Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

"Saria asked."

Christen nodded, took a full-written leather notebook from a drawer in his desk, handed it to Saria, and explained:

"I observed and experimented with it for a long time, and finally got an incredible result. The black stone may be alive."

"However, due to the inability to cut and sample the black stone for analysis, this conclusion has always been at the final step from conjecture to empirical verification."

"But according to the reports Dorothy and Ferdinand submitted to me, Blackrock has the ability to repel all Originium Arts, including those that can alter the structure of matter from within. But they are ineffective not in the usual way, where other Originium-resistant materials do not react. Instead, they cause chaos."

"The moment Originium Arts come into contact with and act upon the Black Stone, it will immediately become chaotic. The energy of the spell, the way it is output, and the effects it produces will all become disordered. The most likely result of this disorder is that the entire spell will completely disintegrate and fail to take shape."

Seria grasped the key point in Christen's words:

"Could this chaos lead to other outcomes?"

Christen nodded hesitantly:

"This is just theory. Theoretically speaking, the Originium energy input into Blackrock actually exists, but it is wasted meaninglessly within Blackrock due to the chaos. Therefore, if this chaos reaches a certain special point, the Originium energy may change as a result. To give a more vivid example, the Originium Arts you release are actually flames, but after being released through the chaos of Blackrock, they are transformed into a gale."

After Christen finished speaking, she shook her head again:

"But this is just theory. Because chaos is a state, if chaos could have a certain point where another stable state happens to go through chaos and then recover to another stable state, then chaos itself could not be called chaos."

“But we can’t rule out the possibility that this could happen,” Seria added. “The probability of a falling plank landing precisely on a thin pencil is almost zero, but it’s not impossible. We can achieve this stability by hand or machine—we just need to find the precise point of contact.”

Christen glanced at Saria in astonishment, never expecting that her close friend, who was known for her conservative and steady approach, would come up with such a "creative" idea for this experiment.

Indeed, while there is no discernible pattern to the chaos within Blackrock, it doesn't mean they can't create patterns artificially.

All we need to do is tailor that "point of leverage" for Blackstone.

"anchor."

Seraya said,

“I think it could be called an anchor. A tool the Iberians used to balance their ships in the unknown and chaotic waves of the sea.”

Volume 1: Chapter 333 The Struggle for Hegemony

What does the future hold for Victoria?

This is the question that has been on Vina's mind the most these past few days.

From the moment she picked up the Breath of Kings, she was prepared to shoulder the responsibilities of being a queen. But a recent event has forced her to consider another issue.

Did Victoria need a king?

Lolo, a member of the Londinium Self-Salvation Army, an ordinary-looking young working-class girl who is also a strong fighter, questioned her in this way.

She met her at Allard Cumberland's mansion. When they first met, the child was secretly hiding outside the garden fence, observing the activities inside Cumberland's mansion through the sparse, withered flowers and plants.

Indra was the first to step forward and grab her. The little girl wanted to run away, but when she saw so many people, she resigned herself to her fate and gave up on running away. Instead, she took out her staff, looking as if she was going to fight to the death to uphold loyalty and righteousness.

Fortunately, Aldebaran noticed the commotion in time and stopped Lolo from launching an attack. Otherwise, given Indra and his group's methods, the little girl might have suffered a great deal of "torture."

Lolo, brought to the Duke of Cumberland's mansion, naturally met Vina, who was also warmly introduced to him by Dagda. But unexpectedly, this self-help army girl, who seemed to be living a very difficult life, showed no joy, excitement, anger, or resentment upon learning of Vina's status as the heir to the royal family; instead, she was filled with doubt.

Questioning Vina's motives.

“I am very grateful to you for saving me, but the rest of the Self-Rescue Army are still waiting for me to return. Now that Miss Aldey’s safety is guaranteed, there is no need for me to stay here any longer.”

Lolo said bluntly,

"As for Miss Vina's identity, I will not tell anyone. But I must also remind you that if you think that if you hold that sword and shout out, people will recognize you as king, then you should think it over carefully."

"Victoria, do we still need a king?"

"Mr. Roy, what are your thoughts?"

Looking at Roy sitting across from her on the sofa, holding an outdated old newspaper, Vina hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking,

"Do you also think that Victoria doesn't actually need a king now?"

Roy looked up and glanced at Vina, whose face was full of hesitation.

She always seemed to hesitate and waver, which was somewhat inconsistent with her codename "King of Progress," which was full of ambition and determination.

But Roy didn't criticize her. Anyone would feel lost and confused when faced with such a huge responsibility, especially when she had an easier option.

So he looked away and answered the question with a question:

Do you think the Sarkaz need a Demon King?

Vina frowned, pondered for a moment, and shook her head:

"I don't think that's necessary. Miss Amiya... or rather, Miss Theresa, didn't she say in the end that she would give up the position of Demon King?"

Theresa's soul is incomplete. She can temporarily wield the Demon King's power in Amiya's body by borrowing the power of the Sarkaz spirits in order to fight against Theresa. But this cannot last long. Like firewood, it will eventually burn out.

Because Roy intervened, Theresa didn't expend too much energy fighting Theresis, which might prolong the fight, but it wouldn't be for too long.

Regarding her future plans, she clearly stated that she would take Theresis's remains to the sacred land of the Sarkaz, where she would personally learn about the more than two hundred years of grievances between him and the Demon King who had haunted the Sarkaz race for thousands of years. Afterward, she would return Amiya intact.

It's quite remarkable that Theresis and Theresia, who vehemently opposed each other on various points of view, surprisingly reached a consensus on the final disposition of the Demon Lord's authority.

—Smash those shackles!

Roy nodded. "That's Theresa's answer. But what about you? What do you think?"

“I think…” Vina hesitated for a moment, then shook her head: “I don’t think this is right. Although I’m not a Sarkaz, if the Sarkaz are besieged again in the future, they will have a hard time protecting themselves without the power of the Demon King.”

"Is it because they lack the power of the Demon King?" Roy countered, and before Vina could answer, he continued, "The Sarkaz have never lacked power."

"Whether it's the Blood Demon, the Carrion Eater, or the Shapeshifter, their strength is beyond doubt. Their race also has inherent unique characteristics. Although I don't advocate this view, if we're talking about the strength and quality of bloodlines, the Sarkaz bloodline is definitely top-notch."

"But why, even with such immense power, does the Sarkaz still lead a life of wandering? Besides the oppression from the various nations of the land, what else is there?"

"Theresis realized the answer—because the Sarkaz were never united."

"He also offered his own solution: a strong leader should unite the entire tribe and then lead the tribe to exert greater power to overturn everything in the past."

While not entirely accurate, this political system does resemble the characteristics described in the Black Line regime of a Paradox Interactive game that Roy had played before his transmigration.

Roy will set aside judging the merits of politics for now, and simply consider the most basic logic:

"Isn't the Sarkaz problem also Victoria's problem?"

“Victoria doesn’t need a king anymore. If it’s just about making a living, Parliament, the nobility, and the people themselves can manage everything. But Victoria still needs a leader.”

“This leader can be the speaker of parliament, the prime minister, the president, a dictator, a tyrant, a saint, or a great nobleman.”

"The one that is best suited for Victoria will be the future Victoria."

Roy looked at Vina and said slowly:

“That little girl is right, Vina. If you’re thinking that as long as you raise that sword, Victoria will support you to become king, and let you take on responsibilities and power, then you really should leave Londinium sooner rather than later.”

"Because you are in a life-or-death competition."

“You did not inherit the crown and scepter from your father and rightfully become the master of everything. Instead, you started on the same starting line as many others. Your status will bring you a little closer to the finish line, but if you hesitate to start, those behind you will catch up with you and kill you sooner or later.”

"Of course, you can choose to give up this competition. But you absolutely cannot hesitate!"

"Hesitation leads to defeat."

Volume 1: Chapter 334 The Victorian Civil War

"The land where the empire began, is back in my hands."

When the Victorian flag was raised over Londinium, the Grand Dukes were unaware of what was happening in the city.

It wasn't until the city gate, which had been held by the Sarkaz, rose with a dull thud, revealing the long-unseen Londinium and Crown Prince Aslan to the world, that the Grand Dukes finally came to their senses.

Holy crap, someone stole our thunder!

To be honest, the Sarkaz and their military council were never true adversaries in the eyes of the Grand Dukes of Victoria. How could a force with a weak industrial base, outdated training, and lacking even high-speed warships possibly compare to a Grand Duke of Victoria, whose duchy was equivalent to that of an average country?

Their only enemy from the beginning was each other, and the fall of Lentinium gave them a legitimate reason to bring this struggle, which had previously been fought only underwater, into the open.

But the fact that Sarkaz is unimportant doesn't mean Londinium is unimportant. All the Grand Dukes know that whoever is the first to set foot in Londinium is the winner in this struggle. Londinium is like a grand trophy; its covetousness and elusiveness stem from its immense value.

Moreover, Londinium is the largest mobile city on Terra, with more than two hundred blocks supporting a population of over a million. The productivity and GDP of this city are several times that of some small countries.

To think you can easily get Lontinium is wishful thinking, and anyone who doesn't want Lontinium is utterly foolish!

But what they never expected was that after all the cunning and manipulative dukes had used every means at their disposal—open and covert struggles, armed conflict, espionage, diplomatic maneuvering—Lentinium had been secretly snuck away and taken over by someone else!

How could this be tolerated? Shouldn't they have flipped the table on the spot?

The dukes, their faces flushed, necks stiff, teeth clenched, fists clenched, glared at Lentinium and Vina for a long time before finally letting go.

Well, there's no way around it, I really have to put up with it.

It's unclear what the Dukes of Cavendish and Stafford were doing back then, as the royal family of Aslan wasn't completely wiped out. Now, suddenly, an "Alexandria Victoria" has appeared in Londinium. She's a legitimate member of the royal family and has reclaimed the city of Londinium on her own merits. The Grand Dukes are truly at a loss for what to do.

What? You want to overturn the table? They're the legitimate ones, and if you rush in and try to take Lentinium from them, that's treason!

Don't assume that just because all the grand dukes are dissatisfied with this outcome, they'll help you. While the other grand dukes are indeed unhappy with Aslan's recapture of Londinium, that doesn't mean they don't want to deal with you. If you defy the world and attack Londinium now, the most likely outcome is that the other grand dukes, already seething with resentment, will immediately declare their allegiance to the king, and their already prepared armies will be at your doorstep.

Since Lentinium is already a done deal, it's acceptable to try and snatch it from you instead of securing Lentinium.

Your Majesty, I am a loyal subject! Watch as I am ordered to punish the traitors and annihilate the rebel king!

Of course, even if the grand dukes temporarily abandoned their immediate rebellious intentions, it didn't mean that Vina could secure her throne. The real crisis she would face was the beginning of a series of challenges, including "imperial power not extending beyond Londinium," "political turmoil, regional separatism, and a weak central government."

Moreover, while most of the grand dukes had become obedient, there was one exception.

The day after Vina officially opened the gates of Londinium, Wellington, the most famous general and most powerful duke in Victoria, who was stationed in the Victoria Tara region, publicly declared his rebellion!