Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 158

The magician quickly gave chase, a sinister smile even appearing on his face. His grandfather had arrived. Ronan?

The next moment, Ronan had just pulled his longsword from the back of the neck of the mage at his feet when an extremely oppressive aura enveloped him.

Ronan turned his head and looked over; it was an old man.

The old man, whose aura was terrifying one moment and gentle and peaceful the next, looked at him with a smile.

Ronan was puzzled.

At that moment, the third-tier mage rushed over, "Grandpa, he..."

Before anyone could finish speaking, the old man raised his hand, and a black coffin sealed it completely. He couldn't help but sigh, "Sometimes the difference between people is greater than the difference between people and dogs."

“Stephen Paristo Abel-Nant, you can also call me Principal Nantes,” the old man introduced himself.

Stefan is his first name. Paristo represents the Royal Paristo Academy of Magic. Legitimate magicians use the name of the magic academy. Ronan, a maverick, uses his teacher's surname. Abel-Nant is a compound surname, a combination of his mother's and father's surnames.

This is not his full name, as it does not include his "title" or "Christian name." People who do not use these two when introducing themselves are usually those who look down on nobles and the church.

Of course, this old man is indeed qualified; he is one of the three giants of the magic world in the contemporary Kingdom of Phos.

"I really wouldn't dare."

Ronan returned.

His nominal teacher, Risen, was a graduate of the Royal Academy of Magic at Paristo, but he was nothing special.

“I received a letter from an old friend. I was just about to come and see you when you left the capital. I made inquiries and found this place. I noticed that you were in trouble and was planning to come and help you,” Stefan said. “I didn’t expect that it would be over by the time I arrived.”

Once is a coincidence, but twice, three times?

That old geezer, who are you trying to fool?

Ronan didn't believe the old man at all, but he still expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you very much."

Stefan glanced around. "Let's talk somewhere else." With that, he casually opened the black coffin and released his grandson.

“Please,” Ronan said.

"Grandpa, the matter is..." The magician began to speak again, but before he could even finish his sentence, the old man flicked his finger, and the magician was sent flying, lying unconscious on the ground.

Stefan sighed helplessly, "This is probably the helplessness of old people. There will always be these annoying, useless things constantly waving around in front of them."

"Ha." Ronan chuckled. "My future might be even more worrisome than yours."

A smile flashed across Stefan's face. "That's true. After all, princes and princesses are the real troublesome species."

Soon, the two arrived at the rocky beach where the harbor lighthouse was located.

The old man let go, and the cane disappeared. "The smarter a person is, the easier it is for them to see themselves clearly."

"People who can see themselves clearly are always more likely to get something."

"Human desires are endless; people always want more."

"However, gaining is also losing."

"In the end, you will find that what you can still pursue is something that you never cared about, but that those fools had from the beginning."

"Unfortunately, there's no time left."

"I'd like to say thank you for listening to this old man's rambling."

After Stefan finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Ronan.

Ronan paused for a moment, then asked, "You wish to live forever?"

Stefan couldn't help but cast an admiring glance at Ronan. "Smart, but don't worry. I don't covet the strange powers that you, she, or even His Highness the Crown Prince possess. I have my own methods, but I'm missing one thing. I have an idea, but it's not enough."

"Just tell me straight, what do you want, and what can you give me?" Ronan stated bluntly.

Stefan looked at Ronan and stopped beating around the bush. "The royal treasury contains His Majesty Lawrence's research materials from back then. There's no rush. We can give them to me after Princess Ambrina ascends the throne. As for what I can give you, there aren't many things in the magical world of the Kingdom of Phos that I can't handle."

"I'm afraid this will disappoint you," Ronan sighed softly.

A hint of surprise flashed in Stefan's eyes. "Why?"

"Do you know the Purple Robe Organization? Guess what the leader of this organization's surname is?" Ronan asked two questions in a row.

Stefan frowned deeply, and it took him a long time to relax before he sighed with some regret, "So that's how it is. The fall of a genius was just a play."

“However, if what you want is soul transfer, I do know that,” Ronan suddenly said.

Instantly, Stefan's expression changed; this was exactly what he wanted.

For the past twenty years since he reached the seventh rank, he has been researching two issues: soul transfer and soul form. First, the human body is bound to age and decay; to live indefinitely, one must renew it. Second, the soul form of a normal mage is an almost invisible, dissipated gaseous state. If one were to change bodies without altering their soul form, the outcome would be predictable: not only would their strength be greatly diminished, but the new body would likely be difficult to adapt to and would rapidly decline.

After twenty years of research, Stefan combined the achievements of his predecessors over the past few centuries with his own research and finally found a way to modify the form of the soul, turning the soul into a "special liquid". Unfortunately, he could not find a way to transfer the soul as a prerequisite. He was over a hundred years old and could not wait any longer. The only thing he could think of that could help him was Lawrence's research data.

After Ronan told him that the second prince had taken the documents, Stefan almost lost his composure for a moment, wishing he could go back to the past. But then, Ronan gave him another surprise.

"What are your thoughts?" Stefan asked, his so-called thoughts actually being translated as conditions.

Ronan picked up a pebble and threw it into the sea. "There's a new type of weapon that even novice mages can use. It's enough to pose a threat to first and second-tier mages. Once it's put into use, I'm afraid many first and second-tier mages who rely on magic for combat will have a hard time. But no matter what, the basic national policy is that the king and mages share the world. We can't let mages suffer, right? So, I hope that these first and second-tier mages can come and work at the Ministry of the Interior."

“That’s a good thing,” Stefan replied.

"I'm afraid some people won't release the person, and not only that, they might cause the kind of trouble I just encountered," Ronan added.

"Whoever makes things difficult for you, I will make them lose the ability to make things difficult for others."

Chapter 361 The deal is done; this is quite normal and cannot be arranged casually.

After the discussion was completed and the deal was finalized, Stefan didn't talk to Ronan about anything else, because he really had no interest in politics.

Of course, it's rare for someone like him to genuinely have no interest, just like it's rare for someone like Dinia to genuinely have interest. Most mages above the fifth rank are just pretending to have no interest.

Most mages above the fifth rank do not directly get involved in politics, which is to say they "pretend not to be interested." Once they reach the fifth rank or above, they naturally have a high status, huge wealth, and widespread support. They can occasionally come out to make an appearance, give a speech, or act as a mediator. No matter how things develop, they can easily extricate themselves and leave. Isn't that good?

For someone like Dinia to enter the bureaucratic system is like asking for trouble. Within the bureaucratic system, no matter what kind of magician you are, you have to deal with problems in a bureaucratic way. For example, when Ronan and Dinia killed the mayor and secretary-general of Rennes City, who killed whom, what reason they used, and how they explained it to the central government afterwards, all of these things had to be carefully considered.

Bureaucrats should act in a bureaucratic manner. This is not only a consensus among bureaucrats, but also among this group of magicians. At most, a little bit of the magicians' whims can be tolerated, but in short, the rules cannot be violated, otherwise, it will attract opposition from everyone.

"Goodbye, young man, to the capital."

After saying that, Stefan got into his carriage pulled by ghost bone horses and left.

As the carriage gradually disappeared into the distance on the sea, Ronan breathed a sigh of relief. This long journey had yielded quite a few unexpected gains.

Originally, it was just to help Elena advance smoothly, but unexpectedly, I also brought back a goddess who could only be used by paying more money. On the way back, I was ambushed and unexpectedly advanced myself. Originally, one set of sword and shield armor became ten sets. It seems like just a quantitative change, but it is actually a qualitative change.

While dismantling the enemy's offensive and beginning the pursuit, he unexpectedly gained inspiration. Originally, completing this task would have required considerable effort, but unexpectedly, another deal was struck, and the problem that Ronan would have had to solve was no longer a concern.

Back at the site of the ambush, Ronan looked at Faith and asked, "How are you?"

“That elemental mage has been killed. Now, he’s the righteous man you speak of,” Faith replied, pointing to the third-tier mage.

The elemental mage was originally the one who became a champion of justice, but his fate was to be turned into a puppet by Faith.

But who can blame him when that elemental mage doesn't have a good maternal grandfather?

Although Stefan, the grandfather, didn't care about this grandson at all, Ronan still couldn't refuse to give him face.

The third-tier mage had already been bandaged up, and with his physique, this seemingly serious injury would heal in no time.

At this moment, he was looking at Ronan and his three companions with a cold expression. Given his grandfather's attitude, he dared not show any more hostility towards Ronan, but he would never give Ronan any kind look either.

Ronan didn't care much. In fact, people like this guy were the norm in the elite class. They were arrogant on the surface and looked down on everyone, but they were fragile inside and couldn't withstand setbacks. This was true for those who were incapable, and even more so for those who were capable.

"Are you coming back to China with us, or are you going on your own?" Ronan asked.

"Aren't you going to ask my name?" the other person asked.

Ronan was completely baffled by his thought process. "Why should I ask?"

The other person was clearly holding back anger, "You, how could someone as rude as you become the princess's husband?"

Ronan pulled out a bag of gold coins and tossed it to the other man. "Take this. Take good care of yourself and go back when you're healed." He really didn't want to deal with this idiot anymore.

Without waiting for a response, Ronan told Elena, Faith, and Kate Pierre to leave.

With such a commotion and the death of a magician, the local government couldn't possibly remain inactive; Ronan had to deal with the situation.

Of course, this problem is not difficult to solve.

Once he reveals his identity, the other party has only one option: to cover it up. Otherwise, it becomes a diplomatic issue.

As expected, the local lord, upon hearing the news, immediately got out of bed with his three lovers, gave Ronan one of his own ships, along with the sailors on board, and asked Ronan if he needed anything. When Ronan and his party had no requests, he insisted on giving them one hundred gold coins.

Ronan accepted one hundred gold coins. "Brother, you are truly a model of nobility. If you ever need anything in the future, just come to the Kingdom of Phos and mention my name."

"Absolutely." The lord's face was beaming with joy. He was genuinely happy. A ship and a hundred gold coins were admittedly painful, but being able to meet Ronan, this extraordinary future king consort, was a huge win.

Would an ordinary king consort be worthy of receiving both a ship and money? Ronan is different. On one hand, his future wife, Ambrina, has lost her mother, her uncles have been expelled, and her father is dying. On the other hand, Ronan has a lover like Dinia who occupies a powerful department. Isn't Ronan the future ruler of the Kingdom of Phos?

Sending Ronan a boat and money—many people would love to do that, but no one has the connections.

To be honest, if Ronan hadn't accepted it, he was prepared to kneel down.

The following morning, Ronan and his group of four left the port, departed from the Northern Alliance, and headed west and then south along the coastline.

A few days later, Ronan terminated his employment contract with the captain and the others, then borrowed money from the captain, sold him the ship, took the money back, and left the captain and a group of sailors to fend for themselves.

He simply couldn't be bothered to waste time arranging things for this group of people.

Unfortunately, Ronan's current status prevents him from assigning people to jobs arbitrarily. If he were to assign a farmer to harvest wheat in the field, that farmer would simply have to watch others harvest wheat every day and then count it as his own. Every so often, someone would deliver a report praising Ronan's keen eye for talent and how incredibly skilled the farmer was at harvesting wheat.

A single word from someone in power can create an exploiter who brings disaster to the people.

Ronan and his party returned to the Kingdom of Fass, and again traveled by boat eastward along the Seine River back to the capital.

Upon arriving in the capital, Ronan went straight to the princess's residence.

Ambrina rushed out and gave Ronan a hug, then pulled him into the house.

"Who is that blonde woman?" This was Ambrina's first question.

“The goddess of the moon,” Ronan replied.

"Huh?" Ambrina was surprised. She naturally knew that the moon goddess was the pagan god worshipped by Elena and her clan.

She had considered many possibilities regarding the blonde woman who had returned with Ronan, and was even prepared to make a scene with him, since bringing a woman home so casually was disrespectful to her.

But I never expected it to turn out like this.

"Tonight, let's all get together. There are some things I need to discuss with you all," Ronan said solemnly, then asked, "Should we invite Isabel over too?"

“She’s not qualified,” Ambrina said, dismissing Isabel’s claim with a single sentence.

Ronan nodded. "Okay, I'm going to rest for a while and take a shower."

“Alright, I’ll have someone prepare dinner. Should we make it elaborate or simple?” Ambrina asked Ronan for his opinion.

“Keep it simple, so we don’t have to eat from five to eight,” Ronan replied.

Chapter 362 Dinner, Sitting Posture, Arranging Changsheng

Before dinner began, in a small hall that differed from the formal banquet hall, there was a large rectangular table, with Ambrina sitting in the sole seat of honor.

Then, to Ronan and Dinia's left and right, Ronan's side had Elena, Alice, and the only guest present, Kate Pierre, in order. Dinia's side had Agustina, Dinia's die-hard fan, and Faith, who was pretending to be Dinia's brainwashed fan.

The dinner was indeed simple, and it wasn't served course by course. It was already winter, and although the temperature in the capital, being a high-latitude region, wasn't too low, still around five or six degrees Celsius, many vegetables were basically unavailable. So, instead of Ambrina's favorite fried eggplant fritters with tomato sauce, the appetizer was Ronan's chawanmushi, which was steamed with broth, eggs, and shrimp.

The soup and main course are served together. The soup is a savory carrot, onion, and beef broth with a hint of wine, the kind that can be used to dip bread. The main course consists of various breads, as well as three-layered small potatoes made with thick potato slices, thin cheese slices, and smoked meat slices.

The main course is crispy roasted chicken with a crispy skin and juicy, tender inside. The chickens are all small and tender, one per person. The roasted chicken itself has a mild flavor, so it is eaten with a sweet and spicy garlic sauce.

Finally, there's dessert, the kind that's delicious at first bite, nice at second bite, but cloying at third bite. Of course, that's for Ronan; the others don't find it cloying at all.

After dinner, the group went to the small living room.

The fireplace was already lit, and the room was warm and cozy.

Ronan and Ambrina sat on the sofa facing the fireplace, while the others sat on sofas on either side. On a small table some distance from the fireplace were thinly sliced ​​ham and several bottles of red wine.

Ambrina sat on Ronan's lap, letting him hold her. She was still wearing white stockings, but she was also wearing a pair of light gray openwork knitted stockings over them.

Dinya wore opaque black pantyhose made of a blend of fine wool and silk. She wore slippers so her toes were not visible, and her legs were together, with only a slight see-through at the knees.

Although they lack the sheen and texture of stockings and have a more conservative and somber feel, these legs are still perfect, constantly oscillating between the desire to admire them and the urge to grab them and go for it.

Elena lay sprawled across half the sofa, her long, muscular legs, encased in thick black stockings, crossed and bare, with a pair of long black cotton socks on her feet, though they were loose and not pulled up properly.

This relaxed and casual state conveys two words: waiting for you.

Alice sat properly, her coat neatly folded to one side. She wore the women's uniform of the Security Bureau, a fitted, double-pocketed, single-breasted military-style uniform with a golden eagle embroidered badge representing royalty on the left pocket and a shield badge representing the Bureau of Commerce and Industry on the right. She wore a purple long skirt and opaque flesh-colored stockings. She was originally supposed to wear brown leather boots, but Alice was now wearing slippers and light brown cotton socks.

Alice is the kind of rigid and capable professional stay-at-home type who makes you want to break her serious demeanor.