Mike stared at the wine glass in disgust. "You'd better say something valuable, Sterling. I didn't spare the time just to listen to your complaints. Your brother is still in jail waiting for my interrogation. The more you say, the longer he will wait."
"It will do him good to let him wait a little longer. Will you go in person, Your Majesty?"
"The Prime Minister holds a lot of secrets." Mike told him, "The judicial authorities should not know about it. Okay, is it still Joey's business?"
"I'm more concerned about the Saint of Blue." Bernard's voice was full of anxiety. "Her formula is crucial. The effect of the distilled potion is too strong. I tried my best to dilute it, but no matter how I process it, the ingredients will bind to the cells. This can have terrible side effects. And this can be improved through the Poem of the Lake..."
Contrary to him, Mike didn't care about the saint and the poem about the lake. After all, the forest race has a new Blue Saint, and anything Bernard needs can be provided by Saint Valoran - as long as he wears the crown and rules the empire. The Silver Song Knight should be his target, an exiled saint has no weight. Otherwise, Mike would not have thrown Parsul directly to Sterling.
"Losing the Saint's secret won't kill you, Bernard." He interrupted, "But some people's secrets can. Of the four Silversong Knights, there is only one left. You are not stupid enough to take them. Test the binding rate between cells and potion, right?"
There was silence on the other side. "What kind of Silver Song Knight is Joey? No. I swear to the Three Gods, Your Majesty, I didn't do this." Bernard's voice sounded unbelievable. "That bastard is ignorant and has no knowledge of the inside story of the experiment. Everything he says is based on malicious speculation. He can't even speak the common language smoothly! Do you believe his lies, Your Majesty?"
"Believe me, he never mentioned your name in front of me." In Mike's eyes, everyone he saw in the palace today was telling lies in an attempt to benefit themselves. "You're lucky, Sterling. I know a lot about your damn experiments, and I'm willing to give you a chance. I trust you, and I'm patient... But what did you give me in return? Unfinished potion? Deadly The side effects of the Silver Song Knight? More needs waiting to be met?" The more he spoke, the more he could not suppress his anger, "You let me down so much! Sterling, maybe your brother is more useful than you."
"Thurston is a careerist, Your Majesty. He will betray you and deceive you. Because you are not the puppet he expected to be easy to control. Only Selegon meets his conditions. Your brother's supporters are all his party partners. .”
"A loyal and incompetent man is worse than an ambitious man."
He once had a sharp blade, but it was used up at the critical moment. Leaving it in the Imperial City could lead to someone else taking advantage of it...or worse. With the help of three gods, the leakage of this secret will lead to his eternal destruction. Maybe I shouldn't be so eager. At night, Mike would also be awakened by hallucinations of the late emperor flashing back to him in his dreams. But the facts cannot be changed.
Therefore, even if the secret still only exists between the three of them, Mike knows that Veronka and his Silversong Knights will never support him unreservedly. But then again, why does the emperor of Aurenia need the prince's approval? I am the reasonable and legitimate ruler.
Sterling seemed intent on retorting, but Mike didn't want to waste any more time on him. He waved his hand and said, "Okay, tell me, how did Joey disappear under your nose?"
"It's the tower messenger. She attracted the Twilight Veil, an association active on the border, and one of them has a high-level Originator. But I haven't seen her, and Joey stopped her outside the laboratory."
And you don't want to step out of the laboratory. Mike knew his virtues. "You could have separated in Blackwood County and not interfered with the astrologer." But if Du Yilin took the initiative to join in, Bernard would definitely be happy. He was never satisfied with Joey. "Her troubles are solved by the tower."
"In fact, our messenger will be slaughtered like a chicken by the association. Chuyuan is much stronger than the average high-level ring. It must be admitted that the Silver Song Knights tried their best. But I think Joey is probably dead. .”
According to the description of the Silversong Knight who came back to report, the enemy should be the traitor in the tower, Steanna Sainsbury. Mike had heard of her. This woman is considered Du Yilin's peer, but as an astrologer, her current magic can level the entire Blackwood County. The wizard's excuse was entirely reasonable, but he didn't know every one of Mike's secrets. In a sense, Joey, whose last name is not Sterling, is more important than Bernard.
"I know his situation better than you." Mike said to the wizard, "He is still alive, but he is missing."
Bernard was indifferent. "Really? Maybe he went after the nature elf and will come back soon."
"Your damn formula can be obtained from Cangzhi Forest."
"Before I left, this kind of thing was quite difficult to deal with. The Holly Agreement is not without its benefits, but I have to consider the bottom line of the green elves..."
"Leave the green elf alone!" Mike snapped. "Find that bastard and bring him back to me. Can you listen to my orders clearly, Sterling? You should have been back long ago before this happened. Even if there are some hellish experiments, the situation in the Imperial Capital is enough for you to deal with."
The wizard compromised. "Poor His Highness Selegon, I'm afraid he hasn't realized what happened yet. Is the cabinet still there, Your Majesty?"
"There is an extreme shortage of people at the moment. Your prime minister brother, Bernard, is not the only one waiting for me to interrogate. But if you don't find Joey, the cabinet will be full, and the prison will soon have new residents." You I never have to leave the house again in my life. "Go to him, Bernard Sterling, go yourself. Then find out whether he has leaked secrets to others - use any method you like, but I want him to be the same as before I left." The alcohol became more and more obvious. The smell was pungent and he threw the contents of the cup out the window.
"Of course. We still need him." Sterling said unhappily, "It's just that if my project makes new progress, 'no changes at all' is unlikely. Good changes are also changes."
From the day Joey and Bernard met, they never stopped slandering each other. Mike never wanted to ease their relationship. The Templar wizard came from a big family, and Joey was a demi-human and a free man who did all kinds of evil. As the controller, he needs them to have a bad relationship, but that doesn't mean Mike can tolerate their conflicts interfering with his duties.
After the death of the late emperor, MacAdam quickly took control of the situation in the imperial capital. The nobles in the city came all day long to offer their loyalty, and the princes also sent envoys. On the night when the Pope crowned him, the Knights of Silversong declared in the ceremony that they would defend the honor and life of MacAdam I to the death, while other Imperial Legions were eclipsed. But Mike knew very well that the true allegiance of these Silver Song Knights was still the "Victor" Prince Veronka.
For half a month, he dealt with his opponent's henchmen. And at night, the scene of his father's death would quietly fall into his sleep. I don't want to get to this point, Mike wants to say to him, you shouldn't let the mysterious organization make decisions for you. The towers are the remnants of the old age, and their predictions are just lies. They can eliminate disasters by spending money, and there is no bottom line. Saint Valoran does not believe in the Three Gods, and their attitude can only prove the barbarism and superstition of the forest race. This isn't fair. I am the new emperor stipulated by the law, not Selegon. At least I won't marry a useless little noble's daughter because of my personal preferences.
Now, the empire has gone through the turmoil of the throne transfer, the cabinet has a new look, and the judicial organs are satisfied. After Veronka and Helen got married, the scandals in the royal family actually decreased instead of increasing. The Knights of Silver Song were preparing for the southern expedition to Alanwo, and the Mercury Temple began to plan a new organization for the church - only MacAdam still could not rest. In recent days, the Queen Mother has been virtually living in the church, along with Princess Hetty. Mike hoped that they would stay there quietly until the end of time, instead of kneeling in front of the statue and having to send a maid over every two hours to convey messages and plead for mercy.
"He is your brother, Mike." The Queen Mother cried, "I just lost your father, am I going to lose another son?"
It was hard for Mike to imagine that he could be moved by a woman's tears, but he had rarely seen his mother cry. She wept for Selegon and dead Elb, for love and death, for fratricide and the uncertainty of fate. She is just an ordinary woman, pretending that she can endure the cruelty of power struggle. However, it is not.
Before his brother's army had time to mobilize, they had lost their commander forever. The Silver Song Knight detained him in the Whispering Tower in the name of protecting his safety, and most of the court who attended the wedding stayed to keep him company. In order not to arouse suspicion, Sterling used Joey's team through the mouth of the archbishop. By the time the late emperor was buried and the assassin was beheaded, Mike had firmly gained the upper hand. Nightingales fight in the shadows, and rebels die at midnight. After wearing the crown, the intensity of the power struggle has only subsided. I won, and won beautifully.
But he couldn't feel the joy of victory.
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The emperor's study had always given him a sense of oppression, but now it was no longer a deterrent. He remembered that he and Selegon had laid side by side on the balcony, listening to the newly literate Helen reading. The book she read at that time was a Gospel of Gaia. The words were long, the syllables were delayed, and there were frequent mispronunciations. In short, it made people drowsy. Their father sat on a chair, correcting his sister's pronunciation while writing the edict. When he was old enough to lift his father's sword, the crowned man no longer allowed them to come and go as he pleased.
Memories pierce the heart like a sharp sword. Mike woke up from a dream. He felt his wrists aching, and when he lowered his head, he realized that he was flipping through a gospel book and had been standing in front of the bookshelf for an unknown amount of time. What's the use of thinking about this? Helen got married, Selegon and I turned against each other, and my father was disemboweled in his chamber. Mike couldn't pretend everything was for the best. But it's not my fault, he thought.
The candle is about to burn out. Driven by some kind of inertia, he turned to the cover of the Gospel and glanced at the title sewn in gold thread.
"Confessions"
