stjorthotic Chapter 298 The Augustus Family's Scheme and Evan's Ambush
Chapter 298 The Augustus Family's Scheme and Evan's Ambush
Chapter 298 The Augustus Family's Scheme and Evan's Ambush
"I am the 'Founder' of the Kingdom of Rune. Anyone who attacks me is an enemy and deserves punishment!"
Faced with the flaming giant sword that descended from the sky and tore through the 'Bloody Crown's' domain, Augustus I was furious and immediately declared the attacker an enemy.
After Augustus I declared "enemy or friend," whether it was the endless "disasters," the rules established over thousands of years, the attacking giant sword that made it impossible for him to avoid, or the blessing that protected Augustus I from external disturbances!
However, at this time, Augustus I inevitably loosened his restrictions on the Speaker of the Council of Life.
Taking this opportunity, the Speaker of Life leaped into the mysterious and unpredictable River of Destiny, and the dragon swam in the sea, disappearing without a trace!
The flaming greatsword, declared an "enemy" by Augustus I, disregarded the numerous "disasters" approaching from behind, broke through layers of invisible obstacles, and slashed at the "bloody crown" worn by Augustus I.
It's just a pity that the current Augustus I is protected by the rules that have been established over the millennia in the entire Kingdom of Rune.
The collision between the flaming greatsword and the "Bloody Crown" only caused a minor earthquake in Backlund. Augustus I was completely unharmed, and even the "Bloody Crown" on his head didn't tilt!
Within the territory of the Kingdom of Rune, with the Kingdom of Rune empowering him, Augustus I was virtually invincible!
However, this state of affairs could not last and would have consequences. If it weren't for the fear of problems with the "Bloody Crown," Augustus I would not have done so so easily.
Seeing that its attack had failed, the flaming greatsword flew into the air again, sweeping away the incoming 'heavenly fire,' 'thunder,' and 'hurricane' with a single horizontal sweep, and then transformed into a bolt of lightning and rushed into the distance!
Augustus I, however, had no intention of pursuing them and simply watched them leave!
Bernadette had already escaped when the flaming greatsword appeared.
After all, that sword strike was indeed magnificent and unmatched, enough to disrupt the situation. If she didn't run away soon, she would have to face the combined forces of Augustus I, who had lost his prey, and her own brother.
Bonova Gustav did not take this opportunity to pursue them, not out of consideration for his siblings, but because he was powerless to do so.
While the "Moon Goddess Box" is incredibly powerful, it also has significant side effects. Bonova Gustav is on the verge of falling in love with this sealed artifact. If this situation were to occur, even the God of Steam and Machinery would be powerless to save him.
Love is the most unstoppable force in the world. This force once stirred up the winds and clouds in the turbulent Quaternary Period and greatly influenced the course of Quaternary history!
Not to mention that this power is backed by the most powerful Ancient One!
Without the status of a true god, there is absolutely no way to resist the erosion of the "Moon Goddess Treasure Box," which is also an important reason why this sealed artifact is ranked so high!
Even if he only used it for a few minutes this time, he will need to undergo two years of arduous training under the protection of the god of steam and machinery to eliminate any remaining hidden dangers!
"That's Dante Einhorn? Why didn't Your Majesty take this opportunity to intercept him?"
The enemy's biggest boss has appeared in his own "territory". This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is a more tempting option than killing the Chairman of Life. How could Augustus I not be tempted at all?
The Church of Steam and Machinery is not the official church of the Fussac Empire, and both the two countries it is located in, Intis and Rune, consider it a mortal enemy.
Defeating the Fussac Empire will also expand the influence of the Church of Steam and Machinery!
The Church of the Goddess of Night is a mortal enemy of the Church of the God of War of the Fusak Empire, a sworn enemy to the death!
As the largest church in the Kingdom of Rune, the Storm Church should be more than happy to see this happen.
Therefore, Bonova Gustav believed that as long as Augustus I took the lead, all parties in the Kingdom of Loen would help him keep "Dante Augustus" alive!
Bonova Gustav saw it clearly: Augustus I, blessed by the "national fortune" of the Kingdom of Rune, was capable of intercepting the giant sword, but he ultimately chose not to act!
Augustus I glanced at Bonova Gustav, whose speech had suddenly become somewhat effeminate and whose appearance was becoming increasingly feminine. His apprehension towards the "Lunar Box" grew even stronger. At the same time, as he removed and stored the "Bloody Crown" from his head, he explained to her:
"It wasn't Dante Einhorn who came in person; he simply used the 'Gathering of the Crowd' authority through the Hunter's Path to take action in the body of a 'War Bishop'!"
This "war bishop" can temporarily borrow the authority of the "conqueror," and can defy divination and spiritual intuition, which is why you didn't notice it at first!
Bonova Gustav suddenly realized that since it wasn't Dante Einhorn, it wasn't worthwhile for Augustus I to risk the backlash of the rules by attacking him. It would be better to remove the "national fortune" bestowed upon the Kingdom of Rune as soon as possible.
Moreover, even if Augustus I didn't intervene, the Augustus family wouldn't let this "War Bishop" who secretly sneaked into Backlund to cause trouble leave.
In Bonova Gustav's line of sight, he saw at least five demigods chasing after the direction the greatsword had left!
It wasn't just the demigods from the Augustus family who made a move; people from the other three major churches also went after them!
The extraordinary qualities of a Sequence 3 'War Bishop' were enough to move Bonova Gustav, but he was not in a position to act at the moment, and he still had matters to attend to, so he could only stay and say:
"Despite all the preparations, we ultimately failed. Truly, fate is unpredictable!"
Augustus I immediately realized that Bonova Gustav was not expressing any pity for him, but rather subtly reminding him to fulfill his previous promise and to claim his performance bonus.
After all, the Church of Steam and Machinery had greatly assisted him in his hunting plan, even bringing out its strongest sealing artifacts and sacrificing an angel who could not act for two years. The price paid was considerable.
Therefore, although Augustus I was quite annoyed by the failed hunt, he still said directly:
"The kingdom's education budget will double over the next ten years, and three specialized general industrial universities will be established in various locations within that timeframe."
The soon-to-be-upgraded Backlund Technical University will also be elevated to the level of Backlund University, a promise made previously and naturally not to be reneged on!
If three more universities are established and the administrative level of Backlund University of Technology is raised to the highest level, then the influence of the Church of Steam and Machinery will be significantly enhanced in the Kingdom of Rune, and the faith in the God of Steam and Machinery will be greatly consolidated and expanded!
Furthermore, the Kingdom of Rune clearly doesn't have enough teaching staff to support these four universities. Wouldn't they then need the support of the Church of Steam and Machinery? This would make it possible to send Intis's surplus personnel to the Kingdom of Rune.
The Church of Steam and Machinery paid such a high price for this reward. As long as they can digest this gain, the Church of Steam and Machinery can get rid of its perennial third place status in the Kingdom of Rune.
Bonova Gustav let out a soft sigh, thinking of the growing conflict between the Church of Steam and Machinery and the Church of the Eternal Sun.
With the Kingdom of Rune as a fallback option, the Church of Steam and Machinery will no longer be constrained or tied in its own hands when confronting the Church of the Eternal Sun.
The Kingdom of Rune, or rather the Augustus family, were fully aware of the situation within Intis.
The republican system itself would cause domestic divisions, and with two major churches standing behind it, it would be easy for various forces within Intis to split and take sides.
After the death of Emperor Rosell, there were more than a dozen political parties when the Republic of Intis was first established, but now the main political forces are concentrated in two parties, and other small parties are not worth mentioning.
The result of this confrontation is that the conflict between the Church of the Eternal Sun and the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, which had previously been getting by, has become increasingly acute.
In addition, the era dividends left by Roselle have been gradually exhausted, the development of the Southern Continent has reached a bottleneck, and internal conflicts in Intis are also rising sharply!
Seeing an opportunity, the Augustus family prepared to use the chance to expel Ouroles and hunt down the Speaker of Life to get involved with the Church of Steam and Machines.
The Augustus family's promise to the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery actually risked offending the other two major churches.
After all, nobody wants to eat less!
But the Augustus family still decided to do it.
On the one hand, they wanted to give the Church of Steam and Mechanical Engineering a way out, thus exacerbating internal conflicts within Intis.
Although Intis is currently an ally of the Kingdom of Rune against the Fusak Empire, it is still necessary to be wary of it.
A weakened Intis that is heavily reliant on the Kingdom of Rune is a truly reliable Intis.
Those high-ranking officials who were thoroughly humiliated by Russell back then, and who could only kneel down and beg for mercy, are all still alive today!
On the other hand, it was to win the favor of the god of steam and machinery.
There are no cards to play yet, and it's unclear what the Seven Gods' attitude is towards George III's ascension to the "Black Emperor." They'll try to recruit as many as they can!
Even Augustus I's recent release of that "war bishop" was actually part of this idea!
The Kingdom of Rune's current overall strategy is to avoid war, not wanting to have a direct conflict with the Fusak Empire, and not wanting to give the Church of War a pretext to start a war.
Because if you put yourself in the shoes of the "God of War," you'll realize just how terrifying it is that George III wants to become the "Black Emperor"! (From the God of War's perspective, the emergence of a Black Emperor in Rune is the worst-case scenario, especially with only a dozen years left until the end of the world.)
After all, the supporter of the Kingdom of Rune is the Goddess of Night!
If George III truly becomes the "Black Emperor," a god on earth, then the "God of War" can basically wash his throat! (Even defeating the God of War wouldn't require worrying about the barrier breaking down; the Black Emperor can simply take his place.)
Augustus I was prepared to let this "war bishop" go, subtly implying that we are not necessarily mortal enemies!
Whether his men would kill this "war bishop" was not a question for Augustus I to consider; in any case, his attitude had already been made clear!
"Was 0-05 left to Bernadette Gustave by Emperor Rosell?"
Two major variables have emerged in this hunting operation. One is "0-05", the long-famous and mysterious sealed artifact.
Another is the sudden appearance of Dante Einhorn, who then took drastic action!
These two variables directly led to the failure of Augustus I's meticulously prepared plan.
Dante Einhorn's sudden move is understandable. As the mortal enemy of the Kingdom of Rune, he certainly didn't want to see the Augustus family obtain the extraordinary characteristics of the Life Council Chairman, so he naturally wanted to stop them if he had the chance.
Moreover, according to what Augustus I vaguely heard, Dante Einhorn was able to successfully ambush his nephew—the ancestor of the Horn family—and acquire the "Conqueror" trait, thanks in no small part to the Life Council Chairman's help. Having incurred a debt to fate, it's understandable that the Life Council Chairman would lend a hand.
Prior to this, Augustus I had even anticipated Urolius's reaction, and even believed that Urolius would eventually be happy to see the plan succeed and would voluntarily withdraw.
After all, if the Life Council Chairman is killed and the Extraordinary Ability falls into the hands of the Augustus family, it's still better than the Life Council Chairman living!
Even if Bernadette intervened in this great battle, it wouldn't matter. With Bonova Gustav holding her back, Augustus I believed he could also take down the clearly weakened Speaker of Life.
However, the appearance of 0-05 changed everything. Even though Bernadette did not actually use the sealed artifact, Augustus I still felt that the sealed artifact might be the culprit for his failure this time!
Some things, simply by existing, have strong symbolic meaning!
Therefore, Augustus I was eager to find out about the sealed artifact.
To everyone's disappointment, Bonova Gustav shook his head and said uncertainly:
"I've never heard of my father ever possessing this sealed artifact; it's possible she obtained it herself!"
Augustus I discovered that Bonova Gustav referred to Roselle as "father" and Bernadette as "she" instead of "he," which seemed to contradict the rumors.
"Is it that the rumors are unreliable, or is it the effect of that sealed artifact?"
Augustus I suppressed this doubt and said:
"This time, Bernadette Gustav has disregarded the law and ruined our grand plan. The Kingdom of Rune must respond!"
Bonova Gustav simply nodded without saying anything, then bowed and, propelled by his steam armor, took to the skies!
Bonova Gustav had just arrived on the ground when Archbishop Horamik of the Church of Steam and Mechanics in Backlund stepped forward, bowed, and said:
"The museum has been robbed; a bookmark is missing!"
"Bookmarks?"
"Yes, bookmarks!"
On the coast of the Northwest Sea County in the Kingdom of Rune, a burly man with a full head of red hair and a thick beard looked regretfully in the direction of Backlund and said with great pity:
"Although it ruined the Augustus family's plans, it's a pity we didn't eliminate those two remnants!"
"So if you were given an opportunity now, would you be able to seize it?"
Evan Horn's voice came from behind him!