thefictionvixens Page 136
Page 136
In his wheelchair, Brad's face twitched violently a few times.
It's more than just resemblance; thanks to the drained energy and that wretched medicinal soup, he's now practically indistinguishable from a hundred-year-old man!
Brad weakly raised his stiff right hand. His semi-mechanical body had degenerated to only one-tenth of its former state! It was practically starting from scratch!
“Traitor, Iceheart, Astrid…” Brad’s eyes blazed with fury.
If he hadn't discovered that the scholar was now renowned throughout the kingdom, he would have loved to find any pretext for colluding with the demons and imprison that devil!
“Gone, everything is gone… The long lifespan I extended by taking advantage of the tragedy of the sacred artifact ten years ago is all gone now… I might even only have one month left to live…”
Brad, feeling somewhat dejected, secretly pulled a silver cross from his pocket and quietly popped it into his mouth, crunching it as if it were the only way to slightly alleviate the persistent effects of the drug in his body.
"You forced me to this..."
An unprecedented darkness began to grow in his heart. Brad raised his head, his face contorted in the sunlight: "In that case, the only option is to have all the sacred artifacts of the entire cathedral laid the foundation stone for me..."
With a dark and unreadable look in his eyes, Brad knew that the perfect opportunity, the right conditions, were still lacking to activate the entire relic of the Holy Church and form the ultimate weapon.
Brad fell into deep thought:
"An opportunity that could shake up the entire capital and unleash intense emotional power... how can this be realized?"
……
"That Tang Ke is somewhat shameless!!!"
Inside a dark house.
Thanaus sat in his rocking chair, listening to Dane's outburst, his grey-red eyes flickering incessantly:
"Calm down and don't let those petty tricks lead you astray. We still hold the advantage in the current selection process. As long as we maintain our composure, there shouldn't be any surprises, whether we get nominated or ultimately selected."
"What we need to pay attention to now is Tunk, the Duke's second son, and Duke Moss behind him... why are they involved in this selection?"
As a Grand Duke, Thanaus clearly saw things much more deeply than Dane, his brow furrowing slightly and a thoughtful expression on his face.
"You mean... Duke Moss was behind all of this!"
A sudden realization dawned on Dane, and he quickly deciphered Thanaus's unspoken meaning. His expression gradually calmed, and he subconsciously murmured to himself:
"No wonder, no wonder the methods they used were so despicable and shameless... If it was Duke Moss's idea, then it's not surprising."
"And judging from the current results, he has actually managed to sway some votes." Thanaus tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair, a deep sense of apprehension flashing in his eyes.
"Before this, I always thought Moss was a lazy good-for-nothing who just wanted to eat and wait to die. I never expected... that he would have such wisdom and cunning. It seems that I really... misjudged him."
"But why would Duke Moss participate in this noble selection? Didn't he always abstain in previous years?" Dane became increasingly puzzled.
“The situation is different now.” Sensing Dane’s uncertainty, Thanaus’s gaze became even more resolute:
"In the past, it was only because the sunlight shining on him was too bright that he hid in the shadow of hypocrisy. But now that the kingdom's resistance is gradually weakening, he no longer needs to worry so much in order to achieve his goals..."
It was unclear whether he was referring to Mess or himself; Thanaus's voice gradually became more veiled, as if concealing some unspeakable malice.
"He didn't participate in so many previous noble elections, but this year he took action: and during this period, the most impactful event on the kingdom's structure occurred, and this year marks the first time such a deficiency has appeared... Can't you guess what it is?"
"Could it be..." Dane gradually realized, the fog before his eyes cleared, and surprise mingled with the truth as he blurted out:
"—It's because of the hero Mino!"
Chapter 186 Making Duke Meuse Great Again
If there's anything different about this year's noble selection compared to previous years, it's only because the hero Mino was captured!
Recalling the rumors of a feud between Duke Limes of the capital and the Mino Warrior, Dane became increasingly convinced that it was true, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Having lost the awe of the strongest hero in human history, did Duke Moss finally dare to participate in this selection...? Just how deeply had he been hiding his true identity?!
"What exactly does he want to do? Does he want to become a grand duke too?" Dane asked, looking puzzled.
“It’s not impossible.” Thanaus’s eyes were dark as he leaned back in his rocking chair. “Heh, Duke Moss is infamous in the capital and everyone hates him, but what’s interesting is that all of his sons disagree with their father’s ideas and keep talking about life and values.”
"Now that I think about it, how can a son be so unlike his father... This is clearly influenced by Duke Moss."
"Duke Moss's eldest son has repeatedly distinguished himself on the border and is on the verge of becoming a leading knight. His fourth son, on the other hand, possesses remarkable talent and luck, and was selected as a dragon knight shortly after being assigned to the border, tasked with the crucial mission of breaching the first line of defense. In comparison, little Tangk is hardly as impressive..."
"If we measure by merit, Moss is actually the guy who is closest to the position of Grand Duke."
Although Duke Moss had a terrible reputation in the capital and frequently received complaints from commoners, character and merit were two different things. For Duke Moss, whose character was so poor, the only thing the king could do was to impose a fine on him, but he repeatedly failed to correct his ways.
Dane couldn't help but recall the boastful words that Tonks had previously uttered:
"My father, Moss, is of ducal caliber!"
Thinking about it now, that's very likely... and it wasn't just empty talk!
Dane's eyelids twitched violently, unable to believe it: "Are they really serious?! Trying to win the election in such a blatant way? That would be a laughingstock for the entire capital and even the entire human kingdom!!!"
Sitting in his chair, Thanaus calmly shook his head:
"Whether that's their goal or not, it's none of our business. What we need to do now is win the title of the greatest nobleman of the year... No matter who our opponent is, that won't change."
"Ten years have passed, and with this latest title, I will be the Grand Duke of the Kingdom for the tenth consecutive time. At that time, my fame will resound throughout the country."
"The existence of the Blood Cross will also become a typical case, spreading widely throughout the kingdom... no longer limited to this small capital city."
"This is the real business we should be doing. We can deal with the other obstacles one by one."
Thanaus said calmly, "Whether Mess's secret plans are good or bad for us, he will never be able to overcome this mountain of mine."
“But that Tang Ke…”
Dane's attention was actually on Tonk, after all, that was the opponent he had to face directly. He felt that Tonk's methods, which seemed to be instigated by Duke Moss, were somewhat troublesome and he had no way to deal with them.
"Just a puppet pushed into the open by Duke Moss, not worth paying too much attention to..." Thanaus thought dismissively, but then pondered something: "However, we do need to think of a way to consolidate our advantage—"
Dane stood aside, not disturbing Thanaus's deep thoughts, a faint sense of frustration in his heart.
Whether he was lucky or unlucky, after the fall of Mino the Hero, he was the best chance to succeed the hero, but he was directly squeezed out of the hero's position by a mentally ill Shana.
Having finally been adopted by Grand Duke Thanaus and given the aid of a magical power similar to the authority of demons, like the Blood Crystal Stone, he was brutally beaten by a force of light and darkness that was even more overwhelming than his own in the Dragon Hidden Mountains, and was thus suspected by the Knights without warning.
Now even this noble selection, which was originally just a formality, a stage for showing off and satisfying one's noble vanity... has somehow become so complicated! The pressure on him was immense right from the start!!!
Whose interests did he actually threaten? Dane felt inexplicably uneasy.
"I've got an idea." At this moment, Thanaus, sitting in his chair, relaxed his brow, as if he had thought of a rather good solution:
"The timing is perfect. I think we should be able to gain a strong boost in this capital election!"
"What kind of help?" Dane asked, perking up.
Thanaus's lips curled slightly as he uttered a name:
"The Iron-Blooded Pope, Forster Brad."
“Pope Brad? That old man who’s nearing the end of his life?” Dane asked, puzzled.
“Don’t underestimate Brad’s influence in the capital,” Thanaus said slowly.
"As the longest-surviving artifact saint, he is seen by the common people of the royal capital as a great being second only to the goddess."
"The Holy Church, also located in the western district of the capital, is far more famous among the common people than the secluded Magician's Round Tower, far surpassing my Blood Cross Society. The common people of the capital are arguably the most blindly devoted to the Holy Church, making them easier to control... as long as we can get that Pope Brad on our side."
"This doesn't require a firm stance; all we need is a public affirmation of our achievements from the other party, and we'll gain a greater advantage in the nobility selection."
"Ten years have passed, and this is his first return to the capital. The resulting impact will be unprecedented!"
"Then, how do we get that legendary, just and egalitarian pope to speak?"
Dane looked at Thanaus's confident smile and subconsciously asked, "Neither bribery nor bribing could possibly work on that Pope, could it?"
“I don’t need those methods. Don’t forget what I’ve been working on for all these years in the capital…” Thanaus shook his head:
"For a glorious duke like me, that old man Brad will surely give me face. All you need to do is bring a small gift when you visit."
Recalling the rumors about Brad's physical condition, Thanaus had an idea, and a confident glint gradually appeared in his crimson eyes:
“I will prepare a gift for you that Pope Brad would absolutely…not be able to refuse.”
……
"Tang Ke, all the online trolls and haters we bribed have been reported by those nobles... their effectiveness is now very limited."
Inside the makeshift tent, the brave candidates' squad is holding a strategic meeting on "Making Duke Moss Great Again."
Jenny looked at Tom with some uncertainty:
"I feel like we can pretty much give up now."
"Judging from the current number of votes, it will still be quite difficult to even make it into the nomination for Noble of the Year."
Jenny looked helpless.
The Duke of Moss's reputation speaks for itself. Even if Tonks uses all his marketing skills, Jenny doesn't believe he can really turn "Duke of Moss" into "Duke of Jules."
"Don't be discouraged, Jenny!" At the conference table, Tang Ke seemed to have expected this, his face radiating confidence.
"That's when Mino and I came up with the third marketing method—"
"That's a method that can absolutely turn the rotten into the miraculous, even a pig can be turned into... the center of attention!"
Chapter 187 Can it be called stealing when it's a family matter?
Jenny's eyes twitched involuntarily a few times.
Although she really wanted to complain that comparing her father to a pig was a bit much, Jenny suddenly felt it made sense considering that the other person was Duke Moss. Her curiosity was piqued, and she blinked and asked:
"What method?"
With a thud, Tang Ke slammed a stack of project proposals onto the desk.
Jenny lowered her head and looked at what was clearly a project proposal, but a photo was pinned to the upper right corner of the page like a wanted criminal, while six large, bright characters in the center caught her eye:
"Celebrity Endorsement Plan—!"
"Celebrity? Endorsement?"
Jenny was puzzled. She felt that she could understand each word individually, but when put together, she couldn't understand the meaning at all.
However, Jenny recognized the portrait pinned to the upper right corner of the plan. As a devout believer in the goddess, Jenny, who was born in a working-class neighborhood, was very familiar with the priests of the Holy Church, let alone the one known as the Light of the Church.
"Pope Brad? Why is he up there?"