CHAPTER 407: Bigwigs

When Han Shuo received the information that he could not advance to the next level until he became a Sacred Magus Necromancer, he did not force the issue and retreated along his original path.

Numerous magical spells and training methods had been imprinted into Han Shuo's mind. However, if he wanted to successfully practise them all, it wouldn't be easy. That's why Han Shuo didn't stay in the Cemetery any longer and instead returned to his mansion in Ossen City through the teleportation matrix.

After leaving Ossen City for a few days, Han Shuo sought out Steward Kallas upon his return to find out what had happened in Ossen City.

King Uhtred had already made his position known in recent days. He had steeled his heart to help Lawrence ascend the throne. The entire Lancelot Empire was in shock for a moment, unable to understand why Uhtred had made this decision.

When the Dark Mantle organisation, King Uhtred's hand in the shadows, suddenly formed closer ties with Lawrence, many already suspected that they too were leaning towards Lawrence. Even the Empire's legendary figure, Sacred Swordmaster Karel, was no longer sitting on the fence and finally officially announced his support for Lawrence as the next king.

With the help of King Uhtred, Lawrence's trusted aides gradually began to seize power within the empire. His foster father and uncle Boris were given important positions and became powerful ministers within the empire. Everyone could see Uhtred's intentions.

During this time, the other princes and the powers under them visited the palace more often. Duke Ashburn and Prince Charles even visited the palace several times a day, trying to use their own abilities to change His Majesty's decision.

There were also some stubborn conservative ministers who allied with Uhtred and begged him to change his mind. They believed that Lawrence, as an illegitimate child, simply wasn't fit for the honour of being at the pinnacle of power in the Lancelot Empire. These people were old officials and their old-fashioned aristocratic traditions made them unable to accept the matter. They felt it was an affront to the royal family of the Lancelot Empire.

King Uther's queen and his favourite concubines had also joined the opposing side, one after the other, to demand an answer from him. In a short time, the city of Ossen descended into chaos. But just then, Uhtred's illness suddenly returned and he fell into a coma, though he showed signs of holding on.

Faced with such a situation, the princes openly followed King Uhtred's orders, but secretly began to gather their forces in preparation for cleansing the incoming forces. In the seemingly tranquil city of Ossen, many unfamiliar faces began to appear as a storm slowly brewed.

With the death of King Uhtred, the long-awaited storm would inevitably break with a bang. At that point, it would be difficult to say whether it would engulf the entire Lancelot Empire. At that moment, the commander of the southern border, Firenz, suddenly returned to Ossen City. This ominous star would cause the already chaotic Ossen City to be filled with even more variables.

As he listened to Steward Kallas' description, Han Shuo was stunned. He really hadn't expected Ossen City to undergo such drastic changes in just a few days. It seems that ever since King Uhtred knew that his days were numbered, his quick and decisive actions have played a huge role.

In the few days that Han Shuo had been gone, Phoebe had come to look for him three times, while Lawrence had come twice. Emily and some of the nobles in Ossen City had also come to visit him. When Kallas finished his report, Han Shuo thought for a moment before immediately heading to Lawrence's residence.

Lawrence was the focus of all of Ossen City at the moment. In the cruel competition for the throne, Lawrence could not fail. Only with Lawrence's ascension could Han Shuo's interests be maintained and even advanced to the next level.

After rushing to Lawrence's residence, Han Shuo was informed by the steward that Lawrence was in a secret meeting with others. However, the steward was well aware of the unusual relationship between Han Shuo and Lawrence. When he saw Han Shuo arrive, he immediately went to report it. After a while, the steward returned and respectfully led Han Shuo to Lawrence's secret meeting.

Han Shuo saw many acquaintances in Lawrence's secret room, including Lawrence's adoptive father, Eevee, Uncle Boris, Phoebe, Emily, Old Hahn of the Betteridge family and ten other unknown nobles who also seemed to be supporting Lawrence.

When Han Shuo arrived, Lawrence immediately stood up and smiled as he walked up to him and said, "Where did you run off to? Why have you only just arrived?"

Lawrence had also been to the palace many times in the past few days. When Uhtred met with him alone, he repeatedly urged Lawrence to keep Han Shuo close to him and that Han Shuo was the key to his future.

Although Uhtred did not divulge Astrologer Grace's assessment of Han Shuo, Lawrence was an extremely intelligent child. He could tell what was going on from the attitudes of the people around him and understood that Han Shuo would be the benefactor of his life.

It was because of this that as soon as Han Shuo walked in, Lawrence was still the first to stand up and personally welcome Han Shuo inside in an extremely friendly manner. This came as a slight surprise to some of his followers who didn't know Han Shuo.

"Nothing much. I had a few things to take care of, so I stepped out for a while. Wow! There are so many people!" Han Shuo casually fobbed Lawrence off. He couldn't help but exclaim when he saw the people surrounding him.

"Hahaha. Bryan, you really are amazing. In such a short time, you have become a Marquis. I really didn't misjudge you." Lawrence's uncle Boris laughed as he greeted Han Shuo.

Originally, Lawrence had arranged for Han Shuo to hold a position in Boris's Northern Army so that Han Shuo could gain military merit. Boris himself was only a count. Who would have thought that Han Shuo would have risen through the ranks in such a short time? Based on their current authority, Han Shuo had clearly surpassed him.

However, during their time in the Northern Army, Boris had been extremely friendly towards Han Shuo, knowing Han Shuo's future growth. Their personal relationship was also quite good. So when he saw Han Shuo come in, he immediately greeted him warmly.

"Hehehe. Lord Boris is overpraising me!" Han Shuo smiled as he bowed to Boris.

Sitting next to Boris were Emily and Phoebe. The two of them were extremely close to each other, whispering softly all the time. It was only after Han Shuo entered that their bright eyes remained fixed on him. Old Hahn was sitting next to Emily, so she turned her head after looking at Han Shuo so as not to arouse suspicion.

Phoebe, however, still seemed to harbor some residual anger as she couldn't resist glaring at Han Shuo a few more times. Her beautiful big eyes revealed an angry undertone, as if to chide him for his mysterious disappearance.

"Young man, not bad. I still haven't had a chance to thank you for saving me earlier! Hahaha. I told you, if you've got the time, come and have some fun. I will definitely entertain you well. I didn't expect you to still not visit me. What's the matter? Could it be that you look down on my Betteridge family?" Old Hahn smiled as he greeted Han Shuo before pretending to be angry as he spoke.

I've already gone to the Betteridge family and even kidnapped your daughter-in-law. Han Shuo said inwardly as he kept an angry expression on his face. He innocently spread his arms and explained, "You also know that I have always been in Brettel City and only recently returned. There are too many things to take care of. Hahaha, I will definitely visit next time I have time!"

"Okay then. I was just joking with you. I know you are a very busy person now. When I look at you, I really feel a bit astonished. You saved my life the last time we met, but then you were an unknown. Who would have thought that in just a few years you would have become a formidable figure in the Empire? Fantastic!" Old Hahn smiled with emotion.

As Old Hahn spoke, Lawrence had already brought Han Shuo to his side and pointed to the chair next to him, motioning for Han Shuo to sit down. Only then did he introduce Han Shuo to the strangers around him. "Hehehe, I'm not going to introduce these people to you since you already know them. However, you may not be familiar with these people, but in the future, we will all be on the same side. This is the current Lord of Valen City..."

Every time Lawrence introduced someone, Han Shuo nodded in respect. These people were either the lords of their cities, or either a count or a marquis. All of them were top figures among the nobles. . With Lawrence's introduction, Han Shuo began to understand the powers under his control.

Three Counts and two Marquis. All of them were powerful figures within Ossen City and all of them were middle-aged.

They were either in charge of a large family, held key positions under King Uhtred, or had military power. It seemed that only people of their age would not stubbornly cling to the idea that an illegitimate child could not inherit the throne.

As Lawrence introduced them, the nobles nodded in agreement with Han Shuo.

Currently, Han Shuo had the authority over Brettel City and was favoured by the king. His status as a marquis was similar to their own. Moreover, they were now in the same faction.

It would be strange if they were unfriendly towards Han Shuo! When Lawrence finished the introductions, Han Shuo was more or less familiar with Lawrence's current strength. These Marquis and Counts were people who had real power. In addition, he had the support of the Betteridge family and the Dark Mantle.

He also had the support of a few experts who were above the mundane powers. In this case, Lawrence truly had the means to oppose Elder Prince Charles.

It seemed that Uhtred's swift and decisive action had indeed done Lawrence the most good. It had greatly increased Lawrence's power, while at the same time persuading more nobles to support him, giving Lawrence the credentials to challenge Charles for the throne.

After Lawrence introduced the nobles that Han Shuo was not familiar with, he paused for a while before continuing, "We have just discussed a few things. Let me summarise them for you. Currently, we should use our forces to their maximum potential and let the talents under us gain power while my father is still alive.

On the other hand, based on our current foundation, we need to get stronger support to prepare for the desperate actions of Charles and others. The authority of the empire is fundamentally in the hands of the nobles. Even though my royal father clearly supports me, if these nobles support Charles, they would still work with Charles to oppose me when my royal father dies.

This matter is extremely difficult to resolve. Ah. The most important issue is my identity. Those stubborn fellows would clearly not vote for me, but they hold too much power in their hands, and unless they make a mistake, my father has no way of reducing the authority in their hands. This is truly a headache problem."

Han Shuo didn't say a word after sitting down, just listened to Lawrence's descriptions. When Lawrence finished speaking, Han Shuo understood that the situation was not as ideal as he had imagined. It seemed that even though they had Uhtred's support, Charles' previous advantage was too great. Lawrence would never be able to ascend the throne peacefully.

"Your Highness, Duke Ashburn has enormous influence in the Empire. The bigwigs he has befriended include most of the nobles. With his support for the eldest prince, they would be extremely difficult to deal with. Currently, His Majesty is able to suppress him, but if he were to die, Duke Ashburn would surely oppose him with all his might; the power in his hands is enough to change the whole situation.

This is really difficult to handle!" A count called Talric said to Lawrence.

"That is true.

Once His Majesty dies, no one can control Duke Ashburn. This is truly difficult to manage!" Lawrence's foster father, Eevee, said with a frown.

"Hehehe, you all neglected the person who just arrived in Ossen City. If Lawrence can get that person's support, I think the situation would be completely different!" Old Hahn suddenly chuckled and said.

Hearing these words, everyone was moved, but soon sighed.

Boris replied, "That unreasonable madman is no ordinary person, but he won't even listen to His Majesty's orders. Who can convince him?"

Lawrence was distracted for a moment before looking fervently at Han Shuo. However, when he saw Emily and Phoebe, he quickly looked away.

Han Shuo just realised from Lawrence's expression that he knew about Fanny's relationship with the madman Firenze. He could not help but sigh inwardly. He knew that Lawrence definitely had an agenda when Lawrence painstakingly made friends with him. In fact, Lawrence had begun to trap him so long ago. It seemed that of all the princes, Lawrence had planned the furthest ahead.

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