The sun had already set, and the crescent moon had just risen.
The night in the Northern District of Imperial Dragon City was dim and hazy. Colin walked alone on the empty street under the pale moonlight.
Everything that happened during the day kept replaying in his mind, and all kinds of doubts lingered in his mind. Colin could not fall asleep at all.
Since he could not fall asleep, Colin left the Phoenix Palace and strolled around Imperial Dragon City.
Of course, it was not accurate to say that he was strolling around because he had a destination in mind.
* Knock, knock, knock *
Colin knocked on the door of a courtyard. There was a dove with an olive branch in its mouth on the door. This was the emblem of the White Family.
The door creaked open, and an old man who looked like a butler walked out. When he saw the Viscounts' formal attire that Colin was wearing, he quickly bowed and asked, "Dear Viscounts, how can I help you?"
"My name is Colin Angele. May I ask if Scholar Dwayne is here?"
"Yes, he is! Viscount Angley, please come in! "
Scholar Dwayne did not live in the Phoenix Palace with Vera and Colin. Instead, he lived in a mansion owned by the White Family in Imperial Dragon City. Although it was not a big mansion, it was still a good place to stay.
The main members of the White Family, such as the Viscounts, were all living in their own territories. Scholar Dwayne was the only one who lived in the mansion. Therefore, Colin did not inform the White Family about his visit in advance.
Under the guidance of the butler, Colin walked up the stairs and went up to the second floor.
At this time, the servant who went to report the news had already brought Scholar Dwayne over.
"Sir Viscounts, why didn't you tell me in advance that you were coming? I would have prepared a good reception for you."
Colin waved his hand and said, "There is no need to pay attention to these formalities between us. I just hope that I did not disturb you."
"Of course not!"
Scholar Dwayne led Colin into the study room and asked the servant to bring two cups of coffee and some dried fruits.
Colin's gaze swept across the study. The layout of the room was relatively simple. There was a sheepskin scroll spread out on the writing table. Next to it was a quill, ink, and a seal. It seemed that Scholar Dwayne was writing a letter when Colin arrived.
What surprised Colin the most was the wall full of books. At a glance, there were close to a thousand books.
In this world without printing technology, the value of books was comparable to gold. The number of books in a family's collection was also a symbol of the family's heritage.
Noticing Colin's surprised gaze, Scholar Dwayne explained with a smile, "These books were personally copied one by one from the academy's library when I was studying in the White Tower Academy."
"Amazing!" Colin praised.
In comparison, the Angele family's study was too shabby. There weren't many books at all. If it weren't for the fact that they had taken over Icestone City and taken over the Su Duo family's library, the number of books in the Red Castle might not even be as many as the ones in Scholar Dwayne's study.
After taking a sip of coffee, Colin changed the topic and asked, "You should know what happened in the Cathedral of Holy Light today, right?"
"Of course. This matter has already spread throughout the city. Also, I know that even Prince Rhich's mansion has been taken over by the city defense army. Everyone inside has been expelled. "
"Haha, so fast?"
"Someone must have taken advantage of the situation and added insult to injury."
Colin put down his coffee cup and stretched his body on the sofa. He asked, "What do you think of Consul Letom's murder case? Do you also think that Prince Rhich did it? "
Scholar Dwayne smiled and said, "Prince Rhich has a motive for murder. Now that the autopsy has found evidence that he can't defend himself, it doesn't matter whether he killed anyone or not."
"Indeed." Colin's eyes flashed as he asked, "But if he was wronged, who do you think is the most likely person to frame him?"
"If Prince Rhich was framed …" Scholar Dwayne hesitated for a moment. "Then Emperor Reinhardt is the most likely culprit!"
Colin smiled faintly and asked again, "Is it because he has the most to gain?"
"Yes." Scholar Dwayne nodded but did not say anything else.
Colin also realized that many smart people in the Imperial Dragon City might have seen through the scene in the Cathedral of Holy Light today. However, the trap set by the emperor was so ingenious that no one could unravel it. Therefore, they could only watch as Prince Rhich became the "murderer."
"Then, do you think that Emperor Reinhardt regaining control of the Imperial Dragon City is a good thing or a bad thing for us?"
"It is a good thing," Scholar Dwayne answered without hesitation.
"Why?" Scholar Dwayne's confidence puzzled Colin.
Although Scholar Dwayne had previously judged that Emperor Reinhardt was indeed more inclined to let Vera inherit the position of the Dukes Of The North, that was because Prince Rhich was still alive and Emperor Reinhardt needed to win over the sorcerers in order to keep his uncle in check.
However, now that Prince Rhich's reputation had been ruined by the murder case, he was completely isolated from the political situation in the Imperial Capital. Under such circumstances, Vera's role in the Imperial Capital was much smaller.
Therefore, in Colin's opinion, the fall of Prince Rhich was a bad thing for Vera.
This was also the doubt that arose in Colin's heart when Emperor Reinhardt promised to confer the title of Dukes Of The North to Vera.
Scholar Dwayne looked into Colin's eyes and said seriously, "Because His Majesty needs a strong Northern Frontier as an ally."
Colin's expression changed slightly and he fell into deep thought.
Today in the carriage, the Emperor and the Empress did some things, especially when they asked Prince Harrison and Princess Judy to become Colin's disciples. It was clear that they wanted to win him over.
At that time, Colin was very puzzled. Now that Scholar Dwayne had also seen through this, he quickly asked, "Why does His Majesty need a strong Northern Frontier as an ally?"
Scholar Dwayne did not answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Viscounts, who do you think is His Majesty's biggest enemy after he successfully expelled Prince Rhich?"
Colin thought for a moment and felt that the various foreign races outside the Empire were not a big enemy yet, unless the orcs could really establish the Third Empire.
If that was the case, then the Emperor's biggest enemy must be from within the Empire.
Colin wanted to say the Senate, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt that the Senate would at most be able to impede the Emperor a little, and could not be considered a great enemy.
Moreover, if it was to deal with the Senate, there was no need to spend so much effort to win over the Northern Frontier.
Then, Colin had a flash of inspiration and blurted out, "It's the Church!"
Scholar Dwayne smiled and nodded. "That's right!"
Colin sat up straight and various thoughts flashed through his mind.
Of course, he could understand the reason why Emperor Reinhardt was hostile to the Church. The battle between the imperial power and the divine power had begun almost since the Empire of Light was established.
The San Lorenzo family and the entire Empire's noble class were both dependent and wary of the Church.
They needed the Church to build a bridge to communicate with the gods and become knights. At the same time, they were constantly on guard against the excessive expansion of the divine power.
The Church's reputation and prestige among the people were too high. If left alone, the Emperor would easily become a decoration, and the lords would become the Church's marionettes and shepherd dogs that managed the people for them.
Of course, due to the special relationship between the two parties, the imperial family's ultimate goal was definitely not to eradicate the Church of Light. They just wanted to restrict the Church's power within the Church and not interfere in worldly affairs.
For some reason, Colin suddenly recalled the time when he was in Silverymoon City. In order to take revenge on Queen Mydella for sowing discord between him and Queen Aisha, he had deliberately planted a seed of rebellion against the Church in Prince Harrison's heart.
Perhaps it was at that time that Queen Mydella had decided that he was an ally that she could rope in.
But then, Colin suddenly realised something. When he looked at Scholar Dwayne again, his gaze suddenly became incomparably sharp. He asked in a deep voice, "Did the imperial family send you to the Northern Frontier?"
Scholar Dwayne's expression changed slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded.
"Yes."
Colin's expression instantly turned gloomy.
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