Edge of the Apocalypse

Chapter 1146: Key Figure

Orlando talked about the major changes that had occurred in the empire during this period of time. Hawson's control had expanded from Olyska to cities around the Devil's Throat. It was as if half of the Northern Territory was already in Hawson's pocket. Of course, with Hawson's current ability, this was already his limit. Unless he had the support of the army, his influence would have a chance to continue expanding. Otherwise, he would only rely on a new prime minister. Even if Stark was a Tangerio level expert, there was nothing he could do about it.

Saint level experts might be able to easily destroy a city and a place, but they were unable to gain the loyalty of more Lords. In the end, Stark had little foundation on Heaven's Planet, except for his battle prowess. It was indeed embarrassing for him that Hawson had fallen out with Roderick, so much so that most of the Lords were now on the sidelines, and that Hawson could no longer extend his influence.

In addition, the two commanders of Dawn Palace. The leader of the Silver Frost Iron Guards, Leon, and the commander of the King's Sword, Sara, had already left the imperial capital. Ryan pulled away more than half of the Silver Frost Iron Guards, and Sara even took away all the members of the King's Sword. Because the two of them had acted in secret, Hawson was busy expanding his influence. By the time he discovered it, it was already too late. The loss of Daybreak Castle's two great experts and a large number of guards, especially the King's Sword, was a huge blow to Hawson's prestige.

Lyn and Sara soon announced that they believed Woodrick's claim that Julian was the legitimate successor to the throne and would do everything in their power to ensure that Tangerio's will was carried out. Now that the two of them and their men had joined Woodrick's army, Hawson was furious, but it was useless.

On the south side, under the leadership of the Boleyn Family, Hoey announced his support for Julian. As a result, most of the Southern Lords joined the alliance, but the strength of the Southern experts and armies was several levels weaker than that of the Northern Territory. If Julian wanted to launch a counterattack, he would have to wait for Woodrick and the others to arrive before he would have enough strength.

But before that, there was another problem that needed to be solved urgently.

"That's how to prove to the other neutral Lords and generals of the Imperial Army that His Highness Julian's inheritance is true." Orlando bowed to Julian and said, "Please forgive me, Your Highness. After all, the evidence of Woodrick and Earl Allen is not enough. We need more definitive evidence." Otherwise, even if he kicked Hawson out of office, His Highness would obtain the throne. But in the eyes of others, His Highness' throne was always returned, not legally inherited. I think there is still a difference between the two. "

Julian nodded. He knew that. In the end, the throne that he had fought back was not justified. Since he could compete for the throne, so could the other princes. If he allowed someone with a heart to operate behind his back, the internal strife in the empire would probably never end. Only by proving the legitimacy of his throne would the Imperial Army be loyal to him. Only by grasping the power of the country would others be able to completely lose their thoughts of fighting for power and seizing the throne.

This path was not easy to follow, but this was the only way for Julian to resolve the internal strife in the empire.

"That night, father has been back. He knew that he would not be able to return to Oliska to announce his decision, so he could only use Woodrick and Earl Allen as witnesses. If we had made it back to Oliska and announced all of this, then there would have been nothing else. However, Hawson managed to get the signature of the Chancellor and the Privy Council and succeeded to the throne in a legal manner, "Julian sighed." Although there were too many problems, Hawson was legal, at least on the surface. "That's right. Then he framed me for murdering my father. At this time, General Woodrick and the others will only think that they said that for the sake of supporting me."

"Earl Allen and the others are witnesses. What they said should have been recognized by the laws of the empire, but because of Hawson's relationship, it is impossible to judge. Therefore, it is very difficult to verify the authenticity of the father's will now …"

Everyone was silent. This was indeed a difficult problem to solve, so they just ate silently. The atmosphere at the dining table immediately became serious. This was a problem that had to be solved. If the legitimacy of Julian's succession to the throne could not be verified, it would not be too comfortable to sit up even if he seized the throne. josei

Alan suddenly put down his knife and fork. This action caused everyone's attention to be focused on him. Allen narrowed his eyes and said, "Perhaps, it's not that there's nothing you can't think of."

Julian's eyes lit up. "Tell me what you think, my dear friend."

"To be honest, it's very difficult to convince people of the authenticity of the emperor's will, but this path doesn't mean that we have nowhere to go. There's another path, I think. What if people find out that Stark is the culprit behind the emperor's assassination?"

His words were like sparks in the night, faint, but they stirred up a glimmer of hope. "If the new prime minister is known to be the murderer of the emperor," murmured Nabott, following Allen's assumptions, "then Hawson, who is a big fan of the new prime minister, is naturally involved. In that way, Hawson's words would be overturned in their entirety, and even with the signatures of the two Lords, the Judicial Court would be fully empowered to overturn the legality of Hawson's succession and conduct an in-depth investigation. "

"This is indeed a viable path, but Earl Allen, when my father was attacked, only you and I were present …" Julian implied. Without a third party present, the question would go back to its original point.

"No, it's not just ours." "There was another person present," Allen warned.

"You mean Mason?" Julian was stunned.

"That's right, Sword Lord Mason was there. He saw Stark with his own eyes, and more importantly, Mason is neither on our side nor on Hawson's side. At least not for now. I know that this will make His Highness feel very embarrassed. After all, without Marsen, the Great Emperor would not have appeared in the Lonely Mountain Tundra, and the Nasdaq would be inorganic. But now, Mason may be the key to turning the tables. Moreover, at that time, His Majesty had no intention of taking his life. "So, Your Highness, I think it's necessary to find the Sword Lord and try to get him to identify Stark," Allen said. "Even if Hawson denies it, the accusation from the Sword Lord is enough to shake his current position. On the other hand, Stark was not a human, so he could be regarded as an outsider. If this is confirmed, then Hawson's throne will become unstable, because in the history of the empire, there has never been a prime minister who was taken over by an outsider, right? "

Julian's chest rose and fell, his lips pursed tightly, and his eyes were very complicated. Alan knew that it was not easy for him to do so. However, Mason was indeed the only one left who could turn the situation around. Whether or not he wanted to do so was ultimately up to Julian.

Everyone stopped at the table, waiting for Julian to make his decision.

A moment later, the prince sighed softly, "Alright, I can't think of a better way than you, Count. However, finding the Sword Lord won't be easy either."

"I will inform Archduke Niaohua that the Bolin Family will do their best to find the whereabouts of the Sword Lord. Please be at ease, Your Highness." Shuo Lin expressed his stance on the spot.

"Then I'll have to trouble Duke Elizabeth." Julian nodded.

After that, they stopped talking about Hawson. Julian asked the Orlandos about the customs of the South. It seemed that he would have to stay in the South for a long time. The sooner he merged with the land, the better. Orlando answered quickly. He was funny and the son of Hoey the Iron Spear, and soon won Julian's favor. After the banquet, Julian had Orlando arrange to stay in White Castle, while Alan lived in a house not far from White Castle.

This was originally a Christian property. At that time, Orlando, fearing Allen, demanded that the people related to Allen leave Ark Harbor. The relationship is very different now. The house, including other Christian properties, has returned to Vera's control.

Alan came to his residence. There were no outsiders here, so everyone opened their mouths to talk freely. The priest was pleased with Milo's vivid descriptions of her accomplishments, especially the large number of believers she had recruited in the cities of Milahan. Young Abel was tied up with Ark Harbor's future successor, Ouban's youngest son, Arte. After knowing that Alan had accepted Abel as an apprentice, Arte pestered Alan to teach him swordsmanship. Alan kicked him to Abel and asked him to teach the little count some basic postures, which made the young man very distressed.

In the hall, tired of listening to Milo boast, Vera put the priest aside and came to Alan who was standing alone in front of the window. Alan looked through the window at the distant street and said, "The city is as peaceful as ever."

"The Orlandos govern well. Unfortunately, the peace will come to an end soon." Vera said indifferently.

"That's right. The empire is in civil strife. The two princes are fighting for power. Even a city as far away as Ark Harbor will be involved in this dispute."

"No, it's not just the civil strife in the empire that broke the peace in this city." "You must be prepared," said Vera in a voice that carried a trace of emptiness. "The darkness will soon spread across the land. "I just saw the shadows from the west spreading across the empire, and everywhere they passed, I saw burning flames, and I heard women and children crying, all of which made me very uncomfortable."

"Western Shadow?" "You mean the Shadow Duchy?" Ellen said in a low voice.

The Shadow Duchy was located at the end of the land west of the empire, and Vera's hint could not be more obvious. The Holy Maiden of Christianity nodded her head. "Not long after she saw that scene, she also heard a few words from the Alliance Army from Belmond."

"Speaking of which, why isn't Belmord here?"

"He's gone to pick up Mr. Hubble. I heard that Mr. Hubble is coming back and will bring important information."

Alan slapped his forehead and Hubble had been arranged by Edward to infiltrate the Shadow Duchy before they went north. Now, the big guy was finally coming back. He muttered, "Then I'll have to prepare some strong liquor. I'll need a lot of barrels!"