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

"Your Highness...?" someone called out in a low voice, puzzled.

“It’s me, what’s up?” Theresa turned to him and replied, “Picclis, the last time I saw you you were an intern, are you officially employed now?”

Startled by the Sarkaz girl calling out his name so readily, he nodded rapidly:

"Yes, thanks to Chairman Monteresis's care, I have officially started working."

After speaking, she looked at Theresa, hesitated for a moment, and asked weakly:

"Your Highness, are you... coming back?"

“Yes, I’m back.” Theresa nodded seriously.

"You're not leaving this time, are you?"

"I won't leave again. No matter what happens, I won't leave again."

Theresa's tone was firm, eliciting a variety of expressions from those around the long table. Some were happy, some were worried, some were doubtful, and some were resentful. But Theresis, sitting next to Theresa, said nothing, and the Victorian Lion Medal on Theresa's chest gleamed brightly, so much so that no one dared to utter a single word except for silence.

What can they say?

Oppose Theresa's return? Impossible. Theresa is the Demon King, the rightful ruler of Sarkaz. Even her brother Theresis is inferior to Theresa in terms of status. What are they compared to her?

Moreover, even Theresis hasn't raised any objections yet, has he?

Seeing Theresis leisurely eating her rice, the others lost the will to offer any opinions.

While some were dissatisfied with Theresa's actions, most were happy to see her return. The Military Council was founded by Theresa herself; the notion of excluding her founder and operating independently simply doesn't make sense.

Moreover, Theresa's return might not be a bad thing. Although it's unclear how well the nearly broken relationship between the two siblings has been repaired, the fact that Theresa is willing to sit at the same table with Theresis again greatly reduces the danger of a civil war breaking up Kazdel.

Perhaps, just perhaps, the glory of the past can be relived, and they can see the two royal bloodlines and national heroes fighting side by side on the battlefield?

But their silence and focus on their food didn't mean Theresa wouldn't speak up. Having decided to face everything bravely, she saw no need to pretend. Theresa put down her knife and fork, looked up, and spoke first:

"Fellow committee members, I believe you all know why I have returned to the Military Commission today."

"Bozokasti, one of the few pure-blooded members of the Wendigo race, has officially returned to Kazdel today."

A buzz of discussion immediately arose among the crowd. Wendigos were incredibly powerful weapons of war; a single adult Wendigo could rival half an infantry legion in combat strength. However, due to the purity of their bloodline and their unacceptable method of inheritance, the reproduction of Wendigos had always been a huge problem. To this day, besides Bozokasti, only the current chieftain of the Wendigo clan remained as a pure-blooded Wendigo. Even the non-pure-blooded hybrids were terrifyingly rare.

It's not just a small number as Theresa says, but truly endangered. Their rarity surpasses that of the giant panda, comparable to the Yangtze finless porpoise. Each one is a treasure, each one a living fossil.

Therese remained silent, intending to do nothing and see how Theresa would handle the situation.

He had learned from the Exorcist that Bozokasti did not wish to stay in Kazdel. He had only returned to obtain an amulet and visit some old friends along the way. After doing all this, he would return to the Ursus tundra.

The Wendigos are stubborn, and the older they get, the more stubborn they become; once they've made up their minds, no one can change them. Theresis has already given up on the idea of ​​immediately winning over Bozocasti. She just hasn't officially revealed it to the Military Council yet.

Of course, given his prestige, even if he revealed it after clarifying it, it wouldn't cause much of a stir. But Theresa is different. She insisted on leaving in the first place, and now she's suddenly back, just to bring such bad news. This is definitely not a good thing for her to rebuild "trust."

Come on, Theresa, let me see how you solve this problem.

You can do it, but doing it and doing it well are two different things. The Military Commission of today is not the same Military Commission you left it to.

Therese was prepared that even if Theresa suffered setbacks and faced criticism, he would not intervene unless she personally asked him for help.

As the current chairman of the Military Commission, he had to give this "outsider" a hard time.

As expected, everyone looked excited after hearing the news.

“Wendygobodrakasti is a rare pureblood, Your Highness Theresa, this is truly good news for us, isn’t it?”

The robust but not obese King of Carrion smiled as he spoke, his gaze not on Theresa, but on Theresis.

He observed Therese's reaction and, after confirming that Therese made no move, continued:

"However, why haven't we seen him here? I've wanted to have a chat with this future Lord of Wendigo for a long time... you know, about food."

Even though Theresa was mentally prepared, she still couldn't help but twitch her lips when she heard those words.

Discussing food with Wendigo... Indeed, apart from you scavengers, you probably can't find anyone else to talk to.

Outrageous as it may be, Theresa still has to answer seriously:

"He went to see Chief Sanders first. His reason was that he didn't want to spoil everyone's appetite. If you want to discuss...food culture with him...I suggest you eat later."

Before the King of Carrion could reply, Theresa immediately interrupted, ending the unpleasant conversation.

“I need to make one thing clear here: Bozokasti has returned, but he has not returned. His stay in Kazdel will only be temporary, and he will leave again once things are settled.”

Everyone in the restaurant, except for Therese, was taken aback.

"Leave? How can we let him leave?"

"Can't you tell what kind of combat power Wendigo has, and what kind of combat power a pure-blooded Wendigo has, from Ursus's history of conquest over the years?"

“That’s right, how can we let Bozokasti leave again? Let him return to Ursus? Let the Sarkaz people help the emperors of other countries expand their territories and shed their blood again?”

Faced with a chorus of opposition, Theresa remained calm and composed, neither flustered nor intimidated, but instead asked in return:

"I've noticed one word since the very beginning: combat power."

"Do you really consider Bozokast as your compatriots? If you do, how can you use such a shallow word as combat strength to describe a great warrior?"

“Bozokast is not you, nor me, nor a sword of the Military Council or Kazdel. He is a Sarkaz, and Sarkaz should be free. He can choose his own destiny independently, and I have no right to interfere. Not even in my capacity as the Demon King.”

The Demon King is the highest authority. Without the Demon King as its founder, the Military Council would have no power to suppress the Sarkaz Royal Court, let alone allow leaders of various royal courts like the King of Carrion and the Lord of Wendigo to join and be under Theresis's control.

Even Theresis, to put it bluntly, is just a fake demon king, using someone else's name to intimidate others and bully them. He's just done it on a more sophisticated level, reaching the point of holding the emperor hostage to command the nobles, a powerful minister wielding authority. Essentially, there's no difference.

With Theresia's words, she had essentially sealed the deal. No matter how dissatisfied the Military Council was, they couldn't forcefully prevent Bozocasti's departure.

Therese closed her eyes and sighed softly.

If Theresa merely uses this authoritarian approach to suppress the matter, this solution will not satisfy him. It will also make it impossible for Theresa to gain the approval of the committee members. Even if she outwardly respects them, she will be hypocritical behind their backs.

If it were him, he would have been more ruthless.

If they agree to stay in Kazdel, Theresis might, out of respect for Bozokasti, send a Pardoner to attempt to infiltrate the frozen plains and bring back his troops. Of course, this would only be an attempt; the Inner Guard is no weaker than the Pardoners, and if they encounter danger, Theresis will not hesitate to order them to abandon the mission.

Refuse, or die. Releasing Bozokasti back to Ursus is tantamount to handing over half of Ursus's army. Although Bozokasti has now withdrawn from the Ursus army, his reputation as a "Patriot" remains, and no one can be sure he won't one day return, or even stand against Kazdel. The best solution is to kill him; if he can't have him, neither can the enemy. A mutually destructive outcome is better than releasing a tiger back into the mountains.

But Theresa chose none of them.

The Demon King has his own set of methods.

Once the noise in the restaurant subsided, Theresa looked at the unanimously dissatisfied people and spoke:

“Even though he’s unwilling, I will persuade him.”

“I will persuade him to choose to stay in Kazdel according to his own will. That is my answer.”

How to persuade a Wendigo?

Therese was taken aback. He looked at Theresa's profile, and the expression on her face clearly told everyone that she was serious.

Hehe, this is interesting.

Therese gave a faint smile and asked:

"How can we trust your proposal, Your Highness Theresa?"

"In the name of me, the Demon King."

Theresa looked directly into Theresis's eyes and answered.

Lungmen—Ursus, the contact between the two great empires of Victoria and Yan. Theresa's promise to recall the lost Wendigo Borocasti.

This will be a long journey!

Chapter Sixteen: Selection of Travelers

Victoria, Lentinium, September 3rd. 9:15 am

Inside the Iron Palace, things were bustling. Wayne had just finished handing over the reins to Ernest. During the time Wayne and Vina were away from Londinium, the Norfolk family would act as regents, handling some of Victoria's daily affairs.

Of course, power cannot be given to one person. Mayor Arthur and Unicorn Winster each hold a portion of the power. The three of them work together to supervise and check each other, ensuring that Victoria can continue to move forward on the right track during this period.

Only after confirming that all work arrangements were in place did Wayne feel comfortable taking Vina and Theresa to their planned vacation destination—Longmen.

Actually, Lungmen isn't a great vacation spot. It's a major hub for international exchange and a trading center for the Great Yan Dynasty, but it still falls short compared to Lentinium. Whatever Lungmen has, Wayne can find in Lentinium, but what Lentinium has, Lungmen may not have. Compared to traveling to Lungmen, visiting scenic coastal or mountainous destinations like Siesta, Dosoles, or Minos would be a more worthwhile investment.

Neither Theresa nor Vina raised any objections.

Because nobody really cares about the scenery. Everyone just wants to go out and have fun together. As long as it's not about going into the wilderness for a three-day, two-night survival adventure, everyone is pretty much happy to go.

Even a wilderness survival challenge would likely pique their interest. But Wayne hadn't considered such a thing; he didn't want to create any bizarre mishaps—like "finding" a wild hairy crab in the dry wilderness, even steamed and seasoned.

Don't ask, the unicorns responsible for protection might actually do it.

Wayne was packing his luggage when Theresa pushed open the door and handed him a well-organized travel list to look at.

Wayne took the list, frowned, glanced at Theresa, and asked:

Are you serious?

Theresa nodded without hesitation.

Wayne could only glance at the form in front of him;

"I, you, Vina, Swire..."

This was a pre-selected list. As for why a mascot was included, you'd have to ask Swire's grandfather.

Wayne did extend an invitation to Swire at the dinner, but Swire politely declined.

"This is a royal gathering. It's not appropriate for me, the daughter of a wealthy businessman, to attend."

Wayne didn't care about Swire's identity. He knew that the little tiger was not a bad person and had never done anything to intimidate others because of her status. This could be seen from the fact that she was quite influential in Lungmen and could even interfere with Wei Yanwu's decisions to some extent (referring to the parachuted Guard Bureau), yet she could still become friends with Hoshiguma, a demon who was not born into nobility and had even been the leader of a local gang of thugs. They even had a deep friendship.

Swire probably wasn't concerned about her own status; she was considering her grandfather's opinion. Traveling with the royal family was a major event, and Swire couldn't make the decision alone, so she had to decline for the time being.

But what happened next was quite dramatic.

The meal was to be eaten in two separate meals. At the dinner, Swire's father, who was supposed to be there, did not come. Instead, Swire's grandfather came in person.

I also brought over Swire.

"It would be great if you could treat him as a classmate. Regardless of status, this is just a regular gathering of classmates."

Wayne still remembers the gleaming eyes of the old, ailing tiger when it said those words.

Wayne could tell that Swire's grandfather was gambling. He probably learned about his own personality from Swire, which was why he dared to take this gamble.

Yes, he guessed right. Wayne really didn't mind bringing Swire. He didn't even care whether she attended as the daughter of a wealthy businessman or as Wayne's classmate.