Can't I raise myself?

"Oh?" Ryan nodded slightly. "What did he discover?"

"He said Bill went to a bakery in the East District today, came into contact with someone, and was very suspicious."

"The East District?"

Ryan frowned. With so many bakeries in the Central District, why would Bill specifically go to the East District? That bread must have been big, white, and fragrant, right?

"Who did he come into contact with?"

"A woman with light yellow curly hair. The Captain followed her for a while but eventually gave up. That woman was very vigilant; continuing to follow her would have alerted her."

"Oh?"

Ryan was a little surprised. Gluck was a third-tier Transcendent. If he could be discovered while following someone, how strong was the other party?

Even a Singer would probably be third-tier.

"Wait, yellow curly hair? Do you know which street she went down?"

"Locke Street. I'm not sure about further in."

"...It couldn't be that coincidental, could it?"

"What is it, Lord Ryan?"

"Nothing, nothing. You can leave now. Tell Gluck to be careful and not get discovered."

Blood obeyed and left the room silently.

"Locke Street... Isn't the bookstore on that street? Her hair is also very similar to Kaisa's. Could it be her?... But why are the Twilight Eye and the Blood Cult involved again?" Ryan remembered that in the game's plot, the forces mobilized under the Second Prince had always been the Blood Cult. In any case, the entire plot in Berman City didn't mention the Twilight Eye.

However, the Twilight Eye's "old sixes" really liked cooperating with the Blood Cult because those lunatics sometimes didn't like to think too much.

So, what was Kaisa's relationship with Bill?

Either it was a pure collaboration.

Or Bill, as a subordinate of the Second Prince, was also problematic. Perhaps he was even a mole planted by the Twilight Eye under the Second Prince... Alright, Ryan felt he was probably overthinking it. Otherwise, such a bizarre love-hate entanglement would have been dug up by players long ago.

However, for now, it was just speculation. There were many blondes on Locke Street; it might not necessarily be Kaisa. Maybe it was a mistress Bill kept.

Ryan still decided to go and check the situation.

When afternoon came, he got off work early and rushed to the East District.

The bookstore was as deserted as ever. Ryan suspected it had a barrier that repelled ordinary people; otherwise, why was it always empty whenever he visited?

"Lord Ryan." Kaisa, sitting at the counter, stood up.

"I came to take a look, and also to inform you that the situation has been a bit unstable recently. If the Kainter army really attacks the city, the Grand Duke's plan is for us to retreat. I'll take you with me then."

"Regarding this..." Kaisa took out some things from a cabinet. "Sir, I was about to report to you. These are the criminal evidences I've investigated regarding Mayor Bill."

"Huh?"

Ryan flipped through the so-called evidence. It recorded Bill's dealings with the Blood Cult.

It included how Bill had secretly supplied sacrifices to the Blood Cult over the years, harbored heretical rituals, and so on. When Ryan saw the last letter, his expression immediately became strange.

The letter recorded the 'cooperation' between Bill and the Kainter officer, which was essentially Bill negotiating siege matters with the other party.

"Where did you get this stuff?"

"Actually, Lord Adler asked me to investigate Bill a long time ago. I compiled this information step by step." Kaisa said respectfully, "As for this letter of contact with the Kainter officer, I intercepted a Kainter spy and found it on him."

Ryan thought, that spy you intercepted... wasn't it you yourself?

Admittedly, Kaisa had truly shocked Ryan. This woman must have met Bill today; otherwise, she wouldn't know so much.

But why would Kaisa give him this information?

Another mole?

You're not a mole I arranged.

Wait, this isn't for me... Ryan's thoughts turned. Is this for Grand Duke Magana? Or for Cassidy?

"Why did Adler ask you to investigate Bill? And who is behind Bill?" Ryan asked calmly.

"That's what Lord Adler wanted to know too." Kaisa's expression was normal. "He suspected Bill, which is why he had me investigate. Unfortunately, so far, I've only found Bill to be problematic; I haven't been able to find the person behind him."

Women, I don't believe a single word of that.

Adler knew nothing about Bill.

But he's dead anyway. With no one to contradict, Kaisa can say whatever she wants.

The problem is.

What should I do now?

"Hmm, Kaisa, you've done very well. I will report this matter to Grand Duke Magana immediately."

"Sir, if the Grand Duke were to send troops, it might already be too late," Kaisa said. "I suggest informing both the Grand Duke and Cassidy at the same time. If Cassidy knows about Bill's affairs, she will absolutely not stand idly by. Let her restrain or even deal with Bill, buying time for the Grand Duke to send people over. What do you think?"

"How did you know I wanted the Grand Duke to send troops?"

"Ah," Kaisa's expression froze for a moment, then she said, "Isn't it? This is a great opportunity to take Berman City and Cassidy."

"Haha~ Indeed it is," Ryan laughed. "Kaisa, you're a real treasure, aren't you? This way, Berman City will be completely under our control, and Cassidy will also fall into our hands... Very well, I'll go inform the Grand Duke now!"

"Everything for Magana... Madam, I wish you success."

Ryan left the bookstore, drove his car, and headed to the East City Branch.

"Blood Robe, keep an eye on that bookstore woman. Be careful," Ryan ordered Blood Robe on the way.

The latter was an assassin-class profession, making it easy to hide.

That woman Kaisa, she seemed to know he wanted Magana to send troops... was it a coincidence?

Ryan didn't have time to think deeply.

If he had to say who he truly trusted, it wasn't Cassidy or Magana, but Jonathan.

So Ryan wanted to hear Jonathan's opinion.

Ten minutes later.

East City Branch Office.

Jonathan took two deep drags of his cigarette, not even noticing when the tobacco was about to burn his lips. He stared at the items Ryan had brought and said, "You found these?"

"Yes."

"Where did you get them? Are they genuine?"

"I found some clues from the Adler family. I've been investigating in secret during this time. This letter was obtained by intercepting a spy from Kainter. I didn't dare to bring it out before, as Mayor Bill has a good relationship with Princess Cassidy. But now I think it's time to act."

"You're right, it is time to act now." Jonathan extinguished his cigarette and sighed. "With the Kainter army attacking, we can't count on anyone else; we have to rely on ourselves."

As soon as the Kainter army broke through the border defenses, the Empire had issued orders for the nobles of the various territories to gather their forces to block them. Unfortunately, the results had been meager so far. Even the closest one, Kosotoa, had only made a token effort.

They had sent troops, but they were fighting those who were burning, killing, and looting, not this elite force attacking Berman City.

Everyone wanted to preserve their strength; no one wanted to fight the enemy to the death.

The Empire was in turmoil. Who knew if the Old Emperor would kick the bucket tomorrow morning? To avoid the instability affecting themselves, the nobles of these territories would choose self-preservation.

Jonathan had been in politics for so many years; how could he not see through their true colors?

"I'll inform Her Highness the Princess about this. Don't say anything; I'll tell her it's intelligence investigated by the League of Fire." Jonathan said.

He didn't want Ryan to be too conspicuous at this time; this wasn't something to seek glory for.

And right now, the only one who could stop Bill was Cassidy. At least her identity was very suitable for this situation.

Jonathan acted quickly. By seven in the evening, he had already contacted Cassidy and made a plan with her—eliminate Bill, and then, under the guise of the Imperial Daughter, lead the army of Berman City to defend the city.

As long as they could withstand the first wave of the Kainter army's attack, Cassidy would gradually gather the surrounding garrisons. Kainter wasn't a ferocious wolf; they weren't unstoppable. It was just that no one was blocking them right now.

As long as Cassidy stepped forward and took the lead, others would naturally follow.

After receiving Jonathan's reply, Ryan contacted Magana again.

He didn't know what Kaisa wanted to do, but Kaisa also didn't know what he wanted.

Therefore, it was better for him to focus on achieving his own goals now. As long as Magana's Iron Blood Legion was stationed there, Berman City would be completely stabilized.

As for other things, he could play games with alts later. Was he afraid of not rising to power?

Besides, even if Masha had a conspiracy, it was aimed at Magana, not him, Ryan. What did it have to do with him?

"Ryan, is something wrong?"

In the mirror, the one-meter-five Magana showed no signs of impatience, even though Ryan had been contacting her repeatedly lately. If it were Adler, he would have been killed long ago.

"Grand Duke, is Creed here?"

"He's not here." Magana waved her hand. "Tell me what you need to say. Don't worry, I'm not Creed's puppet; I don't listen to everything he says."

"Of course, I wouldn't think that. Grand Duke, you are a wise and brave God of War... Oh, right, I've discovered something important."

Ryan explained Bill's situation and Cassidy's decision.

"...Grand Duke, once Cassidy gathers her army, with her methods, she might very well seize control of the southern territories in one fell swoop. It will be difficult for you to deal with her then."

"Berman City is indeed colluding with Kainter, hmph~ Fortunately, I've already sent people there in advance," Magana said.

"Uh." Ryan was stunned. "You sent people, Grand Duke?"

"Yes, they left two days ago and should have arrived by now. Have Gluck go meet them; he'll know what to do... However, they went secretly, and there are only two thousand of them."

"But before?"

"I said, I'm not anyone's puppet; I have my own ideas." Magana said matter-of-factly. "Since Berman City is a piece of fat meat, why shouldn't I have it? If I don't take it, I'll give it to others. I never like others touching my things. However, I don't understand. If the Second Prince is behind this, colluding with foreign countries to stir up internal strife, that's a serious crime."

Would the Second Prince do something so foolish?

"But we're just guessing, aren't we?" Ryan wasn't sure if the Second Prince was an idiot, but with the Twilight Eye around, anything was possible.

After all, those Twilight Eye people were mysterious, and no one knew where they were hiding. However, in any place where chaos erupted, there might be a Twilight Eye member secretly plotting.

Ryan was more concerned about how these two thousand people could turn the tide of the battle.

"Don't worry, once the Kainter army's siege is confirmed, I will immediately dispatch the main army. I've already prepared the trains," Magana said. "You just need to help me stabilize the situation in Berman City as much as possible and don't let that woman Cassidy escape."

Ryan patted his chest, "Your Excellency, please rest assured, I'll go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Facts proved that Grand Duke Magana's magnanimity was truly reassuring. Look at her vision, her decisions, her white hair, her face, her... isn't it all perfect?

Although she was a bit short, in Ryan's heart, the Grand Duke's figure was already quite imposing.

Two thousand men delivered with a click.

Ryan immediately had Gluck go to meet them. The Iron Blood Legion was known for its formidable combat prowess. Two thousand wasn't a lot, but it was enough.

The operation to eliminate Bill was set for tomorrow morning. After all, he was the de facto ruler of Berman City. Cassidy also needed to prepare and send a magical encrypted message to her old father in the imperial capital. She needed to obtain official control recognized by the empire after eliminating Bill.

According to the intercepted letter, Kainter's army would attack the day after tomorrow, so she still had time.

However, on the second morning after all plans were made, a dazzling signal flare suddenly pierced the night sky, illuminating Berman City.

It was a signal flare to launch an attack!

The moment the signal flare went off, all the Blood Cult members hidden within the city erupted!

At the same time.

Inside Cassola Prison, a frenzied sacrificial ritual was about to begin!

Countless Blood Cult followers let out excited cheers, dragging the sacrifices imprisoned in the cells towards the underground altar--

"Blood Sacrifice to the Blood God!" "Blood Sacrifice to the Blood God!" "Blood Sacrifice to the Blood God!"

6k5, there's another update today. End of the month, please vote! Please give me blades! Please support!!

Chapter 54: Shyarly's Class Change, Blood Sacrifice to the Blood God!!! [6k]

A chaotic atmosphere filled Cassola Prison. From the first basement level to the second, prison doors were opened one by one, and the dazed sacrifices were pushed by the cultists towards the underground.