Upon hearing Shiayar inquire about him, he hurriedly bowed respectfully.
"According to the latest andnt order issued by Her Majesty the Empress, the Empire’s Military Departnt and Jurisdiction Bureau are now under the Swordbearer Organization’s jurisdiction."
"And as the highest leader of the Swordbearers, you are, in terms of hierarchy, my direct superior."
"Oh." Shiayar nodded: "Since I’m your direct superior, I happen to want to ask why there’s always a carriage directly under the Military Departnt parked in front of my house."
"This is an order personally given by Officer Dyres, seemingly coming from Her Majesty’s side." The carriage driver thought for a mont and answered truthfully: "I was ordered to act as your escort along with several other Military Departnt officers, protecting your safety at all costs."
"At the sa ti, conduct a thorough inspection of those entering and leaving your residence, especially won, and report to Officer Dyres in real-ti to prevent any cults or enemy spies from plotting against you."
I’m on friendly terms with the Evil God, do I really need you, a re 4-Ring, to guard ?
Dyres... or rather Her Majesty, arranging such a group of escorts for , is actually for that line about "conducting a thorough inspection of won entering and leaving the residence and reporting in real-ti."
I can only say that my second wife truly lives up to her reputation as the Empress known for her iron-fisted thods.
This kind of control and decisiveness, perhaps only I can handle it.
That being said, this guy dares to answer so bluntly.
Just like that, he sold out those two awkward succubuses and the Empress... Aren’t you afraid of being punished when you return to the Military Departnt?
As Shiayar looked at the carriage driver in front of him, a trace of sympathy erged in his eyes: "What an honest kid, what’s your na?"
"Lulu, Lulu. Lamperouge."
"Nice na, you don’t happen to have a buddy nad Vermilion Bird, do you?"
Upon hearing Shiayar’s quip, the carriage driver was slightly taken aback: "I didn’t expect Lord Shiayar to know even this; I indeed have a comrade codenad Vermilion Bird in the Military Departnt."
"Before being assigned to your escort mission, we both worked in the ’Black Knight Order,’ a top team of the Military Departnt nad in tribute to the legendary Black Knight Cain from the founding era."
Shiayar remained silent for a long ti: "Your Military Departnt really has a wealth of talent."
...
This was Shiayar’s second visit to the Dark Night Garden.
Because during his first visit, the Queen of the Night’s unusual attitude was evident, and since Shiayar was always a master of risk aversion, he was extrely cautious regarding such unclear attitudes. So after discovering such anomalies, Shiayar tried to avoid dealings with the Dark Shadow Council.
However, now that the misunderstanding was cleared and the reason for that unusual attitude was investigated, Shiayar naturally arrived this ti with much more confidence.
Even if Augutina really wants to settle accounts with him for abducting a young dragon and riding her humiliation, Shiayar at least now has the ability to protect himself.
He was greeted again by the previous person in charge of the Dark Night Garden.
However, their strength had improved, from Peak 5-Ring to 6-Ring.
"It is a great honor to et you, Lord Shiayar."
The person in charge bowed respectfully: "By the leader’s order, your current authority in the Dark Night Council is equivalent to that of the leader."
"Any classified information, historical archives, or even all extraordinary materials stored in the Dark Shadow Council... even the seventeen sacred relics possessed by the Council, except those currently used by the leader, can be freely allocated by you."
"If you are willing, even selling the Dark Night Garden and converting it into money is not a problem."
"The leader’s order?"
Shiayar was slightly surprised.
"Augutina knows I’m coming?"
"Is she unable to see now?"
"Yes."
The person in charge nodded respectfully: "The leader has been in seclusion for so days, and the location of her retreat is unknown to anyone."
"However, your internal authority in the Dark Night Council has actually been adjusted long ago."
"According to our internal classification standards, your confidentiality and authority levels have exceeded the ’Deathbringer Angel’ level, reaching the ’Protheus’ level."
Perhaps fearing Shiayar might not understand this special term, the person in charge specifically added a few words.
"’Protheus’ is a hidden level within our Dark Shadow Council, also known as ’Fire Thief’ level."
"This is the highest level of authority and privilege, surpassing all heads and higher-ups of the Dark Shadow Council. Before you, only the leader herself was at this level."
Protheus—
And, Fire Thief.
Shiayar’s gaze flickered.
He was certainly not unaware of the connotations of these two terms.
Or rather, these two baseless terms originate from him.
After all, not long ago, he had personally told Hathaway the story of Protheus bringing fire to humanity, only to be imprisoned on a cliff in ’Xaya’s Flying House.’
And relying on his current spiritual power, Shiayar also clearly rembered that when he narrated this story, Ye was lying atop his head, eavesdropping.
If the previous ones were only overly coincidental conjectures, then the exposure of these hidden levels of ’Protheus’ and ’Fire Thief’ in the Dark Night Council could completely confirm Shiayar’s previous suspicions.
Augutina is indeed Ye.
But—
"In deep seclusion..."
Shiayar pondered this phrase.
As a pureblood Dragon of the Night, a Fabled Species by birthright, theoretically, there should be no bottlenecks for Ye.
"Are you truly in seclusion..."
"Or simply avoiding your dark past... avoiding , an arrogant beastmaster aiming to beco a Dragon Knight?"
Shiayar voiced softly to himself.
However, regardless, at least with the help from the Dark Shadow Council, Shiayar’s purpose for this visit was achieved.
Although he originally had the backing of the Empire and the White Tower, the two are different from the Dark Shadow Council.
The Empire itself had been weak for a long ti and only recently started recovering from its decline, it was still in a period of reconstruction, so the national treasury was naturally not abundant.
The White Tower, at its core, is an educational force with a heritage of only five hundred years, and although they have accumulated quite a bit of wealth, they lack in sacred relics because of the absence of Legendary Rank powerhouses.
Whereas, the Dark Shadow Council is the kingpin of the Western Continent’s gray world, the largest arms and intelligence dealer...
With a thousand-year legacy, the information and sacred relics accumulated within are in vast quantities.
And what Shiayar must face in the First Era is that old Sun God from the Glorious Era.
That is not a being that can be defeated just by throwing more money... Compared to pure Rhine gold coins, sacred relics and intelligence are much more effective preparations.
And what he needs to do next is naturally just one thing—
"Ennie, in the upcoming months, we might not be able to return to the Garden of Eden; I’m afraid such a haven of gentleness would dull my will."
The tender night from last night was also Shiayar’s last act of indulgence he allowed himself.
Though he always considered himself lustful, he never lost sight of priorities.
A blonde girl nodded and took Shiayar’s hand: "Yes."
"Then, let’s begin."
Shiayar smiled.
"Bring the best sword in the village, recruit the best teammates, complete the tedious tasks, and gather all necessary counterasures."
"Then painstakingly prepare all strategies and intelligence."
"And then, once all preparations are perfect and nothing more can be improved—"
"Push open the door to the top floor of the Demonic Tower."
...
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