Chapter 124: Long-term considerations (5-star review required)

Gel leaned sideways, leaned his right elbow on the armrest of the sofa, supported his chin with his right hand, and said in an unquestionable tone:

"To be honest, you are so weak! Have you lived too comfortably these years and have forgotten what era it is on the sea now?"

"Even the strongest warrior in the kingdom, the guardian of Alabasta, is only this strong. Of course, I'm not targeting you, I'm talking about the entire Alabasta."

"How can you, who are so weak, negotiate with me? You should be thankful that I am not interested in ruling this country! But if the person who comes this time is not me, but a powerful and ambitious person, how should you and Alabasta deal with it?"

"When a country needs to rely on charity and sympathy from others to survive, it is the misfortune of this country, and it is also the greatest dereliction of duty of you, the rulers and ministers!"

Kit was speechless. Ger's straightforward words were like countless sharp knives, stabbing into his heart one after another. If he had heard these words in the past, he would have thought that the other party was deliberately belittling his country, and he would have to argue and refute!

But at this moment, Kit could only lower his head in shame, because he felt that the other party was just telling the truth mercilessly.

"Go back! Stop having any unrealistic ideas. Tell Cobra to govern the country well and strengthen the military. Don't think about dirty things all day long. Otherwise, Alabasta will be destroyed in his hands sooner or later. This is my advice and warning. After all, who knows, I might change my mind someday?"

"Ah, thank you for your advice, I will definitely report your words to His Majesty Cobra and His Majesty the King when I return. I will not bother you any further. Goodbye!"

Kit sighed, bowed deeply to Ger, then walked to the windowsill and jumped down.

"唳"

There was a cry of an eagle, and then a big bird was seen flying away into the distance along the direction of the street.

"Hey, look! Look! It's the falcon! It's Master Kit, Master Kit! Master Kit!!"

The pedestrians on the street looked up and saw that it was their patron saint in person. They waved and shouted excitedly, greeting the big bird in the sky.

In the square, several children who were playing a hero game, holding wooden sticks as swords, stopped running.

Among them, a little boy with fair skin and wearing an Arab-style headscarf, who was not a good boy at a young age and painted dark purple four-pointed stars on his eye sockets, stared at the sky in a trance. He said with envy on his face:

"Wow! So cool! Master Kit is so handsome! I want to be the strongest warrior in the kingdom when I grow up! I heard from the adults that if I can become the strongest warrior in Alabasta, I will have the chance to become the next guardian! Then I will protect you!"

"Really, Bell? If you become a guardian, will you be able to fly in the sky like Master Falcon?"

Another little playmate asked curiously.

The little boy grinned happily after getting a positive answer:

"Then I want to become the strongest warrior too!"

"Hey, I said it first, how dare you snatch it from me!"

Bell said anxiously.

"Forget it, then you can be Lord Falcon, and I'll be Lord Jackal! After all, we are good friends!"

"Okay then! Hahaha!"

"Hehe! Falcon Bell's strength is just like this! Look at the sword!"

The naughty boys continued to fight.

...

Listening to the warm cheers of the people on the street and the carefree laughter of the children, Kit couldn't help but have tears in his eyes. He didn't know how such weak children should respond to such heavy trust.

Perhaps that person was right. This country had been at ease for too long and had become weak! Without sufficient strength, all these beautiful things could be shattered in an instant.

Oh, forget it. I am already half-earthed, so I will leave it to the young people to worry about.

...

The headquarters of King Eruma's army.

"General! Immediately order a blockade of Eruma and check all suspicious outsiders, especially those with tall stature!"

Cobra said with a serious expression as he sat in the main seat.

He had already taken off his headscarf, but he continued to cover his face to hide his identity. He couldn't even enter the gate of the military camp.

Cobra realized that the situation was not good as Kit had not been coming back for a long time. His ominous premonition really came true!

It's all my fault! I clearly felt that something bad was going to happen, so I shouldn't have let the old man go!

Cobra had no choice but to reveal his identity and go to the military camp to seek help from the local garrison.

"But Your Majesty Cobra, Eruma is an important port city with countless merchants coming and going. If the whole city is blocked and checked one by one, not only will the entire army need to be dispatched, it may also cause dissatisfaction among all merchants. Moreover, it is not easy for me to mobilize the army without Your Majesty's order!"

The general who was standing aside with his head lowered said with some embarrassment.

As a seasoned official, he knew the stakes. Since ancient times, there was no family affection in the royal family. As long as the old king was still in power, the prince was just a prince. If the prince could mobilize the army at will, what would the king think? Would he be unable to wait any longer and launch a coup to "ask" himself to abdicate and retire?

However, it is a foregone conclusion that His Highness Cobra will become the future king of Alabasta. If he disobeys his orders now and offends His Highness, he will surely suffer the consequences when he succeeds to the throne. So he is in a dilemma and hesitant and can only resort to procrastination.

"General, the situation is urgent. Every minute we delay will put old man Kit in greater danger. Now is not the time to talk about this. If my father pursues the matter, I will bear all the responsibility alone. I will never harm you. Please order the troops to go out immediately!"

"Ah, but...if the enemy is a strong one that even Kit cannot defeat, it would be difficult for ordinary soldiers like us to rescue them no matter how many people we have. At this time, the enemy situation is unclear, and blindly dispersing all the troops will make it easier for them to be defeated one by one, and it may also put Your Highness in danger, so I think this matter needs to be considered carefully!"

"Think long and hard! Think long and hard! Lord Kit may be in danger right now, and you are still thinking long and hard!!"

Jaka, who was sitting behind Cobra, said excitedly, but the general just glanced at him coldly and didn't say anything. He was just a personal guard and had no say over him.

...