Chapter 164: The Duke
Proxis quietly waited for everyone to leave. Although many dukes or self-proclaimed individuals of high status wanted to come and greet Proxis, the divine look in his eyes told them that today was obviously not a good day.
Proxis, who intimidated everyone with a single glance, turned his gaze to Duke Falexis, and the two exchanged smiles.
“So, can you tell me now?”
“Yes,” Duke Falexis smiled, still. This appearance made Proxis somewhat dazed. The boy he knew from before had grown to the point where he could hardly recognize him.
“The appearance of the Seventh Disciple was not unexpected. She entered my kingdom with the intention of seizing the Book of Prophecies.”
“Oh? How do you know?”
“Not just seen, but directly contacted.”
“What!”
“My lord, please don’t get agitated. Let me explain the reason,” Duke Falexis said hastily, seeing the other party looking like they were about to devour him.
“Lajess T. Jallinia is the seventh disciple of the Garden of Azure, and each disciple possesses power comparable to that of a deity. However, throughout history, every time they appear, it’s accompanied by the pursuit of sacred artifacts. For instance, during the turmoil in the imperial capital, the Garden of Azure once united with the Imperial Resistance Organization ‘G’ to incite a terrifying rebellion in the capital. Although His Majesty the Emperor never intervened from start to finish, the situation became more complicated than anyone anticipated. Even the divine realm intervened at the time. Unfortunately, everyone was manipulated by the Garden of Azure. The Imperial Resistance Organization, which had sacrificed so much and stood tall in the heart of the imperial capital’s Demon’s Den, was also exploited and ultimately abandoned by the Garden of Azure, along with all the other allied resistance forces. They abandoned these forces for only one reason: to obtain the desired sacred artifact, a supreme artifact worthy of being called a divine treasure!”
“Afterwards, the Garden of Azure also meddled in several countries, all of which were left behind after obtaining the sacred artifacts. There aren’t many things in our country that would catch the eye of this disciple, so this book of prophecies, which can amplify magic, is obviously her prime target. Of course, I can’t be sure if I should directly order someone to contact her.”
“You’re quite bold, kid. So, how did you find her, and what was the result?”
“She didn’t deliberately hide. I presume she thinks that no one in this kingdom can detain her, hence her boldness.”
This statement was indirectly implying Proxis’s incompetence, but after being together for so long, such teasing was insignificant. Proxis smiled and shook his head, thinking that the master didn’t remember the servant’s faults.
“My lord, this Seventh Disciple is quite a quiet woman. Our envoys sent out were not killed, but they returned with the message very smoothly.”
“What did she say?”
“She said that if the Book of Prophecies could be handed over to her, she would be extremely grateful.”
“Hehe, this woman is truly interesting,” Proxis suppressed a hint of anger, but at this moment, getting angry wouldn’t be of any use, so he could only force a cold smile.
“Indeed interesting, after all, I’ve never seen anyone demand that a country hand over a sacred artifact willingly. But I agreed.”
“What!”
“My lord, please don’t get agitated, let me finish~” Duke Falexis smiled faintly. This expression made Proxis suspect if the other party was teasing him, but as the image of a deity, he couldn’t lose his composure, so he immediately restrained his emotions.
“What I told her was, if she could appear at the Duke’s banquet and take the Book of Prophecies, we would have nothing to say.”
Proxis, being a deity, was incredibly wise. Upon being reminded by the duke, he immediately realized.
“You mean, during our struggle with the Kingdom of Milik for the Book of Prophecies, regardless of who obtains the artifact, it will eventually be taken away by the Garden of Azure, a third party. This will not only invisibly alleviate the pressure from the Kingdom of Milik on us but also divert their attention elsewhere, giving us, Cyril, a chance to breathe.”
“My lord, your wisdom shines bright. Although the Book of Prophecies is a sacred artifact, the pressure from the Kingdom of Milik on us has been increasingly intense. While I don’t know what other mysterious properties the Book of Prophecies possesses to make the kingdom willing to tear apart relations with us and several neighboring duchies, from my perspective, the disadvantages clearly outweigh the benefits. However, if the other party demands it and we hand it over without resistance, it will make our country appear weak and easily bullied, destabilizing the people’s morale. But if we refuse, we will be subjected to endless harassment from the Kingdom of Milik. I had already planned to divert the attention of the Kingdom of Milik to other countries through alternative means, but the appearance of the Seventh Disciple changed my mind. Speaking of which, we should also thank this Seventh Disciple. If it weren’t for her, our country would probably have been oppressed for a while longer.”
