Chapter 105

Magana needs to Southern Territory as a new foothold and accumulate enough resources to rebel, since the Western Territory is currently being attacked from both sides and the Iron Blood Legion has suffered heavy losses, making it too difficult to rebel.

Needless to say, Caslathdi was in a terrible situation. She had neither money nor manpower. This piece of land, nominally belonging to a lord, was something the Old Emperor never intended to give her. She was so miserable that even children shed tears for her.

And those two princes, more or less, were also involved.

Therefore, the Southern Territory is very important.

Ryan also knew it was important; otherwise, why would he have been working so hard to build this business?

Of course, it wasn't to pave the way for those short, unlucky guys, but for his own grand ambitions.

What does it mean to use someone else's resources to achieve your goals? This is it!

"Your Majesty," Ryan bowed, "Rest assured, I will go through fire and water, even at the cost of my life, for this matter."

"Ryan, you said that to both Magana and Caslathdi, didn't you?" the Old Emperor said in a deep voice. "I don't need your promises. I want to make a deal with you."

"Trade?"

Ryan asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, what deal?"

"If you serve me, I promise to give you the position of Elvin."

"Well..."

Ryan didn't speak. Elvin, the Duke of the Empire, the old general.

This position is so high that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's second only to the emperor.

Give me?

Ryan felt no joy whatsoever; instead, he was even more worried.

Can you really get this kind of benefit for free?

Once you take it, you have to work like a madman.

But.

Even if you die, you still have to get things done.

So why not take it?

"Your Majesty, how should this transaction proceed?"

It was obvious that the Old Emperor didn't trust him. Not to mention the Old Emperor, Ryan himself didn't believe that he would honestly serve the other party. "Do you believe I am Qin Shi Huang?"

Since we've brought up the trade, the Old Emperor must have been prepared for it long ago.

Sure enough, the Old Emperor pointed with his hand.

As the space rippled, a blood-red contract appeared on the table.

Ryan found it amazing, but he knew it couldn't be the Old Emperor's ability, because just by looking at this paper, he knew it was definitely the Blood God's trickery. In other words, the Old Emperor was actually a Divine Path, and it was said that he was a powerful figure in his youth.

Blood was flowing on the contract. Ryan stared at it for a while and felt as if it were a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses, with a group of ghouls crawling around, sometimes forming an 8, sometimes forming... two 8s.

In a daze, Ryan felt his soul being drawn into the contract. His vision was filled with a large expanse of blood-red color, and his mind was filled with the shouts of a thousand people. Suddenly, smack! A lump of flesh landed on the contract, and then it grew eight legs, eight arms, and eight heads. Suddenly, it opened its blood-red maw and pounced on Ryan.

Call!

Ryan snapped out of his daze, feeling a cold sweat break out on his back. "Damn it, this stuff is disgusting! There's shit in it!"

"It's best not to stare at it until you agree," the Old Emperor's reminder came belatedly.

Ryan cursed his entire family in his heart.

Thankfully, the other party isn't here, otherwise their power would be even greater. Old Deng's strength is a bit frightening. Strange, is this really someone who is about to die? Or has he extended his life force?

Ryan didn't look at the contract, and said, "Your Majesty, I will do everything in my power to control the Southern Territory. I will never allow Magana to touch it, nor will I hand Southern Territory over to Her Highness the Princess. The Southern Territory belongs only to the great Emperor Augustus!"

The Old Emperor asked, "Ryan, you won't help Magana seize the throne."

"Yes, of course not."

"You will not help Caslathdi seize the throne."

"Yes."

"You will not support any of the princes."

"Yes."

"Very good, Ryan." A smile appeared in the Old Emperor's eyes. "Then, I will bestow upon you unparalleled glory."

Swish!

The Crimson Pact lit up, and the conversation between the two just now turned into patches of Bloodlight reflected into the pact. The blood-red text seemed to be written by an invisible hand, finally finalizing the content.

Ryan felt something new in his mind—the contract. If he broke the contract, he would be affected by the power of the Blood God.

As for the outcome, you don't even need to think to know. The Blood God provides you with a contract, but what good things will happen if you break the contract?

"I rarely enter into equal blood pacts with anyone, and you, Ryan, are one of the few." The Old Emperor's tone softened, and even his form of address changed. "You mustn't disappoint me."

Ryan bowed. "Your Majesty, rest assured, I have long wanted to share Your Majesty's burdens, but I have never had the opportunity. If you do not abandon me, I will follow you for life!"

"Heh~ Very well... I didn't approve of the title that Caslathdi applied for for you before. You don't hold a grudge against me, do you?"

"Of course not, His Your Majesty must have bigger considerations."

Tch, they only came to win me over because they felt they weren't confident they could control the Southern Territory with just 'Shally' on their own.

Ryan knew exactly what was going on.

Ultimately, 'Shally' wasn't a member of the royal family. The Old Emperor had no cards to play and couldn't control 'Shally's' temperament, so naturally he didn't dare to gamble.

"I'm glad you understand. When Caslathdi returns, I'll find a way to secretly help you take over."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Well, in the past, the Grand Duke helped me, then the Princess helped me, then Princess Emperor helped me, are you trying to lift me up to the heavens?

"Remember, this must not be told to anyone, including Jonathan," the Old Emperor said one last thing before disappearing into the formation.

"Phew~"

They're gone.

"Thank goodness, he didn't pressure me... he probably knew it wouldn't have mattered."

Since the Old Emperor had come to ask him to do something, Ryan knew that Old Deng would never kill him.

Killing him wouldn't do any good; if we kill him, no one else will be able to do these things.

Moreover, in Berman City, it's not certain that they can kill him. If Ryan's identity is exposed, they can simply flee far away and openly go to the Western Territory to seek refuge with their beloved Grand Duke.

Because he couldn't be restrained, the Old Emperor never intended to force Ryan to pledge allegiance. Firstly, he couldn't force him, and secondly, he didn't believe Ryan could be truly loyal.

Didn't you see your own daughter being completely charmed?

Therefore, contracts are actually the safest option.

"Several questions can now be answered."

"First of all, the Old Emperor did want to restrict the Grand Duke. His previous plans were all targeted, with the aim of trapping the Grand Duke in the Western Territory as a gatekeeper."

"Secondly, the Old Emperor doesn't want to abdicate, so the two princes have no chance, and the Princess has even less chance."

"Besides... he must be planning something lately, worried that Magana might cause trouble, which is why he's in such a hurry to win me over. Otherwise, why would an emperor like him sign a contract with me? Unless he's out of his mind."

"Finally... I unilaterally declare that the contract is invalid for me."

He only promised not to give the Western Territory to Magana and Caslathdi, and not to help those princes, but he could help himself.

The Western Territory will forever belong to the great Emperor Augustus!

Yes, that's right, it really is me.

"I'll have Vainay look through the family tree later and see which branch of the royal family we belong to. This isn't called a rebellion, it's called going home."

Ryan suddenly felt like he was back to normal.

Although his identity was exposed by the Old Emperor, the current empire leader is still protecting him.

I just can't let the Grand Duke know... Alas~ Grand Duke, I have you in my heart, but the world is treacherous, and I have to be on guard at all times.

As for Caslathdi, Ryan could only say, "Princess, please sit down. You certainly can't stand up right now."

He then realized that Caslathdi was truly miserable. He hadn't noticed because the main characters were with her in the game, but now that he saw her, she had no one to rely on, no money, and her family was gone. Even her father was secretly suppressing her. Her situation was beyond description.

Shaking his head, Ryan walked to the door and opened it. Jonathan was standing outside, his eyes keenly scanning his surroundings. The old chain smoker wasn't even smoking.

"His Your Majesty has left?"

Hearing the door open, he turned to look at Ryan.

"They're gone." Ryan sighed. "Captain, His Your Majesty's coming and you didn't even tell me beforehand?"

"His Your Majesty forbade me to say it, and I already reminded you. Didn't I tell you not to talk nonsense? Wait, you didn't say anything nonsense, did you?"

Jonathan felt that Ryan sometimes liked to talk nonsense.

"Of course not, I swear."

"Really?" Jonathan looked doubtful. "Never mind, anyway, you seem to be fine."

Why do you think something will happen to me?

Jonathan pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, shook one out, lit it, and took a deep drag before saying, "I didn't report your talent, yet His Your Majesty suddenly wants to see you. It's probably about Magana, or maybe the Princess. It's not a good thing for a nobody to be summoned by a big shot. His Your Majesty won't kill you, but... I'm afraid nothing good will happen."

Ryan laughed and said, "Then you guessed wrong. His Your Majesty is going to promote me and make me rich."

"Ah~ that would be best."

Jonathan didn't intend to ask, because he couldn't, and Ryan certainly couldn't tell either. So he would just pretend it didn't exist. However, he was a little worried about Ryan. He was young but had a lot on his plate. Getting involved in this kind of mess wouldn't be good.

If Ryan had listened to him and not accepted the Princess's offer, perhaps none of this would have happened.

Being a good investigator, focusing on cultivation, becoming stronger, and staying safe and free from trouble is better than anything else.

When the Old Emperor saw him, Ryan didn't tell Caslathdi, much less Magana, otherwise, given the Grand Duke's temper, he might have directly stormed the Southern Territory and kidnapped him.

My Grand Duke, trust me! Loyalty!

Although Ryan also wanted to remain loyal, the Old Emperor had already shown up. If he didn't agree, he would be forced into a passive and peaceful situation, and in that case, he would have no choice but to flee to the Western Territory and embrace the Grand Duke to sing praises of conquest. All his efforts during this period would then be in vain.

In any case, we can't lose the Southern Territory; it's better to keep it in our own hands than to leave it in anyone else's.

If the Grand Duke can't make it in the Western Territory, I can take her in, right?

And then there's the Princess. If the Old Emperor really decides to be ruthless, there have been emperors in history who killed their own sons to seize the throne.

The Princess is in such a terrible state, as her subjects, we should help her take control of the Southern Territory, right?

So Master Ryan was completely sincere.

At this moment, loyal Ryan returned home, just about to get some rest, when the Grand Duke suddenly started a long phone call.

"... Uh, Grand Duke??"

"Ryan, I need to talk to you about something... Hmm? Why are you so pale? Are you sick? Should I find you a therapist?"

Ryan thought to himself, "Could you find me a masseuse to massage my feet? My legs are weak."

"It's nothing, I just got back. There's been a lot going on in the territory, I might be a little tired." Ryan waved his hand. "Your Grand Duke, is there anything urgent you need me for?"

"Oh right, it's urgent." Magana said seriously, "Recently, there have been many signs of Blood Cult activity in the Western Territory. Last night, a rift in the Inner World appeared, and a large number of demons from the Blood God Legion emerged from it."

"The Inner World? How's it going?"

"It's under control for now, but there are signs of expansion in the Inner World. Fortunately, the Saintess is also there, and the Gate of Janus has been a great help."

"That serious?"

For Magana to say something like that, it means the demon attack was quite serious.

"Several rifts have been discovered in the Western Territory, though some are not very active. I'm worried that you might encounter the same situation there. I want to remind you to be very careful, because once the Blood God Legion appears, it's not something an ordinary army can handle."

"How come I've never seen something like that before?"

"The Saintess said that this is the result of the growing power of the Outer Gods, and the war in the Augustus Empire has had a particularly severe impact. I suspect that someone is behind this." Magana crossed her arms. "Last time I fell into the Inner World, it was full of those things."

"Creed?"

"I don't know. That guy probably doesn't have that ability. I'll keep an eye on it. If it's something that affects the entire empire, then things won't be simple... Anyway, with the people from Gate of Janus around, that Saintess is just unlucky. She encountered something like this right after taking office, haha!"