The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 660: Volume Eighteen: Stormy Secrets, - Eleven: Wild Imagination

Chapter 660: Volume Eighteen: Stormy Secrets, Chapter Eleven: Wild Imagination

Hoffman paced back and forth in the room, agitated, with his hands clasped behind his back. The oppressive atmosphere radiating from the Church of Light was enough to irritate anyone. Yet, that wasn’t the main issue. These degenerates who had completely fallen from grace still seemed to be indulging in the glory of their past, when they had united the Continent. They believed their doctrine could still enlighten all the faithless fools and that everyone would believe and let them do as they pleased. Hoffman didn’t worry much about these imbeciles from the Church causing too much of a stir. He was more concerned about his half-sister, Katya. Although he never deigned to acknowledge that her lowly blood had any connection to his own, it was undeniable that this woman held an influence in the kingdom, in Jazair City, that was not inferior to his.

Now was the best time to deal with that woman. His father had already stopped meddling in politics, and the beastmen had already retreated. Although the North was still in disarray and Jazair City was in chaos, these issues were trivial to Hoffman. What mattered was that the beastmen had shown they had no intention of occupying the lands in the North, and the Church of Light had also expressed a willingness to help him re-establish a solid defense system in the North. They were even willing to help persuade other countries of the Northern Alliance to aid the kingdom. Of course, there were certain conditions for this deal.

It seemed that everything was under his control. Lord Tez had explicitly expressed support for his initiatives to stabilize the kingdom’s authority. Hoffman had never felt so exhilarated; however, just at this time, that woman had left for Mainz without a word! Could she have sensed his intentions? No, impossible. If that were true, then this woman was far too dangerous!

That woman had always been his most dangerous opponent, and now he seemed to have reached the peak of power. Did she also concede that she wasn’t capable enough to confront him and consequently back down? Hoffman did not believe it. He had experienced Katya’s temperament and tactics firsthand. If it weren’t for his noble birth and the powerful support backing him, perhaps she would have already overthrown him. Could she now admit defeat without a fight? No, that was impossible. Hoffman believed that her desire could never be weaker than his.

"Lenta, what do you think Katya is planning by going to Mainz this time?" Hoffman glanced at the woman sitting on a jujube wood brocade chair diagonally across from him, seemingly focused on trimming her nails.

"What is it, Hoffman, are you worried about something? Worried she’ll cause you trouble?" Lifting her head, Lenta’s green eyes twinkled mockingly. The slight smile on her lips irked Hoffman.

"What do you think? She suddenly slips away at this time; doesn’t it mean she has sensed something?" Hoffman said through clenched teeth: "Does she think she can escape my grasp by sneaking off to Mainz?"

"No, Hoffman, you can’t touch her now, and now is not the time to do so. There are more important matters before you than dealing with her. You know she still has many supporters in Jazair City. Acting now would be inadvisable and hasty, likely startling the snake in the grass. Although you have initially won Lord Tez’s support, for such a matter, he would not back you and might even become disgusted by it, unless of course, you could take our father’s place." Lenta could see that her brother seemed to be getting a little too eager for success, possibly because victory was in sight, which made him impatient and even forgetful of his current environment and standing.

"Hmph, if I could take my father’s place, why would I need to worry about her? Isn’t the situation still unsettled? Her hiding away at this time clearly shows she’s waiting for her opportunity. If I don’t take advantage of my current position and dispose of her, I fear she’ll bring us a lot of trouble later on."

Hoffman took a deep breath. Lenta had a point; acting against siblings with the same bloodline before securing his position wouldn’t sit well, especially since she had already shown a stance of retreat and avoidance, which could easily garner sympathy and support from others. Indeed, now wasn’t the best time to act. But missing this opportunity meant his opponent might devise ways to counter him. Without sitting on the throne, the risks and uncertainties remained too great.

"Hoffman, I advise you not to act recklessly now, you might suffer more loss than gain. Katya isn’t a simple character. Without Lord Tez’s support, you can’t easily strip her of her inheritance rights. The Star Chamber Court won’t pass a verdict favorable to you. The issue of bloodline isn’t her fault; if there is a fault, it lies with our father, Your Majesty. Unless Lord Tez and other nobles support you unreservedly, but do you really think you can achieve that now?"

Renta’s expression was cold and calm, and the words she spoke were like a sharp dagger, methodically peeling away the redundant layers wrapped around the outside, allowing one to touch the core of the problem instantly, "The kingdom is in such chaos now, there are many important matters that are far more pressing than dealing with these issues. By acting this way, you are only going to achieve the opposite effect and may even destroy the advantages you have recently struggled to gain."

It must be said that Renta’s words ultimately convinced Hoffman. Hoffman was not a fool, and he quickly realized that he might have been somewhat paranoid about this issue. However, he also recognized that if he mishandled the opponent who seemed to have abandoned the political center of the kingdom, it might be hard to tell who would emerge victorious in the end.

"Besides wanting to avoid detection, does Katya have any other intentions by going to Mainz?" Hoffman pondered the geographical reasons for Katya’s destination. It seemed that there was no particularly beautiful scenery around Mainz, nor was it a particularly important town. Was there any other reason for Katya’s choice?

"Do you also find it strange? Hm, Mainz doesn’t seem like a place someone with Katya’s tastes would go. Other than being a major producer of food, there don’t seem to be any other special reasons." Renta clearly also had doubts about Katya’s intentions for going to Mainz, but she could not find any reason: "What do you think she is doing there?"

"The transportation there is very convenient. It’s easy to go anywhere. By the canal with its constant flow of ships, it’s hard for others to trace her real whereabouts. Renta, do you think she could be using this opportunity to make contact with that man?" The Romanov family’s inheritance of exceptionally keen political instinct was an advantage, and although Mainz may seem ordinary, it possesses a convenient location. Following the canal can lead easily to Galle, Homer, and the south of Homer, including the Caucasus, especially after the blockade on the Nissai River was lifted and the Catania River was opened. The advantage of towns along the canal and river has become even more evident.

"What, you mean you want me to monitor Katya?" Renta’s beautiful eyebrows rose.

"Renta, I know you don’t want to see that man, but we have to face reality. The kingdom is no longer what it once was. The Four Great Lords have, in fact, drifted beyond the control of the kingdom. In the past, we could point fingers at them, and in many cases, they had to act according to the kingdom’s wishes, even if it was only in pretense to maintain appearances. But now, as you can see, the role the Four Great Lords have played in this war—I’d rather not say more—the central command of the kingdom to defend its sovereignty is ignored, and they’re desperately expanding their power, accumulating force, hoping to break away while the kingdom cannot intervene. Now we can’t even provoke the Four Great Lords, for fear they’ll declare independence in a fit of rage. Apart from asking the Church of Light for help to mediate and maintain the legal succession of the Kingdom of Nicosia, the only way out for me now is to stabilize the directly controlled areas of the kingdom and to try to gather all the forces that can aid me. Now the previously disregarded remote southern regions seem to have surged in status."

Evidently, Katya saw the utility in the surrounding forces as well. The Four Great Lords would never openly support anyone; they only hoped to see Katya and the other heirs fight to the death, which would suit their interests better. Neither I nor Katya would rely on the instigators of our troubles, the Four Great Lords. The guy controlling the rapidly developing forces of the Caucasus and Leon suddenly became very important. Katya seemed to have a little connection with that guy at the last meeting in Versailles. Going to Mainz at this sensitive time, could it be she is planning to seduce that man?

"Renta, now we have to grab hold of all the power that can cling to us. We can’t give Katya a chance to turn the tables. I will quickly reach an agreement with the Church of Light. We must maintain restraint towards the Four Great Lords for the time being, and act based on the Northern Alliance’s stance. But we must have core forces that absolutely support us. The Golden Oak, Iron Cross, and Blue Dove three legions need funds to be re-established, and this military power cannot be restored in a short time. Now, that guy has even managed to control the Half-beast Army and has close relations with the Barbarians. You know what we’ve seen – Thunder Peng, Earthwalking Dragons! If these creatures could be mobilized to support us, we would be invincible!" Hoffman’s excitement grew as he spoke, his palms waving as if that army was already prostrating at his feet.

Continuing updates, I request VIP readers to collect my new book "Exotic Hunting in different space and time" and to cast their precious six Recommendation Tickets to the new book, book number 141568, much appreciated! (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please visit WWW.CMFU.COM. There are more Chapters to support the author and Authorized Reading!)