Who taught him to restore the country like this

Chapter 243 Why did they come looking for us?
The power struggle among the heirs of the Star Empire was not depicted in much detail in the original work.

After all, these people have been competing for two years.

Yes, it sounds absurd that a vast empire could survive for two years without an emperor.

The biggest contributor to this outcome was the third prince, Edith, who had been trying his best to maintain a balance of power among the heirs, helping whoever was weaker.

I don't know what he was thinking. You could say he's stupid, but he's also able to play both sides, maintain a balance, and even deduce the conditions for the inheritance of power.

He was clever enough to keep this stalemate, which was very detrimental to the empire, going on for two years or even longer.

If it weren't for Princess Kana breaking the deadlock, this struggle for the crown prince might never have ended.

All I can say is that they were born in a good era.

Protected by the rules of the War of Gods and supervised by the three major papal courts, the Bruveman Empire dared not openly attack the Star Empire.

Otherwise, the Star Empire would have been destroyed several times over in just two years.

"You suspect that person inherited the power of [Balance]?"

In the restaurant, Ron still found Edith's story quite fascinating.

Players will not participate in the Star Empire's storyline until a year later, when the power struggle among these successors will reach its final stage.

Players who participate only learn about the general relationships between a few NPCs, and remain unaware of many of the hidden details.

The power struggle among these individuals is not the main plot of the Star Empire arc; the main plot lies in the divine kingdom controlled by the Star Empire.

Therefore, Ron is quite interested in gossip about illegitimate children.

After all, this is a plot point not described in the original work.

"Ah."

Edith nodded.

Aside from the [Balance] power, he couldn't think of any other way to make a third-tier unit contend with a sixth-tier unit.

Where is this person now?

Ron asked.

Since Edith brought it up as a clue, it means that this person must still be alive.

"I am not sure."

Edith shook her head.

"He was not used to life in the palace, and left after staying there for a while."

"You didn't pay attention to him?"

This is unlike Edith's style.

It's possible that the other heirs didn't pay attention to the illegitimate child, since the old emperor never revealed his identity and none of them knew about it.

But Edith...

He even pays special attention to his sister, Sikhana, who has no right to inherit the throne.

Would he not keep an eye on the movements of his illegitimate brother who allowed the old emperor to pass on his power ahead of schedule?

Edith smiled helplessly at Ron's questioning.

“I also wanted to keep an eye on him, but he had already left after I came out of the Kingdom of God.”

That person left when his successors entered the divine kingdom for trials.

They left under the protection of their father, the emperor.

Coupled with his mediocre talent and performance, very few people paid attention to him.

No one cared about that person's departure except for him.

He had previously sent people to secretly investigate the origins of this human mercenary, only to discover that the man's name and identity were all fabricated.

Even their appearance might be fake.

So after the other person left, he didn't spend too much effort looking for their whereabouts.

After all, the world is so big, how easy is it to find someone in the vast sea of ​​people who doesn't have any outstanding qualities?
“You can keep an eye on this person; I suspect he can still use the power of the [Balance] ability.”

Edith said.

This is not a baseless speculation.

The moment he discovered that the person might possess the power of "Balance," he went to his father to confirm it.

At that time, the power of "balance" still rested with the emperor.

This proves that the power of "balance" can exist in two people simultaneously.

Other powers might be difficult to understand. But the power of "balance," which has the ability to divide, is not difficult to comprehend.

Ron agreed with Edith's point of view.

If we can find this person, we might be able to directly remove the effect of the balancing power on the Mermaid's Heart.

only……

You don't even know where the person went? How am I supposed to look for them?
Ron looked at Edith, somewhat speechless.

There are plenty of mercenaries in their twenties with third-tier strength. This person has voluntarily given up their noble status and has no sense of belonging to the Star Empire, so identification is useless.

"I heard you've been dealing with the Rose Mercenary Group and the Silver Blade Mercenary Group lately. You should pay more attention to the people around you; perhaps that person is right next to you."

Edith said with a smile.

The clue he provided was only meant to serve as a warning.

This serves as a warning to the brave: there exists such a person.

If this is indeed the person targeting the hero, then he must have had contact with the hero.

"I'll keep an eye out."

Ron nodded in agreement.

"You can also inform that hero named Ron, since he's targeting heroes, though it's hard to say which generation of hero it is."

Edith reminded her with a smile.

"Within five days, I will help you obtain the consent of all the heirs."

After saying that, he raised his hand, indicating that Ron should do as he pleased.

"Then I'll go back and wait for good news."

Ron bowed and turned to leave the restaurant.

The guards at the gate immediately and respectfully led him toward the main gate.

A carriage was already prepared in front of the gate.

It seems Edith didn't really intend for him to stay overnight.

Once seated in the carriage, Ron closed his eyes to rest, pondering Edith's earlier reminder.

Judging by the timeline, the Mermaid Heart was affected perhaps before the appearance of the hero Beretta.

Thinking about it this way, the person behind this is very likely targeting the fourth-generation hero, Ron.

Who did the fourth generation of heroes offend?
Hmm... or should we ask who the fourth generation hero has offended?

The scope is too broad.

However, if we're talking about someone who might possess the power of "balance," he does have someone in mind.

That person was also a mercenary, in his twenties, and usually displayed the strength of a third-tier soldier.

But whenever he faces a powerful enemy, he can use a higher level of martial arts.

Ron always thought this person was hiding his true abilities; after all, as a mercenary who lives on the edge of a knife, hiding one's true abilities is necessary.

Moreover, this person's talent is not bad. Although his level is a bit low, it is not too surprising that he has learned fifth and sixth-level skills.

"Could it really be that guy?"

The more Ron thought about it, the more he felt that the guy fit the description of the [Balance] power.

There isn't really any major animosity between them, is there?

Ron was thinking.

The carriage, which was moving at high speed, suddenly came to an abrupt stop, and his body, due to inertia, directly smashed open the carriage door.

It was dusk, and the light in the mountains was dim.

Ron's heart sank even further.

As they rushed out of the carriage, all they could see was a bottomless cliff.

The horses pulling the carriage were already hanging in mid-air above the cliff.

The guard driving the carriage had a sinister glint in his eyes, gripped the reins tightly, and stared intently ahead, as if he still wanted to make a final effort.

Drive the carriage off the cliff!
Ron could tell at a glance that the guard was being manipulated.

Damn it, is this never going to end?

The Sword of Heroes is no longer with me, yet you come looking for me!

Ron cursed inwardly, but his body was lifted up by a surge of wind elemental magic and returned to the ground.

The carriage was also towed back.

"Thank you."

Ron looked at the shadows beside him and thanked them.

"Your vigilance is too weak."

From the shadows, Chris, wearing a mask, slowly emerged.

It was he who intervened just now, stopping the carriage and saving Ron from his invincible time during a level-up.

Not everyone is as friendly as I am.

He stared at Ron's somewhat embarrassed expression and said.

This isn't self-praise, but rather a criticism of Ron's lack of common sense.

That boy is incredibly naive. He already noticed it last time.

The young man dared to lead him to a place far away from Bai Dou to discuss cooperation, without ever considering that he would kill him to silence him.

This time too.

If he hadn't been secretly observing his movements, the dim-witted boy would probably have died before the cooperation even began.

"I'll be more careful next time."

Ron gave an awkward smile.

We have indeed let our guard down a bit during this period.

The main reason is that I didn't expect that after shaking off that group of suspicious people and coming alone, Mermaid Heart would still follow me like a simp.

However, after this little incident, it can be basically confirmed.

The Mermaid's Heart is specifically designed to target the hero Beretta!
It seems I still need to have a bodyguard by my side, otherwise even a small fry like this could waste my chance to level up.

Ron felt a little regretful for not bringing either Karina or Ganggi along.

"Are you going to kill him?"

Chris looked at the guard who had fallen into a coma in the carriage.

"Need not."

Ron shook his head.

He wouldn't be able to explain killing this guard to the Third Prince.

Chris didn't say anything more after hearing this.

"What does the Third Prince of the Star Empire want with you?"

he asked.

"It was nothing. They just asked me if I had joined the Second Prince's camp and then said they would get the consent of all the heirs for me."

Ron said.

Upon hearing this, Chris frowned.

"Did he find out what happened last night?"

"I think so. Are you confident you can seize the power under the supervision of the Star Empire's heirs?"

"If I had that ability, would I still be cooperating with you?"

Chris glared at Ron.

If it's just a matter of checking powers, then the Third Prince's move is a good thing.

But their goal is to steal power.

Originally, it was just Bai Dou alone, so it was relatively easy to deal with.

Now he has to deal with more than just Bai Dou, an eighth-level expert.

After all, it is an inspection authority. Even if the heirs of the Star Empire cannot be present in person, they will send their trusted confidants to supervise.

He can't handle so many people.

Should we give up this opportunity and wait for the next one?
I'm afraid there won't be another chance.

Chris stared at Ron.

"Would you like to learn my spatial teleportation ability?"

After a moment of deep thought, he asked.

"You want to teach me?"

Ron was surprised.

I was truly surprised.

Did the Bruwerman Empire grant him such a large amount of power?
It's important to know that the "Boundary Leap" skill is a treasure that the Bruveman Empire collected from the Divine Kingdom.

Its practicality is even higher than the Star Shift technique that the Grey and White Magic Houses found at the Demon God Altar.

While the "Stars Shift" can't pass through walls, this thing can.

It can even be used as a killing move.

"You'll stay by my side for the next few days, and I'll teach you this skill."

Chris said.

He was naturally unwilling to teach this skill to Ron.

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; without doing this, he alone has no way to take away the power.

Although Bruveman had obtained the structural diagrams of the secret passage, they were not comprehensive.

Chris had entered that secret passage several times, but each time he couldn't get deep enough. There were too many traps inside, and he only had one chance. Once he triggered a trap, he would no longer be able to steal the power through that secret passage.

Now he has no chance this time either.

Without Ron's proposed cooperation, this mission would have been virtually impossible.

Therefore, he must seize this opportunity to examine Ron's powers.

When he arrived, the royal family of the Bruwerman Empire had given him instructions: as long as he could obtain power, he could do whatever it took.

Now he's teaching Ron "Leap of Faith" for this last chance.

Once Ron learns the landmark jump technique—not necessarily to a high degree, just the basics—he can remotely teleport Ron out using two-way landmarks.

This saves him the trouble of personally entering the barrier and waiting for the ten-minute cooldown.

"The Third Prince only promised five days. Can he really learn it in such a short time?"

Ron asked.

At level 49, learning an eighth-tier skill would normally take more than five days, perhaps even five years.

"Don't worry about it, I have a way to teach you."

Chris said.

"That's fine."

Ron readily agreed.

He knew the other person wasn't bragging.

As a major research power, the Bruveman Empire possesses complementary authority, making it easy for people to learn advanced skills in a short period of time.

Of course, there are bound to be side effects.

But that's not something he should be concerned about. As long as it's not enslavement or shackles, all kinds of problems can be solved in the reputation shop.

Besides, this is just a pseudonym. In another month or two, he will switch back to his main account, Ron Rhine. The pseudonym will only be used when he is escaping.

When the alternate account is about to burn out, just cancel it.

Whether he would be killed to silence him after learning this skill was not within his consideration.

Chris first needs to have that opportunity.

"But you'll have to wait until I finish taking care of things here first."

Ron looked at the Third Prince's guards in the carriage.

He can't afford to become a person who has lost credibility now.

"Come with me, I'll take you back."

"Thank you."

Ron returned to the carriage, threw the unconscious guard into it, and took the reins.

"drive."

The carriage followed behind Chris.

The guards had driven the carriage somewhere, and with no one to guide it, it would be difficult to find our way out of this vast mountain forest.

……

Night falls and the full moon hangs high in the sky.

The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the gate of the forging craft park.

"Hero, what is this?"

In the reception room, Rumba heard from the servants that the hero had returned and immediately came to greet him, only to find Ron looking disheveled.

My heart jumped into my throat.

"The Third Prince attacked you?"

Rumba sat down opposite Ron and asked in a low voice.

"It wasn't the Third Prince; he was attacked by the Demon Clan."

"Demon?"

Ron explained the unexpected situation he encountered on the road to Rumba.

Chris's intervention turned into a timely intervention that narrowly saved his life.

Lumba listened with skepticism.

It wasn't that I doubted Ron's words, but rather whether this guard was truly being controlled by the demons.

"Does the Third Prince know about the secret passage?"

Lumba asked nervously.

Is that even a question?
They've come with the little princess's sword, which is basically telling you: I know all about your dealings with the little princess.

The third prince was good at observation from a young age, and there was basically nothing that could escape his eyes.

However, the Hewitt family need not worry, because in order to maintain the balance of power, the Third Prince tacitly approves of their investment in Sikhana.

The reason I've come to issue this warning today is because I'm worried that the Hewitt family might side with the Second Prince and disrupt the balance of power.

(End of this chapter)