Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After introducing Romon to Crick, Miramon left. As the Bishop of a divine temple, he had a lot of work to do and couldn’t leave the divine temple for long. Besides, he didn’t want to get involved in this. He wasn’t scared of killing, but he didn’t like complicated tricks.
That left only Crick and Romon in the study room. Romon took a seat and started a discussion with Crick.
“What’s your plan?” Crick asked.
Romon had made preparations for this discussion, so he answered immediately with his plan in mind. “It depends on your health conditions, Your Majesty. Excuse me, but may I ask if you’re just seriously ill or actually dying?”
That was a rude question, but Crick didn’t care. He smiled and asked peacefully, “Is there any difference?”
“Yes! There’s a big difference actually!” Romon replied, “If you can manage to live a few years more, this time, we should just punish some of them as a warning to others. On one hand, we should leave no mercy to those who have dirty plans for your Hill; on the other hand, we should warn those who have powerful backgrounds, since as long as you’re alive, they’ll be scared.”
Crick nodded and then asked, “What if I’m dying?”
He said it very calmly, showing no desperation at the thought of death.
Romon was surprised at his attitude and answered, “If that’s the case, then we have no other choice. We have to kill all of those guys with evil intentions, no exceptions! No matter how troublesome it will be. Actually, the dead ones are less troublesome than the living.”
Crick began to laugh. He was nodding while laughing. “You’re right! That’s what I was thinking. Since those people are coming to make trouble, I’ll just kill them all. Maybe that will irritate those who support them, and they may want to take revenge, but facing a crazy guy who dares to kill so many people at one time, they’ll be more cautious in their actions, no matter how powerful they are.”
Romon was surprised at his words and asked with a frown, “Your Majesty, do you mean that you could manage to live a few years more? Frankly speaking, if you can manage to live two or three years more, you shouldn’t make that choice. After all, it’s easier to communicate with them when you’re alive!”
Crick smiled bitterly. He couldn’t help coughing harshly and covered his mouth with a handkerchief. Romon saw blood on it.
Finished with his coughing, Crick asked with a smile, “You see that? Do you think I could manage to live two or three years more?”
Romon sighed deeply. “Since you were so calm just now, I really thought you would.”
“Haha! That was just a disguise.” Crick laughed loudly, then couldn’t help coughing again. He said, “I’m actually seriously ill. This month will probably be my last, under the most positive estimates. According to my original plan, I’ll pretend to be dead, letting those evil guys show their real intentions. Then I’ll kill them all before I really die. Since there’s truth hiding in the falsities, others will be confused, wondering whether I’m really dead or not.”
Romon nodded at first, then shook his head. “That’s a good plan. But if there’s an advanced mage, he’ll detect everything through the legendary ceremony, or someone will ask a legendary mage to check whether you’re dead through a Divination Spell. They won’t be tricked.”
Crick sighed and answered with a nod. “That’s the biggest problem with my plan, but I can’t figure out anything to solve it.”
Romon pondered for a long time and said, “Among the spells at the advanced legendary peak, there’s one called the Clone Spell. It can clone a healthy body, so as long as your soul is transferred into it, you’ll be revived. Maybe you can think about it.”
“I’ve asked an advanced mage about it, but it won’t work for me.” Crick sighed. “My illness was caused by several entangled Divine Powers in my body. You know, Divine Power is a supernatural existence, entangling the body and soul at the same time. Thus, although the Clone Spell can help clone my body, it can’t transfer my soul into it—in fact, when the mage detected my soul, he found that my soul has been changed under the influence of these Divine Powers, and it even has some divinity now…”
“Divinity?!” Romon was astonished at that and opened his eyes widely. “Do you mean that you could try to become a God?”
“How could it be that easy?” Crick smiled bitterly. “On one hand, I’m not powerful enough. On the other hand, the divinity comes from others, so I can’t really understand and master it. Thus, for me, it’s just a burden and a crisis. It doesn’t do me any good.”
Only then did Romon understand the whole situation. He couldn’t help sighing deeply. “What a pity!”
“Yes, it’s really a pity!” Cricked sighed as well. “It’ll be an opportunity for the strong, but a disaster for me. That is fate, and it’s hard to fathom.”
“Then, how about a flesh and blood monster statue?” Romon made another suggestion. “We can make a flesh and blood monster statue in your likeness. It won’t be hard in theory. Since you’re ill, your monster statue won’t need to come out a lot. Will it work to make others believe you’re alive?”
“It’s almost the same.” Crick sighed. “If I’m ill and stay in bed for a long time, others will try to learn my health condition through spells. If I make a monster statue with my own flesh and blood, it could mislead their spells, but it will still be found out after a period of time.”
“Then just let them find out. That’s the only way for now,” Romon comforted him.
Crick nodded and sighed deeply.
“Actually, the best way is to find me a substitute.” Crick said, “He should be like me in appearance and manner. What he needs to do is appear regularly, cough a few times and pretend to make urgent decisions… Then others will take my illness for a trick, and won’t spend a lot of energy detecting whether I’m alive or not through legendary ceremonies or spells.”
Romon huffed with a smile. “That’s surely the best way, but where can we find such a substitute? Have you found one?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Isn’t it too late for us to find such a person?”
“Yes, it is.” Crick sighed deeply. “I’ve been looking for such a substitute for several years, but I failed. I guess this is my fate.”
While saying that, he looked up into the sky outside the study room and couldn’t help laughing.
“Do you know what? When I took my soldiers to support the Eagle Kingdom in the war, I thought I would die there, so I made preparations for my death in a hurry, writing what I had thought but had no time to do in a thin book. However, I came back alive. During the past years, I have almost finished everything in the book.” He said with a smile, “Thinking about it carefully, I think fate has been generous to me.”
After thinking over several things, Crick asked a question, pretending he didn’t know the answer. “Mr Romon, may I ask, are you a clergyman or a mage? Or are you just a scholar?”
Romon blinked a few times and smiled cunningly. “Do I look like that kind of person? I’m afraid you’re wrong. I’m actually a bard, or more strictly speaking, a professional cheat.”
Crick laughed and didn’t say anything. In his eyes, Romon’s detailed information appeared.
Romon Geerteng, Strength 14, Physique 12, Agility 16, Perception 16, Intelligence 18, Charm 20, Prestige 32. Occupation: Bard Level 10, Thief Level 6, Master of Cheat Level 3. Camouflage blood. Friendship: 70.
This Romon is a member of the famous Geerteng Family. What’s the relationship between him and the electorate of the God of Knowledge, border sage Olian Geerteng, as well as Steele Geerteng, the physician master who has been unrestrained in her sexual life?
However, since he has a special trait of camouflage blood, maybe he isn’t a real member of the Geerteng Family. Who is he?
It was common to see one who had bard and thief at the same time in his occupation, but what was a Master of Cheat? Over the years, this was the second time Crick had seen master in one’s occupation. Last time, it had been a middle-aged adventurer named Nicholas Hong, who was also known as reliable Nicholas. In his occupation, he had been Master of Weapons Level 6. He’d had a total level of 19, the same as Romon.
Thinking carefully, this self-proclaimed professional cheat was actually very powerful, not even far from the Legendary Realm. If he didn’t mind, he could become a second-rate legendary master as long as he did a few more years of civil service. It would make him Hill Lord Level 2-3 or add Scholar to his occupation. Anyway, he would be a legendary master!
Once he became a legendary master, it would be harder for others to expose his trick. Even a legendary spell wouldn’t work.
Pondering this, Crick’s eyes grew bright, and he had an idea.
“Mr Romon, may I ask if will you be free in a period of time?”
Romon was confused. He thought about it for a while and said, “I’ll follow the orders of my God, so I dare not say whether I’m free or not. If my God doesn’t give me any special tasks, I plan to quit my job as a home tutor later. I think I’ll be free in the coming years.”
“Then would you like to be a consultant at Keane Hill?” Crick continued to ask, “My sister isn’t talented, so she needs more competent people to help her. She’s a follower of His Majesty Void Face, too. Since you two are under the same church, can you help her?”
“I have to ask my God about it, but I think he’ll agree.”
“If so, then do you mind disguising yourself as me?” Crick asked the most important question last.
Romon was surprised at that and frowned. “Your Majesty, I have to emphasize one thing—although I used to be a cheat, I have decided to correct my evil ways and become a decent person since I followed my God.”
“But that doesn’t prevent you from temporarily pretending to be me, does it?” Crick didn’t give up persuading him. “In fact, you’re still a consultant to the Hill Lord. You just need to play the role of a former Hill Lord who’s under treatment when necessary. It won’t be difficult for you, will it?”
Romon frowned deeply, reluctant to agree.
He wasn’t afraid of taking risks. On the contrary, he was willing to if it would benefit him.
However, he had become a subordinate of His Majesty Void Mask. He had found a guarantee for his life, so he didn’t need to take risks any more.
Even if he had to, it had to be for His Majesty Void Mask. It seemed irresponsible of him to take risks to do something for the dying former Hill Lord of Keane Hill.
While he was still reluctant, he heard Sui Xiong’s voice coming from his heart.
“Just agree with him.”
Sui Xiong’s voice was somewhat pitiful, but his meaning was clear enough.
“What on earth is His Majesty thinking?” Romon muttered, but a smile appeared on his face. “Congratulations,” he said, “I have just received His Majesty’s Oracle, and he has temporarily allowed me to take this job.”
Crick smiled with relief. With this powerful helper who was good at cheating, his sister’s position could be secure.
