Duke Rin Fortress was a stronghold built by the Great Empire to resist the Bai Xue Kingdom's rebellion.

"Hey, do you think we're going to war? The Duke has been sending troops here these past few days. Is he planning to flatten the Bai Xue Kingdom?"

"Who knows? But the Bai Xue Kingdom is so weak. It's not worth our Duke's effort, is it? Or is there something else?"

"Who cares? We're just cannon fodder following orders anyway, haha."

"I'm retiring after this battle, going back home to get married."

"What? You can't just say that! Stay away from me."

The outrageous actions and comical expressions caused a burst of laughter.

"I bet you're just jealous! My fiancée is the most beautiful girl there, hahaha."

What's there to be careful about when dealing with such a trashy country? Their only noteworthy asset is that adorable snow wolf, but it's questionable whether it can even stand its ground against our Earth Dragon Legion.

...

Stretching, Lin Mo rubbed her eyes and mumbled instinctively, "Kaka... what's for breakfast this morning?"

"Um, Your Majesty, you're awake. Long Ye has already arranged it, but he didn't say specifically, being all mysterious."

"Oh, really?" Hearing this, Lin Mo was instantly wide awake. After washing up, she dashed downstairs with uncharacteristic Empress-like behavior.

Leaving Kaka, a worm, holding a towel, bewildered in the wind.

"Good morning, Long Ye. Hmm, that outfit suits you quite well, not bad, worthy of praise."

Long Ye was unusually dressed in a black and white uniform, looking quite like a butler. Except for the white apron and the chef's hat, which were just too funny.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As expected of Long Ye, Lin Mo immediately spotted the chair that was clearly custom-made for her. There was even a step under the chair, so at least her feet wouldn't dangle and go numb while eating.

In other words, she could eat for even longer!

Not bad, as expected of Long Ye!

Damn nobles! Eating so well for breakfast! Ahhh! How detestable!

What, am I the noble? Never mind then, very nice~

Wait... this bottle looks familiar!

In a daze, Lin Mo seemed to see a strange, red-faced little loli...

Her PTSD was instantly triggered.

"Is something wrong, Your Majesty? Are you not feeling well?" Long Ye was puzzled. What was wrong with Her Majesty?

Why did she suddenly look like a frightened little rabbit, with such an awful complexion, or rather, a sickly pallor and an unreasonably red face?

Was the food not good? That shouldn't be, the chefs are top-notch.

"Did you bring back Weidelin's servants?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, they've been controlled with parasitic worm larvae, so you don't have to worry about the safety of the food. And I supervised the entire process, so..."

"Is that so?" It wasn't that Lin Mo didn't trust Long Ye, she did, but she just couldn't bring herself to pick up the drink.

...

Forget it, I'll enjoy it after I completely destroy the Great Empire. It's a bit too early now.

Knock, knock, knock...

A knock on the door, accompanied by a guard's voice.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Hodman, an envoy from the Great Empire, requests an audience."

Lin Mo didn't want to see him at first, but since she didn't want to drink that juice anyway, she agreed.

Although the guy who came in was a little fatty who gave Lin Mo a very strong sense of physiological discomfort...

Gosh, is this guy a pig spirit?

And are those little glasses for real? On that face, they looked like two peanuts placed on a watermelon. Without them, Lin Mo couldn't even be sure if this guy had eyes at all, his face was literally covered in橫肉 (héng ròu, excessive flesh).

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Although he spoke those respectful words, Lin Mo didn't feel any sense of being respected from his actions.

"Yes, what do you want?"

It wasn't that Lin Mo was lazy, but since she was already planning to tear up the agreement, she wouldn't change her attitude even if the other party's king came.

"Our Queen gave me an order, which is that our Duke Weidelin seems to have gone missing, so we hope to get your help to investigate. However, it seems that Duke Weidelin's situation is not good, so His Majesty may need to put in some effort. We would also like the thieves to be extradited to the Great Empire for processing."

"Hmm... just this problem?" Lin Mo stuffed a proper royal pastry into her mouth, chewing with her cheeks bulging, and mumbled.

"... Please take this matter seriously, Your Majesty! This is an order issued by our King himself, so if your country cannot give us a reasonable answer, the Great Empire may use its own methods. But it would be a shame to disturb Your Majesty." The implication of threat was already very obvious.

Isn't this problem serious enough? That's the King's most beloved Queen's younger brother.

Also, what do you think you're doing? I am the envoy of the Great Empire! My every word and action represents the face of the Great Empire! How can you talk while eating like that?!

She simply doesn't take the Great Empire seriously!

After finally swallowing, alas, Long Ye only prepared that one type of drink, so Lin Mo was still choking.

"It's nothing, you can go back now. Oh, that guy was killed by me. You can prepare for war. But I hope your combat power can be a little stronger, don't be too boring."

Lin Mo waved her hand dismissively. War? Come on, let's see if the larvae are afraid?

"..." I should be the one saying those words! The little fatty roared inwardly, but didn't dare to speak. After all, the other party was already so arrogant, maybe his head would be chopped off the next moment.

That won't do. I managed to bring back such important information from this crisis, so wouldn't I be living a life of wealth and luxury for the rest of my life?!

"Since Your Majesty has her own judgment, then I shall take my leave."

After saying that, without waiting for Lin Mo to reply, he didn't dare to lift his head and scurried out.

This scene made Lin Mo cover her mouth and snicker.

"Long Ye, is there anything else to drink? I want to drink something hot... eh? Where's he? Hmm, already went to get it? He's quite fast."