After bidding farewell to the Inspector, the two soon returned to the prince’s residence.

The moment they entered a secret chamber shielded by an array, Dorek could no longer contain his excitement.

"Teacher, this is wonderful!"

"We succeeded!"

Dorek had remained extremely nervous throughout the entire operation.

They had not been given any opportunity to rehearse. Their first attempt had been the real performance.

Now that everything had proceeded so smoothly, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Daniel saw through the young man’s thoughts and waved his hand slightly.

"Don’t celebrate too soon."

"This is only the beginning."

His eyes flickered.

"That City Defense Inspector is definitely a clever man."

"He will know exactly what to do."

Prince Dorek froze for a moment before instinctively asking,

"What do you mean?"

Daniel explained,

"It’s simple."

"If the Inspector handles the case according to official procedure, he will be required to report the incident to the Emperor."

"Since that is the case, he will naturally hope that you suppress the matter and minimize its impact."

"After all, you personally intervened, while the official who caused the scandal belonged to his City Defense system."

"If the incident becomes too serious, it will inevitably damage his reputation, future prospects, and opportunities for promotion."

"Therefore, we only need to remain silent and avoid drawing further attention."

"That alone will accomplish our purpose."

"Afterward, once he owes us a favor, he will naturally have to speak well of us before the Emperor."

Daniel’s eyes brightened.

"Furthermore, he must promote all the hidden agents we planted within the City Defense Department."

"At the very least, he will have to quietly permit one of our people to take over the dead commander’s position."

"Once that happens, our influence will have successfully extended into the Holy See’s Inspectorate system."

"At that point, regardless of what the Inspectorate itself believes, under the current struggle between the seven princes, they will already have one foot inside our camp."

"Whether they acknowledge it or not, they will effectively have chosen a side."

Dorek immediately became thrilled upon hearing this.

Within the Holy See’s power structure, the City Defense Inspectorate was practically half of the political core!

If they could obtain the support of the Imperial City Inspectorate, then even if they exhausted an enormous amount of wealth, the exchange would still be extraordinarily worthwhile.

"Teacher, your strategy is brilliant!"

"With the smallest possible price, we obtained the greatest possible benefit!"

Daniel smiled faintly.

"Heh. It was merely a minor trick."

However, he silently thought,

"With this, I should soon be able to use the merit of killing that corrupt official to obtain a formal position within the Holy See."

Strictly speaking, the position of Imperial City Inspector during this ancient era was roughly equivalent to commanding the imperial guard.

The safety of the entire Imperial City rested in their hands.

Therefore, the support of the City Defense Inspectorate was extremely important.

Whichever prince received their backing would immediately gain several additional chances of victory.

However, their current scheme had only temporarily drawn the Inspector closer to them.

Actually persuading the entire Imperial City Inspectorate to fully support Dorek would not be so easy.

Neither the timing nor the conditions were sufficient yet.

Still, the Imperial City Inspector possessed the privilege of directly meeting the Eternal Emperor.

There would likely be results within a short period.

When that time came, they would merely need to wait patiently and carry out a little more manipulation.

Dorek would use the incident to become one of the most discussed figures within the Holy See.

At the same time, Daniel’s official appointment would also be secured.

At that moment, Dorek looked toward Daniel expectantly and asked impatiently,

"Teacher, now that we have completed this mission, what should we arrange next?"

After experiencing the events of today, Dorek had become completely convinced of Daniel’s abilities.

He now eagerly awaited their next operation, hoping to advance even further.

Daniel answered calmly,

"There is no need to rush."

"If the Imperial City Inspector acts as promised, the Emperor will inevitably summon you personally."

"When that happens, you only need to follow my instructions and answer his questions appropriately."

"Afterward, you will no longer need to worry about your future."

"Your path will be bright and unobstructed."

Dorek was immediately intoxicated by Daniel’s encouraging words, and delight appeared across his face.

He quickly asked,

"Teacher, when Father questions me, how should I respond?"

"That is extremely simple."

"You only need to display the qualities expected of an excellent prince."

"For example, humility, caution, diligence, and a willingness to learn."

"If your acting skills are poor, then simply pretend to be an honest and straightforward man."

Daniel smiled.

"As long as you maintain that attitude, we will remain in an unbeatable position."

"The better you perform, the easier it will be to implement our future plans."

Dorek pondered for a moment.

"Does that mean that as long as I appear sufficiently intelligent, I will have a chance to inherit the throne?"

Daniel shook his head.

"No."

"Appearing too intelligent may not necessarily be a good thing."

Dorek looked confused.

"Why?"

Daniel explained,

"First, the moment His Majesty sees how calculating and capable you are, he will immediately sense your ambition toward the throne."

"He has not yet shown any clear signs of dying."

"At present, the thing he fears most is someone coveting his imperial position."

Dorek suddenly understood.

Daniel continued,

"Second, you will attract the united hostility of the other princes."

"Do not assume that the princes are truly as harmonious and affectionate as they appear in public."

"In reality, each of them may desire your death more than anyone else, all so that they can seize the throne for themselves."

"They would be delighted to see you fail and would mercilessly destroy your entire faction afterward."

Cold sweat began flowing down Dorek’s back.

He had never imagined that so many hidden considerations were involved.

Daniel continued,

"Therefore, for now, you must behave honestly."

"Or at the very least, you must appear honest."

"The more harmless you seem, the more the Emperor will trust and approve of you."

"If you attempt to act clever, you may instead lose his favor."

"In other words, the less you do and the less you say, the easier it becomes to prove that you are merely a straightforward and obedient prince."

"If you do nothing, you cannot make a mistake."

"Remember that truth."

Dorek was now completely convinced.

He had never considered any of these principles before.

After hearing Daniel explain them, he felt as though a veil had been lifted from his mind.

Daniel nodded faintly.

"Good."

"Since you understand, follow these instructions from now on."

Dorek’s face lit up.

He immediately rose and bowed deeply toward Daniel once again.

"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher."

"This student has benefited enormously!"

"With you guiding me, I will have nothing to fear for the rest of my life!"

"From this day forward, I will remember every word you have taught me and will never disappoint your expectations!"

Daniel merely shook his head slightly and responded with a meaningful smile.

...

At the same time—

Inside Prince Kane’s palace, Kane was listening to a subordinate’s report.

The subordinate bowed respectfully before recounting everything that had happened during the encounter with Dorek that day, along with all the subsequent developments.