Secret: The undead do not die in the fire

Chapter 180 Klein Goes to Sea

Because the confidentiality level was too high, Alfred couldn't even return home, let alone leak any relevant secrets.

The only reason we can say this now is because the confidentiality level has been lowered, otherwise Alfred would not have been released. As for the reason why the confidentiality level was lowered, it was undoubtedly because of the death of George III.

Like the disappearance of finances, the loss of a demigod would cause fundamental problems for the kingdom.

The reason why the royal family released this information to the nobles was the same as the financial reason, they still wanted the nobles to help the royal family fill this hole!

Hibbert was silent for a long time, then sighed softly:
"The royal family has a good plan. It's obvious that we have to pay for what they did."

Earl Hall took a deep look at Hibbert and said pointedly:

“This may not be a bad thing for us.”

Hibbert was stunned for a moment, but Audrey instantly understood Earl Hall's subtext -

Those three vacant demigod positions!

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

But now that they have released the news and need the help of the nobles to fill the gap, it means that the royal family has given up on the candidates for the three demigod positions. In other words, these three demigods will be selected from the nobles! Of course, how many of them will be selected from the nobles depends on the results of the negotiations between the nobles and the royal family, and how much concessions the royal family is willing to make on this.

Hibbert finally came to his senses and asked hesitantly:

"Will the royal family be willing to do so?"

In the past, even if the nobles wanted to train Beyonders, they had to pay protection fees to the royal family, and all potion formulas could only be purchased from the royal family. And even if they purchased potion formulas, the highest level was only Sequence 5. As for potion formulas above Sequence 4, the royal family never provided potion formulas, only finished products.

This means that most of the existing saints in the Kingdom of Loen are from the royal family or are loyal to the royal family!

Now that three vacancies have been released at once, it is undoubtedly a huge concession for the royal family. However, given that the royal family has always been strict on the nobles, Hibbert is somewhat skeptical of the royal family's intentions.

Earl Hall chuckled and said:
"The royal family has no choice. These three demigods can only come from among the nobles. This is the price of the deal."

The price the royal family paid was to give up on the number of demigods, and the nobles had to pay a huge price to fill the hole created by the royal family. This hole was so big that most nobles would go bankrupt and still not be able to fill it, but in order to allow the family to have a demigod, the nobles would definitely be happy to do it!

Just like Earl Hall, even though he knew that this was a hot potato, that it was a sugar-coated bullet from the royal family and poison filled with honey, he had to take it and even eat it.

After all, you only get one chance.

Audrey pretended to hesitate for a moment and whispered:

"But, there are only three places, which is not enough, right?"

The nobility is not the royal family and is not a monolithic entity.

There were hundreds or thousands of nobles sharing three places, which was obviously not enough.

This will inevitably lead to uneven distribution and even further trigger infighting among the nobles.

Hearing Audrey's concerns, Earl Hall did not seem to be worried. Instead, he smiled and said:
"Audrey, you have to know that many people don't have the qualifications. Any demigod position requires at least one Sequence 5 Beyonder to challenge this position. And most nobles can't even cultivate a Sequence 7 Beyonder. Demigod is too far away and meaningless to them."

"So we can give other compensations to these people, such as mid-Sequence potion formulas. As for the nobles who are also qualified to compete for these three places, we can also exchange them with Sequence 4 potion formulas."

The formula for a Sequence 4 potion is extremely precious, and its preciousness lies in its rarity.

But in a sense, it is not expensive or precious, because its copying cost is extremely low, and you can just find a piece of paper and write it down with a pen. If your memory is good enough, you don’t even need paper and pen, you only need to read it twice to remember it firmly in your mind.

The royal family only needs to come up with a sequence 4 potion formula to meet the needs of most nobles.

They don't need to rush to compete for the three places, because as long as they have the potion formula in hand, they can cultivate it slowly on their own.

This is enough to satisfy the needs of most nobles. Many people are not greedy.

The main reason is that they also know that they are not qualified and cannot be forced.

Yu Jin suddenly asked:

"Who do these three places belong to?"

He knew very well that Earl Hall was not a man who could not keep his mouth shut. If the matter had not been concluded, he would not reveal any information even to his family. But since he spoke out so readily, it meant that the matter had actually been decided, at least it had been decided internally.

Earl Hall smiled slightly and pointed at Alfred.
"Alfred was originally one of the candidates, and the Hall family will definitely take one spot. Of the remaining two spots, Prime Minister Agusid and Duke Negan's family will take one. The remaining spot will be reserved for other nobles."

Audrey was not surprised by the first two spots, but she still asked curiously:

"Which nobles are eligible to compete for the last spot?"

Earl Hall hesitated for two seconds and said:

"The number is not large, but not small either. Marquis Lotson, Earl Gross, and Earl Levitt all have a chance, but the possibility of them winning is not great."

Lord Hall shook his head, evidently giving up hope.

Hibbert was puzzled:

"Why doesn't Marquis Lotson have any chance? His family is obviously as old as Duke Negan's family..."

Lord Hall explained simply:

"Because they are all believers of the goddess. As for Earl Levitt, he is not only a believer of the goddess, but the Levitt family already has a demigod. According to convention, they must give up even if there is another chance in the future."

Earl Levitt was not an old noble, but just like the Hall family, he had only made his fortune in the last few hundred years. In terms of financial resources, Earl Hall was far ahead of the rest, so he was qualified to make deals and give advice to Duke Negan, Prime Minister Agusid, and even His Majesty the King.

Count Levitt was an ordinary noble. In a few generations, they might even decline. But because the Levitt family had a demigod, the family has now become one of the top nobles in the Kingdom of Loen!

And this demigod is none other than Admiral Amyrius Levitt, the supreme commander of the Central Sonia Navy.

Thanks to this demigod, Amyrius Levitt's brother, Auston Levitt, is now the governor of Oravi. In the words of Emperor Roselle, this is a typical case of 'one man's success brings prosperity to the whole family'!
And with the influence of the Hall family, once a demigod is born, the future will definitely be more glorious than that of the Levitt family!
Hibbert asked thoughtfully:

"In other words, the remaining spot will be given to the followers of the Steam Church?"

"Yes." Earl Hall nodded slightly. The three major churches must maintain balance, and their believers must also maintain balance. Since the Hall family who believes in the goddess and the Nigan family who believes in the Lord of Storms each have one quota, the third quota will be given to the nobles who believe in the God of Steam and Machinery by default.

Earl Hall said with some emotion:
"If Alfred had not happened to have Sequence 5 strength and had not been selected as one of the candidates by the royal family in advance, we might not have been able to secure a spot. And the reason why Alfred was selected as a candidate was largely because we were not qualified to compete."

The Hall family had been passed down for hundreds of years, but it was far from the oldest among the nobles, and its heritage was not rich. Aside from Alfred, the highest level of Beyonders cultivated by the family was only Sequence 7. Therefore, the Hall family did not have the deep-rooted foundation and strength that other nobles had.

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

Before George III's accident, the royal family had always wanted to keep the newly trained demigods in their own hands, so Alfred Hall, a young man with a deep foundation but extraordinary talent, successfully stood out.

Although the quota has been exchanged now, the candidates who have been selected will definitely have "priority". This means that the Hall family has obtained the support of both the nobles and the royal family, and has secured a quota.

Hibbert raised his glass and said jokingly with envy:

"Then congratulations in advance, Demigod Alfred."

Seeing that Alfred had already obtained the ticket to Sequence 4, while he had just become a Beyonder, it would be a lie to say that he was not envious. But it was just envy. Hibbert was not jealous. After all, he would not be able to use this ticket even if he was given it.

Moreover, Hibbert did not think that he had no chance of becoming a Sequence 4 in the future.

With the help of the role-playing method, the risk of losing control was reduced to the lowest. And with the financial support of the Hall family, the extraordinary materials and potion formulas needed for his promotion were not a problem. It was only a matter of time before he became a mid-sequence extraordinary person. As for the high-sequence, it would require some luck. After all, he did not take the "arbitrator" path, and the potion formulas in the hands of the royal family were useless to him.

Alfred smiled and raised his glass in return, saying modestly:
"It's still early, Hibbert. It won't be too late to congratulate you when I actually advance to Sequence 4."

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

Earl Hall was in a good mood. Although the fiscal deficit still gave him some headaches, he was not the only one who had to make sacrifices for the financial crisis. However, the benefits of becoming a demigod were real.

Let's take a step back and say that even if all the nobles combined cannot fill the financial hole, aren't there still wealthy businessmen?

These wealthy businessmen would certainly not mind making some insignificant contributions to the kingdom.

Alfred shook the glass gently and suddenly asked curiously:
"Ash, which path of Beyonder are you from? What's your sequence?"

He had heard about Embers from his father and knew that he was a Night Watcher of the Church of Night and of high status.

Yu Jin thought for a moment and said seriously:
"Apprentice Path, Sequence 6 'Records Officer'."

Audrey lowered her head silently and complained quietly in her heart:

Can a Sequence 6 break into the palace and kill George III, a Sequence 1 angel? Do you believe this?
Alfred recalled for a while and said with emotion:
"Apprentice path? Very good ability. To be honest, I'm beginning to regret choosing the arbitrator path..."

Audrey suddenly stood up, blinked and said:

"Hibbert, don't you and Dad have something to talk about? Ash and I are leaving for a while."

"what?"

Alfred was interrupted and didn't react for a while, but Hibbert showed a somewhat teasing smile.

Looking at the aunt's smile on his mother's face again, Alfred finally reacted, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he watched Audrey leave with Yu Jin.

It's great to be young.

As he was sighing, Earl Hall suddenly said:
“Alfred, you will have to stay in Backlund for a long time when you come back this time. You also know the daughter of Marquis Lotson. Find a chance to meet her.”

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

"Father, I'm still young. You should be more concerned about Hibbert..."

Hibbert, who was secretly laughing, suddenly stopped laughing and said with a dry cough:

"Father, you know me well. My career is the most important thing to me now..."

Lady Catelyn said without hesitation:

"Love will not interfere with career!"

"Your mother is right."

Earl Hall nodded slightly, agreeing with his wife's words. Then he turned his eyes to his two sons, and said directly in a calm voice with an air of not allowing any arguments:

"The New Year has just passed. Before they follow their parents back to their fiefdom, you should go get to know them in the next few days. If you like them, bring them back to meet you. As older brothers, you can't let Audrey go ahead of you, right? It's decided!"

Amid the bitter expressions of the two brothers, Earl Hall issued an ultimatum.

On the side, the big golden retriever Susie was squatting on the ground, wagging her tail and watching the family's situational drama with curiosity.

At the same time, in the next room.

Audrey closed the door and whispered:
"Yu Jin, is there any conspiracy from the royal family?"

Yu Jin 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 is not only to give the nobles some benefits and let the nobles take the initiative to help them cover up some things, but also to divert the attention of the three major churches, making it easier for them to carry out some secret actions."

"But precisely because of this, it is unlikely that the royal family will tamper with the positions of these three demigods."

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

The three major churches are watching, and if you make any small moves again, there will be no way to stop it.

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

The best-case scenario is that the nobles successfully give birth to three demigods, and the matter is forgotten and never mentioned again.

Audrey pursed her lips and nodded.

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

Hope everything goes well.

(End of this chapter)