Arrangements in the Royal Capital

"That's all."

When Fran walked out of the Royal Palace gates, Anna hurried to greet her.

"Of course it's over."

Fran turned her head slightly and replied to Anna, then stopped in her tracks.

"Theodore is dead, and the Royal Capital is now ours."

Anna scratched her head, feeling that something was wrong. Wasn't this the Royal Capital? And hadn't Theodore been causing trouble throughout Antir for who knows how long for the throne?

How come Theodore died just because Fran took a casual stroll through the Royal Palace?

"He just died like that..."

Fran shrugged and replied:

"He's dead... If Theodore hadn't inexplicably remained on the throne, finding him would have been quite troublesome..."

Fran also knew that after the acquisition of the three new territories, Theodore's situation had become extremely critical.

At this point, the most sensible thing to do would be to temporarily leave the throne, return to one's lords to gather strength, and fight another decisive battle.

Fran also assumed Theodore would do this, and she had even prepared a defensive plan in case Theodore led those knights to attack their side.

However, plans can't keep up with changes. When all three territories came under Fran's control, she was quite surprised to find that the succession process was still in progress.

This means that Theodore is still on the throne.

Although she didn't know what Theodore was thinking, Fran didn't want to miss this opportunity.

It's important to understand that Theodore is a significant obstacle for Fran in her attempt to conquer Antir. Eliminating this obstacle first would be a good thing for Fran.

The reason we didn't eliminate Theodore earlier was because we were worried that after Theodore death, all sorts of monsters and demons would emerge and disrupt the situation in Antir.

However, after observing the situation, Fran realized that Antir was already in enough chaos, and even those who were not Antir's lords wanted a piece of the pie in this turmoil.

Furthermore, since Fran's preparations were already complete, killing Theodore at this moment would be a good thing.

Of course, killing Theodore at this moment has both good and bad aspects.

The good thing is that after this, it's estimated that Antir won't be able to mount a systematic resistance force for a while.

Fran could easily reclaim the remaining territories by sending out her general Anna; it was clearly only a matter of time.

The bad thing is that some people in the next dozen or so territories might have ulterior motives. It might not affect Fran much, but it could still annoy Fran.

For example, colluding with forces outside Antir to infiltrate Antir and sabotage production facilities, etc.

Fran even noticed that Prince Darian of Lorinvik, the first Proxy she killed during the Trial of the Sun, was still at Horn Pass.

If we put ourselves in her shoes, after seeing Theodore's failed succession to the throne, she would probably take this opportunity to expand her faith.

"That Proxy of the Lord of Shadows... I remember his initial purpose was to come here to expand his faith. It's strange, why would he travel all the way to Antir to expand his faith?"

"Why not Lorinvik? It has a large population, why..."

She remembered that not everyone in Lorinvik believed in the Lord of Shadows; otherwise, Fran would have known about this long ago, instead of only recently discovering that there was a Shadow Cult in Lorinvik.

Fran paused for a moment. What she could think of, Darian could certainly think of as well. There must be a reason why the other party came here.

"I remember it was called the Shadow Cult; that sounds like Sect that excels at infiltration."

Fran trembled slightly when she uttered the word ' Shadow Cult,' because the Shadow Cult made no attempt to conceal the Deity it worshipped.

Fran could actually make her followers do that now, but she would only do that if she wanted to die.

If the Alliance knew that a Lord of Radiance Faith had suddenly appeared beside them, they would surely be overjoyed.

The dealings she's had with the Spirit Realm and the Alliance are enough to kill her eight hundred times over in the Material Realm. In any case, she should do everything she can to keep the true name of the Lord of Radiance among his believers.

She had emphasized this matter to the Lord of Radiance countless times, and the Lord of Radiance was in a very difficult position, but he always agreed.

Fran also knew that once the Deity from the Astral Realm had faith in them, they could extend their reach into the Material Realm. Even if others did not know the specific Deity, they could successfully guide their faith to the Lord of Radiance with just a certain symbol.

But it's obvious that this vague direction has its own problems. Otherwise, if "the great Lord" can encompass everything, why are there so many Deity in the Material Realm who have revealed their names?

There may be an upper limit to the spread of faith, or it may reduce the efficiency of power projection; in any case, there is a price to pay.

However, for the current Lord of Radiance, this price must be paid, otherwise it's a matter of life and death.

Getting back to the main point, since Fran had anticipated that Darian would send his shadow followers to infiltrate Antir, she naturally made preparations in advance.

She grabbed Anna's hand, and Anna looked at her in surprise, wondering what she wanted to do.

"There's one more small matter. Tell Aila later, and have her tell all the believers that those who worship the Lord of Shadows are enemies of my Lord... I think Aila will know what to do."

"Oh, and they also said that as long as you expose or kill members of the Shadow Cult, your contribution will be considered equivalent to spreading the name of Deity."

Anna paused for a moment, then nodded.

"OK."

"Then hurry up and go. The Royal Capital has just been captured by us, and there are still many things for you to arrange."

Anna sighed and quickly left Fran's side, afraid that if she was too slow, Fran would assign her another job.

She slowed down after walking thirty meters and turning a corner.

"The Shadow Cult... it seems to be Sect in Lorinvik. Fran's actions against this Sect... are probably due to concerns about its influence in Lorinvik."

Anna guessed, but Anna also felt that even without considering this, the religion Fran had established was bound to clash with the Shadow Cult sooner or later.

Ultimately, both religions believe in a certain Deity, and if any troublemaker stirs things up, the relationship between the two Sect could easily become irreconcilable.

Not to mention Lorinvik, where the Shadow Cult is located, had recently occupied Horn Pass, which was definitely a key factor in the feud.

"Darian, is this the Lord of Shadows you mentioned?"

Moon Maple Territory, south of Antir, is one of the territories closest to Horn Pass. At this time, Darian had already arrived at the center of Moon Maple City, at the lord's castle.

Reed, the lord of Moon Maple Territory, received Darian, the Prince of Lorinvik, who had originally intended to invade Antir, due to the unsettling situation and the introduction of his former superior, Marquis Crawford.

"Reed, you must respect our Deity. Didn't you want to join the Lord of Shadows?"

A smile flickered in Darian's eyes as he looked at Reed, though he knew that Reed, like many followers of the Shadow Cult, did not believe in the Lord of Shadows.

However, the Lord of Shadows does not need their complete faith; He only requires their labor. Therefore, within the Shadow Cult, the faith in the Lord of Shadows is somewhat superficial.

Of course, those who obtain powerful enough divine magic to become followers of Formal Rank Profession are those who truly regard the Lord of Shadows as their object of faith.

Unfortunately, Reed, the lord of Moon Maple Territory, seems to have absolutely no intention of worshipping the Lord of Shadows; he doesn't even bother to pretend.

However, Darian could understand. After all, Reed had spent his whole life working with knights and related matters. Suddenly asking him to switch to something else and become a believer in Deity was not an easy change.

"Of course, you only need to show some respect and not do anything disrespectful to the Lord of Shadows. My Lord will protect you."

"Hmph." Reed snorted, said nothing, and followed Darian's example, performing the initiation ceremony before the small Divine Statue of the Lord of Shadows, becoming a follower of the Lord of Shadows.

He placed his finger on his neck and tapped it lightly, then reached down to his waist, and finally raised his index finger, pointing it towards his nose and past his lips.

The moment he opened his eyes, he couldn't wait to say:

"Darian, I am now a follower of the Lord of Shadows, so it is time for your followers to help me kill Theodore."

Darian knew he was joking. He sighed and then slowly said:

"Let's not talk about things that are impossible to implement... Let's talk about what's next."

"By the way, do you know who's up north who's going against Theodore? That guy's really strong; he's probably already put Theodore in a dilemma."

"I don't know. That's something that happens in the north. How would I know if I'm in the south? Like you, I rely entirely on those messengers for information."

"These days, there are no caravans in Antir anymore; it's even hard for me to buy a new hat..."

In the past, apart from the occasional messenger, the only means of transmitting information between the various territories were the merchant caravans.

Given the current situation in Antir, any caravan that dares to trade here isn't lacking in intelligence, but rather misusing its courage.

Darian raised an eyebrow, about to ask another question, when a light vibration came from afar, causing his pupils to shrink slightly.

"Did you feel it?" Darian noticed something was wrong with the vibration.

"I sense it. That old codger Theodore is probably finally willing to step down from his throne, and he'll likely be coming this way to ask us for troops..."

"No..."