The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

"You do not know?"

“I don’t need to know—this person’s previous situation was that he used his love for his wife and affection for his children to offset his guilt about betrayal. It’s like a balance scale; when the side belonging to the ‘self’ sinks, the side of ‘betrayal’ will rise high.”

Qiao Yelan's voice was utterly calm.

“I added the fear of death to the raised end, but judging from the other party’s pleas for mercy, it shows that the self-centered end still has weight—so I just need to help him reduce the weight of that end.”

Kashina fell silent. Qiao Yelan's example was easy to understand, but it was precisely because it was easy to understand that she remained silent.

“The human heart cannot withstand doubt. As long as I plant the seed of doubt, it will naturally take root and sprout. When Sergei himself has to start to pretend, his doubts about his wife will become deeper and deeper until they become so deeply rooted that they can no longer be shaken.”

"So whether what I say is a lie or not is unimportant."

"—Because Sergei will find the 'evidence' himself."

Chapter Sixty-Three: The Truth

"Is the truth... sometimes unimportant?"

What is the "truth"? Is it the way things are, or something that cannot be doubted?

Qiao Yelan chuckled and asked in return.

Kashina's lips parted slightly, but she couldn't answer the question.

She initially thought that Qiao Yelan's two sentences were about the same thing, but after seeing what had just happened, she couldn't deny Qiao Yelan's question.

The true nature of something cannot be doubted, but is something that cannot be doubted truly the truth?

She silently pushed Qiao Yelan forward.

"Chernoborg's pawns are already in place. The reason why Marquis Boris killed everyone except Sergei was to make me think that Sergei was no longer worth winning over. Unfortunately, such minor characters are not worth winning over; it's enough to keep them under control."

Qiao Yelan gestured for Kashina to see him into the car.

Next, they will return to Letania.

"I thought you wouldn't use such methods."

"What methods?"

Kashina laid the wheelchair flat and placed a pillow under Qiao Yelan's head.

“Concealing his wife’s identity and threatening him with his child… This seems different from your previous style of doing things at the Fort Saint-Eagle – I thought you would only target Sergei and not involve innocent people.”

"Innocence—that's an interesting definition."

The man let out a mocking, cold laugh.

“If a person has not benefited from something, then when he is held accountable for it, he can say that he is innocent—so can Sergei’s wife and his children be considered innocent in this matter?”

Qiao Yelan reached out and pointed to Boris Hospital, which was slowly shrinking.

This most luxurious and prestigious hospital in Chernobog appeared deserted when they first entered; the number of nurses and doctors passing by far exceeded the number of patients.

This is not because Chernobog has no patients—as a city that started with mining, you can see infected people everywhere.

"They enjoy abundant resources, luxurious mansions, extravagant cuisine, the high-ranking official positions and salaries they received in exchange for Sergei's betrayal, and their superior social standing in this city. If they can be called 'innocent'—"

"What should the families of those who died from betrayal be called, the wives and children who bear grief, the pressures of life, and the hatred that cannot be avenged?"

"A joke?"

Kasyapa still couldn't answer the question.

She suddenly realized that her understanding of Qiao Yelan was so one-sided that when she saw him keep his promise and fight for the lives of the infected, even Black Snake had the illusion that Qiao Yelan seemed to be a good person.

The woman carefully considered the other person's behavior and suddenly realized something.

As an Ursus native, she naturally felt that everything Qiao Yelan did was for the future of Ursus—but what if it were someone else?

For example... the Letanian nobles of the Haydenschwell region.

For example, a Qazimirian who has a blood feud with Ursus.

How will they view everything Qiao Yelan did in Ursus?

The answer is, they simply can't see it.

All they could see was Qiao Yelan, who was standing on their side.

Kashina gently covered Qiao Yelan with a blanket, turned off the lights in the car, and sat in the shadows.

Qiao Yelan said that Letania was just a transit point, and their next destination was Kazimierz, the country that had been fighting Ursus since its founding.

She was looking forward to seeing what kind of Qiao Yelan she would see there.

-----------------------------------------------------------

As the convoy entered the capital of Letania, Qiao Yelan keenly sensed the city's problems.

This is a lifeless city.

There were hardly any pedestrians on the streets, and all the shops were closed. Apart from the significant reduction in the number of ruins, there were only a few supply distribution points in each block.

The wounds of war have clearly not yet healed here.

The convoy drove all the way to the former tower of Herhunzollern—which is still in ruins, and the empresses’ administrative center remains in tents surrounded by the army.

Qiao Yelan was pushed by Kasheena all the way to the very center.

Looking somewhat haggard, Ivignad came out to greet Qiao Yelan.

"Teacher, it's been a long time—who is she?"

"Huh? Isn't she—"

“I am Kashina, one of the Babel Tower's agents. I am currently Dr. Qiao Yelan's student and responsible for his personal protection.”

Black Snake revealed his identity before Qiao Yelan could speak.

"Right, that is it."

The man realized that she probably didn't want the other person to discover her true identity, so he stopped talking and directly admitted that the identity she had made up for him.

Hmm... why does Ivignad look several times worse than before?

Is she under that much pressure right now?

“Teacher... Now that you’re here, let me and Helinmat take care of your safety. It’s better to trust some outsiders less.”

Forcibly taking the handle of Qiao Yelan's wheelchair from Kasheena, Ivignad stood behind Qiao Yelan, leaned down, and breathed warmly on his ear, making him tilt his head slightly uncomfortably.

"Also, consider this a well-intentioned reminder from a willful student—"

"You should take on fewer students in the future."

?

She stood up again, gave Kashina a defiant glance, and pushed Qiao Yelan into her tent.

The black snake blinked blankly.

I don't know why, but I always feel like I should wear a hat?

----------------------------------------------------------

"What is the current situation in Vidonia?"

"It's not good. Although we've decided to dedicate all our energy to building and managing this city, we have just too many problems to face right now."

"One at a time—how many have you finished?"

Qiao Yelan picked up a pen and asked Ivignade.

"Um... we just decided to change the name..."

"What are you going to call?"

"Tristelme".

The man nodded and wrote down the title.

Assessment and Research Report on Triinttelme, the New Imperial Capital of Letania

"At least it's started—so tell me, what problems have you discovered so far?"

"The most pressing issue is the shortage of basic necessities for people's daily lives, such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation. Although the Tower of Babel has delivered a considerable amount of these items, they are consumables, and the inventory remains very tight."

"Okay—[Demand for commodities is booming, and there is a huge untapped market]."

Ivignad blinked, and Qiao Yelan looked up curiously at the white-clad queen.

"Go on with the questions."

"Ah? Oh, there's also the huge unemployed population—our original plan was to launch a series of construction projects as work relief, using public service jobs to absorb these people, but we don't have enough funds to fully implement it."

His Majesty the Emperor quickly began to explain.

"Most of the transactions with the nobles of the Haydenschwell Territory are in the form of barter, with only a small amount of cash. Even if we include almost all the assets of the Elector Leopold family, the current cash flow is still in a huge shortfall. In other words, even if we force it to start, it will fall apart due to insufficient subsequent investment."

"Understood—[The government is demonstrating confidence in the future, and the investment market has broad prospects]."

Qiao Yelan continued writing Ivignad's enigmatic and impressive words.

"If sufficient investment is made after a period of time and the project begins, will the unemployment problem be solved?"