MTLNOVEL Chapter 610 His Shadow - III
"…Unbelievable."
After leaving the Executioners' Guild, Ravenna whispered, "So, you had it all planned out? To this extent?"
Twisting the Duke of Azuregold's perception of Faust wasn't enough.
That cunning businessman wouldn't easily come to a definitive conclusion; he would certainly find other ways to probe Faust's depths. And he wasn't alone—many powerful figures would think the same.
Driven by fate, when these probes would occur and in what form was entirely unpredictable, difficult to control, and highly likely to cause unforeseen consequences.
Ansel, however, utilized Knell, the pinnacle of the "commissioner" industry in the West and a fifth-stage extraordinary being, as a medium to shape Faust's image in the eyes of other powerful figures to the greatest extent.
One must know that in the West territory, including the Grand Duke, there were only twelve fifth-stage extraordinary beings.
Among these twelve, Knell, who specialized in killing power and had cultivated his reputation for over a decade, commanded unparalleled strength and prestige.
Regardless of whether this Faust was genuine or not, even if he were authentic, who would believe that Knell, an old hand among fifth-stage extraordinaries, would willingly bow to Faust?
Are you kidding? He's Faust, not some divine entity!
Who do you think he is? An avatar of the Dragon King walking the earth? A vessel for the Tidecaller? Or perhaps that young Hydral, bored and seeking a life experience in the West?
No one would doubt the authenticity of Knell's intelligence. Even fate wouldn't push for such suspicion, as doubting it in itself was unreasonable.
At most, they would question the reliability of this information, not suspect that Knell had knelt at Faust's feet and deliberately fed false intelligence.
Henceforth, the perception of Faust among the top extraordinaries in the West would be entirely under Ansel's control, and this was merely the beginning.
"You didn't plan this all out since choosing Dispute Fortress as your base, did you?"
Ravenna asked in disbelief, "Using the tournament to gain fame, then using the Executioners establishing a branch here to lure out Knell and further manipulate others' perception of Faust?"
"Nothing so dramatic," Ansel shook his head with a smile. "I've told you, I don't spend my days concocting grand schemes."
He shrugged slightly, a bit helplessly, "See, I don't even have a commission to work on."
"…You can't be serious, trying to tell me this is all a coincidence."
Ravenna looked at Ansel with an expression as if he were a fool, clearly indicating her disbelief.
A few seconds later, something seemed to dawn on her.
"I'm not like your little dog." Miss Scholar perched on Ansel's shoulder gently stroked his cheek. "I don't mind whatever schemes you come up with... Besides, that Knell, since he takes on any commission, he can't be a good person, right?"
Ravenna's concern made Ansel pause momentarily. Then he smiled, shaking his head, and gently nuzzled against Ravenna's soft body.
"Why would you think that? Do I seem like someone who feels guilt?"
"Not exactly... It's just..."
Ravenna looked at Ansel, hesitated for a moment, then rubbed the corners of his eyes and softly said, "Normally, after completing such a scheme, you'd be quite pleased. But you seem... you seem a bit..."
Ravenna couldn't quite find the words to describe it. But when that abyssal darkness rose in Ansel's eyes, she could feel that Ansel didn't seem to enjoy using this power.
"Don't worry, I didn't think much about it. I did have a plan somewhat like the one you described, but I didn't intend to implement it now. I certainly didn't plan to use this method to lure Knell... I have many methods, but I hadn't considered this approach much."
"Because, as you said, I think I actually do enjoy taking on commissions."
The young Hydral said softly, "So this really is just a coincidence... No, to be precise, I went with the flow."
"Go with the flow?"
"Yes."
Ansel tilted his head slightly, sighing with a mix of lament and contentment, "You say all this was planned by me, but think about it, Venna."
"—What was the originating event that led to my meeting with Knell?"
*
"No, no, no, no! All ruined, Marli!"
Seraphina burst through the door, frantically shouting at Marlina in the office, "The commission... the commission!"
"…Calm down, Miss Fenrir."
Marlina sighed, straightened the documents and looked up at Seraphina, who had rushed to her desk:
"Speak slowly, what happened?"
"The commission!"
Miss Wolf wildly waved her arms, speaking incoherently, "That Executioner, they are not taking commissions anymore! They are not accepting any commissions from civilians!"
Marlina tilted her head slightly, "So?"
"So?" The tall and slender girl widened her eyes, "No one will help them anymore! Last time they solved the issue with the thugs in the lower district so effectively, and more people were seeking their help. But now they suddenly stopped taking commissions. What are we supposed to do?"
After Seraphina finished her frantic rant, Marlina patiently replied:
"So, without their help, the people in the lower district are completely helpless?"
"Uh… well, that's not exactly it,"
Seraphina was clearly stumped by this question. She scratched her head, thinking for a long while, then answered somewhat awkwardly, "Having help from extraordinary beings can reduce a lot of trouble. Your initial proposal to let extraordinary beings deal with the lower district thugs was based on that idea, wasn't it… Marli?" Read new adventures at empire
"Miss Fenrir," Marlina sighed, "Do you think my proposal was primarily about 'uniting all the residents of the lower district,' or 'issuing commissions to the Executioners'?"
"…"
Seraphina gazed at Marlina in confusion, thinking hard for a long time before cautiously answering:
"Both… are important?"
Marlina knew reasoning with Seraphina was futile, so she began to give examples, her tone remaining exceedingly patient.
"The union of all the civilians in the lower district... such an endeavor, such a term, inherently carries a power that reassures them."
"I know what you're worried about, Miss Fenrir. You're worried that without the assistance of the Executioners, those thugs, those hidden malevolent forces lurking in the corners, will rise again, aren't you?"
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