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

"What happened, Mr. Ernest?"

Ernest looked up, saw Kal'tsit's face, and visibly paused for a moment, asking incredulously:

"Lady Kal'tsit? You didn't go to Lungmen with Prince Wayne?"

Kal'tsit's eyelids twitched: "Anyone who asks about this is doomed."

Chapter 83 Serpent Scales: What have I done to deserve this?

Kal'tsit was somewhat unsure how to respond to Ernest's question. "Why I didn't go is none of your business."

My whole family went on a trip but I wasn't included, and I'm really disappointed. Although it seems like I was the one who refused.

Kal'tsit pursed her lips, wanting to hurl insults at her past self from two weeks ago. She should have just let Wayne finish speaking.

However, that's not the point. The point is, what happened to Prince Wayne?

"I just heard you say that His Highness Wayne had an accident in Lungmen. What happened? Is he in danger? What did Governor Wei Yanwu of Lungmen say?"

"Well....."

Caught off guard by the barrage of questions, Ernest was momentarily at a loss for which to answer first. After a long pause, he was glared at by Kal'tsit:

"Say it!"

"Oh... His Highness Wayne has been surrounded by an unknown group in Lungmen. I received reports from the Unicorn and the Ambassador in Lungmen that Wei Yanwu has personally gone to rescue him, but we haven't received any specific updates yet."

"Surrounded by an unknown group?" Kal'tsit frowned, her first thought not being how to rescue Wayne, but rather a sense of bewilderment. "There are unknown groups capable of surrounding Wayne?"

Ernest's expression wasn't good; he was clearly thinking about this as well.

The unicorn scouts and Victorian ambassadors in Lungmen were unaware of Wayne's abilities, as the royal family, along with Ernest and Winston, who had witnessed the Mandate of Heaven's power, had kept this secret within their small circle. However, Ernest, as one of the witnesses, was not ignorant of Wayne's strength—a power so formidable that even a demon, the embodiment of fear and an enemy of humanity, could command it. How could anyone possibly contain him?

The unknown organization surrounding him—was it the Lateran cavalry phalanx, the Ursus war legion, the Kazimierz "Shining" Knights, or the Imperial Guards of the Great Yan?

Could it be that a large group of demons has invaded Lungmen?

Ernest and Kal'tsit both shook their heads.

That's impossible; it's highly unlikely. If demons were to invade Lungmen, firstly, the Great Yan mainland wouldn't be completely unaware; secondly, the surveillance system responsible for humanity's final line of defense wouldn't fail to sound an alarm; and finally, the diplomatic ambassadors and unicorn scouts in Lungmen wouldn't possibly fail to report it.

If a massive mobile city with millions of inhabitants were to become aware of the existence of the demon, how powerful would the demon grow? The entire Lungmen would likely have become a living hell.

"Call Wei Yanwu."

Kal'tsit said that she was more anxious than ever before, so much so that her usually calm face was tense and her tone was involuntarily commanding.

Ernest, of course, understood the disrespect in Kal'tsit's words, but time was of the essence; this was not a time for idle discussion of aristocratic etiquette and hierarchy. He said nothing more and immediately instructed the maid beside him again:

"I asked you to connect me to Wei Yanwu's phone, but where did you connect to?!"

A hint of grievance appeared on the maid Felin's face, and her cat ears drooped. She reached out and handed over the receiver: "Lord Ernest, the call has been connected, but Wei Yanwu has not answered."

"What?!" Ernest roared in disbelief. "You called using Lentinium's official number, didn't you? How dare Wei Yanwu not answer my calls at a time like this?"

Theoretically speaking, he could refuse, and there's not much you can do about it. After all, he's a citizen of Yan, a member of the Great Yan royal family, and the emperor's elder brother. Although the True Dragon doesn't like him, the bloodline is still there.

Given that most Yan people are protective of their own, and believe that they can bully others but not foreigners, Wei Yanwu might not be in any danger even if he offends you.

Unless you send a large army to his door because he didn't answer the phone.

Kal'tsit thought to herself, though that was true, she was equally dissatisfied. Wei Yanwu's refusal to answer the phone was tantamount to concealing information.

If Wayne really gets into trouble in Lungmen, how will she explain it to Theresa, and how will she explain it to herself?

Perhaps for the rest of her life she will have to keep asking herself: if she had chosen to go to Lungmen with Wayne, would there have been someone to look after her, and would the tragedy have been averted?

Having lived for thousands of years, this was the first time Kal'tsit had shown such an embarrassing emotion as panic.

Ernest was even more enraged. Kal'tsit had just mentally criticized him for his incompetent rage, but in reality, Ernest had just genuinely considered leaving immediately, heading to the Ministry of Military and Defense Security, and requesting, in the name of acting regent, to dispatch a large army on a distant expedition to defend the king.

Wei Yanwu, you dog, won't answer my calls. Do you think your grandpa Ernest can't come through the phone line to beat you up?

But despite his thoughts, he forced himself to sit back down as soon as he got off the seat.

Stay calm, stay calm.

There is still no news from His Highness Wayne. It would be unwise to rashly send troops into war, especially since the opponent is the Great Yan!

In the era before Victoria improved steam-based Originium technology, in the era before the Great Yan Dynasty closed its doors to the world but instead opened them wide, no one could forget what that empire once looked like. A land of swords and spears, its might as fierce as a tiger swallowing ten thousand miles. Even though it has been out of the public eye for many years, indifferent to worldly affairs, Victoria has never underestimated this sleeping dragon.

They can fight, and they can win. This reflects Ernest's confidence in his country's strength as a glorious Field Marshal of Victoria.

We can win, but it will take a long time. This is Ernest's assessment of the enemy's strength as a seasoned strategist.

A prolonged war would not be in Victoria's interest. If it attracted the covetous Ursus to seize the opportunity to invade southward, Victoria would inevitably suffer heavy losses. Moreover, the Great Yan nation cannot be judged by ordinary standards. Throughout history, many nations that believed they could defeat the Great Yan have ultimately fallen under its iron heel.

Ernest is a smart man; he wouldn't do such a thing. In any case, figuring out Prince Wayne's condition is the most important thing.

"Hit me again!"

I took several deep breaths, forcing myself to calm down the anger in my heart.

His Highness Wayne's life is paramount; we cannot make rash decisions for his sake.

"No one is answering," the trembling maid, Felin, replied again.

"Hit again!" Ernest continued.

Kal'tsit patted Felin's shoulder, pointed to the door, and gestured for her to go first. Felin bowed deeply to Kal'tsit, utterly grateful. She was terrified; Ernest was a politician with a military bearing, a quintessential hawk. Judging from his current furious state, he might vent his anger on someone, and what if she got caught in the crossfire? Having received Kal'tsit's permission, she hurriedly ran out of the dining room.

Under Ernest's watchful eye, Kelsey sat down by the phone, but instead of dialing Wei Yanwu's number again, she turned the dial wheel again and dialed a number Ernest didn't recognize.

This is Theresa's number.

"Kal'tsit? What's wrong? It's late at night, what's the emergency if you're calling so late?"

Theresa's voice sounded tired, clearly she had been woken from her sleep by the phone call. Kal'tsit glanced at the sky outside the window; it was still early morning in Londinium.

But at this moment, she had no patience to continue explaining to Theresa what planetary autobiography and time difference were. She immediately said:

"Your Highness, is Prince Wayne with you?"

“Mr. Bruce? Mr. Bruce isn’t here. She went to deliver Amsel, a new friend we met in Lungmen.”

Theresa glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already three in the morning, almost three hours since Wayne had gone to deliver the arrow. Combined with Kal'tsit's sudden call inquiring about Wayne's whereabouts, she seemed to sense something was amiss. Her brow furrowed, and her tone shifted from the gentle, friendly conversation of a friend to a serious one:

"What happened, Kal'tsit? Is something wrong with Mr. Bruce?"

Kal'tsit paused, organizing her thoughts, trying to tell Theresa what had happened as tactfully as possible.

"His Highness Wayne has been surrounded by a group of unidentified people. Those people are at least at the level of the Papal Cavalry or the Ursus Guard, and there are quite a few of them."

Theresa's face turned pale.

Chapter 84 Death is a small matter, catching adulterers is a big deal!

What? Wayne has been captured by a group of Ursus bodyguards?

Theresa's face paled. She might not know the true strength of the Ursus Inner Guard, but she knew very well that their power came from the terrifying demons beyond Sunset Canyon. Even a pure-blooded Wendigo like Bozokasti had to take those demons seriously; the slightest mistake could cost them their lives.

How did Wayne get targeted by those things?

Why does Lungmen possess such a level of combat power?

Theresa was an extremely intelligent person. She didn't believe that Kal'tsit would lie to her for no reason. She couldn't believe that such a fighting force had appeared in Lungmen without Wei Yanwu's involvement.

"Wei Yanwu!"

Theresa gritted her teeth and uttered the name. She knew that Wayne had gone to Wei Yanwu's mansion that night for their appointment. Later, when they met at the edge of the land, they learned about the Lateran token pendant from Mostima. At that time, Theresa wondered if Wayne's sudden question about the pendant was related to Wei Yanwu's affair with his spy that night.

But Wayne didn't tell her that Theresa was someone who would give her loved ones ample privacy, so she didn't bring it up. Now that she thinks about it, it must have been because of this that Wei Yanwu decided to frame Wayne.

She hurriedly got up, pushed open the door to Vina's room across the hall, raised her hand as if to knock, but then suddenly stopped.

“Vina…”

Theresa hesitated for a moment.

Given Vina's personality, what would she do if she knew Wayne was in danger? Would she be able to accept it?

Theresa remembered how worried and angry Vina was after the events in the North, when Wayne fell into a deep sleep after confronting the demons directly. She almost wanted to execute Winster and Ernest on the spot for not fulfilling their duty of protection while they were by Wayne's side.

Those were Winston and Ernest, and Vina knew their identities perfectly well. Leaving aside Ernest's role as a pillar of his brother's faction, practically suppressing all other nobles, his status as Marshal Victoria alone meant he couldn't be easily executed with a single word. Not to mention Winston, the patriarch of the unicorns, a long-lived immortal, Victoria's Night Watchman, the bell ringer.

Both of these individuals were willing to order Wayne's execution regardless of the consequences, demonstrating Wayne's immense importance to Vina. Later, It was through successfully reviving Wayne that Theresa gained Vina's trust and gradually established her position within the Victorian royal family.

If Vina were told that Wayne is trapped in Lungmen by a group of extremely dangerous and mysterious people, what would she do?

Theresa had no doubt that she would break into Wei Yanwu's house at night to question his intentions, and even launch a massive war of revenge against Longmen and Da Yan.

Don't underestimate an angry woman.

Theresa was a compassionate person, and she would never use war unless it was a last resort.

So she took a deep breath and knocked on Vina's door.

A moment later, Vina sleepily opened the door and looked at Theresa, who was standing in front of her with a stern expression, with a puzzled look on her face. A bad feeling welled up in her heart.

Yes, war was indeed a last resort. If it weren't for the unavoidable circumstances, Theresa would have preferred to die herself rather than agree to war.

But some people are irreplaceable. They can guide people forward, drive social progress, liberate people's minds, and either revitalize this decaying land or burn it to ashes.

Theresa believed that Wayne was one of those people.

He spent half a year using various identities to point the way for Kazdel and himself, who were in a state of division. He decisively broke the shackles of the nobility, used blood and authority to promote the passage of laws such as the Victorian Workers' Rights Protection Act, the mutually beneficial nationalization policy brought about social progress, and the religious reform movement also liberated people's minds.

"He is without a doubt the guiding light on the ark of Terra, a lonely starry sea."

Kal'tsit described Vayne in this way. Therefore, even if it wasn't out of simple personal love, but rather from a higher level of spiritual connection and understanding, Theresa was willing to pay the price of a brutal war to reclaim Vayne, the spark that had finally been ignited.

We must never let those who carry firewood for others freeze to death in the wind and snow, nor let those who illuminate the way for others disappear into darkness.

“Vina, Mr. Bruce is in danger.”

Theresa spoke slowly, her tone firm and heavy.

"You need to be mentally prepared. Then, come with me to find Wei Yanwu."

Whether Wayne is alive or dead, unharmed or badly injured, where he is, whether he has escaped or is still surrounded, Theresa needs to know the answers to all of these questions.

An explanation from Wei Yanwu!

........