Capítulo 1841: Chapter 1245: Betraying the Master?
As for Ogis… sitting on Duanmu Huai’s shoulder, she was more like an ornament for the Power Armor.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Palpatine, you seem to be in good spirits.”
Duanmu Huai extended his hand and shook hands with Palpatine, the latter still wearing a bright smile.
“Not bad, not bad, after all, today is the day to celebrate the end of the Civil War, also the rebirth of the Galactic Republic, it’s somewhat exciting… ah, of course, we haven’t forgotten the Tribunal’s assistance to the Galactic Republic during the Civil War…”
Palpatine, sly old fox, directly spoke as if the Tribunal voluntarily assisted the Galactic Republic, rather than there being a secret agreement between the two beforehand. He completely distanced himself, but Duanmu Huai couldn’t be bothered with his tricks, simply glanced at Palpatine and nodded slightly.
“I’ve prepared rooms for you, before the celebration starts, you can rest there.”
As he spoke, Palpatine gestured to Count Dooku, who led Duanmu Huai and the others away from the landing pad.
Watching the departing backs of Duanmu Huai and the others, Palpatine’s smile remained unchanged, but a shadow flickered in his eyes. After all, he was a seasoned veteran, and Palpatine could see at a glance that Duanmu Huai had zero respect for him, not seeing him at all!
Though Duanmu Huai was like this when they first met, at that time, Palpatine was just a senator, though secretly a Sith Lord, at least on the surface he was very cautious. Hence, even if he was a bit displeased with Duanmu Huai back then, he said nothing more.
But now? He was already the highest ruler of the Galactic Republic! And soon to be the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, yet this young man still didn’t take him seriously, not even sparing him a proper glance!
How outrageous!
However… hmph, you might not be able to jump around for much longer.
Staring at Duanmu Huai’s tall figure, a hint of ruthlessness mixed in Palpatine’s eyes. In fact, all the information obtained by the rebels earlier was deliberately leaked by Palpatine, using the situation to have the rebels kill Duanmu Huai!
By then, when Duanmu Huai was finished, Palpatine could find an excuse to wipe out those accursed Jedi Knights!
Heh heh heh, by then… maybe even the Tribunal would be his!
Thinking of this, Palpatine once again showed a smug smile, then retracted his gaze.
Enjoy your last moments, kid.
The celebration, of course, wasn’t like a banquet where you could come and go as you pleased. Duanmu Huai and the others arrived a day early to rest and would attend the celebration the following morning. And Count Dooku took Duanmu Huai and the others to guest rooms prepared specifically for them, and while on the surface Palpatine did a good job, giving them a villa by the mountains and water. The place had beautiful scenery, clear mountains, and waters, but was sparsely populated… hmm, perhaps that was the key point.
After everyone went inside the villa, Anhe Ma Li went to rest, but Count Dooku didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he stared at Duanmu Huai, silent for a moment, then took a step forward.
“Your Honor, the Judge, there’s something I want to warn you about.”
“Oh? What is it?”
Duanmu Huai petted Ogis’ little head beside him, looked at Count Dooku, and asked.
“Chancellor Palpatine… may be plotting against you.”
“Oh?”
Upon hearing Count Dooku’s answer, Duanmu Huai showed a look of curiosity, staring at him. Of course, he knew, otherwise, Duanmu Huai wouldn’t have bothered to come. But the fact that Count Dooku would warn him in advance was somewhat unexpected for Duanmu Huai; he remembered that Count Dooku was Palpatine’s disciple, wasn’t he?
Are you really betraying your master like this?
“I’m not entirely sure of the specifics, but I can assure you, my master has prepared to deal with you. Perhaps the celebration is the time he plans to act, so… please be cautious.”
“This really surprises me.”
After hearing Count Dooku’s warning, Duanmu Huai curiously stared at him.
“Aren’t you Palpatine’s disciple? Even if your master really intends to deal with me, as his disciple, isn’t it a bit inappropriate for you to do this?”
“Hehe, there’s something you might not know, actually, I was not originally a member of the Sith, but a Jedi Master.”
“Oh?”
After listening to Count Dooku’s explanation, Duanmu Huai finally understood what was going on. According to Count Dooku, he was once a Jedi Knight in his youth but became disillusioned with the Jedi Council after witnessing the corruption and deceit within the Galactic Republic bureaucracy which the Council ignored. After that, Palpatine found him and led Count Dooku to the dark side, taking him as a disciple.
That makes sense.
After hearing Count Dooku’s explanation, Duanmu Huai suddenly realized. Previously he found it odd, seeing that Palpatine and Count Dooku seemed to be of the same age from their appearances. Why did Count Dooku call Palpatine his master? It turns out, in the language of martial arts novels, Palpatine was a master with skills before apprenticeship; no wonder…
As for why Count Dooku would betray his own master… well, though Duanmu Huai didn’t ask, Count Dooku had his own calculations. Not to mention that it was historically common for Sith apprentices to confront their masters, unlike Palpatine, Duanmu Huai had personally witnessed how Duanmu Huai brutally murdered the Jedi Masters on the Jedi Council!
And more importantly, he didn’t report this matter to Palpatine afterward! He merely claimed that he had no idea what method the Tribunal used to eliminate the Jedi Council.
Now… from Count Dooku’s perspective, the time had come!
For Palpatine to dare act against Duanmu Huai, who he had witnessed as incredibly powerful, seemed utterly insane to Count Dooku. He wouldn’t be foolish enough to go mad with Palpatine. So, Count Dooku quickly came up with a plan to sell out Palpatine and ingratiate himself with Duanmu Huai!
Since he followed Palpatine’s orders and infiltrated the Independent Federation, Count Dooku’s public identity remained as a respected Jedi Master, perhaps the last remaining one. For Count Dooku, his only concern was Palpatine.
And if Palpatine was taken down by Duanmu Huai, then… wouldn’t all this easily fall into his hands?
“I’m not as foolish or senile as him, so… I wanted to clarify, this is not my plan, nor do I know what he intends to do, but please be cautious.”
“Alright, I’ve got it, thank you for the warning.”
After hearing Count Dooku’s explanation, Duanmu Huai nodded and then saw him out.
“It seems that Mr. Palpatine isn’t very popular.”
Anya popped her head out from behind Duanmu Huai, remarking with a meaningful sigh.
“That’s how it is for those who like to scheme, but Count Dooku… hmm, interesting.”
Duanmu Huai chuckled and didn’t say much more.
Palpatine wanting to seek death is his business. Originally, Duanmu Huai didn’t have a good impression of this ‘old-but-not-dead therfore a thief’ kind of guy. But Count Dooku’s words weren’t bad, after all, Duanmu Huai had spent quite some time with him, and if he were to replace Palpatine, maybe it wouldn’t be impossible?
In any case, let’s try it out first.
Thinking of this, Duanmu Huai collected his thoughts.
Anyway, everything will wait until the celebration starts.