Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 652 Turmoil and Negotiation

"That's good." Luo Xiu nodded.

Having been ambushed by a joint assassination attempt by the "Serpent's Candle" secret order and the "Mutual Aid Society" assassin organization, Luo Xiu knew that Duke Harkas was behind it, but it would be a waste not to make a big deal out of it—he wanted to use this to squeeze money out of the "Supreme"!

Incidentally, this also provides a more reasonable cover for his future public visit to the "Holy Court"—indeed, the Holy Ones are safest in the "Holy Court," and even the quasi-cardinal "Rossi Carlos" is no exception!
Hubert then turned and left. There was another room in the lakeside villa, which Luo Xiu left for Hubert to live in, and which Hubert also used as a temporary office.

He had already roughly drafted the contents of the complaint letter in his mind, and after receiving instructions from Luo Xiu, he returned to his room and began to write it.

Luo Xiu then returned to his room. He was indeed feeling quite tired. After lying down on the soft bed and covering himself with the silky velvet quilt, drowsiness gradually washed over him like a rising tide.

In just half a day since I checked into Austin Manor, a lot has happened.

Hayek was discovered and captured; a secret trip to the "Holy Court" was made to exchange information with Franya and Monine about the Fallen Saint; a corner of Duke Hakkas's conspiracy was discovered; an attack was encountered by the "Serpent Candle" secret order and the "Mutual Aid Society" assassin organization... It was truly an eventful night.

Moreover, it is foreseeable that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow may not be as peaceful as today.

Luo Xiu's plan was to rest well now. Only after recovering his energy could he consider anything else.

Feeling increasingly sleepy, Luo Xiu gradually closed his eyes.

Unless there is a spiritual perception or an unusual spiritual reaction in the surroundings, nothing can stop Luo Xiu from getting a good night's sleep.

Soon, he drifted off to sleep, his consciousness entering the realm of dreams.

……

This was certainly not a peaceful and tranquil night.

After Luo Xiu fell asleep, Hubbard was still working at his desk. Actually, writing the complaint letter for Luo Xiu was a secondary task; most of his work involved handling the various matters that had accumulated for Luo Xiu over the past half-day.

Although Hubert had gotten used to these things, dealing with these trivial and complicated tasks always made him feel exhausted—a deep mental exhaustion that always left him with a mysterious sense of doubt: "I became the Saint of [Radiance] just to do this?"

He didn't complain much, though he occasionally muttered a few words to himself. But he'd have to stay up late again tonight—he probably wouldn't be able to sleep until sunrise.

But because he had to stay up late, Hubbard also noticed some changes—

The news of the assassination attempt on "Acting Cardinal" Rosius Carlos by heretics has indeed drawn considerable attention from Austin Manor. When Huber occasionally came out to the courtyard for some fresh air, he saw that a number of superhumans had gathered around the Lakeside Villa; they were all "guards" hired by Austin Manor.

Those were all "Forest Rangers" of the [Bitter Tea] destiny, but instead of wearing the iconic dark green clothing, they were dressed in normal Imperial mercenary armor, patrolling the surroundings in an organized and disciplined manner.

Among them were three Saints who had reached the "Fivefold Destiny" level, making them the most powerful mercenary guards that Austin Manor could temporarily muster. As an industry focused on profit rather than military purposes, Austin Manor's ability to recruit Saints in such a short time was quite remarkable, as Hubbard knew.

This was only a glimpse of what Hubbard saw inside Austin Estate.

……

Within the entire imperial capital—the entire city of Augustus—

The secret order issued from Duke Harkas's residence has stirred up undercurrents within the Imperial Palace.

Tonight, on every street corner of the capital, many figures that are never seen on ordinary days have appeared—high knights in black armor, judges with ferocious expressions, enforcers wielding crimson swords, unknown superhumans in black robes, and so on.

They acted on the orders of the Duke of Hakkas—tonight for a shared mission: to investigate the whereabouts of one of the Duke of Hakkas's "missing messengers" and to find the infidels who attacked the carriage carrying the messenger.

Although none of those involved knew why the esteemed Duke of Harkas would go to such lengths for a mere "messenger," their positions made it clear that they shouldn't ask questions they shouldn't ask, and that they only needed to faithfully carry out the orders given to them.

then.

On the streets of the inner city of Augustus, gates were violently smashed open, and suspects who had been fast asleep were awakened, dragged from their beds, and sent to prison vans.

Most of them were nobles, but a considerable number belonged to the faction of other "Red Crown Princes" who had political differences with the Duke of Harkas, rather than to the Duke of Harkas's faction.

Duke Harkas, therefore, was the first to suspect them.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Duke Harkas launched a swift and powerful crackdown on them—no matter how much they protested or struggled, the High Knights simply and ruthlessly dragged them into steel cages, as if imprisoning untamed wild beasts.

Yesterday's nobles are today's prisoners. Despite the cries of alarm, roars, and wails that echoed through the streets, the high knights in their cold armor still suppressed the nobles, forced them into submission, and put heavy shackles on their heads.

Under the supreme divine authority, they cannot defy the will of the supreme being. Tonight, no one can defy the will of a raging "Red Crown Prince".

But the nobles who suffered were not the only ones to be afflicted.

One after another, heretical strongholds that had been identified but left unpunished were raided and wiped out by the Supreme Judges. Within a fifty-mile radius of the area where Count Hayek disappeared, at least six heretical strongholds vanished forever into the ground in a single night.

No one knew what the enraged Duke of Huccasville was looking for, or what he was trying to discover.

All people know is that the duke's anger turned into a sea of ​​blood that flowed all night.

When people woke up the next day, they would only see dozens of corpses on the streets and more than a dozen houses completely burned to the ground.

This will cause turbulence.

However, the turmoil will soon subside, and the order of the capital will not be affected in any way.

This is the "Supreme," a "Red-Crowned Prince" with seven destinies, who "oversees" and "dominates" people without resistance and who must obey. This is the "divine right" bestowed by the Supreme Heaven!
……

The next day.

When Luo Xiu was awakened from his sleep early, he heard a series of hurried and flustered footsteps outside the window.

In fact, Luo Xiu was a very light sleeper; the slightest noise would wake him up. The noise outside the window must have come from the courtyard of the Lakeside Villa, indicating that someone had arrived, causing some panic among the manor's servants.

"Um……"

Luo Xiu got up from the bed, took the cardinal's robe from a clothes rack that was as tall as a person, straightened the robe, tidied his appearance, and walked out of the room.

The moment he opened the door, he felt an overwhelming aura emanating from it—

It was an extremely hot and scalding surge of spiritual energy, at the same level as Luo Xiu's level, and it also originated from a Saint who had entered the "Sevenfold Destiny" stage!
"It seems you slept quite well last night, Lord Luo Xiu."

A majestic voice emanated from the high knight before Luo Xiu, a figure exuding an aura of authority. This was an old acquaintance of Luo Xiu's—none other than "The Spear of Heavenly Law," Asriel!
He was the source of the panic among the servants outside just now—a "Pillar Knight" of the seventh level of imperial destiny had suddenly appeared, but the manor had not received any prior notice and had not held any grand welcoming ceremony for the Pillar Knight. If it were a Pillar Knight with a slightly worse temper, perhaps the punishment would have already descended with his anger!
The manor's servants had no idea why a "Knight of the Sky Pillar" had suddenly arrived at Austin Manor. They could only instinctively guess at the worst possible outcome, which naturally sent shivers down their spines.

Luo Xiu's gaze had already passed past Asleil's side and looked behind him, where there were several servants with frightened and flustered expressions, as well as another familiar face, the Second Minister of the Military Affairs Department, Lagron.

Upon seeing Asleil and Lagron arrive, Rosh knew their purpose.

"Good morning, Lord Asrell." Luo Xiu greeted Asrell with a smile.

"The light guides you, allowing us to meet here."

“I have received the complaint that your saint sent me in the early hours of the morning.”

As Asleil spoke, he turned his head slightly and glanced at Lagrand, the Second Minister of Military Affairs, whose face was filled with bitterness. He never expected that his previous arrangements to curry favor with Luo Xiu would lead to disaster.

"Last night, you went to the Royal Opera House to attend the premiere of the opera 'Triumphal Triumph'—afterwards, on your way back to Auston Manor, your driver was attacked by a soul-stealing spell that took you to the outskirts of Augustus City, where you were attacked by 'Serpent Candle' and 'The Mutual Aid'."

Asleil's expression was serious. He was also shocked when he first received the news—the Supreme Being was now plotting against the Holy Court's authority. Luo Xiu was supposed to be sent back to Red Maple City intact after the Emperor's investiture, so that Luo Xiu would not affect their plans.

But now Luo Xiu has encountered such a terrible incident, which is equivalent to pushing Luo Xiu heavily towards the "Holy Court" again. Asleil knows that whether this attack was carried out spontaneously by heretics or was secretly instigated by someone, it will affect the original plan of the [Supreme].

This is not what Asriel wants to see, and what Asriel wants to do is not what Emperor Augustusville wants to see either—

"Yes."

Luo Xiu nodded slightly and said:
“I have reason to suspect that it was an assassination attempt orchestrated by certain individuals within the Supreme Being to eliminate any potential trouble I might cause them.”

"Although the enemies I encountered... ha, were just a group of weak heretics. I had already dealt with half of them on the spot, and the other half escaped. I did not pursue them at the time because the coachman who was afflicted with 'Soul Stealing' was still unconscious."

“I have no intention of making a big deal out of this, but the Supreme One needs to show me its stance. And, if there is a next time, Lord Asrell, perhaps I will need to seriously consider what I promised you before.”

That refers to Luo Xiu's tacit agreement to "not intervene in the Supreme Being's scheme to control the Holy Court."

"...Judging heretics is essentially the duty of the 'Holy Court,' which is also essentially your duty, Lord Rosh."

After a moment's thought, Asriel said to Luo Xiu:
"However, it is true. On the eve of your arrival in the capital and receiving the Emperor's conferment of titles, these so-called 'duties' had nothing to do with you. It was the saints of the Holy Court who failed to fulfill their sacred obligations. Of course, we also failed to detect these secret schemes in advance."

“Alright, Luo Xiu. I will have Lagrange arrange better and safer accommodations for you within the palace. Also, I will arrange for four ‘Heavenly Knights’ to guard your residence to ensure that no suspicious person can get close to it, thus maximizing your safety.”

"What do you think, Luo Xiu?"

"..."

To be honest, Luo Xiu didn't accept a single one of what Asleil said.

This is no different from house arrest; it's just a way to trick someone into going to the palace to be monitored—but Asleil says it's for his own good, which is indeed in the style of the "Supreme."

“I live here, at Austin Estate, Your Excellency Aslair.”

Luo Xiu said to Asleil:
"The living experience here is actually quite good. What I need is a substantial attitude, not the 'surveillance' hidden within it."

“I demand that you investigate who orchestrated this attack on me. And, if necessary, I will conduct the investigation myself and have my fellow members of the Holy Court assist me in the investigation—as a saint of the Holy Court, I believe that only the Holy Court is truly safe.”

“As my saint told you, this is my ‘natural right’—Lord Asrell. You must first respect us, and then I can properly fulfill our previous agreement.”

"..."

"…whispering sound."

Asleil's face visibly darkened.

He had sensed that Luo Xiu was beginning to slip out of their control—this was bad, but given what had happened the night before, it was a reasonable demand.

Now, he really needs to reconsider how to maintain the separation between Luo Xiu and the "Holy Court" under the influence of this incident. But now, Luo Xiu has said he will go to the Holy Court on his own initiative, and Asreil can no longer stop him.

"Do as you please, Luo Xiu."

Asleil said, "I will send people to investigate the motives of 'Snake Candle' and 'Mutual Aid Society' in assassinating you. If it is indeed a plot against you, I will give you an explanation."

After saying that, Asleil turned and left.

Accompanied by Lagrand and the manor's servants, they left Lakeside Villa and Austin Estate.

……

Asleil is gone.

The complaints against them were effective—although Asleil, representing the "Supreme," couldn't actually offer much material compensation, Luo Xiu's main goal was to gain the right to negotiate with the "Supreme."

This is where my advantage lies—in a power struggle, the result of which is that whatever I do afterward has its legitimacy and rationality.

Whether he went to the Holy Court on his own initiative, or openly launched an investigation or even took action against some of the "Supreme" beings, there was a rationale behind it all, and the "Supreme" beings could no longer interfere too much!

This is what Luo Xiu wanted.

……

After Asleil left, Luo Xiu waited until Hubert returned from the palace city before heading to the imperial city. He wandered around for a while before returning in the evening.

There are no other important arrangements for today. The only arrangement is that around evening, Frania and Monigne will send a saint to Austin Manor, and I will go to the Holy See under the pretext of "mourning Pope Laurent".

Luo Xiu anticipated that Franya and Monine should now be ready for the "Divine Revelation" ceremony.

When Luo Xiu returned to Austin Manor and the courtyard of Lakeside Villa, he indeed saw two saints dressed in the robes of the Holy Court's "Archbishop".

"Greetings to you, may you be forever bathed in holy light, Cardinal Rosh Carlos."

The archbishops offered sacraments to Rossi and said:
"In the name of Her Highness 'Saintess of the Heavens' Franya and Lord Monine, 'Sword of the Holy One', we invite you to the 'Holy Court' to conduct the final memorial service for the 'Holy Court's' sacred and sublime martyr, the holy and immaculate Pope Lorend Meyering."

"..."

"I understand."

Luo Xiu nodded slightly.

"Let's go."

……

(End of this chapter)