Super Righteous Player
Chapter 779 - 319 Family Council_1

Chapter 779: Chapter 319 Family Council_1

After reading Salvatore’s reply, Annan still managed to fall asleep calmly.

Not thinking about anything during sleep, obtaining the greatest relaxation during the minimal relaxing time... this was also a special talent. And Annan had mastered this talent.

Work when it’s time to work, study when it’s time to study, rest when it’s time to rest, and entertain when it’s time for entertainment—the vast majority of people in the world can’t maintain "focus," or rather, maintaining focus itself consumes energy.

This might be the biggest difference between Annan and them.

Annan’s memory wasn’t exceptional, and he had average motor skills; he wasn’t particularly smart, nor did he have extremely good luck. The talent he possessed, the only thing he could do, was the ability to remain calm and self-disciplined.

It was this talent that allowed him to enter this world, and even after losing positive emotions, still enabled him to become the fearsome "first cycle Annan" with solid reason and powerful actions. It was this talent that, even after Annan completely lost his memories of this world, allowed him to calmly walk the path he was meant to.

Using his strong ability for self-control to do what needed to be done... that was the talent Annan had.

He slept until eight o’clock when his biological clock naturally woke him up. His strong physical attributes meant that resting for just five hours didn’t leave him exhausted or with a headache like it would for most people.

After having breakfast, Annan explained to Maria and Dmitry that he might need to make a trip to Noah in the coming days.

"I’m not particularly against the idea itself," Dmitry said, frowning deeply, "but a rather troublesome issue is... what about your scepter of authority?"

"Leave it here?" Annan answered casually.

Dmitry immediately objected, "Absolutely not, that would be completely contrary to what Father did. He transformed into a dragon after transferring me away from Frost Speech province, precisely to avoid disturbing your rule here.

"If you leave the tricolored scepter in Frost Speech province, then they might start to stir."

"But it’s also risky to go directly to Noah with the tricolored scepter," Annan said.

"Don’t you have a Curse Binding that allows you to transform?" Dmitry asked. "Can’t you transform into that... what’s his name... Giralda? If you take the tricolored scepter with you while transformed, can you conceal it?"

Upon hearing that name, Maria’s pupils slightly shrank.

She looked at Annan, somewhat astonished.

She still remembered that forbidden ceremony in the Twin Towers... the "Overlap of Life and Death."

That should have been a sublimation ceremony.

"The Man in the Mirror" must have been born at that time.

Soon, Maria responded, "Did you see the incident at Frigid Wight Tower in a nightmare? I see, so that’s why you’ve seen the nightmares of that... that man from the Soul Snatching School?"

"David Gerald," Annan added. "Unaware of my true identity, he once tried to attack me... and then he was killed by me in return."

Maria had actually forgotten Gerald’s name... but that seemed reasonable. Given Gerald’s level of disgrace, it indeed wasn’t worth being remembered by the Lady of the Storm.

"...I remember now." Maria nodded her head, a hint of mockery on her face, "He certainly got a harsh lesson from me at the time."

No wonder he looked like he had seen a ghost after recognizing my face...

Annan thought to himself.

"However, even if I could transform into Giralda, it wouldn’t work." Annan answered frankly, "I think you might have guessed already, this tricolored scepter is a Great Calamity Curio of Winter, and my Curse Binding cannot cover its effects. The reason I can’t part with it is that it is a seal in itself."

He revealed this secret directly to Maria and Dmitry—Zoya and Saul probably heard it too.

But it was fine, that was intentional.

Annan had no intention of keeping it hidden.

Considering his deliberate act of holding the tricolor scepter in reverse, combined with the "Reversed Inscription" he had once been granted, which caused the attributes of the Heart of Winter to flip, it was rather easy for others to guess this. It was merely a question of evidence.

And after the two instances yesterday when Annan "turned into light," the tricolor scepter itself did not change into light but instead, the crystal ball did. In fact, this could already serve as evidence.

To avoid meaningless probing, Annan did not plan to keep hiding it from the upper echelons—furthermore, stating something that the other party roughly suspected could prevent additional trouble when dealing with it directly.

Besides, such information would not really spread...

The news of the "Great Calamity Curio" in itself was a piece of esoteric knowledge. As listeners, as long as they shared it with others, their own knowledge would be lost.

"Its effect can only be utilized by those with the Frost Speech bloodline. However, when you touch it, remember to do so in reverse, or it will destroy your sanity... Just like how I must interact with it, always in an inverted form,"

Annan half-truthfully said, "Not to mention that it cannot be hidden by my Curse Binding... Even if it could, I wouldn’t do so.

"Even if others don’t know the true nature of the tricolor scepter, they do know that it is the symbol of the Duke of Winter’s authority. If the symbol of the Duke’s authority and the Duke himself both vanished, various problems could arise."

"In that case..."

Maria suddenly made a suggestion, "If you must go, let’s take the most formal route, shall we?"

"You mean..."

Annan pondered.

Dmitry looked confused, "Which route? What formal route?"

"Submit a letter, and go on a diplomatic visit."

Annan quickly replied, "It just so happens... Noah’s previous king has also passed away. As the new Duke of Winter, it would be proper for me to visit Noah and discuss reopening trade ports with Noah—say, reactivating Frostwater Harbor.

"That would indeed be a good thing."

Dmitry nodded.

With some concern, he said, "But I heard that Henry the Eighth was a famous tyrant. Nearly depleting the kingdom’s riches, he constantly strengthened his military forces... These troops don’t even participate in production nor live among the people, but are kept completely isolated.

"This tremendous financial burden has impoverished all of Noah. If not for the mediation of the Silver Baron church, perhaps Noah would have already erupted into rebellion.

"The war that he previously waged against us, although it ended somewhat inconclusively, nonetheless, showed their soldiers’ bellicosity—they long for victory, conquest, riches, and new lands.

"Had we not dispatched the Frost Beast Legion immediately, we might have lost more than just Frostwater Harbor. Such a bloodthirsty tyrant makes me worry that the children he has carefully groomed... may also be similarly ruthless and bloodthirsty tyrants."

"...Pfft."

Annan finally couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

"What’s wrong?"

Dmitry was puzzled.

"Henry the Eighth could be considered a tyrant?"

Annan kept laughing and stived to hold back his laughter as he explained in a low voice, "Seeing you analyze so seriously... He probably really fooled everyone."

"Deception?"

"That’s right. Henry the Eighth is a child in a cup—his life fixed in place, merely existing as a ’relay product’ for continuing the royal bloodline, an unloved child in a cup.

"He had no desire whatsoever for the unification of the five nations."

Annan answered, "He behaves this way purposely to sabotage the Kingdom of Noah. To create enemies on all fronts for Noah, to imperceptibly drain Noah’s national strength... He let his offspring be harmed by the corrupt, let them die in various conspiracies, allowed them to grow wildly and become corrupt.

"These actions, if interpreted from another perspective, could all be clarified: he wasn’t training his offspring with cruel methods, but was seeking to destroy the kingdom, to take revenge on it—

"—to take revenge on the kingdom that, even before his birth, merely saw him as a breeding tool and temporary steward, commanding him to produce offspring, to work... commanding him to die when he shouldn’t have to."