As they walked out of the Northern Rose Garden, Bollands followed Han Shuo closely the whole time.
As Han Shuo stared at Bollands in astonishment, Bollands respectfully said, "elder Brother, from today, I will officially leave the Rose Garden and follow you."
Han Shuo hadn't expected Bollands to be so direct. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "How about this? During this time, you will still be responsible for protecting Lawrence and ensuring his safety. When he no longer needs your protection, you can return to my side. After some time, I will make arrangements for your initiation ceremony. After the ceremony, I will teach you the martial arts right away.
"Alright then. In that case, I will continue to protect Prince Lawrence." Hao Shuo's instructions were now more important than Karel's. Bollands was used to listening to orders, so he nodded and agreed.
Under Han Shuo's orders, Bollands gradually disappeared into the darkness. Understanding that Bollands had gone to secretly protect Lawrence, Han Shuo returned to his residence alone.
It was a sensitive time in Ossen City. The streets were tightly guarded during the night as city guards patrolled all the paths within the city. Even if the nobles were entertaining themselves at night, they wouldn't forget to talk business.
Earlier, Han Shuo had overheard through a mystical demon discussing the princes with many nobles in the Northern Rose Garden, debating which prince they should support.
Han Shuo had also just realised why King Uhtred had acted so quickly. Suddenly, all the officials who had close ties to Lawrence were being promoted, more or less, for all sorts of reasons.
Lawrence, who originally had the least support, was suddenly being given a lot of attention. King Uhtred's apparent favouritism caused concern among the nobles and princes, who couldn't understand the reason for Uhtred's actions.
Sacred Sword Master Karel, who had always maintained neutrality and never expressed support for Lawrence, had declared as he left the Imperial Palace that anyone who dared to deal with Lawrence underhandedly would face his wrath. Karel had even hinted at Duke Ashburn's wickedness.
Even the Dark Mantle organisation, which acted as the Empire's underground agents, suddenly had close dealings with Lawrence. Amyes, feared by all nobles, was even seen visiting Lawrence's residence at night. This seemed to prove that the Dark Mantle and Lawrence had formed a secret alliance.
Lawrence, who had long been oppressed by the other lords, suddenly found his fortunes rising and became the talk of the land. A number of influential figures who had never taken Lawrence seriously now had a sudden change of heart.
King Uhtred has ruled the Lancelot Empire for many years. It seems that before Uhtred dies, the entire Lancelot Empire will do as he commands. His successor would ultimately still be his personal choice." Han Shuo pondered inwardly as he walked leisurely towards his residence.
It was late at night and the streets were quiet. Han Shuo moved quickly, leaving no trace on the streets. A few mystical demons were surreptitiously watching the surroundings as Han Shuo easily avoided the city guards and quickly returned to his own residence.
When Han Shuo reached his residence, he noticed that apart from a few guards and the old steward, all the servants were asleep. Seeing Han Shuo appear, Kallas hastily greeted him and soon said in a low voice, "Lord Marquis, there's someone in the room who wants to see you.
Han Shuo stared blankly, baffled that someone would actually come this late at night and couldn't help but be astonished. A mystical demon flew over in the direction Kallas had indicated and soon after, a handsome and graceful figure suddenly appeared in front of Han Shuo.
It was indeed him! Han Shuo was shocked. Then he nodded to Kallas and instructed, "All right, it's getting late. You should rest early. I can go over by myself."
Kallas said nothing else, bowed to Han Shuo and then retreated immediately.
Han Shuo walked over to the guest reception room. As soon as he entered, the door closed automatically. Han Shuo frowned when he saw the handsome Grand Magus Necromancer in front of him and asked, "Why are you here?"
Wolf smiled carelessly and looked at Han Shuo leisurely, "I came to thank you. Thanks to the skeleton staff, you've helped me regain my youth. Hehe. I'm especially grateful for that..."
"In the past few days, there have been some rumours circulating that are not beneficial to me. I don't want your arrival to cause any misunderstandings. If there's nothing wrong, it's best that you don't come and cause me any trouble. Your identity is too sensitive and you're someone I can't provoke." Han Shuo had no animosity towards Wolf, but he didn't have a good impression of him either. Nowadays, Kosse's group had stopped at nothing to make him lose his reputation in Ossen City. Even though Han Shuo had Uhtred's help, if Kosse really did get hold of credible evidence, it would be hard for Han Shuo to deal with it.
"Relax. It is precisely because I don't want to cause you any trouble that I have chosen to appear so late at night. Besides, an average person wouldn't know my identity. Even if they were former enemies of the Church of Light, they probably wouldn't be able to recognise me either. So don't worry, I won't cause you any trouble. Wolf explained.
Hearing this, Han Shuo examined Wolf's appearance carefully and couldn't help but agree that there was some truth in his words. . It was impossible to connect the current wolf, who was elegant, handsome, and filled with a dignified aura, with the previous wolf, who looked inhuman and had a thick aura of death. If not for the changes caused by the skeletal staff, even if someone were to beat Han Shuo to death, he would never believe that the graceful youth in front of him was that centuries-old wolf.
"Why did you come to find me?" Han Shuo relaxed slightly, but still furrowed his brow and looked at Wolf annoyed.
"Hey, we should be considered allies and are truly friends. From the very beginning, our Calamity Church has always considered you a friend. Besides, I'm a necromancer too, you shouldn't be so indifferent towards me." Wolf shrugged and said with a bit of sadness.
Han Shuo was shocked by his words. On second thought, it was indeed as Wolf said. Everyone in the Profound Continent was afraid of the evil Church of Calamity. As soon as he had demonstrated his ability to refine undead creatures that weren't afraid of light magic, they had thrown him an olive branch and even gone out of their way to protect him.
When Wolf discovered that Han Shuo had the skeletal staff, the Church of Calamity's attitude towards Han Shuo was so friendly that it made him a little angry. Seeing the serious Wolf in front of him, Han Shuo really didn't know how to treat him.
Han Shuo relaxed, his expression no longer cold and emotionless. He smiled faintly as he pulled up a chair, sat down, and asked, "In that case, could Mister Wolf tell me what you came here for? And how exactly does the Church of Calamity intend to treat me?"
Seeing that Han Shuo's expression was no longer indifferent, Wolf smiled happily and said, "That's right! We will be friends. Hehe. Very good friends! There aren't many necromancers in this world, and even fewer grand magus necromancers, yet you and I are both grand magus necromancers. We should have many similar interests. Hahaha. I did not expect you to become a Grand Magus Necromancer so quickly. Hehehe. It seems that you have gained many things from the Sacred Land."
"Sacred Land? What Sacred Land?" Han Shuo looked distracted and asked suspiciously.
Wolf seemed to know that Han Shuo was going to ask that question. He straightened up and looked slightly excited as he said, "The sacred Land is what our Church of Calamity calls this place. Most people in the Profound Continent call it the Cemetery of Death. Hehehe, since the Skeleton Staff is in your possession, I don't think you can deny that you haven't been to the Sacred Land.
Besides, you've only been practicing necromancy for less than five years, yet you've already become a grand magus necromancer, which took me a couple of centuries to achieve. That is enough to illustrate the point. There are also the undead creatures that don't fear light magic and other secrets that prove you've been to the Sacred Land".
When Wolf said this, Han Shuo's heart surged with waves of emotion. He realised that he hadn't been careful enough, or perhaps I should say that he didn't know enough about the Church of Calamity and the secrets of the Necromancers. That was why Wolf was able to recognise the skeleton staff. The fact that Wolf was so sure of his words clearly showed that he had guessed the truth.
Han Shuo's expression wavered for a moment, his eyes faintly showing an ominous gleam. He considered killing everyone who knew his secrets, but after a round of contemplation, he knew it was already too late. Wolf had probably already shared this information with the Church of Calamity.
Watching Han Shuo's fierce gaze, even Wolf, who had lived for a long time, felt uneasy. As a necromancer with high achievements, Wolf could clearly sense Han Shuo's hidden killing intent. Under Han Shuo's gaze, Wolf's heart unexpectedly pounded and he was startled.
Only when faced with the rebuke of high-ranking members of the evil Calamity Church would Wolf have such a feeling of apprehension. He would never have thought to feel a touch of fear from someone so much younger than himself. Wolf knew exactly what that feeling meant.
He knew that only when experts who could threaten his life were dissatisfied and had the intention to kill him, would he instinctively palpitate in fear!
Could this youth, who had just become a Grand Magus Necromancer, have the ability to kill him?
An illusion, it must be an illusion! Wolf reassured himself before awkwardly saying to Han Shuo, "Don't be so hostile towards me. Our Church of Calamity will never really become your enemy. Since the Skeletal Staff has already recognised you as its master, you are a noble within our Calamity Church. There are many areas where the Calamity Church needs to rely on you, so we need you to live well.
"In that case, would you all have acted already if my death brought more benefits?" Han Shuo narrowed his eyes, assessing Wolf as he slowly replied.
"Uh..." Wolf's expression grew more awkward. He hesitated for a while before nodding and saying, "If we could kill you and it would only benefit the Calamity Church and not harm it, I think my superiors would have given the order to kill you a long time ago, not the order to protect you and cooperate with you."
Wolf could still be considered an open person. Han Shuo knew how the notoriously evil Calamity Church handled things. The first time he saw Belinda, even though she was only an alchemist, she had already tried to kill everyone in the hotel without inhibition. She didn't give a damn about the lives of strangers, believing everything to be right and natural.
Coldly snorting, Han Shuo knew that Wolf already knew about the affairs of the Cemetery of Death. However, Han Shuo was obviously not going to reveal any details. He replied blankly, "Don't stick your noses into my business. Be honest about the reason why you are here!"
Seeing Han Shuo's displeasure, Wolf hastily explained, "As for the Sacred Land, we cannot discuss it for the time being. I came here to inform you about some secrets of the Skeletal Staff and the Sacred Land. This would probably be the information you most crave."
"Oh? Didn't you say earlier that you wouldn't tell me the secrets of the Skeletal Staff if I didn't join the Church of Calamity? Why did you come here now to tell me this information? I've already made it clear that I won't join the Church of Calamity. It's best if you don't act rashly." Han Shuo said to Wolf.
For some unknown reason, the Grand Magus Necromancer Wolf, who should be aloof and above ordinary people, was incredibly humble and even seemed to be deliberately currying favour as he spoke to Han Shuo.
From the moment you picked up the skeleton staff, you've already been considered a member of our Calamity Church! Wolf said inwardly before smiling as he explained, "Don't worry. My superiors gave me the order, so of course I will tell you about the situation with the Skeleton Staff and the Sacred Land. But what I will tell you is only what I know. There are things I don't know, and I can't help you.
"Then it would be a waste not to listen. Then go ahead." Han Shuo spoke indifferently, not seeming as urgent as before. But inside, he was so curious that he could die. Only he could understand that.
"Then I'll talk about the Sacred Land first. It is rumoured within the Church of Calamity that the Sacred Land has a magical transport Matrix. This transport Matrix has the mysterious ability to connect between planes, in particular it can communicate with the netherworld. Necromancers can rely on their original bodies to enter the netherworld to explore unknown territories within the nether realm and improve their necromancy magic.
There is also another legend within the Church of Calamity. I'm not sure if this legend is true, but I once heard the Pope say that the Sacred Land was not a structure of the Profound Continent. Instead, it came to the Profound Continent from another plane. I suspect that the plane it came from was the Netherworld." Wolf took a deep breath as he explained to Han Shuo.
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