After listening to Owen's description of the "inside story" of the Trier incident, George III fell into contemplation once more. After a moment, he nodded and said:
"So it seems that the near annihilation of the Delien family really was the responsibility of those few Demonesses…"
In truth, this also caused him considerable heartache, since there had been quite a few covert agents cultivated by the Kingdom of Loen within the Delien family, all of whom had lost contact in this incident.
However, the king shifted the topic and said after some consideration, "Nevertheless, I still believe you should release the 'Red Demoness' and the 'Yellow Demoness'… Mm, in light of the Delien family's losses, I will provide you with some compensation."
As he spoke, he displayed his "majestic" bearing, making it clear that this decision brooked no refusal.
And given the fact that nearly half of the upper ranks of the Demoness Sect practically already bore the surname "Bryan," whether to release them or not made no real difference to Ebner. He emphasized his losses merely to extract some benefits. Thus, while pretending to be "unwilling," he followed the king's words and said:
"Alright… but I demand a ransom of two million gold pounds!"
George III was somewhat taken aback upon hearing this. Based on his understanding of Owen, he had already prepared himself for demands such as engaging in "games" with "Duchess Georgina" or the "Brightest Jewel of Backlund." Who would have thought the other party would actually ask for money?
But upon second thought, it also seemed reasonable. The Delien family's centuries of accumulation had been destroyed in a single stroke. If Owen wished to revive his family, he would indeed require a vast sum of funds.
Still, was two million pounds not too much? Were two "Unaging Demonesses" really worth that price? After all, even the bounty on the Mystery Queen, who was also Sequence 3, was only 650,000 pounds in Loen.
Even if this money were ultimately to be paid by the Demoness Sect, the Augustus family would certainly have to advance it first…
As king, although he did not lack such money, he also could not allow himself to be treated as an endlessly withdrawable "fool."
As his thoughts turned, George III tentatively tried to bargain: "Two million pounds is too much. How about one million five hundred thousand?"
"Deal!" Ebner replied without the slightest hesitation.
After all, this money was essentially free, even though it was only half the price of his "Viscount of Beldan" title.
"…" For an instant, George III felt he might have been taken advantage of. However, he quickly regained his composure, reasoning that using over a million pounds to satisfy all parties and resolve this thorny issue was actually quite acceptable. Thus, he no longer spoke of the ransom, instead asking, "How did you come to know His Highness Zaratul?"
Ebner paused slightly, then answered a different question instead: "The Vice President of the Secret Order—also a beautiful lady."
George III immediately felt enlightened, and in an instant, imagined many stories.
Afterward, after chatting with Owen some more about Trier's political situation and subsequent plans, he had Vera—who had been standing to the side the entire time like a puppet—escort Owen out of Sodorak Palace.
Only after their figures vanished from that secluded room did George III turn his head and ask, as if speaking to himself yet also as if inquiring, "Ancestor, what do you think?"
"Owen's bloodline is still within my 'Order.' I can command him to obey at any time." A cold, emotionless voice came from the shadows behind the throne.
"That's good…" George III nodded. As long as Owen remained under control, there was no fear of him harboring ulterior motives.
"Do you think I should agree to Zaratul's request for an alliance?" George III asked again.
"Amon indeed requires vigilance. On this point, Zaratul is correct… From a certain perspective, the Black Emperor is the best choice for stealing a godhood ritual, aside from the Seer and Apprentice pathways," the emotionless voice sounded once more.
"So that means you are inclined to ally with Zaratul?" George III did not ask why. If his ancestor chose not to say, there was naturally a reason.
"One may also ally with the 'Abraham' family… but regardless of who it is, they are all enemies of Amon." The cold voice added a reminder,
"However, before they sign a contract under my witness, do not expose the location of the mausoleum."
"I understand." George III inclined his head slightly. He himself was also inclined toward forming an alliance.
For some reason, he always felt a faint sense of unease. He had originally thought it was pressure brought by his sister, but even after Vera had been "subdued" by Owen, that unease had not disappeared…
Thus, George III hoped that more angels would stand on his side, so as to avoid any accidents during the final ritual of the Black Emperor.
Of course, the details of any alliance would still need to be discussed and approved by the other members of the Augustus family, so it would take some time…
…
After riding in a carriage back to her own luxurious residence with Ebner, Vera glanced in the direction of Sodorak Palace and snorted with a shake of her head:
"He can't even decide on an alliance by himself… and he still dreams of becoming the 'Black Emperor'?"
Hearing her mutter, Ebner smiled and said, "The times have changed. Kings nowadays don't have that much power to begin with."
"But whether it's a 'Judge' or a 'Black Emperor,' they must carry out their own will… The symbol of an 'Emperor' isn't something you can obtain just by getting your hands on a crown of the Balam Empire…" Vera shook her head again, expressing her pessimism about George III. "Even if he were to succeed by sheer luck in the end, his condition would certainly not be good."
Ebner largely agreed with her words, but felt there was no need to think too deeply about it, because he did not believe George III would live to reach that final step.
After all, compared to the original Klein, the forces he could mobilize were far stronger!
If he arranged for "Zaratul" to enter the mausoleum, and with Demonesses serving as internal agents, George III wanted to advance to the Black Emperor? He could keep dreaming!
If not for wanting to let Hugh grow and personally take revenge for her father, as well as being unable to confirm where George III's true body was, the forces Ebner could currently mobilize already had a significant chance of heavily injuring him.
After all, a Beyonder like George III, who had hardly experienced real combat, even with a sufficiently high status, actually possessed relatively weak combat strength… This could already be seen in how he dealt with Tris in the original story.
At this moment, Princess Vera once again changed her "face." Different from her usual majesty, her dullness before George III, and her earlier girlish demeanor, she leaned close to Ebner's ear in a very suggestive manner and said, "I'm going to take a bath first… want to join me?"
Does the "Mist of Uncertainty" also make one's personality 'uncertain' and 'ever-changing'? Ebner came back to his senses and once again sternly refused.
After Vera turned around and entered the bathroom, he immediately retracted the "Owen" avatar into Alvin's Question-and-Answer Maze, allowing his main body—having finished its business—to teleport back from Trier.
…
(End of chapter)