"What is a favorite? It’s like climbing a ladder when the Emperor favors you, how can any minor noble rise to his level in just over a decade?

But once one falls out of favor, everything disappears in an instant, as if the ladder is pulled away and one falls from the sky.

Sometimes, you haven’t done anything wrong, it’s just that someone happens to need a scapegoat, and you happen to be the most convenient."

Lance seemed to casually reveal the cruel and ruthless nature of political struggles, all the while never putting down the binoculars, constantly observing the ships along the coast, his words casual.

"Those who play politics are all brains without heart, and I happen to be heart without brains, so I really dislike these messy affairs." Lance complained, and used these words to express his own thoughts.

He truly did not want to be involved in these matters; he was here to lie back and enjoy life, eating, drinking, playing, and waiting for death was his pursuit.

At the same time, these words were somewhat to position Grendel, letting her know he wasn’t that kind of person.

After all, last night he was truly frightened by Amanda’s language traps, afraid that Grendel might also give him a soul-searching, asking if he was a favorite, or whether he would abandon her and other melodramatic topics.

Yet Grendel had asked, although not about these things, just something rather odd.

"Excluding the rebels, do you think Count Bastia has a possibility of kidnapping the princess?"

"Hmm..." Lance paused for a moment when he heard this, "It’s possible. If it were me, I wouldn’t want to get caught up in a war so quickly; the risks are too high in such a stalemated situation, and the longer it drags, the more independent the outcome will be.

After all, you are already an Earl, occupying such a large portion of Bastia and swallowing Hamlet, even if you help your Emperor win, what can you gain?

You must know this Emperor has always wanted to centralize power, where would there be any fiefdom left for him? At best, he might make you a Duke, but for a real power lord, that’s a joke.

It’s very likely he invests manpower and resources, and, after it’s all over, the Emperor will turn around, weakened, and act against him; instead, the rebels might collude with him, after all, they are all major lords.

So eliminating or pretending not to know about this matter before the princess arrives is most beneficial to allow Count Bastia to remain independent, and when the situation changes, it will be optimal to swallow Hamlet later."

Following this thought process and smoothing things over, Lance also realized the Emperor’s ambition, and couldn’t help but sigh.

"You can’t deny, this Emperor also has quite the political skill, he’s putting on a show for the other nobles, showing he’s willing to reach out to others.

The Earl isn’t tempted, but countless wandering knights want to seize their own territory, especially now when he is reasonably in the right.

At the same time, he wants to secure Bastia as a rear base and attempt to involve the Earl in opposition; regardless if the Earl responds or not, as long as this situation exists, those rebels must consider it.

Unfortunately, you can’t secure the frontline, no matter how skilled politically, you can’t capture it."

After speaking for a long time without a response, Lance couldn’t help but detach from the telescope and turn to look at the pondering Grendel.

"Why did you suddenly ask this?"

"I was wondering what the princess should look like..." Grendel returned to her senses and said something inexplicable in response to Lance’s confusion.

To this, Lance didn’t bother to care, continuing to observe the situation at sea.

The merchant ships rushed to leave the harbor and enter the sea, not attacked by the fishmen; it seemed Lance’s approach was viable.

Yet upon seeing this scene, Lance also pointed out the problem.

"Unfortunately, this approach can only be a temporary fix; after firing so many bombs, not a single fishman was killed, we must solve this problem fundamentally."

"When are you planning to depart?" Grendel caught Lance’s meaning.

"I can wait, but those fishermen cannot. This matter can only be resolved as soon as possible."

With fishmen blocking the coast, those fishermen cannot go out to sea for fishing, suddenly losing their income, and Hamlet will lack affordable protein supplements.

"A two-step strategy, if the sea is blocked, then seek a solution on land. I plan to establish a settlement at the outpost, use it as a center to develop the wilderness, and create the route ’Hamlet—Outpost—Ruins.’

This is to prepare for future ruins development, and precisely it can provide those fishermen with a way out."

Lance considered things thoughtfully, presently too many people are gathered in Hamlet Town, when there are too many people, management becomes difficult, divert some, stabilize order, prepare for the impact of external adventurers.

"Currently, funds might be complicated, what about the matters in Ovando City?" Grendel remembered Tiffany’s situation and brought it up.

Right now, what’s limiting Hamlet’s development is a lack of money. Besides a relatively stable environment, money running as an engine is the reason for rapid development.

Upon hearing this, Lance also couldn’t help but furrow his brow and fell into thought.

The original plan was to finish matters in the wilderness and then go to Ovando to cut a substantial portion, now with fishmen invading and blocking the coast, both sides stuck and directly putting him on the spot.

"Harvest hasn’t been completed, a shortage of grain makes public discontent strongest, if we get past this time and new grain comes in to appease the populace, it might not be so easy then." Grendel supplemented, directly causing Lance some hesitation.