In the Middle Ages, people drew cards to be promoted to nobility.

Constantinople, Brachna Palace.

Anna hung up the phone and walked out of the room angrily.

In the main hall, there was a woman wearing a purple crown sitting on her head who was reviewing documents. When she saw her, she asked casually: Did he agree?

She has thick eyebrows, fair skin and beautiful eyes, and a pair of bright and long eyes, which is charming yet majestic.

Obviously, this is Lagaia Ducasse, known as the most beautiful woman in the Eastern Empire, the Queen Regent, and the de facto ruler of the Eastern Empire.

Anna said casually: Hey, don't mention it. This guy is quite loyal to his Leper King, so I almost promised you.

Loyalty is the greatest virtue of a minister. I respect him very much.

The Queen's voice paused slightly and then said: But please don't make such rebellious jokes again in the future.

This is no joke.

Anna chuckled and said: First of all, Count Lothar is a very handsome man, and all women in Jerusalem regard him as the lover of their dreams.

He is also a very powerful wizard with many extraordinary beings following him. More importantly, he is loyal, upright, compassionate to the common people, and not corrupt.

The queen raised her eyebrows slightly: You like him so much, why don't you do it yourself?

Anna hummed softly: I just admire him - you have good intentions, but you don't know what is good and what is bad.

presumptuous!

The Queen glared at Anna and saw her disapproval, and said helplessly: Can your sea dragon participate in this battle?

That rebellious traitor Isaac hired Brindisi's pirate group and Pisa's fleet. If we really want to fight, the Imperial Navy may not be able to win.

The Queen sighed softly.

The decline of the empire is visible to the naked eye.

The most powerful naval force in the entire Mediterranean in the past was now not even comparable to the barbaric Latins.

The Magritos of Brindisi were the largest pirate gang in the Mediterranean in this era.

Pisa is also considered one of the stronger ones among the Apennine city-states.

The two combined forces are by no means a force that can be underestimated.

Anna said regretfully: That sea dragon is our future. It has the power of storms and seas. Once it grows up, the entire Mediterranean Sea will belong to us.

So, I will not allow it to participate in this war, even if it means losing Cyprus.

The Queen's phoenix eyes were filled with anger: Anna, don't you know how important Cyprus is to the empire? Moreover, that bastard Isaac raised the banner of the Komnenos family and openly questioned my legitimacy. This kind of rebellion Once he is allowed to gain a foothold, the rebels throughout the empire will become restless.

Anna solemnly said: I know, but 'Niko' is just a juvenile sea dragon. It is too fragile. Even if it participates in the war, the role it can play is very limited. The risk is not proportional to the cost, so I can only refuse.

Okay, you're the expert on this, I'll listen to you.

The Queen was silent for a moment, and then whispered: It's better to let those Crusaders contribute.

I received news today that Isaac signed a contract with Saladin to plunder the Crusader fleet and sell the plundered slaves in Egypt in exchange for Saladin's blessing.

Isaac will be our common enemy.

Anna loudly said: It is not a problem to get the Crusaders to take action, but the question is, what price can you give?

Don't forget, Emperor Alexius I, during the first Eastern Campaign, originally wanted to use the Crusaders to regain the lost lands, Antioch, Edessa, and Jerusalem - but they are now all occupied by the Crusaders .

The Queen was silent for a moment.

I will reward them with money.

The emperors and kings in Europe have exclusive titles, which can be translated as I, I and I.

But what if they occupy Cyprus and don't leave?

The Queen pondered for a moment: Baldwin IV is an upright man. If he approves and makes a covenant, he will not go back on his word.

Anna, please send a letter to King Baldwin for me, and tell them that I will grant the fiefdom of Mazothos and the three nearby castles to the one who contributed the most to this battle.

As long as the fortresses and seaports in Famagusta and other places are still in our hands, it doesn't matter if this place is sealed to the Franks.

Anna sighed: If I had known about this kind of benefit, I would have promised it to Lothar.

He can't.

The Queen shook her head decisively and said: The focus of this battle is the naval battle. I have never heard that Count Lothar has a fleet under his command.

That's true.

Anna felt a little sorry, she really valued Lothar's potential.

And there is no rejection of Lothar just because he is a Frankish barbarian in the eyes of the mainstream people in the empire.

As far as wizards are concerned, they are of the same kind.

…

In the evening, another news came from Anna.

Mazotos? Where is that place?

Lothar frowned.

A small seaport in the southeast of Cyprus. Although there are many seaports on the island of Cyprus, it may not earn much transit fees, but it can serve as a base for your fleet in the Mediterranean.

Lothar was silent for a moment.

Do I look like a man with a fleet to you?

Yes, there are.

But they are all in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

In addition to Hogg, there was also Muller's merchant fleet and a coastal defense fleet.

Anna said with some embarrassment: You always have to create something from scratch. Mediterranean trade is so profitable, don't you want to get involved?

Lothar said ha: Making money is making money, and pirates are everywhere. Teeth determine how big my appetite is. I am very satisfied if I can control a part of the Red Sea trade like I do now.

Besides, your queen is too stingy. What does it mean to be the first in contribution to get a fief? Isn't this just trying to make a fool of yourself?

Anna was also a little embarrassed, and she also felt that her queen was not open enough about the matter.

However, although the Eastern Empire has a great family and great business, local forces are intertwined, and there are too few lands that can truly be controlled by the royal family.

For example, in the city of Athens, the entire city paid only 3,000 silver coins in land tax per year.

Because there is a large amount of tax-free real estate belonging to the nobility, the problem of land annexation is also very serious, and coupled with the church real estate, the tax revenue the empire can collect from the land is very limited.

Therefore, the empire's finances relied heavily on trade and customs.

The rise of commercial city-states such as Venice and Genoa led to the successive loss of a large number of commercial strongholds in the coastal areas of Asia Minor and the Black Sea.

This also led to the empire's position as the eastern trade hub being greatly challenged.

Anna said with a somewhat flattering tone: The Imperial family has a big business and a lot of expenses. Please be considerate.

Of course I am considerate, so I have no intention of participating at all.

Lothar chuckled and said that the territory of Mazotos is valuable, especially in the hands of the Temple, the Knights Hospitaller and Earl Raymond.

Because these three Crusaders all have a powerful fleet, this can serve as a transit port and supply port for their fleets.

But it was useless to him.

Anna was silent for a moment and then said: I remember that your power system is different from that of traditional wizards, so is it hard to understand that magic book?

Indeed, do you want to teach me?

Anna thought about it and said, Let's do this. I will spend an hour every night teaching you.

Lothar said rudely: Thank you then.

The person on the other side was choked: Just thank you?

If you want me to be a mercenary for you, this price is definitely not enough.

Hey, I'm the president of the Levant Wizards Association. What kind of price is this? One hour is enough for me to prepare a high-end magic potion.

Lothar was unmoved.

Anna added: If I count it as a favor to you, I might consider making the core of the Indominus Dragon into a magic item for you.

Lothar joked: It's too foreign to talk about repaying a favor.

Anna snorted softly: If I don't return this favor to you, you don't know how many places you have to find to make up for it, so I would rather clearly mark the price.

Okay, how should I fight for you? A mercenary or an ally?

Anna replied: Of course we are allies. Your Majesty the King will talk to you about this matter. When the time comes, just don't refuse.

okay, I get it.

Hang up the communication here.

The Queen frowned: How many people will Count Lothar bring to the battle? If it's just a few hundred people, don't you feel it's a loss?

Don't worry, it's worth it.

Anna looked calm. In his opinion, Lothar could defeat an entire army as long as he took action with his extraordinary beings.

Moreover, once Lothar obtained Mazothos, he would become a vassal of both the Eastern Empire and the Kingdom of Jerusalem.