Imperial capital.

Outside the east gate of the palace, there is a narrow alley, less than fifty meters away from the moat of the imperial city. The courtyard walls on both sides of the alley are more than five meters high, making this path insufficient light during the day and appear quite deep.

A steam car stopped at the entrance of the alley. A man in a gray legion dress got out of the car, tidied up the collar of the double-breasted woolen coat, and put on the military cap in his hand. The man's shoulders were decorated with two huge erected eaves, and the edges of the eaves were decorated with tassels. However, everyone who knew the four rows of golden five-pointed stars on this eaves would respect the man because the style of this eaves represented the one who was qualified to bring this four-star eaves. There were only eleven people in the empire and the ten thousand men of the eleven legions.

The man wearing a long epaulette of a ten thousand men walked slowly into the alley alone, and another legion soldier in a legion dress walked down from the cab of the steamer, standing silently at the entrance of the alley.

There were only two of the eleven commanders of the empire, and only two of them lived in the imperial capital all year round, namely the 1st Legion Fok, the 1st Legion, and the only naval commander of the 10th Legion, Benson.

The Second to Ninth Legions guarded the four realms of the Empire, with two legions in each realm. The commanders of each realm generally stationed in their respective legion cities all year round, rarely coming to the imperial capital, and the 11th Legion, which had the shortest established time, was stationed in the New World.

The Eleventh Legion, a legion that had been established for only twenty years, was the product of the compromise between the parties after the end of the colonial war. Together with the Tenth Navy Legion, which was ridiculed as an empty shell, it was not accepted by other legions. In the hearts of many legion soldiers, the empire had only nine major legions.

Unfortunately, the man walking in the alley was the commander of the 11th Legion, and the rushing bison pattern on the shield-shaped badge on his chest was the emblem of the 11th Legion.

The commander of the 11th Legion walked to the end of the alley and turned left to an old wooden door. The person behind the door opened the door for him in time and led him to the yard.

Unlike the quietness of the alley, the courtyard suddenly became noisy and busy. Some people were rushing to the road with documents, and a few people were arguing about something. There was even a special training area in the courtyard where many people were exercising there.

The ten thousand men followed the guide through the courtyard and finally arrived at a reception room.

After entering the room, the owner was already waiting. The gray-haired man stood up from the sofa, walked a few steps to the front of Captain Wan, stretched out his right hand, and said, "Welcome, welcome! I heard that Captain Grant Wan took the liberty to invite you over and delay your time. Please forgive me. Come and sit down, please have tea..."

Captain Grant Wanfu's footsteps had just taken off and said, "Director Odoka, it turns out that you are here to invite me to 'drink tea'. Don't look at me for many years in the New World. I still understand what 'drink tea' in the Bureau of Investigation means."

Odoka quickly waved his hand and said, "Look, I'm joking with me as soon as I come. I sincerely ask you to taste the top-notch tea I got from the envoy of the Kingdom of Light. Today I'm mainly asking you to help with some of our inspection projects, and there is absolutely no other intention."

After the two of them sat down, Odoka poured hot water into the glass teapot. The tea leaves at the bottom of the teapot floated up, one by one, standing upright on the water surface, slowly blooming. The water in the pot turned from light yellow to yellow and green, and the green gradually deepened. Some tiny tea leaves that were floating and tired gradually sink, and the fragrance of tea filled the entire room without realizing it.

Odoka divided the tea into two small tea cups, picked up a cup and drank it himself, and then signaled Grant Wanfu to drink it. Grant picked up the exquisite tea cup and drank it slowly. The fragrance of tea filled the whole mouth. He felt refreshed in an instant, and after a slight bitterness, it left a sweet aftertaste.

Seeing the head of the ten thousand men drinking tea, Odoka said, "Actually, it is mainly a private matter to invite you to come today. Do you know who is behind me? That person is particularly interested in the exploration and investigation projects in the inland of the New World. Is there a tutor in the Imperial Capital Royal Academy who wants to organize an expedition team? That person not only contributes funds, but also helps to recruit personnel. Please help with some support work of the expedition team in the New World. Look..."

Grant thought the tea was delicious, so he poured himself another cup.

"The second prince is interested in the New World? This is the first time I heard about it! Isn't he busy taking power in the Northern Region? Why, do you want to use the New World as a way out? Or do you want me to be his help? I am a soldier and speaks straightforwardly. What can you say directly? The twists and turns of the imperial capital have made me very annoyed these days."

"Everyone says that Grant Wanfu is heroic. As expected, I have made it clear that this cooperation is mainly to assist the second prince's mentor and friends in the exploration of the new world. Secondly, I also want to use this cooperation to make a good relationship with you. The expedition team needs some guards, preferably two hundred elite soldiers and some supplies and support. If you ask for the fee, we can all meet the requirements. If everything goes well, the second prince will also give you an extra gift."

"If these are all, I'm fine. If you need detailed support, you can talk to my subordinates. He will tell you what we want. However, this does not mean that I am on François' side. My legion and I are only loyal to His Majesty the Emperor. If the second prince can ascend the throne, I will also be loyal to him."

The two put down their serious business and talked about many interesting stories in the New World, anecdotes from all over the world and the romance of the imperial capital. Half an hour later, Odoka personally sent Captain Grant Wanfu to the steamer at the entrance of the alley.

When Odoka returned to the office, a young man sat on the sofa and tasted the remaining tea in the pot. When he saw Director Odoka, he said, "Master, tell me, how did the largest warlord in the entire empire act like a reckless man?"

Odoka replied: "He is a man who has become a commander of ten thousand men entirely through his military achievements. He is different from the two commanders of ten thousand men in the Northern Region who rely on their ancestors. He seems to speak directly, but in fact he is very cunning. When he was chatting with me just now, the few people he mentioned secretly supported the eldest prince. This was what I found out after I secretly investigated, otherwise he would just be talking about other people's gossip. He mentioned those people to warn us that he was in the New World, but he was clear about these things, which shows that he had a lot of energy to hide."

"Did my father just let him go back like this? This is a rare opportunity..."

"Be careful! François, although I have been in charge of the Bureau of Investigation for two years, I can trust not everyone here." Odoca said hurriedly.

...

September 9, 977, Western Paradise

Second Prince François defeated the Silverback Ape in the opening show of the Supernatural Championship.

That night the emperor summoned the second prince, and the father and son talked until dawn.

On September 10, the emperor ordered Odoka Hendrik to be appointed as the director of the Royal Bureau of Investigation and sent the second prince to observe the politics of the Northern Region Norland City.

From then on, the 18-year-old second prince François embarked on the road to fighting for the throne.
Chapter completed!