Pirate Kingship-Chapter 855 - 512: Crisis! Is Our Old Continent Actually the New Continent? (2)
"Huh? Isn’t that the puppet son-in-law of Warwick, Duke George of Clarence? He’s come out as well?"
Catherine wondered why the second-in-command of the Earl’s Party would personally venture into the icy wilderness to pursue Old Woodville.
In fact, others traveling with George also couldn’t quite grasp their lord’s intentions.
A noble Transcendent, gathered by the fire, handed George a roasted rabbit, and took the opportunity to voice the question that was on everyone’s mind:
"Your Highness, why do you need to personally chase down that old fellow?
Now that his [Tears of Rupert] has revealed its weakness, right under the left armpit, as long as one can hit the weakness, even a child with a branch could kill him.
Our temporary command post is relatively safe, but there’s still a risk of encountering the Royalist Party’s scout forces, which isn’t without danger.
Moreover, sneaking out behind the Earl Warwick’s back, it might be hard to explain when we return."
George’s eyes showed a hint of displeasure upon hearing "Warwick" and he did not respond to his subordinate’s question, merely tore at the rabbit meat silently.
This Duke of Clarence might seem rather ordinary compared to his two brothers, with abilities that hardly matched his ambitions.
But compared to ordinary people, he’s not too bad; he not only possessed Third Order strength but also mastered basic political tactics.
Everyone knew he was a puppet pushed forward by The Kingmaker Warwick; even if the Kingmaker ultimately defeated his brothers and helped him become king, he would wield no real power.
How could he not be aware of this?
In this world, unless one possesses the unique Seventh Order divine might of a [Creator], power has always been from the bottom up, never from the top down.
He knew full well that he couldn’t always hide behind The Kingmaker and adhere to his father-in-law’s demands while attempting to have children with his new bride, Isabel.
Though politically innocent, Isabel was irresistibly charming in her pure yet alluring demeanor in the boudoir.
Yet he had to step out of this tender sanctuary, break free from his father-in-law’s control with his own followers, and seize every opportunity in the struggle for the throne to build achievements, shape prestige, and in passing, capture greater power.
Of course, he wouldn’t admit that being slim and always suppressed as a [Law Mage] by Isabel, a [Punitive Knight], had become increasingly unbearable over time.
Looking up at the glaringly bright vast snowfields, he let out a deep sigh, but only dared to roar inwardly:
"Power! If I possessed overwhelming power, I wouldn’t need to see anyone’s face, nor need anyone to acknowledge me; I should be the King of Hightins.
O Creator, since you have revealed the Mandate of Heaven with the Tri-Phantom Sun, why can’t you just bestow upon me the corresponding power?
Even a vast fortune enough to recruit soldiers would suffice!"
His inner voice, unknown to others, was just revealed.
Clang!
Suddenly, there was a light sound from beneath his feet. George looked down and found a beautifully crafted golden jug, inlaid with gems, lying at his feet.
Looking up to the sky, he surmised that the golden jug must have fallen from the summit surrounding their little mountain nook, but the exact origin was unclear.
Normally, to live long in this world, one must maintain the necessary caution towards things of unknown origin.
But George merely glanced at the jug and couldn’t take his eyes off it.
Subconsciously, he picked it up off the ground and opened the lid without letting any servant "test for poison."
As thick smoke rose, a "sprite" with blue skin instantly emerged from the bottle.
Byron and Catherine watched it all clearly; this was all the handiwork of that Fourth Order Devil, the [Hell Painter], from start to finish, with the obvious target being this puppet Duke of Clarence. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
The [Hell Painter], as Warwick the Kingmaker’s hidden "ally", found it all too easy to track George’s movements and even helped him conceal his trail from Warwick, striking decisively when the opportunity arose.
"What’s he planning to do?
With the guise of a genie, is he going to help George fulfill a wish? Sneakily doing good deeds, aiding a disheartened youth to recuperate?"
Hearing Catherine’s query, Byron shook his head:
"Things are clearly not that simple.
Just as a [Night Demon] needs to continuously ’usurp’, and a [Giant Dragon] needs to constantly amass treasure.
[Devil] as a Mythical Creature, the two most crucial rituals for their promotion are the [Game of Thrones] and the [Demon’s Contract Book].
These are their innate skills for survival.
The Demon in a bottle is likely intending to have George complete some kind of ritual.
We’ve dealt with related knowledge before.
For example, our hands-on "Faustian Contract" initially was a wager among Creator (Divinity), Devil (Beastliness), and Faust (Human Nature).
Another renowned demon’s contract book is the incomplete Zero-Level Sacred Relic [Key of Solomon] kept within the Remit Sect.
In such transactions, should one not stay clear-minded or have inadequate transactional skills, they could easily have their wish twisted by the devil exploiting loopholes in the rules.
Using decorative embellishments of the contract as hidden clauses filled with traps is basic operation.
All meant to take the soul of the trading partner at the least cost!"
Sure enough, after introducing himself to George, the "sprite" from the bottle offered to grant him one wish, however, his enemies would receive exactly the same gift.
