281: Chapter 275 The Blood Sacrifice Array is Completed, and the Curtain is Raised

Danielson was the first City Lord to defect to the Second Prince, and he was the one who stood up when Andre questioned Mr. Zhang Mu.

Shortly after returning to his room from Zhang Mu's place, the City Lord who had voiced support along with him knocked on the door and entered.

"Gerald, why are you here?"

Gerald walked through the living room to the balcony, raised his hand to pull open the tightly closed curtains, and the sunlight immediately dispersed the dimness in the room.

After doing this, he looked back at Danielson, who was sitting on the living room sofa: "Nothing, I just felt a bit uneasy, so I came to chat with you for a while."

"Hahaha... That doesn't sound like you."

The two were neighbors in their youth, grew up together, became Professionals together, and were promoted to Magister and Sky Knight together.

On the Saul Continent, no one understood each other better than they did.

Gerald didn't mind his close friend's teasing and sat down beside him carelessly: "Do you think City Lord Aiji's plan is feasible?"

"It's meaningless to dwell on this now. Besides, just as I said, City Lord Aiji is intervening entirely out of a sense of righteousness; otherwise, he could have just shrunk into a corner and waited for the matter to end."

"You misunderstood me. I'm not doubting City Lord Aiji, but worrying about the other City Lords. They... If someone retreats or runs away in the middle of besieging a Saint-level, it will cause catastrophic consequences."

"Gerald." Danielson leaned back on the sofa with a relaxed expression, "You're overthinking it."

He understood why his close friend had such worries.

On the Saul Continent, betrayal and selling out were the norm.

What Gerald worried about was that among the hundreds of City Lords, it was hard to guarantee that no one would hold the idea of letting other City Lords hold back the Saint-level while they ran away.

But the situation this time was different.

The royal family was determined to have their lives; not resisting meant waiting for death.

The roads out of the country for Lake were all in the territories of the two Grand Dukes. Their City Lords hadn't come to the Royal Capital and were all stationed within their cities, so naturally, fleeing to a neighboring country became a luxury.

All City Lords knew this, and they wouldn't hold any wishful thinking, hoping that perhaps their luck was off the charts and they could escape the pursuit.

As for why Danielson was so certain, the reason was simple.

Such fools could never become High-tier Professionals.

One of the hard conditions for serving as a City Lord was that the Professional level had to reach at least High-tier, which meant a Magister or a Great Knight.

And those who could climb to this height had all gone down into the labyrinth and experienced countless life-or-death situations.

On the Saul Continent, one could despise a Professional's inferior character, mock a Professional's moral corruption, or curse a Professional for being cold-blooded and ruthless.

But one could not mistake a Professional for being cowardly, nor should one underestimate a Professional's courage and decisiveness.

When they clearly saw there was only one path to survival in front of them, they would risk everything to move forward.

Those who couldn't do that had already died in some unknown corner of the continent before reaching High-tier.

Danielson patted the silent Gerald's shoulder: "You detest the dirty Professionals and rarely interact with them, so your understanding of them is too one-sided. Being a bad person doesn't prevent someone from having guts."

"Heh, that's true. Without guts, one couldn't even be a bad person."

"Hahaha..." Danielson laughed until his whole body shook, "You still love telling strange jokes."

Gerald's personality was relatively dull, so he didn't laugh along with him. He said, "I'm heading back first," and got up to leave the room.

...

"How is it, are they all quiet?" In the room, Zhang Mu looked at Mr. Solon and asked.

"Yes."

"Alright then. There's still over half a month left, so you should also take care to rest and recharge. Hmm... The day before the war, Mihe, you send Mr. Solon out of the city."

Mr. Solon was clear that he was an ordinary person and couldn't play a role in the battle between Professionals, so he nodded decisively and agreed.

After arranging things for them, Zhang Mu returned to his own room.

Just as he pushed open the door, he saw Lia wearing her dress pajamas, spreading her arms and bouncing over.

Zhang Mu smiled and squatted down to hold her in his arms, then stood up and looked at Palina, who was walking out of the bedroom: "After half a month, you and Mr. Solon..."

"Mr. Zhang Mu." Palina rarely interrupted him, "Please rest assured, after leaving the city with Mr. Solon, I will take good care of Lia."

"Hmm."

Lia wrapped her arms around Zhang Mu's neck, blinked, and asked: "Brother Mu, are you going to do something very dangerous?"

He didn't answer the question, but gently stroked the Cat Girl's little head, his tone filled with apology: "When we were in Bala City, I promised to give you a stable life. I'm sorry, I didn't manage to do it."

"It's very good right now, oh." Lia's two cat ears flicked, and she suddenly asked, "Brother Mu, are you carrying the lucky stone?"

lucky stone?

Stunned for a moment, Zhang Mu remembered that the lucky stone was the crystal she had given him. He reached into his collar and pulled out the necklace pendant from his chest: "It's here."

"Can you give it back to Lia?"

Zhang Mu frowned in confusion, not understanding why Lia suddenly wanted this crystal.

"What do you want it for?"

"Lia can use the lucky stone to pray for Brother Mu."

"Pray to the gods to protect me?"

"Yeah!"

Protect an enemy? The gods of the Saul Continent were quite generous then.

Zhang Mu had a strange smile on his face as he took off the necklace and put it on her: "Follow Palina out of the city in half a month. Don't come back until I find you."

Lia seemed to sense something, but didn't ask further, just stared at him with bright eyes.

After a long while, the Little Cat Girl rubbed her head against his chin: "Lia will be a good girl."

"Alright." Putting her down on the ground, Zhang Mu turned to leave the room, "I'm very busy these days, don't wait for me for meals."

"Bang——"

Lia looked at the tightly closed door and gripped the crystal pendant tightly.

...

It was dusk.

The Royal Palace conference hall.

Out of hundreds of seats, only five bruised and swollen City Lords were sitting there.

They didn't know what they were considering, but none of them had treated their external injuries.

Andre sat in the main seat and scanned the empty hall: "Meeting adjourned."

After speaking, without waiting for the five City Lords to reply, he left the conference hall from the side door and ordered his butler to prepare a carriage. After getting on, he hurried to the church.

Sitting upright on the soft stool in the carriage, Andre closed his eyes slightly, wondering why only five City Lords came to the meeting today.

Because of the Blood Sacrifice Array?

Andre knew that even though he had stated the Blood Sacrifice Array was fabricated, the City Lords were not idiots.

Whether the Blood Sacrifice Array was actually real, they knew better than anyone after watching the footage.

But to say that the City Lords were distancing themselves from him because of this, and even unafraid of offending him, seemed a bit far-fetched.

Andre had also watched the footage played by the magic item.

Throughout the whole thing, there were only the two Grand Dukes, and the content of their conversation not only didn't expose him but instead proved that he knew nothing about the matter.

Logically speaking, the only person who could contend with the three Saint-levels of the royal family was him, with Jarvis standing behind him. The City Lords should be even more firmly supportive; otherwise, the only path to survival would be gone.

After thinking hard for a long time, until the carriage stopped under the stone steps in front of the church, he still hadn't figured out where the problem lay.

"Your Highness, we have arrived." The butler opened the door.

Withdrawing his thoughts, Andre bent over and walked out of the carriage: "Go back first, come pick me up tomorrow morning."

"As you command!"

The carriage clattered away. Andre calmed his mood, walked along the stone steps, entered the door, and found Jarvis in the domed church.

Walking through the aisle between the wooden chairs on both sides, he stood behind Jarvis and looked up at the towering faceless statue of god.

"Mr. Jarvis, there has been a bit of a change in the situation."

Hearing this, he didn't show any panic but turned around very calmly: "The specific process."

"The Blood Sacrifice Array has been exposed, and I have lost the trust of the City Lords."

"Heh heh..." Jarvis's laugh was hoarse and somewhat mocking, "Trust? Your Highness thinks there is any?"

"I hope we can discuss business."

"Alright, then Your Highness, who did it?"

"The City Lord of Gur, Eji."

"Gur?" Jarvis recalled for a moment and realized, "The city guarding the Silent Forest?"

"Yes."

"What a city lacking presence." Muttering a sentence, he continued, "Do the City Lords show any signs of fleeing the Royal Capital?"

"Not for now. With the Griffin Legion here, they should know they can't escape."

"The command of the Griffin Legion is in the hands of the two Grand Dukes, so the City Lords naturally won't fear you."

"Does that have anything to do with it? Besides, they wouldn't just sit and watch the City Lords run away."

Jarvis was always going off-topic, and Andre was a bit impatient: "Mr. Bishop, what we need to ensure right now is that the Blood Sacrifice Array is successfully activated, and that we defeat the Father King and the two Grand Dukes in the subsequent battle to obtain the life energy."

"Father King? Uh, hahaha——" Jarvis laughed like a lunatic, "Father King... haha... Father King? You are about to kill him, yet you still call him Father King?"

Andre's irritation had long been surging in his heart. At this moment, being mocked to his face, he wasn't angry but instead curiously looked up and down at Jarvis, who was laughing wildly at the sky.

Something was wrong with him.

About ten days ago, Andre had vaguely sensed that Jarvis's mental state was not very stable.

After observing carefully from the side, he found that the person was just a bit excited, and his speech was smooth.

So Andre didn't think much of it, wondering if it was caused by listening to the divine oracle.

However, after not seeing him for a few days, looking at him now, his entire sanity seemed close to collapse.

Whether Jarvis lived or died, or went crazy, Andre didn't care.

But not now; he still had to rely on him to deal with the King and the two Grand Dukes.

If it were just himself, what reliance did Andre have to duel with three Saint-levels?

After thinking about it, he decided not to provoke Jarvis for the time being.

"Mr. Bishop, I am going back to the Royal Palace. Take care of your health."

"What? Do you mean to say I am sick?"

"No, I mean you need to prepare for the subsequent battle with the three Saint-levels."

"Hahaha——" Jarvis raised his hands high, a look of intoxication on his face, "I am a believer of the gods, favored by the gods, I..."

Andre didn't want to listen to his nonsense anymore and turned around to walk out of the church directly.

What on earth did this fool do to himself?!

Gritting his teeth, he quickly walked outside the main gate and looked around for his carriage, only to remember a moment later that he had ordered his butler to go back first, so he had to walk towards the Royal Palace with a foul expression.

At this moment, the irritability in his heart was beyond words.

Come back to the church to check again the day before the Blood Sacrifice Array is activated. If he is still in this crazy state... Fool!

...

Top floor of the hotel.

Blova and Pestoya walked into the room side by side.

"There are nineteen days left until the ban is lifted. Is there enough time?" Pestoya took out the top-down view of the Royal Capital and spread it on the table.

"Very easily." Blova took red wine from the wine cabinet as usual and drank from a crystal glass, "Once all magic nodes are set up, we will go to wake up the King."

The two had also planned several Blood Sacrifice Arrays in their own territories and collected some life energy.

It wasn't too much, but it was enough to replenish the King's magic power and make him wake up briefly.

Pestoya took the crystal glass: "Are the City Lords downstairs still behaving?"

"The Soldiers of the Griffin Legion reported that they have already learned about the Blood Sacrifice Array."

"What?!" Pestoya raised her glass and tilted her head, just about to take a sip of the wine, but immediately put it down, "Who leaked the secret?!"

"Not only that, they also know that it is the two of us who are preparing it."

Her mouth opened wide in astonishment, and Pestoya asked in disbelief: "How is that possible?! The only people who know we are setting up the Blood Sacrifice Array in the Royal Capital are the King. Even Mr. Potter was kept in the dark. Where did they..."

"Don't be nervous." Blova smiled, raised his hand, and pressed it down in front of him, "I am also curious about what you asked. According to the Guard's report, after the City Lords got the news, not a single person questioned it. Hmm... five people went to report to Andre, but that wasn't because they suspected someone was spreading rumors, just to show loyalty."

Seeing him so calm, Pestoya asked uncomprehendingly: "The secret has been revealed, and you don't seem worried at all?"

"Worried about what? Even if they know, what can they do? Can they escape?"

Reminded of this, Pestoya came back to her senses.

Yeah, where could they escape to?

The King had placed the border lines where the Kingdom bordered neighboring countries within their two territories and also granted special privileges. The two Grand Dukes were autonomous, and the subordinate City Lords didn't need to go to the Royal Capital to report for duty.

All these seemingly unrelated points had the Core purpose of preventing the City Lords from scattering and fleeing.

Thinking of this layer, she also relaxed: "The four city gates of the Royal Capital all have the Griffin Legion stationed there. They really have nowhere to escape. It's just... the guy who exposed us, will he cause obstacles to the plan?"

"If he had that ability, he wouldn't just be notifying the City Lords."

Blova placed the empty crystal glass on the table: "The King has been plotting for a thousand years and has anticipated all kinds of accidents. I guess in places we can't see, there is still the King's power on Guard. We don't need to worry about him, just do our own work."

Hearing this, Pestoya didn't say anything more and moved her attention back to the top-down view of the Royal Capital, checking which places still had empty magic nodes.

Blova also walked over to help.

Soon, the two clarified the magic nodes they each needed to handle next, put away the map, and rushed to various places in the Royal Capital respectively.

For the next ten-plus days, the Royal Capital suddenly became quiet.

Andre stopped coming to make things difficult for the City Lords, and every day he would go to the conference hall to sit and stare blankly at the five City Lords for a day.

The Second Prince did sneak into the hotel to try to ask Zhang Mu something, but the person wasn't in the hotel, so he made a wasted trip.

Since he was already there, he simply found Danielson and learned about Zhang Mu's plan from him.

After thinking to himself for a while, the Second Prince said, "Do as he says," and then left alone.

As for the two Grand Dukes, they focused on their own work, and after more than ten days of hard work, they finally finished setting up all the magic nodes.

Next, they just had to wait for the ban to be lifted to activate the Blood Sacrifice Array as they wished.

Of course, they were not the only ones waiting.