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

Admittedly, Talulah's high status surprised him as well, but noble birth is not always a guarantee of happiness; it can sometimes bring about death. Throughout history, how many noble families have perished in mass graves because of their own bloodlines?

Putting aside everything else, even Wayne's father, the King of the North of Victoria, the Rebellious King, didn't he also ascend the throne with a body covered in blood?

People always say that a person is independent, but in reality, when you judge someone, you inevitably pay attention to their parents, relatives, and living environment. This isn't entirely without reason; after all, there's a saying: "Birds of a feather flock together," and "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black." Given the adage "like father, like son," Bozocasti certainly wasn't entirely at ease with Wayne.

But then he thought about it again and felt relieved.

Since Wayne knows he's with Talulah, he must also know Talulah's current situation. To put it bluntly, if Wayne truly wanted to eradicate Talulah's Drak bloodline, Bodracasti would be powerless to stop him, regardless of whether he knew beforehand.

His health was deteriorating day by day; Oripathy was relentlessly eroding his body. It was a terminal illness, not something that could be prevented by simply "taking a nap" or maintaining a regular lifestyle. Otherwise, given Bozocasti's military bearing, Oripathy would have been a trivial matter for him. But in reality, that was impossible. Bozocasti used to be confident he could fight the demons single-handedly, but now, he struggled even against three or more of the "Emperor's Blade," the Imperial Guard assembled from demon fragments. Let alone fighting against the Victorian royal family, determined to retain their throne.

If the Unicorns were to swarm out, Bodracasti wasn't confident he could protect Talulah for more than ten minutes. If the legendary leader of the Unicorns were to personally intervene, using his preferred method of assassination, Bodracasti didn't even think he could realize in time that "Talulah is dead."

From this perspective, Wayne probably didn't actually intend to kill Talulah (even if he did, there was nothing he could do). Furthermore, Theresa was standing next to Wayne at that moment.

Based on Bozokasti's understanding of Her Highness, she wouldn't be someone who would casually "sacrifice" others. If there had to be a sacrifice, she would definitely think of herself first.

She didn't imply that Bozocas was lying for Wayne, so Wayne was telling the truth!

Bozokasti, understanding the situation perfectly, spoke up:

“Well… Your Highness… I will deliver this message to you… but I am not sure… whether Talulah will… agree.”

“Just call me Wayne, I don’t mind,” Wayne said. “Whether Talulah agrees or not is not my concern. Rather, based on what I know about her... my investigation suggests that she is more likely to disagree.”

After all, Sister Ta is known for her stubbornness. In this respect, she's probably even more stubborn than Chen Huijie. She's the type who won't give up until she hits a brick wall, even if it means getting hurt. Once she sets her mind on something, she'll never give up unless she's actually tried, failed, and there's no other way out.

This is an excellent quality of perseverance, but it also makes her prone to getting stuck on trivialities and becoming a binary, either positive or negative, diode. She never understands what it means to achieve a stage victory; she always thinks about finishing everything in one go, seizing the final victory in one go, and walking a path that others haven't been able to complete in hundreds of years in one go.

Wayne reiterated that you have to take things one step at a time; if she's going to take too big a step, she might end up hurting herself...

It seems like Sister Tazi is talking about chickens? ...Let's try another one, it's easy to pull on her breasts.

Bozokas was taken aback by Wayne's words. He thought to himself, "What do you mean? You want me to convey your invitation to Talulah, but then you say you don't care whether Talulah accepts or not. Are you kidding her?"

Your riddle-solving style, where you only say half of what you mean, sounds so familiar... kind of like that person...

Come to think of it, it makes sense. Princess Theresa didn't bring Lord Kal'tsit with her today. No wonder Bozokasti felt a subtle sense of unease, yet couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong. It turns out Kal'tsit has become a boy, and the Lord has become a prince. Although he's still a Felin, and still unconsciously spouts riddles, he's undergone Mega Evolution.

Bozokast had no choice but to patiently ask again, "So what... do you mean?"

Whether Talulah knows about this news or not is irrelevant, because given her temperament, she probably won't agree. And there aren't many people in your team who can persuade her... except for one person.

Wayne said seriously,

"Captain, please make sure Miss Alina knows this news. Including Talulah's identity, my invitation, and the implications involved. Please make sure Miss Alina knows everything."

Wayne spoke with utmost seriousness, as if this "Miss Alina" was the key to everything, irreplaceable in her importance. But Bozokastie was utterly bewildered:

"Alina?...Who is that?"

Now it was Wayne's turn to be dumbfounded.

Who is Alina? Don't Patriots know Alina?

That shouldn't be the case. Given the relationship between Talulah and Alina, there's no reason why Patriot wouldn't know Alina.

Wayne's claim that Victoria had been watching Talulah was a half-truth; the only one truly watching Talulah was himself. But why didn't Theresa's lie-detecting radar detect Wayne's lie?

Because when Wayne used [Imperial Authority], he short-circuited Theresa's radar! Theresa was forced to shut down her Originium Arts that absorbed emotions!

Even if she were using Originium Arts, she most likely wouldn't be able to detect Wayne's lies. After all, Wayne, who wields the [Heavenly Mandate], is essentially the embodiment of [Victoria]. On this land, theoretically, no one can disobey his orders if he so desires, not even demons. His focus on Talulah is no different from Victoria's focus on Talulah.

However, his words have always been based on his memories of the plot; in other words, he is not sure whether Alina is really by Talulah's side.

If there really isn't one, then wouldn't the plan to get Alina, Talulah's only external thought process, to persuade her be completely ruined?

Wayne quickly asked:

"She was an Elafia girl, and Talulah was often seen with her. He served as a teacher in the guerrillas, never participated in combat, and always stayed in the rear."

Wayne's description left Bozokasti speechless.

If you haven't participated in any battles, what are you talking to me about?

It's well known that Patriot isn't good at handling family relationships, especially raising children. Otherwise, Yelena wouldn't have fallen out with Patriot later on, leading to a dramatic drop in their affectionate way of addressing each other—from "Dad" to "Father" to "Old Stubborn Man."

However, he might actually have some recollection of this Elafia. After all, the fact that she was often seen with Talulah was quite unusual, and when Wayne mentioned it, a figure immediately came to mind.

On the day he left the tundra, he did ask an Elafia girl who was gathering firewood near the camp to inform Talulah for him. However, at the time, he was not focused on recognizing people, so he only knew that there seemed to be such a person, but he could not remember her appearance, features, or anything else.

However, that's enough. There aren't many people in the guerrillas to begin with, and Elafia is even fewer. It shouldn't be difficult to find them if we go back and look for them.

However, it turns out Talulah has someone like this by her side. Bozokasti couldn't help but feel a little surprised. He had thought Talulah was really just an idealistic fool who knew nothing, but he never expected that she would actually cultivate her own "confidant"?

"I understand... I will go... find her... and then tell... her."

Bozokasti nodded.

"Is there... anything else?"

Wayne shook his head and looked at Theresa, who also shook her head.

They had already said what they needed to say to Bozokasti, and the answer was obvious. Bozokasti would definitely return to the snowfields to help the legendary girl who bore the weight of claims from two great empires and a small duchy; he wouldn't return to Kazdel, at least not now.

"Well... there's one more thing."

Suddenly, Bozokasti spoke up. He took out the Oripathy inhibitor and said:

"If possible... is there... any more of this...?"

Seeing that Bozokas was stammering but still insisted on finishing his sentence, Wayne and Theresa exchanged a smile and nodded.

"Of course. You can come back to Victoria with us, and I'll give you some more there."

Bozokast nodded gratefully.

He was not alone; he had a daughter.

Her father, no matter where he was, was always worried about her.

Chapter Eight: Chen's New Mission

Yan, Longmen, September 1st, 8:00 am.

Eight o'clock in the morning is the official working time for the Lungmen Guard Bureau. Although the newly arrived Inspector Chen always arrives at the Guard Bureau early with the excuse that he is "not familiar with the job yet." Generally speaking, considering the relationship between Miss Chen Huijie and Governor Wei Yanwu, Jiu, as the head of the Guard Bureau, turns a blind eye to Chen's violation of regulations. But today is different.

Chen, who had arrived at the entrance of the Guard Bureau's twin buildings at 7:00 AM with fried dough sticks and soy milk, was disarmed by Jiu, who was waiting at the door even earlier. Jiu snatched all the meat buns and soy milk that Chen had brought for his good colleague and friend Hoshiguma, and then blocked Chen from entering the Guard Bureau.

"Hey boss, what are you trying to do?"

Chen hurriedly swallowed the fried dough stick in a few bites, then took a sip of soy milk to avoid choking, and complained to his red-haired boss, Phidiah, with a face full of confusion.

"If you want me to bring you breakfast, I can do it tomorrow. That one is Hoshiguma's. You won't be so hungry that you have to fight with your subordinates for breakfast, will you?"

Upon hearing this, Jiu patted Chen on the shoulder and jokingly scolded:

"You're so good with words. I was angry much earlier than you, and I already ate breakfast. I'll take this breakfast to Hoshiguma. You have other things to do, you know?"

Chen's expression immediately turned serious. He stood at attention, saluted, and asked:

"Is there any new task for me, sir? Or is there some new situation over there that I need to handle? Sir! Don't worry about it, leave it to me, I will not fail you!"

Seeing Chen's enthusiastic expression, Jiu smiled with satisfaction.

It must be said that Chen is indeed a woman perfectly suited for the position of "police officer." She is upright and incorruptible, and the typical indecisiveness and hesitation that young women her age often experience when troubled by love is almost nonexistent in Chen. She is also quite capable in combat and quick-witted, adapting to her work at the Guard Bureau within just a few days of arriving. She even proactively seeks out excuses to work overtime, making her far superior to the lazy cops in the Guard Bureau who are just there to get off work all day.

If she could, Jiu really didn't want to let go. But there was no way around it; Chen's identity destined her to never stay in the police force forever. Everything she was going through now was gilding her future. Don't be fooled by the fact that Chen still calls her "Sir," "Boss," or "Big Boss" now; perhaps in a few years, she'd be reporting to Chen from his mansion in the city center.

You have to address him respectfully as "Governor Chen".

With a mixture of helplessness and delight, Jiu shook his head and said to Chen:

"This job is unrelated to that matter. I'll be taking charge of that matter personally for now, Chen. You've been transferred to a more important position!"

"Eh?"

Inspector Chen was taken aback, somewhat confused about what Jiu was talking about.

"What do you mean it's none of my business, boss! Chief! Inspector Nine! We've been investigating this case together for almost three months! We uncovered every single clue together, and we're about to close the net, but suddenly you're saying it's none of my business? How can this be..."

"You're very resentful, and you feel like I'm trying to take all the credit for myself?"

With a smile in her eyes, she asked in return.

Chen was speechless for a moment. Of course, she hadn't thought about such a thing. Firstly, she didn't really care about merit; she just enjoyed the feeling of solving cases and eliminating evil. Secondly, she was also very clear that Inspector Nine wasn't that kind of person.

She was angry because she felt regret.

She, Jiu, and Xingxiong worked together for three months, gradually uncovering the infected thugs who roamed the slums and were connected to an extreme violent infected organization in the desolate wasteland. They were just one step away from officially cracking the case. Once they infiltrated the slums and obtained the last piece of information about the organization's leader, the infected thug codenamed "Rattlesnake," they would be able to break the case.

But now, she has been transferred.

Chen found it hard to accept that the action plans that filled her desk, the character relationship diagrams that she had discussed with Hoshiguma countless times, and the hard work of not eating or sleeping well day and night all seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Although I understand this is an order, I still...

I'm so angry!

I really want to bring those bad guys to justice myself! I really want to prove that Chen Huijie can do anything, that Chen Huijie can protect everyone, that Chen Huijie is the strongest "knight"! And then I want to openly show off to that person and give him a real surprise!

That... Victoria is a big liar!

"Don't worry, Chen. Although you can't personally participate in the operation to close the case, everyone in the Guard Bureau remembers your contributions. You'll get all the credit you deserve. Commander Wei has already assured me about this. So you can go ahead with peace of mind."

"Commander Wei... By the way, what's my new mission again?"

Chen then seemed to snap out of his daze and asked.

Jiu scratched his head and said helplessly, "Well... I don't know the specifics either. Commander Wei only gave me the notice this morning, saying that there is an extremely important task for you to do, and the level of secrecy is very high. He wants you to go to his office immediately. That's why I'm waiting for you here."

Chen clenched his fists, muttering to himself, "It's Wei Yanwu again, it's Wei Yanwu again, it's Wei Yanwu again!"

But he still obediently saluted Jiu again and said:

"Understood, Chief, I'll go right away!"

After saying that, he turned and jogged toward his motorcycle, which was parked in the parking lot.

Nine, standing behind her, shrugged helplessly as she watched Chen's retreating figure.

Although she didn't know what Wei Yanwu planned to have Chen do, such a highly confidential matter must be very important, and Wei Yanwu wouldn't lie about that.

However, judging from Chen's indignant expression as he left, it was clear that the fact that Chen had taken a liking to him was genuine. How come his boss, who was so adept at political maneuvering, always seemed to fail when it came to women?

If he can't handle Lady Wenyue, now he can't even handle his own niece. Speaking of which, if I had been more assertive before, would he have backed down to me?