"Strength isn't the key. Do I lack a few Third or Fourth Tier people? They're all the same to me. As long as you can get the job done." Magana said indifferently. "Besides, you're one of the Burning Covenant. Do you understand what I mean? You must keep climbing within the Burning Covenant. It doesn't matter if you have to make a few sacrifices in exchange."
In other words, he had to arrest his own people. Only with merit could he rise quickly.
"Mm, but First Tier is indeed a little low. I'll have Creed send over a batch of supplies later to assist your training. You have good magical talent, so strive to enter the Third Tier soon."
Well, this was awkward.
Sending him people and supplies... wasn't this a little inappropriate?
Such a favor... he would never be able to repay the Grand Duke's kindness!
Without hesitation, Ryan decisively agreed.
After all, he had no choice but to agree.
"I will surely devote myself heart and soul to the Grand Duke!" Ryan said solemnly. "Rest assured, Grand Duke. I'll definitely find a way to capture that woman Caslathdi!"
"Speaking of that, there's something I need to tell you." Magana's tone shifted. "I received news that the Kainter Kingdom may send troops to attack the Empire. I suspect it has something to do with the situation in Berman City. Keep a close eye on it, and notify me immediately if anything happens."
"The Kainter Kingdom?" Ryan raised a brow. "How would they dare attack the Empire?"
The Kainter Kingdom lay south of the Empire. It was powerful, but still far inferior to the Augustus Empire.
Even though the Empire had been weathering storms these past years, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse. No matter how weak it had become, it was not something the Kainter Kingdom could provoke.
Wait, wasn't this part of the game's plot?
Ryan realized that the army attacking Berman City in the game had been from the Kainter Kingdom. Since Berman City was already near the Empire's border, the army only needed to cross the border defenses to attack. The cities farther south of Berman City certainly would not stop them.
The problem was that the game had never explained why the Kainter Kingdom attacked, nor had there been any follow-up. All he knew was that the Blood Cult had taken the chance to make a huge move... Wait, a blood sacrifice?
Ryan's thoughts paused. Could Kainter's attack be related to the Blood Cult's ritual? Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?
"What are you thinking about?" Magana asked.
"I was thinking about why they would suddenly attack. If they're trying to seize territory, they won't be able to hold it even if they take it. So perhaps they have another objective. Maybe someone promised them benefits and asked for their help."
Magana nodded approvingly. "Go on. Anything else?"
Ryan pondered briefly. "If it isn't external trouble, then it must be internal strife. Who stands to benefit most from the Kainter Kingdom sending troops? War will certainly cause greater chaos. If we consider it from that angle, we can infer who they're cooperating with."
Ryan actually knew that if the Kainter Kingdom's deployment was related to the Blood Cult's ritual, then it definitely had something to do with Bill. And Bill belonged to the Second Prince, so the answer was obvious.
But he certainly could not tell the Loli Grand Duke that directly. Otherwise, it would be hard for her not to question what exactly he was.
No matter how smart he was, how could he reach that conclusion when he knew nothing about those factions?
"Mm, you think the same way I do. Ryan, you're quite clever. With you managing Berman City in the future, I'll be much more at ease." Magana did not hide her praise for Ryan. She was the straightforward sort and liked clever people, not fools.
"As for what you just said, I already have an idea. Once the Kainter army appears, the military faction will definitely act. And the person with the greatest control over that faction in the Empire is the Second Prince. Heh~ That guy really has a fine scheme."
"The Second Prince? Can his influence in the Imperial military compare to yours, Grand Duke?"
Magana spread her hands. "It can't be helped. He's an Imperial prince, after all. His position is legitimate, and his maternal grandfather is the Imperial Marshal. The troops under his command far outnumber mine. But under normal circumstances, military power is difficult to put to use. So you understand, right?"
"I understand." Ryan suddenly saw the light. "In other words, the Second Prince wants to provoke a war and stir up internal conflict within the Empire, so he'll have a legitimate reason to mobilize military forces when the time comes."
"Exactly... Hmph~ But he miscalculated. Even if war really breaks out, I'll be the first to act. With the Iron Blood Legion here, no one can make waves. Still, keep watch for me. There may be people working for the Second Prince in Berman City... That place is truly a mess."
Magana muttered the last sentence to herself. She had not expected Berman City to become the center of conflict between so many factions.
"Your will is my command. I'll go through fire and water for you, Grand Duke."
"Very good. That's all for now. I have other matters to attend to. Contact me anytime if anything comes up."
After saying that, Magana cut off the spell.
She turned her head toward the figure quietly waiting nearby. "Creed, what do you think?"
"Grand Duke, are you truly handing Berman City over to Ryan? Adler's abilities are indeed lacking, but Ryan's loyalty and ability both need to be tested."
"As for ability, isn't that exactly what I'm testing now? As for loyalty, I've always been accurate in judging people. I don't think he would betray me, nor does he have any reason to. He's one of my people. Where else could he go? Once his identity is exposed, he's finished." Magana tilted her head. "Still, your concern makes sense. Investigate Ryan's background for me. If it's clean, begin cultivating him as a priority."
"Yes, Grand Duke." Creed bowed.
Magana suddenly laughed. "Haha~ You saw it too, didn't you? He's very clever, isn't he? I like talking to clever people."
"He is indeed clever. To infer so much from such limited information, he has already surpassed Adler in that regard."
"See? What did I tell you? This time, even the gods will help me. Watch, Creed. I have a feeling Ryan will definitely become someone of great help to me!"
Over here.
The clever Ryan sat in his chair, staring blankly into space.
Ah, this was hopeless.
He had gone dark. Completely dark.
He had never imagined Adler would introduce him to Magana.
What the hell? He was just a Little Camilla. Was there really any need for this?
Compared to becoming Berman City's regional manager, Ryan would rather quietly be a handsome man.
Mm, being captain of the Bureau of Governance was pretty good. The Hand of Darkness's foreman? Sorry, he really could not do that job.
But Magana had already said so, and any new superior might not be reliable either. If they discovered his identity as a double agent, he would be completely finished.
So Ryan simply accepted the job. At least the Grand Duke would send him cultivation supplies, right?
"ε=(′ο｀*))) Sigh."
There was no washing this clean. Absolutely no way to clear himself.
The question now was, what would he do in the future?
"Come to think of it, if the Kainter army attacks, Magana really will benefit. She controls military authority, and once war breaks out, she can mobilize directly without needing the Imperial army to step in. Unless... the war is on every front?"
Perhaps the Second Prince had other plans as well. In any case, the war in the game had indeed escalated into a full-scale conflict. The Augustus Empire descended into civil war, and they fought fiercely over the throne.
But Ryan could not understand it. Even if the Kainter army truly attacked, the impact should not be that great.
"It should be related to the ritual at Casola Prison."
Wait, the Kainter army's war, attacking cities... "That's it, I remember now!"
Ryan remembered. No wonder he had felt vaguely familiar when recalling Jonathan's storyline before. He remembered that Jonathan had led the Burning Covenant against the enemy army when the Kainter Kingdom's forces attacked Berman City and the city fell into crisis. With only a few dozen people, they had forcibly held the broken city gate, buying precious time for the Empire's counterattack.
That plot mission had also been called "Thirty Minutes of Blazing Speed." The protagonist's group would finish everything during the time Jonathan held the gate, then lead the army in a counterattack.
Ryan had never liked remembering NPC names when playing games, especially NPCs only briefly mentioned in the story. As for the outcome of holding the gate, everyone had been wiped out. Their sacrifice then ignited everyone's fighting spirit, and the atmosphere immediately became heated.
Now that he knew the ending, Ryan naturally would not let Jonathan die.
"There's still time..." The army had not arrived yet, so there was no point thinking about it now. Ryan stood and continued searching the secret room.
About ten minutes later, everything valuable in the secret room had been tossed into his backpack.
Before leaving, Ryan took the mirror with him as well.
He had used the system to appraise it earlier, and it was actually a relic too. What a rare sight.
"Alright, go in. Dig up all of Adler's evidence of wrongdoing. As for the people inside, bring them back to the Bureau first. We'll interrogate them one by one later."
After leaving the villa, Ryan gave the order, officially beginning the raid.
He did not touch a single coin of the money.
Mainly because there was not much cash anyway.
The raid lasted half a day. The Security Officers searched every inch of the villa, inside and out, before returning to the Bureau of Governance with carts full of evidence.
Ryan conducted emergency interrogations through the night. He questioned Adler's wife, his mistress, and his mistress's mistress, recorded their statements, and organized them along with the evidence. By the time he returned home after finishing, it was nearly midnight.
He checked on "Shally." Under AI Auto-Battle, she was wandering around the maze and had actually found another treasure chest.
"She's really treating the maze and prison like her own home."
Ryan could not help complaining.
AI Auto-Battle really was absurdly powerful.
In any case, the Kainter army had not arrived yet, and "Shally" had likely been selected as a special sacrifice, so she would not be in much danger before the ritual officially began.
Ryan checked the class advancement requirements. The Blood Cult had sacrificed several more people these past few days. Perhaps because things had become tense, the Blood Cult's overall activities had also contracted.
After confirming that "Shally" would not be in danger, Ryan continued auto-battling, then washed up and went to sleep.
Early the next morning, he rushed to the Bureau of Governance and brought the materials his subordinates had organized to the Berman City Tribunal.
The Tribunal was the Empire's judicial institution, used to judge crimes, equivalent to the courts of his previous life. Although Adler was dead, his conviction still had to go through legal procedure. After all, he was still a noble.
Publicly, Adler had been killed by the Bureau of Governance, so Ryan had to make the charges against him stick. Otherwise, the entire Bureau would be affected.
After a morning-long trial, all the evidence Ryan provided was accepted. Once the Tribunal issued its judgment, the news agencies that had been waiting immediately swarmed out like mushrooms after rain.
When a wall fell, everyone pushed it. In the past, they had all praised Secretary-General Adler's greatness. Now, every report was filled with condemnation and abuse, leaving Ryan sighing deeply.
Adler, rest in peace. I'll take care of your wife and children... Mm, I'll let them start anew. As for what happened to them afterward, that would have nothing to do with Ryan.
Meanwhile, the interrogation of Casa had also yielded results. Jonathan used every trick he had and finally pried a clue out of him.
"Who would've thought it? The person behind Adler was actually Magana!"
Jonathan sighed in disbelief. Everyone knew Magana had ambitions, but he had not expected her to secretly send people to directly assassinate Caslathdi.
Logically, the princes should have been the most anxious about Caslathdi returning to the heart of the Empire.
Hearing the words from the other end of the phone, Ryan's heart tightened. "And then? That's all?"
"What else could there be? Isn't that the biggest secret? We already knew all the rest. Now, across Berman City, the Hand of Darkness has pretty much been cleaned out."
"However, Grand Duke Magana definitely won't let this go. She'll probably send a new person in charge soon. I'll suggest to the Princess later that she leave as soon as possible."
Ryan thought that she had already sent one.
But fortunately, Casa did not know his identity.
If even Casa knew, Ryan feared he would not be able to stop himself from digging up Adler's corpse and emptying another Revolver magazine into it.
"Has Her Highness said when she plans to leave?"
"Not yet. It seems she has some ideas about Berman City, though it's strange. Mayor Bill was originally promoted by Her Highness's mother, so he should be on her side. What is Her Highness still worried about?"
"Who knows."
Ryan guessed Caslathdi had already noticed something. Bill had done well as mayor, but Caslathdi was sharp-minded. It would not be strange for her to spot problems in his words and actions.
It was definitely impossible to get Her Highness the Princess to leave early. Ryan had a headache. Once Magana's support arrived, he could not possibly organize people to take out Caslathdi, could he?
It was not that a Game Character could not be killed. Caslathdi's identity was simply too special. Taking out a princess was beyond his current capabilities.
"Forget it. I'll stall for now and see what the Blood Cult does."
After talking with Jonathan, Ryan had wanted to visit the bookstore and check on Keisha. With Adler dead, he was somewhat worried about her.
But just after leaving the Bureau of Governance, Eiko stopped him.
She brought him to a café, where he found Caslathdi waiting in a private room toward the back.
"Your Highness the Princess, you wanted to see me?"
"Sit, Ryan." Caslathdi smiled. "What would you like to drink?"
"Black tea is fine."
Caslathdi glanced at Eiko. Eiko prepared a cup of black tea, then closed the door and left.
"Jonathan told me. I never expected Magana to be behind all this. It seems I truly have quite a few enemies." Caslathdi said with slight self-mockery.
Ryan did not respond. He was puzzled about why Caslathdi had suddenly come looking for him.
I'm not one of your close sisters either.
"Among those qualified to inherit the throne, my faction is the weakest. But I have never intended to give up. Father favors me, and I am confident that if I become Emperor, I will certainly make the Augustus Empire better."
"What are you trying to say, Your Highness?"
Ryan suddenly had a bad feeling. This woman couldn't be planning to...
"I want to tell you that although my influence is weak, I may not have no hope of competing for the position of heir apparent." Caslathdi looked at Ryan and said seriously, "Ryan, you are a member of the Burning Covenant and should only be loyal to Your Majesty. But the Empire is in chaos now. The Burning Covenant must learn to adapt as well, mustn't it? I think highly of you. Although you are only a minor captain in the Bureau of Governance now, if you are given a broader stage, you will certainly do even better."
She stood and extended her hand to Ryan. "So, Ryan, pledge loyalty to me. Stand with me. Even if it is Magana, so what? In the future, I will surely step over her corpse and ascend the throne!"
Before you continue