Chapter 692: Chapter 409: Do One’s Best_2
He made a list, noting down the attack styles these men excelled at. He kept a mental record and scrutinized the black lion again to gather some information about the Royal Family. What he needed now went beyond just dealing with the actions of the Third Prince.
Through the Memory Stone, Yan Xiaobao didn’t discover anything else of interest. While Yan Xiaobao was busy observing the City Lord’s guests, Cai Jie had already gathered all the information about the City Lord. What he wrote down included the City Lord’s rank, attacks, and skills. He was an Emperor who had held the title of City Lord for eleven years. He inherited this position from his father after his death and had remained in the post ever since. He managed to gain the merchants’ support because he always fought for their rights during meetings with the royal nobles, even while refraining from supporting any faction within the Royal Family. Every faction in the Royal Family attempted to win his favor. If they managed to secure his support, they believed it would greatly help in taking the throne after the King’s death.
After reading up on the City Lord’s profile and details about his banquet, Yan Xiaobao turned his attention to all the information regarding the Third Prince. The Third Prince was thirty-six years old. He was the youngest of all the princes, but in terms of cultivation, he possessed the most exceptional talents. The prince was already a King-level expert. To Yan Xiaobao, that wasn’t an extraordinary pace, but for someone lacking blue cloud energy, red fog energy, and all the other unique phenomena he had known in his past life, the Third Prince’s progression was quite astonishing—he was truly deserving of being called a genius.
This prince was respected by everyone, even the City Lord and his two brothers. His faction was the largest among the Royal Factions, and due to the way he handled the kingdom’s various issues, he continued to gain the support of an increasing number of nobles.
The Second Prince had the second-largest group of followers within the Royal Family, followed by the First Prince. The First Prince had the fewest supporters. He lacked potential talents and devoted more time to drinking and chasing after young women than to leading the nation. The Memory Stone also revealed that the First Prince’s disinterest in royal affairs stemmed from the fact that his fiancée had been assassinated by the Third Prince. This piece of information was filed under the Third Prince’s records, but the source was marked as questionable. It wasn’t something that could be confirmed, but it was suspected to be true. Most information about the Third Prince was publicly accessible, but the most critical details—such as his most frequently used attacks and his top-ranked techniques—were withheld.
The Third Prince and the Second Prince were currently competing to become the kingdom’s ruler. To this end, they both sought to win over the City Lord, Zhan Weisheng, and their father’s faction. These three factions would ultimately decide who would ascend to the throne. Taking a moment to think, Yan Xiaobao and Cai Jie exchanged glances. "I think we should try to ensure the City Lord speaks highly of the Second Prince. We already have enough trouble preparing to deal with the Third Prince, but eliminating the future heir to the kingdom is not a good idea," Yan Xiaobao said, shuddering at the thought of the disastrous consequences. They had to kill the Third Prince now, because if he became King one day, killing him then would be far too dangerous.
"Aligning ourselves with the City Lord’s faction will benefit us greatly. The City Lord himself will gain significant clout, as well as the loyalty of many nobles. Knowing that the Great Marshall of the Beast Army has already joined his faction, I am quite certain he will continue to attract noble supporters in droves." Recognizing the City Lord’s ability to draw so many varied nobles, Yan Xiaobao realized just how critical his influence truly was. Behind him loomed the might of the entire military forces of the Divine Domain—a force that had once caused the downfall of the Siban Empire. Even if Yan Xiaobao was unwilling to fight for the Sun Kingdom, he could still summon more than a few Saints to carry out targeted assassinations and eliminate those who opposed him without much difficulty.
After compiling all the information, Yan Xiaobao and Cai Jie spent most of their time in the library. Now, the sun had set, and dusk had arrived. Yan Xiaobao let out a deep sigh, knowing that his friends should be returning soon. He couldn’t wait to spend time with them. He ate a meal, had some wine, and refocused his energy on cultivation. Yan Xiaobao had been so busy that he hadn’t seen Wang Julong since the previous day. Xu Biao, meanwhile, had done nothing but focus on his own cultivation, so Yan Xiaobao hadn’t seen him since morning. Ma Kong had visited the night before, but Yan Xiaobao didn’t know how much work the old man had at his own auction house. Thus, he couldn’t say whether Ma Kong would show up that night to celebrate their reunion.
The twin siblings were preoccupied with the academy. Yan Xiaobao had no idea what exactly they were working on. They were too old to still be students, but since they had already graduated, they must have been engaged in something unusual. Yan Xiaobao was eager to find out what they had been doing. Overall, he was looking forward to hearing from all of his friends—how their lives had been and what they were currently up to. The night before had been a great reunion, but none of them had had time to talk to each other in detail. Cai Jie didn’t even have time for introductions, and there was so much they’d need to discuss; it seemed that dinner would be the perfect setting for these conversations.
"Let’s go," Yan Xiaobao said as he stood up, accompanied by Cai Jie. He walked through the house until they found the dining room. Inside the room was a large table, capable of seating a hundred people. At the moment, no one was seated, but many servants hurried back and forth, preparing the room and setting plates and silverware on the table furthest from them.