King
Chapter 813 - 813 63 Curse_2

813: Chapter 63, Curse_2 813: Chapter 63, Curse_2 Governor Piers said indifferently.

Everyone was a seasoned veteran in the political scene, where fabricating stories was as natural as eating.

To survive, there was nothing they wouldn’t do.

“There’s no time like the present.

Most of the experts in the province are here already, and common curses can’t harm us.

Why not visit the Magic Crystal Mine first to ascertain the truth?”

Hudson suggested, seizing the opportunity.

After acquiring extensive knowledge, he no longer feared the legendary “curse.” The idea of killing invisibly from miles away was, after all, just a legend.

Real curses had trigger conditions and carried corresponding backlash, resembling more an exchange of equivalent powers.

To curse so many nobles in the Southeastern Province, even if all the experts in curse art on the continent were gathered, they lacked the capability.

A curse laid on the Magic Crystal Mine a hundred, or even several hundred years ago would have greatly diminished in power over the years.

Moreover, the Viscount O’Toole family had already been struck by lightning; the curse’s power might have already been spent.

Even if it hadn’t, Hudson was confident he could avoid being affected by the curse.

“Viscount O’Toole, how is the curse triggered?

Is it that everyone who enters the mine is affected, or are those living in Blood Moon County City destined to be unlucky?

As far as I know, not only has no one in your family lived past sixty in recent decades, but there are also very few elderly in Blood Moon County City, most of whom are outsiders.”

Governor Piers asked with concern.

It was imperative to be cautious.

Hudson, backed by two Sanctuary Powerhouses—a Dragon and an Earth Bear—could disregard even the strongest curse magician on the continent due to inevitable backlash.

However, he, the Governor, lacked such protection.

If he encountered a powerful curse, he would still be affected when it struck.

Even if he were to venture out, he must bring the family’s curse-proof magic tools and absolutely could not act recklessly.

The Dalton Family had hundreds of members, but only a few direct family members; losing one or two to a curse would be catastrophic.

Governnor Piers, believing he had seen through Hudson’s sinister intentions, instantly darkened in expression, and his interest in the Magic Crystal Mine significantly decreased.

“Rest assured, Your Excellency Governor, the power of the curse is not so fearsome.

We have conducted experiments; as long as the Magic Crystal Mine hasn’t been mined, ordinary people living in Blood Moon County City are unaffected.

The low number of elderly in the city is mainly due to the miasma emitted from the Magic Crystal Mine.

This condition has occurred everywhere.

Almost all miners have short lifespans.”

Viscount O’Toole’s explanation caused even greater panic among the crowd, and they decided to join the expedition without a moment’s hesitation.

No matter what, they couldn’t stay in Blood Moon County City.

Even living in the wild was better than staying in this cursed place.

“There’s still a lot of work to do afterward.

If everyone leaves, it will be difficult to proceed with subsequent tasks.

As for the issue of the Magic Crystal Mine, I would ask that Earl Hudson take a group there.”

Governor Piers said sincerely.

It was all in the interest of handling the situation more efficiently, and not because he was cowardly.

If there had been time, he would certainly have led the expedition himself.

“Alright, that’s how we’ll divide the tasks.

Viscount O’Toole, you lead the way.

Priest Debon, Yuri Magician, Mage Antar, Knight Cotlow…

follow me.”

Hudson gave direct orders.

Every expert present was accounted for: a ninth-order Giant Dragon + a ninth-order Earth Bear + more than twenty seventh-order strongmen, plus a group of soldier guards.

From the formation, they could confront an Evil God head-on.

Even if the Lord of Skeletons descended upon the Continent of Aslante, they could send him back.

It’s not that Evil Gods are incompetent, but under the rule restrictions, all non-native beings couldn’t exhibit their fullest strength in this world, capped at the Sanctuary level.

Equipped only to operate at the Sanctuary level, Divine Spirits still held much greater combat prowess due to their intrinsic understanding of realms and advantages.

However, the prerequisite is: adaptation to the world rules.

Upon descent, their combat power was modest, and any carelessness could lead to a saga of godslaying.

For the sake of Divine Commands, Divine Spirits mostly come out in incarnations and seldomly cause trouble in their true forms.

The risks were controllable, and Hudson didn’t mind showing a bit of generosity.

Besides, while it seemed he was presiding over the investigation of the curse, it also involved the distribution of benefits from the magic crystal mine.

Under normal circumstances, the Koslow Family would at most secure half of what the Dalton Family obtained, and might even end up with only a third of their share.

It was unavoidable, as within the fifteen counties of the Southeastern Province, seven prefectural governors hailed from the Dalton Family, owning over thirty percent of the province’s land.

In provincial meetings, any argument would turn into a 1 vs 7 scenario; realistically, the opposition could easily sway a governor and control the decision-making powers.

If there were political confrontations, Hudson had only one option left: to escalate the issue and bring it to the Provincial Noble Council.

Despite still being at a disadvantage, at least during the arguments, having a group of underlings to support him meant not falling behind right from the start.

Occasionally, a proposal could garner support from neutral nobles, creating a chance to turn the tables, though such chances were indeed limited.

For the sake of his reputation, Hudson decisively chose to leverage the situation, using the “overall situation” to its fullest extent in every argument, making it difficult for anyone to refuse.

Proposal after proposal got approved, seeming unimpressive at a glance.

Yet, subtly, his status among the people began to change.

Behind the scenes, he created a political illusion: Master Hudson held significant influence in the province, with both major families jointly commanding the highest authority over the Southeastern Province.

Like now, as Governor Piers did not voice any opposition, the others also chose to tacitly agree.

Because, in many minds at the moment, Hudson and Governor Piers were seen as equals, and the remaining nobles a notch lower.

As long as Governor Piers didn’t make his stance clear, none of the present prefectural governors dared to openly confront Hudson.

Even though each represented a county.

Hudson’s mere glance could silence them—yet, oddly, nobody thought this was a problem.

In fact, this subtle influence could be traced back to the time of the Orc invasion when Hudson served as the Kingdom Commander and had established his prestige.

The classic scene of scolding the five great northern noble families deeply impacted all who witnessed it.

Following Viscount O’Toole to the backyard, they saw him move a rockery to reveal a passage right before everyone.

Advancing along the secret path, the corridors gradually widened, resembling an ant nest with big and small mines spread around and man-made pillars offering support in between.

The cobwebs filling in from above and the dust on the ground indicated that it had been a long time since anyone had been here.

Randomly selecting a mine and moving deeper, Hudson examined the crystal stones on the rock face, plucked one off, and immediately frowned.

“Do you see any issues here?”

“Count, everything appears normal here, with no residue of evil power.

It doesn’t seem like a curse has been cast.

Perhaps we should check elsewhere.

This is a large magic crystal mine, and even if a curse were cast, it would be challenging to cover such a vast area.”

The response from the Yuri Magician made Hudson slightly shake his head.

Having no issues often represented the biggest issue.

Having absorbed so many magic crystals, Hudson had gained considerable insight into them.

The magic crystal in his hand seemed of high quality, but its energy wave indicated significant differences.

The fluctuations in the energy waves of the magic crystal suggested that this was not a naturally formed vein but rather like power artificially infused into it.

Artificially producing magic crystals was theoretically feasible and proven successful in laboratories.

Disregarding cost, it was an impressive breakthrough.

But that referred only to a single magic crystal, not an entire magic crystal mine.

Although the principles were similar, the problem lay in the practical specifics: where could such a vast amount of energy be sourced from?

“Then let’s split up and search.

But everyone, be careful.

This mine hasn’t been used for some days; too much noise might cause a collapse!”

Hudson warned kindly.

If the mine were to collapse, it would be tragic for their party.

Perhaps Hudson could use a giant dragon to break out, but everyone else would have to fend for themselves.

Moreover