Chapter 136

'Vainay' invited Jonathan into the castle.

According to Jonathan's explanation, he came to Silver Peak City to take over Ryan's position and take charge of the Fire Chaser forces in Silver Peak City.

As an official body, he came ahead of time to greet 'Vainay'.

"There's something I'd like to ask the Viscount," Jonathan said in a low voice, "How exactly did Ryan die?"

'Vainay' said calmly: 'Does Lord Jonathan care about Ryan?'

"Yes, he was someone I brought into the Burning Covenant. He's mine... We're both teacher and friend. He's a very good guy, with no flaws except for being a little reckless at times."

"He was killed by Shally Shirley, supposedly on His Your Majesty's orders."

"I don't believe it!" Jonathan said, somewhat agitated. "His Your Majesty wouldn't issue such an order at that time; there must be a conspiracy involved!"

"Mr. Jonathan, please calm down. Even if you ask me that, I don't know how to answer you."

"Ah... I'm sorry."

Jonathan waved his hand, stood up and said, "Sorry, I got too excited... Goodbye, Your Excellency, I have to go now."

"Old Joe's identity is indeed extraordinary; he was promoted to Level 5 Investigator so easily." Ryan was still very happy to see Jonathan again, although the latter seemed a bit devastated by his death... But Old Joe, I really can't go to see you. I'm afraid I'll scare you. I'll arrange a few slender, busty noblewomen for you later.

Ryan guessed that Jonathan had been transferred here by the Old Emperor.

However, Old Joe's attitude towards the Old Emperor is somewhat subtle. He even helped him stall the Old Emperor in Berman City. No matter how you look at it, this can be considered a kind of betrayal, right?

Even so, the Old Emperor still trusted him?

Old friends or something?

Ryan shook his head inwardly, not wanting to think about it too much. As long as he was sure that Old Joe was good to him, that was enough.

"Sigh~ I miss the days when I played duo queue with Old Joe, punching the Berman aristocrats and kicking the underground gangs."

As he thought about it, Ryan opened the game and switched to the character interface of 'Ina'.

What came into view was a chaotic battlefield.

This is the plains on the Western Territory border, the Western Territory line sealed off by the Royal Guards. Early this morning, Magana's main Ironblood force arrived at the front line and joined forces with Everson's Second Legion.

The Grand Duke had just assembled his troops when he rushed to the front lines and was now conducting a hunt for the Royal Guards.

Ten thousand men against ten thousand men, but their fighting spirit is on completely different levels!

Bang!--

On the high ground behind, Ina, wielding the Heart of Jialuo, charged up and fired. With the help of the Breath of Gale effect, her effective shooting range was frighteningly long.

Instead of dealing with the soldiers, she specifically targeted the officers on the other side, killing them one by one with each shot. The officers she aimed at were guaranteed to be killed!

Why 100%?

Because it has a 100% success rate!

The first four shots will be the fifth, and it has to be said that the Holy Spear Master's professional talent is undeniable. In addition, 'Ina' is a professional marksman. Ryan has personally experienced her skills, and they are not just empty words.

Ryan thought that changing 'Ina' to Holy Spear Master was the right thing to do.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The battle lasted only half an hour before the Royal Guards showed signs of defeat. Magana, wielding a battle axe, charged into the battlefield herself, the aura of death spreading with the blood that gushed from beneath the axe—*splat! Magana's battle axe slammed down, and in the blink of an eye, the Royal Guards's front-line commander was decapitated.

She stood in the crowd, surrounded by Royal Guards, but no one dared to get any closer!

"Terrible! Terrible!" Magana glanced around and sneered, "You bunch of bastards dare to call yourselves the Empire's most powerful legion? Right now, I'm standing right here, and I've killed your officers. Don't you even have the courage to pick up your weapons and attack me?"

The more timid the Royal Guards became, the Magana grew. She had already set her sights on the Old Emperor, but the enemy before her was not worthy of being called an opponent.

"My Grand Duke! I'm here to help you!!!"

Knock knock knock knock!

Behind him, the massive Everson, wielding a giant iron hammer, led an elite squad of Skullcrusher as they charged forward.

This decapitation operation should have been carried out by him and his men, but they couldn't because the Grand Duke was in a fit of rage, and their speed in charging couldn't keep up with the speed at Grand Duke killed people.

The battle ended completely an hour later. After losing more than 10,000 men, the Royal Guards withdrew to the Zijin City on the northwestern border to garrison.

Magana ordered the entire army to rest and clean up the battlefield.

The temporary meeting room.

She summoned the Iron Blood Army for a meeting.

"I plan to launch a surprise attack on the Zijin City tonight and completely scatter this Royal Guards, so that our army won't be surrounded by them if we go too far in," Magana said.

"My Grand Duke, the Zijin City is not easy to attack," Macaos said thoughtfully. "That city is heavily fortified and easy to defend. Moreover, if we launch a sudden attack on the imperial army now, it would be an open act of rebellion. If we were to fight our way to the Imperial Capital, we would likely encounter many obstacles along the way, and we would have no legitimate reason to do so."

"Of course not!" Magana exclaimed angrily. "That old man killed Ryan!"

Macaos gave a wry smile, "But the people of the Empire don't know. Most of them don't even know who the Ryan brothers are."

"What's there to be afraid of? We never expected anyone to help us!" Everson said nonchalantly. "We'll fight our way through, killing anyone who resists! I don't believe there are many people left who support the Old Emperor!"

"It's not a matter of supporting or not supporting the Old Emperor. The royal family's authority is still intact. If we fight like this, it will only benefit Princess Caslathdi."

Macaos was not stupid. He thought that those who act justly will have many supporters, while those who act unjustly will have few. With their current strength, they were not enough to ignore the calls from within the empire and help Magana forcibly ascend the throne.

And this is only the beginning. The most difficult war will be when they actually reach the Imperial Capital. How many of their 100,000 men will be left?

Even if the Grand Duke had a backup plan, it wouldn't be enough.

Everson grumbled, "This won't work, that won't work, are we just supposed to stay stuck in the Western Territory forever?!"

Magana frowned, and was about to suggest a full-scale attack when she suddenly remembered her companion. She turned to look at Ina, who was wearing gold-rimmed glasses and staring at the map without saying a word.

"Ina, what do you think?"

Since it was sent by Ryan, Magana decided to keep 'Ina' by her side for the time being.

"I suggest we don't rush to attack the Zijin City. Even if we take it, the casualties will be heavy. The Royal Guards are already strong, and fighting like cornered beasts will only make them stronger. It would be better to attack the surrounding towns first to cut off the Zijin City's support, and then besiege the city to completely block its supply lines, while also putting psychological pressure on the defenders inside."

Everson scoffed, "Why go through all that trouble? Do you even know how to fight a war?"

"Shut up." Magana glanced at him and asked again, "Isn't this taking too long?"

A frontal assault would certainly result in heavy casualties, since the Royal Guards are normally no weaker than the Iron Blood Army. They currently have the morale advantage and are led by her.

"It will take a long time, but we can use that time." Ina pushed up her glasses. "The Grand Duke, under the pretext of 'Remove the Emperor's Evil Advisors,' has ordered the nobles of the various territories to join the rebellion."

"Remove the Emperor's Evil Advisors?" Magana tilted her head. "What's that?"

"Simply put, the situation in the empire is becoming increasingly chaotic, the people are suffering, and there are evil people causing trouble."

"Isn't that the Old Emperor himself?"

"But the Old Emperor's authority still remains. We can pretend that there are wicked people around him, and that our mission is to Remove the Emperor's Evil Advisors the court of corrupt officials," Ina said slowly. "In this way, the Grand Duke's actions will not be a rebellion, but a mission to serve the emperor and resolve the empire's crisis. Often, people only need a reason to act. This Royal Guards lacks the will to fight and has no desire to engage you, but they have no choice but to fight because of their status. At this time, give them a reason, coupled with the pressure of the siege, and even the Iron-Blooded Army will crumble without a fight."

Everson yelled, "Iron Blood? Didn't we break it ourselves?"

Magana clenched her fists. "Everson, you get out here and stand there!"

"Ah? Grand Duke..."

"Get out!"

Everson muttered to himself as he walked out of the tent to act as a doorman.

Magana understood what 'Ina' meant: they wanted to use the pretext of rebellion to legitimize their actions, and then give those who lacked the will to resist but were forced to do so due to their political stance a way out...

"I agree with Miss Ina's approach," Macaos said immediately. "As long as there is a reason to Remove the Emperor's Evil Advisors, not only will we reduce obstacles, but we might also be able to rally a group of people to our side. At that time, Caslathdi will also be anxious. She can't just stand by and watch us storm the Imperial Capital. With her intervention, the pressure on us will be reduced by half."

"That's right." Ina nodded slightly. "We should seize on the Blood God Priest's influence to create momentum. Before we conquer the Zijin City, once the momentum is established, others will naturally follow suit. The people of the Empire will not allow the Blood God Priest to cause chaos, nor will the nobles and the Senate."

"Alright!" Magana slammed her hand on the table. "That's how it's going to be! We'll go Remove the Emperor's Evil Advisors! Ina, you're in charge of the specifics of how to build momentum!"

This guy, as expected of Ryan's subordinate, actually managed to think of so much all at once.

Waaah~ If only Ryan were here... That wretched emperor, prepare to die!

"The Grand Duke is still obedient, which makes things much easier."

Inside the castle of Silver Peak City.

Seeing that the goal had been achieved, Ryan nodded in satisfaction.

The Grand Duke isn't stupid; he's impulsive but not reckless. The entire Iron Blood Army is actually lacking a reliable strategist, and 'Ina' can completely fill that gap. Although 'Ina' doesn't understand warfare, she understands people's hearts and minds, and she sees things from a strategic perspective. That's enough. The fighting can be left to Magana.

Perfect timing! With time to besiege the Zijin City, Caslathdi's forces should also be fully assembled. When the Southern Territory Army marches north, the Imperial Army will face double pressure, making the plan to Remove the Emperor's Evil Advisors even more effective.

"This is just the beginning; the gates of the North haven't even been breached yet."

Ryan shook his head. The Old Emperor hadn't made a move yet; the truly difficult time was yet to come.

After closing the game, Ryan went to the deepest secret room in the castle dungeon.

Now that he doesn't need to take direct action, it's time for him to complete the prerequisite tasks for his career.

He prepared two sets of materials this time, and would try to come back after he went there. Theoretically, it was possible. It was just a matter of going from finding the secret of the Deep Sea Hunter to returning to Silver Peak City. In any case, it was all about opening the Power of the Janus Path. However, if it was very close, he wouldn't need to waste the materials. He could just take the train.

Every little bit helps.

After the ceremony was set up, Ryan began chanting the eulogy, following the experience from last time.

Whoosh!

The light reappeared, and the gray vortex reappeared on the formation.

Ryan stepped into the formation.

With a dizzying sensation, and after an unknown amount of time, Ryan 'fell' out of the Chaos Space once again.

Snap~

He tumbled in the air, landed steadily, and looked back to see that the gray crack had quickly closed.

"Strange, Janus Path also teleport through the Chaos Space?"

Ryan felt that the space he had just been in was the Chaos Space, but wasn't that the place where the power of the Outer Gods was located? Or was it that the entire continent involved in long-distance teleportation could only be achieved through the Chaos Space?

As he pondered this, Ryan glanced around and realized that he was in a desolate grassland with a town not far away.

As evening approached, the sunset cast its glow over the town, but from Ryan's perspective, there was no one in sight; the entire town appeared dilapidated and desolate.

You have arrived in Meld Town.

The Secrets of the Deep Sea lie hidden in unnoticed corners. The roar of the King of the Wild Hunt transcends Ancient Space-Time, echoing in the Bloodline of the Deep Sea Hunter. This fallen race, having journeyed from the past to the present, desperately needs the return of a king.

The Deep Sea Sacrifice has begun. Find the broken Black Broken Sword; the day it is reforged will open a new chapter.

"This is Melder?"

Ryan walked over and found that the town was even more dilapidated; it was a complete abandoned town.

He circled around for a while but couldn't find anyone.

"Damn, this town is so big, where am I supposed to find a broken sword?"

It was already dark, and a dark gray sky covered the earth. I had no idea where I would sleep tonight.

Ryan sighed, and was considering whether to set up a tent first, when he suddenly saw a firelight in the distance.

He walked toward the firelight and saw an old man sitting quietly by the campfire on one side of the broken wall.

Beside the old man lay a broken black sword!

[Quest Update: Create New Character and obtain the broken sword.]

You can Create New Character now.

The Echoes of the Tide linger in time and space; they come not from the sea, but from the Crossing of Death. The King of the Wild Hunt, with his immense power, has forged Faith Path unique to the Deep Sea Hunter.

[Character Class Bound: Deep Sea Hunter.]

Please name the new character.

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