OBS Chapter 381: Evan and Audrey's Marriage?
Chapter 381: Evan and Audrey's Marriage?
Chapter 381: Evan and Audrey's Marriage?
Count Hall adopted a very humble posture in front of Robert, not only because Robert's demigod status had been exposed and could no longer be viewed with a normal attitude, but also because Robert's request was extremely important and could not be obtained with ordinary money and power.
Given his status and position, even if his son becomes a Sequence 5 Beyonder, it would have very limited effect on him.
Although Earl Hall himself was only a Sequence 6 Extraordinary, the energy he could mobilize was greater than that of ten Sequence 5 Extraordinary. He could easily pave the way for his son's advancement to Sequence 5.
Therefore, his only request could be for Robert to help Alfred in his ascension to demigodhood, which was precisely something he couldn't do.
"Earl Hall's request puts me in a difficult position. After all, even I myself only crossed this threshold with the King's grace. How can I possibly help Alfred in this matter?"
Robert was actually tempted to support Alfred, but he couldn't agree so easily.
Although Earl Hall had a pleasant working relationship with him in the past, the price for such matters should be negotiated in advance.
Count Hall also didn't expect to get Robert's promise so easily, but he still picked up on some hints from Robert's words.
The word "very difficult" can be interpreted differently by politicians like him—this matter is not easy to handle and requires additional funding.
This mere hint was enough to make Earl Hall ecstatic, after all, it was an opportunity to advance to demigod status. As long as the door to the deal wasn't blocked, the price was secondary.
"I can fully cooperate with your reform measures in the future, as long as it does not affect the interests of the Church of the Goddess of Night."
Count Hall immediately offered his biggest bargaining chip, without the back-and-forth negotiation Robert had imagined. This caught Robert completely off guard, leaving him stunned on the spot.
"Alfred has excellent control over potions and has plenty of time to prepare for his ascension to demigod. You don't really need to be in such a hurry."
Although Robert really wanted Earl Hall's help, the Earl's easy offer of such generous terms still made him suspicious.
Why was Earl Hall in such a hurry? Only someone who is desperate would risk everything to do something.
Earl Hall's eyes gleamed, and his chubby face no longer held its usual warm smile. He looked at Robert and said, "The essence of this world is still dominated by the extraordinary world. The previous retreat of the extraordinary was just a facade, merely an order created by the gods in the Fifth Age."
Although I am not a demigod like Earl Horn, standing at the top of the extraordinary world, I cannot accurately perceive the development of events.
But with so many things happening this year, I, as a representative of the secular world, still sensed something unusual.
The influence of the secular world on the world as a whole is becoming weaker and weaker, and its power is waning.
In this situation, my son showed an extraordinary talent for mastering potions, so how could I not decide to place a heavy bet on him?
When I was young, I witnessed the power of industrialization. Despite the ridicule of others, I sold the land my father was proud of and invested heavily in factories and banks, which brought me to my current status and gave the Hall family the opportunity to reach new heights.
It's just another time to place the bet, and I'm simply making the same decision I made when I was younger!
Earl Hall made no attempt to conceal his inner thoughts and explained his reasoning to Robert quite frankly.
Upon hearing this confession, Robert looked at Earl Hall with even greater admiration.
Earl Hall was essentially a worldly man, but he was able to see through the changes in the world situation through various signs, and he still dared to make bets at critical moments, without losing the sharpness of his youth, which could not help but impress Robert.
There are so many heroes in the world!
Robert did not directly respond to Earl Hall's remarks about the changing world situation. Instead, he paused for a moment and then asked in return:
"Actually, if you want to find a smooth path for Alfred, going to His Majesty the King would be the most convenient thing to do. I wonder why you thought of coming to me?"
To put it bluntly, the conditions offered by Earl Hall were essentially a complete siding with Robert.
Since you're going to ask someone for help anyway, why not just go directly to King George III?
Moreover, Robert now also holds the title of spokesperson for the Church of Storms.
Count Hall was not surprised by Robert's doubts, but said meaningfully:
"Compared to the Augustus family, I believe the Horn family needs my help more and can bring me greater returns. Although in the eyes of many nobles, the Horn family is just lucky to have survived from the beginning of the Fifth Age to the present, these nobles do not include the Hall family."
In the kingdom, there are only a handful of noble families that can maintain their lineage for five hundred years, and only the royal family and the Horn family can maintain it for over a thousand years.
The royal family is the "family of angels," so it's only natural that they have been able to maintain their lineage for so many years. But what makes the Horn family so special?
"Is it merely luck? I don't think so, and neither do the ancestors of the Hall family."
As he spoke, Earl Hall looked at Robert with a questioning gaze, but Robert only smiled smugly and offered no further explanation.
Robert made his decision without much hesitation. Although a demigod-level extraordinary attribute was extremely valuable, Earl Hall's full support was equally important to him.
"If you want to get a share of the pie in the future through Alfred, then putting him in the Southern Continent is not a good choice, nor is it conducive to his control over potions. Here's what we'll do: after MI9 was split up, Jonas has had a very hard time building MI8, and he needs someone to help him out."
Alfred's qualifications and combat record are sufficient. Once his promotion procedures are completed, he will serve as the deputy director of MI8 to assist Jonas in establishing the Eighth Division. What do you think of this arrangement?
"That's wonderful, thank you for taking care of me, Robert!"
Earl Hall was overjoyed to hear Robert's arrangements, which meant that Robert had agreed to his conditions and he began to make preparations.
While Count Hall was pleased, he also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The gap between the extraordinary world and the secular world was too great. Before Robert nodded, Count Hall was not sure if his bargaining chips could buy Alfred's promotion. But he simply didn't have any more chips left.
At the same time, Earl Hall was once again amazed by Robert's energy and shocked by his confidence.
Robert saw the stakes gambled by Earl Hall as heavy and bold, while Earl Hall saw Robert's quick agreement, which was almost instantaneous, constantly reshaping his assessment of the Horn family.
What makes the Horn family so special? Are they also an extraordinary family descended from the Fourth Epoch?
Just as Earl Hall was lost in thought, Robert suddenly smiled and said:
"I heard Miss Audrey will announce her coming of age at the New Year's party at the end of the year?"
Earl Hall composed himself, a thought flashing through his mind as he vaguely guessed Robert's meaning. He then cautiously said:
"That's right, Her Majesty the Queen will lead Audrey to her appearance."
Upon hearing this, Robert's smile widened even further.
"Your Excellency, you've met my younger brother. He's a rare young talent in the Kingdom of Rune. How about he become Miss Audrey's protector?"
At the coming-of-age banquet for a noblewoman, her parents would often arrange for a knight-errant to help keep out any frivolous men who might try to get close to her or invite her to dance.
This role is usually played by the elder brother or close relative, and rarely by a male who is not related by blood.
Once this happens, it basically means that the noble lady and her knight in shining armor are already engaged.
Earl Hall had not expected Robert to suddenly involve his most beloved daughter, so he was momentarily at a loss.
But his politician instincts made him quickly consider the pros and cons of the matter.
In Earl Hall's mind, Evan Horn was undoubtedly an excellent marriage prospect, not only because he came from the Horn family and was Robert Horn's younger brother, but also because Evan himself was an outstanding person.
Earl Hall had noticed the very eloquent young man ever since Evan arrived in Backlund and appeared at his family's banquet, and had already harbored some kind of interest in him.
Evan's subsequent performance drew even more attention from the upper echelons of Backlund. Whether it was his appointment as deputy director of MI9 in just two months or his proposal to establish a strategic support force and a strategic air force, it is clear that Robert's support was indispensable to his achievements, but his own abilities were the most important factor.
However, after Evan made such a big splash, Earl Hall had fewer of these kinds of thoughts.
Because the Horn brothers' rise to power had been so rapid, Earl Hall wanted to deliberately distance himself from them to avoid being implicated and falling from grace.
But he never expected to hear such a suggestion from Robert today. At this moment, Earl Hall was not worried about the Horn brothers' rising popularity, but rather about whether his close ties with the Horn brothers in both politics and family would arouse the suspicion of George III.
Political rapprochement can be explained by similar political ideologies, but familial rapprochement is very likely to arouse the suspicion of those with ulterior motives.
After all, he and Robert are backed by two major churches in the Kingdom of Rune!
Earl Hall expressed his concerns to Robert, but to his surprise, Robert burst into laughter and said:
"Therefore, Earl Hall, you will become my main opponent in hindering my continued reforms. Only when our two families begin to be politically opposed can our private relationship actually become closer!"
Count Hall looked at Robert with a puzzled expression, completely baffled by what Robert meant.
In his eyes, Robert had always been the most radical reformer in Rune's political arena, even going so far as to break ties with the Duke of Negan. He should be seeking support from all sides and striving to push forward with reforms.
This is also why Earl Hall wanted to use his support to give Alfred the opportunity to be promoted to demigod.
After agreeing to his conditions, Robert actually put himself on the opposite side and made him oppose him. What kind of logic is that?
And if that's the case, what reason would he have to agree to help Alfred?
Earl Hall was completely bewildered by Robert, his mind filled with troubles.
Robert neither explained this to Count Hall nor had any way of explaining it to him.
Robert entered Ruhnn politics as a reformist, partly because his political ideology leaned towards reform and he needed to enact far-reaching legislation to complete the universal suffrage ceremony.
However, his loyalty to George III and the Augustan family was also an important factor.
But when he learned of the Augustus family's ban on the Horn family, the Horn family's origins, and George III's desire to become the "Black Emperor" and forever weigh on him, he lost his original loyalty to the monarch. Instead, he regarded the Augustus family and George III as great enemies and tried every means to sabotage their plans.
The reason he is still serving as George III's reform general is that recent reform measures, such as the formation of the Strategic Support Force and the Strategic Air Force, are very beneficial to the Fussac Empire and also to the Horn family's control of an army.
On the other hand, it was to continue to infiltrate the core of George III's camp, thereby obtaining crucial intelligence so that he could deliver a fatal blow at a critical moment.
Correspondingly, Robert also did not want reforms that were not beneficial to him to proceed smoothly.
Robert knew very well that George III's decades of subtle transformation of the Kingdom of Loen had already met the requirements of the "Black Emperor" ritual, and that all preparations would be completed within the next year or two to initiate the process of becoming a god. This trend was irreversible.
But he still hoped to delay as long as possible, even just a little bit. The longer he could delay, the more prepared he would be, and the smoother his future plans would go.
Therefore, Robert's agreement to Earl Hall's request was not, from beginning to end, to promote George III's reforms, but rather for future planning.
In this situation, Robert's first task was to prevent Earl Hall from aligning with his political actions; instead, he should create conflict so that everyone would know that a contradiction had arisen between the two sides.
As for the conflict between the two, Evan and Miss Audrey's marriage was the result of free love, and it was definitely not due to their matchmaking behind the scenes.
At the same time, Robert also wanted to use Evan and Audrey's marriage to secretly tie the Horn and Hall families together completely, which could also be seen as a way to reassure Earl Hall so that he wouldn't be suspicious of him just because he didn't understand anything.
After much deliberation, Count Hall ultimately prioritized family interests and Alfred's prospect of becoming a demigod, saying in a deep voice, "Then let's do it this way!"
Robert smiled and nodded, completely satisfied.