Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

"Sorry, I was going to give you a surprise."

Wayne shook his head helplessly. The carefully prepared beautiful moment had been turned into a massive teenage karaoke session, and he was quite frustrated.

Theresa gently shook her head:

"No, rather, it's a pleasant surprise."

She glanced at Vina, a fleeting look of envy crossing her eyes, but quickly concealed so intensely that even Wayne, standing right next to her, didn't notice. She spoke:

"Mr. Bruce, don't you think it's a very happy thing to be able to do this kind of thing with your friends at this age?"

happiness?

Wayne froze for a moment, the flickering light illuminating Theresa's profile and the serene smile that always graced her face. Vina's image was reflected in her eyes, but her thoughts were on all the boys and girls of that age.

Wouldn't it be too tiring to carry such a heavy burden on your shoulders?

He wanted to ask that question, but before he could utter it, the answer had already resonated in his heart—a poetic response from someone who, like Theresa, was searching for light in the long night:

The streetlights streamed through the window, dimly illuminating the room. Familiar walls, the sharp lines of the walls, stacks of books, unfinished art books beside them, and the ongoing night outside. The boundless distance, countless people—all are connected to me.

The night gave them black eyes, but they used them to seek the light.

Realizing the answer, Wayne could only sigh softly and stand silently behind Theresa.

Theresa's voice whispered in his ear:

"My dream is that everyone on earth will be able to sleep peacefully in the quiet of the night, without being exhausted by the trivialities of today or weary from the struggle for tomorrow." What is Mr. Bruce's dream?

Wayne silently picked up his glass and took a small sip. What was his dream?

After a brief moment of thought, he turned his head, reached out, and placed his hand against Theresa's slender waist, saying earnestly:

"My dream is to be a pillar behind people like Theresa, just like I am now."

Wayne is a time traveler, but not a great man. Time travelers, with their advanced knowledge and broad vision, can easily achieve unprecedented feats, but they are fundamentally different from great men.

Standing on the shoulders of giants to pluck stars from the night sky is not the same as becoming a giant and piercing the endless darkness.

Wayne had long realized this; driven by self-interest that far outweighed public duty, he was destined to be different from pioneers like Theresa, a fact he was acutely aware of. But even so, what did it matter?

Even the sturdiest ship needs a harbor, and even the strongest person needs a shoulder to lean on. Wayne may not become a great man who pierces the darkness, but he can protect these tenacious sparks in the cold, snowy night. A prairie fire needs fuel to burn. If you can't be a great man, then be one of those who stand behind him. They may not be the same kind of people, but they can be fellow travelers who rely on each other.

I may not be a beautiful girl, but I can protect beautiful girls! I may not have a dream, but I can protect the dreams of those I cherish!

Upon hearing Wayne's answer, Theresa's face showed a brief moment of surprise, but quickly, a genuine smile bloomed on her lips. This smile no longer carried the helplessness of sadness, nor concealed the envy of resignation; as she smiled, Theresa became increasingly convinced that she had chosen the right person.

She took two steps back, walked to the wall, and leaned against it with Wayne, watching the joyful Glasgow gang in the distance. Looking at the violin in Vina's hands, she suddenly turned her head, tilted her head slightly upwards, and looked at Wayne, saying:

"Actually, I can also play the violin. Would Mr. Bruce like to hear me play a piece?"

"That violin was originally prepared for you."

With a slightly surprised look on Theresa's face, Wayne put down his wine glass, took Theresa's hand, and walked to the center of the banquet hall. Vina, who was playing a suona tune on her violin, also came to her senses upon seeing this. Her gaze swept over Wayne and Theresa, and her slightly flushed cheeks revealed shallow dimples when she smiled. She understood and handed her violin to Theresa, gesturing for Indra to turn off the phonograph.

Theresa took the violin, turned her head, and rolled her eyes at Wayne.

The demon race, known for its ruggedness, has a princess who is a young girl who loves elegant instruments like the violin. She knows even this secret that Teresa herself is unaware of. Mr. Bruce, is there anyone on this land who knows me better than you?

Theresa closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and gently placed the bow on the strings.

"Then I'll make a fool of myself."

Let me play a song for you, my "soulmate".

Chapter 109 Keep the good stuff within the family

Victoria, Lentinium, banquet hall.

Therese leaned alone against the windowsill, moonlight streaming in and casting a shadow in front of him.

In the distance, Theresa was playing her violin solo. It was only today that Theresa learned of her sister's unique talent. The violin's melodious strains flowed like warm spring water, seemingly depicting a scene of lovers strolling hand in hand under the warm sun, a scene that captivated the heart.

Therese had never attended a concert by Letania's musical masters, and for him, this impromptu performance was the best piece of music he had ever heard, aside from the military band's music. But highbrow art is often misunderstood; he could recognize the performers' superb skill, but he couldn't discern the emotion Therese was trying to convey. After listening quietly for about five minutes, Therese closed his eyes, turned around, leaned against the windowsill, and downed the remaining red wine in his glass.

He looked up at the second moon unique to the Terran lands, and couldn't help but recall his brief meeting with Wayne before the banquet.

........

Victoria, Iron Palace, Londinium, 5:10 pm. One hour and thirty minutes before the banquet begins.

Guided by Shining, Therese arrived at the reception room, where Wayne was already sitting on the sofa in the main seat, waiting for him.

To be honest, when the Shining came to tell him that Theresis wanted to see him alone, Wayne wasn't too surprised.

This regent, Victoria, the usurper of the Sarkaz in the original storyline, shares many similarities with Wayne. To some extent, Wayne can roughly understand what Theresis is thinking. At this crucial juncture, when the Demon Queen Theresia has essentially secured her marriage to Victoria, Wayne isn't surprised that this guy would come looking for him.

"Please sit down."

Wayne pointed to the sofa opposite him, and Therese nodded and sat down decisively.

There were no superfluous pleasantries or aristocratic greetings, not even a "thank you," Theresis went straight to the point.

“Your Highness, since Theresa has been hesitant to tell you about this matter, I will have to do it for her.”

His face was as hard as an unbreakable rock, and his tone of voice always carried a natural hoarseness and heaviness, sounding like a boulder rolling down a cliff, full of oppressive force.

What are your thoughts on the Kazdel Civil War?

"idea?"

Wayne raised an eyebrow, finding it somewhat amusing:

"Chairman Theresis, are you here to discuss how to overthrow my fiancée's leadership of her country? What are you thinking?"

Therese's lips twitched, but she still said firmly:

“Someone like you should know very well that Theresa is not suited to govern a country.”

Wayne waved his hand to interrupt:

“Then you shouldn’t have consulted me. First, I’m Theresa’s husband, not your wife. Who do you think I’d side with in this kind of thing? Second, I’m not the one in charge of Victoria, my sister is. You should talk to her about matters involving the country, instead of wasting my time. You might be more likely to convince Vina than I am.”

Therese blinked, thinking to herself that the first half of the statement was correct, but the second half, Wayne, was truly a blatant lie. Leaving aside the question of who was in charge of Victoria, if you gave your sister advice, would she disagree?

Theresis still vividly remembers spending ages in the command vehicle contemplating a decapitation tactic, only to be met with Vina's disgusted expression upon receiving the throne. Though she didn't know how she managed it, neither Vina, who had seized the throne, nor Wayne, who had been dethroned, seemed to harbor any hatred for each other.

Moreover, Therese didn't think the chances of persuading Vina were any higher than persuading Wayne. The Queen Victoria now only did three things every day: first, get up and be forced to be a stamping machine; second, have afternoon tea with Theresa; and third, have meals with Wayne.

Friendships between women can be terrifying. Therese had no confidence that she could persuade Vina, so she might as well go to Wayne, who seemed more rational.

It's possible that the Kazdel civil war wasn't even his idea. As he just said at the beginning, it was something "Theresia hadn't told Wayne." Theresis was just doing it for him.

But Wayne's answer was unexpectedly decisive.

“I would not agree to such a thing.”

Just kidding. His goal from the very beginning was to prevent the Kazdel civil war and Theresa's assassination. Now that he has finally managed to steer the wheels of history in an unknown direction, how could he let the so-called corrective force fix it back?

Wayne understood better than anyone the enormous butterfly effect that would have been if the Kazdel civil war hadn't broken out. W might not have joined Reunion, Ines might not have met Hadley, the evil spirits of Babel might have ceased to exist, and even Rhodes Island and CEO Amiya might not have appeared.

But this is not the reason he allowed a war that had already been prevented to break out.

Even if the future becomes an unknown fog from now on, and Wayne's precognitive abilities regarding the plot are completely severed, he does not intend to continue his prophetic abilities by causing tragedy to occur.

He looked at Theresis and said:

"Chairman Theresis, unlike Theresa, I don't object to your idea of ​​relying on military force to ensure Kazdel's smooth rise. But I must remind you, do you want Kazdel to become an army with a nation, or a nation with an army? Do you want the pen to command the gun, or the gun to manipulate the pen? You must think this through. As for whose idea it was to use civil war to cover up the reconstruction of Kazdel, that's not important, I will not agree to it."

Seeing Theresis deep in thought, Wayne continued:

“Actually, you can transport the building materials for the mobile cities in Kazdel to Victoria. There is plenty of wasteland on Terra, and it’s not unusual for the vast Victoria to build a few mobile cities. I have the ability to guarantee you a relatively peaceful period of development before you officially debut on Terra.”

Therese narrowed her eyes.

Temporarily abandoning the idea of ​​civil war and carefully considering Wayne's words, it is indeed a very tempting proposal.

In fact, This was exactly what Theresis had planned from the beginning. After the Kazdel Civil War ended, with the help of the Sarkaz army and the rebellious nobles within Victoria, he marched into Londinium during the gap in the Aslan throne being vacant, became regent, and then used Victoria's resources to build the city of Kazdel, thus resurrecting it and ensuring Kazdel's safe rise.

Although this plan failed due to Wayne's series of actions and Vina's rapid ascension to the throne and stabilization of the country, Wayne has now proposed a similar solution.

However, compared to Theresis becoming regent himself and getting a free rein of power, relying on Wayne and Vina's help to achieve this plan would inevitably come at a price.

"So, Prince of Wales," Tracy asked. "What is the price?"

Satisfied with Theresis's understanding, Wayne smiled and nodded, leaning back on the sofa, and said:

"You're exchanging destroyers for bases. You're using Victoria as your 'base' and accepting Victoria's protection. In return, you'll have to pay the price of 'destroyers.' What I want are you, the members of the Kazdel Military Council, and the talents of the Sarkaz."

Wayne has long coveted Kazdel. Sarkaz is like the State of Wei during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, teeming with outstanding talents. Not only do they have individual warriors like Surtr and Mudrock, but also strategic talents like Logos and Wendigo. However, Kazdel is a prime example of poverty and weakness, its people scattered and its courts fragmented. Talented individuals have either fled to Ursus, gone to Columbia, or are even wandering the entire Terra, their fate uncertain—who knows which country will ultimately claim them?

Rather than letting other countries reap the benefits, it's better to let Victoria accept everything. Wayne will provide a base and protection to help Kazdel rise to power, while Kazdel will be responsible for handing over "destroyer" personnel to Wayne to bolster Victoria's currently weak command system, military commanders, and special forces.

As the saying goes, "Don't let the good stuff go to outsiders."

...........

When Theresa finished playing, the atmosphere in the banquet hall returned to its noisy state. Theresa's thoughts were also interrupted.

He subconsciously raised his wine glass, wanting to take a sip of the red wine he didn't often get to drink, only to find that the glass was already empty, and could only sigh helplessly.

Are destroyers relocating to new bases?

"Therese murmured to himself."

Indeed, Kazdel is currently incapable of absorbing and utilizing the talents within its borders. It's hard for Theresis to imagine how much of a threat they would pose to the nation's development if they hadn't been recruited by Wayne to join Victoria, but instead had gone to countries like Letania or Kazimierz and become enemies of Kazdel.

Since talent is bound to leave eventually, it's better for it to flow into Victoria than to the enemy. At least for now, Victoria is Kazdel's only ally. With talent in the hands of an ally, the stronger the ally, the more secure Kazdel will be. As long as their general interests align, they won't turn against each other. But if talent falls into the hands of an enemy, it will weaken Victoria's power. If Victoria can't withstand the pressure, Kazdel will ultimately face destruction.

This may be a last resort, but it is indeed the best solution. From the moment Wayne made this suggestion, Theresis had no other choice.

"So, what do you think?"

Wayne appeared beside Theresis at some point, carrying a glass jug, and refilled Theresis's glass before raising his own.

Therese took a deep breath, a helpless expression on her face, raised her glass, and clinked it with Wayne's.

"Then, it's a pleasure to cooperate."

Chapter 110 Receiving Shareholders and Reporters

Colombia.

Located in the western part of the continent, Colombia is a newly emerging technological nation. In this country, there are no kings, emperors, nobles, or landowners—a complete reversal of the rules upon which many other nations on this continent have relied for their survival. Here, merchants and businesses have become the rule-makers, and the amount of money one possesses is the standard by which power is measured.