Chapter 898: Mystery of the Chief of Staff

Lei En spent half a day in Astata getting acquainted with three hundred newly inducted Extreme Warriors; Malius also entrusted the tribe's authority to a venerable old veteran and followed Lei En back to Jin Gang Fort base.

Malius knew about it from the very beginning of the base's construction.

The Extreme Warriors often spoke of the situation inside Jin Gang Fort, but he was unclear about the exact location; it was his first visit today, and his eyes were instantly opened.

Lei En announced at the base that Malius had joined the legion and issued the order for him to serve as commander.

The Extreme Warriors erupted in celebration.

Xikalius rushed to Jin Gang Fort upon hearing the news; regarding Lei En's decision, he harbored no dissatisfaction and had actually been prepared. In this world, only two people could make him obey: Lei En and the clan chief Malius.

Although he was Lei En's first symbiont, the most senior in the legion and most qualified to be commander, he preferred to serve as Lei En's elite company captain, staying close to Lei En.

Having the clan chief serve as commander is the best outcome.

"Xikalius, Tailien," Lei En said, "Assist Commander Malius, organize the newly arrived brothers into five companies, draw a batch of personnel from the old Fifth Company to join the new Fifth Company, set up a training plan, and help the brothers adapt to the legion quickly."

"Yes, boss!" the two Extreme Warrior company captains replied in unison.

The construction and training of the Extreme Warriors had long been on track; Lei En need not worry much—once the order was given, he left it and returned alone to Mo Du.

He did not linger at Gra Mongen Castle, heading straight for Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng.

The top-floor hall of the tower was empty.

"Master?"

Lei En called out, the surrounding space shifted, and he appeared in a spacious alchemy chamber midway up the tower, surrounded by countless alchemical materials; the Master stood in the center, melting a piece of magical alloy with intense concentration.

Anxiwodasi was forging the Iola Core.

Lei En did not disturb, intending to wait quietly, but Anxiwodasi glanced at him, his expression suddenly changed, his hand trembled, and the half‑melted magical alloy went out of control, violently fluctuating into a lump of waste.

Anxiwodasi didn't care at all and hurriedly asked, "Did you successfully ascend?"

"Yes."

Lei En smiled and nodded, deliberately releasing some aura to report the good news to the Master, saying, "Master, I am now a Holy Soul Wizard."

"Good, good, good!"

"Hahaha…," Anxiwodasi laughed heartily, scrutinizing Lei En, absent‑mindedly stroking his snow‑white beard, seeming even more delighted than his own Holy Soul Wizard ascension, repeatedly praising, "Not bad, truly a Holy Soul Wizard! This is wonderful…"

"Finally, Weizelan no longer has only me as a Holy Soul Wizard."

"I have waited for this day far too long."

Anxiwodasi smiled broadly, then recalled something and sighed, "Unfortunately it's still a few years too late; Augulevi Master fell and died, never seeing you ascend to Holy Soul Wizard. Had he lived, I would have consulted him in person about whether the Mo Du doctrine still surpasses the Naiser doctrine."

The old Wizard kept shaking his head, a hint of regret on his face.

After more than a thousand years of ideological conflict, when the side finally gained complete advantage, the greatest opponent was no longer visible, unable to give this victory a perfect conclusion.

"Indeed…"

Lei En casually echoed.

But what he thought was that Augulevi Master would soon learn that the ideological clash between the two major factions had not yet ended.

Lei En had a premonition that Augulevi Master would eventually reappear before the world.

After the excitement subsided, Anxiwodasi's mood steadied, and he mused, "Now that you have been elected Consul, when do you plan to announce the Holy Soul Wizard ascension?"

"I'll leave everything to the Master's arrangement," Lei En replied nonchalantly.

He didn't really care about the matter, but the Master valued it, so he would not intervene.

"Fine," Anxiwodasi said almost without hesitation, "Then set it for your inauguration ceremony and announce it together."

Lei En nodded, indicating no objection.

He instantly saw the Master's intention: the Consul's inauguration, held once every ten years, is a grand affair attended by the entire Supreme Council and tens of thousands of Empire citizens; during the oath, the God of Magic will also descend its attention.

Announcing at such a grand venue that the Empire has gained another Holy Soul Wizard—who is not someone else but the newly sworn Consul—

It will absolutely cause a sensation throughout the Empire!

Weizelan's second Holy Soul Wizard, also a Consul, will bring the Mo Du faction's influence to its peak in the Empire, utterly crushing the Naiser faction.

A Consul becoming a Holy Soul Wizard breaks the unwritten rule, and the coincidence is too striking; other Holy Soul Wizards will not see it as chance, likely becoming wary of him and the Mo Du faction, perhaps sparking deeper speculation.

Even members of the Mo Du faction inevitably feel some discontent.

However, those are matters the Master must worry about; he only needs to cooperate with the Master.

Anxiwodasi clearly had considered this long ago, halted the forging of the Iola Core entirely, and said, "I'll now inform Ouroin, Fengbao, Yinxing, Meidifu, and Sabulatu, tell them the good news, and ask them not to overthink it."

He vanished after speaking.

Lei En didn't want to watch how the Master soothed the allies, and could probably guess some of it, so he headed back to Nuosiruier.

Upon arriving at Marlinge Manor, he immediately saw Viola pacing outside the teleportation array, her exquisitely beautiful face full of worry and anxiety, as if she had been waiting for a long time.

"Lei En!"

Viola sensed the teleportation ripple, turned, and upon seeing Lei En was overjoyed, hurried forward and asked anxiously, "Did you succeed?"

"Of course," Lei En smiled at her.

He felt moved, pulled the Half-elf into his arms, and softly said, "May the goddess protect you; this ascension went smoothly, thank you."

"Why thank me? I did nothing; this is your own effort," Viola's eyes brimmed with joy, her beautiful large eyes narrowing into crescents, sincerely happy, "Congratulations, you're the youngest Holy Soul Wizard in history!"

"The youngest Holy Soul Wizard…" Lei En smiled.

To be honest, he hadn't thought about that; his ascension to Holy Soul Wizard was a given, age mattered not.

But the outside world would certainly think otherwise, inevitably comparing him to Kailston.

Fifty‑eight versus twenty‑seven; whose talent is evidently higher?

"Keep this secret for a few days; don't let anyone know yet," Lei En said, holding Viola's hand as they left the teleportation chamber, "I was gone all day; did anyone look for me?"

"What do you think!"

Viola sighed helplessly, "Since last night there's been a nonstop stream of visitors to Marlinge Manor; the invitation letters have piled up like a mountain. Fortunately, Commander Haiskto stepped in and blocked many people, otherwise I'd be overwhelmed."

"Thanks for your trouble," Lei En said, a bit embarrassed.

The newly elected Consul vanished on the very first day of his election, and Viola was under great pressure.

Viola didn't feel it was hard; her heart held only sweetness.

She walked and said, "The Consul's schedule is crucial; that is the duty of the He Palace Chief of Staff. I can only help you for a few days; later I will serve as Minister of Internal Affairs and cannot also be Chief of Staff. Lei En, you must find a trustworthy person to take the Chief of Staff position."

"I already have a candidate," Lei En replied.

Viola was curious; the Chief of Staff is the Consul's absolute confidant, also the He Palace's grand steward, wielding great power and dubbed the "Little Consul." The position draws much attention, yet Lei En gave no hint, and even she didn't know who it was.

Just as she was about to ask, the two had already arrived at the manor's living room.

The Guard Commander Hai Si Ke Tuo rushed in, evidently having just received news; upon seeing Lei En, he let out a long sigh of relief, stepped forward, and bowed, "Sir, you have returned!"

"Hmm," Lei En lightly nodded, not wishing to explain his whereabouts.

He produced a list and ordered, "Send invitation letters to the guests on the list; tonight at Marlinge Manor we will hold a celebration banquet for my election."

"Yes, sir!" Hai Si Ke Tuo took the list.

Lei En turned to the Half-elf and said, "Viola, have the manor's servants make some preparations as well; there are still a few hours before nightfall. Don't make it too lavish—keep it simple; there should be enough time."

"Very well."

That evening, Marlinge Manor was bustling with traffic and filled with guests.

More than a hundred senior figures of the Empire attended the Consul's celebration banquet; the invited guests all felt honored, each gaining an opportunity to meet the Consul, with the length of interaction varying according to rank and relationship.

Over three consecutive evenings, Lei En set the Empire's political landscape for the next ten years.

The cake has already been distributed.

A few days later.

The Steam and Mechanical Guild's Senior Vice President Bei Li Sa Liu*Ka Er received an invitation from Marlinge Manor asking him to come to the manor that evening; the invitation was delivered by a squad of Rick Guard, and it was signed by Consul Ryan Augustus.

Bei Li Sa Liu had previously attended the banquet; the Mechanical Guild's relationship with Lei En was close, and the two sides had cooperated for many years, very amicably.

The Mechanical Guild was pleased to see Lei En become Consul; in the newly founded Subcontinent Trade Company, they also secured the most important concessions for "steel," "mithril ore," "rail transport," and "steam engines," becoming one of the company's largest shareholders.

This was Lei En's repayment for the Mechanical Guild's past strong support.

"Why the sudden need to meet again?"

Bei Li Sa Liu could not guess Lei En's intention, so he summoned A Ka Lan De, who was most familiar with Lei En, to inquire, but A Ka Lan De was also clueless.

That night, the Mechanical Guild's two vice presidents rode in a car and arrived at Marlinge Manor on schedule.

The car entered the heavily guarded Marlinge Manor, stopped in front of the villa's main gate, where a medium‑height middle‑aged man stood on the steps waiting.

He appeared to be in his forties, with a full forehead, a broad nose tip, extremely deep eyes, a perpetually gentle smile, thin brown hair neatly combed, dressed in a black suit; standing there, his entire demeanor exuded a shrewd, capable aura, and anyone who saw him would think him an experienced senior.

When the car stopped, the middle‑aged man opened the door for Bei Li Sa Liu.

"Vice President Bei Li Sa Liu, Vice President A Ka Lan De."

His voice was slightly low yet somewhat magnetic, and with a crisp greeting he said, "Welcome, esteemed guests, to Marlinge Manor."

Bei Li Sa Liu boarded the car and sized up the other person; he saw he could not get past this man.

A Ka Lan De also did not recognize him.

The middle‑aged man then introduced himself, "I am Fu Lan Ke*An De Wu De, and I will serve as the Consul's Chief of Staff."

He Palace Chief of Staff!

Both were slightly startled; the man's status in front of them instantly changed.

These days Lei En has been forming his cabinet; most major positions already have appointees, but two posts remain undecided, stirring countless minds.

One is the He Palace Chief of Staff, the other is the Subcontinent Governor—both are positions of great power. Especially the latter, many covet the governorship that controls the Trade Company's authority and the Subcontinent's stationed army; they have approached the Consul many times, willing to pay a high price to obtain it. The Mechanical Guild hinted at it, but Lei En explicitly refused.

Although the Chief of Staff's allure is not as strong as the Subcontinent Governor's, within the Empire the power and influence are comparable.

Fu Lan Ke*An De Wu De!

Who is he? Where does he come from? What background?

Bei Li Sa Liu glanced at A Ka Lan De beside him; having known Lei En for years, he might know some inside information, but found that he too wore a bewildered expression.

"So you are the Chief of Staff, Your Excellency," Bei Li Sa Liu extended his hand, "Congratulations, Mr. Fu Lan Ke, to earn the Consul's trust; your abilities must be outstanding. The He Palace grand steward holds a high and powerful position; please continue to look after the Mechanical Guild."

He was merely offering polite words while observing the unfamiliar Chief of Staff.

Fu Lan Ke's aura was subtle, yet clearly that of a transcendent.

Bei Li Sa Liu sensed a faint, almost imperceptible magical fluctuation; the other's physical condition was also robust, far from the ordinary appearance.

At least a legend, but his specific transcendent vocation could not be determined.

"President, you flatter me; just call me Fu Lan Ke," Fu Lan Ke, facing a Saint Rank strongman, remained unbowed, gave a brief handshake, and said, "The Consul is waiting for you two in the study; please follow me."

He said so and led the way ahead.

Bei Li Sa Liu and A Ka Lan De exchanged glances and followed inside.

As they ascended, A Ka Lan De tentatively asked, "Your Excellency Fu Lan Ke, could you reveal what Lei En has summoned us for?"

Fu Lan Ke turned back with a mysterious smile, "The Consul intends to present the Mechanical Guild with a grand gift."

"A grand gift?"

The two vice presidents were even more baffled.

Soon, the three arrived at the study's doorway upstairs; Fu Lan Ke pushed the door open without knocking, and Bei Li Sa Liu and A Ka Lan De entered, seeing Lei En seated behind the desk. He stood, smiled, and said, "Vice Presidents, you are late in greeting; please, have a seat."

Lei En sat on the sofa; after exchanging greetings, the two sat opposite him.

Fu Lan Ke skillfully brewed tea for the host and guests, showing no intention to leave to avoid suspicion; Lei En also regarded him as someone he could fully trust.

"Vice President Bei Li Sa Liu," Lei En said bluntly, "I invited you today because I have an idea and intend to discuss it with the Mechanical Guild."

"Consul, please speak."

Bei Li Sa Liu felt relaxed, buoyed by his confidence as a Saint Rank strongman and the Mechanical Guild's strong backing, but upon hearing Lei En's next words, he could not sit still.

Lei En said, "I intend to establish a brand‑new department called the Industry Department and appoint an Industry Minister into my cabinet."

Bei Li Sa Liu nearly jumped up.

Akaland could no longer restrain himself, his face beaming with joy, he eagerly asked: "Lei En, has the appointment for the Minister of Industry been decided?"

These past couple of days my mindset has been a bit shattered, but I've recovered……

(End of chapter)