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

It is indeed necessary to cultivate one's own power base, even if not for carrying out any conspiracies or tricks, it is still necessary to consider one's own safety.

"The Tower of Babel..."

He sighed inwardly.

"I have to intervene to prevent Kal'tsit from creating another traitorous tower."

Chapter 133 Departure, Ursus!

After dismissing Winster, Wayne straightened his collar to make sure everything was alright, then picked up the ceremonial sword from the table beside him and hung it on his waist.

"Hmm, this should be the second time I've dressed this formally."

Wayne smiled, looking at the dashing young man in fine clothes reflected in the full-length mirror, a hint of pride creeping onto his face.

So handsome, he's 80% as handsome as I was in my past life.

The last time I wore this complete aristocratic gown was at my coronation ceremony; it's been almost eight months. There are only four months left until the new year. What would be a good New Year's gift for Vina and Theresa?

Vina will probably be a bit more normal, liking new clothes and jewelry, but that's a bit too unoriginal; many people would give her the same thing... Hmm, once things are settled, I'll ask around among the Glasgow gang; maybe Indra and the others will know what Vina's favorite little gifts are.

Theresa is a bit of a problem. Wayne really doesn't know what she likes, or rather, he can't quite come up with anything that Theresa likes right now. She loves peace; can Wayne give her a peaceful world?

Obviously, it's unlikely. No matter how strong Wayne is, he can't stop the war in Terra. Once a schemer's plot is launched, even if Wayne mind-controls them, the plot itself won't stop. War is always the main theme of this tragic world, and all Wayne can do is try his best to keep war out of his homeland.

It may not be able to cleanse the entire world, but it can at least protect a corner of this floating world.

Forget it, I'll just subtly probe Theresa later.

Composing himself, Wayne turned and walked out of the room. City official Arthur, who had been waiting for some time, stood at the door, bowed respectfully, and said:

"Your Highness, the reception room is ready."

Wayne nodded, and Arthur led the way. Wayne followed behind him unhurriedly, and we arrived at the reception room.

The reception hall in front of the Iron King's Palace.

Using gold, a favorite color of royalty, as the main color, the palace was specially designed and decorated by top Colombian designers. The walls are covered with precious oil paintings symbolizing the glorious eras of Victoria. A miniature version of Big Ben is placed at the entrance, which chimes at 6:00 a.m., noon, 6:00 p.m., and midnight, complementing the real Big Ben outside the palace.

This magnificent palace was generally reserved for Victoria's guests. Diplomatic ambassadors and leaders from across Terra have all faced Queen Victoria on those seemingly unadorned sea monster leather sofas, leaving behind their own legends. As the nation with the second-longest history among Terran's kingdoms, after Laterano and Kazdel (Yan is not included; in historical rankings, Yan is never listed, otherwise it would always be number one).

After Victoria was extricated from the crisis of a vacant throne, the drawing room underwent some renovations. For example, the two paintings hanging on the wall next to Victoria's coat of arms were replaced with full-length oil paintings of Vincent and Vina. Yes, you know, the kind of paintings often seen in the court, with the left hand holding a sword, the right hand on the hip, staring blankly at the camera.

Wyn felt ashamed and had once asked the guards to take it down, but within half a day, he was met with a joint petition from all the court's etiquette officials, who said it was a Victorian tradition. Wyn's father, the King of the North, had also hung his portrait there during his reign. And since the current ruler was Vina, it was only right that Vina's portrait should be displayed.

As for why Vayne's portrait was hung up, well, it's because Aslan's numbers are currently a bit small, and Her Majesty Vina often reserves a seat for Vayne when attending court meetings—although Vayne doesn't participate much—everyone tacitly agrees that Victoria is currently in a de facto dual-kingdom era, so naturally, Vayne's portrait, the uncrowned king, was also hung up.

Wayne couldn't refuse them, so he had to swallow his embarrassment and agree.

Incidentally, these two portraits are titled "The Emperor's Gaze." They symbolize that everything done in the drawing room was under the emperor's watchful eye, serving as a reminder to officials not to make mistakes.

Wayne sat down on the armchair at the head of the table, extended his hand, and shook hands with the guest who stood up. The Ursus ambassador, the guest, wore a slight smile and did not appear nervous. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he also sat down, signifying the official start of the talks.

Wayne cut to the chase and asked:

"What has your country decided? To be honest, I am very interested in the customs and culture of the Ursus Empire, as well as Emperor Fyodor of Ursus, who also ascended the throne at a young age and was appointed to the throne in a time of crisis. I believe we can become very good friends."

The Ursus ambassador's face lit up with even greater delight, and he nodded, saying:

"That's quite a coincidence. His Majesty is also very interested in you. According to some rumors we've heard, Your Highness Prince of Wales' reputation among the common people and within the royal family is worlds apart."

It refers to Wayne's past and present reputation.

Wayne was previously an anomaly among the nobility and royalty, openly arguing with the King of the North and even known for his纨绔 (wán kù, a term for a spoiled, dissolute young man). But now, Wayne's reputation among the common people is incredibly positive. Labor unions, worker associations, the Victorian trade unions, farmers' associations, and other organizations all speak highly of him. Ironically, he doesn't seem to have resorted to bribery. He simply enacted a few seemingly insignificant, even somewhat foolish, policies—such as a decree reducing working hours. Most people believe this will only reduce profits.

It's truly unbelievable that His Highness Wayne could elicit such a comment from those notoriously critical organizations that are practically at odds with the government.

Wayne smiled shyly: "It's all just empty fame. Some things don't rely on my wisdom, but on the wisdom of the masses."

"Haha, you're so modest. If it weren't for you, how long would it take for someone to do these things?"

"It will happen sooner or later," Wayne replied confidently. "Success doesn't have to be achieved by me." (Yan Guoyu)

He paused, then waved his hand:

"We've gone off-topic. What was Ursus's response?"

The ambassador resisted the urge to ask what Wayne's words in Yan language meant, and replied:

"The Duma Council reached a consensus: the Ursus Empire welcomes guests who have goodwill toward us, and our doors are always open to you, Your Highness the Prince of Wales."

Wayne smiled with satisfaction: "That's good. Thank you for your efforts, Mr. Ambassador."

He stood up, extended his hand, shook hands with the ambassador, and after being politely declined the invitation to lunch, turned and left the reception room.

"Let's go! Ursus!"

Chapter 134 Let's choose a code name, Wayne

The cool moonlight streamed through the slightly ajar curtains into the empty office, illuminating the gentle ripples in the coffee cup. One hand steadily lifted the cup, pouring the now-cold coffee into his mouth. The other hand pounded away on the keyboard, his eyes fixed on the constantly flashing data on the screen.

"We're setting off for Ursus tomorrow with Prince Wayne, so we must finish checking the entire Babel Tower list tonight."

Kal'tsit murmured softly, gulping down the entire cup of cold coffee to resist her drooping eyelids.

She seemed so tired that she didn't even notice Wayne had entered the room at some point.

Wayne leaned against the door, watching Kal'tsit's figure flicker in and out of the computer screen, and sighed with a mix of heartache and helplessness.

Why the rush? It's like if you don't do it now, it'll be too late tomorrow. Even in the most stable environment, some people can never stop moving forward. Kal'tsit is like an old man who fought in the last century. Even in a peaceful era and a peaceful country, she can't help but save money, busy with this and that, and carefully guarding against any unexpected events.

Wayne quietly left the room, and a few minutes later, he returned with two cups of hot coffee. He didn't knock, and Kal'tsit still didn't notice his coming and going.

Is your level of vigilance high or low?

Wayne shook his head helplessly, stepped forward, took the coffee cup from Kal'tsit's hand, and handed her a warm cup instead.

"Be careful with your stomach if you always drink cold drinks." As he spoke, he took a sip himself, feeling the rich aroma of coffee smoothly sink into his stomach. A slightly bitter warmth immediately welled up in his abdomen, and Wayne couldn't help but grin.

Kal'tsit stared blankly at the coffee in her hand, then glanced at Wayne. A faint blush crept onto her previously expressionless face, barely noticeable in the dim light. Wayne turned on the bedroom light and smiled.

"You don't turn on the lights because you're afraid I'll notice you're rushing to finish?"

"I just didn't want to disturb you and Vina." Kal'tsit turned her head away, her words carrying a hint of insincerity.

Wayne instinctively reached out to ruffle Kal'tsit's hair, but halfway there, he was stopped by Kal'tsit's sudden, sharp glare. He could only shrug, pull up a chair, sit beside her, look at the screen, and ask, feigning ignorance:

"What are you doing?"

"I cannot tell you anything concerning Her Highness Theresa."

Kal'tsit answered very seriously, even pressing down the laptop screen. Wayne chuckled, took out his "resume" from his pocket, and handed it to Kal'tsit:

"It's okay if you don't tell me, just record this."

Seeing Kal'tsit accept the resume with a puzzled look, her expression gradually losing its composure, Wayne added smugly:

"Theresa invited me, and I even got her autograph."

The signature imbued with the Demon King's power cannot be forged, just like the Ultraman signature.

Kal'tsit was speechless for a moment. She couldn't believe that Theresa would make the decision to bring Wayne into the Tower of Babel. Hadn't she considered Wayne's identity?

The Tower of Babel was built to solve the Sarkaz's survival problem. Although the problem has been temporarily alleviated, it is only temporary. Both Vayne and Vina are short-lived beings, and Aslan cannot protect the Sarkaz indefinitely. Perhaps once a new king ascends the throne, the current policies will change. Bringing Vayne into the Tower of Babel? How could that be possible... He's not even a Sarkaz.

“If Theresa, a notorious Sarkaz, can integrate into Victoria’s palace, why can’t I, a renowned Aslan, join the Tower of Babel?”

Wayne countered,

"As for your concerns, I possess [Time]. I am the master of [Time]."

The Sarkaz artifacts, the minute and second hands of the clock, are currently in Mostima's possession, but ownership always belongs to Wayne. If Wayne ever worries about his lifespan, he can reclaim [Time] at any time. (To Mostima + Infinite Seconds)

Moreover, Wayne had always had a guess, or rather, a deduction.

Is his soul perhaps immortal?

This was already foreshadowed during Wayne's final battle against the demons in the North, the battle for the Empire of Consciousness. After the demons destroyed his lion-like shell, a symbol of his soul, he didn't collapse from the loss of his vessel; instead, he was liberated. Only then did he revert to his original form and unleash his true power.

That was a dimensional reduction attack powerful enough to drag demons into darkness and drive them to utter annihilation.

Of course, the idea of ​​an immortal soul is just that—a guess. Wayne wasn't foolish enough to deliberately court death and test this possibility. If it failed, he would truly die. Wayne loved his current life and his relationships with others; he was far from needing to "die."

Kal'tsit nodded, seemingly understanding. She had no doubt that she considered Wayne one of her own kind. People like them always found a way to survive. Hadn't she survived for thousands of years herself?

She gave Wayne a deep look and asked:

Are you sure you want to join the Tower of Babel?

Wayne nodded: "I'm sure. I promised Theresa I'd help her, and I'll help you too."

Can you help me out?

Kal'tsit's lips curled into a slight smile. She nodded, reopened the computer, and moved everyone's names one position to the right. After Theresa and Kal'tsit's names, she added an extra space and entered a name: [Wayne Bruce].

Then, she turned around, took a panel and a pen from a pile of file folders, handed them to Wayne, and said:

"Choose your own code name."

"Code name?" Wayne blinked.

Kal'tsit nodded solemnly: "Codenames. They're necessary. Theresa's codename is Speaker, although most Sarkaz still call her Her Highness. My codename is Doctor, not because I'm in charge of medicine, but because..."

Kal'tsit didn't continue, but Wayne could guess what she was going to say next.

Rather, it's because this is her small dream.

Kal'tsit and Theresa once had a debate about what was incurable about this land. In the end, Theresa gave two answers: first, an incurable disease, namely Oripathy; second, strife, which is human greed.

Kal'tsit didn't deny the latter, but she didn't accept the former. She believed that every incurable disease had a cure, it just hadn't been discovered yet. She chose the codename "Doctor" to remind herself that one day she must prove to Theresa that Oripathy was curable!

Wayne was actually a little saddened by this. Kal'tsit probably didn't understand that Theresa had only given one answer.

Oripathy is an incurable disease. With the advancement of medicine, it will certainly be curable sooner or later. However, it cannot be eradicated because there will always be people who are forced to contract it and die from it.

To save a person, first heal their heart. Studying medicine won't save the people of Terra—as Xun Ge said.

“You also need a code name; it’s a rule of the Tower of Babel. We come from all corners of the world and gather here, not showing our real names, but treating each other with sincerity, keeping each other’s secrets, and being able to be completely loyal to one another. So we are the Tower of Babel—a mysterious tower that exists to defy the gods (order).

Kal'tsit said solemnly.

This may be the law of the future Tower of Babel.