Can't I Cultivate Myself? Chapter 47

"..."

Ryan knew she was trying to win him over. If Cassidy truly managed to acquire Berman City, she would definitely need talented people to help manage it in the future. Although he had not agreed to join her faction, one could hardly refuse favors from those whose food one had eaten. If he could help, he certainly would.

Given enough time, even strangers could become family.

Still, Ryan had no reason to refuse. He genuinely needed some authority to conceal his identity, and Jonathan also wanted him to become Director and firmly keep the Bureau of Investigation's power under control.

"...In that case, I'll have the Municipal Office issue the order tomorrow. You will officially take over as Director."

"Thank you, Mayor."

"You should thank Her Highness the Princess. She has a keen eye for talent."

Bill exchanged a few polite words before leaving for another part of the venue.

Cassidy smiled at Ryan in acknowledgment, then left as well.

"Tsk, tsk~ Ryan, it seems Her Highness the Princess truly values you," Jonathan said with a smile.

Ryan spread his hands. "She's ambitious too."

Jonathan said nothing. He had sensed that Bill was not particularly willing to let Ryan serve as Director. He was only doing so because of Cassidy's status.

That was clearly strange. If Bill had no intention of taking sides, then Cassidy's hopes of taking control of Berman City were undoubtedly wishful thinking. Even as a princess, she had no reason to seize territory from the nobles.

"Lord Ryan, may I invite you for a drink?" A noble girl in her twenties approached him.

"Hi, Aria." Jonathan stepped forward. "My colleague here is a little shy. How about I have a couple of drinks with you instead? We can discuss astrology tonight while we're at it. The Hunter constellation's luck has been a little poor lately."

"Ah, really? I'm a Hunter. Jonathan, don't scare me."

"Of course it's true. Tonight, I'll help adjust your fortune... Come on, let's talk over there."

Jonathan shot Ryan a look that said they both understood, then walked away with the girl named Aria.

Ryan had no interest in those social butterflies. Once no one was paying attention to him, he quietly opened the game.

'Lin Qi' was still keeping watch in the slums. Night had fallen, and it was time to farm Evil Spirits again. Just as she was about to act, she saw a group of people approaching in the distance.

Beams from flashlights swayed through the darkness. As they drew closer, their identities became obvious.

'Move aside! The City Guard is arresting Heretics! Uninvolved personnel, keep clear!'

This was a force of roughly a hundred men!

"The military? Why would they appear at a time like this?"

Ryan frowned slightly. The City Guard was the territorial garrison. Although it was nominally part of the Imperial Army, its food, supplies, and funding all came from local municipal allocations. Over time, the army essentially became the lord's.

This was a common situation. After all, the Empire's territory was simply too vast. Most of the core military forces that truly belonged to the Empire were centralized under direct management.

The armies within enfeoffed territories, on the other hand, were managed by the local nobles themselves. Recruitment, supplies, military pay, and everything else were funded by the local municipalities. This directly reduced the Empire's financial burden and allowed for flexible arrangements based on local conditions. The downside was that it meant losing some control over the territories. This was fine when the Empire was strong, but once it weakened, it was not impossible for regional powers to raise armies, occupy land, and declare themselves kings.

Berman City's military numbered roughly three to four thousand, excluding the reserve forces. These were purely active combat personnel, an already considerable number for a city of its size. The fundamental reason was that Berman City was not far from the Empire's border.

Usually, part of the army was stationed outside the city, while a small portion was near Aideburg, under Colonel Grove's command.

Ryan looked up toward the banquet hall. At that moment, Grove was chatting and laughing with a noblewoman in her thirties.

He had 'Lin Qi' conceal her tracks and follow the force. Before long, he discovered that, under the pretext of arresting Heretics, they had surrounded an area.

It was precisely the area he had previously calculated as the Blood Cult's likely hiding place.

After the soldiers on the outer perimeter had encircled the area, some of them appeared to be transporting items. 'Lin Qi' had the Demon Spirit merge into the night and slip into the soldiers' shadows, silently infiltrating them.

Through the Demon Spirit's vision, 'Lin Qi' saw the soldiers carrying a large quantity of supplies into a building. Then, some mechanism was activated, and a new passage appeared beneath the staircase.

"So that's where it was."

Ryan finally understood as he watched Blood Cult Members emerge from inside.

No wonder he had been unable to find them. Without someone leading the way, it would have been impossible to discover such a hidden place.

'Why did you come so late?'

'Don't you know things have been tense lately? The Colonel only arranged for us to come tonight because of the banquet.'

'Enough. Hurry up.'

'How's the ritual? How's it going?'

'Don't worry. Everything is going smoothly. Once the final batch of sacrifices is offered, war will definitely descend upon the land of Augus!'

'No need to worry about the sacrifices. Tell Hart to get ready. It'll begin within a week at most.'

After the two finished talking in the darkness, the supplies began to be moved into the basement.

The entire process lasted nearly twenty minutes. Soon, the soldiers withdrew from the slums, taking several vagrants judged to be Heretics with them.

Ryan stroked his chin. The Demon Spirit had heard every word clearly.

The military was supporting the Blood Cult.

That was not surprising. After all, Bill funded the army, so Grove was surely under Bill's control as well.

The ritual would begin in a week?

Did that mean the Kainter Army would attack?

"Why 'war'?"

The phrase "war is coming" was rather subtle. If it were simply a war, it would happen as soon as the army attacked; there would be no need to involve a ritual.

Besides, what exactly did the Blood Cult hope to obtain from the Blood God by holding such a large-scale ritual?

After the army left and the Blood Cult members carried all the supplies inside, they cautiously checked their surroundings before closing the mechanism.

'Lin Qi' hid nearby while the Demon Spirit slipped into Cassola Prison through the shadows. She saw the cells and the people imprisoned within them.

The prison had two levels. Below that lay the Karut Maze, where the ritual site was located.

The man who had spoken with the military kept heading downward until he finally arrived at the altar 'Shari' had discovered.

"Lord Hart, the military has delivered what you requested," he said.

"It's finally here. Next comes the final step of the ritual... Hm?"

Hart wore a black robe, its hood concealing most of his face. Suddenly, he shrieked, "Damn it, what did you bring in here?!"

Whoosh!

Black energy descended, crashing onto the shadow with a boom.

The Demon Spirit fled from the shadow, transforming into a streak of light as it flew outside. But then the figures around the altar began chanting one after another. In the end, the scene was swallowed by blackness. According to 'Lin Qi's' feedback, the Demon Spirit had already been dispersed.

"It actually detected the Demon Spirit. Even Adler didn't notice it back then. Could that guy be even stronger than Adler?"

Ryan was somewhat surprised. This was the first time the Demon Spirit had "died."

"Not necessarily. He's a Singer, so perhaps his perception of supernatural energy is particularly strong."

Singer was a special profession. Their Combat Power might not be great, but their perception was certainly powerful.

It seemed they would have to be more careful in the future. The Demon Spirit was not omnipotent.

"They've discovered us. Who knows what will happen now... Forget it, let's withdraw first."

The Blood Cult could not possibly relocate at this moment anyway. Before its people could chase after her, 'Lin Qi' turned and vanished into the night.

Tap tap tap tap tap.

Chaotic footsteps echoed through Cassola Prison.

"Quick! Search everywhere! Find the intruder no matter what!"

"Damn it, who was it?"

"Where is the person? Have you found them?"

"No sign of them! We haven't seen them anywhere!"

"Check those sacrifices!"

'Shari' leaned quietly against the prison wall. Hearing the noise entering, she turned her head as several people rushed in from the far end of the cell corridor.

They quickly inspected every cell, confirming there were no signs that the locks had been opened, then opened the cell doors and searched through them one by one.

"They can't be here. Which of these people looks like a supernatural being?"

"What about the one at the very end?"

"That one's a gladiator. If she were a supernatural being, she would've escaped long ago."

"Go take a look."

The voices drew closer. 'Shari' closed her eyes and pretended to be resting.

"Look, she hasn't moved."

"Hey, did you see her go out just now?"

"..."

"Fuck! Are you all deaf? I'm talking to you!"

Edward said indifferently, "She's just a young girl. You've kept her locked up all this time. Where could she go?"

"Answer when you're asked something. Why the hell are you talking back?"

"Enough, hurry up and find the person. If we don't, we're screwed."

"They probably escaped outside. Hurry and chase them."

Tap tap tap tap tap.

The footsteps gradually faded away again.

'Shari' opened her eyes and looked at Edward. He wore a puzzled expression. He had not seen 'Shari' go anywhere. Although 'Shari' often disappeared without warning, this time it truly had not been her.

Still, it was the first time anyone had entered since they had been imprisoned, and a sliver of hope inevitably rose in Edward's heart. Could they actually leave this place alive?

'Shari' shook her head, signaling for him to say nothing and ask nothing.

Everything would be decided in seven days.

"Ha~ Ryan, I should get going. See you tomorrow."

The banquet was drawing to a close. Jonathan came over to say goodbye, then left with Aria.

He must have something important to deal with, leaving in such a hurry... Ryan thought.

Although Jonathan did not have a particularly good reputation among the nobles, there were always people hoping to establish ties with the League of Fire, so this sort of socializing was nothing out of the ordinary for him.

But Jonathan never lost himself in the warmth of women's breasts. Instead, he used such opportunities to pry out all sorts of information he wanted—from a noblewoman's measurements, character, and hobbies, to whatever illegal or disciplinary violations they were secretly involved in. He knew it all.

Of course, he did not meddle in ordinary matters, such as which noble kept a third or fourth mistress, or who was coercing whom into doing what.

Murder was another matter. Whether he acted depended on the circumstances, but he would write it down in his notebook first. If an opportunity arose, he would kill them.

Using unjust means in the pursuit of justice, Jonathan half-jokingly called this conduct of his "Pale Justice."

Once Jonathan left, Ryan also planned to make his exit. To be honest, he did not like the atmosphere of these banquets.

"Ryan."

Bill walked over.

"Mayor."

"Can we have a word?" Bill asked with a smile.

"Of course. What would you like to talk about, Mayor?"

"Let's talk about... Berman City's future. What do you think of the recent situation? Nobles have been meeting with misfortune one after another. As mayor, it pains me deeply." Bill sighed. "The Empire's situation is unstable, and there is nothing I can do to change that. But for Berman City, I still hope it can remain peaceful."

"With you as mayor, Berman City's prosperity is just around the corner."

"Haha~ Ryan, I know you. You're not the type to merely flatter others." Bill lowered his voice. "There's no one else here. We can have a heart-to-heart talk."