Chapter 017: The Lion’s Open Maw (3)
“The Holy Church?” Edward sneered. “Yes, and yet no… To many, our relationship with the Holy Church seems irreconcilable, but that’s just surface-level. If there were truly such deep hatred, could we still oppose each other on the continent for a thousand years? So, though the Holy Church is our enemy, it’s merely an enemy.”
Kristi frowned. “So what do you mean, teacher?”
Edward shook his head. “Forget it. You won’t understand these things now. You’ll understand naturally in time. Knowing too much now is not good for you…”
“Then why Du Fan?”
“Du Fan? That’s easy to explain…” Edward glanced at Kristi. “My student, tell me—do you think Du Fan is the kind of person who would willingly submit to others?”
Without waiting for Kristi’s reply, Edward continued in a low voice, “I’ve seen too many people in my life—so many that I can no longer be mistaken. Someone like Du Fan would never willingly submit. He has ambition, but it’s buried deep. I made him work for me, threatened him, and gave him so many benefits. He might doubt my motives, but given his nature, he’ll definitely make use of anything he can… With so many resources at his disposal, just imagine how far he could go. It’s something I’m extremely eager to see…”
“But teacher, what benefit will we gain from this?”
“Benefit?” Edward smiled. “We won’t gain any direct benefit. But, Kristi, just imagine—every ruler throughout history has had countless corpses beneath their feet. If Du Fan wants to get rid of the shadow I cast over him, his only way is to take that position. How many people will he have to kill along the way? Isn’t that a benefit for us? Kristi, I’ve told you before—don’t just focus on the present; think about the future. Though Du Fan seems useless now, who knows what the future holds?”
Kristi nodded thoughtfully. “But what if he really is useless?”
Edward smiled coldly. “Even if he wanted to be useless, could he really succeed?”
This time, Kristi truly remained silent.
Edward looked at her and said calmly, “Alright, go and send him down. You’re late; he might start to suspect something by now…”
Kristy nodded and replied, “Yes, sir!”
Then, with a quick motion, her figure vanished in an instant, and the magic circle on the ground quickly returned to its original state.
Edward frowned slightly at this scene, then let out a soft cold laugh. A moment later, the president of the Magic Guild also slowly disappeared into thin air, leaving only an empty room!
…
After leaving Edward’s monstrous room, Du Fan kept pondering. Although Edward had ordered him to investigate some so-called angelic magic circle secrets, the many benefits he offered were completely unexpected. Moreover, the excuse he used to threaten him was utterly ridiculous. If that old monster knew that Anthony had already told him before he arrived that, for the sake of the Supreme Light God, any form of power was permissible, what kind of expression would he have?
Thinking this way, it seemed Anthony, that old fox, must have anticipated Edward’s threat against him long ago. That’s why he had said those words earlier. At the time, Du Fan thought he was referring to Ringtone’s existence. Now, considering that Edward knew he had learned speech magic, surely Anthony must also know? He just didn’t reveal it out of loyalty to him.
But if that was the case, could Edward possibly not guess that Anthony also knew about his situation?
After all, such a threat would be deadly to a devout believer, but for him, it really meant nothing. Could the Holy Church really do anything to him just because of Edward’s words? Probably not.
Given Edward’s cunning, surely he couldn’t be unaware of these things?
But since he knew, yet still made such a light threat while offering so many benefits—money, goods, people, power, magic spells… all of which were currently in short supply for him—his easy agreement seemed more like an attempt to win him over rather than a threat…
Thinking this way, these matters were indeed strange. President Edward was extremely scheming, beyond his comprehension… It seemed he would need to be cautious in everything he did from now on. Although he wasn’t afraid of Edward’s threats, he was worried about accidentally falling into the traps he had set, which would be disastrous.
With a bitter smile, Du Fan couldn’t help shaking his head. Emperor Gavin was indeed a massive vortex—the Holy Church, the Mage Guild, the military, the nobility, the royal family… all sorts of forces were hidden currents within this vortex. As a mere small fish like himself, if he wasn’t careful, he would truly be swept into those currents and torn to pieces!
Standing on the legendary magic array at the end of the corridor and deep in thought, Du Fan grew more and more puzzled. In the end, he could only simply stop thinking about it. After waiting for a while, Kristy suddenly appeared on the teleportation magic array and respectfully led Du Fan out of the mage tower.
Du Fan merely frowned at her but said little. The two walked in silence the whole way.
By the time they left the headquarters of the Mage Guild, it was already evening. Realizing that this day had passed just like that, Du Fan couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
After leaving the Mage Guild’s premises, Old Mark had already come迎inging from afar. When he reached Du Fan, he whispered, “Third young master, did the people from the Mage Guild give you any trouble?”
Du Fan glanced at Old Mark and could only shake his head slightly. “No. In fact, they promised me quite a few benefits. Later, I’ll prepare a list of magic materials and items. You can come here and get them according to the list.”
Old Mark nodded slightly. Though puzzled, he didn’t dare ask too many questions.
After walking a few more steps with Du Fan, Old Mark finally whispered, “Third young master… shouldn’t we go back? You haven’t had lunch yet, have you? Look, dinner time is almost here. If we don’t go back now, your wife will worry again.”
Du Fan was thinking about whether to take the opportunity to visit the Holy Church and try to get some information out of that old monster, Anthony. So, upon hearing Old Mark’s words, he shook his head slightly and said, “Wait a bit. It’s not urgent right now. I’m a white-robed priest of the Holy Church. I entered the Mage Guild today, but it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t inform Lord Anthony at all, would it?”
Old Mark naturally knew about the relationship between the Holy Church and the Mage Guild. Hearing Du Fan say this, he immediately fell silent.
Du Fan smiled slightly and said nothing more, then headed in the direction of the Holy Church. Fortunately, the large square between the Holy Church and the Mage Guild was empty at that time. Otherwise, walking so slowly might have caused trouble.
A moment later, Du Fan arrived at the entrance of the Holy See. Behind him, Old Mark and a hundred guards followed closely, not daring to stray even half a step away. Du Fan stepped onto the steps at the entrance of the cathedral, about to order Old Mark to take the guards back first. But just then, he heard orderly footsteps coming from inside the cathedral. Looking up, he saw several Templar knights at the cathedral entrance already on their knees, with expressions of utmost respect. Soon after, a man accompanied by several guards emerged from deep within the cathedral. Leading the way was a young man who appeared to be under twenty years old. He was dressed in a magnificent noble outfit—both the fabric and style were the most popular in the noble circles that year. Even the sharp folds at the collar were part of a so-called vintage style, one that contemporary designers had praised for ages. The man slowly stepped down from the cathedral steps, and Du Fan finally got a clear view of his face. His complexion was sickly pale, the very kind of pale complexion nobles coveted the most. His skin was extremely delicate, like the finest porcelain; even women might feel jealous upon seeing such skin. He had light golden hair, casually styled yet exuding elegance. Coupled with his amber-colored eyes, high nose bridge, and gentle gaze, it was undeniable that he was a rare beauty. He walked down slowly, carrying an innate air of authority—presumably due to systematic etiquette training since childhood! The young man also noticed Du Fan below the steps. He tilted his head as if thinking for a moment, then flashed a warm smile as bright as the spring sun. “Ah, esteemed priest in white, judging by your age, you must be the famous Du Fan Green from the Imperial Capital, right?” His smile was flawless, with not a single flaw to criticize. “It’s an honor to meet you here. Allow me to introduce myself—I’m Austin Fisher. Wishing you a pleasant day!”