Chapter 109
"Why are you giving me so many Roasted Chicken?"
[Roasted Chicken *5]
No!
[The Heart of Jialuo]
[Quality: Tier 1 - Epic]
[Effect 1: Constitution +4, Magic Power +4]
[Effect 2: Charged aiming damage increased by 20%, with a 20% chance to deal double damage.]
[Feature: Upgradeable]
[Equipment Requirements: Limited to use by Holy Spear Master.]
"Huh?"
Ryan's mood instantly went from the lowest point to the highest.
"Class-bound gear for the Holy Spear Master? I've never seen it in the game."
The attribute bonuses are great, but more importantly, they increase the damage of charged shots. This will definitely increase further after upgrading. If it can reach 50%, combined with the severe injury effect of max-level Gale Breath, a single shot to the Leopard Head will be a piece of cake.
"Anyway, it's good enough for the early stages, nothing special."
If we don't compare it to the professions of the three wives mentioned earlier, the Holy Spear Master is actually quite a good class... Of course, that's the nature of the class: a ranged sixth man, an essential class for killing and arson.
Equipping the Heart of Jialuo, Secretary-General Ina looked quite charming carrying a sniper rifle.
Ryan gave Ina the order to go to the rift in the Inner World. There was no need to worry about Berman City as long as he was there. Ina had just changed her job, so it was a good opportunity for her to go and level up.
For the next two days, 'Ina' stayed at the rift in the Inner World to level up. With 'Shally' leading the way, summoning Blood Minions to advance, 'Ina' only needed to stand behind and keep shooting.
I must say, the feeling of a super long-range sniper exploding head-on is really great, and the damage of the charged shot is much higher than Ryan expected. If it crits, the output can definitely surpass other classes of the same level. Unfortunately, it is difficult to hit, and the attack is slow and single-target.
While 'Ina' was aiming, 'Shally' could rush in and wreak havoc. In order to help her level up, 'Shally' had to use Blood Minions to block the monsters and let 'Ina' finish them off.
This scene once reminded Ryan of a veteran player returning to the starting village to guide newbies.
Finally, because the advance was too slow, 'Shally' had 'Ina' approach with a sniper rifle and place it directly on the monster's head, since she could control the monster with the Blood Minions anyway.
Low hit rate? Look, it's a 100% hit rate!
However, on the third day, the power of the Inner World erupted into a new phase, and the demons of the Blood God Legion began to gather outwards continuously.
Although most of these demons are only around level ten, their destructive power is far beyond that of ordinary soldiers. Not to mention that once a high-level demon of level twenty or thirty appears, it can easily wipe out a city defense force of a hundred men.
At this point, only Supernatural Being could confront the Demon Legion head-on, while most mortal armies could only use firearms for long-range attacks.
In order to withstand the attack of the Demon Legion, Jonathan even allowed Jack to join the battle. This college student had only recently entered the second tier and his abilities were outstanding, but unfortunately, his abilities were not really suitable for direct combat.
Actually, the situation in Berman City is not too bad. Perhaps it's because 'Shally' and 'Vainay' stopped the sacrifice. In any case, although the Southern Territory near Berman City was affected, the situation is not serious.
In contrast, further north, the land is truly a hellish place, empty of demons and teeming with life. In some areas, Demon Legion have already begun their sieges.
Ryan guessed that the previous sacrifice must have been carried out simultaneously across the country, because the outbreaks occurred so close together, meaning that the Old Emperor ordered a massive pooping across the entire empire.
Then Magana started swearing.
Because there was so much excrement in the Western Territory, she had to use Blood Pact to bring back the previously scattered troops to resist the Demon Legion's attacks. Fortunately, the Iron Blood Army's recruitment went very smoothly during this period. The Grand Duke still had some prestige in the Western Territory, and because she had broken with the Empire, she became even more unscrupulous, expanding the Iron Blood Army's size to 100,000 in one go!
One hundred thousand people, not counting those summoned through Blood Pact.
Magana: You old bastard, come and fight!
Anyway, she wouldn't care even if the nobles in the Imperial Capital jumped up and down. Impeach me? Go ahead, I've already killed Elvin, why would I be afraid of your impeachment?
To put it bluntly, although the two sides have made a truce, the relationship has been clarified. If Magana doesn't quickly strengthen her own power, she will be eliminated sooner or later. The Old Emperor has obviously seen through Magana's intentions, which is why he needs Ryan to take control of the Southern Territory.
Without the Southern Territory, Magana's expansion has its limits.
100,000 people is a lot, right? They must be very powerful, right? But it's also a lot of work to maintain them.
The Western Territory is not rich in resources, and Magana does not collect high taxes from her subjects. In addition, the Western Barbarians are becoming increasingly unscrupulous, so the Grand Duke's 100,000 men seem to be all show and no substance.
If they are not trained properly, they cannot be deployed to fight, but at the same time they need to be supported. In the future, the western front will be under pressure while the Demon Legion in the east will be busy devouring them.
Ryan shook his head as he watched. When had the Grand Duke ever suffered like this? Fortunately, Gate of Janus helped to deal with it, otherwise Magana would have been in even worse shape.
"Someone must be up to something behind the scenes! A fool like the Blood Cult couldn't possibly organize such a large-scale operation."
"These Chaos Space of war are like cesspools, where people are defecating, and it stinks horribly."
Magana would often vent her frustrations to Ryan.
"Ryan, why don't you go back to the Western Territory and help me?"
"Ryan, Caslathdi is no longer important; she's finished."
"Ryan, hurry up, accelerate."
"Ryan, when will the Southern Territory fall into our hands?"
Ryan thought to himself, "It's the Old Emperor's fault, so complaining to me won't do any good."
"My Grand Duke, there is something I need to tell you."
"What's up?"
"The Old Emperor has come to recruit me."
"Hmm... hmm?" Magana, who was studying the map, paused, looked up, blinked, and had an expression on her face that showed she wanted to laugh but was trying not to. "That old man came looking for you?!"
"Yes. Just a few days ago, he asked me to pledge allegiance to him and take control of the Southern Territory to help him deal with you."
Ryan hadn't planned to tell her so soon, because if he told Magana, given her personality, she might do something that the Old Emperor would find out.
Although the Old Emperor was wary of him, once things were made clear, his actions as an inside man would be meaningless.
However, the situation is different now. The Old Emperor is defecating everywhere, which has seriously affected Ryan's plan to lie low and develop.
Can you please not come to my house to take your shit?
It smells terrible!
"So that's how it is, so that's how it is... Haha! I knew that old guy wouldn't be able to resist, hmph! I'm Grand Duke smart, I recruited you when I saw you off, and that old thing really fell for it, haha!" Magana was so happy that it seemed as if she had suddenly grown more than ten centimeters taller.
"Your Grand Duke, were you planning this all along?"
"What, you don't believe in Grand Duke wisdom?" Magana put her hands on her hips and said smugly, "You don't understand. A genius like Grand Duke thinks three steps ahead before taking one. Although you are very smart, Ryan, you are still a little bit inferior to me in terms of strategy."
Ryan nodded. "Of course, when it comes to Grand Duke, you are number one, and I am only number two."
"So, I've been waiting for that old geezer to come looking for you, hmph~~"
Actually, it was just a sudden inspiration for Magana. After all, Ryan was an investigator for the Burning Covenant, and now that he was involved with her and the Princess, his status had jumped from Little Camilla to a very important position.
Will the Old Emperor come?
Could it be?
A flash of inspiration!
Regardless of whether they know it or not, let's just go for it.
That's how the scene at the train station came about.
Unexpectedly, haha, that old man really fell for it!
"Then, wise Grand Duke, what do you plan to do next?" Ryan asked. "Let's not even talk about the Southern Territory, the Western Territory is a complete mess right now, and the Old Emperor doesn't know what he's up to. What good will it do him to start this war?"
"You wouldn't understand this, would you?" Magana said proudly.
"Oh? Your Grand Duke, you know something now?"
"Of course."
Last time it was just a fluke, but this time she really knows what she's doing.
Magana smiled, revealing two small tiger teeth. "As far as I know, there is a way in the Blood Divine Path to please the Blood God through war and obtain the power of eternal life. That old thing is probably doing this now. In fact, not only the Blood Divine Path, but other gods have this ability. However, in essence, it is not to make mortals immortal, but to turn mortals into 'demons,' which is a process of transformation."
"Upgrade?"
Is this definitely not a demon ascension?
Wow, it's a cesspool! Great, we're doomed!
"Abandoning their human identity and dignity, they were completely transformed into members of the Demon Legion, becoming servants of the Outer Gods."
"Isn't he afraid of being discovered?"
"What are you afraid of? He's the emperor. Who dares to question his identity? Do you have any evidence? If you question an emperor without evidence, the Tribunal will burn you alive first." Magana waved her hand. "Besides, there's war everywhere right now. Who has the mind to care about the Old Emperor? If he orders the war to be resolved later, those nobles will still support him as the Eternal Emperor. I guarantee that more than 70% of the people in the Imperial Capital have been completely won over by him. Those princes are useless."
Previously, the Second Prince had the greatest power, after all, there was the old general and Grand Duke, Elvin. But with Elvin's death, the Second Prince's power collapsed, and the rest of them were no threat at all.
Of course, if it really is a competition for the crown prince, then the Second Prince still has an advantage. After all, with the Crimson Tiger Guard around, those who are loyal to Elvin will also switch their allegiance to the Second Prince.
Especially now that the Fourth Prince's imperial merchant status is gone and he has no surplus grain, it will be even more difficult to fight him.
The Fifth Princess? She's out inspecting and comforting her people in her territory today. It's just this small area in the Southern Territory; what can she possibly compete for?
"However, if we could stop the war from coming, then the old man would be anxious. The transformation is irreversible and unstoppable. Once you choose to serve the Blood God, you will be trapped in endless war for eternity... Haven't you noticed? In the Inner World shrouded by the Will of War, even the demons themselves are fighting because they can't get out and can only please the Blood God in this way."
"I see!"
Now Ryan really understands. Oh, praise Magana, she is so knowledgeable.
"So, what should we do? Do you have a backup plan, Your Grand Duke?"
Knowing what to do is not the key; the key is how to do it.
If it can really be stopped, then the Old Emperor should be worried. Without war sacrifices, his great cause of immortality cannot be achieved. It's like strangling him. Wouldn't he fight you to the death?
If you get anxious, you'll have something to use against you.
But how can we do that?
Ryan's original plan was that if the Grand Duke had no other choice, he would use his first wife's power to gather the forces of the Gate of Janus in the name of the Saintess.
However, Lin Qi has only recently become Saintess, her strength is weak, and her influence is insufficient, so this plan may not succeed.
"Haha! Ryan, just you wait and see, watch my performance!"
Magana seems to have something really going on; this is the first time Ryan has ever seen her smile so happily... So, the Grand Duke loves doing things like killing the Old Emperor!
As it turns out, the magnificent Grand Duke, though short, arrogant, and a bit of a fool, was indeed capable.
Despite her complaints, she didn't slack off at all. After talking to her, Ryan received news a couple of days later that the situation in the Western Territory was gradually stabilizing.
According to Gruk's intelligence, the Grand Duke personally entered the rift in the Inner World and, with a superhuman assault team, destroyed the rift.
The method was simple and brutal: she used the power of the Path of Death to perform a sacrifice, forcibly transforming the Inner World spaces that had erupted due to the power of war into death spaces, and then blocking all these cesspools.
Ryan didn't know how this white-haired loli did it, but she did. In less than seven days, the situation in the entire Western Territory changed every day, and finally it completely stabilized.
While Ryan was wondering what was going on, Magana popped up and proudly showed off.
"I have a group of Singer. Although they are not very capable, their priestly skills are first-rate."
Ryan then remembered that the Grand Duke still held some of the Hand of Darkness's power, and it seemed that he was quite capable. Logically speaking, the Hand of Darkness was a force that spread throughout the Rhea Continent and did not belong to Magana's private army.
Could it be that this white-haired guy actually holds a position in the Hand of Darkness?
This is highly likely, because the Hand of Darkness is indeed very powerful, at least stronger than the Burning Covenant, it's just that their main forces are not located in the Northern Continent.
Even so, the Hand of Darkness forces, centered around the Augustus Empire, should not be underestimated on the Northern Continent.
If Magana mobilizes these forces, then blocking the Blood Cult's actions is indeed possible.
The Western Territory was just the beginning. Once things stabilized there, Magana waved her hand, and the Hand of Darkness hidden within the Augustus Empire began to act madly, even going so far as to besiege Blood Cult and obstruct heretical sacrifices!
Wow! The sky is falling! I actually saw heretics fighting heretics!
Ryan was a little confused, and Gate of Janus next to him was even more confused. What was going on? We were still waiting for orders from above, so how did the 'war' slowly disappear?
While lamenting the absurdity of the world, Ryan was also amazed by Magana's status in the Hand of Darkness. To be able to cause such a commotion, she must be at the level of a core elder.
Even if Lin Qi came, she couldn't have done this.
The Gate of Janus is powerful, but precisely because it is so powerful, its internal factions are deeply entrenched. It's uncertain whether Lin Qi, as the Saintess, will gain much support upon taking the throne. First, she needs to increase her strength, and second, she needs to listen to the divine pronouncements of Janus. Only when she has the qualifications will people respect her.
As for the idea that the Gate of Janus must resolve heretical actions and save the world, even their Pope wouldn't believe it if he heard it out loud.