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

Chapter Ninety-Six: I feel like something's off with everyone.

Wayne has been acting a little strange these past couple of days.

Because the people around him always looked at him with a particularly strange look, whether intentionally or unintentionally. And their looks weren't even all the same.

The Guardians patrolling around the Elizabeth Hotel always looked at Wayne with admiration and respect, as if he had done something extraordinary. Their emotions were particularly heightened when Chen Huijie (Little Dragon) came to wait for Wayne downstairs; some of them were practically bursting with barely suppressed rage. Wayne couldn't understand the source of their inexplicable worship. After all, he had just singled out their superior's superior for a serious accusation. Given Wei Yanwu's personality, it would be strange if he didn't hold a grudge. Why were his subordinates treating him with such utmost respect?

Putting aside outsiders, Vina and Theresa's gazes towards him were also rather strange. For the past few mornings, whenever Wayne's eyes met Vina's, she would scrutinize him from head to toe, as if she had discovered some new continent waiting to be explored, wanting nothing more than to strip him bare and study him thoroughly.

Wayne tried to ask her several times, but Vina was stubborn about it. No matter how Wayne asked, she wouldn't say anything. If he pressed her, she would even run away, muttering something under her breath.

And Theresa was even more peculiar. In fact, Wayne had always noticed Theresa pulling his lion's fur. But he didn't care about this harmless cat-cuddling behavior. Wayne's mental power was strong, and Theresa wasn't some high-powered vacuum cleaner that could suck up dirt from the ground; pulling out a little of his scattered mental power each time came at no cost. Besides, she used to only occasionally take a couple of puffs when she was in a good mood, and four puffs when she was in a bad mood.

But things are different now. Wayne could clearly feel that Theresa's cat-sniffing power and frequency had increased. It was as if she had let go of some worry, lifted some restriction, and started sniffing whenever she felt like it, and even when she didn't. Although it wasn't enough to make Wayne physically weak, having someone constantly taking something out of his body 24 hours a day, even if the thing was smaller than a hair, still felt a little strange.

What happened? It seems that Theresa has finally realized how amazing she is, so amazing that she's become a cat lover and is now head over heels for a cat slave.

Wayne was a little embarrassed to ask Theresa, because judging from Theresa's attitude, she probably still thought he had no idea that she was secretly cuddling with the big cat. If he brought it up rashly, it might very well make Theresa furious.

That won't do. Although Wayne also really wants to unlock the achievement photo of the Steam Princess Demon King, Theresa is her ally! On the front of disciplining Kal'tsit, they are in an unbreakable united front. Wayne can't put the cart before the horse. If he pushes Theresa too far and she switches sides to Kal'tsit, then he might not be able to collect the old lynx's disguise photos for a long time, and no one will be able to "wow" with him anymore.

Even more seriously, if Theresa and Kal'tsit unite, Wayne could very well face the risk of being killed on the spot!

Wayne truly understands the art of ruling by manipulating one faction while attacking another; he's mastered the art of imperial strategy.

Theresa didn't want to ask, and Vina wouldn't speak up, so after much hesitation, Wayne could only bring up the issue with Chen.

Wayne and Chen were on their way to the slums. Wayne had promised to go find the Rat King today to retrieve Edward's evil relic. The original date was the day before yesterday, but because of Wei Yanwu, the Rat King and Wayne agreed to postpone it by two days.

After all, neither of them was worried about the other running away. The Rat King's roots were in Lungmen, so he couldn't escape. What Wayne wanted was in the Rat King's hands, and after dealing with Wei Yanwu, a potential threat who could cause trouble at any time, Wayne didn't need to rush to leave.

As for Chen, she claimed she was just passing by. Ever since Theresa had a conversation with Chen on her way to the Amsor family's house that day, Chen had begun her work in the slum area, which seemed like "meddling."

Many people advised her not to go through all that trouble. The slums had their own way of life, and with the Rat King, a powerful figure in Lungmen, managing things, there was no need to worry about internal order. But Chen firmly believed that even the lawless slums were still Lungmen territory, and the people of the slums were also Lungmen's citizens. As the Lungmen Guard, responsible for the security of the entire Lungmen territory, they had both the responsibility and the authority to manage the slums.

Although her "meddling" behavior also encountered many setbacks in the slums.

"I know where the Rat King usually hangs out, you'd never guess. But Bruce, how did you manage to get in touch with him?"

As Chen walked and talked, she enthusiastically greeted the slum dwellers passing by, but unfortunately, very few responded. Most people just glanced at her indifferently, their expressions of disdain hidden beneath the surface, as if to say: "Why is that annoying, meddlesome cop here again?"

Neither the Rat King nor Wei Yanwu expelled her, and even Jiu turned a blind eye to Chen's actions. Therefore, although the people in the slums disliked Chen, they had no intention of using force.

Wayne glanced at Chen with a mixture of pity and helplessness, but seeing no sign of frustration on her face, he breathed a sigh of relief and replied:

"Just call me Wayne. Given our relationship, using my surname would be too formal. As for how I know the Rat King, well... that's a question, so please allow me to keep it a secret for now."

Anyway, when I display Edward's belongings and officially break the sacred covenant in a while, all of Terra will know.

Chen nodded and said:

"But when Miss Theresa calls you, she always addresses you as Mr. Bruce or His Highness Bruce. Don't you and Miss Theresa get along well?"

Wayne was taken aback; it seemed he really hadn't paid attention to this issue at all.

His acquaintance with Theresa was somewhat accidental, and their way of addressing each other was also unusual. Just like when Wayne chatted with Theresa on the phone, unless it was something important, he would also call her "Goodnight, Miss." Theresa's way of addressing Wayne had never changed.

Mr. Bruce, Your Highness Bruce.

Wayne smiled and said, "We have a very good relationship. This nickname is kind of an affectionate term. She's the only person who calls me that, so it's quite special."

The people Wayne encountered were either of high enough rank to address him as His Highness Wayne or Mr. Wayne, or of low enough rank to address him only as His Highness the Prince of Wales. Very few people actually called him by his surname. It was only after Chen mentioned it that Wayne suddenly realized that it seemed only Theresa ever called him that, and she still did.

Tsk, there's a strangely sweet feeling about this. This subtle, unspoken understanding... it's making my heart flutter like a young girl's!

As Wayne was reminiscing, he suddenly sensed a tense atmosphere beside him. Turning his head, he saw that Chen's expression was a bit off, so he quickly changed the subject:

"Chen, do you think there's anything different about me lately?"

Chen blinked and replied with a puzzled look:

“Bruce doesn’t seem different at all…” She emphasized the words “Bruce,” but if I had to say something, I feel like your forehead looks a little dark.

Wayne was speechless. How could you talk like that? Are you cursing me to suffer misfortune?

He turned his head away and said nothing more.

As expected, asking Chen Wen about such emotional matters is like casting pearls before swine; she has no idea what she's talking about.

And I got angry for no reason. Sure enough, things haven't been going well lately.

Forget it, let's wait until we're done and go back to look for clues.

P.S., weekend party time.

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Chapter Ninety-Seven: What a coincidence!

Wayne didn't stay with the Rat King for long, because he felt that the way the Rat King looked at him seemed a bit strange.

Being stared at like that by an old man, especially a rat-man old man, was quite unsettling. Wayne hurriedly took Edward's belongings, not even having time to enjoy a cup of tea for free, before taking his leave.

That's terrifying, the people of Lungmen are terrifying. I want to go back to Victoria.

"But Edward's keepsake is this thing."

Wayne looked at the longsword and a pair of dragon horns that were in the box, wrapped in red silk cloth, and felt a little regretful.

Poor Sister Ta, her father is really pitiful. His dragon horns were even cut off. But speaking of which, since the dragon horns are with Wei Yanwu, could it be that Wei Yanwu cut them off?

The horns of the Drak are the strongest parts of their bodies; even buried in the earth, with their flesh decaying into piles of bones, their horns remain as new as ever. If it is for the purpose of commemorating someone for a long time, cutting off the horns is indeed a viable method.

However, there's still a lingering unease, more or less. The horn might not have been cut off by Wei Yanwu; it might have been sent by a true dragon to kill and destroy one's spirit.

Wayne shook his head, deciding to stop dwelling on the grudges of others that had been buried for over a decade. Victoria bore some responsibility for Edward's death, and as an apology, Wayne promised to give the two horns a proper burial after breaking the Holy Succession Covenant, placing them in the tomb of the former King of Drak. Even though Edward had never been the Emperor of Drak, not even for a single day.

"I will also take good care of your daughter and relatives."

Wayne made a very serious promise. He didn't know much about the Celtic woman, so he wouldn't say much for now, but he would definitely take good care of Reed. And there was Sister Tazi. Before coming to Lungmen with Wayne, Theresa had mentioned to him that she wanted to go to the Ursus tundra to help Bozokasti and recall him, as leverage for her return to the Kazdel Military Council.

Wayne didn't agree at the time, but Theresa was unusually resolute. Wayne knew that he, like Theresa, was extremely stubborn about certain things, and once he set his mind on doing something, he would never give up halfway. Even if Wayne could keep her in check for a while, one day she would once again embark on the path of recalling Bozokasti.

Since that's the case, Wayne might as well just let her go. Of course, some safety measures should be taken along the way.

Wayne has secretly recalled Surtr and Mudrock, who are studying at the academy in Kazdel. One is a powerful female warrior who is free from all ties and unrestrained, while the other is a former ace mercenary who is experienced and cunning. With their protection, Theresa's safety can be guaranteed even if she runs into the inner guards head-on.

While Theresa searches for Bozokasti, Wayne will personally travel to St. Arthur's Keep to meet the new emperor of Ursus. This is not only to draw attention and provide cover for Theresa, but also to legitimately bring the unicorn into Ursus as an escort, ensuring the safety of Theresa and Wayne.

What? The Emperor of Ursus won't allow a unicorn to act alone?

That's not necessarily true. Your guards can trespass on the territory of a border count in Victoria and spout nonsense, saying things like "the land where I stand is the land of Ursus." But what can you do if my Victorian unicorns come to your Ursus territory, openly enter, and stroll around a couple of times?

Ultimately, the Unicorns and the Inner Guard, being special combat units that have completely surpassed the combat capabilities of conventional troops, are not bound by certain basic rules. Unless the Ursus Emperor sends the Inner Guard to intercept the Unicorns, local forces are simply no match for the Unicorns, who are adept at intelligence gathering, assassination, and infiltration.

But if the inside defender takes the shot....

The inner guards' abilities stem from fragments of demonic energy, resulting in extremely vile and lethal magic. Their intervention inevitably means injury to one side, as not everyone is like Vayne, capable of single-handedly suppressing demons. And if someone is injured, it could be seen as a provocation on either side—something the new emperor of Ursus absolutely does not want to see.

He hasn't even sorted out his own domestic affairs yet, so how could he possibly have the energy to deal with Victoria's pressure?

Having already formulated his next plan, Wayne was preparing to wander around the slums to see if he could meet a little rabbit and discuss with her whether she would be willing to come back to Victoria with him.

Vina was quite fond of Ambrose and wanted to recruit her into her royal pirate crew, the Glasgow Gang, with Indra and Gawain helping to take care of her. Wayne, as her older brother and a Caucasus enthusiast himself, naturally had no objections.

But before he had taken two steps, his phone suddenly rang in his pocket.

Wayne raised an eyebrow in surprise, looked at the familiar number he hadn't seen in a long time, and pressed the answer button:

"Hello, this is Wayne Bruce."

"This is Urbino Lykenford, it's been a long time, Your Highness Wayne!"

Urbino's familiar voice came through, sounding very enthusiastic.

Wayne gave a cold laugh and replied in a tone that seemed somewhat displeased:

"Yes, it's been a long time, Archbishop Urbino. So you still remember a nobody like me. I thought you'd cut ties with this poor prince after you became the Cardinal of Lateran."

"Haha..." Urbino's laughter sounded somewhat awkward. Indeed, he hadn't contacted Wayne for a long time since he became a cardinal.

But was it his fault? His Holiness the Pope had appointed Mostima's envoy to manage all affairs between Lateran and Wayne. As a cardinal, he couldn't bring himself to do it, and he also couldn't compete with the envoy for his job. Naturally, his contact with Wayne was severed.

Urbino felt a little wronged when Wien said he didn't care about him at all.

If it weren't for me, you would have been impeached and excommunicated countless times in the Papal Palace! I deserve at least a third of the credit for the fact that you can still be called an ally of Lateran.

The remaining two-thirds of the credit goes partly to His Holiness the Pope being old and not very bright, making him easy to fool, and partly to Mostima risking his life to vouch for him.

I, Urbino, have done everything I could for you, Vien, and you deserve my utmost respect!

"It's all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. You know, I don't want to cut off contact with my friends forever either. But I'm in the Holy City, and I have no choice."

Urbino explained. Wayne curled his lip; anyone could say those polite words, they lacked any sincerity. Couldn't we just get straight to the point?

He cleared his throat and asked expectantly:

"So you're calling now because Your Majesty has finally decided to resume funding me? That's wonderful! I will do my utmost to squeeze every last drop out of Laterano!"

Urbino rolled his eyes. Damn it, he's a better liar than I am, all talk about selfless dedication, all he's thinking about is gold and silver. You little brat, you're not human!

He shook his head:

"His Holiness the Pope has not yet..."

"Sorry, I have something to do. Goodbye."

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't hang up, don't rush, Your Highness Wayne." Urbino felt that he had really lost in terms of shamelessness. "Although His Holiness the Pope did not agree immediately, he sent an envoy to discuss your future in Victoria with you."

“The messenger?” Wayne frowned. “Not you?”

"It's not me, it's a very important person. When do you have time to meet him?"

“That might take a while. I’m on vacation in Lungmen right now,” Wayne said.

"Longmen?" Urbino opened his mouth, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.