God of Tricksters

When Ricky reached the Czar's camp, he shouted, "Yermolayev. Come out!"

That shout raised everyone's anger, especially those from the Czar. Yermolayev was their leader, so there was no way they liked to hear he was looked down upon by a spoiled younger generation.

However, Yermolayev knew better than anyone else that it wasn't the time to fight them yet.

He came out with a smile on his face and asked, "I wonder what Young Master Ricky wants from me?"

"I'll give you a chance to gain real status for your family!" Ricky snorted as if he was disgusted talking to him.

"…" Yermolayev paused for a moment before saying, "If that's the case, it's not something that should be discussed here. Do you mind following me somewhere else?"

Ricky snorted. "Lead the way."

Everyone was glaring at Ricky, but because he was protected by the bodyguards, it was clear that he came prepared. And if they did something to Ricky, they would surely suffer the wrath of his father. Hence, it was better to stop whatever they were planning.

…

As Ricky explained the plan, Alexej called the Griffith Family to get their agreement. If they couldn't sneak in, they would be mutually injured. Even if the Griffith Family tried to kill him to silence him, the ticking time bomb had been set. If they couldn't become the third strongest influence in the union, Alexej threatened them to explode that bomb.

With this kind of threat, even the Griffith Family had to take a step back. They were proceeding to get favors from the royal family for them.

This was what the Lexon Group wanted. As long as they could kill Richard, they would be able to weaken the royal family.

"You have to kill Richard for us. If you succeed, we'll grant you the real status and take in your family." Ricky stated with a cold expression.

"Richard? Who is he?"

"You don't have to care about his identity. All we want is for you to kill him."

Yermolayev narrowed his eyes. The Lexon Group had gone all the way here to ask him to kill someone, so that person must be very important.

"Are you asking me to kill myself?" Yermolayev gritted his teeth.

"It's your choice. Sacrifice for your family or die from helplessness." Ricky smirked.

"Kh, you…" Yermolayev gritted his teeth.

He truly had no choice.

…

Meanwhile, the royal family had been receiving everyone's favor.

Prince Karl and the prime minister were laughing together.

"There are some who offer us more Skill Cards. There are some who will help us in the union."

"There are also influences that will fight together with us. This is certainly good. It seems that our hard work has been paying off." Prince Karl nodded in agreement, happy with this development.

"We're now in our final plan. Once those people taste the pleasure of ranking up their skills, they'll become dependent on us. The world will start searching for more Skill Cards and help us even more. Even those from other bases will also come to us sooner or later. As long as we have that Richard, we'll be able to rise even more."

"That's right. The union is not the final destination. We're going for the world. Still, the situation will be extremely dangerous for Richard. I want you to increase our surveillance."

"Of course, I've been working for it. Please rest assured."

"Then, what's about them?"

"The Lexon Group? It seems they're panicking. We don't know what they'll do, but it's clear that they're going to do something during this event. For now, we've banned the people affiliated with the Lexon Group. Even if they gain the Empress, they won't have enough influence in the union."

"Great." He nodded with a serious expression. "I want you to monitor them and make sure that nothing happens during this time."

"Yes. And do we need to increase the number of bodyguards for that Richard?"

"Mhm?" The prince thought for a moment. "I'm not sure at the moment. He's become a bit more comfortable with her right now, so I don't know if I should increase it. If we're solely considering the situation, of course, we should.

"But Flora Wegener will surely come for him. She might snatch him from us. So, it's better for us to make him more comfortable instead of more secure."

"I see. That's also the problem. We can't stop her in terms of prowess, so we're going to beat her in an emotional war. I'm not the one monitoring him closely, so I don't know his needs."

"Well, I'll try to talk to him after this to make sure of his state of mind. I'll tell you about the result later."

"Understood. I'll manage our security system first." The prime minister nodded in agreement.

"Then." Prince Karl stood up and walked away. He thought with an evil smile. 'Just you wait, Lexon Group. You won't be able to do anything and you shall become our first stepping stone. I'll make sure no one can do something during this period.'

The prince couldn't help but recall the memory of Richard. He had been visiting him regularly to check his condition.

Richard seemed to be grateful to him and even before binding him to the royal family, he didn't seem to be someone who would jump ship easily.

Since they needed to prepare as much as possible, he had to give the prime minister the answer as quickly as possible. Hence, the first thing he did after finishing his discussion was to meet Richard.

Richard had been upgrading people's skills for the past week. And surprisingly, the total count of his visitors had reached tens of thousands. In other words, Richard took care of a thousand people per day.

Of course, not all of them got their skill upgraded, but those who were helped thought they were extremely lucky.

When Richard opened the door leading to Richard's office, where he usually used to work, he found Richard still doing his job for an old man.

"Your… Your Highness!" Richard instantly noticed his presence and stood up.

The prince gave the best smile he could offer and asked, "How are you? Are you tired? Do you want to take a rest? You're truly my lucky star. Richard, you're like my brother!"