C10

The taste of power was just like the hundred-year-old wine produced at the Billy Manor. No aristocrat could resist that kind of temptation and would go crazy over it, and that intense desire would not end with just one bottle of wine, but would only grow greedier and greedier, becoming more and more eager to drink from one bottle. In the end, he either died under the influence of alcohol or became an old alcoholic.

The little boy closed Thomas's The Cutting of Power, a forbidden book comparable to Machiavelli's On Monarchies, whose author, with radical thought, declared that divine and imperial power was nothing more than an existence more crumbly than a commoner's cave, and that only the free spirit of the nobles was a power even greater than that of the angels than that of God. Of course, the poor scholar was eventually burned to death in the Flowers Plaza for preaching heresy.

The more he read, the more curious he became about the strange timeline of the world, which was a hodgepodge of epic epic times. There was the slavery system of the Roman Empire, the power of the feudal emperor and the power of the Church. There were even some barbarians of the Northern Continent who were still alive and drinking. Enlightenment thoughts are sprouting, religious culture blooms with gorgeous flowers, and the ideas of various schools of philosophy collide with each other to create a resplendent spark.

As for how the young duke and the perverted Count got to know each other, even if the old butler wasn't clear on it, he still didn't dare to ask. The heirs of the Joseph family did not need friends. What they needed the most were companions who could bring benefits to the Joseph family.

After recovering from his stupor, little Sable nodded and pointed to Hugo. "Okay, arrange a carriage for me. There's no need to notify my mother. I have my limits. And what about Hugo? "

The old housekeeper was just about to say that it wasn't appropriate for the young master to visit him alone when he was interrupted by the young master. He could only reply obediently, "From that night on, he became much more diligent. Oh, he also worked much harder."

It seems that the method of killing a chicken to set an example for a monkey was indeed effective. In order to cultivate a loyal servant, besides the master's own noble virtue and the benefits of being able to give him the perfect advantage, there is another thing that cannot be lacking. It is to leave an indelible shadow in his memories, to intimidate and reward others at the same time in order to better control others.

"But Young Master, if it's just you alone, I don't want you to wander around. Just like the assassin that lurked in the corner of this magnificent city that night, no one knows that there are a few pairs of cruel and cunning eyes that are watching your movements and waiting for an opportunity to strike."

"Tell me," said the little boy, rising and patting the old butler on the shoulder, "how many men can you handle?"

He thought for a moment and said, "Intermediate level and above Knights, Intermediate level Magic Scholars, and that young man who I was unable to stop when I first broke into the house. Although it has been more than ten years since I picked up that long sword, but I swear on my own name that anyone who dares to harm Young Master Si Bo Er, I will not hesitate to break their heads."

It seemed like the old steward was still brooding over the fact that he did not try to stop the plague apostle's spokesperson.

"That's right, the old housekeeper of the Joseph family is such a difficult character. Then, won't my mother secretly arrange a few chess pieces that are worthy of weight? A nobleman with no backing can't possibly survive the unpredictable battles of the royal court. Don't worry, I know what I should do. "

Little Spell didn't tell the old housekeeper that he had recently finished deciphering the third spell formation, the reverse spiral of Murphy. This spell formation had been imprinted in his mind by Madam Joseph, one of the few spell formations that did not require a strong magic power but was extremely lethal. However, the only regret was that the magic array took too long to activate, and there was a huge restriction on the pronunciation of the incantation. For this, little Si Bo Er had to spend a lot of effort to research the unique pronunciation needed for this kind of magic array.

"I hope Hugo will soon be a big part of his own making, taking the place of the old housekeeper. After all, I hope that the old housekeeper will still be able to see me grow in the future. "

This old man, who was usually calm and collected, was actually trembling a little nervously at this moment. He hated any situation where he was out of control, and this uneasy feeling was something he had experienced seven years ago when the Grand Duke had almost been assassinated.

However, the old steward didn't know that there was a highly toxic dagger hidden in the sleeve of little Si Bol's robe along with a chainmail armor that could defend him from sword and blade. Today, not only did he have to pay a visit to the Count, he also had something that he had planned for a long time to accomplish.

— —

Standing at the window of the secret meeting room in the study, Madame Joseph watched as little Si Bol quietly went out in a shabby carriage which didn't match the background of the Joseph family. She slightly frowned but didn't move or stop him.

The moment the blood touched the badge, it disappeared without a trace. Madam Joseph used the Purple Vine Flower Badge to pass the message to the chess piece hidden in the city. Only then did her tightly knitted eyebrows relax. He put down the Purple Vine Flower Badge, turned around and was about to leave the study, but to his surprise, a figure appeared in front of her.

"Camus, why are you here?" Madam Joseph was surprised for a moment, but soon returned to her usual calm demeanor. Camus, who was also the Twelfth Apostle and also his own younger brother, did not seem to have inherited the same calm elegance.

Camus, who was also the God's spokesperson, whistled, supporting his chin with his hands while playing with the smell, "Just going out to meet an unremarkable Count, you don't need to spend so much effort to arrange those perverted eagles that you keep, do you? My sister, if it wasn't for the news I received last night that someone had done something to you, I wouldn't have let that person, whom you wouldn't want to see for your entire life, appear in front of you. "

After pausing for a moment, Camus changed his expression into a serious one that did not match his status, and said in a deep voice, "Also, no matter what, you should not use that forbidden technique. Under the eyes of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal and the Imperial Tombstone Institution, even the Four Great Leaders of the Vatican have a hard time concealing it for you."

"I don't care at all, and I want to let the man behind the curtain know that the lady he is dealing with is not a long-winded woman who only knows how to get information from the upper classes."

Camus nodded. "Two bastards whose names were removed by the Empire's Magic Institution. However, there were no developments during the interrogation. Other than the mention of an organization called Dark Shadow, they had no other leads."

Komus lowered his voice and said softly, "As for that unknown organization called Shadow, the figure of the Griffen family is manipulating them from behind. I wonder if it's just a coincidence."

Hearing the words' Slifen Family ', for the first time, a trace of a frightening malicious spirit appeared on Mrs. Joseph's expressionless face. She picked up a sheepskin scroll and unfolded it, recording the names of over a hundred families. The Slifen Family was ranked 93rd on the list, while the names of the several families behind it all had a red cross drawn on them.

"Coincidence? "How could it be possible? A woman with that kind of stupid personality like Syracuse is indeed a product only a despicable family of informers could nurture. Since this family that should have been covered in the dust of history still wants to use the power of the grand duke to return to the political scene of the Delman Empire, I don't mind being a despicable son of a bitch to kill off all their hopes in the cradle."

"I'm afraid that our adorable little Si Bo [1] had already sensed that something was amiss long ago, which is why he took your chessboard off and recklessly went to meet with the Count." "Otherwise there is no reason for him to take the risk of being held hostage or assassinated for such a senseless fool as talking to the Count and having his afternoon tea. After seeing your power, the other party will naturally not dare to act rashly. However, as long as you are not around, then the assassins hidden in the shadows will feel that they can take advantage of you. "

Camus glanced in the direction in which the boy had gone. Was it a coincidence, or did the boy really have something out of the ordinary about him? It was clear from the fierce killing last night that young Sable was different from the usual genius who could see through the world with a single glance, but he was a kind of cunning, hypocritical, cautious old schemer who had lived for decades. He had the qualities that could be used to describe the big politicians, and although he was still a brat, who could say that he wouldn't become a dazzling new star in the Durman Empire in ten years' time?

"If you want to catch a big fish hiding in the deep lake, you have to have enough bait." Camus grabbed a quill and wrote a line of words on a piece of paper, then he said, "The little duke's voluntary appearance as a bait is enough to move their hearts."