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

"But today, few people in Kazimir know that the Unarmored Alliance and Xuan Tie were not just urban legends, but a real force that once existed on the land of Kazimir, a force that checked and balanced the knights and nobles. And their leader, Xuan Tie, was not some monster who wielded a heavy Xuan Tie sword and would deliberately plunge the sword into the body of his enemies after killing them, pinning them to the ground. He only fired one arrow from beginning to end, using that greatsword as a crossbow bolt to pierce through the enemy and pin him to the ground."

"The reason I didn't dare to be immediately certain that the assassination was carried out by Xuan Tie is because this matter concerns both Victoria and Kazimir. I need to examine the appearance of the sword before I can determine whether it is a clumsy imitation used to frame someone or the work of a real person."

“Now you’re sure,” Wayne said.

Kal'tsit nodded: "It's confirmed. Whether it's the patterns on the blade or the obvious design on the sword that differs from the spell conduction circuit of a typical dual-wielding greatsword, but is more like the acceleration circuit of a bow and arrow, this is the arrow shot by Xuan Tie himself. The enemy in this assassination is from Kazimierz."

Wayne closed his eyes and sighed.

He felt that he had been low-key enough in his life, never showing his face in public. Even when he went on vacation to Longmen, his face was blurred in the news. Why were there always some people who couldn't forget him?

He never went near trouble, yet trouble kept coming toward him. It seemed that even remaining unscathed on Terra was a luxury. He had no choice but to either go against the tide or blend in with the world.

Since that's the case, let's go against the current to the very end!

"Understood. Kal'tsit, inform Theresa to stay at the front and keep an eye on Theresis to prevent him from causing trouble. Kal'tsit, you'll be traveling back to Londinium with me tomorrow. Remember, make a grand return to Londinium!"

Kal'tsit paused, then asked, "Why? Shouldn't we be more careful now to avoid a second assassination attempt?"

“There was no second assassination attempt,” Wayne said. “Theresis encountered the Xuan Tie you mentioned on his way to Little Hills. He engaged in a friendly exchange with Mr. Xuan Tie using 100 Victoria-style mortars. Mr. Xuan Tie should be speechless by now, and probably won’t be able to speak again. As for why I’m going back in such a grand manner…”

Wayne's lips curled into the same "life or death uncertain" smile as Hua Nong, Uncle Mo, and Zhang San.

"Officially release the news that the Prince of Wales was assassinated and returned to Londinium. Then, secretly release the news that the assassination had serious consequences; the Prince is now critically injured and on the verge of death, and the assassin has escaped and disappeared. Finally, spread the word through rumors. I'll have Vina ask her Glasgow gang members to pretend to be 'insiders' and obtain some 'inside information,' saying that the assassin used a greatsword of black iron as a weapon to kill the Prince, and that Her Majesty the Queen is now greatly affected, mentally exhausted, and the royal family is in turmoil, with the possibility of unrest. I'll have Ernest, Arthur, and Winster cooperate with their information to create a false impression. By the way, have the High Patriarch visit the palace more often during this period. To the outside world, say that Her Majesty the Queen is seeking psychological advice; to the inside, say that Her Majesty the Queen has asked the High Patriarch to come and pray for her. Then, release some misleading information, saying that Wayne has recovered or that Wayne is dead. Distract everyone."

"In short, it all boils down to two words—fishing!"

Kal'tsit was stunned for a long time before realizing how malicious Wayne's plan was. Xuan Tie was dead, Hamilton was busy suppressing bandits and couldn't possibly be paying attention to public opinion, and there was no reason for Theresa and Kal'tsit, the remaining insiders, not to cooperate. This lie was impossible to expose; no one could know Wayne's true state. Coupled with his meticulously staged performance, it was hard not to believe him.

But the key question is, what about Wayne himself? If he stays in the palace, he might be discovered by a scheming nobleman.

"Then what are you going to do?"

“I… I’m going to find a friend. To teach that unruly Kazimierz a lesson,” Wayne replied.

Kal'tsit blinked, suddenly realizing that Vayne had used Ursus language to refer to his friend, and her expression immediately became more interesting. She offered her advice:

"Then why don't we just release some information through my personal channels, saying that the Queen has found out that the assassin came from Kazimierz and is ready to block Kazimierz's economy and cooperate with Ursus to retaliate against Kazimierz? Then Ursus will move along with this rumor, and Kazimierz will have no choice but to believe it."

Wayne laughed, patted Kal'tsit on the shoulder, and gave her a thumbs up.

"You learn so fast!"

Kal'tsit shook her head modestly: "It's because Your Highness is so skilled at fishing that you've picked it up from seeing it all along."

I need a leave of absence to celebrate my roommate's birthday.

It was my roommate's birthday party, his first birthday party since starting university. It was a bit of a shame we couldn't go out for a meal, but we still had to prepare cake, roast chicken, and cream puffs!

I couldn't refuse their hospitality (actually, I was just craving something delicious), so tonight we had a barbecue, cake, roast chicken, and cream puff party in the dorm!

I'm taking a day off tonight and will make it up tomorrow. I'll write two thousand words in three shifts or two thousand words in two shifts. Trust me!

Happy birthday!!

Chapter Thirty: I'll pass on Vina's apology to you.

Victoria, Londinium, Iron Palace.

Night had fallen, and according to a healthy sleep schedule, Vina should be in bed by now. But the news of Wayne's assassination attempt from Little Hill County still made her uneasy. She tried calling Wayne, but his line was constantly busy. She asked Kal'tsit and Theresa, and although they told her "Don't worry, Wayne is fine," Vina still felt uneasy.

Just a few hours ago, she received a message from Wayne that she would be returning to Lontinim tonight. In order to confirm her brother's safety as soon as possible, Vina had endured the journey until now.

Glancing at the wall clock, it was already one in the morning. Londinium didn't have a curfew, but there wouldn't be any night markets or parties in the palace. While not exactly eerily quiet, it was practically deathly silent. Vina rubbed her eyes, propped her chin up, and sat in her chair, looking drowsy. She only snapped awake when the office door was pushed open.

"elder brother?"

She looked at the person who pushed open the door and entered; Kal'tsit's face showed some embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, it's me."

Vina blushed slightly, feigned a cough to ease the awkward atmosphere, and asked, "Kal'tsit, where's your brother? Is he back?"

Kal'tsit closed the door and nodded: "His Highness Wayne has returned, but Your Majesty, you'd better not go to see him now."

"What do you mean?" Vina's heart tightened, and she pressed for an answer. "Why?"

“You’re being a little too positive right now,” Kal’tsit said with a sigh, glancing at Vina’s swaying tail. “As per His Highness Wayne’s request, please try to appear a little sad. Is that alright?”

"What happened to him?"

“No, nothing at all. This was His Highness Wayne’s plan,” Kal’tsit explained. “His Highness Wayne did indeed encounter a rather dangerous assassination attempt, but the assassin has been baptized by Victoria’s artillery fire, confessed his crimes to the Lord of Machines, and received the Machine God’s forgiveness. However, this news has not been revealed yet. His Highness Wayne has deliberately kept all information about this matter confidential. You understand what I mean?”

Vina frowned. Having been Empress for so long, she wasn't some naive political novice. Her brother's favorite tactic was using "information asymmetry" to lure and entrap law enforcement. So, sometimes, even if a plan didn't seem particularly clever at the time, those involved wouldn't notice anything amiss. This time was no different. Her brother had clearly survived an assassination attempt, but he deliberately kept it a secret. His purpose was simple: to prevent others from knowing that "Wayne wasn't assassinated."

But Vina couldn't understand whose fish her brother was trying to catch this time.

Based on detailed analysis by the General Staff and actual combat experience, while the Deeppool troops weren't exactly ragtag, they were nothing more than a disorganized rabble, utterly incapable of defeating the real Royal Victoria Army. Their annihilation was only a matter of time; Wayne had no need to feign death to lure Deeppool into a trap. But besides Deeppool, what other enemies does Victoria have now?

Fyodor of the Ursus Empire has just reached a series of trade agreements with Victoria. The Ursus emperor, who is as poor as the crocodile people of Sargon, is now happily exchanging his precious but temporarily useless rare resources and individual soldier equipment sold by weight for money. Not to mention, a large number of Ursus nobles are frantically bidding for the New Wales County construction project, which will begin soon. Anyone who dares to provoke Victoria at this time is a traitor to Ursus, not only certified by the king, but also a social consensus.

As for Victoria's rivals on land, apart from Ursus which poses some threat, the other T2 and T3 level countries like Letania and Bolivar are not worth mentioning. Even if they all declared war on Victoria, they might not be able to overthrow it. Even if they could, before they could overthrow Victoria, their own governments would definitely collapse due to a series of factors such as economic blockade, financial collapse, and inflation (deflation).

After thinking for a long time, Vina still didn't know who Wayne was trying to protect himself from, so she could only ask indirectly:

"I understand. But are they really that scary?"

Kal'tsit, oblivious to Vina's odd behavior, replied in agreement:

“Don’t underestimate the nobles. As His Highness Wayne said, the strongest fortresses are often breached from within, and the greatest alliances are often broken from within. Victoria’s greatest enemy is itself.”

"A vast and well-established aristocratic bureaucracy, coupled with the opportunities presented by the Originium Industrial Revolution, propelled Victoria to become a superpower on Terra, constructing a world system unique to Victoria. The empire has prospered under this system to this day. But times change. Nourished by this world system, Victoria's nobility has swelled to unimaginable levels. Your Majesty, no nation has ever been able to rival, or even conquer, another fully mobilized independent nation with the private army of a single Grand Duke."

Kal'tsit solemnly described it as follows:

"During the height of Gaul's power, the Gallic emperor successfully defeated a grand duke of Victoria, seizing vast territories and cities from him. However, the Gallic Empire was severely weakened and offered no resistance when the Nightmare Khan arrived. That Gallic emperor was a man of great achievements during his reign, but ultimately, he is best known for a joke: he sold his country to the Nightmare Khan, using the proceeds to defeat Victoria and help Colombia gain independence. Both Theresa and I experienced that era firsthand, Your Majesty. Frankly, now is the best opportunity. Prince Wayne is a man of great talent and ambition, and the timing, location, and popular support are all in place. The power of the nobility within the empire is at an unprecedented low. If we don't act now to eliminate future troubles, once they recover, it may not be a simple purge that can solve the problem once and for all."

"There are bad people among the nobles, Your Majesty!"

Vina opened her mouth. Kal'tsit's erudite and comprehensive discourse, ranging from astronomy to geography, was always somewhat incomprehensible, but she understood the last sentence very well.

There are bad people among the nobles. My brother's goal is to take this opportunity to lure out those bad people and then wipe them all out.

What else is there to say?

"That's what my brother has decided, so go for it. I'll handle any problems that arise."

Vina encouraged him. Wayne was just a prince, and a prince certainly couldn't completely purge the nobility on his own. Without the proper authority, his words wouldn't be credible. That's why Wayne had Kal'tsit inform Vina about this matter.

In retrospect, Vina's agreement was extremely risky. As Kal'tsit stated, the Victorian nobility had amassed enormous wealth within the Victorian-centric world system, far exceeding the gains of the royal family that had constructed it. This gave each powerful grand duke a status and strength comparable to an ordinary nation. Launching a purge against them, even with the current suppression of noble power, was by no means a simple matter to be undertaken lightly.

If defeated, the royal family will inevitably face a backlash from the nobles. At best, it will be like the British Empire in Wayne's previous life, signing a Magna Carta, a Bill of Rights, and so on, limiting royal power, until finally becoming a popular figurehead with no real power. At worst, it will be like neighboring Kazimierz, with the kingdom overthrown, the noble council uniting with merchants and capitalists to establish a republic, and the Aslan royal family utterly defeated.

The one who will bear the brunt of this historical infamy will not be Prince Wayne, but rather Empress Vina, who holds the final decision-making power. She may very well become the ruler of a fallen kingdom as a result.

This is a gamble of epic proportions, one that even Wayne himself doesn't have a sure thing. Success means unification; Victoria, under the leadership of the progressive, patriotic Wayne, will avoid many pitfalls, stride confidently into modern society, and ultimately lay the foundation for a thousand-year empire, transforming itself one day into the red nation Wayne envisions. Failure means the demise of the monarchy, the collapse of the empire, and Victoria being torn to pieces, becoming a plaything for warlords, oligarchs, and ambitious individuals, just like the USSR on Christmas Eve 1991.

The button to start this game of chess concerning the future destiny of the nation was right before Vina's eyes. Without hesitation, she pressed it resolutely.

"I don't care whether I'm remembered in history or infamous for eternity. I'm an emperor who rose from the slums. Even if Wayne isn't my brother, as long as he can lead every one of my subjects to prosperity and strength, I will support him unconditionally."

Vina smiled. The future Queen Victoria, the only one to be given the title of "Empress," was already demonstrating her extraordinary courage at this moment.

Of course, at this moment, her face showed more of the trust and reliance of a young girl's family:

"Not to mention he's my brother, my brother with whom I share a deep bond of blood."

"What do you need me to do, Kal'tsit?"

........

Victoria, Londinium junction.

Standing at the entrance to the transfer area, not far behind him was the quarantine gate leading into Londinium. The transfer area was empty and calm in the dead of night. Wayne faced the fierce cold wind blowing from the wilderness, his signature frizzy hair flying loose, like a raging flame.

Looking at the two moons that had risen high in the night sky and the countless stars, Wayne estimated that it was about time, so he turned around to greet the owner of the hurried sound of leather shoes.

"Vina, it's been a long time."

Wayne raised his hand and greeted Vina and Kal'tsit who had rushed over. The two had only been apart for less than a day, but after experiencing an unexpected assassination, it always felt like a long time had passed, so long that they were almost separated by death.

Seeing Wayne unharmed and with a rosy complexion, Vina finally breathed a long sigh of relief. She opened her arms and gave Wayne a big hug, pressing his head into her chest until the lion suffocated. Only then did she reluctantly release him, feigning anger as she scolded him:

"I warned you before, you need to bring your unicorn guards when you go out! Luckily, it ended without incident. If anything had happened to you, how could I..."

"What's wrong with you?" Wayne asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

Vina glared at him: "What about Aslan? What about Victoria! If something happens to you, the Aslan royal family will be missing a partner!"

What a clever double entendre. Kal'tsit silently apologized to Theresa, who was still in Little Hills County to the north. This was on behalf of Vina. After all, the lioness had learned the techniques, leveled up her skills, and was now starting to wield a hoe against her master's corner.

Theresa deserved an apology, and Vina should have said to dig again. She was so busy wielding her hoe that she forgot, but Kal'tsit made up for it. They helped each other out; if she gets busy in the future, she might have to ask Vina to pass on a message too.

Wayne chuckled, lowered his head, and gave the girl a light, fleeting kiss on the forehead. He then ruffled Vina's hair and said, "It's my fault. I'm back. This time, I'll be recuperating in Londinium for quite a while, so I won't dare wander around outside."

Vina shook her head contentedly, her soft, smooth hair sweeping away the pressure in Wayne's heart like a broom. Sure enough, Kal'tsit wouldn't let him pluck her hair, and Theresa's horns were hard to pluck, so plucking his sister's hair was the most comfortable option.

Just to be on the safe side, Wayne still asked, "So, what's your decision?"

Vina nodded: "I agree with your decision. Let's do as you say. I will cooperate with you."

Wayne clapped his hands happily: "She's just like my cousin!"

Vina pouted and retorted, "It's my sister!"

"Isn't it a watch?" Wayne said deliberately. "When I brought you back, you told me to make sure we could tell the difference."

"When did I say such a thing?" Vina blinked, her tone questioning rather than rebuttal, because she couldn't recall exactly what she had said. She only remembered that upon returning to the palace, she had kept her distance from Wayne, barely acknowledging him. Now, those were shameful, embarrassing memories, already filtered out of her mind.

But that didn't stop her from answering Wayne with the same seriousness as Wayne: "So what? Blood is thicker than water!"

P.S.: I didn't check this chapter before posting it. I drank last night and my head is a bit foggy, so there might be typos. Please bear with me. I'll revise it when I'm sober.

That cake is made in a wine jar, you know that kind of wine jar, right? The kind used for Lao Tan pickled cabbage and beef noodles. It's not a spittoon. Who said it was a spittoon? Step forward! I laughed all night last night, and now I feel disgusted eating it.

P.S.: I wasn't drunk, just had one bottle of Rio, and I was only slightly tipsy, like drinking juice. I just got really into gaming. We played Uno together and teased each other a bit. Suddenly, it felt like I was back in college. Before, it always felt like I was just in a different place writing and gaming, and the signal was terrible.

Chapter Thirty-One: May Kazimir be filled with jinxes.

Ursus, St. Arthur's Castle, Ursus Royal Palace.