Isn't It Okay to Cultivate Myself? Chapter 45

"Strength isn't the key. Do I really lack a few Third or Fourth Tier people? They're all the same to me. As long as you get things done properly, that's enough." Magana said indifferently. "Besides, you're also a member of the League of Fire. Do you understand what I mean? You must keep climbing higher in the League of Fire, even if you have to make certain sacrifices to get there."

In other words, he had to arrest his own people. Only with merits could he rise quickly.

"Mm, but First Tier really is a little low. I'll have Creed send over a batch of supplies later to help with your training. Your Magic Talent is quite good, so strive to reach Third Tier soon."

Uh...

She was giving him people and supplies. Wasn't this a bit inappropriate?

This favor... he'd never be able to repay the Grand Duchess's favor!

Without hesitation, Ryan decisively agreed.

After all, he had no choice but to agree.

"I will certainly devote myself heart and soul to the Grand Duchess!" Ryan said solemnly. "Don't worry, Grand Duchess. I'll definitely find a way to capture that woman Cassidy!"

"Speaking of that, there's something I was just about to tell you." Magana's tone shifted. "I received news that the Kingdom of Kainter may send troops to attack the Empire. I suspect it has something to do with the situation in Berman City. Keep a close eye on it, and notify me immediately if anything happens."

"The Kingdom of Kainter?" Ryan raised a brow. "How would they dare attack the Empire?"

The Kingdom of Kainter lay south of the Empire. It was quite powerful, but still far inferior to the Augustus Empire.

Even though the Empire had been weathering storms these past years, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. No matter how weakened it was, it wasn't something the Kingdom of Kainter could provoke.

Wait, wasn't this part of the game's plot?

Ryan realized that it had been the Kainter Army that attacked Berman City in the game. Berman City was already close to the Empire's border, so the army only needed to cross the border defenses to attack. The cities farther south of Berman City certainly wouldn't stop them.

The problem was that the game had never explained why the Kingdom of Kainter attacked, nor had it even revealed what happened afterward. All he knew was that the Blood Cult took the opportunity to pull off something huge... Wait, a blood sacrifice?

Ryan's thoughts stalled. Could Kainter's attack be related to the Blood Cult's ritual? Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?

"What are you thinking about?" Magana asked.

"I was thinking about why they suddenly launched an attack. If they wanted to seize territory, they wouldn't be able to hold it even if they took it. So perhaps they have another goal—maybe someone promised them benefits and asked for their help."

Magana nodded approvingly. "Go on. Anything else?"

Ryan thought for a moment. "If it isn't an external threat, then it must be internal trouble. Who benefits most from the Kingdom of Kainter sending troops? War will certainly cause even greater chaos. If we consider it from that angle, we can infer who they're working with."

In truth, Ryan knew that if the Kingdom of Kainter's troop deployment was related to the Blood Cult's ritual, then it must be connected to Bill. And Bill belonged to the Second Prince. The answer was obvious.

But he definitely couldn't tell the Loli Grand Duchess that outright, or she would have a hard time not questioning his background.

No matter how clever he was, how could he reach that conclusion when he knew nothing about those factions?

"Mm, you think the same way I do. Ryan, you're very smart. I'll be much more at ease with you managing Berman City in the future." Magana made no attempt to hide her praise for Ryan. She was simply that straightforward by nature, and she liked clever people rather than fools.

"As for what you just said, I already have some ideas. The moment the Kainter Army appears, the military faction will inevitably make a move. And the person with the greatest influence over that side in the Empire is the Second Prince. Heh~ That fellow really has a fine plan."

"The Second Prince? Could his ability to command the Empire's military surpass yours, Grand Duchess?"

Magana spread her hands. "It can't be helped. He's an Imperial Prince, after all. His position is legitimate, and his Grandfather is the Empire's Marshal. The troops under his control greatly outnumber mine. But under normal circumstances, military power is difficult to put into play, so you understand, right?"

"I understand." Ryan suddenly saw the light. "So the Second Prince wants to provoke a war and stir up internal conflict within the Empire, so that he'll have a legitimate reason to mobilize military forces when the time comes."

"That's right... Hmph~ But he's miscalculated. Even if war really does break out, I'll be the first to act. With the Iron Blood Legion, no one will be able to make waves. Still, keep an eye out for me. There may be people working for the Second Prince in Berman City... That place really is chaotic."

The last sentence was Magana muttering to herself. She hadn't expected Berman City to become the center of contention among so many factions.

"Your will is my command. I'll brave fire and water for you, Grand Duchess."

"Very good. Let's leave it at that for now. I have other matters to attend to. Contact me at any time if anything comes up."

After saying that, Magana cut off the spell.

She turned to the figure waiting quietly at her side. "Creed, what do you think?"

"Grand Duchess, are you truly handing Berman City over to Ryan to manage just like that? Adler's abilities are indeed lacking, but Ryan's loyalty and ability still need to be tested."

"His ability? Isn't that exactly what I'm testing now? As for his loyalty, I've always been accurate in judging people. I don't think he would betray me, nor does he have any reason to. He's one of my people—where else could he go? Once his identity is exposed, he'll be finished." Magana tilted her head. "Still, your concern makes sense. Go investigate Ryan's background for me. If it's clean, then begin focusing on cultivating him."

"Yes, Grand Duchess." Creed bowed.

Magana suddenly laughed. "Haha~ You saw it too, didn't you? He's very clever, isn't he? I like talking to clever people."

"He is indeed very clever. To infer so much from such limited information already puts him far above Adler."

"See? What did I tell you? This time, even God will help me. Just watch, Creed. I have a feeling Ryan will definitely become someone of great help to me!"

Meanwhile.

The clever Ryan sat in his chair, staring blankly into space.

Ah, how despairing.

He was done for. Completely done for.

He never expected Adler to introduce him to Magana.

What the hell? I'm just a Lesser Camilla. Was there really any need to do this?

Compared to becoming Berman City's regional administrator, Ryan would much rather quietly be a handsome man.

Mm, being a Captain in the Bureau of Investigation was pretty good. A foreman for the Hand of Darkness? Sorry, he really couldn't handle that.

But Marganna had said as much, and there was no guarantee a new leader would be reliable. If they discovered he was a double agent, he would be finished.

So Ryan simply took the job. At the very least, Grand Duke Marganna was providing cultivation resources, wasn't she?

"ε=(′ο｀*))) Sigh."

There was no clearing his name. Absolutely no way.

The question now was, what should he do from here on out?

"Come to think of it, if the Kainter Army attacks, Marganna would indeed benefit. She holds military authority, and once war breaks out, she could deploy troops directly without needing the Imperial Army to step in. Unless... the war is on every front?"

Perhaps the Second Prince had other plans as well. In any case, the war in the game had indeed erupted on all fronts. The Augustus Empire descended into civil war, and they fought bitterly for the throne.

But Ryan couldn't figure it out. Even if the Kainter Army truly attacked, the impact should not have been that great.

"It should be related to the ritual at Cassola Prison."

Wait, the Kainter Army's war, the siege... "That's it, I remember now!"

Ryan remembered. No wonder he had found it vaguely familiar when recalling Jonathan's storyline earlier. When the Kainter Kingdom's army besieged the city and Berman City fell into crisis, Jonathan had led the League of Fire against the enemy. With only a few dozen people, they had forcibly held the shattered city gate, buying precious time for the Empire's counterattack.

That story mission was also called "Thirty Minutes at Full Speed." The Protagonist Group would finish their task while Jonathan held the gate, then lead the main army in a counterattack.

But Ryan had never liked memorizing NPC names when playing games, especially NPCs who were only briefly mentioned in the story. As for the outcome of holding the gate, everyone had been wiped out. Their sacrifice had inspired fighting spirit, and the atmosphere instantly became electrifying.

Now that he knew the ending, Ryan naturally would not let Jonathan die.

"There's still time..." The army had not arrived yet, so there was no point in Ryan dwelling on it now. He stood up and continued searching the secret chamber.

After roughly ten minutes, everything valuable in the secret chamber had been tossed into the backpack.

Before leaving, Ryan took the mirror with him as well.

He had just identified the thing with the system, and it turned out to be a relic too. What a rare sight.

"Alright, go in and dig up all of Adler's evidence of guilt. As for the people inside, take them back to the bureau first. We'll interrogate them one by one later."

After walking out of the villa, Ryan gave the order, officially beginning the confiscation.

He did not touch a single penny of the money.

Mainly because there was not much cash to begin with.

The confiscation operation lasted half a day. The police officers searched the villa inside and out before returning to the Bureau of Investigation with a cart full of evidence.

Ryan conducted emergency interrogations through the night. He questioned Adler's wife, his mistress, and his mistress's mistress in succession, recorded their testimonies, and organized them along with the evidence. By the time he finished and returned home, it was nearly midnight.

He checked on "Shari." In AI Standby mode, she was wandering around the maze and had somehow found another Treasure Chest.

"She really treats the maze and prison like her own home."

Ryan could not help but complain.

AI Standby really was ridiculously powerful.

In any case, the Kainter Army had not arrived yet. "Shari" had likely been selected as a special sacrifice, so she would not be in much danger before the ritual officially began.

Ryan opened the class-change requirements and took a look. Over the past few days, the Blood Cult had sacrificed several more people. Perhaps because the pressure was on, the Blood Cult's activities as a whole had contracted.

After confirming that "Shari" would not be in danger, Ryan left her on standby, washed up, and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, he rushed to the Bureau of Investigation and brought the materials his subordinates had organized to the Court of Justice in Berman City.

The Court of Justice was the Empire's judicial body, used to try crimes—the equivalent of a court in his previous life. Although Adler was dead, the legal process still had to be followed to convict him. After all, he was still a Noble.

And publicly, Adler had been killed by the Bureau of Investigation. So Ryan had to make Adler's charges stick, or the entire Bureau of Investigation would be affected.

After a morning of trial, all the evidence Ryan submitted was accepted. The moment the Court of Justice issued its ruling, the newspaper offices that had been waiting sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

When the wall fell, everyone pushed it. They had once sung Secretary-General Adler's praises, but now every article was filled with condemnation and abuse, leaving Ryan with a sigh of emotion.

Adler, rest in peace. I'll take care of your wife and children... Mm, I'll make them turn over a new leaf. As for what happens to them afterward, that has nothing to do with Ryan.

Meanwhile, the interrogation of Kasa had also yielded results. Jonathan used every trick he had and finally pried a useful lead from him.

"Who would've thought it? Who would've thought that the person behind Adler was actually Marganna!"

Jonathan let out an emotional sigh. Everyone knew Marganna had ambitions, but he had never expected her to secretly send people to directly assassinate Cassidy.

Logically speaking, once Cassidy returned to the heart of the Empire, the princes should have been the ones most anxious.

Hearing the words on the other end of the phone, Ryan's heart tightened. "And then? That's all?"

"What else could there be? Isn't that the biggest secret? We already knew all the rest. Now, throughout Berman City, the Hand of Darkness has more or less been purged."

"But Grand Duke Marganna definitely won't let this go. She'll probably send a new person in charge soon. Later, I'll suggest to the Princess that she leave early."

Ryan thought, She already has.

Still, it was fortunate that Kasa did not know his identity.

If even Kasa had known, Ryan feared he would not have been able to resist digging up Adler's corpse and emptying another revolver cylinder into it.

"Has Your Highness said when she plans to leave?"

"Not for now. It seems she has some ideas about Berman City. But it's strange—Mayor Bill was originally promoted by Her Highness's mother, so he should be on her side. What is Her Highness still worried about?"

"Who knew?"

Ryan guessed that Cassidy had already noticed something amiss. Bill might have been doing a fine job as mayor, but Cassidy was sharp-minded; it was hardly strange for her to spot problems in his words and actions.

There was no way to make Her Highness the Princess leave anytime soon. Ryan had a headache. Once Magana's reinforcements arrived, he couldn't exactly organize people to take Cassidy out, could he?

It wasn't that Game Characters couldn't be killed. Cassidy's identity was simply too special. Taking out a princess was more than he could handle with his current abilities.

"Forget it. I'll stall for now and see what the Blood Cult does."

After speaking with Jonathan, Ryan had intended to visit the bookstore and check on Kaisa. Now that Adler was dead, he was somewhat worried about her.

But just after leaving the Bureau of Investigation, Echo stopped him.

She led him to a coffee shop, where he found Cassidy waiting in a private room toward the back.

"Her Highness the Princess, you wished to see me?"

"Sit down, Ryan." Cassidy smiled. "What would you like to drink?"

"Black tea will do."

Cassidy glanced at Echo, who went to prepare a cup of black tea before closing the door behind her as she left.

"Jonathan told me. I never expected Magana to be behind all this. It seems I truly have quite a few enemies." Cassidy spoke with a hint of self-mockery.

Ryan said nothing. He was puzzled as to why Cassidy had suddenly sought him out.

I'm not one of your good sisters, either.

"Among those qualified to inherit the throne, my faction is the weakest. But I have never intended to give up. Father Emperor loves me, and I am confident that if I become Emperor, I will certainly make the Augustus Empire better."

"What are you trying to say, Your Highness?"

Ryan suddenly had a bad feeling. This woman couldn't be thinking of...

"I want to tell you that although my influence is weak, that does not mean I have no hope of competing for the position of Crown Prince." Cassidy looked at Ryan and said seriously, "Ryan, you are a member of the League of Fire and should, in principle, be loyal only to Your Majesty. But the Empire's situation is chaotic now. The League of Fire must learn to adapt, mustn't it? I think highly of you. Although you are currently only a minor captain in the Bureau of Investigation, if you were given a broader stage, you would certainly do even better."

She stood up and extended her hand toward Ryan. "So, Ryan, pledge your loyalty to me. Stand with me. Even if it is Magana, so what? One day, I will climb over her corpse and ascend the throne!"