Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

"We are from Rhodes Island Medical Corporation. What happened here? Why were you captured by the Sarkaz?"

Upon hearing the words "Rhodes Island," the silver-haired noblewoman took a deep breath, turned her head away, struggled for a while, and then spoke:

“I am Allard Cumberland.”

Volume 1: Chapter 315 Since you're here, have a seat.

"Cumberland, is it the Cumberland of the Duke of Cumberland?"

Upon hearing Alleide's voice, Vina squeezed through the crowd and asked in surprise.

She recognized the name Cumberland. The Cumberland family had always been the most loyal supporters of the Lion King, and the dukes were known as "forever noble." They were also among the few exceptions who were able to legally remain in the city of Londinium after the last Lion King was executed and the city council issued a ban prohibiting any duke from setting foot in Londinium.

However, a large part of the reason for this was that the Cumberland family, severely damaged by the death of the Lion King, no longer possessed much political influence. Since they had little recollection of the Cumberland family, the city council naturally didn't bother to evict them from their home. It was better to let them remain in Londinium as a symbol of goodwill.

Of course, this is just the Cumberland family's public image. In reality, Vina's relationship with the Cumberland family goes much deeper.

When she was young, she was taken out of Victoria Palace by Gawain, the master of the lion, and rode it all the way to the Duke of Cumberland’s mansion, where she met her and her father who were talking with the Duke of Cumberland at the time.

This naturally included little Alder, who was also quite young at the time, only a few years older than Vina.

Although Vina's memories of her childhood were somewhat hazy, this experience remained vivid in her mind, because it was one of the few times that the Beast Lord Gawain appeared before her, and it was also the last time she saw her father.

After that, the coup occurred. She was smuggled out of Londinium overnight by nobles loyal to the royal family, thus escaping the purge. When she returned to the city, everything had settled down, and the torrential rain had washed away the bloodstains from Londinium, leaving it as it always had been.

Seeing Allard again was a wonderful surprise for Vina. She couldn't wait to ask Miss Cumberland more questions and learn more about the city, but Allard's expression was somewhat puzzled and confused in response to her call.

Vina remembers her, but she doesn't remember Vina.

When they first met, Alde was even older than Vina, so logically she should have been more sensible. But Alde wasn't Vina who had escaped Londinium. Over the years in Londinium, she had grown up and experienced far too much. That glimpse from the attic in her childhood and that encounter in the garden had long since become dusty fragments in the corners of her memory; she couldn't remember them, nor did she want to recall them.

Those were memories that, in comparison, only made her feel despair and pain towards reality.

"Excuse me, do you recognize me?"

The King of Shapeshifters made a deal with her, giving her the opportunity to contact Rhodes Island, guide them, help them, and even sacrifice herself for them if necessary. But he didn't tell her that some of these people would recognize him.

Isn't they a medical company?

However, the fact that a medical company is involved in the vortex of Lentinium, and even attracts the attention of someone like the King of Shapeshifters, speaks volumes.

Moreover, the lady who struck up a conversation with her...

Allardy frowned deeply as she sized up the tall, blonde woman, Felin, before her, and an unbelievable guess flashed through her mind.

"This is Princess Vina, the Crown Princess of Aslan. She has returned to save Lontinim!"

Dagda preemptively introduced Vina, even directly revealing her identity.

"Duke of Cumberland, swear allegiance to your future king, and we will help you!"

“Vina…” Alder murmured the name, biting her lip, before finally snapping back to reality and saying, “Greetings, Princess Alexandria. You… have finally returned.”

I'm finally back, but it's a bit too late.

Alde thought to herself.

When she heard Vina's name, a glimmer of hope seemed to rekindle in her eyes. But this glimmer was quickly overshadowed by her honed ability to analyze situations.

The murky waters of Londinium are far beyond what a single returning prince can quell. Neither the Duke of Godotin, who is funding her, nor the treacherous King of Shapeshifters and the Sarkaz are easy opponents. Not to mention, beyond them, the Iron Duke of Wellington, the Duke of Normandy, the Duke of Windermere, and even a host of other core states are all eyeing the city of Londinium.

Vina's return doesn't feel like a triumphant return; it's more like walking into a trap.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. Aldette knew that her most important task at the moment was not to take care of the so-called heir, but to save the lives of the dozens of members of the council.

To complete the mission, the first task is to communicate with Rhodes Island.

Alder simply gave Vina a perfunctory bow before turning her gaze back to Roy and Kal'tsit. This time, she had a smoother way of bringing up the topic:

"So that's how it is. Rhodes Island Medical Corporation, so you're the organization that escorted Crown Prince Athlan back home? You're quite something. Do you know how long those dukes have been searching for Princess Alexandria?"

Roy had no doubt that if Kroos were present, she would be raving about her security system, which only seemed incredibly impressive from a distance. But Roy didn't have that time. He knew Aldebaran's situation and that behind her stood another participant in this Londinium game—Duke Godotin. So, without a word, he turned to Kal'tsit beside him and said:

“There should be surveillance around, possibly on the men of some duke. I’ll go and clear things out, so Vina’s identity isn’t exposed so soon.”

Kelsey nodded.

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

The man in the grey top hat felt like he had found a treasure!

Since the mysterious disappearance of Aldei Cumberland, Duke Godotin's activities in the city of Londinium have been significantly restricted.

When Allardy was still alive, the Grey Hat had a fixed place to rest and communicate at the Duke's mansion, and could also remotely control the nobles in the city to a certain extent. The search for the King's Sword could also proceed more smoothly. But now that Allardy is gone, these tasks, at least the rest area and the control over the nobles in the city, have encountered huge problems.

The Sarkaz had gathered the nobles in the council tower, placing it under tight security. No matter how skilled the Grey Hat was, he couldn't infiltrate the building. The Duke's mansion was empty, and without Alede's assistance, the Grey Hat dared not easily set foot inside.

Therefore, finding Allarde has become one of Grey Hats' important tasks in the city of Londinium recently.

Unexpectedly, not only was Aldebaran found, but there was also a buy-one-get-one-free offer, and even bigger information came in!

"Aslan's crown prince is back! This is such important intelligence, I must make a name for myself!"

If it weren't for his excellent personal manners that kept him in check, the man in the grey top hat would probably have burst out laughing by now.

He was eager to leave and head to the newest contact point to deliver the intelligence to Duke Godotin, but he had barely taken a step when a friendly call came from behind him:

"Since you're already here, why don't you sit for a while before you leave?"

Volume 1: Chapter 316 Encounter

"A grey top hat has gone missing?"

The Duke of Caesar, who was already quite overwhelmed with work, looked up and asked in surprise.

The man in the grey top hat bowed and nodded apologetically.

"Yes, Your Majesty the Duke."

What was the last piece of intelligence he sent before losing contact?

The man in the grey top hat, who was already prepared, replied:

"He discovered the Duke of Cumberland's whereabouts. She had been captured by the Sarkaz in the city and was being transported towards the city council. Besides her, many other nobles in the city were also being held there."

The Duke of Caesar nodded.

She was fully aware of the situation within Londinium, and she was also well aware of the Sarkaz's perverse actions. But the Grand Dukes maintained the utmost tacit understanding, which meant they blatantly lied and pretended not to see anything.

The two eyes she kept in the city of Londinium were one bright and one dark; the bright one belonged to Duke Cumberland, and the dark one to the Grey Hat spy.

Now that both of his eyes are malfunctioning, and given the Sarkaz’s recent actions, the Duke of Castells can no longer ignore it, even if he wanted to.

"The war has begun."

She sighed softly.

“Imprison the nobles, pluck out their eyes, use Aldebaran to lure out my spies, and the Sarkaz have already begun clearing the city. Process the compensation for that man in the grey top hat according to the proper procedures.”

After she finished speaking, she lowered her head again, the terminal in her hand displaying a layout map of the wilderness outside the city of Londinium.

Although each duke had tried to conceal it, such an obvious mobilization—sending high-speed warships to Londinium—could not possibly have escaped the notice of their respective intelligence agents. According to the Duke of Caesar's current intelligence, apart from the Iron Duke Wellington, who remained inactive and whose stance was unclear, the other grand dukes should have begun their own mobilizations. Godottin had already marched south, the peace negotiations between Windermere and Letania had achieved a major breakthrough, and large quantities of steel within Normandy had disappeared without a trace.

It is foreseeable that in the not-too-distant future, the area outside Londinium will present a magnificent spectacle unlike any other in history.

Victoria's cannons will be aimed at its symbols, and the city that never falls will be crowned a new ruler. Kast does not want to be the loser, and clearly, neither do their adversaries, the Sarkaz.

"Put aside your other work for now. The Grey Hats in Londinium are also temporarily on the defensive. Focus your main attention on the other Grand Dukes and outside Londinium. The Sarkaz have taken the initiative."

The Duke of Caesar raised his head and said,

"An army of scavengers cannot be dealt with by a few cannonballs."

.........

"Is this Londinium? Do those damned nobles treat this place like a holy site?"

Deeppool has a cooperative relationship with the Sarkaz, and Mandra encountered no obstacles in entering Lentinium.

Manfred was the one who escorted her. This Sarkaz general was wrapped in bandages and looked extremely disheveled, so much so that when Mandela saw him, she thought that Lontinim had already been captured by the dukes.

She tried to ask Manfred what had happened in the city and why he was injured. But the Sarkaz general was tight-lipped, and even after she talked until she was hoarse, she only got the reply, "Just a small group of intruders, nothing to worry about. We'll handle it quickly. You don't need to worry about it."

It wasn't very informative; all I learned was that a group of intruders had infiltrated Lontinim.

But intruders are not surprising. Even if Mandra is stupid, with Rahmoni around every day, he can guess the extent of Isaacaz's control over Lontinim. It must have been thoroughly infiltrated long ago.

"Please stay here for the time being. The city is under martial law, so do not move around unnecessarily. If you encounter any Sarkaz, do not attempt to use force, otherwise we can take the most severe measures. This is also stipulated in the contract."

"Lead Mandra into the room in the Iron Palace," Manfred emphasized.

From the moment he saw Mandela, he could see the unease and impatience in her eyes, and he knew that Mandela would not truly submit to the Sarkaz's arrangements. But he still had to say what needed to be said.

To punish someone without warning is cruel. If he didn't speak up, it was because Sarkaz hadn't fulfilled his duty. If he did speak up and Mandra still committed the crime, then she had brought it upon herself, and Manfred would definitely not show any mercy!

Especially now, with the situation in the city of Lentinium being more tense than ever before.

"correct."

Before Manfred left, Mandela suddenly asked,

"Do you Sarkaz know anything about that building outside the city?"

Manfred narrowed his eyes, his gaze towards Mandela becoming more serious, but he quickly shook his head:

"I don't know, but we will investigate there."

The fact that they're conducting an investigation means they haven't gotten involved yet?