Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

Roy paused for a moment, then nodded.

He knew that Dario's words truly came from the bottom of his heart. Carmen's long absence likely meant that some unspeakable accident had occurred. It was hard to imagine how powerful such a powerful Inquisitor would become if he were assimilated by Hai Si.

While it may not necessarily pose a threat to Roy, the fact that Dario was able to remind Roy of this point is enough to show that Dario has indeed mastered the craft.

............

Londinium, Victoria.

The Victorian Empire, situated in the Central Valley, possessed unparalleled national strength, but this assessment was always based on the premise that Victoria was a unified nation, adhering to a single will.

Clearly, the current owners of Lentinium do not represent the will of the country.

The Kazdel Military Council's intelligence network is far from sluggish. With the existence of the Shapeshifter King, a super spy, they have countless ways to obtain those top-secret secrets. Besides, the Laterano Conference wasn't exactly a secret event at all.

From the moment Pope Ivanista XI sent the invitation to the leaders of the Terran kingdoms, he had already planned to spread the word, regardless of success or failure.

However, even Theresis did not expect that the entire Terra would form an alliance in such a short time and in such a manner.

This would be impossible without external intervention.

"But why, General, do you find it so unbelievable that the alliance of Terra can be so incredible when the Ten Kings have been able to cooperate?"

In the somewhat empty and desolate halls of the Iron Palace, Manfred's questioning voice rose and fell. Theresis, leaning against the dusty throne, glanced at him, remained silent for a moment, and then explained to his student, the new generation of Sarkaz:

"The reason is simple. The establishment of the modern Terran nation, the birth of their national consciousness, state consciousness, and civilization consciousness, was based on struggle, or more accurately, on the struggle against the Sarkaz."

"When you have time, you can read the Sarkaz War history written by your intelligence deputy. Although it contains many negative aspects, its assessment of the various countries is quite accurate."

"—The various races that survived and thrived by tearing apart the colossal beast could only kill each other after that beast withered away. Their birth determined their future."

"Kazdel, the Sarkaz is that behemoth. The ancestors of Terra destroyed Kazdel and established one kingdom and civilization after another. But after losing their common prey, these so-called civilizations that rose to power through such despicable means will eventually turn on each other with the same despicable behavior."

“So,” Tracy paused, her brow furrowed, “their alliance must have a reason.”

"Have they found a new behemoth to gnaw on?" Manfred asked, following this line of thought.

Theresis nodded, then shook her head. "Perhaps, but we haven't obtained any information about it. Maybe what we found wasn't a giant beast, but a steel blade held overhead?"

"Let the shapeshifter go and take a look."

Volume 1: Chapter 293 The Shapeshifter: What kind of power is this?

"I'm really fed up with that old man, Therese."

After receiving the mission from Theresis conveyed by Manfred, the Highlord of the Shapeshifters commented as follows.

Of course, his evaluation would be more complex, profound, lengthy, and literary, but it would essentially convey the same meaning.

"He sent me to Victoria to steal intelligence, sent me to Letania to rescue people, sent me to Iberia to check the scale of the Sea Siege, and now he's sent me to Lateran. Why doesn't he do anything himself? Aren't I tired?"

The shapeshifter wasn't physically exhausted, but rather mentally agitated.

To be honest, among the ten royal courts of Sarkaz, where all sorts of monsters and demons exist, the Shapeshifter Royal Court is the most unique. It's less of a royal court and more of a single king. From top to bottom, the Shapeshifter is the only individual; anyone else claiming to be a Shapeshifter is either an alter ego or a fraud. He wanders outside the royal court year-round, living a life that is both deeply worldly and detached from reality, relying on his ability to transform himself.

When he's in the mood, he can split into hundreds of clones, severing their mental connections and having them play out an entire town in a simulated life game. When he's not in the mood, he can transform into an animal or a plant, staying in one place for decades without moving an inch.

As a member of the royal court who has remained unchanged for thousands of years, he is undoubtedly the oldest ruler of the royal court. However, he is not particularly concerned about the fate of the Sarkaz. The main reason he accepted Theresis's invitation to become his assistant was that "Theresis's idea is interesting and seems feasible."

But Theresis has been giving him far too much trouble lately. Especially the infiltration of Laterano, which is a real headache.

The Sarkaz are not something shapeshifters can easily imitate. The halos above their heads do not belong to them, but come from the so-called gods, that is, the Law. That thing has no physical form and cannot be touched, making it impossible for shapeshifters to mimic. Therefore, disguising oneself as a Sarkaz to enter Laterano is virtually impossible.

The only suitable way is to disguise yourself as a Liberi, since there are quite a few Liberi in Lateran.

However, Lateran's household registration system is extremely strict, especially after the Universal Conference. As if spurred by something, the Sarkaz have intensified their patrols, making it virtually impossible to simply impersonate a Liberi. An identity is required.

"I still have my Liberi identities in different regions. But I really don't want to expose them in a place like this."

The shapeshifter sighed, raised his hand to cover his face, and his flesh began to roll like waves. A few seconds later, when he released his hand from his face, his appearance had been completely transformed into a tall Liberian with very deep facial features.

His clothing also changed accordingly. The clothing, which was originally a mimicry of his body, began to wriggle. The black and green hooded leather jacket gradually shrank and changed into a gray-blue military uniform.

The style of this military uniform is not very common now, but it seems that many clothes still retain some of its features. If someone lived through that era, they would definitely recognize that this is the uniform of a high-ranking officer when the Gallo-Israel Empire still existed.

He became Wright, a Gallic remnant, a Liberian, and the current commander of the Londinium garrison, holding the rank of lieutenant colonel.

This is a rather sensitive identity. But it is also the result of careful selection by the shapeshifters.

It's no secret that Londinium is now occupied by the Sarkaz, but many haven't yet considered the worst-case scenario. Most still believe the Sarkaz only control a portion of Londinium, and that the city council's nobles and the city's defense forces are still acting as a check on them. This includes several grand dukes; whatever their true thoughts, at least outwardly, they all believe this.

Using this identity to travel to Laterano was a test. If the Sarkaz let him in, he could openly observe; if not, he could at least obtain some information, such as whether the formation of the World Alliance was another attempt by some green lynx to play a family tree game with the Sarkaz.

The journey from Victoria to Lateran was not far, taking only four or five days for a shapeshifter.

Soon, the imposing walls of Laterano came into view before the shapeshifters.

The Lateran garrison members quickly spotted a Liberian man dressed as an officer arriving at the Lateran city walls, looking travel-worn and carrying a document authorized by the Lentinium City Council. They then informed the captain on duty.

The garrison captain quickly descended the city wall and arrived at the quarantine gate. He sized up the traveler from afar and inquired:

"Lieutenant Colonel Wright, all the way from Londinium to Lateran? That's quite a distance. How did you manage to get here?"

The stern-faced Lieutenant Colonel Wright shook his head: "I need to speak with His Holiness the Pope alone."

"I'm sorry, His Holiness the Saint is very busy lately. If you want to see him, you must first make an appointment through the Papal Court. If you wish to enter the Papal Court, you must first pass the approval process."

The garrison captain calmly replied.

"The Londinium City Council did not send a representative when the International Conference was convened. Why did you only arrive with documents so long after the conference had already concluded?"

Lieutenant Colonel Wright was silent for a moment, seemingly feeling somewhat annoyed, but forced to speak:

"Because I traveled all the way here. I had to evade the Sarkaz pursuers while also gathering supplies, so I missed the meeting. The date on the document proves when I left Lentinium. As for my identity, I will prove it to His Holiness the Pope."

The issuance date is obviously unreliable; as long as you have a pen, you can fill in next year's date.

But Lieutenant Colonel Wright spoke with absolute certainty, and the garrison captain could hardly find fault with him, so he could only answer in a matter-of-fact manner:

"I'm sorry, but martial law is currently in effect in Laterano, and entry is not permitted without permission. If needed, you can wait in the guard's rest room for a while. I will report this to the Papal Court, and the relevant specialist will be responsible for reviewing this matter."

"How long will it take?" Lieutenant Colonel Wright asked, frowning.

"About three days," the captain replied.

This is an exaggeration. Ever since the Holy Bell rang and the law was revealed, the Papal Court has been holding meetings almost day and night. Whether anyone is still handling the entry verification process is another matter. Even if there are occasional replies, most of them are rejections.

But to everyone's surprise, Lieutenant Colonel Wright suddenly became angry and shouted angrily:

"Does the Universal Conference intend to turn a blind eye to the Sarkaz in Londinium?!"

The roar nearly startled the garrison captain, who hadn't expected Wright, who had just been holding back, to suddenly attack. He stood up, and the surrounding garrison members drew their spears and aimed them at Lieutenant Colonel Wright.

But the shapeshifter, with an air of righteous indignation, shouted:

"The city council had received information that Lateran was convening the conference of all nations to form an alliance and wipe out the Sarkaz people entrenched in Londinium. That's why they sent me out of the city at the risk of my life to attend the conference and provide intelligence on the city to the allied forces. I never expected that I wouldn't even have the chance to enter the city. It seems that the alliance is nothing but a joke!"

The garrison captain gave the Liberian man in front of him a puzzled look, feeling that this man was somewhat eccentric.

"When did Laterano decide to form a coalition to attack the Sarkaz of Londinium?"

"The Council of Nations was ordained by His Holiness the Saint to unite all nations to fight against the natural disaster. A bunch of Sarkaz people, and they're in Londinium, and your Grand Duke has no objections. What business is it of ours?"

The shapeshifter frowned and pressed on, asking, "A natural disaster?"

"Yes, natural disasters. The ocean, Originium, and the ice plains—the three great natural disasters."

The garrison captain said simply, then suddenly, as if remembering something, he changed the subject.

"If you really want to enter the city, there's another way. Migra, go and get that new [Angel], the one that was recently issued by the Papal Palace."

The garrison captain gave instructions to a team member named Migra beside him. The team member nodded and left. A moment later, he returned to the quarantine gate with a triangular unidentified flying object that resembled a drone but had no propellers.

"Let it do a scan; if there are no anomalies, that's fine." The garrison captain pointed to the unidentified flying object. "But this thing carries some risk. We haven't fully mastered how to use it yet. Are you sure you want to use it?"

The guard captain left his words unfinished. After the machine was issued, the Papal Court had demonstrated it to them using another machine. For anything unusual, such as the conch shell the Papal Court confiscated from the Iberian deep-sea bishop, the machine would immediately sound an alarm and launch an attack. This was because it was already programmed by law to be a "threat."

If Wright uses it without any problems, then everyone will be happy. If there are problems, then the Angels will see it as a threat, and the Guard will naturally take action without needing to report to the Papal Court.

Under the watchful eye of the garrison captain, Lieutenant Colonel Wright examined the unfamiliar machine for a moment before nodding.

The shapeshifters' disguises were so sophisticated that even their closest acquaintances would find it difficult to see through them, and there had never been a case where the machines could see through them. He didn't think this time would be an exception.

The word "natural disaster" had piqued the shapeshifter's interest. He was eager to enter the martial law-bound Lateran city to find out what was going on, so he opened his arms and let the captain of the guard lead the [Angel] to him.

A silvery-white unidentified flying object swept past him, seemingly harmless. The shapeshifter, realizing he hadn't revealed any weaknesses, waited for the scan to finish before the sound rang out.

But the next second, the angel's red-glowing camera suddenly shone brightly, followed by a piercing alarm. Before the guards could react, a dazzling beam of light shot out from the lower corner of the angel's triangle, piercing through the head of "Lieutenant Colonel Wright" in front of them.

The mud melted, clearly not yet at the point of collapse, but the shapeshifter suddenly felt that the clone could no longer be maintained and had no choice but to terminate control. Watching the body explode like jelly, its eyes trembled.

It wasn't just because his disguise had been exposed; the machine had decisively launched an attack. It was also because the energy emanating from the beam that had instantly killed his clone reminded him of something unpleasant.

He remembered the last person to use this strange power in battle; that woman's name was Kal'tsit.

Damn it, could I have guessed right? How did that troublesome woman get involved with Laterano again?

P.S.: I went to Guizhou a couple of days ago and caught a cold as soon as I arrived. I started having a fever, runny nose, and cough. I ended up spending two days in the hotel right after starting my trip.

I'm feeling better today, so I'm adding this later. This is a long post, 3500 yuan.

Volume 1: Chapter 294 Holy Scriptures and Indigenous Peoples

"Huh? Someone triggered the security drone?"

Deep underground in the Lateran Papal Palace lies the Church of the Law.

Trevor Friston exclaimed in surprise.