Chapter 359: You are not the only one
“Helen, are you crazy!? How could you even have such an insane idea?!” Even trapped in the magic net, the fire phoenix nearly deafened everyone with her shout, looking at Helen Tina with in disbelief upon hearing the latter’s words.
“I’m not crazy. Big sister Firewind, this is the only way to restore Helon Duchy’s stability and also stop others from looking at me with those eyes. Only when this demon marries me will I be able to wash the impurities off my body! The others will only believe his words.” Helen Tina heaved a long sigh as she said helplessly to Firewind.
With regards to Helen Tina being violated by Han Shuo, as long as Han Shuo stood up to speak the truth, it didn’t matter if there were still people who didn’t believe those words. Everything would be fine as long as he married Helen. At least, the people of Helon Duchy wouldn’t keep objecting to everything.
“But you know who he is! He’s the city lord of Brettel! The people of Helon Duchy still consider Brettel their personal hunting ground. I’m afraid that they can’t accept this matter at all.” The fire phoenix persistently tried to persuade Helen Tina out of what she considered the most foolish of ideas.
“It’s fine, they will gradually learn to accept it. I understand them, the civilians are the most easily deceived but also the most easy to calm down. As long as the rebellious aristocrats are removed, the civilians will behave as long as their livelihoods aren’t threatened.” Helen Tina said stubbornly. Her pretty eyes flashed with a cold glint as she seemed to think about visiting some murder and bloodshed on those rebels.
Han Shuo looked at Helen Tina from a distance, listening to the two women’s conversation. Her offer had greatly tempted him, since she was backed by the entirety of Helon Duchy. Han Shuo also had absolute belief that as long as he married Helen Tina, he could definitely use her hands to tame Helon Duchy into submission..Looking at it from the aspect of absolute interest, this seemed to give nothing but profits without the slightest loss. The only thing Han Shuo was worried about was, once this matter was leaked out, the other three women just might not spare him. This was truly a difficult problem!
“What do you think? No matter how we look at it, a proud person like you won’t decline this kind of offer, right?” Helen Tina’s bright eyes stared at Han Shuo, her face slowly returning to her natural complexion as her embarrasment faded. She was simply discussing business.
“Eh… this… Actually, I already have a woman!” Han Shuo scratched his head, explaining his problem to Helen Tina.
“What woman? Is she even more valuable than the Helon Duchy?” Helen Tina wasn’t surprised. It’d be strange if someone like Han Shuo didn’t have any women. However, Helen Tina believed in her own value and that of Helon Duchy behind her. It should be enough to make Han Shuo accept her offer.
“Feelings are not things, and they can’t be measured by pure economical value either!” Han Shuo answered Helen Tina. His mind quickly spun as he tried to think things through. He smiled a while later and responded, “Your current Helon Duchy has powerful enemies outside and civil war inside. Even your grand duke position is in danger, so this dowry of yours isn’t exactly reliable!”
“Humph! If I’m to marry you with Helon Duchy as my dowry, of course there’s a condition. You must help me stabilize Helon Duchy. On the other hand, even if I marry you, Helon Duchy will still be mine to manage.” Helen Tina answered like it was a matter of course. She was determined to make such a decision out of consideration for herself, as well as her admiration for Han Shuo’s ability. Otherwise, even if he had really violated her, had he been an incompetent man, she absolutely still wouldn’t consider him.
“This means that you still need my help to stabilize the Helon Duchy. Then it can’t be considered as you giving me Helon Duchy as your dowry.” Han Shuo looked at Helen Tina with a supercilious smile, as he spoke in a measured tone.
Helen Tina flew into a rage when she heard Han Shuo’s words. She rolled her eyes at Han Shuo and said, “You demon, you’ll even bargain with me about this kind of thing! After you marry me, I myself will become your person, so Helon Duchy will naturally become yours also. If you don’t want to, then forget it! It’s not like I’ll die without you!”
Helen Tina had already tossed her self esteem into an abyss when she decided to discuss her marriage with Han Shuo. For someone as proud as her, it was already embarra.s.sing enough to discuss this topic with Han Shuo face to face while pretending to be calm about it. She didn’t expect him to be such a politician and be still weighing the gains and losses. This made Helen Tina feel humiliated, so she couldn’t help but say so in her rage.
“Don’t be agitated, don’t be agitated!” Han Shuo hastily smoothed things over a little. He then adopted a stern face and a low tone, “Firstly, the position of my women won’t change because of you. Moreover, this transaction temporarily cannot be made public; your position in the seven grand duchies is still useful for me. However, I will help you hold Helon Duchy in the palm of your hand.”
Helen Tina’s raging waves of anger slightly calmed when she heard Han Shuo’s words. Somewhat puzzled, she asked, “What do you mean?”
“That is to say, you are just one of my women. Not only are you not the only one, but our relations.h.i.+p also can’t be made public. It’s still greatly useful for me if Helon Duchy remains as part of the seven grand duchies. However, I will consolidate the practical power of Helon Duchy in your hands, so you can keep governing Helon Duchy. What do you think?” Han Shuo explained.
Helen Tina quickly considered the pros and cons. She knew full well that the kind of man like Han Shuo simply couldn’t be tied down by any woman. Of course, she also didn’t think that she could tame him into docility. Therefore, although the first condition made her vaguely uncomfortable, she could still accept it for the bigger picture.
As for the second condition, after Helen Tina’s train of thought reached its natural conclusion, she was immediately terrified. She herself was the grand duke of Helon Duchy. Being able to climb up to this position as a woman, she was naturally no fool. What did it mean for Helon Duchy alone to remain among the seven grand duchies? It was as clear as day to Helen Tina that Han Shuo had a desire, an ambition that spanned all seven grand duchies!
If there was one duchy in the seven grand duchies that rebelled secretly, it would definitely play a crucial role. This could change a war’s status almost immediately, and help Han Shuo achieve his ambition. As her thoughts reached this point, Helen Tina’s gaze at Han Shuo was somewhat different.
A man with ambition was always attractive to women. It was even more deadly for the women if this man possessed the strength to match that ambition. Especially to a woman who was unwilling to live a mediocre life like Helen Tina, this kind of temptation was even greater. Therefore, the more Helen Tina looked at Han Shuo, the more she found him pleasing to the eyes. The more she looked, the more outstanding he seemed.
“Helen, Helen!” The fire phoenix next to Helen Tina saw her stare dumbly at Han Shuo, her eyes sparkling with a brilliant light that made the former feel somewhat embarra.s.sed. Helen Tina’s gaze was clearly revealing l.u.s.t, the unique feature of a boy crazy girl.
“What, big sister Firewind?” Helen Tina was startled. She looked to the fire phoenix, somewhat surprised.
“Eh, nothing!” The fire phoenix saw that Han Shuo didn’t say anything else, so she coughed lightly to cover up her slip.
However, Helen Tina had been with the fire phoenix for many years already. Upon seeing the fire phoenix’s expression, Helen Tina immediately recalled her behavior just now. She suddenly reacted fiercely, her face flushed red as she glared hatefully at Han Shuo, saying, “I can agree to your conditions, but how can you stabilize Helon Duchy?”
“Very easy. I’ll just announce to everyone that the only that happened last time when I captured was exhorting gold coins, and that I definitely didn’t violate you or develop a relations.h.i.+p with you. Those rumors were just because my subordinates love to shoot off their mouths with their own speculations. Eh, this is actually the truth as well. It wasn’t me who spread these vicious news.”
“Other people may not believe if you say these things. But if they come from me, a fair portion of people will believe them. Anyhow, this isn’t a bad thing to Brettel City either as it can even help raise the morale of the Brettel soldiers. So if it was the truth, I would have actually admitted to it with my personality.”
“Of course, there will be people who won’t believe. Your Helon Duchy will certainly have those people. However, I can just help you take care of those aristocrats who dare to resist. Bloodshed forges a solid regime, and you obviously understand this principle. You don’t have to worry too much.” Han Shuo leisurely explained.
“It really wasn’t you who spread that news?” Helen Tina furrowed her brows in thought for a while after Han Shuo finished speaking before she looked at him.
Han Shuo shrugged as he gave her a wry smile, “It really wasn’t me. I’m not that bored!”
“I don’t believe you. I know how despicable and insidious you are!” Helen Tina said with resentment. Then, she suddenly thought better of it, saying, “Aren’t you afraid that I’d run away? That after I use you, I will join the alliance to destroy Brettel City?”
“I certainly am, so I too have a condition!” Han Shuo laughed wickedly.
Helen Tina had a bad premonition when she saw Han Shuo laugh. She gingerly asked, “What condition?”
“Heh heh, I want your body first!” Han Shuo swept his lecherous eyes up and down Helen Tina’s enchantingly curving body. He named the condition without the slightest bit of shame.
“No! You, you demon! Absolutely not! No!” Helen Tina had had a feeling that Han Shuo’s words would be unpleasant, but she still panicked and found it unacceptable when she officially heard his shameless condition.
“Helen, don’t agree to it. He’s just a liar!” The fire phoenix furiously said.
“If you don’t agree, then this matter is over. You pay me the gold coins, and I’ll leave this place. From now on, we’ll be meeting each other across the battlefield.” Han Shuo shrugged indifferently, seemingly not caring too much about Helen Tina’s body, as if he wasn’t the same person who’d just lecherously eyed her up and down.
For some unknown reason, Helen Tina felt her heart clench when she heard Han Shuo say they’d be meeting on the battlefield. Just thinking about that possibility gave her a feeling of discomfort. This kind of feeling made her extremely uncomfortable, but she didn’t know why it was actually happening.
End of part one of the chapter.
Helen Tina gritted her teeth in silence for a while, before raising her head to glare resentfully at Han Shuo. She said with determination, “I agree, but only after you help me get rid of all of the hidden troubles in Helon Duchy. Otherwise, this matter is over here and now!”
“No problem. Haha, the beauty has personally sent herself to my door with a duchy as the dowry. Only a fool would refuse this toast!” Han Shuo was smug as his laughter echoed into the sky. He hadn’t expected to stumble upon such an unexpected harvest on this trip to the seven grand duchies. It seemed that the evil bunch of Chester, d.i.c.k, and the others who’d spread those vicious rumors had done him a great favor. Women are truly a strange creature; their hearts were fickle indeed!
As Han Shuo and Helen Tina were talking, the miserable, tragic screams around them also gradually stopped. As he turned his head to look, Han Shuo found that none of the rebels, including Ferrodias, had escaped from the savage claws of the great undead army. All of them had fallen, corpses doomed to eternal silence.
But the surrounding area was a little b.l.o.o.d.y. With a beauty right next to him, Han Shuo felt that the scenery didn’t look too good. He took out the skeletal staff and chanted out a quick incantation, causing the group of undead creatures to slowly fade away.
“Alright. Let’s first leave this place and see if the army still heeds your command.” Han Shuo smiled at Helen Tina and said.
“Rest a.s.sured. Not everyone in my army is like that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Ferrodias. My family guards definitely won’t betray me, that I can guarantee!” Helen Tina said proudly.
Han Shuo actually believed this. From the moment he’d set foot into the seven grand duchies. Han Shuo already knew a little about Helen Tina’s situation. Her family clan was the largest aristocratic clan in the Helon Duchy, holding the majority of control over Helon Duchy’s soldiers. Otherwise, she would long have been overthrown by the rebels.
To Helen Tina’s clan, only with Helen Tina herself in the position of grand duke could the benefits of the clan be maintained. Once Helen Tina fell, her family clan would naturally suffer the consequences. Helen Tina understood this fact clearly, which was why she’d given various positions of power in the Helon Duchy to her family members. As such, she’d been able to sustain her position until now despite being opposed by the people and a minority of the aristocrats.
The seven great dukes of the seven grand duchies all followed the same practice. Once they successfully climbed in their positions of power, they would spare no effort to let their family members take over the important positions of the duchy. The benefit was that the power and benefits would remain concentrated in their family clan even when some domestic aristocrats opposed them. In addition, they could rely on the virtue of clan power to pressure those aristocrats. However, the incredible disadvantage was that not all of the trusted clan members was talented. If they held power in the duchy with mediocre ability, then not only was it impossible to fully exploit the potential of the duchy’s territory, the national strength would also gradually be exhausted.
“Alright, no need to be arrogant in front of me. If you don’t even have this little bit of ability, you aren’t fit to be my woman!” Han Shuo sent a verbal jab at Helen Tina. Turning his attention to the fire phoenix, he frowned. The fire phoenix’s entire body was powerless after being struck by the magic arrow. “The poisoned magic arrow broke off inside her body. This’ll be a little troublesome.”
“My body is only a little weak right now. With my race’s natural healing ability, it’ll only take a few days to recover!” The fire phoenix angrily said. Evidently, she hadn’t adapted to Han Shuo’s new ident.i.ty, and her att.i.tude was still unfriendly. After all, she had been putting her heart and mind into killing Han Shuo to take revenge for Helen Tina until today. Who would have expected that there’d be such a dramatic turn of events? This super rank magic creature had yet to fully accept the situation.
“No need to make such a fuss. You can’t be my burden right now!” Han Shuo walked straight to the fire phoenix and firmly pulled out the broken magic arrow without caring about her pain. Afterwards, his left hand firmly held her body down despite her struggling and he placed his right hand on the wound.
The effect from the poisoned magic arrow had weakened her enough that her feeble struggling couldn’t shake of Han Shuo’s hands. A powerful suction force radiated through her body through Han Shuo’s big hand. The poison overflowing her body quickly flowed out through the wound under the power of the force.
The poison in her body flowed into Han Shuo’s palm that was touching her wound. As her previously suppressed power was gradually restored, the fire phoenix understood that Han Shuo was helping her, and she no longer trembled her feathers. Her struggling body gradually quieted down, her blazing feathers once again recovering their l.u.s.ter.
When Han Shuo let go, the fire phoenix once again felt her power overflowing. She happily let out a high pitched chirp and flapped her wings to shoot up into the sky, starting to swoop around joyously.
“Big sister Firewind, is, is she okay?” Helen Tina was very pleasantly surprised. Her eyes that looked at Han Shuo carried a somewhat different meaning, her body also involuntarily moving closer to Han Shuo.
Nodding, Han Shuo flipped his palm and flicked a pile of stinking blood on the ground. He then casually replied, “I’ve sucked out the poison in her body. You see her skipping and jumping around like that, does she look anywhere near injured?”
“Alright, consider it as us owing you a favor, thank you!” Helen Tina very reluctantly thanked Han Shuo. She was also a little apprehensive about the miracle he’d just worked. She was very clear about his astounding strength, but he shouldn’t be a priest nor an alchemist. But even priests and alchemists didn’t seem to have such a miraculous ability!
In the Profound Continent, once poison entered the blood, no priests nor alchemists could easily suck it out like Han Shuo had done. To Helen Tina, this was something incredibly miraculous. She suddenly felt glad about her decision, thinking how fortunate she was to avoid becoming the mortal enemy of this person. Otherwise, it would have brought about irreversible disaster to the Helon Duchy.
Taking advantage of Helen Tina’s surprise, Han Shuo quickly reached out to caress her pretty, silky smooth, warm cheek. Helen Tina’s pretty face looked shocked as she turned to face him. Enjoying the delightful smoothness of her skin, Han Shuo smiled gallantly and said, “We’re already family, so why act polite?”
Helen Tina jolted out of her silent pondering and suddenly reacted. She flung her head back in alarm and retreated a few steps back. She glared hatefully at Han Shuo, saying, “We are not a family yet. You, behave, or I won’t be polite!”
“Oh? Okay, I’d like to see how you’ll be impolite!” Han Shuo paid no heed to Helen Tina’s threat and stalked towards her. He found it somewhat interesting to tease this proud and arrogant grand duke.
“Bryan, can you stop acting like that? We need to have a proper discussion about the internal affairs of my duchy.” Helen Tina changed tacks like the breeze, using a fatigued, weak voice to persuade Han Shuo upon seeing him approach.
Helen Tina knew full well that it was simply impossible to stop Han Shuo head on with her power. Han Shuo’s shocking strength was powerful as that of a demon G.o.d. She had almost lost the will to resist. Helen Tina was already considering this man as her greatest support. He might just be able to give her everything she needed. Subconsciously, Helen Tina had long since admitted defeat, which finally dawned on her when she saw Han Shuo draw near.
Han Shuo was startled. He looked closely at Helen Tina. At this moment, the weak Helen also had a kind of charm that roused an inexplicable pity in him. He didn’t continue to aggressively approach her, but instead abruptly stopped his steps and said with a smile, “Then forget it. Let’s talk about your duchy’s affairs!”
“Ferrodias is just one of my senior knights. I’m absolutely sure he wouldn’t have to guts to betray me without someone to encourage him. Humph! Currently in the duchy, only Marquis Kekaru hold the advantage in taking my place. He’s always been impatiently waiting in the shadows, so I reckon he’s prepared to strike a fatal blow to push me off the political stage. I dare say for sure that he is the person pulling the strings behind the scenes.” Killing intent flashed in Helen Tina’s bright eyes as she bit off her words.
“Very good. Now that we know who it is, I’ll come to Helon Duchy with you, and kill all of those traitors, so they will never have the chance to even foster the idea of rebelling against you.” Said Han Shuo coldly.