sovbooks Chapter 2 Thoughts from All Sides
Chapter 2 Thoughts from All Sides
"I hope you three brothers can work together to protect our territory. The Earl of the Heron and Earl of the Grey Wolf next door have been causing us constant friction in recent years, and those two old fellows are in much better health than I am. After I pass away, we'll have to rely on all of you here. Come, let's drink until we drop at this year's Flower Festival!"
After the old count finished speaking, everyone resumed eating and drinking, and many beautiful maids went on stage to perform, creating a lively scene in the hall.
However, beneath the calm surface, undercurrents were surging.
The attitudes of everyone at the table toward the three young men had changed considerably.
The most unexpected thing was the Earl's grant of fiefdom to Lin Wei.
You must understand, military power is the real power!
On the contrary, Victor, the eldest son who inherited the title, did not actually receive the military power he deserved.
Why should military power be handed over to an illegitimate son?
In Lin Wei's view, the guests' attitudes had mostly changed to "amiable and pleasant," a complete contrast to their previous attitudes.
As for the two elder brothers and the head steward, their attitude changed from "hostile" to "irreconcilable".
"It seems like my hatred level has increased. This is putting me on the hot seat..." Lin Wei felt extremely helpless.
"Forget it, let's explore the mind-reading function we haven't tried before." Lin Wei's heart stirred, and he looked at the old count in the seat, wanting to know his adoptive father's true thoughts.
Soon, a message slowly appeared below Earl Chengshi's "Heartfelt Words" section.
[Alas, they're all my flesh and blood; I can only trust the wisdom of future generations. I'll give Victor the greatest prestige, granting him a revered position. I'll give Simon the greatest economic control, allowing him to wield wealth. I'll give Lin Wei the greatest military support, enabling him to protect himself. A three-way balance of power is better than one dominant force. Those two old geezers, Heron and Grizzly Bear, have many offspring; after their deaths, the power struggle will only intensify. Only my Chengshi family will have the last laugh.]
After browsing through it, Lin Wei thought to himself, "So this is the old count's true intention? He wants both balance and checks and balances, but doing it this way might backfire..."
He took a deep breath, composed himself, and turned his gaze to Victor. A message also appeared below Victor's "Thoughts" section.
[Damn it! All I had to do was kill the second son, then crush Lin Wei, and the entire territory would be mine. Now, Lin Wei suddenly has military power! What am I going to do? No, I have to win Lin Wei over first, get him to join me in taking down the second son, and then I'll teach him a lesson. Hmph, a lowly bastard son, does he even deserve to be my equal? Damn it, damn it, damn it! That old geezer is truly senile!]
After reading Victor's inner thoughts, Lin Wei was completely speechless.
"That kid is incredibly wicked; he actually wanted to use me as a pawn. However, it seems that the original owner's death had nothing to do with him."
Lin Wei then turned his gaze to the spirited second son, Simon.
Seeing Lin Wei looking at him, Simon raised his glass in a friendly gesture, appearing to be very close.
Below Simon's "Thoughts" section, an unexpected message appeared for Lin Wei.
[Heh, I never expected Lin Wei to suddenly appear with military power. With him as a buffer, the head steward and I have even more time to prepare. With the money I've embezzled, training several more private armies won't be a problem. Then, we can use money to turn Lin Wei's soldiers against him... the advantage is on my side.]
"That Simon is really cunning! This guy has actually secretly joined forces with the head steward and is even raising a private army... Although I have soldiers under my command, I have no money. If this goes on for too long, my soldiers will betray me sooner or later."
Lin Wei shook his head helplessly and then turned his gaze to the head butler who was silently standing behind the old count.
The head butler nodded slightly to him, his face kind.
However, a message appeared below the "Heartfelt Words" section of the head butler's profile that was even more unacceptable to Lin Wei.
[I clearly poisoned him, so why isn't this bastard dead? Could it be true, as the Earl said, that Lin Wei possesses the most concentrated Azure Lion bloodline and is the most likely to cultivate the family's breathing technique? You old codger, I've lived in hiding for so many years; I already know the location of the breathing technique's storage. After you die, the breathing technique will be mine, this territory will be mine, and everyone will be at my mercy.]
After reading the head butler's thoughts, Lin Wei's eyes narrowed slightly, a cold glint flashing within them.
"It seems the original owner was killed by this head butler. This guy seemed so loyal, but who knew he wanted to seize power? Good heavens, they're all villains..."
"If it weren't for the Purple Cube helping me, I probably wouldn't even know how I died. I thought the head butler was a good person, and I was hoping to ask him for advice in the future!"
Although Lin Wei was a junior manager in his previous life and often engaged in backstabbing and infighting with his colleagues, it was nothing compared to the cutthroat world he had transmigrated to.
"I must live well; the mysterious Rubik's Cube in my mind still has five sides yet to be solved. My future is not limited to this territory; it should be the stars and the sea!"
After organizing this information, Lin Wei wanted to continue reading other people's "heartfelt words," but found that this item had turned gray and could not be viewed further.
However, the "Attitude" item is still lit up and can be viewed.
Lin Wei realized that the number of uses was limited and the cooldown period was over.
"We know what we need to know, and that's enough. This purple face can see through people's thoughts, like a persistent purple nightmare, so let's call it the Purple Face of the Mind."
Two hours later, the lively banquet finally came to an end, and the crowd gradually dispersed.
The old count kept his three sons behind and called them into his room one by one, as if he had something to tell them.
As for the ever-present head butler, he was sent away.
When it was Lin Wei's turn, the incredibly aged Earl of Chengshi tremblingly pulled a peculiar stone from his robes. On this stone, a blood-red lion was depicted with lifelike detail, as if it might leap out of the stone at any moment.
"Of our two generations, only your bloodline concentration meets the requirements for cultivating the breathing technique," the old count said in a hoarse voice.
"This is the Bloodline Inheritance Stone, and also the key to activating the Azure Lion bloodline within you. Combined with the ancestral Azure Lion Breathing Technique, it can guide you onto the path of knightly training."
"Child, do you know what a knight is?" As he said this, the old count's eyes gleamed, and his spirits seemed to have improved considerably.
Lin Wei hesitated and asked, "I know a little bit. Knights are extraordinary individuals on the continent?"
The original owner had heard of the word "knight," but had never seen one in person. He had only heard legendary tales about knights from the bards who traveled from place to place.
Before the old count could answer, he said, "Our earldom can support nearly 100,000 people. The dukedom, which is higher up, can support nearly 500,000 people, five times more than ours."
"Do you know what the necessary conditions are to become a duke?" The old count stared intently at Lin Wei.
Lin Wei's heart skipped a beat: "Father, could it be... that I'm going to become a knight?"
The old count nodded in satisfaction: "That's right. Knights are divided into three levels: trainee knight, standard knight, and grand knight. Once you become a standard knight and are willing to pledge allegiance to the kingdom, you can receive the investiture ceremony, become a duke, wield real power, and achieve a status far beyond that of a count family like ours."
"As for the higher-ranking Grand Knights, they can become princes of a different surname in the kingdom and enjoy a high status within the kingdom."
At this point, the old count took a few deep breaths, as if he had exhausted all his energy.
Lin Wei quickly patted the old man's back and asked curiously, "Father, if that's the case, why didn't you let me cultivate sooner?"