Chapter 015: The Lion’s Open Maw (1)

“Alright,” Edward said, looking into Du Fan’s eyes. “My dear Young Master Du Fan, could you tell me what your final decision was?”
Du Fan touched his nose and sighed. “President Edward, please stop pressuring me. Don’t you realize that in such a situation… I really have no choice? Since I don’t want to be tied to a burning stake as a heretic nor die, it seems there’s only one path left… Am I right, President?”
Edward laughed heartily and patted his thigh. “Very good. I like smart people and I like having smart people handle things, because they know how to satisfy you and will do the job well.”
Du Fan sighed. “If I were smart, I wouldn’t have chosen to come to this Mage Guild today. I thought there might be some benefits, but now it seems there are none, and I’ll still suffer heavy losses.”
Edward smiled. “By joining our Mage Guild, aren’t you satisfied? You should know that countless nobles in the empire desire our friendship. Yet here it is before you, and you’re not satisfied?”
Du Fan gave a bitter smile. “Well, if this is what President Edward calls friendship, then I really don’t have the right to complain!”
Edward nodded. He remained silent for a moment before whispering, “So, Du Fan, don’t you want to know at all what I want you to do?”
Du Fan curled his lips. “What could it be? Either make me betray the Holy Church or force me to join the Mage Guild. What else could it be? That’s all I, Du Fan, am good for.”
Edward smiled happily. “Since you see through that, I won’t waste words. Du Fan… what I want you to do is simple: climb to a high position within the Holy Church and uncover the secrets of the Angelic Array, then tell me those secrets… As long as you do this, I assure you that I won’t say anything rash, and even helping you reach the position of Pope won’t be difficult… Isn’t that your goal, Du Fan?”
Du Fan was slightly stunned. “How do you know about me…”
Edward smiled. “Didn’t I say? I know everything about you in the Northlands. So how could I not know about the few words you exchanged with your elder brother?”

Du Fan sneered and said, “Very good… Since you put it that way, how could I possibly refuse? But what exactly is an Angelic Array? I’ve never even heard of it… If you want me to investigate this secret, you’d better give me some clues first.”
“If I knew what an Angelic Array was, would I still need you to do this?” Edward replied calmly. “However, my people have somehow learned that the existence of the Angelic Array isn’t only related to the future of the Holy Church but also influences the situation across the Roland Continent. Du Fan, you must be aware that I certainly won’t care about the future of the Holy Church. But since it can affect the situation in the Roland Continent, how could I ignore it? Unfortunately, the spies I have embedded in the Holy Church are at too low a level—knowing this much is already the limit for them… So, Du Fan, it all depends on you now.”
Du Fan grunted. He didn’t believe it at all. With the scheming nature shown by this Edward, the spies in the Holy Church couldn’t possibly be at a low level. He probably said that just to manipulate him.
Thinking this, Du Fan said indifferently, “Since even you, the president, can’t access the secrets of the Angelic Array despite having spies in the Holy Church, how can I?”
“Of course you can,” Edward replied calmly. “Didn’t Anthony, that old fellow, just show you the truth of history yesterday? That’s a rare honor even within your Holy Church… At your age, Du Fan, since you can already see the truth of history, Anthony’s position isn’t far from you… Although you might not be able to know the secrets of the Angelic Array right away, I have plenty of time. As long as you can uncover those secrets, it will be sufficient for me.”
Du Fan felt a slight stir in his heart. This old monster really knew everything. It seemed the Mage Guild had been quite successful in infiltrating the Holy Church over the years. He just wondered what this Angelic Array was, worth such pressure from this old man…
With that thought, Du Fan sighed, “What if I can’t?”
“If you can’t?” Edward sneered, “Then Du Fan, you’re useless.”
Facing Edward’s barefaced gaze, Du Fan’s scalp tingled. He now understood clearly—if he refused, he would never be able to leave the Mage Guild.

Sighing, Du Fan gave Edward a deep look and said, “I’ll do my best… But, President Edward, shouldn’t you tell me why you chose me?”
Edward nodded and said, “Sure. The answer is simple—because you’re my best option at the moment. Originally, this task was meant to be done by someone from the Holy Church, but… given their status, it would take a long time to complete it. So I hope you can do it. After all, you’re about to become a cardinal, and I believe that with your cunning, reaching the position of archcardinal is just a matter of time.”
Du Fan sighed and said, “President Edward, that’s too kind of you. I never thought I had such potential…”
Edward glanced at Du Fan lightly and said, “Only you know that best, right?”
Du Fan gave a bitter smile but remained silent.
Edward stared at Du Fan for a moment before closing his eyes and showing a slightly softer smile. “Well, that’s enough for today… From now on, I hope you, Young Master Du Fan, will work harder for my goals. I’ll make sure to have people ‘remind’ you from time to time!”
Du Fan smiled and said, “Better not have those reminders, President Edward. I’m afraid if your people remind me too much, I might panic and kill them to silence them, which wouldn’t be good for you either!”
“In that case, it’s their fault,” Edward said, looking at Du Fan. “It’s not your problem.”
Du Fan also looked at Edward. He couldn’t see any trace of humor in the eyes of this guild president. It seemed everything he said was sincere, but Du Fan knew well that which ruler among those in power had simple intentions? Even the seemingly impartial Magic Guild wasn’t any different.
Watching him, Du Fan suddenly smiled slightly and said, “President Edward, since I’ve agreed to your request and promised to work for you, shouldn’t you give me some kind of guarantee? After all, if the people from the Holy Church find out what I’m doing for you, I’ll be in trouble. If I don’t even have a guarantee, how can I give my all?”

Edward smiled and said, “Du Fan, I really wasn’t wrong about you… Even in such a desperate situation, you still have the audacity to bargain with me. You truly have some courage! Well, I’ll promise you this: if what you do gets exposed, come to the Mage Guild. I can’t guarantee anything else, but at least within the guild, no one will dare touch a hair on your head. But with Du Fan’s cunning, I doubt you’d be careless, right?”
Du Fan snorted and said, “Forget that benefit. If it really comes to that, it’s better to die than go through that. Just by hiding, does the Holy Church have no way of dealing with me? Or are you still underestimating the Holy Church, President Edward?”
“Oh?” A hint of confusion appeared on Edward’s ageless face. “Then, Young Master Du Fan, can you just tell me directly what you want after all this nonsense?”
“People! Wealth! Materials! Power! Nothing less.” Du Fan remained calm. “What you’re planning to do for the Edward Guild is undoubtedly complicated, but surely you won’t expect me to go without anything?”
Edward smiled and said, “As for money, the Mage Guild may not have much, but we can still spare a few million gold coins if you need them. As for materials, I can’t give you divine artifacts, but we do have plenty of magic scrolls. However, with your skills, you probably don’t need those scrolls, right? How about I give you large quantities of magic materials instead? As for people, the Mage Guild has many talents, but most of them are registered with the Holy Church. If you don’t mind, go ahead and pick a few to use. Finally, as for power—how much power do you want? Is the position of a Magic Deacon enough? But…” At this point, Edward glanced at Du Fan. “Even if you become a Magic Deacon, what good will it do? That position brings no real benefits in the Holy Church… What I can give you is the power of the Mage Guild, not that of the Holy Church!”