Chapter 286: Spread of influence (two chapters in one)
"Colonel Stanley, is Admiral Edward here? I have something important to report." Colin was about to knock on the door while he was talking.
"Wait!"
"Colin, you are already over 40, why are you still so unstable?" Colonel Stanley looked up at Colin, whose forehead was sweating, and said lightly.
As Admiral Edward's secretary, he naturally couldn't go back to rest in advance if the Admiral didn't rest.
This is the bad thing about being a secretary to the top leader. It is usually more difficult. Of course, normally, hard work will be rewarded. Being Admiral Edward's secretary is also a fast track to promotion.
"Colonel Stanley, this... I received an urgent and confidential information from Olena. According to regulations, I need to notify Admiral Edward as soon as possible."
Colin put down his hand embarrassedly.
As the deputy minister of the Intelligence Hall, he was nearly two levels lower than Colonel Stanley in terms of position. When he spoke, he was naturally more restrained.
"Admiral Edward has an important guest. What is it?" Stanley said clearly without any intention to embarrass Colin.
Because Archbishop Gomes happened to come over in the evening, as the head of the Goddess Church in the Province of Munster, he must have something important to discuss with Admiral Edward.
If it is not a very urgent matter, then it is the same to wait until the archbishop leaves before reporting.
Colin thought about it. According to the regulations, Stanley, as Admiral Edward's secretary, has the authority to know confidential information.
"Colonel Stanley, please take a look at this content yourself." Colin didn't know how to evaluate this content for a while.
So he handed Stanley the original letter sent by Olena.
Stanley looked at Colin suspiciously, not knowing what Colin was trying to say, and immediately opened the letter and read it at a glance.
"What!"
Stanley exclaimed!
Just a few seconds later, his eyes widened and he looked at the letter in his hand with an unbelievable expression.
"This..."
Stanley looked at the letter and then at Colin, as if he was asking for confirmation.
He wanted to say, how is this possible?
But the problem is, the letter clearly states that the ancient hero Mung of the Black Flame Cult was identified as an epic powerhouse, not by Olena, but by Her Royal Highness Menia, the Imperial Dragon Knight known as the 'Red Queen'.
As one of the guardians of the Empire, would Her Royal Highness Menia make a wrong judgment?
This possibility is almost non-existent.
Then there is only one truth, and this matter is most likely true.
"Although I found it hard to believe when I received the intelligence, I believe in Her Royal Highness Menia's determination, and I also believe that Your Excellency Olena would not report this matter to Admiral Edward under uncertain circumstances."
Colin saw that Colonel Stanley looked horrified, but had to believe it, and he smiled in his heart, thinking to himself: 'Well, you are also in your forties, and you are still not calm.'
Stanley listened, nodded, and looked thoughtful.
After thinking about it, Stanley felt that it would be better to let Admiral Edward know about this matter immediately.
After all, it was news about His Royal Highness Dragon Knight Menia, so Admiral Edward would not blame him for this.
At this time, in Admiral Edward's office,
Archbishop Gomes sat opposite Admiral Edward, talking seriously.
"Old friend, according to the news you conveyed last time, our operatives in Wales County have uprooted the Black Flame Cult in Wales County in the past two days. After some interrogation, we have obtained a lot of useful information." "
One of the news, I believe you will be interested in, that is, the reason or purpose of the Black Flame Cult being so active in Mayster County this time."
At this point, Gomes paused.
"Old friend, I think you may need to ask the Imperial Guardian to take action." Archbishop Gomes said with a serious face.
"Huh? Is the matter so serious? Do you need the Imperial Guardian to take action to solve it?" Edward said with a serious face.
"I think so. Because the ultimate goal of the Black Flame Cult should be to revive an ancient cult leader. Although it is not clear who it is, the location should be somewhere underground in Mayest County."
"Ancient cult leader?" Admiral Edward looked puzzled.
"After so long, even if he can be resurrected, the weakening of his soul is inevitable, right? How strong can he be?"
"Yes, but even if he is weakened, he should at least have the strength of a legendary level. Otherwise, the Black Flame Cult would not have needed to make such a big fuss." Gomez explained.
"Legendary? That's indeed a big problem," Admiral Edward said with a serious face.
"Knock, knock!"
At this time, a knock on the door suddenly sounded out of place.
Admiral Edward frowned and said with a slight displeasure: "Come in!"
Colonel Stanley stepped forward respectfully and said: "My lords, please forgive me for interrupting you. This is an urgent confidential letter from Ms. Olena, the Deputy Minister of Mission Hall Affairs, from Meister."
"My lords, I think you need to take a look immediately."
Admiral Edward glanced at his secretary Stanley. He knew that the other party had always been steady. This time, he knew that there was an important guest, Archbishop Gomez, in his room, but he still came to disturb him. There must be a reason.
So he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll take a look."
Hearing that it came from Meister, Archbishop Gomez's attention was also attracted.
After all, the issue he just talked about was about the Black Flame Cult in Meister.
Admiral Edward took the letter, opened it, and was startled. He couldn't hide the shock on his face!
This made Archbishop Gomez on the side look worried. His old friend rarely lost his composure like this.
"Could it be that I said it too late?"
"Has the Black Flame Cult found and resurrected the ancient strongman?" Archbishop Gomez thought.
The next second, Admiral Edward said in a lost voice: "An epic strongman?"
"This..."
Even though Admiral Edward had experienced many storms, this was the first time he heard that a sword bearer under his command had killed an epic strongman.
You know, he has been the head of the Munster Sword Bearer Branch for eight years!
During his tenure, it was very rare to kill a hostile legendary strongman, not even once a year.
Most of them were at the quasi-legendary level.
But this time, there was a direct intelligence about the killing of an epic strongman, so it was no wonder that he lost his composure.
"Sir Edward, could it be that you have already received accurate information that the Black Flame Cult is going to resurrect an epic strongman this time?" Archbishop Gomez couldn't help but interrupt the shocked Admiral Edward and asked.
"Archbishop Gomes, you should read it yourself." After thinking for a while, Edward handed the letter in his hand to Gomes.
His mind was a little confused for a moment, and he didn't know how to explain this matter to Gomes. The best way was to let him read it himself.
Although it was confidential information of the Sword Bearer Branch, because it involved a cult organization, the Sword Bearers would generally exchange information with the Goddess Church.
In addition, as the head of the Munster Sword Bearer Branch, Edward naturally had the right to judge whether to share the relevant information with the church.
At this moment, Edward was thinking about a person's name - 'Ryan'.
Of course, he had an impression of this new young man, and he was impressed since the other party knocked down the obsidian giant with one blow.
In addition, the remains of the golem guards two days ago surprised him again.
But what he didn't expect was that the other party actually did another big thing in just a few days, and it was almost a groundbreaking thing - 'killing an epic strongman'!
Although it has to add a suffix - 'greatly damaged in strength'.
But no matter how you add the prefix, it is also an epic!
"What? Already killed?" Archbishop Gomez's eyes, which had been half closed, suddenly widened, staring at the letter, his face full of shock.
"Yes, and it was personally confirmed by His Highness Menia, one of the guardians of the empire, so I think the result should be correct." Edward felt very understanding of his old friend's shock and nodded.
He didn't expect that when the two were discussing how to deal with this problem, they didn't expect that the problem had been solved.
"Old friend, I want to ask you for a favor." Edward said.
"It's the swordsman Ryan who killed the ancient hero of the cult, Monger. You have seen what the letter said. The other party was hit by a certain mark. I want you to find a way to help remove it."
"This... I'm not shirking my responsibility. I have never encountered the will mark of an epic strong man, and I can't guarantee success." Archbishop Gomez, who came back to his senses, thought about it and did not agree immediately.
"But, this young man, Ryan, should be your favorite general. I will do my best for this matter." "
Besides, I also want to meet this young man. The letter does not say how he killed an epic cult warrior. I am really curious about this."
"Haha, old friend, I have the same question. I think we will know in two days." Hearing Gomez's doubts, Admiral Edward couldn't help laughing.
——At
the same time.
In the training room on the first floor of the Count Habsburg's mansion in Meister County City.
Ryan is now controlling the innate witchcraft "Metal Transfiguration" to constantly change the hardened adamantium in his hand, sometimes transforming into a two-handed sword, and sometimes transforming into a two-handed warhammer.
The main purpose is naturally to test the difference from before.
Ryan remembers it very clearly.
When he was still "Intermediate Steel Body", it took about 0.3 seconds for him to transform about 50 kilograms of hardened adamantium into a pseudo pig head hammer.
But now, he has just tested it nearly ten times, and the average is about 0.18 seconds, which is about 40% shorter in time.
This improvement is not small!
Obviously, after upgrading from 'Intermediate Steel Body' to 'Advanced Steel Body', his affinity for metal elements also increased a lot.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to have such a good effect.
Don't underestimate the improvement of such a short time.
From another perspective, in the same amount of time as before, Ryan can transform more metals for attack and defense.
For example, in the time it took to transform three kite shields, Ryan can now transform four kite shields for defense. This is an immediate improvement in defense.
In the time it took to transform a two-meter-long sword, it can now transform a three-meter-long sword.
Although it is not forty meters, it can still play an unexpected effect in battle.
"The most important thing is that the improvement of metal element affinity is not limited to the power of innate witchcraft, but all metal witchcraft."
With a low incantation, Ryan cast a "sharp spell" on the two-handed sword that had just transformed.
The light silver light was also more intense than before.
This also means that the effect of "sharp spell" is better!
"It seems that the next step is to find more metal witchcraft." Ryan thought to himself.
At this time, Ryan suddenly looked up and looked at the door of the training room.
A familiar graceful figure came into Ryan's sight.
It was Claire.
"As expected of someone who killed an epic warrior, Ryan, your perception is really sharp. You noticed it as soon as I came in." Claire teased with a smile.
However, Ryan could sense that there was a hint of fatigue on her beautiful face.
"Miss Claire, are you done?"
"Well, it's over for now. I just finished the aftermath of the injured and deceased guards. There are also problems with the entrances to the two tunnels in the garden. I just arranged for people to fill them up overnight."
"I also coordinated with the Griffin Squadron in the fishing port town. I hope they can increase the frequency of air patrols." Claire simply talked about what she had just handled.
Ryan nodded frequently.
Claire usually has to deal with a lot of trivial matters, especially after this battle, she is even busier.
Because Count Habsburg, the highest governor of Mayest, was seriously injured, Claire not only had to manage family affairs, but also had to take on the responsibility of managing the government affairs of the entire Mayest County.
Fortunately, Claire had been trained in government affairs since she was a child, so she was not too flustered when she took over.
"Ryan, you just experienced such a fierce battle today, don't you want to take a break? No wonder, Ryan, you can make such great progress in such a short time."
"Talent is a prerequisite, but your diligence is also beyond the reach of most people." Claire couldn't help but sigh.
Although she still had many doubts in her heart, such as the witchcraft that Ryan cast that could absorb souls, such as the witchcraft that Ryan cast that could absorb the vitality of his war pets to recover from injuries.
Where did Ryan learn all these?
No matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like the witchcraft that can be learned from the sword holder.
Maybe there is another adventure.
"Uh, this, thank you, Miss Claire, but I am not as diligent as you think." Ryan smiled.
"By the way, Ryan, you can just call me Claire from now on."
"And the mark on your body that His Highness Menia mentioned, do you feel uncomfortable?" Claire walked closer, glanced at Ryan with her beautiful eyes, and said with a slightly apologetic look.
"Don't worry, Claire. After I return to Munster, I will go to the Monsoon and the Goddess Church. I think it shouldn't be a big problem."
"Well, Ryan, because of your bravery, the Habsburg family survived. If it weren't for you, this time, not only my father, but I am afraid that I will also..."
"This is an excellent level breathing method. It is also the only excellent level breathing method collected besides the Habsburg family bloodline breathing method, the 'Fire Iguana Breathing Method'."
"I'm not asking you to change your breathing method. The price is too high and
it is very risky. I want you to take a look. Maybe with your outstanding knight talent, it will be inspiring." "If I had known that you had such a strong talent, I shouldn't have taught you the Giant Bear Breathing Method at that time. This is really a waste of your knight talent. I don't want the breathing method to become your shortcoming in entering the legend."
Claire said, taking out a light yellow parchment scroll from her arms and handed it to Ryan.
"This. Okay, thank you." Ryan thought about it and took the parchment scroll with the 'Fire Iguana Breathing Method'.
Ryan is no longer a rookie, so he naturally knows that there are many problems involved in changing the breathing method.
The biggest problem is that the body is already familiar with the original breathing method, and has taken the corresponding advanced potion to enter the extraordinary. At this time, changing again will involve adaptability issues. Those
who are lucky, or whose bodies can withstand such changes, can have a chance to start over after wasting a few years, but more often fail and their strength is greatly reduced.
However, for the excellent level of breathing methods, he had previously thought about looking for them in the Sword Bearer Branch for reference, but later he was delayed because of the exchange of witchcraft.
Unexpectedly, this time Claire prepared one for him.
In addition, when Ryan was still a child servant, Claire was very grateful that she could teach him the Giant Bear Breathing Method.
Moreover, it was relying on the Giant Bear Breathing Method that Ryan awakened two extraordinary characteristics, "Giant Strength" and "Iron Skin", with the help of the Iron Mane Bear King's "Giant Bear Palm" advanced potion.
It is also the predecessor of the current talents "Intermediate Giant Strength" and "Advanced Steel Body".
"Ryan, the moon is so beautiful tonight." At this time, Claire walked to the window of the training room and looked up at the night sky.
"It is indeed beautiful." Ryan suddenly realized that he had never looked at the moon carefully in this world for so long.
The moon in this world is bigger than that in the previous life, but it seems that due to the distance, there are no spots on the stars, so the moon is brighter.
Neither of them said much, but just looked at the night sky quietly.
The next morning, the dawn was just breaking.
Through the window, Ryan could see that the garden, which was full of potholes after the battle yesterday, had been leveled. Although flowers and shrubs had not yet been planted, the row of trees in the corner of the garden was still lush and green.
It must have rained a little in the second half of last night. At this moment, the leaves were still wet, and there were still water drops on the tips of the leaves. Under the morning light, they reflected a faint golden haze.
Ryan thought about it and came to the training room again. Originally, he wanted to test the effect of the advanced steel body last night.
But this idea was interrupted by Claire's sudden appearance.
As for the fire iguana breathing method, he planned to study it carefully later.
So, Ryan didn't eat breakfast and went to the training room alone.
With the metal transformation, the hardened adamantium in his hand quickly turned into a two-handed sword. At the same time, four-cornered darts appeared on the surface of the wide sword.
"Blade Storm!"
In an instant, Ryan held the two-handed sword and spun like a gyroscope. While the powerful whirlwind swept around, the four-cornered darts also spun at high speed, accompanied by strong airflow, impacting all directions!
"Ding! Ding! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
If you listen carefully, you can find that the sound of metal collision this time is much more intensive than when Ryan used the blade storm before.
The reason is that Ryan could only generate 70 or 80 four-cornered darts in a short period of time before. If you want more, you have to spend more time, which will cause obvious pauses in your moves.
This is quite fatal in battle.
Now, with the improvement of Ryan's affinity for metal elements, in the same period of time, the number of his four-cornered darts has reached about 120, stacked on the two-handed sword.
When the dust cleared, Ryan went forward to check.
Sure enough, this time, he found that there were 12 or 13 four-cornered darts on the iron and wooden dummies in the range of about 30 meters, and as few as 6 or 7 four-cornered darts.
From this perspective, his advanced secret skill, 'Blade Storm·Revised', is also the beneficiary of the 'Advanced Steel Body' talent.
The power has increased by about 20% to 30%.
"It just consumes more hardened gold!"
"It seems that it can only be used three times at most. For the fourth time, the hardened gold may not be enough." Ryan suddenly thought of a problem, and his face was a little ugly.
After thinking about it, Ryan didn't think of any particularly good way to make up for this shortcoming.
"However, in a battle, it is probably difficult to encounter such a situation where you have to use 'Blade Storm' three times in a row, right?"
In addition, for the talent 'Advanced Steel Body', its main purpose is naturally defense.
Ryan instantly transformed into a dagger and used 50% of his strength to scratch his arm. In an instant, there seemed to be a faint silver-gray halo on the surface of the skin, and there was not even a white mark left.
This immediately made Ryan happy.
"This level of defense strength seems to be much stronger than the original intermediate steel body."
Then, Ryan kept increasing the strength of each slash of the dagger.
In the end, he increased it to 100%, but it only left a white scratch on the skin, and it still didn't break.
This surprised and delighted Ryan.
After thinking about it, Ryan began to apply the "Sharpness Technique" to the dagger, and gradually increased the strength of the dagger again.
This time, the hardened adamantine dagger only slightly scratched the skin under the blessing of the "Sharpness Technique" and 70% of the strength.
"It seems that if measured by 'degrees', the defense of my 'high-grade steel body' is about 15 to 20 degrees. The specifics will be known after returning to the Sword Bearer Division for testing."
"However, generally speaking, even if an ordinary great knight activates the limit-breaking ability, it is probably difficult for him to hurt me."
"I just don't know if the defense will change when facing witchcraft attacks?"
"If I face energy attacks and have the current strength of defense, then I can basically ignore entry-level attacks such as witchcraft."
Thinking of this, Ryan's eyes lit up!
After testing the impact of his talent 'high-grade steel body' on his own combat effectiveness, Ryan returned to his room.
After a short rest, he opened the parchment scroll that Claire gave him last night, which recorded the 'Fire Iguana Breathing Method'.
(End of this chapter)
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