fantasy novels Chapter 232 The Tarot Meeting Postponed by One Week
Chapter 232 The Tarot Meeting Postponed by One Week
Chapter 232 The Tarot Meeting Postponed by a Week
George III's methods were simple and brutal, something Evan had seen all too well in both his past and present lives; it was what was known as an obedience test.
They're just bullying you to see if you'll obey. If you dare to resist, it means you're not convinced, and the iron rod will be thickened and swept across you.
Therefore, the mayor appointed by George III would implement sweeping policies in Tingen, openly infringing upon the interests of the Tingen ruling class.
Robert's House of Arhova, representing the ruling class of Tingen, was unable to resist the mayor sent by George III, and had to actively cooperate and help him, while also appeasing the local power factions in Arhova County.
The balance was extremely difficult to strike. He had to cooperate with the new mayor while also maintaining his dignity in front of the nobles of Tingen, making Robert, the new Earl of Akhova, appear too timid in the face of the royal family.
However, these problems are all to be handled by Robert, and Evan doesn't need to worry about them. But as far as Evan knows, Robert is a very proud man, and now he has to humble himself, which must be very painful for him.
Evan glanced at Robert and noticed that Robert's body was indeed trembling slightly, a tremor that was difficult for ordinary people to detect. Clearly, Robert was extremely angry and was about to lose control of his emotions.
"Things should be viewed from two sides: this is both a test by the royal family and a sign that George III is ready to accept you."
It seems he really values this military reform; he not only wants to arrange a marriage with you as soon as possible, but he's also eager to test you at this time.
Evan, who also dislikes being restrained and is very proud, naturally empathizes with Robert's feelings, but he can't offer any comfort and can only try to put things in a positive light.
Robert paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement and said to Evan:
"After returning to Backlund, I will push for the establishment of a direct mobile force as soon as possible, and you should also make the corresponding preparations."
This includes, but is not limited to: follow-up arrangements for MI9's work, aircraft development, troop formation details, organizational structure planning, military budget, and a wide variety of other tasks.
Most importantly, you must select suitable and loyal subordinates who can help you quickly take control of the troops and who will absolutely obey your orders.
Robert was deeply humiliated by George III's obedience test, which made him determined to have an army under his control as soon as possible.
Ivan memorized all of Robert's instructions; after all, Robert was a former high-ranking military officer who rose through the ranks based on military merit.
His familiarity with the military surpasses that of Ivan; his experience is invaluable.
"I have a suggestion: when this army is formed, ordinary soldiers should not be drawn from other units, but should be recruited separately."
On the one hand, a blank canvas is easier to paint on; on the other hand, it is necessary to minimize the interference from all sides.
Brother, with your long military experience, you should understand that sometimes the fighting power of an army actually depends on the most ordinary soldiers. Evan's words reminded Robert of his glorious past. Sometimes when war reaches the point of bayonet fighting, the extraordinary versus the extraordinary, the aces versus the aces, in the final moments, it really is the most ordinary soldiers who engage in the most direct battles to determine the final outcome.
Therefore, he wholeheartedly agreed with Evan's suggestion to recruit soldiers separately, but he had some doubts:
"How are you planning to recruit soldiers? To be honest, there are people eyeing the best recruits. They are the private reserves of each unit and the most fiercely contested pie for each legion every year, besides military spending. It is not an easy task to compete for the best recruits."
Evan also had his own considerations on this, and said directly:
"I know that it's hard to recruit soldiers with clean records who are obedient and easy to use, so I don't want to recruit those people anymore. I'll just recruit those vicious and ruthless people directly."
Gangsters, thugs, pirates, and even wanted criminals are all acceptable.
7
Upon hearing Evan's words, Robert, accustomed to regular military operations, instinctively frowned, but immediately realized that Evan's approach was the best one.
When it's difficult to compete for excellent recruits, recruiting ruthless individuals can be a viable strategy.
First of all, there is a guarantee of military strength. The people Evan mentioned are all brave and fierce, with their hands almost always stained with blood. They don't have the adaptation period that ordinary people need to go through when they see blood, and they don't even need to train in the corresponding combat skills. They are all old at fighting.
Another point is that these groups have always been on the fringes of society, with little connection to others, which can minimize the chances of anyone planting spies in the new unit.
Finally, it is necessary to avoid conflicts with various factions within the military as much as possible to reduce resistance to the formation of the force.
"That does sound like a good idea, but there's a problem. The military needs strict discipline, not petty thugs or gang fights. Can you really control these people?"
Even when recruiting a convict legion, the best of the best are selected, and the more outstanding these people are, the more unruly and difficult to manage they become.
Evan smiled calmly, took a sip of his coffee, and said:
"Have you forgotten what path I took to become an Extraordinary? Taming hunting dogs is my specialty, not to mention I'm confident I can complete the role and advance as soon as possible."
Robert thought about the "hunters" he had encountered on the battlefield and put aside his worries.
"I've been playing my part quite well lately, and with the 'Reaper' extraordinary trait you gave me, I might be able to break your record for advancing to Sequence 5! Want to take a gamble?"
Evan looked at Robert across from him with a slightly provocative expression. Robert chuckled, shook his head, and then said:
「你不到23岁，用了不到三个月就已经成为了序列6的「阴谋家」，我却是23岁成为序列6，27岁成为成为序列5的。
Although we both reached Sequence 6 at roughly the same age, you're clearly mastering and processing potions much faster than I am. I estimate you'll become a demigod in a few years, maybe even an angel in sight. There's no way I can win this bet.
Evan smirked smugly and said nothing more.
"If Robert knew my plan, if he knew I wanted to become a demigod before the end of this year, he'd probably be shocked."
After Evan's interruption, Robert's mood improved. He talked to Evan about some follow-up matters and then left the Earl's mansion to make some preparations and lay the groundwork for the arrival of the new mayor.
Klein was busy all morning, investing in a bicycle project, publishing GG in the newspaper, and sending a letter to MI9 to arrange a meeting with Evan.
Evan assigned Klein the identity of a MI9 agent, also as a field agent, responsible for collecting relevant intelligence.
The advantage of doing this is that it offers a high degree of freedom. As long as you report the intelligence you have collected on time and complete the tasks assigned by your superiors, you don't need to report to MI9 every day.
The downside is that there's not much of a future, since in any world, the closer you are to the leader, the easier it is to get promoted.
Fortunately, Klein's interests lay elsewhere, so this disadvantage was essentially negligible for him.
However, precisely because he is a field agent, he cannot easily reveal his identity and must have a job that is respectable in front of outsiders.
After careful consideration, Klein chose to become a journalist and part-time detective.
If Klein hadn't known about the big events in Backlund, he would definitely have chosen to become a detective.
But knowing that something big is going to happen in Backlund and that the royal family is the mastermind behind it all, the journalist's identity becomes very important, at least on the surface, as it can provide him with some protection.
After understanding the capabilities of the arbitrator's approach, Klein believed that dealing with such extraordinary individuals required skillfully utilizing the rules they had established.
Since Russell invented the newspaper and the profession of journalist was born, journalists have been completely linked with politics. Protecting journalists has become an unspoken rule in politics and an invisible contract between the ruling class and the people.
The public opinion generated by the media industry naturally has a supervisory effect on the government.
Although collusion between wolves and foxes is more likely in practice, the media industry's unique ecological niche determines its special nature.
On the surface, all official organizations are supposed to protect the media industry. The murder of a journalist can sometimes cause more sensation than the murder of a politician, since journalists are professional informants and the murder of a journalist can easily fuel conspiracy theories.
This is also why Klein was so eager to meet with Evan; he hoped Evan could arrange a nominal reporter position for him.
I don't care about the salary, I just want this status.
As for retaining the detective identity, it's to expand one's information network. Detectives are more likely than journalists to gain the trust of the lower classes and uncover information hidden in their shadows.
After all, people sometimes trust detectives more than journalists, and the lower classes are more likely to identify detectives as their kind of people.
Looking at the Deep Sleep Flower, Dragon's Blood Grass, and Deep Red Sandalwood on the table, which were prepared to create "Holy Night Powder" that could create a spiritual wall...
With herbs like mint, Klein couldn't help but sigh at how money was flowing away like water.
Renting a house, playing games, buying food, and purchasing miscellaneous items, he spent most of the 300 gold pounds Evan gave him.
His wallet had shrunk drastically, which was another important reason why he urgently contacted Evan.
If he didn't hand over the completed file to Evan, MI9 wouldn't be able to set up a secret bank account for him and pay his salary and allowances.
After completing the "Holy Night Powder" and some talismans that could effectively enhance his combat power, Klein glanced at his pocket watch and realized it was almost 3 p.m., the time for the Tarot Meeting. He quickly tidied up the things on the table, took four steps backward, and entered the gray fog.
Sitting in his assigned seat, Klein first informed the little sun "Derrick" that a meeting was about to begin. After a thousand breaths, he placed his hands on all the crimson stars with which he had established a stable connection.
As the crimson star shone brightly, several humanoid phantoms shrouded in gray mist appeared in their respective positions.
Klein glanced around and noticed that the mental and spiritual bodies of Miss Justice and Sun had changed, while a mystical symbol representing the sun had appeared behind the high-backed chair where Mr. Sun, Derrick, was sitting.
Miss Justice Audrey was about to greet Mr. Fool first, as she always did, when Mr. Hanged Man spoke first:
"Mr. Fool, I have collected a total of 19 pages of Emperor Roselle's diary this time."
"Thank you to your patrons for helping me eliminate Zilingus; this is the reward I owe you."
The moment the "Hanged Man" spoke, he completely stunned Audrey and Miss Fors, the "Magician," who was attending a tarot gathering for the first time.
Miss Justice was involved in the assassination of Duke Negan, knew the whole story, and knew that Zilingus was ultimately killed by a mysterious high-sequence powerhouse.
Furthermore, since she had previously reported this matter to Mr. Fool, she was somewhat prepared that Qilingus was killed by Mr. Fool's followers.
Fors, as a member of MI9, also knew the inside story of Duke Negan's assassination and knew that MI9 had used all means to try to find out the identity of the high-sequence powerhouse for the past two weeks and had offered a high reward.
Fors hadn't cared about the bounty before, since she didn't know when she would lose control and become a monster during the full moon.
After joining the Tarot Club and being blessed by Mr. Fool, Fors developed a desire to live and a longing for ascension. So these past few days, he had been fantasizing about whether he could find relevant information to exchange for a reward and ascend to ascension as soon as possible.
She did find information about the mysterious high-sequence powerhouse, but she didn't expect that this high-sequence powerhouse had turned into one of her own, rendering the information useless.
She was also surprised by the connection between tarot and reality.
She also checked the MI9 files but found no record or description of "The Fool". She thought that Mr. Fool was a newly emerged, secretive being with little power in reality.
But now it seems she needs to reassess Mr. Fool's power.
As for Derrick the Little Sun, he was not surprised at all that Mr. Fool had high-sequence powerful subordinates. In his view, it was quite normal for Mr. Fool, who was unable to respond to his prayers, to have angels under his command.
Mr. Power, Evan, didn't react at all.
However, it was precisely because of his complete lack of reaction that Audrey and Alger noticed him, feeling that the connection between "Power" and Mr. Fool's demonic forces might be far greater than they had imagined.
"This is the principle of equivalent exchange. By the way, this is a new member of the Tarot Club—Ms. 'The Magician'."
Mr. Fool's words made Audrey and Alger sigh inwardly. A pirate general who had roamed the world and carried powerful sealing artifacts was not taken seriously by Mr. Patient at all.
At the same time, they all nodded to the new member of the Tarot Club, Miss Magician, and gave her their code names, trying to deduce information about the new member from the details they could see.
Audrey quickly determined Fors' true identity simply by observing her demeanor and hair color. At the same time, she wondered why Hugh hadn't joined them and kept checking on Evan.
Alger, sitting opposite Audrey, also noticed Audrey's actions and wondered if the new member had met Justice and Power in reality.
The feeling of being isolated that I experienced before has returned.