paranoianovel Chapter 380 Earl Hall Approaches
Chapter 380 Earl Hall Approaches
Chapter 380 Earl Hall Approaches
George III did not hesitate much in response to Robert's suggestion. After all, the patience shown to the Fussac Empire this year had not been successful. Instead, it had allowed the Fussac Empire to see the unusual activities of the Augustus family and the future strategy of the Kingdom of Rune, which made the Fussac Empire increasingly reckless.
If the Fusak Empire isn't taught a lesson, it will continue to lord it over the Kingdom of Rune.
Even if Robert hadn't said anything, George III was already preparing to cause some trouble for the Fussac Empire.
"Bock Einhorn is lurking in Backlund, clearly for the sake of you two brothers, which shows that the Einhorn family has taken notice of the threat you pose."
There are countless eyes watching you two. Sending your brother overseas on a mission under these circumstances might alert the enemy.
Furthermore, I've heard that Evan is currently only a Sequence 5 Extraordinary. Given the importance the Fussac Empire places on you, it's possible he'll be ambushed by a demigod as soon as he reaches international waters. Even if we equip him with a Level 1 sealing artifact, it's difficult to guarantee his safety."
King George III, who had received a report from Georgina Augustus last week, already knew that "Evan" had regained his demigod strength.
His current interest in Evan's abilities is actually a way of subtly probing whether Robert has realized that his brother has become one of his own.
Robert was well aware of George III's probing and was prepared for it. He smiled and said:
"You don't need to worry about that. I recently obtained a rather useful magical item through my connection with the vampire Amanda."
This magical item is a pair of bracelets, one for me and one for Evan. If either of us activates it, it will create a portal connecting us, allowing me to support Evan at any time.
Evan had already reported to George III through Robert, wanting to investigate whether he had established a secret organization.
After careful consideration, Robert felt that it was not very realistic to completely hide his connections, so after discussing it with Ms. Amanda, he decided to take the initiative to expose the Horn family's cooperation with the vampires in establishing a hospital.
After Robert revealed this cooperation, he clearly felt that George III valued and trusted him more.
"Oh? It seems you have a grand plan this time! You're actually preparing to have Evan personally act as the bait?"
Robert had managed to acquire this amazing item that could provide rapid support ahead of time, and he also proposed that Evan go overseas for training in a high-profile manner, clearly intending to make a big splash.
But this would make Robert's scheme too obvious, and would the seasoned "scheming men" of the Fussac Empire be fooled?
However, after a moment's thought, George III realized that Robert was using an "open strategy" to counter a "conspiracy."
"Okay, I agree to your plan. You'll be fully in charge, and I'll have someone provide you with some assistance!"
George III readily entrusted Robert with the task of causing trouble for the Fussac Empire, since using the Horn family to counterbalance the Einhorn family was a long-planned strategy prepared by the Augustus family.
Previously, George III had not wanted to play this card because the time was not right. Now that it was certain that he would hold his ascension ceremony within the next year or two, and that the great war between the Fussac Empire and the Kingdom of Rune was imminent, George III would no longer hesitate to play this card.
At the same time, he wanted to thoroughly test Robert Horn's mettle through this operation, to see what kind of power he could offer in his own initiation ceremony.
After receiving George III's approval, Robert briefly explained his plan and then took his leave of Sodraco Palace.
Watching Robert's departing figure, George III spoke to the woman who had appeared before him at some unknown time:
"I've tried every possible means, but I haven't found any indication that Robert Horn has been promoted to 'Chaos Hunter,' so he shouldn't have been the one who killed Katrina Pelle."
"Then I must have guessed wrong. I will change direction and investigate the others to give the Witch Cult an explanation."
Standing before George III, the woman in elaborate attire bowed and spoke.
She is George III’s new white glove—Duchess Georgina.
In addition to continuing the construction of the secret mausoleum for the deceased Prince Grove, she also had to investigate the truth behind the Backlund riots.
Including but not limited to: Dawn Fortress's stronghold in Backlund, the deaths of two witches from the Witch Cult, and "Who is the Black Emperor?"
After a thorough investigation into the entire incident, Duchess Georgina suggested that Bernadette, the "Black Emperor," and the person who killed the two witches might belong to the same organization.
Moreover, judging from the speed and precision of their actions, it cannot be ruled out that there were people lying in ambush on their side.
Since there was no way to quickly and completely eliminate the Sequence 3 Witch, Robert, who did not have the surname Augustus but had just obtained the recipe for the "Chaos Hunter" potion, naturally entered Duchess Georgina's list of suspects.
So she asked George III, who had become the Archangel "Prince of the Killings," to personally investigate Robert to see if he had completed his ascension during this period.
Today, George III, who holds the unique title of "Black Emperor," has personally investigated and found no sign of Robert's promotion, thus putting an end to Duchess Georgina's suspicions.
Robert Horn remains a Sequence 4 "Law Mage," and a loyal servant of the Augustus family, diligently working for the sake of Sequence 3 materials.
"You could give Chubais a heads-up and have him keep an eye on the Horn brothers' movements while at sea, and offer some assistance if necessary."
You also need to pay attention to this matter. Although Robert Horn is a talented individual, he lacks the foundation and resources of the Einhorn family. We mustn't let him fail on this issue. He is our trump card for the Fursac Empire, and I don't want him to be lost.
Although Robert seemed confident, anything can happen. If Robert failed to strike at the Fussac Empire and instead got himself into trouble, then George III would have suffered a double loss.
I will keep an eye on their plans.
By the way, in order to prepare for possible investigations by the three major churches, I have temporarily slowed down the construction of the mausoleum. The entire project should be completed before June next year.
King George III was quite satisfied with the speed of the investigation. He nodded approvingly to Duchess Georgina and instructed her to continue investigating the deaths of the two witches before letting her leave the palace.
Leaving Sodraco Palace, Robert boarded the carriage of Count Akhova's mansion, lifted the carriage curtain, glanced at the now seemingly solemn and majestic palace, sneered, then lowered the curtain, took out the pocket watch from his breast pocket, and kept stroking the patterns on it.
If he were just an ordinary "Chaos Hunter," he would likely be exposed in front of George III, but with this precious pocket watch left by the Night King, he wouldn't have to worry about exposing himself in front of him at all.
I believe that after this investigation, George III should temporarily set aside his suspicions about me. Next, I will create some trouble and try to draw his attention to the Augustus branch of the family in West Lavis, hoping to ignite internal conflicts within the Augustus family.
Robert's plan was to instigate internal conflict within the Augustus family. Whether it was eliminating the new ambassador sent by Intis to Backlund in West Lavis County or having Evan kill Bock Einhorn on the border between West Lavis County and the Fursac Empire, it was all for this purpose.
Knowing that Mr. Azik's enemy was Duncan Augustus, the Angel of the Siravis County branch of the Augustus family, Robert was even more motivated to stir up trouble.
"Once no enemies are found within Backlund, George III will inevitably turn his suspicions toward the Augustus family. At that point, with just a little encouragement, there's no doubt that their conflicts will erupt."
In Robert's mind, the Einhorn family of the Fussac Empire was the primary enemy, while the Augustus family was the secondary enemy, with whom he could cooperate for the time being but not whom he could easily trust.
Robert's current strategy is to periodically provoke conflict between the first and second enemies, and to plant some seeds of conflict within the second enemy's ranks.
In fact, of the three solutions Robert just proposed to George III to alleviate the financial pressure, the first one was the real solution, a real reform measure, which could even enhance George III's deification ceremony.
The second point is to help the Kingdom of Rune to ally with the Republic of Intis, forming a united front to the greatest extent possible against the Fusak Empire.
The third point reveals Robert's intention to prepare for the postwar order, and it is also what he most wanted to persuade George III to do.
George III only thought that once the war started, he would plunder resources by issuing unlimited bonds and printing unlimited money to fill the huge pit of war.
Robert was already preparing for a mutually destructive postwar scenario.
Robert, in any case, didn't believe that the Augustus family would actually let the Horn family reap the rewards after defeating the Fussac Empire. In fact, the day they defeated the Fussac Empire might be the day they would turn their attention to the Horn family.
So, to prepare for the worst, Robert needs to make some preparations now.
Just as he and George III had analyzed, a world war was not far off, and he didn't have much time to make plans.
Just as Robert was deep in thought, considering how to continue planting seeds of trouble for the Augustus family, the carriage he was riding in suddenly stopped, and the voice of the coachman could be heard outside.
"Your Excellency, Earl Hall's carriage is blocking our way."
"Count Hall? He's deliberately waiting for me?"
Robert, puzzled, lifted the carriage curtain and saw Earl Hall's personal servant running towards him, standing outside the carriage and saying:
"Earl Hall invites Earl Horn to ride in the same carriage and discuss matters concerning the Southern Continent!"
"The matter of the Southern Continent?" Robert wondered.
What's there to talk about in the Southern Continent? The Kingdom of Rune has just been defeated and is now in a state of contraction. A new格局 (geju, a term referring to the overall situation or structure) is taking shape, leaving no room for maneuver.
Although he had some doubts, he had to give Count Hall the courtesy of extending an invitation.
So Robert didn't say much, got off the carriage, gave the coachman some instructions, and then followed Earl Hall's manservant into the Hall family's carriage.
After they were seated, Earl Hall only asked a few brief questions about George III keeping Robert behind, and then went straight to the point, stating definitively:
"I heard from Archbishop Anthony that Earl Horn has successfully ascended to demigod status. Is that true?"
Upon hearing this, Robert sensed that Earl Hall's request for him was no simple matter. He narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Earl Hall.
Count Hall, however, remained silent and smiled throughout Robert's scrutinizing gaze.
Earl Hall's confidence stemmed from the Church of the Goddess of Night, so he wasn't afraid of Robert at all. At the same time, he was also watching to see if Robert would be honest with him after he exposed the matter.
If you can't even be honest about this, then there's no point in having any more conversation.
"Thanks to His Majesty the King's great favor, I was fortunate enough to successfully ascend to demigod status last year!"
Robert's collaborations with Earl Hall were mostly pleasant, so he was willing to reveal some less important secrets.
Earl Hall was very pleased with Robert's frankness and, without further ado, went straight to the point:
"You are now the chairman of the Military and Intelligence Committee, and all officer promotions must be approved by you."
I have a son named Alfred. He wrote to me a few days ago, saying that he had recently distinguished himself in battle and that the army had sent his promotion report back home.
Robert seemed to realize something, feeling that he had guessed Earl Hall's purpose, and said with a smile:
"I've seen Alfred's promotion report and have already submitted it to my subordinates for review. I'll sign it as soon as this process is complete!"
Robert had assumed Earl Hall would gladly accept his offer, but to his surprise, Earl Hall didn't seem to care about the promotion and instead shook his head, saying:
"I stopped Earl Horn's carriage and pointed out your advancement to demigod, not for this so-called advancement."
Earl Horn became a demigod at such a young age, which is obviously because he is the person everyone is talking about who has the talent to quickly master potions, and you have also seen Alfred's promotion report.
So I'd like to ask you if Alfred, like you, possesses a talent for quickly mastering potions.
Given Alfred's service record, he shouldn't have been promoted to army colonel so quickly.
Robert somewhat understood Earl Hall's arrogance, and after thinking for a moment, he still cautiously said:
"Alfred does indeed possess some talent for controlling potions, a fact His Majesty the King is well aware of!"
Earl Hall seemed relieved, unable to hide his joy, and after a long while, he solemnly said to Robert:
"As Alfred's father, I beg you to open doors of convenience for Alfred as His Majesty the King has opened doors of convenience for you!"