Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 180 Klein Goes to Sea

Previously, due to the extremely high level of secrecy, Alfred was even unable to return home, let alone leak any related secrets.

The only explanation now is that the security clearance level has been lowered; otherwise, Alfred wouldn't have been released. The reason for the lowered clearance level is undoubtedly the death of George III—

Like the loss of finances, the loss of demigods will also cause fundamental problems for the kingdom.

The reason the royal family released this information to the nobles was the same as the reason for the finances: they wanted the nobles to help the royal family fill this hole!

Hilbert remained silent for a long time, then sighed softly:

"The royal family has played a clever game; they're the ones doing things, but we have to pay the price."

Earl Hall gave Hilbert a deep look, and said meaningfully:

"This may not be a bad thing for us."

Hilbert paused for a moment, but Audrey instantly understood Earl Hall's unspoken meaning—

Those three vacant demigod positions!

In the past, these positions would certainly have been taken by the royal family themselves.

But now that they've released the news and need the nobles to help cover the losses, it means the royal family has given up on these three demigod candidates. In other words, these three demigods will come from among the nobles! Of course, how many will come from the nobles depends on the outcome of negotiations between the nobles and the royal family, and how much the royal family is willing to concede.

Hilbert finally realized what was happening and asked hesitantly:

"Would the royal family be willing to give that up?"

In the past, even nobles who wanted to cultivate extraordinary individuals had to pay protection money to the royal family, and all potion recipes could only be purchased from the royal family. Even when purchasing potion recipes, the highest level was only Sequence 5. As for potion recipes of Sequence 4 and above, the royal family never provided potion recipes, only finished products.

This has resulted in most of the existing saints in the Kingdom of Rune being either from the royal family or loyal to the royal family!

Now, releasing three vacancies at once is undoubtedly a huge concession for the royal family. However, given the royal family's long-standing strict control over the nobility, Hibbert is somewhat suspicious of their motives.

Earl Hall chuckled:

"The royal family had no choice; these three demigod slots could only be filled by nobles. This is the price of the deal."

The price the royal family paid was the concession on the number of demigods, and the corresponding nobles also had to pay a huge price to fill the hole created by the royal family. This hole was so large that most nobles could not fill it even if they sold all their possessions, but in order to produce a demigod in their family, the nobles would certainly be willing to do so!

Like Earl Hall, even if he knew it was a hot potato, a sugar-coated bullet from the royal family, or a poisoned dreg filled with honey, he still had to accept it, or even swallow it.

After all, you only get one chance.

Audrey pretended to hesitate for a moment, then muttered to herself:

"But three spots aren't enough, are they?"

Nobility is not the same as royalty; it is not a monolithic entity.

With hundreds or even thousands of nobles to be divided among three slots, it's clearly not enough.

This will inevitably lead to unequal distribution and may even further trigger infighting among the nobility.

Hearing Audrey's concerns, Earl Hall seemed unconcerned, and instead laughed:

"Audrey, you need to understand that many people are not actually qualified. Any demigod position requires at least one Sequence 5 Extraordinary to compete for. Most nobles can't even cultivate a Sequence 7 Extraordinary, so demigods are too far away for them and meaningless."

"Therefore, other forms of compensation can be offered to these individuals, such as mid-series potion recipes. As for the nobles who are also qualified to compete for these three spots, they can be given a sequence 4 potion recipe in exchange."

Sequence 4 potion recipes are extremely valuable, and their value lies in their rarity.

But in a sense, it's not expensive or precious, because it's extremely inexpensive to copy; you can just find any piece of paper and transcribe it with a pen. If your memory is good enough, you don't even need paper and pen; you only need to look at it twice to remember it firmly.

The royal family only needs to provide a Sequence 4 potion recipe to satisfy the needs of most nobles.

They don't need to rush to compete for those three spots, because as long as they have the potion recipe, they can cultivate it themselves at their own pace.

This was enough to satisfy the needs of most nobles; many were not actually greedy.

The main reason is that they know they are not qualified and cannot force it.

Ember suddenly asked:

"Whose spots are these?"

He knew very well that Earl Hall was not one to keep his mouth shut; if the matter wasn't settled, he wouldn't reveal a single piece of information, not even to his own family. But since he had spoken so readily, it meant that a decision had already been made, or at least it had been decided internally.

Count Hall smiled slightly and pointed at Alfred, saying:

"Alfred was originally one of the candidates, and the Hall family will definitely take one spot. Of the remaining two spots, Prime Minister Agushid and the Negan family will each take one. The last spot will be reserved for another noble family."

Audrey wasn't surprised by the first two spots, but she still asked curiously:

Which nobles are eligible to compete for the last spot?

Earl Hall pondered for two seconds and then said:

"The number of people isn't large, but it's not small either. Marquis de Lauterson, Earl Gross, and Earl Levitt all have a chance, but their chances of winning are slim."

Earl Hall shook his head, clearly not holding out any hope.

Hippel asked, puzzled:

"Why doesn't Marquis Lotteson have many opportunities? His family is clearly as old as the Duke Negan's family..."

Earl Hall explained simply:

"Because they are all believers in the goddess, and as for Count Levitt, he is not only a believer in the goddess, but the Levitt family already has a demigod. According to custom, even if there is another opportunity later, they must give it up."

Count Levitt was not an old noble family, but rather, like the Hall family, he had only risen to prominence in the last few centuries. In terms of wealth, Count Hall was far ahead of the rest, which is why he was qualified to make deals and offer advice to the Duke of Negan, Prime Minister Agushid, and even His Majesty the King.

Count Levitt, on the other hand, belonged to the category of unremarkable nobles. In fact, they might have even declined in a few generations. But because a demigod emerged from the Levitt family, they have now become one of the top noble families in the Kingdom of Rune!

This demigod is none other than Admiral Emilius Levitt, the supreme commander of the Navy in the Middle Sudan Sea.

Thanks to this demigod, Emilius Levitt's brother, Austin Levitt, is now the governor of Olavi. To paraphrase Emperor Roselle, this is a classic case of "when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven!"

Given the Hall family's influence, once a demigod is born, their future will definitely be even more glorious than that of the Levitt family!

Hilbert asked thoughtfully:

"So, the remaining spot will be given to a member of the Steam Church?"

"Yes."

Earl Hall nodded slightly. The three churches needed to maintain a balance, and so did their followers. Since the Hall family, which worshipped the goddess, and the Nigan family, which worshipped the Lord of Storms, each had one spot, the third spot would be reserved for a nobleman who worshipped the god of steam and machinery.

Earl Hall remarked with some emotion:

"If Alfred hadn't happened to have the strength of a Sequence 5 and hadn't been selected as a candidate by the royal family in advance, we might not have been able to secure a spot. And the reason Alfred was selected as a candidate was largely because we didn't have the qualifications to compete."

The Hall family, though its lineage spans several centuries, is far from being the oldest among noble families, nor does it possess a particularly rich heritage. Aside from Alfred, the highest-ranking Extraordinary member the family has produced is only Sequence 7. Therefore, the Hall family does not possess the deep-rooted foundation and strength of other noble families.

The reason for choosing him was that, for the royal family, such nobles were the easiest to win over.

Before George III's downfall, the royal family had always wanted to keep the newly cultivated demigods under their control, which is why Alfred Hall, a young man with a solid foundation and extraordinary talent, was able to stand out.

Although the spots have now been offered for exchange, the candidates who were already selected will certainly have "priority." This means that the Hall family has gained the support of both the nobility and the royal family, thereby securing a spot for themselves.

Hilbert raised his glass, and said with a hint of envy:

"Then congratulations in advance, Alfred, demigod."

Seeing that Alfred had already obtained the ticket to Sequence 4, while he had only just become an Extraordinary, it would be a lie to say he wasn't envious. But it was just envy; Hilbert wasn't jealous, since even if he had that ticket, he wouldn't be able to use it.

Moreover, Hilbert doesn't believe he can't become a Sequence 4 in the future—

With the aid of the role-playing method, the risk of losing control was minimized. And with the financial backing of the Hall family, obtaining the extraordinary materials and potion formulas needed for his advancement was not a problem; becoming a mid-series extraordinary was only a matter of time. As for the high-series, that would require some luck, since he wasn't following the 'Arbitrator' path, and the potion formulas in the royal family's possession were useless to him.

Alfred smiled, raised his glass in return, and said modestly:

"It's still early, Hippo. You can congratulate me after I've actually advanced to Sequence 4."

They each took a sip of their drink, put down their glasses, and smiled at each other.

Count Hall was in a rather good mood. Although the financial deficit was still giving him a headache, he wasn't the only one with financial worries, nor was he the only one who needed to make "sacrifices." The benefits of becoming a demigod, however, were very real.

Even if all the nobles combined couldn't plug the financial hole, there are still wealthy merchants, aren't there?

These wealthy merchants certainly wouldn't mind making some small contribution to the kingdom.

Alfred gently swirled his wine glass, then suddenly asked curiously:

"Aish, which pathway are you an Extraordinary? What sequence are you?"

He had already heard about Ember from his father, and knew that he was a Night Watchman of the Church of the Night, and that he was of high status.

After a moment's thought, Yu Jin said seriously:

"Apprenticeship path, Sequence 6 'Record Officer'"

Audrey lowered her head silently, muttering to herself:

Can a Sequence 6 really break into the palace and kill King George III, a Sequence 1 angel? Do you even believe that yourself?

Alfred recalled for a moment, then sighed softly:

"The apprenticeship path? That's a very good ability. To be honest, I'm starting to regret choosing the arbitrator path..."

Audrey suddenly stood up, blinked, and said:

"Hibbert, don't you and Dad still have something to discuss? Ash and I will leave for a bit."

"what?"

Alfred, caught off guard, didn't react for a moment, while Hibbert gave a somewhat mocking smile.

Seeing the aunt's smile on his mother's face again, Alfred finally realized what was happening. He smiled slightly and watched Audrey leave with Ember.

It's so good to be young.

As he was reminiscing, Count Hall suddenly said:

"Alfred, now that you're back, you'll definitely be staying in Backlund for a long time. You know the Marquis de Lauterson's daughter, find an opportunity to meet her."

Alfred's expression froze, and he said with a bitter face:

"Father, I am still young. You should be more concerned about Hippel..."

Hibbert, who had been secretly amused, suddenly couldn't laugh anymore and coughed dryly, saying:

"Father, you know me. My career is my top priority right now..."

Lady Caitlin said without hesitation:

"Love won't interfere with your career!"

"Your mother is right."

Earl Hall nodded slightly, agreeing with his wife. Then, his gaze shifted to his two sons, his calm voice carrying an undeniable air of authority, and he stated directly:

"The New Year has just passed. Before they return to their fiefdoms with their parents, you two should spend the next few days getting to know them. If you like them, bring them back to meet us. You two older brothers can't let Audrey get there before you, can you? It's decided!"

Amidst the bitter expressions on the two brothers' faces, Earl Hall issued his ultimatum.

Meanwhile, Susie, a golden retriever, was squatting on the ground, wagging her tail and watching the family's dramatic scene with curiosity.

Meanwhile, in the next room...

Audrey closed the door behind her and whispered:

"Ember, could the royal family be plotting something?"

Ember thought for two seconds, then shook his head and said:

"It's unlikely. The royal family doesn't have the energy to do these things right now. Throwing out these baits serves two purposes: to give the nobles some benefits so they'll help them cover things up, and to divert the attention of the three major churches, making it easier for them to carry out some covert operations."

"But precisely because of this, it is unlikely that the royal family will tamper with the three demigod slots again."

The royal family may be bad, but they are not stupid.

With the three major churches watching closely, any further underhanded tactics could really cause a major commotion.

Now that the royal family has decided to pay a price to cover up their actions, a smooth transition is what they hope to see.

The best-case scenario would be that the noble family successfully gave birth to three demigods, and the matter would be left unresolved and never mentioned again.

Audrey pursed her lips and nodded.

She could understand, but the impression the royal family left on her was just too crazy, and this matter happened to involve Alfred.

I hope everything goes well.

(End of this chapter)