose flag also left the imperial capital and headed south.

Port of Dowall.

Count Sif is here again.

But this time she is not the focus, because the Queen is here.

The Queen's public reason for going south was to tour the territory and learn about the results of the investigation into the attack on Port Dorval.

The cabinet had no objection and only sent 200 additional soldiers to escort him.

The ministers were even secretly glad that the Queen went out to play.

But the Queen gave them a little more strength before leaving.

Seeing the Mirror Queen and Count Sif appearing at the same time, the ministers were silent.

They knew that the Queen was Count Sif, but they didn't know which one was real and which one was fake, let alone the identity of the actor.

Golem puppet?
  impossible! The golem puppet can only execute simple instructions, how can it have such a high IQ.

Shadow double?

This can be explained, but where can I find a substitute who looks exactly the same?

The heads of the ministers were about to explode.

Fortunately, someone suggested, "Since the Queen and the Earl exist at the same time, just treat them as two different people."

That makes sense, what a genius!
  The other ministers glared angrily at the speaker and dispersed.

Instead of figuring it out, they were just angry.

The Queen and the Earl look exactly the same, so it would be a big deal if something happened to them.

If someone with good intentions seizes the opportunity, the damage to the empire will be far greater than a war. How can anyone actually want to be an ostrich?

The ministers despised those who talked nonsense, but they all chose to be ostriches.

If the problem cannot be solved, you can only pretend not to know.

Stage 1: We claim nothing is wrong. √
  With the ministers pretending to be deaf and dumb, the Queen came to the port of Dorwall.

The mayor and harbormaster scrambled to entertain them.

They all hope that the queen will live in their own territory to facilitate reporting work.

However, the Queen had a unique idea and chose to stay at the Fourth Fleet Headquarters.

Just as the Fourth Fleet was busy packing her place, she made another shocking statement and asked to stay in General Planck's room.

Everyone was silent.

Soon, the mayor and port director who reacted expressed their objections, and Deputy Commander Bridges of the Fourth Fleet also expressed his dissent euphemistically.

Their reasons are simple and unclear.

According to tradition, after the entire naval fleet is sunk, the headquarters will be rebuilt, and the original commander's room is even more restricted.

The Queen did not directly reject their objections, but asked calmly: "Is General Planck alive or dead now?"

Deputy Commander Bridges looked embarrassed and gritted his teeth and said: "There is no evidence that the general is dead, then he is missing."

"Since it's missing, why can't it be inhabited?" the Queen asked calmly.

The rhetorical question ends all objections.

She had already made a decision, and daring to object would be disobedience.

Bridges had no choice but to ask the orderlies to quickly tidy up the yard, clean the room, and welcome the Queen.

Seeing that the Queen refused to stay in the courtyard provided by them, the mayor and port administrator panicked and secretly glanced at Roland.

Roland hinted to them that he would take the initiative to explain the problem in order to protect himself, but now the Queen has not expressed her position. She has to tell them whether she is dead or alive.

However, Roland just gave them a meaningful look and did not express his position.

After Gangplank's accident, his room had been sealed with a seal for almost three months, and it had to be cleaned properly if it was to be occupied.

The Queen wasted no time and went to the City Hall to listen to the work report.

First, the mayor introduced the basic work situation this year.

Although he has something on his mind, the mayor's professional quality is quite good. The report is clear and concise. It is full of practical data and does not contain too much official talk.

At the end of the report, the mayor sighed and said slowly: "Your Majesty, I did not expect that there were so many foreign spies lurking in Dowall. After this round of investigation, a total of 75 foreign intelligence agents were captured, including Jin Thirty-one people from Kite Kingdom, Vladimir Kingdom”

The Queen listened to the report expressionlessly and gave simple instructions, "Transfer it to the Military Intelligence Bureau for handling. Please inform the Military Intelligence Bureau during the transfer. I am very concerned about this matter."

She did not directly interfere in government affairs, and her sense of boundaries was very accurate.

But she didn't do nothing.

The phrase "I am very concerned" is to strengthen the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Of course Magic Mirror didn't understand these words, she was acting as a sounding board.

She looked at the young master Sif out of the corner of her eye and felt a little emotional.

She is Sif's puppet, and Sif is not Roland's puppet.

No one knows Sif's level in politics better than her.

But she didn't know that 90% of the instructions she had received recently came from Sif herself.

Roland intentionally let go, prompting Sif to think independently.

External brains are useful, but there are times when they are not available.

Sif must learn to make her own decisions.

Except for necessary reminders, Roland would not interfere with any of her decisions, even if they were wrong.

Taking away the right to make mistakes is equivalent to taking away the opportunity to grow.

It is better to make mistakes once than to teach something ten times.

Sif's growth rate surprised Roland.

After her confrontation with Sophia, Sif seemed to have enlightened herself overnight and her thoughts were particularly clear.

Although the reason for winning is very funny, winning is winning.

This is the first time in recent years that Sophia has not won a confrontation.

This victory boosted Sif's confidence tremendously.

She manipulates the magic mirror puppet and handles the mayor and harbor master with ease.

The Queen rarely expresses her position, but her casual questions always make these two old bureaucrats tremble.

Her Majesty the Queen knows a lot and cannot be fooled.

This is a sentiment shared by the Mayor and Harbor Master.

After listening to the report, the Queen chatted with everyone in a friendly manner until the evening.

The headquarters was finally cleaned and ready for move-in. Dinner will be held in the restaurant inside the Fourth Fleet Headquarters.

The meal was simple, not at all worthy of the Queen, but suitable for an Admiral.

No one from the city government or the port authority was invited to the dinner. It was entirely an internal gathering of the Fourth Fleet.

The officers and sailors who can accompany the Queen to dine here are carefully selected. Their ancestors must be three generations of old Sussex people, and they must be citizens of the Empire.

After this screening, hundreds of officers and soldiers with no question of loyalty accompanied the Queen to dine as extras.

Although it is acting, it is a rare experience for these people.

They had only heard about the glorious day from newspapers and colleagues. This was the first time they saw the Queen and Earl Sif in person.

This kind of opportunity is really rare.

The table for the Queen and the main entourage was arranged among the naval officers and soldiers.

Although Roland repeatedly reminded everyone to relax, the naval personnel around them were still a little cautious.

The dinner ended with joy and restraint.

The entire Fourth Fleet is encouraged by the good news brought by Her Majesty the Queen.

The officers and soldiers of the Fourth Fleet who went missing at sea will be counted as performing their tasks, their wages will be paid as usual, and they will still receive subsidies for going to sea.

This was discussed with the Minister of Finance before leaving the imperial capital.

Although the old miser was heartbroken and was about to have a heart attack on the spot, he still accepted the suggestion.

After all, this was advice from the Queen, and it was entirely in line with the rules.

More than 20 battleships of the Fourth Fleet, with a total of more than 5,000 people, went to sea. No one came back alive, and no piece of wreckage could be found. There are many doubts, and they cannot be simply determined to be dead or missing.

The solution given by Sif is simple.

Since he is neither dead nor missing, he is still on escort mission to sea.

Until the task is over, wages and subsidies cannot be reduced.

This can ensure that the families of these people live a worry-free life.

After hearing the good news, the entire Fourth Fleet was excited and their morale was high.

The main force of the Fourth Fleet was lost, and its strength shrank rapidly, becoming the weakest fleet in the Imperial Navy. Their commander was away, and the naval headquarters did not want to see them. They were in a very difficult situation.

The preferential care conditions given by the Queen were completely within the legal framework, but it gave them a shot in the arm.

Her Majesty the Queen's sincerity can be seen by taking such care of her brother who cannot come back.

The Fourth Fleet instantly changed from the fleet with the lowest morale and the most wavering loyalty to the most loyal and reliable fleet.

Although it will take time to recover combat effectiveness, at least people's hearts are stable.

After dinner, they returned to the naval headquarters. Sif let the magic mirror rest first, and she and Roland went to the study room where Gangplank had been before his accident.

The bookcase and desk were still sealed, but the keys were already on the table.

This is the attitude expressed by Bridges.

He did not dispose of these things privately, and now they are completely in the hands of the Queen.

Bridges didn't dare to dismantle it, but Sif did.

Sif and Roland searched Plank's desk carefully, trying to find clues.

During the search, Sif whispered:
  "I didn't immediately pardon them, nor did I express my position. I just wanted to scare them and wait until tomorrow. Although these two guys are capable, they are also very greedy, so let them be scared."

Roland just smiled and said nothing.

What she did was correct. The only way to control someone is to give them kindness and power at the same time.

Seeing Roland smiling and saying nothing, Sif explained softly:
  "Only kindness without majesty will make people look cowardly and cannot be respected. Only majesty without kindness will make people alienate. This is what you said. I did nothing wrong, right?"

Roland nodded with satisfaction, "Of course not, absolutely correct."

Grace means pardoning their crimes, and Wei means the cold treatment tonight.

Sif made it clear to them that it would only take a matter of minutes to get their hands on them.

Intimidating first and then forgiving will have a better shock effect on them and make them stop in time.

After solving these annoying trivial matters, Roland and Sif continued to search the room.

Although the room has definitely been dealt with, and it is difficult to find anything valuable, it is still idle, and no matter how it is dealt with, there are always clues left behind.

Just as Roland was analyzing Gangplank's character from the books on the bookshelf, Sif happily appeared in front of him holding several small notebooks.

"Look, look, what did I find?"

Seeing her expression as if she was offering a treasure, Roland was also a little curious about what kind of treasure it was.

Opening the small book and taking a look at it, he almost couldn't help laughing.

To put it simply, this thing is the general's diary.

Roland flipped through it casually and shook his head with a smile, "This is not a diary."

"Ah? How could that be? I just looked through it and this is the diary!" Sif was unconvinced.

Roland did not refute directly, but pointed to one of the passages and said softly: "Look, does this look like something written for your future self?"

"This"

As long as the political field is not involved, Sif's brain is very bright or even very bright. Only in the political field does she tend to get sleepy.

She also saw a problem in what Roland pointed out.

This does not look like a diary, but rather like embellishment and packaging of one's own words, which is too deliberate.

Can a top actor like her still tell that this is acting?

Frowning slightly, Sif's voice was a little cold, "Who is so bold as to forge Planck's diary? This is forged evidence!"

"Well, how should I put it? This thing was indeed written by Planck himself, but the content was beautified with a beautifying filter. This behavior is also called 'concave character design'."

"Concave character?" Roland's fresh words made Sif a little curious.

"It's an overexertion of performance to create a stereotype. For example, if there is a priest who sells indulgences, he is eager to sell indulgences wherever he goes, regardless of whether the occasion is appropriate or not, regardless of how outrageous the words may seem. , he has to say it, year after year, time after time, this is a concave character."

Sif nodded slightly and learned again.

When Roland said this, she quickly figured it out.

Planck may have realized that one day these diaries would be used as evidence, so he was acting deliberately.

But does anyone really know how to perform in a diary?
  Seeing her confused expression, Roland smiled and teased:
  "Any serious person who keeps a diary, at least doesn't write like this. But the diary is not useless. Sometimes the performer doesn't notice that his true nature is revealed, like here."

Roland pointed to Planck's account of a day when he went to the church to pray, and mentioned that a certain nun had long and white thighs.

"Did he have evil thoughts about the nuns who cultivated themselves?" Sif frowned.

"That's not the case. The nun just has a slightly special status and is not more beautiful than ordinary girls. What he likes is the long white legs. Just because Gangplank is not married does not mean that he does not have a woman. This is a clue."

Roland carefully read through Planck's diary and extracted a lot of useful information. He found that he had recorded five stays in a small city in Hanseatic Province.

"It should be here. His mistress and illegitimate child are most likely here. Otherwise, as an imperial admiral, he has no reason to go to such a small place so many times."

Sif agreed with Roland's judgment and murmured: "As long as we find his family, we may find more clues. I didn't expect you to know about criminal investigation?"

"I really don't understand this, but I understand the mentality of a diary writer."

Roland's expression was a little sad.

After all, he once had a literary dream and wrote a diary like Tolstoy.

And it also has a concave personality.

I wonder if people in another world will be moved to tears when they see his relic diary.

Sure enough, serious people don’t keep diaries.

(End of this chapter)