The sound of conversation faded, and the thoughts that had been flowing between words were sealed away, giving the illusion of time standing still.

The silent office was filled only with the soft ticking of the clock and the crisp sound of fine rain pattering against the windowpane, which became especially clear in the quiet principal's office.

The books on the desk also seemed to be immersed in this tranquility, and the bronze desk lamp beside them trembled slightly, casting a warm yellow light on the desk, blending with the deep wood grain to produce a peaceful color.

Chloris stared at Lan Qi's desk in contemplation.

"So, Miss Chloris, is there something troubling you that you need my help with?"

Lan Qi picked up the teacup, which still had a little warmth, and took a small sip.

Chloris looked up slightly.

"I want to form an alliance with Mr. Rocky McCarthy to stop the Empire's war."

She answered very directly.

"As far as I know, although Duke Morodian cannot be completely regarded as a pro-war faction, your family should be more inclined towards the pro-war faction, shouldn't it?"

Lan Qi was willing to trust Xidu. After all, he had no malice even towards Zestira. More importantly, in his communication with him, and from the lines of his works, it could be seen that he hated war.

But for this duchess, Lan Qi could not yet be sure of her position.

"My father has actually been missing for a long time. The Duke Morodian on the stage now is actually a puppet I control."

Chloris sighed and said.

"..."

Faced with Chloris's confession.

This time, even Lan Qi was stunned, and the teacup hung in the air.

He was not only shocked that Duchess Chloris had spoken so shockingly and directly revealed such a thing to him, but also by Chloris's courage to do this.

No wonder when Zestira and he first arrived in the imperial capital Helrom, they had heard that Duke Morodian was now refusing any searches for the [Primal Slab - Undead], and that they could only search for the [Primal Slab - Light] of the Great Sage Isis of the Protos Royal Magic Academy with points from the academy.

It turned out that the [Primal Slab - Undead] was simply gone.

"You are more calm than I thought. Don't you question how the Duke, as a slab holder, could disappear?"

Chloris observed Lan Qi's reaction, smiled, and asked.

In fact, she didn't need to joke at all. As for whether it was true or not, as long as she went to the Duke's mansion with her, she could easily show it to Lan Qi.

"For a girl whose father is missing, I will choose to believe her first, rather than question her, after all, she is the one who bears the most."

Lan Qi put down the teacup, regained his composure, and said with certainty.

"..."

Chloris stared at Lan Qi, and was slightly silent for a moment.

Talking to Lan Qi so far seemed to be the most surprising time for her.

"Do you have any clues about the mystery of the Duke's disappearance?"

Lan Qi asked.

"No, apart from the fact that I am sure he lost contact with me in the north, the clues are so clean that it is unbelievable. This is also the reason why I was able to hide the fact that the Duke disappeared."

Chloris shook her head.

Lan Qi nodded upon hearing this.

In theory, Hyperion could have done this when Duke Micaiah disappeared, but any wrong step would lead to eternal doom, and Hyperion simply couldn't do such a thing.

Without even mourning her father's disappearance for a moment, she seized all the power of the family at the first time. It can only be said that Chloris is much more ruthless than Hyperion, and has a kind of courage that ordinary people do not have.

On closer thought, this step of Duchess Chloris may have directly changed the current situation of the Protos Empire.

If Duke Morodian disappeared at a very bad time, people would be more dependent on the Revival Church, and the panic would be even worse, which would easily detonate.

Although it seems that Duke Morodian is one of the pillars supporting the pro-war faction, in fact, he is also a key pillar maintaining the current balance of the Protos Empire.

The fuse of this war in the Protos Empire was caused by fear and resentment, and Duke Morodian, as an existence capable of suppressing fear, could not disappear.

"What are you going to do next?"

Lan Qi asked Chloris again.

Her position was very clear, even it could be said that it could not be clearer, she must be against the war.

Paper cannot contain fire. Once the war really starts, the Duke's matter will be exposed, and Chloris's actions will bear heavy crimes and irreversible public opinion backlash, leading to eternal doom.

Her choice to temporarily take over this power by deceiving the Empire can bring her great initiative, but she must also bet that this initiative can bring her a chance to win this game of defeating the mastermind behind the scenes.

The mastermind will naturally not expose her. If the mastermind tries to expose her in any way, there is a risk of being caught and exposing himself. Going from dark to light too early is the least the person who spends a lot of effort controlling the situation wants to see.

Chloris has accurately calculated all of this. It is both a game and a gamble.

I'm afraid even the mastermind didn't expect her to dare to play like this.

"Maybe I can keep dragging it on, but I believe someone won't let me drag it on. I guess it will be at most a little over a month. When the cooperation between the Revival Church and the Empire is completely completed, even if Duke Morodian, a backbone, is missing, the vacancy will be filled, and a war of equal strength can be launched."

Chloris still said with that carefree look, as if she was not concerned about herself at all, even though she was the one in the most dangerous situation.

"So what do you hope I can help you with?"

Lan Qi was very sure that Chloris was an excellent partner.

At this point, their positions were consistent, and they could also benefit each other, so a deal could be reached.

The good news was that her current power was even greater than he imagined. She controlled the entire Duke's family. The bad news was that cooperating with her also meant betting everything with her.

Either lose and be a sinner for life, or win and be a beacon for all ages.

"There are not many directions for the current investigation... But since you are convinced that those guys are not demons, I would like to ask you to investigate in the north. Although the hope is slim, as long as you can find any evidence and bring it back, both Xidu and I can use all the channels of the Duke's family to expose it. Accordingly, our Duke's family will become your backing in the future."

Chloris said slowly.

"The difficulty lies in the fact that you need to find a way to get a pass to the northern front line. Not only is communication blocked in the north now, but also a pass issued by the Imperial Ministry of Defense is required."

Then she added.

Obviously, she couldn't help Lan Qi with this matter alone. If he became involved with the Duke's family when he set off, it would become quite dangerous to go to the north.

In the imperial capital Helrom, there were the Great Sage Isis and the eighth-order powerhouses sitting in town. Even if the enemy wanted to mess around, they would only face greater risks, but it was different when they arrived in the north.

"I have a pass, no problem. I also have official business to do in the north."

Lan Qi leaned back on the chair calmly and said.

He had the composure and majesty of a principal.

Even so, Xidu, who was sitting on the sofa, twitched his eyes.

Because at this moment, Lan Qi gave him the feeling that he had all kinds of documents on him. People who were so reliable often made people feel that they were not doing serious work.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Principal Rocky."

Chloris stood up, smiled, and saluted Lan Qi again.

Although she didn't have much hope that Lan Qi would be able to dig up any big news when he went to the north.

However, if he could really bring something back, he might soon appear on the cover of the "Imperial Weekly", and there would be many interviews and speeches. Even the countries far in the north would pay attention to Rocky McCarthy.

It's just a pity that these reputations don't mean much to him.

He looked too unselfish, or rather, he had no ambition at all.

Maybe this was the loneliness in him, even if he had accomplished great feats, there was no one to share the joy with.

(End of this chapter)