Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?-Chapter 457 - 72 Indirect Communication

The unrest at the military camp’s market was quickly quelled.

In this world where extraordinary abilities existed, the gap in strength between armored knights and ordinary soldiers was significant, not just in terms of equipment but also physical quality. Even when grouped together, soldiers found it difficult to contend against the fewer number of knights.

A stray bullet struck the Emperor’s head amidst the chaos, and although it did no real harm, it still infuriated the old man.

As a result, in addition to the soldiers killed on the spot, over six hundred more who had caused the disturbance and surrendered were all sentenced to hanging by the wrathful Emperor.

Several hundred corpses were hung on the gallows beside the military camp, swinging in the wind, left for the crows to peck at, and the grievances within the army were quickly suppressed—or rather, transformed into fear.

The military camp’s market was permanently closed. Now, with nowhere to go, both soldiers and knights had to stay in their cramped, small tents, chatting and venting, cursing the Emperor under their breath.

Spies planted within the army by the Blade Warriors soon recorded an almost vast amount of complaints defaming the Emperor. Wisely, they chose not to report this immediately but rather, filed it as a record considering the sheer number of people involved.

Had the increasingly paranoid Emperor learned of this, there would surely be a bloodbath, a night of slashing with long knives and rivers of blood.

The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps also found themselves in a predicament.

The investigation had led to the Acid Erosion Dragon; unable to directly investigate this demigod, they had to rely on the Imaginary Dragon Bruno to work around the issue.

After some investigation, Bruno suspected that the mastermind behind the scenes was far more powerful than imagined and thus resolved to conduct his own inquiry, not involving the Azure Longsword.

"So what do we do now?" Medea asked, "Just wait for Bruno to come up with results? Even if he does find something, he might not necessarily tell us."

"That’s right," Aske said, "So we need to bring in more forces to make this situation more chaotic."

"More chaotic?"

"Yes."

At dusk, the group secretly left the military camp. Near the gallows outside, Aske placed a copper coin into the mouth of a corpse with a drooping head.

After a moment, mist slowly rose again, and from within the fog, a small boat glided in, with Apilius and the Ferryman alighting gracefully.

Aske briefly explained the situation, and the City Lord of Olympia City, who listened expressionlessly, said:

"Tell me the death time and place of the Prison Watcher Priest."

"April 14th, around 10 pm," Aske replied, "in a trench north of Verona City."

"Good," Apilius said solemnly, "Regarding the Acid Erosion Dragon thread, my opinion is the same as the Dragon of Imagination’s; you should refrain from investigating for now and just wait."

"As long as the Dragon of Imagination continues to delve into this matter, there won’t always be calm in the Emperor’s Alliance. When the time is right, you can act on the opportunity."

Although everyone was puzzled by Apilius’s mysterious confidence, the city lord soon produced a magic potion, which promptly silenced them all.

"Theodora," Apilius said while handing the magic potion to Thira, "you need to be promoted as soon as possible."

"The Church Court’s assault will not be on hold for long. If you truly encounter danger, like Aske did, place a coin in the mouth of a nearby corpse."

"Your grandfather will come."

"Okay, got it," Thira nodded firmly.

"Alright, I’ll be going then." With those final words, Apilius stepped back onto the small boat, disappearing into the mists of the River Styx along with the Ferryman.

"It’s a ’Gravity IV’ magic potion." Thira checked it with her spirituality, then turned to Aske and said.

"Look, Medea, would you look at that," Aske ruminated. "That’s someone’s elder for you. Do you think your mother could learn a thing or two?"

"I’ve said before that she and I have no mother-daughter relationship," Medea replied helplessly.

"Then I guess I have no choice but to mourn for her," Aske took out another candle. It was the very one Marquina had stuffed into his hand, and swiftly lit it up.

The candlelight flickered in the dim twilight, and soon Marquina appeared within the range of its glow.

"So, have you found the mastermind? The true culprit manipulating the Emperor’s mind?" After quickly surveying the surroundings to ensure no one was around, Marquina asked with a smile.

"No, we’ve just encountered some obstacles," Aske said.

"Then why call me here? To warm up our relationship?" Marquina teased with a sweet smile as she moved to loop an arm around his shoulder, only to be brushed off impatiently by Medea.

Having been briefed on the situation, Marquina crossed her arms and supported her chin with one hand, pondering, and then said,

"The Dragon of Imagination wasn’t wrong. Since it’s involved a demigod with an infected mind, the risk of you continuing your investigation is just too uncertain and great."

"How about this," she suggested, "Wait for the Dragon of Imagination to find something, and we can discuss it then."

Marquina’s opinion coincided with that of Apilius—they both advised against direct pursuit of the Acid Erosion Dragon, suggesting to wait for the right moment. The problem was that they needed the magic potion to complete the mission! How long would the potion be delayed if the task was left hanging? When would the others be able to advance to Lv10?

"What if the Dragon of Imagination finds something but keeps it to himself?" Aske inquired. "Can you rule out that possibility?"

"Heh," Marquina chuckled. "In fact, not long ago, prompted by your reminder, Aske, the Dragon of Imagination who noticed something off about the Emperor paid us a visit."

"He and..." Aske almost used the term "your mother," "does he know the Enchanting Demon Queen?"

"All demigods of the Mind System know each other, don’t they?" Marquina said with a grin. "But his hostility runs deep; he probably suspects that Your Majesty is the mastermind." freewebnσvel.cøm

"Oh," nodded Aske. "So how did you convince him?"

"Your Majesty told him that we had commissioned a certain Mercenary Group called ’The Azure Longsword’ to help us with this investigation," Marquina explained.

The group: ...

"So the Dragon of Imagination already knows..." Medea said in disbelief.

"Correct," Marquina said with a smile. "He’s aware of your motivation for investigating and also knows that Camellia is Your Majesty’s biological daughter. Since Your Majesty would send his own daughter into this mercenary corps, right into the Emperor’s Alliance camp, naturally, the Dragon of Imagination wavered in his accusation against him."

"You’re using me as a hostage?" Medea was extremely displeased.

"Don’t put it so unpleasantly," Marquina said flippantly. "This is merely to dissipate hostility and build trust based on shared interests. The Dragon of Imagination simply couldn’t trust Your Majesty’s position and attitude, but, surprisingly, he has quite a deal of trust in you, Lord Aske. Fortunately, because of Medea, Your Majesty is also willing to extend sufficient trust to you."

"So, based on us, you and the Dragon of Imagination have reached an agreement," Thira keenly sensed the implication in her words.

"That’s right," Marquina snapped her fingers and a scroll appeared in her hand. "Your Majesty is willing to share some intelligence through you, to the Dragon of Imagination; and when the Dragon of Imagination comes across any clues, he’s also prepared to inform you in time. This serves the purpose of indirect communication with Your Majesty."

"From now on, you’ll be the messengers between us and the Dragon of Imagination, the bridge for indirect exchanges between the two parties." She tossed the scroll to Aske. "Take it."

"May I open it to look?" Aske asked.

"As you wish," Marquina cast a coquettish glance.

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