"So, can you confirm my qualifications now?" Han Shuo was well aware that his magic cultivation had played a huge role in his success today. Another reason was that his luck was quite good.
"No problem. Please wait a moment and I'll do the rest for you!" Ares replied willingly and turned to nod at the Archmage next to him. The baggy-robed archmage took Han Shuo's documents up to the third floor.
"Mister Ares, that person has come by again." The young girl who had been waiting downstairs tapped her way up and informed Ares.
Ares was stunned. He waved his hand and said, "Let him come up!"
Not long after that, Candide came up with a distant look on his face. He was immediately a little dazed when he saw Han Shuo standing there.
Han Shuo was also stunned as he hadn't expected to meet Candide in such a place. A gleam flashed through his eyes, which quickly returned to normal. He stood still, his smile still on his face.
"You old thing. Only now did you find the time to visit me!" Ares laughed heartily. He seemed to have known Candide for a long time.
"I wouldn't bother coming if I didn't have something to ask you. What, are you busy at the moment?" Candide glanced at Ares, then at Han Shuo. He asked with a frown, pretending not to know who Han Shuo was.
"Hehe, nothing! The Babylonian Academy of Magic and Strength has just produced a magical genius. It took him less than two years to go from apprentice mage to archmage. This is truly a great thing! His records will become an important note in the Magic Association. Ares pointed excitedly at Han Shuo and introduced him to Candide.
Candide was also visibly shocked. He really hadn't expected Han Shuo to have reached the rank of Archmage Necromancer. His eyes gleamed as he stared at Han Shuo a few times before opening his mouth to speak, "Ares, if you don't mind, I would like to have a private conversation with this young magical genius."
"I don't mind, but I don't know if he does or not!" Ares looked at Han Shuo and left it up to him.
Ares obviously didn't know about the relationship between Han Shuo and Candide. Han Shuo understood what Candide was saying, so he turned to nod at Ares, "I have to wait for my documents anyway. Since I have nothing to do, I don't mind chatting with him for a bit!"
"All right, then I'll go up first. The rest of you can go downstairs. I won't allow anyone else to come up!" Ares ordered the people on the second floor before turning to Candide with a smile, "His Archmage certificate will be ready by the time you two have finished chatting. Just come up and let me know."
"No need to nag, I already know what to do!" Candide must have had a very close relationship with Ares, for he urged him impatiently.
Waiting for Ares and his group to leave, Candide looked at Han Shuo in a strange way and said, "I just heard from the Valley of Sunshine that you killed Ferguson of the Church of Light. I wanted to find you to better understand the situation. I didn't expect you to be here, with the identity of an Archmage Necromancer to boot. You've really surprised me!"
Han Shuo hadn't been able to suppress his heart's desire during the chaos in the Valley of Sunshine. He had gone mad, killing Grand Magus Ferguson of the Church of Light and severely injuring Chief Adam of the House of Menlo. The news had spread throughout the Valley of Sunshine. As one of the three heavyweights of the Dark Mantle, Candide had no reason to remain in the dark.
Han Shuo looked at Candide in silence, knowing that he didn't need to say anything about this matter since Candide already knew about it. On the other hand, he knew that Candide would bring it up, so he'd prepared something to say beforehand.
When he saw Han Shuo sinking into silence and not saying anything, Candide looked at him enraptured and said in a low tone, "I don't know how you managed to kill Ferguson. I probably couldn't kill him myself. Ferguson is dead now, but with the great influence of the Church of Light, you'll have no end of trouble.
"I also heard that you cast the lost spell of Reanimation of Corpses? I think the Church of Calamity will certainly try to recruit you. These two churches have a huge number of followers all over the Profound Continent. They have dozens of ways to deal with you, so how will you deal with them?"
"Different situations require different measures. If they dare to act against me, I'll kill them all without leaving a single survivor!" Han Shuo's face was ruthless. His body naturally radiated a killing intent as he said this in a voice as cold as ice.
Han Shuo didn't need to hide anything as Candide already knew about this matter. As he released the killing aura from his body, a figure at Candide's level immediately reacted.
Nodding his head, Candide replied with a grave expression, "I believe your power is by no means weak. But the Church of Light doesn't just have Ferguson. They don't even have to deal with you directly. They only need to put pressure on the king. I think His Majesty won't risk offending the Church for a minor figure like you."
Han Shuo was even more silent when he heard these words. With his current intelligence and Candide's reminder, Han Shuo could naturally understand what he was trying to say.
Taking a deep breath, Candide said, "You are someone I brought into the Dark Mantle myself. I'm very happy that you have such a great power. Now that you have the identity of an Archmage, I will give you an idea!"
Han Shuo's thoughts raced as he asked in surprise, "An idea?"
Han Shuo had already mentally prepared how he would live his life after killing Ferguson, so he wasn't too worried. If the Lancelot Empire sold him out under the pressure of the Church of Light, Han Shuo was confident that he could use the Cemetery Of Death to escape. However, it would be more difficult to move around from then on.
Now that Candide had an idea, Han Shuo naturally wanted to know if there was a way to deal with this two-pronged attack against him.
"Whether it is the Church of Light or the Church of Calamity, both are religious institutions. Their power can't dictate the movement of the Lancelot Empire, despite their widespread influence. The Church of Light is a little more difficult to deal with because they operate in the light. However, if you can somehow prove that your power is strong enough to make His Majesty value you more than the Church of Light, the King, as I understand him, won't care one bit about the Church's pressure.
"As long as His Majesty is willing to protect you, even the Church of Light wouldn't dare hurt you in the Lancelot Empire. After all, they aren't powerful enough to destroy the Lancelot Empire." Candide looked at Han Shuo and gave his advice.
Han Shuo was enlightened by Candide's words. What a country needed most was indeed talented people. Those with potential were especially important to the future of the country. The Lancelot Empire had been able to maintain its strong position for so many years due to the efforts of the deity Ayermike Cotton.
A sacred magus could unleash a terrifyingly powerful magic that could directly destroy a city. A demigod-level deity was even more powerful and could cause unimaginable destruction. It was the existence and help of Ayermike Cotton that made the Lancelot Empire so prosperous.
Even after many years had passed, a supernaturally powerful figure was still a country's most important resource, especially sacred beings such as Sacred Swordmasters, Sacred Magus and Sacred Knights. The number of powerful figures was the best way to determine a country's strength. If Han Shuo could prove to the king that he could reach such a level, the king would not worry about the threats from the Church of Light and would even wholeheartedly guarantee his safety.
"Candide, do you mean...?" Han Shuo understood his advice, but hadn't thought of a concrete way to actually do it. After all, words alone weren't enough to prove to others that one was very powerful, were they?
"The easiest way is to challenge others and prove your strength by challenging powerful people. I've heard that you hang out with Lawrence in the city's Northern Guard. What could Lawrence be hiding from me? It would be quicker for you to gain a noble title by challenging others. If your strength attracts His Majesty's interest, you'll be able to become a noble without having to show any merit. Why bother with military exploits?" Candide scoffed, seemingly rejecting Han Shuo and Lawrence's plans.
"Challenge, challenge powerful people. Good idea..." Han Shuo muttered to himself. Then he took a deep breath and thanked Candide sincerely, "Thank you, Lord Candide. I know what to do now!"
Nodding his head, Candide said casually, "If it weren't for the fact that you're under my charge, and that you brought back Ayermike Cotton's notebook, I wouldn't go to such lengths for you. I came up with this plan to help you as soon as I heard you'd killed Ferguson. Challenge the people on this scroll one by one. You can kill them all, for they've committed crimes worthy of death, but have managed to escape the punishment of the Empire's laws. Even the Dark Mantle can't find any evidence to catch them, so we want to borrow your ability to execute them.
"Since you have the power to kill Ferguson, it won't be hard to execute these people openly and fairly. I will help you get your reputation. You can quickly gain fame by killing these people. As for the King, I'll be responsible for communicating with him and obtaining the title of Viscount for you if all goes well. Not only will His Majesty not put pressure on you because of the Church of Light, but he can even warn them against you. As your position and fame grow, that boy Lawrence will be very excited. It really does kill many birds with one stone!"
Candide laughed cunningly with a dark face after finishing his speech. It was as if he had been thinking about this for a long time and was very pleased with the idea.
"Master Candide, why do I feel like I'm being used?" Han Shuo was stunned. He understood that this method was good. However, when he saw Candide laughing so sinisterly, he still felt that the old man helping him was only one aspect and the main purpose was to use him to eradicate opposing elements.
Rolling his eyes at Han Shuo, Candide said, "Consider this a mission. I'll put the credit in your name. Those damn dogs thought they could escape from my palm? Hehehe, this time they'll all die together!"
"Understood!" Han Shuo nodded in agreement. He knew from Candide's insidious sneer that the old man already had some sort of plan.
"Good. I still need to ask Ares about some magical knowledge. Ayermike's notebook is really too profound, even I couldn't fully understand it and have to ask that old thing!" Candide complained and started to go upstairs. At the door, Han Shuo saw him release some magic to dispel the previous enchantment that had formed before their conversation had begun. Then Candide called out, "Come on, hurry up and give this brat his certificate! He's very impatient!"
"Coming!" Ares replied as he came down with a slight smile. He walked over to Han Shuo and handed him the certificate before saying with a smile, "Congratulations Bryan, with this certified proof from the Magic Association, you are now officially an Archmage."
"Thank you." Han Shuo replied with a smile. He glanced at Candide who was watching with a dark face, secretly cursing in his heart before he walked downstairs.
Congratulations, you're quite something! Already an Archmage Necromancer at such a young age!" When Han Shuo reached the first floor, the receptionist congratulated him with admiration.
Han Shuo nodded and flashed a bright, beaming smile at the girl before taking a direct path away from the Magic Association.
The girl blushed at his brilliant smile, her heart beating many times faster than normal. She secretly thought that he was so tall, young and handsome!
Han Shuo was one metre ninety centimetres tall and possessed a natural evil temperament due to his practice of demonic magic. It was only natural for him to attract the attention of the opposite sex.
"First target - Colbert, a swordmaster who's raped and murdered seven girls. Currently residing on the outskirts of the Empire's Bimson City, Mayor of Billow, title of Baron!" Han Shuo glanced at the list Candide had given him after leaving the Magic Association. He smiled coldly as he walked towards the Empire's transportation matrix.