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

Vina's eyes widened in surprise:

Wow...but...is it really that cheap?

Candy isn't a luxury item, but such a large box for only 18 LMD is ridiculously low. Even if Vina knows it's counterfeit, after deducting costs, the seller couldn't possibly make much profit, right?

The Rat King smiled:

"I opened this shop not for money, but for people."

"As long as there are still children who love the candies here, and as long as those who have left home can't forget the sweetness of the candies, this shop will keep operating. I'm not in it for the money; I just hope to leave something behind in this city."

The Rat King paused here, looking out the spotless display window at the bustling street. People hurried along the busy road, and the shop stood right there, but they were all absorbed in the bitterness of the fast-paced pressure, ignoring the cheap sweetness that was so close at hand.

"This city is moving too fast. We old folks who can't keep up can only preserve something for it in this way. Think about it, a child from more than ten years ago encountered setbacks, cried while eating the candy here, and when he grew up and entered society, he encountered setbacks again one day. When he looked back, this store was still there, and he could still eat the candy here. He could muster up the courage again just like he did back then. Isn't that a very romantic and meaningful thing?"

"Besides, it's not like this place is completely unprofitable. There are still a couple of people who are willing to stop and walk into my shop to buy some candy, aren't there?"

Vina pursed her lips. The scene the Rat King described seemed to be right before her eyes, and she couldn't help but imagine how wonderful it would be if, ten or twenty years from now, in the Iron Palace of Londinium, she could have Wayne by her side and Theresa's gentle comfort when she was in a bad mood.

The most enduring and romantic declaration of love is companionship. It's when you're tired and look back, there's someone waiting for you to come home, having prepared hot tea and a meal, to say "Welcome back."

She felt a slight sting in her nose and was about to speak when she decided to buy all the candies in the store.

In any case, this was not a luxury for Queen Victoria. She would rather fund the small shop so that it could continue operating.

But Wayne reached out and pressed down on her shoulder, stopping her.

“You’re absolutely right, sir.”

Wayne spoke up,

"So, are these candies genuine?"

The Rat King frowned slightly, then smiled and replied:

"To be honest, the candies here are so cheap, you should know in your heart whether they're genuine or not."

“I ask you, are the candies here genuine?” Wayne asked again.

The Rat King closed his eyes, his smile vanished, and said, "The guest didn't come here to buy candy, did they?"

“You’re right.” Wayne nodded. “You opened this shop not for money, but for people. I’m not here for the candy, but for the people.”

"Nice to meet you, Lord Lin Gerui, the Rat King of Lungmen. My name is Wayne Bruce, and this is my sister, Vina."

Bruce...?

A sharp glint flashed in the Rat King's eyes. He raised an eyebrow and said coldly:

"Victorians?"

"Yes."

"The Aslan royal family?"

"What is his relationship with the King of the North?"

“He is my father and Vina’s uncle,” Wayne answered truthfully.

The Rat King gave Wayne a deep look, quite surprised by his honesty. However, the relationship between the two was undeniable: Edward Atrias was killed by Wei Yanwu, but his death might have been influenced by pressure from the King of the North. Wayne was Wei Yanwu's sworn brother, which might also mean he was the Rat King Lin Gerui's brother. Although Lin Gerui always emphasized not passing on the hatred and responsibilities of the previous generation to the next, his attitude towards Wayne was far from friendly.

"What are you doing here? Did your father send you?"

The Rat King's voice was no longer as kind as before; it had become cold and even somewhat hostile. Wayne shook his head.

“Don’t you ever follow international news? The King of the North has been dead for a long time. My sister is on the throne now. I’m here to take something away.”

"What is this?" The Rat King glanced at Vina beside Wayne. He was quite surprised. Since these two dared to claim to be from the Victorian royal family, he didn't need to doubt their authenticity. But the problem was that he couldn't see any royal airs in them at all.

What's going on? Is there something wrong with my perception, or is this generation of the Aslan royal family adopting a laissez-faire policy, with the heir to the throne being picked up from the common people?

The Rat King preferred the former because the latter was simply too absurd.

However, the young woman before us is actually Queen Victoria of this generation.

He's got a lot of charisma and is clearly a natural leader, but he lacks experience. In short, he's a fledgling, far from shrewd or calculating. If he were placed in the murky waters of Terra, he could easily be swept away without a trace. The reason Victoria is so stable right now is probably because of her "brother" by her side.

Interesting, a shadow emperor?

The Rat King shook his head. The matter of Victoria was a grudge from the previous generation. The King of the North and Edward were both dead, and the Rat King had no intention of getting entangled in the matter of grudges with two young boys.

"What could possibly warrant Her Majesty Queen Victoria personally taking it from an old man like me?"

“The relics of Edward Atrias”.

Wayne said seriously.

The Rat King's pupils dilated, and he retorted, "What do you intend to offer in exchange?"

“I can protect your daughter,” Wayne replied confidently.

Then Vina pinched his kidney hard.

"Awoooooo! (Tom yells)"

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Wayne Announces the Breach of the Sacred Treaty

"Awoooo ...

Struggling to suppress his screams, Wayne looked at Vina with a pitiful expression, his eyes seeming to ask: Why, why did you pinch me?

My kidneys are killing me!

Vina is Aslan, a lion. Even if she's a girl and not as strong as Wayne, she's still far stronger than an ordinary Filin. That claw strike to Wayne's waist was almost as painful as a slap to his groin. The sting was not only excruciating but also mentally draining, even intoxicating.

Vina pouted and glared at Wayne. Although she felt a little sorry for Wayne's aggrieved expression, she managed to suppress her sympathy and maintained her dignified demeanor.

Serves you right. Who told you not to even try to cover it up?

Smash it, Wayne, do you even know you smashed it?!

Even rabbits know not to eat the grass near their burrows... Pshaw, even a fool knows that proximity to the water gives you an advantage!

I'm standing right in front of you, how dare you say such a thing?

And in front of someone's father, he even let them choose! Ugh!

what about me?

You can come to me with this kind of thing, or even Theresa? Or even Kal'tsit? It won't take much effort. Even if it's done secretly, isn't there Officer Chen? As long as you don't get arrested and have to pay bail for your release, I'll pretend I didn't see it, I'll turn a blind eye. I'll treat it all as Prince Wayne Bruce's outstanding contribution to Aslan's long-term plan.

They're nothing but bandits! Even worse than bandits!

You even said that the Rat King would remember your kindness, just one sentence. What about me?

You definitely won't get any candy, and you might even get kicked out. You'll be in pain, but you have to bear it! Otherwise, you won't learn your lesson!

Having fully experienced the feeling that there are not only tigresses in the world, but also lionesses, Wayne straightened his back, rubbed his waist which felt so good it felt like it was splitting open, and lowered his head with a pout, comforting Vina who was angry for some reason.

He was definitely telling the truth, even if it wasn't very pleasant to hear.

He knew about Wei Yanwu's plan. Although Wei Yanwu didn't formally confront him on the balcony, based on what Wayne knew about the original plot, it wasn't difficult to guess why Wei Yanwu was so eager to find a reliable protector for Chen.

Caesar's uprising to quell the rebellion and purge the court of corrupt officials was a pretext for his actions, given his strong and powerful army. But no matter the pretext, it doesn't change the fact that Wei Yanwu was planning a rebellion!

Vina personally witnessed two rebellions. The first was the War of the Succession, initiated by her uncle, Vayne's father, the King in the North. The King in the North won this war, wiping out Londinium and Aslan, leaving only Vina to escape and live on the streets. The second was the Northern Rebellion, initiated by the Duke of Normandy and secretly orchestrated by Draco of the Deeppool. This rebellion failed, and even the Duke of Normandy, the ringleader, despite his past military achievements, only managed to escape with a complete corpse, being hanged.

In this bloody war, no one can be certain of their future. Wei Yanwu has found a powerful backer for Chen Huijie: Victoria. Victoria's influence is enough to protect an innocent girl. But what about the Rat King? What will become of his daughter?

Wayne didn't know if Wei Yanwu had found a way out for Lin Yuxia, but judging from Wei Yanwu's attitude towards him, Wayne felt that probably not.

Victoria can protect one person, so she can naturally protect two or three. If the Rat King is willing, Wayne is not opposed to taking him and his daughter to Victoria on the condition that he hand over what Wayne wants.

[The relics of Edward Atrias].

Some people are a threat when they are alive, but become useful tools when they are dead. This is the reason why the dead are sometimes more useful than the living. Edward Atrias was Wei Yanwu's sworn brother, but his more important identity was that of Victoria's Red Dragon, a descendant of Draco.

He was the uncle of Reed and the Celtic sisters, and the last male descendant of the Drak clan. In a sense, his belongings after his death are evidence of the Drak's decline!

If Wayne wants to avoid war with the Reeds and the Celts, he must obtain this evidence.

There's a very complex relationship involved, and it took Wayne several days to figure it out with Winster's explanation. Simply put, Edward was the last officially recognized and publicly acknowledged member of the Draco bloodline in the world. After his death, the Draco bloodline was officially declared "extinct." However, the relics confirming his death were not kept in Victoria, but rather in Lungmen.

This is a historical issue, and also a procedural one. Without obtaining Edward's belongings, no matter how much Victoria emphasizes that Edward is dead and the Delacroix is ​​extinct, the word "extinct" will ultimately remain questionable.

This is similar to the saying, "We need to see the person alive, or the body if they're dead." If Wayne obtains the relics and officially confirms Edward's death and the extinction of the Drak, then unless Edward suddenly jumps out of his grave in the future, points at Reed and Celt and says, "Yes, those two are also of Drak blood," their words will lose credibility. Wayne can openly tear up the treaty with one party already dead, allowing Aslan to firmly secure the throne. Any claims from Reed and Celt will be "fake news!" and won't cause any ripples.

It might seem a bit unfair, but it's the only way. Reed is Wayne's sister, and Vina is also Wayne's sister. Wayne can't possibly split the throne in two and give it to both of them, much less allow the country to split and have two emperors rule together. He's not some foolish Roman emperor; he's a proper Chinese citizen who values ​​centralized power.

But behind the reeds lies the Celts. At present, it seems that the possibility of persuading the Celts to prioritize peace is almost non-existent. So, there is no other way but to extinguish the last hope of the Celts to turn the tables at the root, which is to tear up the "Sacred Covenant between Draco and Aslan on the Succession to the Victorian Throne," and to tear it up legitimately, openly, and thoroughly!

After much deliberation, Wayne could only approach the issue from Edward's perspective, by artificially declaring "Draco extinct."

The Rat King's mind raced with thoughts. Wayne dared to say such things; he must know something the Rat King didn't. What was Wei Yanwu up to? Was Lin Yuxia in danger? What changes would occur in the future of Longmen?

Compared to these concerns, the belongings of his old friend Edward seemed less important.

The dead are never as precious as the living. After decades, the Rat King had long since come to understand this.

He was silent for a moment, his fingers rubbing back and forth on the dragon-headed cane, as if he were considering something. Finally, he spoke:

"Is it related to Talulah?"

The Rat King was unaware of the existence of the Reeds and the Celts. Victoria had allowed Edward's belongings to remain in Lungmen for over a decade, yet now, suddenly, a queen and a prince had arrived demanding an exchange. This was rather suspicious. After much thought, the only person the Rat King could think of connected to Edward was her daughter, Talulah, who had been kidnapped by Koschei and left behind.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Taste of Childhood

Is it related to Talulah?

Wayne found it difficult to answer this question. To be honest, Wayne's main objective wasn't Talulah. She was still fighting a guerrilla war in the Ursus snowfields; she was never his target, nor could she possibly be a match for him. In fact, because Theresa insisted on recalling Bodrakasti, Wayne had to intervene to try and rescue Talulah from Ursus.

But to say there's no such thing would be unfair. Talulah is, after all, of Draco's blood, that much is undeniable. While her bloodline isn't pure, there are degrees of impurity; Talulah's other half is Wei Yanwu's sister, a member of the Yan Kingdom's royal family, making the addition of one element greater than the sum of its parts. Wayne's acquisition of Edward's relics could indeed have some influence on Talulah.

Denying it wasn't an option, and admitting it wasn't an option either, so Wayne simply gave an ambiguous answer:

"It's related to Draco's bloodline."

Yeah, that makes sense. Talulah is a Drak, Reed and Celt are Drak, I'm not lying to you, I'm just doing some intelligence gathering.

The Rat King nodded knowingly. He wasn't worried that Wayne was lying to him. The prestigious Victorian royal family wouldn't deceive an old man on such a matter. There might indeed be some unknown changes in the future of Lungmen, and he would verify this with Wei Yanwu.

As for Edward's belongings...

I gave it to them.