Can't I develop my own character?

"Strength isn't the key. Do I need a few third- and fourth-tier players? It's all the same to me. As long as you can get the job done, that's all that matters." Magna said nonchalantly. "Besides, you're a member of the Fire Covenant. Do you understand me? Fire Covenant, you must continue to climb the ladder, even if it means making some sacrifices."

The implication is that you have to catch your own people and make contributions in order to be promoted quickly.

"Yes, but the first level is indeed a bit low. I'll have Creed send some supplies to assist you in your training. You have a good talent for magic, so try to reach the third level as soon as possible."

Ah this.

Sending people and supplies at the same time, isn't that a bad idea?

What kindness! The Grand Duke’s kindness is not over yet!

Without hesitation, Ryan agreed decisively.

After all, there is no way to refuse.

"She will definitely die for the Grand Duke!" Ryan said seriously, "Don't worry, Grand Duke. I will definitely find a way to capture that woman, Casradi!"

"About this, there's something I need to mention." Maganna changed her tone. "I've received news that the Kingdom of Kainte may send troops to attack the Empire. I suspect they're connected to the situation in Berman City. Please keep an eye on it and notify me immediately if anything happens."

"The Kingdom of Kainte?" Ryan raised his eyebrows. "How dare they attack the Empire?"

The Kingdom of Kainte is located in the south of the empire. It is very powerful, but it is still far behind the Augustus Empire.

Even though the empire has been in turmoil in recent years, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, and no matter how bad it is, the Kingdom of Caint cannot challenge it.

Wait, isn't this the part about the game plot?

Ryan realized that it was the army of the Kingdom of Cainte that attacked Berman City in the game. Because Berman City was originally located not far from the border of the empire, the army only needed to cross the border defense line to attack, and the cities located further south of Berman City would definitely not stop them.

The problem is, the game didn't explain the reason for the attack by the Kingdom of Kaint, and there wasn't even a follow-up. We only knew that the Blood Archbishop took the opportunity to launch a big... wait, blood sacrifice?

Ryan paused in thought. Could it be that Cainte's attack was related to the Blood Cult's sacrifice? Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?

"What are you thinking about?" asked Magna.

"I'm wondering why they suddenly attacked. If they were attacking a city, they wouldn't be able to hold it even if they took it. So maybe they have some other motive, like someone promised them some benefits and asked them for help or something like that."

Magna nodded approvingly: "Go on, is there anything else?"

Ryan pondered for a moment and said, "If it's not an external threat, then it must be an internal one. Who would benefit most from the Kingdom of Cainte sending troops? War will definitely cause greater chaos. From this perspective, we can infer who they are collaborating with."

In fact, Ryan knew that if the Caint Kingdom's dispatch of troops was related to the Blood Priest's sacrifice, then it must be related to Bill, and Bill was the second prince's man, so the answer was obvious.

But he certainly couldn't tell Grand Duke Loli just like that, otherwise it would be difficult for the latter not to doubt his identity.

No matter how smart you are, if you don't understand those forces, how can you come to this conclusion?

"Well, you think the same as I do, Ryan. You are very smart. I feel more at ease knowing you are in charge of Berman City in the future." Maganna did not hide her praise for Ryan. She is the kind of person who is straightforward and likes smart people instead of stupid ones.

"As for what you just said, I actually already have an idea. Once the Kainte army appears, the military will inevitably take action, and the one who holds the most power in this area in the empire is the Second Prince. Haha~ That guy really has a good plan."

"The Second Prince? Can he compare to you, Grand Duke, in terms of the Imperial military capabilities?"

Maganna spread her hands. "It can't be helped. He's the Imperial Prince, after all. It's legitimate, and his grandfather is the Imperial Marshal, commanding far more troops than I do. But military power is rarely effective under normal circumstances, so you understand?"

"I see." Ryan suddenly realized, "That is to say, the Second Prince wants to stir up internal conflicts in the empire by starting a war, so that he can have a legitimate reason to mobilize the army when the time comes."

"That's right... Humph~ But he calculated wrongly. Even if there really is a war, I will be the first to strike. With the Iron Blood Legion here, no one can cause any trouble. But you still need to keep an eye on it for me. There might be the Second Prince's men in Berman City... That place is really chaotic."

The last sentence was murmured by Maganna to herself. She had never expected that Berman City would become the center of the struggle among various parties.

"I will go through fire and water to fulfill your will, Grand Duke."

"Very good. That's all for now. I have things to do. Feel free to contact me if anything happens."

After Maganna finished speaking, she stopped the spell.

She turned her head and looked at the figure waiting quietly on the side: "Cred, what do you think?"

"Grand Duke, are you really going to hand over the management of Berman City to Ryan? Adler's ability is indeed insufficient, but Ryan's loyalty and ability are yet to be tested."

"As for ability, I'm just testing him. As for loyalty, I'm always a pretty good judge of character. I don't think he'll betray me, and I don't think there's any reason for him to. After all, he's mine. Where else could he go? If his identity is revealed, he's doomed." Magna tilted her head. "However, your concerns are justified. Go check Ryan's background for me. If he's clean, I'll start training him."

"Yes, Grand Duke." Creed bowed.

Magna suddenly laughed: "Haha~ You saw it just now, right? He is very smart, isn't he? I like chatting with smart people."

"He's really smart. He can deduce so much from limited information. Adler has surpassed him in this respect."

"See, what did I say? Even God will help me this time. Just wait and see, Creed. I have a feeling Ryan will be someone who will be of great help to me!"

......

Here.

Smart guy Ryan sat in a chair in a daze.

Ah, so desperate.

It’s dark, completely dark.

He never expected that Adler would introduce him to Maganna.

What’s going on? I’m just a little Camilla. Is it necessary to do this?

Compared to becoming the regional manager of Berman City, Ryan would rather be a quiet handsome man.

Well, being the head of the Administrative Bureau is a good job, but being the leader of the Dark Hand? Sorry, I really can't do it.

But Maganna has already said that, and another leader may not be reliable. If he is found to be a double mole, it will be the end of him.

So, Ryan simply took on this job. At least he had the training supplies sent by the Grand Duke, right?

"ε=(′ο｀*)))"

It can't be washed clean, it can't be washed clean at all.

The question now is, what to do next?

"Speaking of which, the one who benefited from the attack by the Kainte army was indeed Maganna. She holds the military power in her hands. Once the war breaks out, she can directly mobilize the troops without having to involve the imperial army. Unless... the war is all-out?"

It is also possible that the second prince has other plans. In any case, the war did break out in the game. The civil war in the Augustus Empire was fought fiercely for the throne.

But Ryan couldn't understand why, even if the Kaint army really attacked, the impact would not be that great.

"It should be related to the sacrifice in Cazorla Prison."

Wait, the Kainte army war, siege... "Yes, I remember now!"

Ryan remembered. No wonder he felt a little familiar when he recalled the plot about Jonathan before. He remembered that the latter led the Fire Covenant to fight against the enemy when the army of the Kingdom of Caint attacked the city and the city of Berman was in crisis. With only dozens of people, he forcibly sealed the broken city gate and bought precious time for the empire's counterattack.

The name of that plot mission is also called "Thirty Minutes Quickly". The protagonist group will take advantage of the time Jonathan blocks the door to finish the task and lead the army to counterattack.

However, Ryan doesn't like to remember the names of NPCs when playing games, especially those who are briefly mentioned in the plot. As for the result of blocking the door, everyone was wiped out, and then the sacrifice was exchanged for fighting spirit, and the atmosphere immediately became ignited.

After knowing the ending, Ryan naturally would not let Jonathan die.

"There's still time..." The army hadn't arrived yet, and it was useless for Ryan to think about the problem at this time. He stood up and continued to search the secret room.

In about ten minutes, all the valuable things in the secret room were thrown into the backpack.

Before leaving, Ryan took the mirror with him again.

I just used the system to identify this thing, and it turned out to be a relic. I've never seen such a thing before.

"Alright, go in and dig up all the evidence against Adler. As for those people inside, take them back to the police station and interrogate them one by one."

After leaving the villa, Ryan gave an order and officially began to search the house.

He didn't touch any money.

Mainly because there is not much cash.

...

The house search lasted for half a day. The sheriffs searched the villa inside and out, and finally returned to the police station with a car full of evidence.

Ryan conducted a surprise interrogation overnight, interrogating Adler's wife, mistress, and mistress one after another. He recorded their confessions and sorted out the evidence together. It was almost twelve o'clock when he got home after finishing his work.

I took a look at 'Xia Li's' situation. She was wandering around the maze in the AI ​​AFK mode and unexpectedly touched another treasure chest.

"He really treats the maze and prison as his own home."

Ryan couldn't help but complain.

AI AFK is really awesome.

Anyway, the Kaint army hasn't arrived yet, and 'Charlie' should have been chosen as a special sacrifice, so there won't be much danger before the sacrifice officially begins.

Ryan opened the job transfer conditions and took a look. The Blood Archbishop had sacrificed several people in the past few days. Perhaps because the situation was tense, the overall activities of the Blood Archbishop had been reduced.

After making sure that 'Xia Li' was not in danger, Ryan continued to hang up, then washed up and went to bed.

Early the next morning, he rushed to the Administrative Office and took the information compiled by his men to the Berman City Court.

The Inquisition was the empire's judicial body, used to judge crimes, equivalent to the courts of the past. Although the Adlers were gone, the conviction still had to go through the legal process. After all, they were still nobles.

To the outside world, the person was killed by the Administrative Bureau, so Ryan had to convict Adler of the crime, otherwise the entire Administrative Bureau would be affected.

After a morning of trial, all the evidence presented by Ryan was finally accepted. After the court issued its verdict, the news agencies that had been waiting for a long time suddenly emerged like mushrooms after rain.

When the wall falls, everyone pushes it down. In the past, everyone praised Secretary General Adler's greatness, but now it has all turned into accusations and insults, which made Ryan sigh.

Adler, rest in peace. I will take good care of your wife and children... Well, let them start a new life. As for their future fate, it is none of Ryan's business.

On the other side, the interrogation of Casa also produced results. Jonathan tried his best and finally pried out a clue from the other party.

"I never expected that the person behind Adler is actually Maganna!"

Jonathan sighed. Everyone knew that Maganna was ambitious, but he didn't expect that she would secretly send someone to kill Casradi.

Logically speaking, the ones who should be most anxious about Casradi's return to the center of the empire are the princes.

Hearing the words on the other end of the phone, Ryan's heart tightened: "Then what? Nothing more?"

"What else could it be? This is the biggest secret. We already know the rest. Now the entire Berman City has almost been cleared of the Dark Hand."

"But Grand Duke Maganna will definitely not give up. I'm afraid she'll send a new person in charge soon. I'll suggest to the princess that she leave early."

Ryan thought she had sent it.

But fortunately, Kasa didn't know his identity.

If even Kasa knew about it, Ryan was afraid that he would not be able to resist digging out Adler's body and shooting a round of revolver.

"Did His Highness say when he would leave?"

"Not yet. It seems she has some ideas about Berman City. But strangely enough, Mayor Bill was promoted by your mother, so he should be on her side. Is there anything else that your mother is worried about?"

"Who knows."

Ryan guessed that Casradi had discovered something. Although Bill was a good mayor, Casradi was sharp-minded and it was not surprising that he discovered some problems in his words and deeds.

It is definitely impossible to let Her Royal Highness the Princess leave early. Ryan has a headache. When Maganna's support arrives here, he can't organize people to kill Casradi, right?

It’s not because the game character can’t do it, but because Casradi has a special identity. It’s not enough for him to sleep with a princess with his current ability.

"Forget it, let's hold off for now and see what the Blood Archbishop does."

After talking with Jonathan, Ryan wanted to go to the bookstore to see how Keisha was doing. Now that Adler was dead, he was a little worried about Keisha.

As a result, he was stopped by Aiko as soon as he left the office.

The latter took him to a cafe, where they met Casradi who was waiting in a private room inside.

"Your Highness, are you looking for me?"

"Sit down, Ryan." Casradi said with a smile, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Black tea will do."

Casladi looked up at Eco, who went to prepare a cup of black tea, then closed the door and left.

"Jonathan told me that I didn't expect that it was Maganna who was in charge of all this. It seems that I have quite a few enemies." Kasladi said with a hint of self-mockery.

Ryan didn't say anything. He was a little puzzled as to why Casradi suddenly came to him.

I'm not your good sister either.

"Among those eligible to inherit the throne in the empire, I am the weakest. However, I never intend to give up. My father dotes on me, and I am confident that if I can become emperor, I will definitely make the Augustus Empire a better place."

"What does Your Highness want to say?"

Ryan suddenly had a bad feeling. This woman might be trying to...

"I want to tell you that although my power is weak, I may still have a chance to compete for the position of Crown Prince." Casradi looked at Ryan and said seriously, "Ryan, you are a member of the Fire Covenant and should be loyal only to His Majesty. But the situation in the empire is chaotic now, and the Fire Covenant must learn to adapt, right? I am very optimistic about you. Although you are only a captain of a small administrative bureau now, if you are given a broader stage, you will definitely do better."

She stood up and extended her hand to Ryan: "So Ryan, be loyal to me, be with me, even if it's Magna. In the future, I will ascend the throne by stepping on her corpse!"