The Situation in Lorinvik

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Lorinvik, far to the south of the Antir Region, the lights in the Royal Palace remained on until midnight.

This is very unusual, because the Royal Palace has strict lighting regulations. Even the king or other important figures would only send servants to use oil lamps to illuminate the Royal Palace in the dead of night, rather than turning on all the main lights.

The large lanterns of Lorinvik Royal Palace are a symbol of Lorinvik. Two hundred years ago, the kings felt that the dim lighting at night made even banquets less enjoyable.

So he spent a fortune to hire the Alliance's Construct School to install a large set of lights inside the Royal Palace, so that it would be as bright as day during banquets.

However, because the materials and wear and tear on these headlights are very expensive, they are generally only used during major banquets. Normally, they are only used for maintenance after nightfall, except in the most prosperous year when they might be used for an extra hour.

The current situation is clearly illogical; no banquet would ever require the lights to be on this late. Anyone with a discerning eye might suspect that something has happened at the Royal Palace.

This was obviously a problem, because the entire king of Lorinvik had already been imprisoned in a dungeon.

Of course, at this moment in Lorinvik, there was only one person who had the motivation and the ability to do so, and that was the Third Order Mage from the Alliance — Sean.

Since the prophecy told Sean that something he couldn't afford to miss would happen in Lorinvik, he naturally wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

But then again, how can I ensure I don't miss such an opportunity?

After all, all they said was that if they missed this opportunity, they would regret it for the rest of their lives, but they didn't specify how they would regret it.

Was it because of a single misstep that caused you to lose something, or was it because of your carelessness that you overlooked something you could have paid attention to?

None of this information was available, and Sean himself followed the practices of a true Astrology School sorcerer.

"Only the first prophecy is the most accurate."

Whether it's a tradition of the School or a fact that some monks have actually had such an experience, almost all monks of the Astrology School only believe the first prophecy they make.

Although the first prophecies were mostly vague, this very fact gave them a very high accuracy rate.

Even if a second prophecy is used, there is still a possibility that the prophecy made may not match the actual development of events.

The various levels of prophetic spells were created by Astrology School mages to achieve quantitative prophetic effects and obtain more information they desired.

Although Sean has never been wrong about his predictions, he has made many predictions in the past when dealing with certain events.

However, in this crucial situation, it was Sean himself who suppressed the urge to use the prophecy multiple times.

The reason is quite simple: he's afraid he'll regret it.

The Stars didn't specify how he would regret it, and naturally, he wouldn't dare gamble on that possibility.

After he joined the Special Academy of the Astrology School in the Floating City, he had forgotten the dean's name because of the passage of time and the fact that he was still an apprentice at the time, but there was one sentence he still remembered.

"The power of prophecy is great, but we should not underestimate the other directions that prophecy leads us to."

So, since they are unwilling to make any more predictions, and out of caution are they unwilling to take any drastic actions, but they also believe that they missed the opportunity because of their lack of information, they have no choice but to act.

What should he do?

Sean made the safest choice: instead of seeking the Alliance's the Alliance, he extended his "not wanting to be disturbed" period, which would likely expire in about two years.

For a Third Order Mage, two years is not a very long time. Let alone Third Order Mage conducting experiments, even First Order Mage often spend two years conducting experiments.

The experimental time for Third Order Mage is usually calculated in ten-year increments. After all, at this stage, the research is definitely on matters of the same tier, and the time span naturally increases at this stage.

Sean's estimate of two years was just a projection; based on the instructions he received from the prophecy, he had decided to fight this prophecy to the death for at least a century.

However, considering that if he applied for a hundred years of experimental time all at once, and the matter was resolved immediately, wouldn't he have nothing to do? Moreover, it was unlikely that he would even be approved for a hundred years of experimental time. Therefore, he decided to apply gradually.

He then exerted some minor control over the rule of Lorinvik.

Since this regrettable incident happened in Lorinvik, controlling Lorinvik became an unavoidable task in order to ensure maximum information gathering.

Although he didn't possess any particularly skillful transformation techniques—that was the hallmark of the Nature School and Transformation School —he hadn't delved deeply into that area either.

However, he also knew that sometimes, to seize control of a feudal country located next to the Alliance, one didn't need to use magical techniques like identity forgery as depicted in novels.

He was a Third Order Mage from the Alliance, and all he needed to do was target the king of Lorinvik. He only needed to carefully select qualified followers in the early stages, and he could handle the rest of the noble followers.

The only risk in this matter is that His Majesty the King might realize his plan, and then prepare to fight him to the death with the two remaining Tier Third Order Professional from Lorinvik.

Unfortunately, the probability of this risk occurring was extremely low. Sean didn't even receive a prior request for peace talks from the king, and he knew that the king was unaware of the matter.

Now, he has occupied the Royal Palace, and the king, because of his significant influence, has been imprisoned by him using special methods.

He was Third Order Mage and did not have the same daily routine as ordinary people in the knightly kingdom, so he made the Royal Palace lights turn on every night.

His noble followers, following his orders, had written down everything that happened in Lorinvik.

Furthermore, to prevent any oversights, he assigned at least three people to summarize the situation for each matter.

Since things had come to this point, he could only continue waiting or look for other clues.

Or perhaps... another prophecy...

Sean shook his head. Although he did have this plan, after all, he had made many prophetic moves before, he didn't want to rush things this time.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. The knock was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough to be heard but not too annoying.

"Come in."

With his back to the door, Sean already knew who had entered through his Mental Power perception, so he let them in directly.

"Your Excellency, the catalog of books in the Royal Palace library that you requested has been compiled and is here..."

"Leave the catalog behind, and wait for another group of people to complete their work. After comparing the results, we can ensure that nothing has been missed."

The man lowered his head, knowing that this job was not easy, but he also knew the advantages of these monks being leaders: they were truly reasonable.

Unlike those previous kings, who forced you to do things you clearly couldn't do, and then made you take responsibility for the failures.

But this monk was different. Even if someone wanted to give him a task, he would explain all the precautions. You could simply follow the instructions to get things done.

Furthermore, the monk only gave slight punishment for the errors and minor mistakes that were inherent in the matter.

Of course, if he encountered a situation of passive resistance, the monk would also show those people his wrath.

As he stepped out of the room, he encountered a truly important figure in Lorinvik, namely Duke Derrick, the current ruler of Lorinvik.

When Duke Derrick saw him, he asked with a smile.

"How's the work of serving that monk going?"

He lowered his head and slowly answered:

"Things are going smoothly. The monk has no complaints about our work, but I sense he's getting increasingly agitated, perhaps..."

He paused for a moment, then continued:

"Perhaps our perfect execution of the tasks he assigned is no longer enough."

Duke Derrick raised an eyebrow, his right hand resting on the silver chain on his left wrist, and gave it a slight turn.

"That's alright. I support all of that mage's actions, and that mage probably won't easily change partners."

"Moreover, I've already reached an agreement with a third-tier Profession who will support me in crucial moments."

Derrick emphasized the word 'critical moment', presumably knowing that he would likely only receive the other party's support when he was about to ascend the throne.

Before that, he still had to rely on his own efforts.

"So, how is your nephew Seras? I heard you say last time that he was already negotiating with our dear Prince Darian."

"Things are going very smoothly. Because things with Antir are progressing so well, he has managed to remain undetected by Theodore even as negotiations have stalled."

"That's good..." Derrick nodded, pleased with the news, but then he asked another question.

"But I suppose our Prince Darian can't hold back any longer. Theodore can't keep deceiving us forever. Tell me, how much longer can he drag this out?"

A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead as he slowly replied:

"I'm sorry, Your Grace, the estimated time is about three days."

Before Count Ian died, Seras sent word that with only about a day left, he knew better than anyone that the negotiations wouldn't last long.

"That's not enough, it will take at least five days." Derrick's previously satisfied expression instantly vanished, leaving him no choice but to lower his head.

"Yes, Seras will delay for five days."

These aspiring kings, like the existing kings, are completely unaware of how things will unfold and the limits of their subordinates' abilities.