stjorthotic Chapter 384 Einhorn's Ambition
Chapter 384 Einhorn's Ambition
Chapter 384 Einhorn's Ambition
After leaving the café, Klein hailed a carriage and had it quickly take him away from Queens until he got off at the Hilton.
He then frequently changed his clothes and took various modes of transportation until he arrived in the East District, after which he was able to calm down a little.
However, he still did not completely let his guard down. Instead, he went to a safe house, took four steps backward, and came up above the gray fog. After observing his surroundings through his physical body in reality and finding that no one was watching him, Klein finally breathed a sigh of relief.
That was a close call! Luckily, that "Maxim" had some self-control.
Otherwise, not only would I not have been able to escape today, but my identity as 'Alice Einhorn' would certainly have been exposed.
Klein was all too familiar with Maxim's undisguised gaze.
He had seen far too many similar looks in the past week.
It was because of these experiences that he was able to overcome his nausea and continue acting.
Alice Einhorn's identity must be returned to Evan.
Whether it's the upcoming contact with Maxim or the tasks assigned by Ahomatova Einhorn, neither is something Klein can handle.
With that thought, Klein returned to reality, made a praying gesture, and asked Mr. Fool to convey the events of the day in the capacity of "the World".
Then the gray fog descended, casting the image of prayer into the red star that symbolized Evan.
After doing all this, Klein sat upright in Mr. Fool's seat, his hands on the bronze table, tapping them incessantly, pondering the questions he hadn't had time to think about before.
What exactly is going on with the Horn family? What reason could an angel have for believing that they might betray the Kingdom of Rune and want to win them over and turn them against their cause?
Even now, Klein still cannot understand or grasp the thought process of the angel named Ahomatova Einhorn.
Klein, however, did not doubt that the other party could make a mistake, after all, the word "angel" sometimes already represented everything.
Meanwhile, some of Evan's previous ambiguous remarks also provided evidence for this line of thinking.
The Horn family must have a secret, and a big one at that.
Klein felt it necessary to get to know the Earl of Akhova's mansion and the Horn family again afterward.
Let's see if Evan tells me afterwards. If he doesn't want to talk about it, I'd better not probe too deeply in person.
Klein was quite adept at maintaining appropriate boundaries in his interactions with friends. Since the engraving plates he was carrying still needed to be delivered, Klein didn't linger in the gray mist. He changed his appearance again and headed towards the printing factory he had acquired.
Although he no longer wanted to work for the Fussac Empire, Klein still needed to maintain the persona of "Alice" before returning the identity to Evan, and he couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
Walking down the desolate street, looking at the piles of dead bodies on the roadside, Klein was still feeling uneasy, but he wasn't as depressed as before.
After all, he already knew from various sources that his plan had succeeded, and that the government of the Kingdom of Rune would release the medicinal herbs it had stockpiled and implement strict epidemic prevention measures within two days at the latest.
The most difficult days are finally over, and Klein is filled with pride.
Just thinking that George III, that scoundrel, was still a king, or even a king who was about to complete the ascension ceremony of the 'Black Emperor', made Wen feel that the future of the Kingdom of Rune was bleak.
Having lived two lives, Klein did not believe that someone like George III, after becoming a god, could truly bring blessings to the Kingdom of Loen. On the contrary, he would surely become the source of world turmoil.
Faced with this situation, Klein wanted to stop it but felt powerless to do so.
Klein quickly transformed into "Alice" and went to the printing factory. He handed the engraving to a Fursac Empire agent guarding the factory, then arranged the distribution of the leaflets the next day, emphasizing:
"Actually, the Empire's objective has already been achieved. Distributing leaflets and stirring up trouble is just icing on the cake; it's no longer a necessary task. So everyone should prioritize their own safety and not try to be reckless, understand?"
Klein originally intended to use these words to fool the Fussac intelligence agents, not wanting his arrangements to cause any accidents. So, he assigned tasks to the Fussac Empire's intelligence agents in a show of concern for his subordinates.
Unexpectedly, because of Alice Einhorn's princess status, the success of their recent operations, and Evan's previous influence, they were deeply moved by Klein's words and did not take his advice to "be careful" to heart. Instead, they expressed their determination with full confidence and high morale!
"Rest assured, Your Highness, we will certainly live up to the Empire's expectations and complete the mission assigned to us to the best of our ability, contributing our strength to the Empire's final conquest of Rune!"
A senior intelligence officer from the Fussac Empire, who was less than 1.7 meters tall, looked up and solemnly assured Klein.
Clearly, this intelligence agent, who suffered discrimination in the Fusak Empire due to his height, saw "Alice" as a stepping stone to his advancement and was filled with thoughts of making a name for himself.
"For the Empire, for His Majesty the Emperor!"
Other Fussack intelligence officers also joined in with reverent whispers.
Klein was speechless. He hadn't said anything sarcastic, but these people had all interpreted it as sarcasm.
However, due to his status, he could not persuade them any further. He couldn't help but feel a little worried, wondering if he should contact "Judgment" or "Magician" to report these people and prevent them from causing trouble.
In the end, Klein decided to leave the matter to Evan.
It's strange, though. Klein thought that after informing Evan about Akhmatova Einhorn, Evan would arrange to meet him on the Gray Fog as soon as possible, but there's been no word from him yet, and he doesn't know what's going on with Evan.
After giving a perfunctory compliment to his eager-to-improve subordinate, Klein left the printing plant to go back to his apartment to rest. He was exhausted after a long day, especially since he had to rush to the East District overnight to assign tasks.
When Klein returned to the apartment, it was already the early hours of the next day. But before entering the apartment, he mustered his strength, found a secluded corner, and went back into the gray fog to check on the condition of the apartment.
This was a rule that Klein set for himself after being ambushed by Evan last time.
After all, the scene of being ambushed by Evan last time and having no power to resist was still vivid in his mind, and Klein did not want to experience that despair a second time.
Moreover, since his last meeting with Evan, Klein has come to understand that George III views him as a major threat.
Being targeted by an archangel means you can't be too careful.
What was supposed to be a routine check turned into a scare for Klein, as he discovered that someone had broken into his home again.
But Klein quickly regained his composure, took a closer look, and couldn't help but want to curse.
Because the person who appeared in his apartment was none other than Evan, who had been silent for a long time.
"Trying to scare me again?" Klein was a little angry, but then he felt relieved when he remembered that Evan was a "hunter".
A hunter who doesn't play pranks or do bad things wouldn't be like a "hunter".
And Evan happens to be a qualified hunter.
Klein originally intended to pull Evan's celestial body into the gray fog, and then enter the apartment in reality to retaliate against Evan.
But after thinking about it, I realized that this would greatly affect Mr. Fool's prestige, and I didn't have any other effective means to get close to a demigod without him noticing.
So in the end, Klein had no choice but to abandon this plan and obediently take out his keys and enter the apartment.
Compared to last time, Klein completely gave up resisting, letting Evan bind him with spider silk and hang him in the air.
This only made Evan feel bored. After directing the spider silk to place Klein on the ground, he jumped down from the French windows reflecting the moonlight and said:
"Not bad. After last time, I've become a bit more cautious. Is this a gift from Mr. 'Fool'?"
"You made me look so pathetic last time, do you think I'd fall into the same trap twice?"
"Aren't you incredibly bored? How old are you to be playing such childish games, or are you reminiscing about your childhood?"
Klein avoided the question of how he could detect Evan's whereabouts, instead retorting with sarcasm about Evan's ambush, mocking his behavior as too naive.
But to his surprise, Evan didn't blush at his sarcasm; instead, he said in a serious tone:
"Every time I think about the look of despair on your face after you were scared last time, I feel that playing these childhood games with you is actually quite fun!"
Klein was so angry that he was speechless, his face turned red, and he glared at Evan!
If he hadn't known the difference in strength between himself and Evan, he definitely would have fought with Evan!
Finally, Evan smiled and helped Klein sit down, then took out the coffee he had prepared beforehand and said:
"Okay, enough joking around. Try the coffee I brewed myself."
I rushed back overnight, tell me quickly what happened!
Evan had actually received a telegram from Robert, which prompted him to rush back from the naval training base in Pulitzer Bay.
He learned about Akhmatova Einhorn midway through his journey, so he decided not to see Robert first, but instead went to Klein's apartment to wait for him.
To be honest, Evan was quite surprised by the fact that Akhmatova Einhorn had approached "Alice" and tried to recruit her to his side.
But after thinking about it carefully, it seems quite reasonable.
The Horn family has never had a high-sequence extraordinary individual before. Most of the family heads in the past were ordinary people. Over dozens of generations, none of them had personally experienced the betrayal of their ancestors. Therefore, the current head of the Horn family may not necessarily have any empathy with his ancestors.
They might even believe that the old Earl of the Horn family targeted the Einhorn family simply because the pressure from the Einhorn family was too great, and he had no choice but to cause trouble in order to protect himself.
If the Einhorn family were willing to give the Horn family a little leeway and a promise of security, the Horn family might not be willing to be used as a pawn by the Augustus family.
Furthermore, the Augustus family's intention to support the brothers Robert and Evan in their fight against the Fussac Empire became increasingly clear, and their influence in the Kingdom of Rune was also growing.
Therefore, in the eyes of some people within the Einhorn family, Robert and Evan now have certain value in uniting the people, and they can't help but want to make a move.
If they could really persuade Robert and Evan to betray them at the crucial moment, it might be the most fatal blow to the Augustus family, making it a very profitable deal.
Klein was also very curious about the Horn family's affairs, and disregarding his anger with Evan, he quickly recounted the entire meeting from a few hours earlier in detail.
Evan listened attentively to Klein's account, his fingers tapping incessantly on the table, clearly evaluating every word Klein said.
Finally, Klein, his throat dry from talking, sipped his coffee while looking at the pensive Evan, hesitated for a moment, and then asked:
"Why does Maxim think that you and your brother might have been turned by them? Did you deliberately give them this misconception for intelligence purposes?"
This is the only reasonable explanation Klein has been able to come up with during this period of time.
Evan's brother was already one of the dozen or so most powerful people in the Kingdom of Rune. It was puzzling to Klein that someone of such high rank and power could be considered a potential traitor by an enemy nation.
Upon hearing this, Evan snapped out of his reverie, looked at Klein who was cautiously awaiting his answer, smiled, and then said frankly:
"It's not really a big secret now, it's just that relatively few people know about it."
The Horn family's predecessor was the Einhorn family, and they are the most legitimate branch of the Einhorn family.
Klein was stunned when he first learned of this. He would never have thought of it this way, no matter how hard he racked his brains, given the vast difference between the two families.
"How is this possible? Does the Augustus family know about this?"
Are you perhaps a "Trojan horse" planted in the Kingdom of Rune by the Einhorn family?
No, that's not right. Your existence is clearly tacitly approved or even supported by the Augustus family. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many princesses marrying into the count's household throughout history. What's going on here?
Klein was dumbfounded and blurted out his thoughts without thinking.
On the contrary, Evan calmly continued to refill Klein's cup.
"It's not impossible. In fact, it's obvious when you think about it. Without extraordinary power to sustain it, how could the Kingdom of Rune have a second family that has lasted for a thousand years?"
Evan then gave Klein a brief introduction to the history of the Horn family. Anyway, these things were not major secrets, and Fors and Hugh already knew them, so it didn't matter if Klein knew them too.