Chapter 274 6.22 Crossroads of Destiny

Elizabeth Elan, nicknamed "Beggar Princess", is a complete alien in the eyes of most English nobles. However, in this tea room, she is not the only one who doesn't fit in.

Standing next to the curtain on the other side, Bishop Francis looked out the window with a cup of tea in his hand, not realizing that the originally hot milk tea in the cup has now become cold and greasy.

Looking at the Wanghai Fortress outside the window, the Viking pirates are now like turtles in a jar, surrounded by circles of trenches, towers, and heavy crossbows.

If he hadn't seen Loki's magic with his own eyes and still had illusions about his fighting ability, Bishop Francis would not think that the Viking raiders would have any chance of turning the tables.

But he knew that the most critical link for the Vikings to turn defeat into victory now seemed to fall into his hands.

Should we execute the tactics according to the established plan?

Bishop Francis has been thinking about this problem for several days. If everyone has a crossroads in their life that determines their future destiny, there is no doubt that he is standing in the middle of the two forks.

Three full days have passed, and he is still struggling fiercely.

Should I be loyal to England and the Holy Bishop

Or should I turn against him and be loyal to my new lord Loki?

Both choices come with many benefits, but at the same time, there are huge risks behind them.

If he is loyal to England, he only needs to casually reveal some of the information he saw in the Storm's End to these English monarchs, whether it is the division of labor of the Duke of the Valley, the composition of the troops, the mysterious Asgard portal, or the giant footsteps heard in the middle of the night

Any piece of information presented to the king will immediately become a hot commodity.

Bishop Francis is much more sensitive to the surrounding environment and gossip than ordinary Holy Bishop monks. Just three days after landing, he has learned that the "Zoroastrianism" originally hidden in the valley has been eradicated by Loki at some point.

At this time, all the kings were confused about the new Viking Duke, and had no idea what kind of power he had.

But Archbishop Francis knew all this information very well!

After all, he had been living in Storm's End during the long 6-month winter.

However, if he turned against England, he would have to answer a question-how did Loki land on the English Isles?

He rowed a famous longboat alone from the North Sea to approach the fleet. When the Mercian fleet just brought him ashore, a large group of Vikings appeared and captured the Seawatch Fortress that night.

Isn't this timing too coincidental?

Even if the English nobles didn't think about it, after the war, as long as they caught a Viking alive, they would reveal the plan for the portal landing.

As a core part of the plan, he must be responsible for the dead English soldiers.

The road to surrendering to England is too risky.

But on the other hand, if you are stubborn and follow Loki all the way to the end, isn't it risky?

Bishop Francis walked outside the manor, looking at the farmers sowing in the fields and fell into a long contemplation.

To be honest, he is not a devout believer of the Holy Lord. He does not care about "spreading the glory of the Holy Lord", and he does not care about the life and death of the Viking people and the Mercian people.

In the words of Duke Loki, he is an "egoist" who is only loyal to himself.

Perhaps in the eyes of others, this label is not perfect, but when formulating tactics before going to sea, he was willing to put the fate-determining part of the tactics in the hands of Bishop Francis.

It is because he knows that this old bishop is an extremely smart person.

"If the English coalition finally wins, someone will definitely find out that the Viking invasion started with me. There is no doubt about that."

"After all, I am the dean of Lindisfarne Abbey. This position is very lucrative. Even if it is just to squeeze out the position of dean, someone will definitely target me."

"On the other hand, if I follow Duke Loki"

"If he can really conquer a piece of territory on the land of the English, I will be the biggest contributor among the Vikings!"

"What can I not get?"

"Even if he is really defeated, at worst I will find a way to return to Storm's End, and I can live happily with my three ladies for a few years before I die!"

The hesitation of many days finally turned into determination at this time. Dean Francis drank the cold tea in the cup in one gulp, found a gap where no one was watching, and slipped into the stable to lead out two tall horses.

"Master dean, are you going out?"

The doorman saw that he was wearing a pure white robe belonging to a high-level monk, and did not ask any other questions. Francis rode out of the manor, and before leaving, he looked back for the last time at the brightly lit mountaintop.

He knew that his departure would completely prove that he was a traitor among the English. If Loki was defeated, he would be forever nailed to the pillar of shame in the mouths of future English bards as a villain who betrayed his race and faith.

Despite this, Bishop Francis still rode away without looking back.

For an egoist, looking ahead and behind is never an answer in his dictionary. The moment he left, he had decided to risk his life for Duke Loki and dedicate himself to the Vikings' invasion.

"History is always written by the victors!"

"As long as I help the Duke win, from now on, the history of this continent will be written by me."

"I will go from being a traitor to a saint who lights the lamp and saves the Vikings!"

Bishop Francis, galloping on his horse, exploded all the energy in his body. The two horses took turns galloping all night, and he crossed the border along the long coastline of Mercia and returned to the territory of Cheshire, the Kingdom of Northumbria.

However, he did not return to Lindisfarne Abbey, but went straight to the castle of "Duke Falco" in Cheshire, "Two Rivers City".

When the sun rose, he rushed into the gate of the castle, jumped off the wet horse, and then hid in a corner behind a house. Here, he skillfully took off his monk's robe and put on a very low-key farmer's coat.

He grabbed two handfuls of moss from the stone wall in early spring and smeared it on his face. At this point, the old bishop had basically confirmed that no one in the city could recognize him.

He walked into a semi-underground warehouse skillfully.

He reached out and pressed the iron ring according to the code of three short and one long. Three seconds later, a black man with a black body like an iron tower opened the door for him.

He grinned with thick lips, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, "Hey, my respected Father Francis"

"You don't know how anxiously we have been waiting for you this whole winter!"