The Last King Of Darkness
Chapter 310 - 221: Undercurrents Stirring_2

Chapter 310: Chapter 221: Undercurrents Stirring_2

——

Guardian, also a King Candidate, Xingge was largely ignored due to his young age and lack of influence.

Unless Jon and Qingyu died suddenly, it was impossible for the throne to fall to him.

——

The Archbishop Horus was also ignored; he was a staunch supporter of the King and there was no need to approach him.

Those who did not support the king saw no need to engage with him either.

But the Holy Church was not solely dominated by Horus; other bishops and Great Priests also held significant sway.

——

The First Defense Chief, Dalin, convened a closed-door meeting with all commanders and captains.

——

The residence of the First Elder, Amendo, saw the largest gathering.

Many hoped that this second most powerful person in the Royal City, the leader of the conservatives, could dissuade the King from his adventurous plans.

But not everyone held conservative views; many also wished to restore the glory of Trolian.

They had reached their strongest state within the last hundred years, but compared to two, three, six hundred years ago, or even the distant era of Trolian, they were far behind.

No one did not yearn to rebuild the former glory.

In the Dark World, only more allies could bring greater security.

They also hoped to persuade the First Elder to support the King’s plans.

This was not without chance.

The First Elder was the most respectful of traditions, upholding the Trolian heritage and rules, which mattered more than their lives.

Amendo was among the most conservative of the First Elders throughout history.

If they could find some ground in the ancient texts, perhaps they could persuade him.

——

There were those who supported the King’s plan, and those who opposed it.

And the Chief Governor of the Royal City, Talinus, was the most opposed of all.

He owned a massive amount of property in all major cities of Trolian, including the Royal City, Iron Furnace City, Mountain City, and Stone City.

If the King’s new bill was implemented, he and his family would suffer terribly.

And this new bill was for the purpose of expansion.

Thus, Talinus vehemently opposed the expansion.

Late at night.

Manolo Bana, Levill, and other senior personnel gathered again at his residence.

This time, there was no arguing or disputing; they all shared the same position and only needed to discuss the plan.

Talinus, from the King’s recent series of actions, accurately deduced that the King’s intent to appoint Rod as King’s Hand was to make him the spearhead of the expansion plan.

Chief Judge Amoli wondered, "Has the King gone mad? What use is this milk-nosed boy?"

"Exactly, he’s been a Fire Holder for less than half a year, just a waste. Why would he be the spearhead of the expansion plan?"

"Him leading will surely end in disaster. At that time, I would like to see what those crazy glory seekers have to say."

"No."

Manolo Bana gazed at Rod’s case file copy.

"The King wouldn’t make such a foolish mistake, we must not underestimate him."

Chief Judge Krama scoffed, "Aside from the period when he acquired Theodore’s Soul Ripple, what achievements does he have to boast about?"

"He has no command experience, has never experienced the harshness of exploration, hasn’t even completed his education, and the western part of Star City is very dangerous. The Investigation Legion has already discovered two Corrosive Material nests there; if he goes there, his only outcome will be total annihilation."

Chief Judge Levill agreed, "Exactly."

"No."

Manolo Bana still shook his head.

"You are too arrogant. Think about what the King has done before; could you have imagined today twenty years ago? He has controlled the Holy Church, the Military War Department, and even made us, his opposers, work for him. No matter how much we fuss, we can’t change a thing."

The faces of everyone darkened.

Only Talinus smiled, "Gula, continue."

Manolo Bana nodded slightly and continued, "Let’s look carefully. The most suspicious is the Black Tide mission, curiously delayed and Rod replaced in as if specifically waiting for him."

"Assuming the King foresaw that the plan was bound to succeed, then, doesn’t it very much seem like he’s paving the way for Rod?"

Everyone fell silent.

Manolo Bana’s fingers continued to glide over the dossier.

"Following this logic, the King’s purpose is clear—it is to make Rod the King’s Hand, a pioneer in his expansion plans."

"The King knows that forcefully implementing the expansion plans is unlikely to succeed, but alternatively, sending a portion of the forces for a tentative expansion would be much easier."

"Assuming Rod achieves great success, the losses from expansion would be far less than the gains; the majority in the Royal City would change their stance and support the King’s new laws."

"If the King further controls the government and internal affairs system, he would possess unprecedented great power, able to implement various new laws and execute expansion and even expedition plans at will."

"Gentlemen, by then, your possessions will no longer be yours."

The words fell, and the mansion fell silent.

After a long time, Chief Judge Levill asked in a fearful tone, "How is that possible? What is so special about this boy?"

Manolo Bana’s eyes flashed coldly as he swallowed the true answer, saying lightly, "Have you forgotten Theodore? All these changes occurred after the Giant Battle. Maybe Theodore gave him some magical power, thereby earning the King’s trust."

"Right!"

Chief Judge Levill’s eyes brightened.

"Perhaps Theodore’s Soul Ripple didn’t fully dissipate and hid some, waiting to be used during the campaign."

Chief Judge Amoli shouted, "I understand now! Theodore isn’t completely dead, the King deliberately sent him, but in fact, it is equivalent to sending Theodore, how could a legendary Spell Master fail?"

"Exactly, the people in the Royal City only see a young boy succeeding, without realizing Theodore is backing him!"

"So ruthless! Fortunately, Lord Gula noticed it, otherwise, we’d be in trouble."

"Lord Gula, what should we do now?"

Manolo Bana sneered, "The best way is to do everything to prevent him from passing the combat rating. As long as he doesn’t pass, the King has no reason to forcefully appoint him as the King’s Hand."

"Yes, yes, yes! Let’s get ready now!"

"The Fifth Level combat rating includes actual combat elements; the monsters needed for the trial have already been captured. I’ll feed them Corrosive Material to boost their strength."

"I’ll go and covertly modify the trial mechanisms!"

"I’ll influence the rating committee!"

"..."

In a burst of shouting, Manolo Bana and Talinus exchanged glances inadvertently, revealing an icy smile.

——

The next day.

The Royal City meeting was convened again in the Fire Hall.

After a night of discussion, First Elder Amendo and many other seniors’ rigid attitudes had softened.

The King also made concessions, deciding to first send a vanguard team for a tentative expansion, deciding based on the effectiveness whether to expand further."

This plan gained Amendo’s approval.

Thus, the topic of Trolian’s further expansion was temporarily settled.

The corresponding new bills were also postponed for implementation.

——

Secret branch base.

Following the King’s instructions, Rod was diligently expanding his influence within the secret branch, trying to find more allies.

But the process wasn’t going particularly smoothly.

Soron explicitly rejected his overtures, stating he only followed orders from Lady Olivia.

Teresa agreed, but she was working on breaking through the bottleneck of her Soul Trait and would only be able to help him after her transformation was complete.

No one else refused, but also none committed explicitly.

Kashan did agree.

However, she was not yet officially a combatant and, apart from completing training tasks, could not choose independently.

Rod was planning to shift his focus outside the secret branch when he received a notification from the Silan military base—

His Fifth Level combat rating trial was fully prepared and would begin tomorrow at noon.

Finally!

Rod clenched his fist in a moment.

Let them witness my true power.