I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 704 The Undercurrents in Maple Leaf Territory! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)
Li Chen felt that several key pieces in the Great Luo Dynasty's game had been placed, and the situation was unlikely to change fundamentally in the short term.

The collaboration between Matvey and Sergei, these two "disciples," needs time to develop, and Ivan and Romanov's responses also need to be observed.

In that case, he, as the player of the pieces, doesn't need to rush things.

Accompanying Lyudmila on this trip was ostensibly an incognito tour, where he would play the role of an ordinary sorcerer to test whether her family was worthy of the sorcerer's favor. In reality, it was also an opportunity for him to gain a deeper understanding of the lives of ordinary people in the Great Luo Kingdom.

He was not in a hurry to contact Lyudmila's family immediately, but planned to observe Maple Leaf Territory and its surrounding areas first.

He needed to understand the true sentiments of the people: what were their views on this protracted war? How much reverence did they still have for the muddle-headed Emperor Ivan?

Is there worship or fear towards the suddenly rising and mysterious ancestor of witchcraft? What is the evaluation of the newly appointed Grand Duke Sergei, who wields great power and is both righteous and evil?

As chess players, we must not just sit on the cloud and make moves based on our own assumptions; we must integrate into the world of ordinary people and listen to the most authentic voices.

If the supreme ancestor of witches were to descend upon this place, all that would be left would be flattery and trembling fear, with no chance of uncovering the truth.

Just like now, as he and Lyudmila stood on the crowded street, they could feel countless gazes.

The starving refugees had dull, numb eyes, but when their gaze swept over Lyudmila's petite yet stunningly curvaceous body, a barely perceptible glint of greed and desire would always appear.

If it weren't for Li Chen, this seemingly intimidating man in a wizard's robe, standing beside her, someone would probably have already lost their temper and done something crazy.

Lyudmila clearly felt the uncomfortable gazes as well. She instinctively moved closer to Li Chen and whispered, "Lord Witch Ancestor, please believe me, the Maple Leaf Territory used to be very safe and secure; it would never have been in this chaotic state."
However, my lord, who is also my father, was recently summoned by His Majesty to lead most of the territory's elite soldiers to fight in the south, resulting in a significant decline in the territory's internal management and security capabilities.
Add to that the constant influx of refugees, many of whom had lost everything in their hometowns and become reckless. Our family kindly offered them food, but they…

Her tone was tinged with grievance and a hint of urgency, as she tried her best to prove to Li Chen the goodness and hardship of her family, fearing that these negative impressions would affect the Witch Ancestor's perception of her family.

Li Chen nodded calmly, indicating his understanding, but said nothing more, only gesturing for her to continue following and observing.

Seeing that Li Chen did not express his opinion, Lyudmila felt uneasy, but dared not say anything more and could only obediently follow behind him.

According to Lyudmila, besides her own Shuysky family (the lord's family), Maple Leaf Territory is also home to other families.

There are also four other major families entrenched in the territory, which together constitute the power structure of the land.

These are: the Kuznetsov family, known for its mining and forging, and the Volkov family, which controls most of the mountain hunting grounds and fur trade.

The Popov family, primarily engaged in grain trade and storage, and the Smirnov family, mainly involved in shipping and river trade.

These four families each have their own foundations, and their relationship with the lord, the Shuysky family, is complex, involving both cooperation and competition.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Lyudmila took out a veil and put it on, covering her beautiful and charming face.

However, this attempt to cover up the truth only highlighted her deep blue eyes, as clear as a lake, and her curvaceous and alluring figure beneath the veil, which sparked endless imagination.

The passersby's gazes didn't lessen; instead, they became even more inquisitive and speculative, all wondering what kind of stunning beauty lay beneath the veil. This greatly annoyed and disgusted Lyudmila.

In her heart, only the supreme ancestor of witches was qualified to appreciate and possess her beauty and body. To be stared at with such greedy eyes by these lowly vagrants or commoners was a great desecration to her.

However, since they were traveling incognito, she could only suppress her urge to act and stay close to Li Chen.

During his incognito visit over the next few days, Li Chen did encounter some "trouble," and the source of this trouble was none other than the loyal Lyudmila.

Her very existence was like a magnet, constantly attracting all sorts of ill-intentioned gazes, making it difficult for Li Chen to truly blend into the environment and naturally interact with people from all walks of life.

Moreover, Lyudmila was almost always looking for opportunities to tell him about the benefits of the Shuysky family, her father's loyalty, and her sister's kindness, which to some extent interfered with Li Chen's ability to independently and objectively collect information and make judgments.

To be fair, aside from serving Li Chen to the best of her ability at night and satisfying his needs, Lyudmila didn't offer much practical help during the daytime investigations; instead, she became a burden to some extent.

After much deliberation, Li Chen decided to temporarily separate from her.

One day, he said to Lyudmila, "You should go back to your family and wait. I need to explore Maple Leaf Territory on my own to experience the true conditions of the people. When the time comes, I will summon you."

Although Lyudmila was extremely reluctant to part with him and was also worried about Li Chen's safety, she knew that the strength of the Witch Ancestor was unfathomable, but she dared not disobey Li Chen's will.

She lowered her head respectfully and replied obediently, "Yes, Your Majesty, I understand. I will await your summons at home."

So the two parted ways temporarily at the entrance of a quiet alley.

Lyudmila walked towards the Shuysky family mansion, glancing back every few steps, while Li Chen pulled up the hood of his wizard's robe, completely concealing his aura, and silently merged back into the bustling crowd of Maple Leaf Territory, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.

Only now did he truly begin to examine the real face of this border territory with the eyes of an outsider.

Lyudmila quietly returned to the Shuysky family mansion, and her return caused quite a stir within the family.

The clan chief, who is also her father, is currently away on a military campaign, and her two older brothers and her kind-hearted sister Olga are in charge of the household affairs.

The elder brother, Dmitri, was a tall, resolute man. Upon seeing his sister's sudden return, his face first lit up with joy, then turned to worry. He quickly pulled her aside and asked in a low voice, "Lyudmila, why did you suddenly come back? How is the situation in the Holy Capital? Has something happened? What about your husband, Lord Mikhail?"

Everyone in the family knew that Lyudmila had married Mikhail, the finance minister of the Holy City. Her return inevitably led people to wonder if she had been implicated in Mikhail's downfall during the power struggle.

Lyudmila kept Li Chen's instructions in mind: she must not reveal the identity and whereabouts of the Witch Ancestor.

She composed herself, forced a natural smile, and explained, "Brother, don't worry. My husband is fine, and everything is normal in the capital. It's just that I've been in the capital for a while and I'm feeling a bit bored. I heard that there are a lot of refugees in our Maple Leaf Territory recently, and since Father isn't home, I thought I'd come back to see if I could help in any way."

She came up with a reasonably plausible excuse.

(End of this chapter)