Mystery: My Encounters with the Celestial God

Chapter 571 Ron's Foresight

Sodrak Palace.

King George III sat on his throne, his sharp gaze like a chilling sword of judgment.

As an angel, even if he is only at Sequence Two and has only recently been promoted, he is not easily controlled within the Augustus family.

Although His ideas differed from William I's, it was clear that dealing with George III would not be so easy for this Sequence One "Hand of Order."

Otherwise, He wouldn't have united all the core family members at the family meeting to put pressure on George III.

Unfortunately, this pressure was not enough to make an angel bow down and submit to Lord Ron's tyranny.

"Anyone can sacrifice for their family, but no one should be sacrificed. I finally gained power and authority, and accomplished feats that no monarch before me had achieved. Why should I be the one to sacrifice myself?"

As a potential candidate for the Black Emperor, this guy's personality is undoubtedly very suitable for this path.

"Gentlemen, Stratford has already made it very clear why I summoned you here. I would like to know your thoughts."

Looking at the two most powerful and influential figures in the Loren nobility, the upper house, the church, and the business world, George III asked the question he had been holding back for a long time.

To fight against the Church of the God of Time and Space, and to fight against the World Peace Corporation, violent means are out of the question.

Otherwise, it would be quite bad if that petty God of Time, who is holed up in Backlund, came knocking on our door.

In the tranquil palace, the newly appointed Duke of Negan spoke first:

"Your Majesty, as you can see, the power of those outsiders has become strong enough..."

What he meant was that it might be a little too late to say these things now.

However, regardless of one's status or position, sometimes the most important thing in front of a leader is not to provide a solution, but to express one's attitude.

"Your Majesty, we must punish the World Peace Corporation for disrupting the market economy. They evade taxes, engage in malicious competition, and completely violate our country's laws."

"Moreover, their church has also harmed the interests of most people, and many people have changed their faith because of this. The Storm Church is also very dissatisfied with this matter."

King George III sat on his throne, glancing with a hint of satisfaction at the new Duke of Negan.

The original Duke Negan, along with his villa servants, wife, and children, all disappeared overnight, leaving only the current Duke Negan, who was living elsewhere, to escape.

Although he was not as good as his father and spoke mostly empty words, he was still able to convey some important information.

For example, the attitude of the Church of Storms.

"Equally dissatisfied? Hmph, if you're dissatisfied, then make a move! It seems the Storm Church also knows this matter is difficult to handle and doesn't intend to be the first to stick its neck out..."

King George III paused for a moment, as if considering something, before slowly speaking:

"You're absolutely right. World Peace Corporation maliciously merged with factories and businesses, and engaged in tax evasion and smuggling. They must be punished."

"What methods do you think should be used to complete the punishment?"

Do we even need a method? We should just order them to cease operations for rectification and raid their premises!

Duke Negan the Younger paused, wondering if the King had lost his mind.

However, his usual caution made him lower his head and stare silently at the white glazed teacup on his right.

"Your Majesty, it depends on how much we want to achieve."

Hearing this, George III was deeply gratified and immediately looked at Earl Hall, who understood him very well.

This very capable count was clearly not one of those useless nobles who took advantage of others; he was genuinely able to come up with many practical solutions.

"What if we want to push them all back to the Southern Continent?" George III pressed.

"Then we'll have no choice but to take a hard line, which will likely result in a lose-lose situation."

"You know, some things have to be removed immediately, otherwise they'll be noticed the second or third time."

Earl Hall straightened his cuffs and continued:

"Your Majesty, the current situation is beyond our control. To paraphrase the proverb left by Rosell, what's done is done. In any case, we can only suppress them, not eliminate them outright."

The count rubbed his temples, feeling utterly exhausted by this mess.

Although he was indeed considering what Ron had told him, and although his youngest daughter did possess an astonishing talent for handling affairs that he had not yet discovered.

But when he actually faced the king in his high position and tried to sort out the current situation, he found that the situation was already a complete mess.

It was a tangled mess, so much so that even this seasoned banker and politician couldn't understand it.

"Does he think that by opening factories and cultivating more followers of the gods, he can establish himself in Rune and eventually overthrow the royal family?"

"Such a naive idea, even a three-year-old probably wouldn't have it!"

Suppressing his doubts, the Count felt he still needed to give the guy who had taken advantage of his daughter some way out.

"Your Majesty, I believe we can take some tough measures and order those factories that are clearly violating the law to rectify their practices."

"Archbishop Anthony also mentioned that the peace and happiness of the goddess's devotees are of utmost importance."

Upon hearing Earl Hall's words, George III neither nodded nor shook his head, but instead changed the subject:

"I heard you've recently involved your daughter in some administrative tasks?"

Earl Hall's scalp tingled, but being an old hand at this, he showed no sign of abnormality, instead smiling quite naturally:

"The goddess teaches us that men and women are equal, and I think Audrey is doing a good job now, no less than her two brothers."

Upon hearing this, King George III smiled and said:

"That's a good child, her name is Audrey, right? I've heard the Queen mention her, I didn't expect her to have such abilities."

"It seems our kingdom is about to welcome another outstanding countess!"

"That depends entirely on his two older brothers," Earl Hall replied humorously.

"The Church of the Night has an ambiguous attitude, but it seems to be generally leaning towards my side; what they want is stability, not radicalism."

In any country, both radical and moderate factions are indispensable, since a policy cannot be applicable for decades or centuries.

At this point, the king needs to make accurate judgments while also avoiding any single entity becoming too powerful, otherwise the kingdom, like a giant steam train, will lose its balance.

"What a cunning old fox."

George III glanced at Earl Hall again discreetly, cursing inwardly.

He was always putting on airs, and if his subordinates hadn't accidentally learned that Earl Hall's youngest daughter was secretly investigating Viscount Stratford, he probably would have actually believed it.

"It seems that our previous methods against those nobles were too harsh, to the point that some of them felt threatened?"

"No, the Hall family has the backing of the Church of the Night. What reason would he have to do this? If he truly felt threatened, it wouldn't make sense for him to get involved here."

"Could it be the Church of the Night instigating this? Do they want more profits?"

After taking another deep look at the old man with his two small mustaches, George III felt a headache coming on.

Even He cannot arbitrarily replace an earl or a member of the kingdom's upper house without a reason.

"These are truly turbulent times. Backlund is already complicated enough; it can't afford to take any more risks now."

"He must be replaced, and a count with less prestige and who is easier to control should be promoted."

"His eldest son has cultivated influence in the kingdom's political circles for many years and is not so easy to deal with. His second son is now a Sequence Five Extraordinary and has a high reputation in the army, but that won't work either..."

"That leaves only his youngest daughter, who's easier to deal with..."

After eliminating a series of "wrong" answers, George III still chose a noblewoman who seemed easy to control and innocent.

There's no other reason than that young people of that age are easy to fool, and they can do anything right under His nose.

Silence fell over the palace. Seeing this, the kingdom's prime minister, Agushid Nigan, glanced around, rose from his seat, and said earnestly:

"Your Majesty, our troops stationed in the southern continent have to fight against those barbarians every now and then."

"Those young people risked their lives for the country, for the king and his ministers, and rushed to the front lines. If we do not make the right decisions, it will inevitably make people feel disheartened."

How shameless...

Earl Hall smirked; he had never seen such a shameless fellow.

You describe wars of aggression and colonialism in such a refined and elegant way, you might as well just fly to the heavens!

However, the Earl also understood that since the World Peace Company appeared and gained significant control over the shipping routes between the North and South continents, the situation had changed dramatically.

Those nobles who had become wealthy through plundering the southern continent suffered heavy losses.

The kingdom missed the first industrial reform, but now that the second opportunity is right in front of them, how could they possibly give it up?

The complex interests involved cannot be resolved with just a few words.

However, the Earl still stood up at that moment.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is right, but we must consider practical factors. Meaningless conflicts only burden the kingdom!"

"Oh? Does the Earl mean that those young people who are fighting for the kingdom's interests in the Southern Continent are a burden?"

The Kingdom's Prime Minister, Agushid Nigan, seized the opportunity and made a sarcastic remark.

And the Conservative Party members echoed this sentiment when the Duke of Negan was in this generation:

"Count, Emperor Rosell once said that mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself. Do you intend to let our soldiers sacrifice themselves in vain?"

Upon hearing this, Earl Hall, with his distinctive mustache, didn't mince words and retorted:

"They are outstanding young people, which is why we need to be more cautious and not act impulsively."

Suddenly, the once quiet palace became extremely lively, with the count holding his own against two opponents.

"That's enough!"

"Arguing here, have you no dignity as nobles?"

"This is a royal palace, not a marketplace!"

They spout off a string of high-sounding words, but the core message is simply that they are acting in the interests of their respective political parties.

King George III tapped the brass throne with his fingers and declared in an unquestionable tone:

"Establish the Backlund Tax Investigation Committee to thoroughly investigate all companies within the kingdom that evade or resist taxes."

"All companies that do not comply with regulations will be shut down and their operations suspended. In serious cases, their assets will be confiscated and handed over to the state."

"Establish a smuggling investigation team at Wangguo Port to severely crack down on illegal smuggling and illegal immigration."

"According to the Equal Faith Act jointly formulated by the three major churches and the kingdom, the Church of the God of Time and Space has completely violated the law."

"Have the deacons of the three major churches within the military send personnel to seal them off, and await further instructions."

"Furthermore, appoint Emilius Levitt as Minister of Defense to thoroughly investigate and eliminate enemy spies hiding in Backlund!"

Upon hearing this, not only Earl Hall was stunned, but even Duke Nigan and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom were taken aback.

Isn't that a bit too radical?

Earl Hall immediately realized what was happening and took a step forward.

"His Majesty……"

"Enough! Every time I think of the young people who sacrificed their lives in the Southern Continent, I feel sorrow. As the King of Rune and their supporter, I cannot let their efforts be in vain!"

"Count, this is a war to the death; we cannot dwell on the past!"

At this point, George III's tone suddenly softened, and he pretended to run down from the throne, taking Earl Hall's hand in his.

It seemed as if he was speaking from the heart:

"Holden, you're under too much pressure. It's not your fault that you've made a series of wrong decisions."

"Go back and rest well during this time. Let your trusted daughter handle your official duties."

what?

Seeing this, Earl Hall cursed the old fox inwardly, while at the same time seemingly sincerely taking George III's hand and saying:

"Your Majesty, I am not tired, and Audrey is still young."

"No, Holden, I think you're tired!"

"Besides, isn't that what young people need to do—train and grow? How can they grow without training?"

George III gave a forced smile, then walked toward the brass throne.

"That's it, that's it!"

………………

67 Williams Street.

"Tsk, if I'm not mistaken, my father-in-law should have been fired by now, right?"

Ron tucked the paper, filled with complex symbols and knowledge pollution, into his notebook, while tossing the 0-01 he was constantly experimenting with back into the City of Calamity.

Arya stood to the side watching this scene and asked softly:

"Master, I don't understand why you had Emilius tell George III about Miss Hall's investigation of Viscount Stratford."

"Isn't He our enemy?"

Upon hearing this, the blond boy raised his head and glanced disdainfully at the dim-witted witch.

Pride goes before ruin, and arrogance before a fall.

"You don't actually think that by ousting the Ruen royal family, the people will accept the new king, do you?"

"Roselle has the prestige of plagiarism, no, she has the prestige of invention and reform, but we have nothing."

"So, when necessary, we have to use some underhanded tactics, and also wait for the right time to come."

"Uh, when?" Aria asked, still looking puzzled.

The blond boy raised an eyebrow and chuckled:

"When the interests of everyone in the entire kingdom are harmed."

"At that time, order ceased to exist, the people's voices were louder than anything else, to the point that even the highest gods were swayed."

"A savior will come from among the people; she will raise her arms and her call will stir up a wave, and the gods will take notice and the angels will fall."

"What a perfect drama!"

Upon hearing this, Aria paused for a moment, then realized something and exclaimed in astonishment:

"Master, is that why you opened factories regardless of cost, providing workers and the middle class with higher welfare and treatment?"

Ron Sothos raised his arm and continued:

"Yes, when people realize they can live a better life, who would want to go back to the past?"

(End of this chapter)