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

Edward has been dead for many years. His belongings are only meant to be kept by the Rat King as a memento. If they can help Talulah, that poor child, and also save Yuxia's life in a crisis, then Edward, if he could know this from beyond the grave, would surely understand his actions.

"I will be here waiting for you at this time tomorrow. Come and take what you want."

The Rat King looked at Wayne and said seriously:

"I hope you will keep your promise."

Wayne's expression turned serious, and he nodded: "Of course."

The Rat King nodded in satisfaction and turned around. He didn't plan to stay there any longer; he still had a score to settle with Wei Yanwu.

Since Wayne knew that Edward's belongings were with him, Wei Yanwu must have leaked some information, and it's even possible that Wei Yanwu was the one who gave him the information.

Considering Wayne's confident hints that something big might happen in Lungmen in the future, and that even he himself couldn't protect Yuxia and would need a powerful backer like Victoria for protection, Wei Yanwu must be hiding something big from him and his old buddies.

The Rat King is old now. At his age, there are only three things on his mind: first, the fate of Longmen, the city they had reclaimed, built, and developed; second, his dearest daughter, Yuxia; and third, Wei Yanwu, their former leader and now the Lord of Longmen.

Wei Yanwu kept all three things from him, so he had to find this guy and have a good "talk" to get his revenge!

The Rat King, leaning on his cane, limped into the inner room and said in a cold tone:

"Then, you two, we won't see you off."

Wayne was about to nod and leave, but unexpectedly, Vina suddenly spoke up:

"Please wait a moment."

The Rat King stopped, turned his head slightly, and asked, "Is there anything else? Please finish speaking."

Vina took a few steps forward, pulled open the sliding glass cabinet, took out the box of Victoria Candies, and said:

"May we buy this box of candy?"

The Rat King turned around in surprise. Vina continued:

"We've bought all the candy in this room. Mr. Rat King, could you please order another batch?"

“Everything on the shelf is a commodity, and since they are commodities, there’s no reason not to buy them, but…” The Rat King looked at Vina, who was opening a candy tin, with confusion, “Why?”

"Your Majesty Queen Victoria, as you know, these candies are all counterfeit. If you want candy, there's a store just a block away that sells genuine imported candies."

"I'll take this one; pack it up."

Vina laughed.

"You opened this candy store not for money, but for people. My brother came to this candy store not for the candy, but for his belongings. Me too."

“I’ve eaten the sweetest candy, and for me, the difference between pirated and genuine products is just a matter of a stamp of authentication. But there are some things that I cannot replicate with the power I hold.”

Vina took a strawberry-patterned candy from the tin box, waved it in front of the Rat King, unwrapped it, put it in her mouth, and said:

"That's the taste of candy."

"Taste...yes, taste."

The Rat King smiled knowingly. He was somewhat surprised, yet also somewhat moved.

He used the grumbling of the elderly to vent his frustrations, but unexpectedly, some people actually understood the meaning behind it.

Even the finest delicacies in five-star hotels, once enjoyed as an adult, never quite taste as good as the simple meals my mother used to cook in her iron wok when I was a child. No amount of exquisite ingredients or masterful culinary skills can recreate the warmth and comfort of those days. It's not that the chefs aren't skilled enough; it's simply because the food was made by my mother.

This is the taste.

He took over this shop on a street corner in the bustling city center and decorated everything according to how it was more than ten years ago, just to recreate the taste of that time, so that the restless people living in this city could see a candy shop with the taste of yesteryear when they occasionally stop to rest.

Unfortunately, over the years, apart from his daughter who frequently visits, only a handful of guests are willing to push open the door, sit at the table, have a cup of tea, and eat a piece of candy.

This is the norm. In Terra, in Lungmen, if you don't move forward, you die. The slums are built right in the middle of the city, and everyone can see the misery there. Nobody wants to fall into that trap and associate with the infected, beggars, and thieves.

Now, it is someone he considered the least likely to be in power who has come to understand his intentions.

The Rat King took a long breath. He was wrong; he was wrong from the very beginning.

The relationship between Wayne and Vina is definitely not a simple one of a naive puppet and a shadow emperor. With her ability to understand people's hearts alone, Vina, though seemingly inexperienced now, will surely become a remarkable ruler in the future.

They don't manipulate or exploit each other; instead, they help each other and grow together.

What an admirable life partner.

"Of course, if you love this flavor, how could I refuse a customer's request?"

The Rat King gave a satisfied smile and shrugged like a playful old man.

"But asking an old man like me to calculate the total value of all the candies in the store in such a short time is a bit too much for me. How about this, come with your brother at this time tomorrow. Take what you want. I'll be waiting for you two here."

Vina smiled contentedly.

She hadn't played with Indra and the others for a while. After returning to Victoria from Lungmen, let's bring some candy and throw another party at the palace!

Chapter 40 Chen: I still have an advantage.

Longmen, Block 3 of the slums, a tenement building area.

The "Tongzilou" is shaped like the Chinese character "回" (hui), and a large number of people can live in one building with an open space in the middle. Because its shape resembles the "Tong" tile in mahjong, it is also called Tongzilou.

This type of architecture was once widespread in Longmen, but now it can only be seen in slums. It is an almost inevitable type of architecture that emerged during the transition of a city from low-rise rural houses to high-rise buildings. Such buildings also existed in the urban-rural fringe areas of Wayne's previous life.

Its advantages lie in its large capacity and low rent. However, its disadvantages are also obvious: the U-shaped structure means that its natural lighting is poor from any angle. This architectural layout also easily accumulates moisture, making the building damp, covered in moss, and affecting its lifespan.

For modern people who are gradually pursuing a higher quality of life, such uncomfortable housing is on the verge of being phased out. Compared to dark and damp tenement buildings, people prefer to live in high-rise buildings, and the wealthier ones go back to the suburbs to buy villas and bungalows.

Isn't it interesting that life is like a circle, and the life of a city is no exception? It gradually gathers from scattered bungalows into small towns with tenement buildings, then develops into cities with high-rise buildings, and finally disperses again in pursuit of quality of life, becoming individual villas and bungalows.

The only difference is that the people living in the ** rooms have changed.

Anso was born in a slum. She had parents, but they had left long ago. Anso had little memory of them, so she simply claimed to be an orphan. The little girl was very strong; in a cold and indifferent modern society, she managed to grow up to be fourteen years old through her own efforts.

If she hadn't contracted Oripathy, she might have entered the factories in the slums, dedicated her youth to the Rat King's businesses, earned a sum of money, and then chosen to leave the slums to work for a better life in the real Lungmen city. Or she could have used that money to buy a house in the slums and lived a comfortable but stable life on a meager retirement pension.

Don't underestimate the Rat King's role. In Terra, although he's an out-and-out mafia boss and villain, he still manages to maintain peace in Lungmen's underworld. Even Victoria Lentinium couldn't achieve this at one point.

In Londinium, a city rife with gangs, it was only after the rise of Empress Vina, whose influence brought her to the forefront, that the Glasgow Gang truly came to dominate the underground. Let's offer incense to those thugs and scoundrels who dared to challenge the Empress's territory, and perhaps spit on them as well.

Nonsence.

Theresa didn't want to acknowledge any necessary evil. Evil is never truly necessary or unnecessary; it's only something that has been eradicated or will be eradicated in the future. While Terra's specific circumstances dictated that necessary evil was deeply ingrained, and always had been, as Wayne said, is something twisted right just because it has always been that way?

As they followed Ansor through the slums, Theresa and Chen silently observed the various kinds of poor people—hungery, malevolent, and listless—all of whom were shocking to behold. This was especially evident in Chen.

The little dragon didn't have Theresa's thousand years of experience, and the cruelty she had witnessed was pitifully limited. Several times she wanted to step forward and ask the poor people who were staring at them expectantly, but she was stopped by An Suo each time.

"Can you save them temporarily, or can you save them forever?"

It's hard to imagine such cold-blooded words coming from the mouth of a fourteen-year-old girl. Chen's attitude was firm:

"Even if it can only save someone temporarily, we must do our best to save them."

However, as she reached into her pocket to retrieve some cash and walked towards the slums in the distance, the slums noticed her Lungmen Guard Bureau badge on her chest, turned around, and darted into the dark alley.

Theresa had anticipated this situation. Seeing this, she could only sigh helplessly, gently stroking Chen's dejected back to comfort her:

"Now that you've seen it, do your best to help them in your future work. Aren't you a superintendent of the Lungmen Guard Bureau? This place is also part of Lungmen."

Chen nodded in understanding.

Director Jiu never allowed her to come to the slums, saying that this was the Rat King's territory. The Rat King was the "Guards Bureau" of the slums recognized by Wei Yanwu, but why should the Guards Bureau, which represents order, give way to a gang godfather?

She will come and take charge of this place. The slums are also part of Lungmen. Wei Yanwu's rules have always made this area the Rat King's jurisdiction.

But just because it has always been this way, does that mean it's right?

"I understand."

Chen replied, wanting to say something more, but An Suo, who had already walked ahead, turned around and urged him:

"Hey, you stinky cop, are you leaving or not?"

Theresa nodded to her. Chen returned a grateful smile. She was someone who easily got stuck on things, but Theresa could always point out her problems in the simplest yet most reasonable way, and clearly analyze the core of the issue. She suddenly understood why Wayne had chosen Theresa.

She truly embodies the concept of a "virtuous wife."

However, Theresa also has her weaknesses. She's not lively enough and lacks the vibrancy that comes with her age. Although she looks about the same age as Chen, maybe only two or three years younger, she possesses a maturity and composure completely out of place for a woman in her twenties. Living with her would certainly be warm, but it would also definitely lack surprises and excitement.

Men are all passionate creatures.

In comparison, she still has an advantage.

What are you thinking about?

Theresa asked Chen, who was walking beside her and lost in thought, with curiosity.

Chen snapped out of his daze, his face flushed, and he waved his hand, saying:

"Nothing, nothing, I was just thinking about some personal things."

"We've arrived."

He made a soft sound, then stopped in front of a room at the end of the corridor on the fourth floor of the tenement building. He took out a key from under the flowerpot of the carefully cultivated green plant by the door and opened the wooden door that didn't look very secure.

"Squeak-"

The wooden door creaked open, and An Suo cautiously peeked inside. After confirming no one was in the room, he entered and greeted Theresa and Chen Dao.

"Come in."

Theresa and Chen exchanged a glance, nodded, and followed An Suo's footsteps inside.

An Suo, who had entered earlier, jumped onto the cotton-padded sofa, reached out and took down the clock on the wall, and pulled the hook that looked like it was for hanging clocks.

"Click".

With a crisp sound, a small hidden compartment appeared before Theresa and Chen.

Inside the hidden compartment was a solid metal safe.

Chapter 41 A Strange Premonition

Lungmen, a slum, Block 1.

"Fuck!"

The emperor slammed his fist against the wall of the trunk, looking at his leaky car with a look of utter despair.

Wei Yanwu, you little bastard, you tricked me! What the hell was in that damn box of yours?! I never imagined that just running a fare for you, Wei Yanwu, in Longmen territory, would result in me being chased by a group of people for a whole day and night, and almost losing my life.