Chapter 608: The Pleasure Seekers' Association

Since Ryan's rise in the Old World, especially after killing the champion of Khorne, King Egrell "Red-Eye," his presence has officially entered the sight of the four Chaos Gods.

There have always been countless conspiracies surrounding Ryan, but no matter the trouble, he has always pulled through (many of these troubles were resolved with the help of the Emperor's Imperial Guard and Angron).

However, the Chaos Gods face a problem: their influence over the mortal world is limited by the Great Ward and the Maelstrom, making direct intervention difficult.

Thus, the dark gods place their hopes on the Chaos cults active and lurking in the mortal world.

So, the question arises, is the kingdom of knights across the mountains conducive to the activities of Chaos cults?

The answer is no.

The knights of Bretonnia generally believe in the Lady of the Lake, with only a few knights worshipping Mannan, the god of the sea (in Bordeleaux), Myrmidia, the goddess of war (in Carcassonne), or Shallya, the goddess of mercy (in Couronne). The knights are often the defenders of order and tightly control their territories, making the corruption of nobility by Chaos forces very low.

As for the serfs, there's even less chance, as they likely don't understand what these strange people are talking about.

Therefore, causing trouble in Ryan's territory is particularly difficult due to the lack of grassroots support and an upper structure.

But the Empire is entirely different. Previously, it was mentioned that Chaos cults in the Empire could be described with the phrase "a hundred flowers bloom, a hundred schools contend."

The Pleasure Seekers' Association is one of them, the largest Slaanesh cult in the Empire's history. It has been an ominous shadow accompanying the Empire's glory since Charlemagne founded the Empire, continuously eroding the circles of great nobles. As people indulged in achievements in architecture, art, and culture, the Pleasure Seekers' Association gradually spread among the Empire's nobility. Initially, it only provided entertainment and food for the court, but over time, it grew larger and corrupted many nobles into Slaanesh worshippers.

Near the time of the Three Emperors, a witch hunter accidentally discovered that the high priest of the Church of Justice in Nuln was a Slaanesh follower. Despite numerous great nobles and clergy trying to eliminate the hunter and erase the truth, the hunter revealed the truth before dying, shocking the entire Empire and prompting a military purge.

However, shortly afterward, the infamous Black Plague broke out, giving the Pleasure Seekers' Association a lifeline. The cult went underground in Nuln, becoming much more cautious. They neither participated in court politics nor wars, believing war was Khorne's domain, politics was Tzeentch's, and the pursuit of health and longevity was Nurgle's. They only wanted to satisfy their desires, keeping them off the radar of witch hunters and warrior priests, at least for now.

Currently, they have set their sights on something new.

In the darkness, several voices continued their conversation.

"Ryan Malcador's power is too strong. We can't hope for a direct confrontation," said a twisted voice. "We must protect ourselves and stay hidden to find an opportunity."

"We've confirmed the target's presence; he's indeed in the top suite of the Royal Hotel," said a younger voice. "But how do we carry out the plan?"

"Shut up. That's not for you to know. Your job is to follow orders, not understand," an impatient voice from the shadows said. "If there's a specific plan, you'll be informed. For now, the fewer who know, the better."

"Let's see what we can do," the twisted voice echoed in the dark. "We're in Altdorf; it's hard to muster an army, and no one can match Ryan Malcador. Even confirming the target requires waiting until he's out."

"No rush; we have plenty of time. This is the will of the Soft Lady."

"We operate in the shadows, they in the light. There are many of us in the capital. We must be patient, and now is the perfect opportunity."

"The Royal Archmage Competition?"

"Exactly, be patient! We've gathered this."

At this point, a faint purple light illuminated the room. A carpet, stained with hot milk, was placed on a table, with black hands searching it. They picked up a golden hair: "This is it."

The leader began chanting.

Halfway through, the leader stopped abruptly: "Wait, something's wrong! This isn't the spell I wanted!"

No one answered.

"Damn! You...?" The leader quickly drew a dagger bearing Slaanesh's emblem, his hand trembling. "Answer me!"

Still, no one responded.

Soon, the room returned to silence.

A week later.

"A mass murder occurred in a famous mansion of the Von-Schleck family in Altdorf's wealthy district. The entire family, over a dozen people, was murdered. The killer stayed at the scene for hours before leaving," Ryan read the newspaper in the Royal Hotel's suite, frowning. "For such a thing to happen in the Imperial capital, Karl Franz needs to send people to straighten things out."

"Karl is very angry about this," Emilia, holding her son and feeding him, said. The Imperial Duchess felt this family atmosphere was exactly what she wanted. "He's already sent many people to investigate."

"With the Royal Archmage Competition approaching, the Emperor won't tolerate any disturbance," Ryan continued to frown, his blue eyes darting around. "But this whole thing feels odd. The murderer wasn't after money, nor did they have any other apparent motive. And after the crime, they stayed at the scene for hours. Why?"

"Mom, I want meat, I want meat~" Little Frederick pouted in his mother's arms, also calling out to Ryan, "Daddy, hold me and feed me meat~"

"Okay, okay~ meat~" Ryan quickly put down the newspaper and picked up his son. The little boy happily found a spot in his father's arms and started pinching his father's face.

"Hahaha~" Ryan's face was so tough that Frederick's hand hurt, making him cry, which made Ryan and Emilia laugh. The Imperial Duchess suddenly felt very happy.

In the kitchen, Olica and Sylvia were frying steaks. Seeing Ryan happily holding their son, Emilia blushed and said, "Frederick?"

"What's up, Mom?" The boy was still very close to his mother.

"How about we give you a little brother or sister?" Emilia's face blushed as she spoke to her son, but her eyes were on Ryan.

"A sister, a sister!" Little Frederick cheered, "Mom, if it's a sister, what will her name be?"

"Rem or Ram, how about that?" Emilia's eyes were still on Ryan.

"Okay!" The boy didn't think much of it, raising his hands in agreement.

Ryan felt a bit pressured. He held his son but didn't have time to say anything before Emilia chimed in, "What do you think, Daddy? Is it okay?"

"Uh..." Ryan felt a bit embarrassed, "Emilia, that's not something we can just decide."

"No room for doubt; it's settled," the maid declared, making the decision unilaterally, leaving Ryan helpless.

A while later, Sulia also came out of her room, having resumed her usual dignified, elegant, and noble demeanor. She reproached Ryan, "What are you talking about out here, so loudly? I just got our son to sleep."

"Look at this," Ryan handed the newspaper to Sulia. The knight moved her long legs to sit next to Ryan and took the paper. The news on it made her expression change slightly. "This isn't a trivial matter, Ryan. The children mustn't be put at risk."

"Besides this, there's another thing," Ryan frowned. "According to Olica and Sylvia, on the day we visited the Imperial Royal Zoo, a strange waiter entered the room. He wore white shoes, which is unusual for hotel staff."

"Wait... the day we visited the zoo was the same day this murder happened, wasn't it?" The knight, full of wisdom, immediately sensed something was amiss. "I think this is connected to that previous incident!"

"Calm down, Sulia, this is Altdorf," Ryan said, standing up and then sitting back down after a moment's thought. "These two events might be related, or they might not. But we mustn't panic. Let's pretend nothing happened. In a week, it's the Imperial Royal Archmage Competition. The Emperor won't give us the authority to search everywhere."

"But our son is here!" Sulia said, concerned. The knight was deeply worried. "Ryan, this isn't what parents should do..."

At that moment, lunch was ready. Olica and Sylvia brought it in—today's meal was Reikland steak, cauliflower, and tomato sauce pasta, served with bread and corn chowder.

"My lady, please don't think too much. Let's eat first," Olica respectfully placed the steak in front of Sulia. "Today's lunch is Reikland steak."

"Thank you," Sulia responded, setting aside her serious expression to thank Olica. As a noblewoman and duchess, Sulia maintained perfect manners, as she expected of young Devonshire, who often cried when his mother handled him.

"Here are your utensils, my lady," Olica handed over the wrapped cutlery. Sulia took the napkin-wrapped utensils and slowly unwrapped them.

Halfway through, Sulia's expression changed slightly. She quickly closed the napkin and extracted the utensils from it, saying, "Alright, I understand."

Lunch began in the dining room.

Meanwhile, in the Old World, Empire, Talabecland, Blood Pine Forest.

The

 Imperial Archmage led an army of about 8,000 men through the relatively wide paths of the forest, nearing Altdorf.

A month ago, this army was in the northern Kislev region, at the eastern province's mountain pass, where they destroyed a Chaos army, preventing them from releasing the ancient dragon demon, Kholek Suneater. The Archmage's victory earned the Imperial Army's trust, as molten metal rained from the sky, turning Chaos armor and weapons into lead and clay. The feared Chaos eggs turned into gilded statues mid-charge, making it hard for the Imperial forces not to see Gelt as a savior and reliable ally.

More importantly, the Archmage was highly trusted by Emperor Karl Franz. Initially, some Imperial generals were skeptical, but witnessing Gelt's bravery on the battlefield, shouting "For The Emperor," shamed them into no longer questioning his loyalty and faith.

Unity was key to this army's victory and successful return.

Now, however, they faced the Supreme Patriarch of the Bright College, Gottfried Otto, and his troops blocking the path, armed to the teeth and showing no signs of yielding. This shocked and angered the returning soldiers.

A month ago, they fought for the Empire, for humanity, for the Old World, in the harsh cold and thin air of the mountains, shouting the Emperor's name as they defeated the Chaos army.

But now, they couldn't even return home?

Seeing the army waver, Gelt rode his pegasus, Swiftwing, forward. His voice rasped through his metal mask: "Otto, are you here to welcome me?"

"I have a proposal, Gelt," Otto said calmly from his pegasus. "We're all fellow humans. Could you and your army stay in the Blood Pine Forest for a week or two? Rest assured, your accommodations and pay are fully arranged."

The returning soldiers murmured in disbelief. What was Otto doing?

Gelt's voice remained calm: "So, you won't let me return to Altdorf?"

"This is for your own good, Archmage," Otto nodded. "It's not the right place for you. This is best for everyone."

"And if I refuse?" Gelt's tone was still even.

"Then I'm afraid I must apologize."

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