Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 256 War begins

Rean's time was very precious, so he started working as soon as he had rested.

The most important thing right now is naturally the "Hero Selection" that has already begun.

When he arrived at the scene, Rean was surprised to find that his side was actually lagging behind.

"I never expected that Her Highness the Princess of the Kingdom would be so efficient."

To outsiders, Rean would naturally attribute the "honor" to his superiors.

Although he had to suppress his urge to boss people around most of the time when he was alone.

"This is not just Her Highness's achievement. My father and the church also put in a lot of effort. After all, everyone felt that there was something to gain from listening to Your Highness. Part of it was your advice."

"Uh, it's already spread?" Rean was a little surprised; this might not be a good thing.

He was already seen as a member of the "royal faction" by outsiders, but given his current status, standing out too much could really bring trouble. The opposing faction would naturally keep an eye on these "advisors" and "factional newcomers" and chase after them.

"Hehe, don't worry, Her Highness really takes good care of you. She only told my father and a few other nobles at a small gathering. I was serving as a guard at the time, and she even told us not to talk about it outside."

Claire Frode, nicknamed "Redhead," responded with a smile.

The current implication is that the princess is paving the way for Rean, implying to the bigwigs in the royal faction that Rean is "a trustworthy member of their own side."

She is one of the captains of the Radiant Guard, as well as the adopted daughter of the city lord, and can even be regarded as one of the future supreme leaders of the Radiant City military.

Just standing next to her in public, Rean attracted the attention of many outsiders.

But neither of them really cared about the stares; Rean was also getting used to being watched all the time.

"Is that so? Your Highness is truly thoughtful."

Rean glanced at the scene below; it was already bustling with activity.

Near the cleared square, there are four enormous "mirrors," while on both sides, there are at least fifty mirrors of various sizes.

Each one contains the scenery of an underground city, with figures either fighting or resting.

While Rean and his group were busy dealing with Lex's affairs, the "Hero Selection and Underground Ruins Exploration" in Radiant City had already begun in full swing.

This is the commercial district of Devon, which was originally the largest commercial market.

Now that everything has been cleared out, it has become a frontline base for conquering the underground ruins. There is also a temporary command post and intelligence support center not far away.

The reason for choosing this area was not only due to the strong demands from the local officials and lower-middle-class nobles, but also because it occupied a "middle ground" in Radiant City, neither too high nor too low.

Even if something goes wrong with the Mirror Demon and a large number of "monster counterattacks" occur, it will give other more important areas enough time to prepare. The fall of the entire area is acceptable for the whole city.

However, judging from the various shops around the square, especially those that buy and sell extraordinary materials, the locals do not feel that they have lost out; in fact, they see it as a great opportunity for development.

"Five of the shops belong to our family. The one that sells tool kits and medicinal herbs is mine. Please patronize our business in the future."

"Redhead" Claire Frode pointed to the shops below, casually trying to attract business for her own shop.

"You're joking."

"Heh, just take it as a joke. I'll also take care of your family's map and intelligence business."

"Uh... what are you talking about?" Rean was a little confused. He had some guesses, but he wasn't sure.

"Didn't you know? The Sudar family moves as swiftly as ever."

Some things are quite simple when you put it bluntly: the supporting facilities for such "major projects" were naturally divided up among the major families in the city.

They weren't simply after this benefit. Rather, since there was a share of the pie, they felt that as one of the core executives, they had to get a piece of it.

This is a network of interests and connections, but it is also what is called "reputation" and "dignity".

I can eat it all and donate it all, but I must have my share, otherwise everyone in the circle will think I'm useless.

Behind the merchants of the best shops are basically some of the city's great nobles. Sallyman had obviously made arrangements in advance and secured the best locations.

This might not be a bad thing. First of all, the shops will be of a higher standard, and causing trouble here would be tantamount to courting death. It would also make it easier to keep order. If something goes wrong, the city guards might come directly, or even the Radiant Guards.

"I hope there won't be any monopolies or franchises." Rean always thinks the worst of people.

But in most cases, such malicious speculation is correct.

If there is indeed a large-scale purchase of materials at low prices and the sale of consumables at high prices, it will naturally affect the progress of the entire underground ruins exploration.

"No, because we couldn't reach an agreement with them, and they didn't care about the profits. They need their reputation more than we do."

Claire pointed to another area, which was also a similar cluster of shops, except that they all had church emblems on them.

The struggle between divine right and royal power (noble power) is endless, and at least for now, this infighting seems to benefit ordinary adventurers.

The various shops run by the church (those openly displaying their signs) are often relatively ethical. They need the faith associated with their reputation, which is the source of their good reputation. Their methods of making money and reaping profits far surpass those of ordinary nobles. After learning that the biggest shareholders in the slave market were the bishops of various churches, Rean became desensitized to their actions.

"Um, was that person from last night really Lord Lex?"

Suddenly, "Redhead" Claire Frode whispered. As the city lord's adopted daughter and a powerful local general, her schedule was always packed.

As the old city lord gradually retired, his adopted daughters and sons gradually became the city's administrators.

The city lord did not make a statement about who would be the successor, but it seems that the strongest one will be chosen.

The city lord has several children, but none of them are well-known or particularly powerful.

If nothing unexpected happens, one of them will politically marry the victorious adopted son and daughter and become the new Earl of Glory.

This is the rule and way of the aristocracy. It's much safer than forcing something rotten to the wall. The old city lord is already considered enlightened.

Claire, a leading candidate, holds at least a third of the Radiant Guards and roughly the same proportion of the City Guards.

Her actual authority was even higher than that of Suliman (she had no soldiers), and she specifically sought out Rean, who had come to stroll and chat, for a casual conversation, so naturally she wouldn't just engage in idle chatter.

"You can ask Dania, I said Your Highness."

"Uh! Is she also a candidate for Lord Lex's successor?!" Claire pretended not to hear Rean's disrespect towards the princess. What you do in private is your business. I really didn't see or hear it.

Claire, as a Grand Knight, was selected as one of the few candidates for the Heroic Candidates and became one of the few candidates in Radiant City.

"No, she was a candidate for the title of Heroic Spirit before, but she wasn't selected. Don't tell her this directly, she cares about it."

"So, you two really did know each other a long time ago." Claire immediately grasped the key point; she now understood how Rean and Dania's private relationship came about.

Now it was Claire's turn to look at Rean with new respect. As a senior and a high knight, she also thought highly of this young and promising knight. But when it came to the inheritance of heroic spirits, she was afraid she was not qualified to judge this man's future.

"By the way, these are the contact cards and flyers for the 'Class Reunion.' If you're interested, you can check them out at the dock area. It's a bit early, but it might not be a bad thing."

This can be considered a return of favor. Being able to integrate into the circle of the Heroic Souls' successors first is naturally a dream come true for Claire.

She is indeed the rumored war maniac, but if she really didn't have a brain, she wouldn't have been able to become a candidate for the Radiant Earl, let alone one of Lex's candidates.

"If it's all true, then it's hard to judge."

Claire subconsciously looked at the "large mirror demon" in the middle, the scene of which was linked to a small mirror demon below, a powerful being wreaking havoc in the underground ruins.

"he is?"

"Clark J. Rutherford, the third-ranked hero candidate in the kingdom."

"Uh, didn't they just arrive? And they're already charging in?"

"He's the only one, he hasn't rested at all. He entered the city yesterday and started today. He even bribed the staff to have the Great Mirror Demon's broadcast keep an eye on him."

Claire's expression was subtle, while Clark's enthusiasm was palpable.

He didn't even wait for the princess to receive him; he immediately adopted the attitude of "I'm here to get things done" and began to show himself to the city and its people.

However, he wasn't even a true candidate for hero, and was very likely excluded from the victory zone from the start.
"That's a bit funny. How did you recognize me?"

Rean was a little surprised. The fog was still there yesterday, and this time there was an adjustable "sound blur" system. How could he have seen through it so easily?

"Sword." The simple words said it all; voice and appearance can both be disguised.

But once they clashed, many things were naturally revealed.

“In fact, he is not qualified.” Thinking of the strong candidates last night, each with their outrageous swordsmanship, Claire shook her head. “Ordinary” Clark seems to have no right to be selected.

At that moment, Claire's gaze fell upon another person. She appeared calm, but her eyes betrayed an uncontrollable look of surprise.

Li Enlong looked over and was immediately stunned.
"Hela?!"

Another promising candidate has also made his appearance ahead of schedule.

She is currently only appearing in a small mirror demon from the side, but judging from the crowd of onlookers, her performance is quite exaggerated.

Looking at the somewhat familiar sword, Claire subconsciously licked the corner of her mouth, as if yearning to see blood.

The bloodthirsty red-haired demon has found a captivating sword and has set his sights on a new rival.

"She is indeed a candidate. But she is on the side of the royal family."

Now that he'd been discovered, Rean decided not to hide anymore.

He made it clear to avoid any underhanded tactics that could lead to an unpleasant outcome.

The next moment, he saw Claire looking at him with a surprised expression.

"She's a candidate? Then she hid the sword last night? I'm just wondering why she looks so much like the princess, except for the hair color." Rean's own hand-dyeing of her hair black didn't seem to make much difference; the two sisters looked too alike.

Now it was Rean's turn to feel guilty, realizing that he had unknowingly revealed something.

As a neutral referee, I leaked the contestant's information from the very beginning?! Exposing Hela to the other candidates?!

"Uh, allow me to make an excuse. Let me explain."

(End of this chapter)