After shuttling through the manor for a while, Han Shuo learned that the skinny man's name was Chester and he was a bandit. Han Shuo also learned a bit about the Dark Mantle from Chester.
Members of the Dark Mantle were divided into three levels according to their contributions to the organization: Dark Star, Dark Moon, and Dark Sun. Stars filled the night sky, symbolizing that Dark Star members were spread throughout every corner of the Empire. Dark Moon members were one level higher, but they still couldn't see the light and could only live in dark corners. However, the higher ranking members of the Dark Sun could appear dazzlingly in the eyes of the public during the day like the sun.
The three levels of Sun, Moon, and Dark Star were further divided into five levels according to their contributions to the Empire. For example, Han Shuo was now a Dark Star Envoy. There was a miniature star behind his iron medallion, representing that Han Shuo was a Dark Star Envoy, the lowest level of a Dark Star Envoy.
As one's contributions to the Empire increased, this iron medallion would slowly accumulate to two, three, four, and five stars. After breaking through to five stars, one would be promoted to a Dark Moon Envoy. Then, according to the advancement method of a Dark Star Envoy, they would advance from Dark Moon Envoy to Dark Moon Envoy, and so on until the higher ranking Dark Sun Envoys were subdivided in this manner.
As long as one could advance to a higher level, not only would their monthly salary increase, but they would also be able to enjoy more privileges of the Dark Mantle. At the highest level, Candide, they would directly take orders from His Majesty the King. They were practically second only to one and above tens of thousands. Glory, splendor, wealth, and rank were all at their fingertips.
"We're here, this is the place!" After traversing a long distance, Chester finally brought Han Shuo to a stop in front of a house in the center.
Han Shuo had released three original demons to patrol along the way and discovered that there was no one else in the manor apart from himself and Chester. There weren't even any defensive measures set up in the entire spacious manor. This made Han Shuo quite puzzled.
This room didn't seem spacious and Han Shuo didn't find anything special after looking around. He asked Chester with a surprised expression, "What's different about this?"
"Heh heh, of course it's different. Actually, as you can see, the entire manor doesn't have any defensive measures at all. This manor is just a cover. The real 'Dark Mantle' is obviously not here. " Chester explained with a smile. Then, he somehow flipped the ground, and a crack suddenly appeared on the flat ground, revealing a bright passage.
"So, there is another mechanism. Hehe, where does this lead to?" Han Shuo could not help but ask when he saw the passageway appear before him.
"Let's go, I'll bring you to the real Dark Mantle base!" Chester said with a smile, then jumped down the bright passage and called Han Shuo to come down with him.
When Han Shuo also landed, he felt that the ground he was standing on was very soft. He was surrounded by solid walls, and powerful magical fluctuations suddenly came from the passage.
Along with a soft sound, the solid wall around them split open to reveal a large door. A very bright passage appeared in front of the two. It was like a maze. Some of the passages in front of them were entangled with each other, and there were already strong magical waves coming from the surrounding walls. There were also many unknown crossbows that seemed to be ready to be fired, their sharp edges pointing at every corner of the passage.
"Why do I feel like this is a cave?" Han Shuo looked around and couldn't help but ask.
Chester walked out from inside and motioned for Han Shuo to follow him. He explained, "Your feeling is correct. This is Mt. Ordas behind the Imperial Palace. Unauthorized persons are strictly prohibited from entering this towering mountain. Our Dark Mantle base is within the belly of the mountain. This is where the true security is tight, and there are even Imperial legions stationed around. Our Dark Mantle, as His Majesty's Hand of Darkness, gathers all kinds of talents of the Empire here, and also stores many of the Empire's confidential documents. There have been no accidents for many years, and the security here is not inferior to the Imperial Palace. "
Han Shuo could feel that the security here was tight, and some of the magical fluctuations in the surroundings obviously contained a strong sense of danger. In such a place, Han Shuo didn't dare release the lowest level of the little demon, original demon. Therefore, he could only rely on his sensitive five senses to sense the various dangers hidden in the surroundings.
He followed behind Chester and passed through a few passageways. He also encountered a few other Dark Mantle people along the way. Han Shuo could feel the breathing and heartbeats of some stone chambers along the way, and knew that there were people inside.
"Lord Candide, as one of the three heavyweights of our Dark Mantle, I don't have the qualifications to personally bring you to see him. However, I will help you pass on a message. I think that if Lord Candide really brought you in, I think he will receive you!" Chester looked at Han Shuo with a bit of envy, as if Han Shuo was extremely lucky to be directly under Candide's charge.
"I've heard you mention the three heavyweights of the Dark Mantle a few times. Apart from Candide, who are the other two?" Han Shuo asked Han Shuo as they walked.
"There's also Lord Amyes and Lord Cecilia. Lord Cecilia is in charge of various affairs of the Dark Mantle outside of the Empire. It's said that she's also a charming woman. Hehe, it's a pity that a small character like me can't see her. Lord Amyes and Lord Candide are both in the Empire, but Lord Amyes is mainly in charge of monitoring and investigating the various nobles and high-ranking officials of the Empire. He's a man who lives completely in the public eye in our Dark Mantle.
As long as we find out that these high-ranking officials have done anything detrimental to the Empire, we can directly arrest them and report to His Majesty the King. Some low-ranking noble officers can even be directly executed without alerting His Majesty. Therefore, for some of the nobles of the Empire, Lord Amyes is their nightmare. Candide is in charge of some other affairs within the Empire, including the excavation and execution of all kinds of enemy spies, obtaining some benefits for the Empire, and eradicating all hidden dangers to the Empire. "Chester introduced the three heavyweights of the Dark Mantle in detail to Han Shuo as they walked.
As Chester continued to describe, the two stopped in front of an iron door. After arriving here, Chester signaled for Han Shuo to stop. Then, Chester spoke through a small hole in the iron door, "There's a Dark Star called Brian who requests an audience with Lord Candide. He says that he's directly under Lord Candide's charge!"
"Wait a moment, I'll ask Lord Candide." A cold, emotionless voice came from the small hole inside. After about two minutes, the iron door suddenly opened. There were magical fluctuations on a round table in the middle. The voice continued, "Brian, come in and stand on the round table. Chester, wait outside the door. When Brian comes out in a moment, bring him out the way he came."
"Alright." Chester responded and then explained in a low voice, "When we first came here, we used a short distance transportation matrix. There are a few similar ones in the belly of the mountain. He'll take you to the place you should go."
Nodding, Han Shuo expressed his understanding and got up to walk to the round table with the wondrous magical pattern. A short distance transportation matrix wasn't difficult to set up. As long as one was an adept mage or above space mage and had sufficient magical materials, they could set it up.
But a long distance transportation matrix, especially one like the one Han Shuo used to travel to the Cemetery of Death in the Dark Forest that spanned a thousand miles, wasn't something that an ordinary mage could set up. Not only did it require the cultivation of an archmage or above, but it also required an enormous amount of magical materials. Without the support of a great power, it was impossible to realize a transportation matrix that spanned a thousand miles.
Once again sighing with emotion at the wonders of the Cemetery of Death, Han Shuo stood directly on the magical round table. Then, under the effects of the magic matrix, Han Shuo appeared in a spacious stone room. This stone room was decorated very brightly and comfortably, appearing even more luxurious than the Boozt Merchant Guild. Exquisite magical drawings were carved on the surrounding walls and several paintings of the countryside were hung on the walls. The chandelier above sparkled with a gentle and beautiful light, brightly illuminating the entire stone room.
Candide was sitting on a table in front of the stone room, holding a book in his hand and frowning as he flipped through it. When Han Shuo looked around and then looked at Han Shuo, Candide finally put down the book in his hand and looked at Han Shuo with a sinister face. He opened his mouth and asked darkly, "What is it, have you discovered anything?"
Nodding, Han Shuo roughly explained to Candide what he'd discovered in the last couple of days. This included the meeting between Duke and Camilla, the conversation regarding the "Eye of Darkness", and finally the meeting between Clark, the son of the chief of the Gryphon Legion, and Duke. Han Shuo also told Candide everything.
As Han Shuo spoke, Candide's already sinister and ugly face became even more sinister. After Han Shuo had finished speaking, Candide remained silent, his eyebrows tightly furrowed as if he was thinking about something.
After a while, just as Han Shuo was getting a bit impatient, Candide revealed a smile and said to Han Shuo, "Brian, you've done very well, so well that I'm surprised. It looks like you were born for this line of work. With your strength, you were actually able to obtain such valuable information in such a short amount of time. It's truly unexpected. Duke is a wind archmage, even Camilla is an adept dark mage, and Clark is an earth rider. I can only describe you as a miraculous performance to be able to obtain so much information without them noticing. "
"You flatter me." Han Shuo said modestly.
"You don't need to be humble, you've handled this matter perfectly. Although I'm very curious as to how you did it, since you're one of my people now, I won't interfere and ask you. Keke, you don't need to worry about the rest, I'll send people to take care of this. "Candide looked at Han Shuo as if he were looking at a monster and praised him.
Han Shuo breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been most worried that Candide would doubt his story. After all, with his strength, it should've been impossible for him to obtain so much information without being noticed by these people. What gratified Han Shuo was that Candide didn't doubt the veracity of this matter at all. He didn't even ask how Han Shuo had obtained this information. This made Han Shuo feel quite surprised as well.
"You don't need to be surprised. For our Dark Mantle, we only care about the final result of a mission. We don't ask about the process in between. Every member has their own way of doing things. After we assign a mission, it doesn't matter what methods a member uses as long as the result is achieved. Therefore, you don't need to worry about anything. We won't affect your life when there's no mission. You can enjoy everything you have. "Candide seemed to see through Han Shuo's thoughts and very patiently explained to Han Shuo.
"Alright, then there shouldn't be anything for me to do now, right?" Han Shuo was very much in favor of the Dark Mantle's principled way of doing things and responded with a smile.
"Give me the metal plate that symbolizes your identity. I'll record this very important information in your metal plate and the files of the organization. I have the obligation to add two stars for you. Some members don't even receive a single star for reporting ten pieces of information, but the contribution of your information is enough to add two stars. "Candide looked at Han Shuo with a smile.
Candide then took Han Shuo's metal plate and moved it a bit. When the metal plate fell back into Han Shuo's hands, there were actually two small stars behind it. This also symbolized that Han Shuo had directly jumped two ranks and entered the ranks of the three Dark Star Envoys.
"If there's nothing else, then I'll be leaving first." Han Shuo was also a bit happy to see that one mission had allowed him to become a three Dark Star like Chester and said with a smile.
Nodding, Candide said, "Alright, you can leave now. However, you must report to the organization once every month. During this time, if you have any information that is beneficial or harmful to the Empire, you can directly report to us. The accuracy of the information will be calculated and your contributions will be recorded in the organization's files.
Heh heh, many Dark Star Envoys are scattered throughout the Empire and advance through this method. Even if there's no information, you still have to report to the organization. On one hand, the organization will know your situation, and on the other hand, the organization will see if there are any suitable missions for you. Of course, you still have the right to choose some missions, and you also have the right to refuse others. "Candide said.
Without saying anything else, Han Shuo nodded to express his understanding and planned to leave. However, when he reached the door, Candide suddenly called out as if he had something he couldn't say, "Wait a moment, Brian."
Pausing, Han Shuo turned around to look at Candide and asked in confusion, "Is there something else, Mister Candide?"
"You have to properly handle your relationship with Lawrence. This may have a great impact on you in the future. Lawrence's identity is much more complicated than you think. I can only tell you this much. You should pay attention to it." Candide seemed to be in a very difficult position and stopped after saying this.
"I heard that he's the son of the finance minister. Is this what you want to tell me?" Han Shuo had heard a few things about Lawrence from Lisa, so he asked Candide.
Candide first nodded and then shook his head. Under Han Shuo's puzzled gaze, Candide opened his mouth again and said, "Many people know that Lawrence is the son of the finance minister of the Empire. However, apart from this, Lawrence also has another identity. This identity has too many implications, and you don't have the right to know this at your current level. It's not good for me to say too much either. I just want to remind you to be careful so that you don't fall into a maelstrom that you shouldn't be drawn into. "
Candide waved his hand to indicate for Han Shuo to leave after saying these words. Han Shuo's heart was filled with doubt, but he didn't ask much now that he knew a few of the Dark Mantle's rules. He nodded to indicate that he would be careful and left Candide's room.
"How was it, did you gain anything?" Chester looked at Han Shuo with great interest as they walked back the way they came.
"It's nothing much, just that Candide added two stars to it. I'm now the same as you, a Third Star Envoy, heh heh! " Seeing that Chester was so interested, Han Shuo didn't feel that there was anything to hide and smiled at Chester.
Chester was incomparably surprised and envious when he heard these words. After the pleasant surprise, Chester shook his head and sighed, saying, "You have Lord Candide's protection. This kind of advancement speed is indeed terrifying. I've been in the Dark Mantle for three years and reported over twenty pieces of information before becoming a Third Star Envoy. You've only been in the organization for less than a week and you've already become a Third Star Envoy. Sigh, comparisons really are odious. The treatment of having someone at the top is indeed different. "
Han Shuo shrugged his shoulders and didn't say much in response to Chester's exclamation. Although Han Shuo had obtained the information through his own strength, there really was no way to explain this kind of thing, so he might as well not say much.
"If there's a mission that requires two people to complete next time, can you take me with you? Just think of it as giving me a hand?" Chester first sighed, then scratched his head in embarrassment as he asked Han Shuo, finding it a bit difficult to speak.
"Sure." Han Shuo agreed readily.
"Thank you very much, I'll remember you and do my best to cooperate with you." Chester was overjoyed and his attitude towards Han Shuo became even more enthusiastic. He continuously told Han Shuo about the Dark Mantle's situation along the way and sent Han Shuo back to the quiet manor in the northern district.
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