512 Evanore Hallewell (2)
Evanore Hallewell did not accept the offer immediately when Henrietta wanted to appoint her as the prime minister. She just wanted to continue her research in seclusion, where no one could reject and devalue her work.
However, Henrietta could be persuasive and managed to convince her.
"Times have changed, Lady Hallewell. If you take this position, I guarantee no one from the supremacist witch faction will cause trouble for you again; they are already a thing of the past. Also, instead of staying cooped up in this lightless bunker, writing theories that may never see the light of day, wouldn't you much rather take the chance to implement them and see the results?" - Henrietta had said.
Such words resonated deeply with Evanore.
As such, Evanore was thankful for the opportunity Henrietta had given her and wanted to live up to her expectations.
...
Evanore Hallewell...
Seated on her throne, Henrietta observed the person's character and conduct discreetly.
Sometimes, she couldn't help but feel guilty when she glanced at the person's gray hair. There were only a few remaining strands of black hair left.
She neglected her fellow Darkans too much and should have cared for them better.
Like her, Evanore Hallewell was also a Darkan – people born with pure black hair, black eyes, and fair skin. Innately, they were good at learning and retaining a youthful appearance.
Even if they didn't use beauty products or maintain healthy lifestyles, Darkans in their 50s could still look like they were in their 30s. And if they did use beauty products and maintain healthy lifestyles, even Darkans in their 70s could look as young as those in their 30s.
Due to their innate long-retaining youth, the Darkans were known as one of the most beautiful ethnic groups among humans.
As such, even with her spectacles, light freckles, and mostly grayed hair, Evanore was still a fine beauty. Even though she wasn't among the most beautiful women in the kingdom, she had a unique charm due to her down-to-earth disposition.
Henrietta soft sighed as she recalled parts of history.
Eight hundred years ago, the Darkan Empire once ruled half the continent with its great population and revolutionary ironwork.
However, its overbearing ambition to dominate the entire continent forced Pangea's other nations to unite in resistance. Ultimately, the Darkan Empire fell to ruin after being defeated by Pangea's coalition army and its people scattered across the continent.
Nevertheless, even though the Darkan Empire was long gone, the Darkan's inherent talents wouldn't just disappear with it.
Darkans weren't better at learning because they were inherently smarter than other human ethnic groups. They were better at learning because they were innately curious about everything and had a desire for knowledge.
As such, they were also more willing to put more effort into learning than anyone else.
Of course, it was also just a common stereotype of the Darkan ethnic group. There were always exceptions among the Darkans that didn't possess such qualities. The same applied to other ethnic groups and their stereotypes.
However, Henrietta was certain Evanore possessed the Darkan's stereotypical traits. She had seen it herself in the person's secluded basement.
Over the last several decades, Evanore didn't just research kingdom management improvements; she also studied astrology and effective strategies to combat Gehenna.
As such, Henrietta knew Evanore was knowledgeable and suitable for her new position.
"Since you've considered the worse possibilities, what effective suggestions do you have, Prime Minister Hallewell?" Henrietta casually asked from her throne.
"I don't dare to claim they are effective, Your Majesty," Evanore humbly replied before continuing, "However, I do have a couple of suggestions worth considering."
"As it stands, our kingdom is no match for the forces of Gehenna. Once Gehenna's Gateway swallows our city, our only advantage, Pangea's world suppression, will be no more. The demons we would have to face will be much stronger."
"In my honest opinion, the best choice would be to abandon the city to retreat further south, away from Gehenna's Gateway. This will conserve our strength and buy us time to grow our forces for a more definitive win against Gehenna," Evanore stated.
Although she had more to say, she was quickly interrupted.
"Abandon the city to retreat? I can hardly call this a good suggestion, Prime Minister Evanore," an ex-supremacist matriarch objected.
"If we abandon Blackthorn City, we'll lose three hundred years of solid foundation. It will only weaken us and make it more difficult for us to defend against Gehenna's forces in the future."
"I believe we have to make a stand," the ex-supremacist matriarch suggested.
"I am aware of the disadvantages, Lady Chalice," Evanore calmly acknowledged before saying, "Still, losing the capital would still be better than complete annihilation. Of course, it would be ideal if we could move the entire city."
'What do you think, Master?' Henrietta inquired.
'Indeed, retreating would be the only option if we were forced to face threats like the Seven Great Devils,' Henrietta's master agreed before adding, "However, the Seven Great Devils would have been more proactive if they truly wanted to conquer this world.'
'The fact that they haven't suggests they have bigger problems in Gehenna preventing them from launching a full invasion on Pangea. Furthermore, the other side of Gehenna's Gateway is hidden in a ghost forest:
'Thus, there's a good chance we won't be facing any of the Seven Great Devils in Gehenna as long as we don't try to draw attention with large destructive spells in our battles, Henrietta's master guessed.
Henrietta nodded before directing her gaze at Evanore.
"Prime Minister Evanore, surely, retreating wasn't the only good suggestion you thought of," Henrietta suddenly mentioned before speaking hypothetically, "If we choose to stay and defend the city, what do you suggest we should do then?"
"Your Majesty, if we must stay, I still stand by my opinion; our kingdom alone won't stand a chance against Gehenna's forces," Evanore replied.
"However, it'll be a different story if Lord Vahn, the venerable dragons, and the Holy Knight Empire's forces could aid us. Even if our city enters Gehenna during the period of peak fluctuation, we will unlikely face any of the Seven Great Devils directly."
"As such, we only need to fend off the demons under their command until the peak fluctuation period ends and returns our city to Pangea's side," Evanore added.
Her words were similar to Henrietta's master - they both believed the Seven Great Devils wouldn't personally intervene if they could avoid it.
It was as if their movements were being watched by another force that could threaten them.
Nevertheless, Evanore wasn't finished speaking.
She noticed everyone preferred for them to stand their ground and defend the city should it enter Gehenna during Gehenna's Gateway's peak fluctuation period.
"Regardless of whether Blackthorn City falls into Gehenna during future peak fluctuation periods, it doesn't change that Gehenna's Gateway continues to expand with time. We are bound to face Gehenna head-on at some point."
"In that case, there are several things we can prepare ahead of time, regardless of the future situation," Evanore mentioned.
"Oh? Please enlighten us, Prime Minister Hallewell," Henrietta said with interest. This was what she truly wanted to hear from the start of the topic.
"Firstly, we need to set up a high-ranking omnidirectional magic barrier that can cover the entire city and turn it into a fortress," Evanore stated objectively.
Henrietta nodded approvingly.
Based on previous data, the longest peak fluctuation period could last as long as three hours. Thus, as long as the magic barrier can hold for such length, they wouldn't even need to send out their people to fight the demons directly.
"Secondly, we need Lord Vahn's help in raising more High Witches," Evanore added.
She heard thousands of Peak-stage Senior Witches had advanced to the High Witch rank for the sake of winning the war against the Holy Knight Empire.
The battalion of High Witches trained by Lord Vahn during that period was even more powerful than any army of Peak-stage Senior Witches.
High Witches had become the main fighting force of the kingdom. Henrietta did not refute this.
However, she didn't have any control over Vaan. Thus, if he didn't want to help, they wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Still, she didn't see any reason why he would refuse either.
She could only wait until the person returned before asking to see.
"Go on," Henrietta gestured.
"Thirdly, we need to open our borders and grant free passages between our kingdom and the Holy Knight Empire to enable trade. There must be valuable resources and more advanced magic technology in Pangea that had not been accessible to us. If we can acquire them, our kingdom will be able to take a big leap forward," Evanore stated.
Henrietta nodded with subtle shock in her heart.
Evanore Hallewell had shut herself in her basement for years. And yet, she was long aware of other countries being more developed than their kingdom.
As expected of someone who had studied kingdom management for many years, Evanore understood the situation well.
The Black Rose Kingdom had fallen far behind other countries due to its poor management, resulting in stagnant development for years.
"Fourthly, the magic bomb-"
Evanore was interrupted when Astoria suddenly entered the great hall floor to search for Henrietta, which she quickly spotted on the throne.
"We need to talk," Astoria demanded.
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