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

Wayne frowned. Kal'tsit's sudden use of riddles made him feel somewhat anxious.

Fiona was in unusually high spirits, even in a state of euphoria, a stark contrast to her listless appearance yesterday, which was not a good sign.

Fireworks always die at their most brilliant moment, and Kal'tsit doesn't seem to be the type to sit idly by and watch a life pass away before her eyes.

What is holding her back?

Finally, Kal'tsit spoke up, trying to dissuade Wayne, explaining the pros and cons, and weighing the risks: "Your Highness Wayne, this is dangerous... As a member of the Victorian royal family, you shouldn't take this risk..."

But Wayne shook his head and asked directly:

What is the success rate?

"99.9%"

Wayne: "You... what are you hesitating about?"

"Kal'tsit, do it, now."

"You stay here and watch over me. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Kal'tsit took a deep breath, her gaze hardening once more.

She's become too sentimental and not rational enough.

It's only natural that Wayne would choose to save Fiona, just like when he saved the child with the Originium bomb that was comparable to a nuclear bomb in Sargon. When it comes to acts of kindness and saving others that are within reach, they are both selfless and unwavering.

As expected of a man who is one of her own kind and has earned Theresa's approval, it would be illogical for Wayne not to make such a decision.

But why was I so worried about him just now? I even had those kinds of thoughts...?

Kal'tsit's mind suddenly flashed back to Theresa's "just kidding," and she shook her head sharply, using the darkness to hide her blushing face, and replied to Wayne:

"I understand. Since this is your decision, Your Highness Wayne, have a safe journey."

"I will stay here and protect you until you return victorious!"

Chapter 85 You will surely be the person on earth who cherishes life the most.

The ancient territory of the Empire of Consciousness.

All life in the world reveals its most primal and authentic form within the Empire of Consciousness. It can be said that, apart from Vayne, the humanoid Fourth Calamity disguised as a lion, no one can deceive others here.

Even so, Wayne was still startled by Fiona's soul. The Vayvan girl's soul was not the wyvern Wayne had imagined; it wasn't even a creature, but rather a scene.

A strangely shaped "prison".

The massive alloy prison has three levels, each containing dozens of cells. Because it is encased within Wayne's consciousness empire, the condition of the cells is clearly visible from his perspective, and it is equally shocking.

There were no prisoners in those cells, only dead animals lying on the ground. Among them were the weaker animals such as Felin (cat), Lupo (wolf), Pero (dog), and Volpo (fox), as well as the stronger animals such as Adaklis (crocodile), Ediphia (deer), Caprini (sheep), and even the extremely strong Vaiva (wyvern) could not escape their fate.

Wayne even noticed that there were a few Sarkaz demons and Sarkaz angels among them, but even these two races were unable to hold out until the end.

Their conditions were identical: their bodies were bound in shackles and locked firmly to the walls of the cage, their wide-open eyes lifeless, devoid of any vitality.

The first level was like this, the second level was like this, and even the third level, which had the fewest people, had been mostly transformed into this state. When Wayne finally saw the last surviving young wyvern in the center of the "prison," he finally understood what this prison really was.

A three-tiered structure that binds the soul, squeezes the spirit, gathers power, and finally releases Originium Arts.

Is this the manifestation of the "link device" in Fiona's mind in the Consciousness Empire?

Wayne had to admit that Loken Williams's technical skill was truly terrifying. The Consciousness Empire was probably the most mysterious and purest place on Terra. It was inhabited by mythical creatures like Cerpallos, the three-headed hellhound, the original form of Little K. To be able to build such a structure here to bind souls, and even to the point of touching the edge of mass production, was a level of technology that, if not unparalleled in the future, was at least unprecedented.

However, the more successful the technology, the more unacceptable the price to pay. The hundreds of souls drained from those three layers of soul prisons are the best indictment of Loken Williams' crimes. After witnessing such a human tragedy, no one can shamelessly say—"Forgive Loken Williams" anymore.

Wayne found it hard to accept after just a cursory glance, so what was the condition of the "brothers" who were actually trapped in this prison?

Every day, you watch your fellow human beings being drained dry, every day you witness one soul after another being burned to ashes, never knowing who will be next, never knowing if you will be unable to open your eyes again at dawn the next day. What kind of torment is this?

They are not some great people with strong willpower; they are not even adults. They are just a group of innocent children who were abandoned and exploited by evil people.

In this truly precarious state, they endured for nearly a year for Fiona, sacrificing the lives of hundreds of souls to grant her a year of peace, allowing her to experience the luxurious life of an "ordinary child." Only at the very end, with all their comrades on the verge of death, did they finally decide to seek revenge at all costs.

They call themselves the epitome of selfish Colombians, which is more or less a form of self-mockery. Since they clearly couldn't carry their good deed through to the end, why didn't they refrain from giving Fiona such a vague and unrealistic hope in the first place?

But Wayne had no grounds to blame them. They had indeed done enough, like good people who donate money to help students; he couldn't be branded as an ungrateful villain just because he eventually stopped donating. Besides, what the brothers donated to Fiona wasn't money, but a year of her life.

Some people pray for three days of light to observe the world, but the brothers gave Fiona a year to experience this land and to feel the warmth that still exists behind its cruelty.

“You guys are an amazing group of brothers.”

Wayne addressed the souls who were no longer capable of responding to his words:

“Fiona did not trust you wrongly.”

If they hadn't taken Fiona to the top floor of the prison, preventing the fires burning from reaching her, Wayne might not even have had the chance to save her.

"It's a pity that I didn't get to say a proper word to you until the very end."

Wayne sighed helplessly, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers lightly, causing a cluster of pale yellow chrysanthemums to gather on the ground in front of each cell door.

This was not a burden for him, but it was his way of paying tribute to these nameless and innocent victims.

Having done all this, Wayne reached the top of the prison.

This is Fiona's cell. There are nine cells on the top floor, and Fiona's cell is tightly enclosed in the deepest part by eight other cells. At this moment, six of the other eight cells have stopped struggling, and the remaining two are on their last legs, incapacitated and unable to communicate.

This is probably why Fiona couldn't get a response from her "brothers" no matter how much she called out. Once, there were hundreds of "brothers," men and women, strong and weak, who could communicate with Fiona and even coalesce into a single, communicative personality. But now, only two of them remain, and their personality has long since disintegrated. Now, they can't even communicate; even if Wayne stood before them and called out to them, they wouldn't react in the slightest.

They are now burning embers, no longer human. Even if Wayne severs the connection between Originium Arts and Fiona, it won't save them.

"Alas...may there be no Loken tank in heaven."

Two new bunches of chrysanthemums were gathered, and Wayne took a deep breath, offering a sincere blessing without any hint of mockery. He then personally placed the chrysanthemums at the entrance to the two burning prison walls.

Three layers of prison, hundreds of cells, the last line of defense wrapped by eight people, and Fiona's only remaining soul.

Wayne raised his hand, severed the chains, and picked up the girl's unharmed soul.

She may never understand the struggles her brothers went through to keep her alive. But Wayne believes she will always be the person on this land who cherishes her life the most.

Teleported out of the prison, he stood on the vast wilderness of the Consciousness Empire. Wayne lightly stamped his foot, watching the massive three-tiered prison, carrying countless dead souls and Wayne's offerings, slowly sink into nothingness.

Chapter 86 The New Cake

This is the week after everything has settled down.

News of Colombia's collapse has spread throughout Terra. Now divided into three factions, no one can predict who will emerge victorious. Will it be the remnants of the old federal government organized in the west? Or the Colombian military government that has seized control of the former capital, Washington state? Or perhaps the anti-oppression alliance of intellectuals and workers gathered in the resource-poor northern mountains and lake regions?

These things remain unknown to people. But that didn't stop them from gathering together to enjoy a bite of the largest and ripest melon from late 11th-century Terra. The rulers also began to set their sights on what is now Colombia.

Having suffered a major setback during the Reformation, the Lateran Catholic Church seized this opportunity to begin exporting its religious ideas to Colombia, and achieved considerable success.

War is always a time of intense intellectual activity and turmoil. The yearning for peace, redemption, and a powerful, compassionate force to end tragedy created an excellent opportunity for the spread of Lateranism. After quickly reaching an agreement with the Western Colombian federal government, the capitalists swiftly declared Lateranism the official religion of the Federation, in exchange for substantial war aid.

Bolívar in southern Colombia didn't stop there either. Taking advantage of the three-way conflict in Colombia, Bolívar colluded with and won over the lords of several mobile cities in southern Colombia, bringing them under his rule. Although he didn't earn as much as Laterando, considering his relatively weak national strength compared to powerful nations, it was still a very good gain.

However, what's most noteworthy is Victoria's attitude during this incident. Although Victoria officially denied it, world leaders almost unanimously believed that the Colombian collapse was inextricably linked to her. At that world-shaking press conference, Queen Victoria's powerful words still resonate in the ears of leaders around the world. Surprisingly, while almost everyone believed that Victoria was eyeing Colombia's prosperous border trading cities, she unexpectedly refrained from taking action.

So much so that the mayors of several Colombian border cities that Victoria had taken over sent their greetings to her.

The gist of it is: The Colombian cake has already been cut, this piece is yours, why don't you come and eat it?

Victoria's attitude toward this has always been ambiguous.

He first solemnly built a large mobile city as the fiefdom of the little-known Prince of Wales, then promulgated a seemingly useless Victorian Immigration Act, and then stopped.

This strange behavior makes it hard for others not to speculate whether Victoria is brewing something big and planning something more.

But in fact, Victoria has already unleashed her trump card.

Since the collapse of Columbia a week ago, the busiest department in Victoria has not been the Department of Urban Planning and the Department of Engineering, which are responsible for the construction of New Wales, nor the police and Royal Guard responsible for welcoming the Prince of Wales back. Rather, it has been the newly established Victorian Immigration Department.

The immigration bureau receives thousands of immigration applications from Colombia every day and conducts hundreds of immigration interviews. The popularity of the bureau is so great that even the municipal official Arthur, who initially only allocated a dozen or so civil servants to the immigration bureau, was stunned and had to temporarily draw on his best staff from idle departments to fill the gaps.

This situation was unexpected for him, so at the first cabinet meeting after Wayne's return, Arthur formally raised his questions to Wayne himself, the proposer of the immigration plan.

"Your Highness, congratulations on your safe return. Your plans are proceeding smoothly, but may I ask a question? Given the stringent immigration requirements, why are so many Colombians applying to immigrate to Victoria?"

"It's very simple, for a sense of security."

Wayne replied, giving Theresa a slight smile as she sat beside him.

Upon returning to Victoria, he naturally heard about what had happened at the cabinet meeting that day. He was quite surprised that his plan had almost been rejected, but what surprised him even more was that at the crucial moment, Theresa stepped in and managed to persuade everyone.

How could she dare to do that...?

How did she do that...?

Wayne couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Regardless of how Theresa had managed to do it, Wayne was grateful. Without her, it might have been quite different if Victoria hadn't been the first to try this new thing.

“Because Victoria can give those Colombians a sense of security. Mr. Mayor, you should know how stringent Victoria’s immigration laws are for Colombia, right? Now, let me repeat the three basic principles I’ve given you.”

Arthur nodded. He had already reviewed Wayne's plan more than a dozen times, so he knew its contents by heart and immediately recited it from memory:

"Colombians need to meet at least one of the following three conditions to obtain a Victoria green card:"

"【One: A one-time donation of at least 100 million Victoria Gold Coins or a cumulative donation of 300 million Victoria Gold Coins to the Victoria Poverty Alleviation Foundation.】"

"【Two: Holding at least one patent that has not been disclosed to any country or individual, or that has been disclosed but still represents a core technology that is not easily replicated in the short term.】"

"【Three: Special personnel approved by Victoria's official departments and authorized by the Royal Family.】"

Wayne nodded.

"That's it. This standard may seem harsh, but it's not that outrageous for Colombians. Through these three principles, Victoria can easily weed out those who want to speculate and take the best of Colombia."

"Ladies and gentlemen, Victoria is powerful enough that the whole world can see our stance: we are willing to threaten war against Colombia for the safety of a single citizen. That is our attitude. Who else on this entire land possesses such an attitude besides us?"

“These immigrants are the cream of the crop in Colombia. They are either wealthy or have skills and minds, but they don’t feel safe in Colombia. The turbulent Colombia cannot give them the same sense of security as Victoria.”

Wayne paused, then concluded:

"Colombians have never had a strong sense of national belonging. Colombia is currently engulfed in gunfire. These people, whether they are rich, scientists, or technical talents, cannot protect themselves from swords and bullets with their wealth, technology, and intellect. Now, suddenly there is a country that tells them that as long as they spend some money or contribute their intellect and technology, they can be freed from the threat of war and death and return to a peaceful life. No matter how expensive the price is, they will gladly pay it."

"This is why I proposed the immigration plan. The vision of the nations of the world is not long-term enough. They are obsessed with the gains and losses of a single city or place, but they do not understand a principle: if you save the land but lose the people, you will lose both the people and the land; if you save the people but lose the land, you will save both the people and the land. Victoria is strong enough and does not need to annex a few cities with a high degree of resistance to expand our territory and strengthen our national power."

"On the contrary, what we need is talent. We open our doors and sell security, and qualified talent and wealthy people will gladly go to Victoria to seek peace. In the long run, we will absorb all the essence of Colombia, and what will be left is just an empty shell."

Wayne smiled slightly.

This was a mutually agreeable arrangement, a calculated move. The wealthy and scientists in Colombia wanted peace, and Victoria granted them peace. Victoria did a good deed, and the scientists and the wealthy got what they wanted. It was a win-win situation for Victoria, and the only loser was the Colombian government.

Moreover, just like Arthur, who was oblivious to this, most of the leaders of the various kingdoms had not yet grasped Wayne's true intentions. They wondered why, after they had conquered and annexed the mobile city of Columbia, only ordinary civilians remained. Where were the talents from the technologically advanced nations, and the wealthy tycoons?