When Adam first met Rostislav, he was very surprised because this ruler of Rostislav looked very young, as if he was not much older than Adam, but he had already achieved so many accomplishments.
At that time, Adam already felt a slight admiration for Rostislav, taking him as a role model, hoping to reach his level.
But he still remembered Aleff's words, which were to always be cautious and vigilant towards Rostislav.
However, to Adam's surprise, Rostislav and his wife treated him very kindly, but Adam still felt a certain distance from Rostislav in his heart.
These distances did not prevent him from understanding what kind of person Rostislav was, and with this understanding, Adam increasingly sighed, realizing that this person was truly incomparable to himself.
And these distances had already been resolved in their previous conversation.
After they were resolved, Adam looked at Rostislav with even more complexity; this person, whether on the battlefield or in social interactions, was so full of captivating charm, a charm that made people admire him.
Since his exile, Adam could be said to have trusted no one, not even Arel, who had escorted him all the way to Rostislav.
But now, he completely trusts Rostislav.
Adam is certain that Rostislav, whom he fully trusts, will surely achieve great accomplishments in the future, and he has decided that no matter what, he must follow this person.
While Adam was pondering his experiences over the years and Rostislav's future, Rostislav was focused on enjoying the performance below.
Entertainment in this era was very limited; much of the time, it was nothing but procreation, but even that could become tiresome after a while.
Moreover, he had fed Zoe a bit too much recently, and Zoe had not been very willing lately.
Rostislav had been away on campaigns for so long, and he had been somewhat pent up during that time.
Then, once released, although initially a bit disheveled, he soon became very addicted, and now Rostislav was the one who was dissatisfied.
So Rostislav could only find other things to do; writing books also got boring after a while, so he could only come and watch plays.
Especially since these plays were more or less influenced by him, and their current performance style was even devised by Rostislav himself, and he had given Alexei many ideas.
Watching the crowd fluctuate under Alexei's dramatic direction, Rostislav felt a sense of accomplishment, as if his own written works had been recognized.
And in his heart, there was also a thrill of changing the times, a thrill that was hard to describe and incomprehensible to others, just as Adam was now looking at Rostislav laughing with a puzzled expression.
However, the play eventually ended; as time flowed relentlessly, the drama finally drew its last curtain.
No matter how reluctant everyone was, they eventually came to the moment when all members of the troupe lined up on stage to thank the audience, signaling the end of the day's performance.
And just as everyone was about to leave, suddenly, a deafening horn blast sounded from the third floor, echoing through the theater, lingering for a long time.
The horn attracted everyone's attention; they were all startled, then looked in the direction from which the horn sound came.
Then, they saw Gvaran, Rostislav's Captain of the Guard, standing in the royal box, holding the large horn that had produced the sound.
And behind Rostislav was Adam Dulü, looking panicked and confused.
His panic was because he had just seen Rostislav tap on his chair, and then the fully armed Captain of the Guard rushed out and blew the horn in the box.
And his confusion was why Rostislav would do this? Was he showing him this scene?
"My people, I am Rostislav Vladimirovich Rurik, son of Vladimir, grandson of Yaroslav, and ruler of Moscow."
Rostislav's words were forceful and powerful, filled with the dignity of a Prince.
And everyone in the theater instinctively knelt down, paying homage to their Prince.
The nobles and wealthy merchants on the second and third floors did the same, kneeling without hesitation to show their obedience and loyalty to their Prince.
The people on stage naturally did the same; in fact, they knelt down immediately.
As owners of the troupe, they immediately realized that the sound came from the Prince's box, so everything must be the Prince's will, and they only needed to obey.
Alexei felt a bit nervous; he was somewhat afraid of what would happen next, as the Prince was clearly about to announce something very important here.
And Rostislav looked at all of this with great satisfaction, because it was a manifestation of his authority, which would also be very beneficial for what he was about to say.
However, their hearts were also full of various confusions, just like Adam's; what was the Prince doing by doing this? Many people cast puzzled glances.
And Rostislav ignored those puzzled looks and continued to speak.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have not fought a war for five years. I want to ask, do you still yearn for war? Do you still want to obtain spoils of war on the battlefield that you could not earn in ten lifetimes? Do you want to become a noble overnight through war? Do you want to get rich and become a wealthy person?"
Rostislav's words stirred everyone, and many people began to whisper, with most of the conversations favoring war.
Only the Moscow Prince could achieve such an effect; for many years, Rostislav had not lost a single battle, and those who followed the army basically all became rich.
There were still many veterans here who remembered the scene of them going on campaigns with the Prince; these people even told those around them how they had taken away large amounts of spoils of war back then.
Rostislav merely watched the discussion below; he needed to heat up the atmosphere, and when the atmosphere reached the level he needed, Rostislav continued to speak.
"Now, I am going to announce an important piece of news here."
After saying this, Rostislav paused for a moment, ensuring that everyone's attention was on him.
"On this day next year, October 1062, I will launch a campaign against Bulgar, to help Adam Dulü, the legitimate Bulgar heir by my side, whose throne was usurped by a pretender, reclaim his throne."
"And Lord Adam has converted to our future Christ faith. He has announced that after reclaiming the Bulgar government, he will lead his country to convert to Christ. From then on, Rostislav and Bulgar will become friendly neighbors united under the same faith, and future exchanges and trade will be much easier."
"So, for this campaign that will have a huge impact on our future, I announce that anyone can join my army, and I will also deploy most of my forces. We will send troops to Bulgar in October 1062. Everyone can gain wealth, everyone can get rich, everyone can obtain wealth, everyone can prove themselves on the battlefield!"
Rostislav's words were like throwing a bomb into the crowd; few people cared about the political rhetoric, they only heard one meaning.
War was coming, and it would be a major one, mobilizing the entire army of Rostislav.
The nobles and wealthy merchants heard more; they heard the Prince's promise of unobstructed trade routes, which was very attractive to them, as if they could control Bulgar, they could travel further along the Volga trade route, and the further they traveled, the more they earned.
Undoubtedly, everyone here was full of trust in Rostislav, and many who intended to participate in the war even began to imagine the scene after victory.
Finally, a unified cheer erupted, a cheer for Rostislav, and amidst such cheers, Rostislav felt as if he were a god.
The Moscow Prince did not mind what impression announcing the deployment date would create, because this was his strategy: he would press down on that Volga nation with a grand and upright force.