Mystery: From Celestial Venerable's Backup to Red Priest

Chapter 131 Persecution Mania and the Conferment of a Title

Chapter 131 Persecution Mania and the Conferment of a Title

As a powerful figure who stirs up storms in the political arena, Robert has never lacked paranoia. Evan's words immediately set off alarm bells in his mind, and he instinctively suspected that someone was trying to harm Lannister, and he had a vague feeling that the one who wanted to harm him was King George III.

But why? Wasn't the plan to use Lannault to settle accounts approved by George III? What benefit would this bring to the King? Did the Duke of Negan and the Earl of Hall know about it?

Robert could also analyze what Evan could analyze: that George III wanted to use Lannault to force everyone to accept policies that would inevitably be opposed by everyone.

Robert couldn't immediately guess what George III was thinking, but he was absolutely unwilling to be controlled by others and wanted to stop whatever conspiracy might be behind it.

Robert led Ivan downstairs to the basement radio room and said to Mr. Hope, who was overseeing the transmission to Tingen:

"Send a message to Duke Negan and Earl Hall, asking them if they know anything about the situation in Lanluus, and if they have heard any rumors about the Royal Guard being sent to monitor Lanluus."

"Then send a telegram to our people in Tingen, instructing them to search for Lanius with all their might, and once found, to take him into custody immediately. If anyone tries to stop them, no matter who they are, ignore them."

Robert shouldn't have gotten involved with someone like Lanius, but Robert's decisive and forceful instructions reminded Mr. Hope of his days fighting in the South, so he didn't say anything more and immediately stood at attention and replied:

"yes!"

As Robert instructed, the three telegraph machines in the basement immediately began to operate, and the "beep beep beep" sound echoed throughout the basement, giving Evan the feeling that he had traveled back to a war movie in his previous life.

Because the telegrams to the Duke of Negan and the Earl of Hall were very short, their replies came quickly, and Robert received their replies in less than half an hour.

"I don't know, I haven't heard of it, we will investigate quickly."

Upon reading the replies from Duke Negan and Earl Hall, Robert visibly breathed a sigh of relief. The worst-case scenario he had anticipated had not materialized—the King, Duke Negan, and Earl Hall had conspired against him behind his back.

If that's really the case, then it means he's the one being targeted.

"Duke Nigan's nephew is also a member of the royal guard, so it will be easy for him to find out the relevant information. It won't be long before we find out who accepted Jonas's 'request' to monitor Lanius."

Robert deliberately emphasized the word "request" in his words, clearly understanding that the matter would ultimately prove nothing. Even if it was found that the royal guards were monitoring Lanius, it would only be attributed to Deputy Director Jonas's private request and would absolutely not implicate King George III.

Although they could not reach George III, every important figure involved understood that the king was definitely behind it all, and they all became more vigilant about George III.

"Actually, if we just talked to Duke Negan and Earl Hall, they would both understand what was going on."

Then even if His Majesty the King wanted to make some underhanded moves, it would be useless.

"Evan, your information came at the perfect time. I didn't expect you to actually have a talent for intelligence work. Putting you in MI9 was definitely the right decision."

Finally, Robert praised Evan, who simply smiled and showed no intention of taking credit.

This was all thanks to Ince Zangwell and 008, who revealed the identities of the people who ambushed Lanluus and Mr. Z; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to obtain this information from the "Lord of Mysteries" in my mind.

Just as Robert said, as long as the people involved knew that George III was involved, no matter what conspiracy they had, it would all fall apart. With just one sentence, George III was brought down, and Evan was very pleased.

The next day, Backlund was unusually clear. Ivan and Robert rode together in a carriage to the Houses of Parliament, where they first received a brief knighthood from George III, and then attended a recess of Parliament presided over by George III.

Originally, there was no need for a special investiture ceremony for the title of nobleman; every second-generation nobleman would automatically receive it.

However, Robert's situation was special. The Earl of Akhova had a deep influence in the kingdom's noble circles. In addition, the succession issue had caused quite a stir recently. George III wanted to win over Robert, so he finally decided to hold a simple investiture ceremony before the parliamentary recess.

Although it was just a simple investiture ceremony, it was still a great honor to be able to confer a knighthood in the presence of members of parliament.

When Robert's carriage arrived at the Parliament building, many people greeted him warmly, and even Evan received a lot of praise.

Just as Robert was talking to his colleagues, the Duke of Negan, dressed in a naval uniform and adorned with medals, and the Earl of Hall, in a sharp tailcoat, came together to congratulate Robert.

During the embrace, Earl Hall whispered something in Robert's ear, causing Robert to raise an eyebrow before returning to normal and continuing to talk to the others.

Not long after, a group of royal guards dressed in red military dress, white trousers, and sashes, carrying rifles, appeared in front of the parliament building. They marched in neat rows in two lines.

Because the parliament building is built on a platform more than ten meters high, the two rows of guards stand on the steps, appearing exceptionally firm and upright under the sunlight.

Following closely behind the guards was the royal carriage, with a vertically pointing sword emblem bearing a ruby ​​crown on its hilt—the "Sword of Judgment," a symbol passed down from the Fourth Age by the Augustan royal family.

His Majesty King George III, with the beautiful Queen by his side, stepped out of the carriage and walked together on the red carpet toward the Parliament building, followed by a large number of princes and princesses. Wherever they went, nobles and members of parliament bowed their heads.

Evan had seen George III in the newspaper, but this was the first time he had seen him in person, so he looked at him curiously for a few more seconds. However, he did not expect to attract the attention of the two knights in black armor following behind George III. This made Evan feel afraid and he quickly lowered his head.

"Arbitrator pathway sequence 5 'Punishment Knight'?"

Evan made a guess in his mind: in a modern society where guns and cannons are the mainstream, wearing heavy armor would seem very out of place.

After the royal family members entered the Parliament building, the others followed.

Before the parliamentary recess ceremony, in the adjacent hall, in the presence of many members of parliament, George III knighted Lord Robert, making Robert the royal heir to the Earl of Akhova.

This scene must have made many people envious. Robert is practically the protagonist of a wish-fulfillment novel. He was unknown before entering the military academy, but was chosen as the heir by the old count and then began to shine.

He first made a name for himself at the military academy, surpassing many aristocratic children who had received military training from a young age, and graduated early with the highest score.

Then, he displayed his might in the southern continent, slaying generals and capturing flags, thus earning military merit.

He then resolutely abandoned the military for politics, stirring up a storm in the political arena. At just 32 years old, he became the chairman of the House of Commons Military Intelligence Committee, one of the leaders of the Conservative Party, and a veritable political heavyweight.

Moreover, he possessed a handsome face and a tall, upright figure, captivating countless young girls who accompanied their parents to the ceremony.

She couldn't wait to offer herself to him.

The entire investiture ceremony was simple, but what was most surprising was that Archbishop Snake of the Church of Storms blessed Robert at the end, which caused many people who were unaware of the inside story to whisper among themselves.

After the simple investiture ceremony, George III offered Robert some gentle encouragement, clearly valuing him highly, which aroused the envy of some nobles. Robert, in turn, made some polite remarks about loyalty to the king, and the two sides supported each other.

Then they went to the adjacent parliament hall for the formal recess ceremony, which was much more complicated and made Evan feel drowsy.

The entire recess ceremony lasted three hours, and when King George III officially announced the recess of Parliament, Ivan found that many people were already teetering on the brink of collapse.

Evan felt that attending this ceremony was more tiring than solving a case, and vowed never to come here to join in the fun unless absolutely necessary. Fortunately, the council members all knew that this recess ceremony was exhausting, so they did not arrange for a ball to be held, which greatly relieved Evan.

In Tingen, early in the morning, Mr. Grassis from the East District got out of bed and exercised in his small garden in the morning sunlight.

As a middle-class individual with a small house and garden, he was also among the wealthiest members of the middle class.

Because of his affluent life, he has many hobbies, and this is his favorite, which he often studies.

Thinking back to the investment he made last night, Mr. Grassis couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at the young Mr. Klein Moretti—he had been advising the gentlemen of the next club to invest cautiously and be wary of risks.

Initially, Grassis was cautious because of Klein's accurate assessment of his body, so he only invested half of his working capital.

Unexpectedly, just a few days later, both candidates for the next mayor of Tingen City from both parties endorsed the investment, and the Ministry of Defense and Pritz Shipyard also signed relevant contracts with Mr. Lanluus. The value of his initial investment shares instantly increased seven or eight times.

This made him deeply regret his previous cautious investment, now that everyone could see the potential of this investment.

Grassis has been looking for Ms. Christina these past two days, hoping to use her connections to buy some more shares from Laneus at a high price. He has even mortgaged his house for this purpose.

Sitting at the dining table, watching his wife and maid constantly calling to the running children, Mr. Grassis was filled with happiness.

"When the value of the shares increases a bit more, we'll sell a portion and buy a bigger house so that our children can attend the schools for the children of nobles and wealthy merchants, learning ancient Hermes and the language of giants. This way, they'll be qualified to apply to the cradle of politicians—Backlund College of Political Science and Business."

The entrance exam for Backlund College of Political Science and Business includes tests in Ancient Hermes and Ancient Giants, but these two languages ​​cannot be learned in public schools, which keeps many people who do not have the opportunity to learn them out of the school.

Just as Mr. Grassis was lost in thought, planning for his children's future, he opened the newspaper that his manservant had just brought him that morning.