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

So, although she didn't immediately follow Vina and Theresa to the stage to stop Celt and Reed, she watched the events unfold on the screen. She witnessed the battered and bruised Wayne collapse from exhaustion, saw Reed rush onto the stage despite the surrounding soldiers to catch the fallen Wayne, and also witnessed Celt's final relief and heard her words.

After that, she had been keeping track of the fate of the Drak sisters. But in the palace of Londinium, she was merely a guest, with little power, and knew far less than Chen. Furthermore, with Wayne in a coma, Theresa was busy caring for him, practically never leaving his bedside. The only familiar person she knew was preoccupied with their own affairs, leaving Talulah with no one to turn to for help. Finally, when Wayne had some free time, she couldn't help but ask the question that had been buried in her heart for so long:

"Do they say I'm a traitor?"

Talulah's eyebrows drooped, and she looked somewhat worried. Faced with this somewhat sensitive question, Wayne remained silent for a moment, but ultimately chose to tell the truth:

"To be precise, only Celt says you are. Celt is a staunch Drakian restorationist. She hates and even despises everything about the decay of Victoria. She has persisted in her beliefs throughout her life and to this day, believing that Aslan's rule in Victoria was a failure. Even in prison, she insisted on criticizing Victoria as a 'degenerate aristocratic nation.' She considers herself the most legitimate successor of the Drakians. My stripping her of her Drakian inheritance and declaring the Drakians extinct is tantamount to directly stripping her of her greatest faith and pride in her life. It is no surprise that she would curse you for cooperating with me in doing this."

Wayne lowered his head, his voice low and earnest as he apologized, "In this matter, I did indeed use deception. You didn't know your identity or the existence of Deeppool beforehand, and I induced you to make this choice, which is somewhat unfair to you."

Although I do not regret it. Because I firmly believe that what I did was the best choice under the circumstances, and also the most beneficial choice for the future stable development of Victoria.

Unprepared for Wayne's honesty, Talulah fell silent. The many questions and doubts she had prepared remained unspoken, unable to be uttered.

To be fair, Talulah absolutely despises this kind of deception. The thing she hates most in her life is having others make decisions for her, and the thing she abhors most is being forced to act according to someone else's will, becoming someone else's pawn, becoming the kind of person someone else wants her to be.

Koschei did just that; she tried to replace Talulah, making her the next agent of the Black Serpent's will, a pawn for schemers to instigate war, and ultimately the next immortal Black Serpent, the next war criminal and schemer. Now, Wayne is doing the same thing. Although Wayne's actions are far less extreme than Koschei's, Talulah still feels a deep sense of unease.

Koschei also constantly proclaimed that he was fighting for Ursus, for his homeland, for a prosperous and strong future. But in the future he described, there wasn't a single place for the weak, the poor, or the infected. Talulah didn't know Wayne very well. Although both Chen and Theresa firmly believed that Wayne was a good person, judging a person ultimately depends on oneself. Talulah trusted her own feelings, and she didn't dare to place the same complete trust in Wayne as Chen and Theresa did. At least until she fully understood the man before her, she couldn't completely agree with the choices Wayne made "for the country, for everyone."

Who would have thought that the golden lion sitting across from her, warming his hands with a hot coffee, wouldn't be the next schemer to stir up trouble across the land? From a power standpoint, Wayne is perfectly capable of it, and far more destructive than the likes of Koschei!

However, Talulah's dissatisfaction wasn't particularly strong. Perhaps it was because she had spent some time with Wayne, or perhaps it was because Wayne unexpectedly chose to be honest and apologize; her anger, which hadn't even begun to rise, had already subsided considerably.

Talulah stared into Wayne's eyes, neither turning her back nor blaming him, nor showing any indifference or disdain. Under Chen's somewhat worried gaze, Talulah picked up her coffee cup and took a big gulp, like an Ursus man drinking vodka in the snow, letting the bitterness of the unsweetened coffee slowly unfold in her mouth.

She paused for a moment, then spoke softly: "Perhaps I was born this way. I hate this kind of behavior, I hate it when people impose their will on me with the pretense of 'it's for your own good, for everyone's good.' As long as such prejudice exists, whether it's directed at infected people or the simple, weak, I will fight against it relentlessly until I burn myself out."

"But I also believe in the role of a leader. Sometimes, it is indeed necessary to have a wise person who can see more to help confused people make the right choices."

"So, Your Highness Wayne, are you the villain who inflicts malice upon others, or the leader who guides the lost sheep?"

Talulah clenched her fists and said with utmost solemnity, "As a lamb that has already been 'guided' by you once without a sound, I will stand by your side and watch you. Let's wait and see."

Wayne nodded nonchalantly, responding with a serious tone:

"As a guide and leader, that is the meaning of my being here to wield this power. It is also the true value of the [Heavenly Mandate of Heaven].

Wayne raised his glass to Talulah and said:

"I will win you over, Talulah. To the future."

"To the future," Talulah responded, raising her glass.

Chapter 79 Education System Reform

Talulah and Chen said they wanted to explore New Wales on their own, so Wayne said goodbye to them and went to the college district in New Wales by himself.

Victoria has always had a compulsory education system, but like most education systems, schools under the compulsory education system generally lack the teaching quality and teacher resources of private schools. Influenced by natural disasters, nobility, and the belief in bloodlines, the education system on Terra has taken this to the extreme. Public schools under the compulsory education system only guarantee the most basic level of cultural and technical education, while most of the better educational resources are monopolized by aristocratic private schools. Education is merely maintained on the most basic principle of fairness: "everyone has access to education." As for commoners wanting to achieve upward social mobility through public education resources, it's not impossible, but it's practically impossible.

Faced with such a rigid education system, Wayne also attempted reforms, but a blanket requirement for elite schools to open to commoners, or forcing excellent teachers to teach in public schools, was not a wise choice. The former would lead to the direct collapse of the existing education system. Although commoner and aristocratic students are essentially no different, the differences in the values ​​taught during their upbringing are too great. If they don't get along well, it can easily lead to conflicts and escalate into extreme situations such as school bullying. Once the problems spread from the school to society, the already disadvantaged commoners will be even less able to cope with the powerful aristocratic class.

By then, it would be inconvenient for Wayne to even lend a hand, because this was not simply "class oppression" or exploitation, but a conflict arising from differences in values.

A prime example is when Wayne piloted opening its elite academy to ordinary students. A noblewoman was publicly insulted and physically assaulted by a commoner student after criticizing the meager food in his lunchbox. The school later learned that the noblewoman liked the commoner and had tried to communicate with him, but all attempts failed due to a lack of common ground. That day, she simply wanted to invite him to lunch, but her directness was perceived as disrespectful and humiliating by the commoner, leading to the conflict.

In this situation, Wayne couldn't really intervene or judge right or wrong. The noble student meant no harm; in fact, she was well-intentioned. Her invitation was just a little awkward, but it was also typical of children raised in the aristocratic system—high self-esteem and haughtiness. Wayne couldn't expect her to change habits formed over a decade in just a few days. The commoner student, on the other hand, simply loved her parents and wouldn't tolerate anyone criticizing the lunch they prepared for her. Coupled with being new to an unfamiliar environment surrounded by people who had once been superior, she felt uncomfortable and alienated, which led to this sensitive incident. Wayne didn't think any of them were wrong; the only mistake was his policy of forcibly pouring milk and red wine into one glass and demanding they mix.

So in the end, Wayne abandoned the pilot program and, on the advice of Kelsey and Vina, switched to a more moderate approach—she approached Patriarch Broca, the leader of the Anglican Church of Victoria, and instructed and authorized her to establish church schools throughout Victoria.

From our perspective today, the Church undoubtedly represents a backward, ignorant, and feudal force. Medieval Europe, dominated by the Church, was once considered the longest and most "dark" period in human history, characterized by "darkness, barbarity, and brutality." However, this is not actually the case.

The existence of the Church is almost inevitable. As long as humanity has not achieved a truly communist society, as long as human desires are not fully satisfied, as long as social classes, oppression, and exploitation persist, and as long as the human soul still feels something is lacking, then the Church will exist, and it will exist forever. This applies to Earth, and it applies equally to Terra, and it is not even absolutely related to whether or not gods truly exist or perform miracles.

As a deeply entrenched force on the land of Terra, the Church's influence continues to be significant even after Wayne stripped it of Laterano and placed it under the direct control of the Victorian government. Ninety percent of Victoria's residents are Anglicans, with thirty percent being devout, sixty percent being casual believers, and the remaining ten percent not being averse to religion but simply pragmatic—the so-called "it's free, so I'll believe a little" type. True materialists are virtually nonexistent.

Based on the church's framework, Wayne created a system of "church schools" outside the official compulsory education system. These schools, positioned between ordinary public schools and elite private academies, formed a filtering barrier. Leveraging the church's influence, these schools could attract some relatively high-quality teachers; most of the church's pastors also possessed good academic backgrounds and could serve as teachers. With Wayne's subsidies, the tuition fees were far cheaper than the exorbitant prices of elite private academies, remaining at a level that middle-income families could afford without financial strain, and lower-middle-income families could manage with a little effort.

For impoverished families who couldn't even afford such tuition, Wayne established a special admissions mechanism. Being a church institution, it didn't need to adhere to the rigid rules of the nobility. For impoverished students "inspired by the Patriarch and Queen" and "capable of contributing to the development of Victoria," church schools would offer special admissions with tuition waivers. Of course, this only applied to students who passed the assessments and required dual review and approval from the Royal Household and the Anglican Office of London, preventing any unqualified individuals from taking advantage of the system. As for students with even greater ambitions who wanted to pursue a top-tier education—admissions to the six Royal Colleges of Victoria were always open to all citizens.

In this way, a three-pronged educational system was formally established.

Students who only want to learn basic knowledge and lack motivation will enter the public education system, with the royal family unconditionally guaranteeing their right to basic education. Ambitious students who want to advance will attend church schools, while talented and ambitious students can try to enter one of the six royal colleges when applying to university. Noble schools cater to the needs of a small number of nobles, and although they may still have a slight advantage in educational quality, who can guarantee absolute fairness?

Wien is aware that his system has flaws. For example, because it relies on the church's influence among the people, it could potentially exacerbate the influence of religion in Victoria. But flawed things always have room for improvement. Wien can't do it at his current level, but there's still a long time to go.

Wayne took a quick look around the area, met with Lilia and Hayako, Ino and Sasha, and finally set off for his final destination—Rhine Lab.

Chapter 80, Experiment 114

Rhine Life headquarters, New Wales.

Wayne's old friends, Himer and Saria, are working together on a significant project. Through in-depth research and analysis of Patriot Bodrocasti's body, the ancient secrets of the Wendigo are gradually being revealed to scientists. Now, they are attempting to replicate this unique constitution in other life forms using scientific methods. If successful, this will be a historic technological revolution in the field of Oripathy research, meaning the first Oripathy preventative vaccine may be developed.

Dressed in a completely airtight protective suit, Himer crouched down in front of the transparent, room-temperature glass box containing the mice, intently watching every change in the mice within. Inside the glass box was a high-purity Originium that was already in an unstable state. This Originium, specially treated by the materials science department, would disintegrate within ten minutes at room temperature, producing a large amount of Originium dust, enough to simulate a highly contaminated battlefield environment within the sealed glass box.

Normally, humans entering such an environment would almost certainly contract Oripathy from inhaling massive amounts of Originium dust. The infection would worsen due to continuous exposure to high concentrations of contamination, leading to widespread Oripathy lesions and death within minutes. However, the first phase of Project Spark, "Patriot's Blood," significantly enhances the physical condition of those injected (or ingested), ensuring basic mobility in high-concentration Originium-contaminated environments while "Patriot's Blood" is active.

But that's not enough. Simply ensuring mobility is not enough. If Oripathy cannot be suppressed, even with mobility, Oripathy will immediately break out in the weakened body after the effect of "Patriot's Blood" ends. At that time, no existing medical means will be sufficient to suppress it.

For researchers like Himer and Saria, this result is akin to modifying a bomb from one that's about to explode into a time bomb. Ultimately, it's still going to explode, and even if it delays the explosion, there are no corresponding methods to defuse it. This hardly qualifies as a "breakthrough." Even though such an achievement would be enough to entice countless conspirators, a priceless and unavailable scientific product.

"Whoosh—hah—"

Himer deliberately suppressed her breathing, even though her heartbeat was gradually accelerating as the Originium-contaminated environment inside the glass box formed. Her usually languid eyes were devoid of sleepiness, filled only with boundless energy and enthusiasm. She muttered to herself, tirelessly describing the changes in the mice to Saria, who was recording experimental data beside her.

"A simulated high-concentration Originium contamination environment has been created, and the sandbox environment is ready. Begin injecting [Patriot's Blood] into Subject A114. Subject A114 is currently in normal condition."

Himer, wearing gloves, pressed the button on the remote-controlled injection device. The device, attached to the mouse's back, beeped, and the crimson liquid inside the capsule began to slowly inject into the mouse's body. The mouse squeaked in pain, but the squeaking quickly stopped. The injection device on the mouse's back detached automatically, leaving no trace of the injection wound on its furry back. Under the powerful amplification of [Patriot's Blood], the tiny needle marks had completely healed.

The energetic little mouse began scurrying about in its cage, constantly ramming against the glass walls, trying to break through the barrier. But the specially designed glass was strong enough to withstand a small Originium explosion; how could it possibly be shattered by a mouse? After several futile attempts, the mouse began circling the cage and attempting vertical climbing to jump out from above.

"Subject A114 is showing active vital signs, and no Oripathy infection has been detected so far. The situation is as expected," Himer continued.

Saria entered the data into the computer and turned to look at the glass box. Watching the lively little white mouse, she said to Himeru with some delight:

"No one got infected this time. Did we succeed, Himer?"

As soon as Saria spoke, Himer's expression changed drastically. She turned around abruptly and stopped her in alarm:

"Don't jinx it, Saria!"

But time was running out. The once lively mice had only been active for less than half a minute in the high-concentration Originium environment. Thirty seconds had barely passed when the situation in the box reversed immediately. The mice, which had been attempting to jump, suddenly lost control of their bodies after one leap and fell without any cushioning. Although the fall was not great, this was clearly illogical for experimental subjects enhanced by the Blood of Patriots.

Immediately afterwards, as if to verify Saria's jinx, Himer suddenly discovered that the white rat in the box began to cough violently, and at the same time, the tail of the experimental subject, which was one of the important means for the rat to maintain its balance, also broke off.

Himer glared fiercely at Saria and immediately began to dictate:

"Thirty-three seconds after the start of the experiment, Subject 114 developed an acute Oripathy infection, accompanied by a trend of malignant lesions spreading. By forty seconds into the experiment, the tail of Subject 114 had crystallized over a large area, with two-thirds of the tail completely crystallized into Originium crystals and breaking off from the main body. Subject 114 lost its vitality, and its vital signs continued to weaken."

Himer spoke very quickly, but sometimes, even the fastest speech can't keep up with the scythe of death.

Under Hamer's gaze, the white mouse in the box let out a piercing scream. The next second, its eyeballs exploded, and a cluster of jet-black Originium crystals burst forth savagely, their fluorescent surfaces resembling the sharp tip of a death scythe. Hamer was startled and instinctively recoiled slightly, taking half a step back. Her pupils trembled; the scene of the exploding eyeballs replayed in her mind, causing a phantom pain in her eyes, as if that terrifying scene would reappear on her at any moment.

Saria stood up, gently rubbed Himer's head, and carefully pulled her into her arms, saying:

"It's alright, it was an expected failure."

"Forty-five seconds after the experiment began, subject A114..."

“I’ve already written the report. There’s no need to repeat it. Hemer, you’ve just been transferred to this position and are already in charge of such important live experiments. If you’re not used to it, I can apply to Chief Administrator Menes to arrange for someone else to take over the position.”

“No…” Himer shook her head quickly, breaking free from Saria’s embrace. She took off her glasses, rubbed her sore eyes hard, and said firmly, “No need, I can do it. This is something I have to do. Fiona, and so many children who have been harmed and infected with Oripathy because of the Loken Water Tank and Columbia’s inhumane experiments, I must save them!”

"But that's not your fault; you weren't involved."

“Ran and a scientist who once worked in Columbia should be ashamed!” Himer said with grief and indignation, his eyes becoming increasingly resolute.

“Saria, do you know, last week Fiona and I went to a church academy where there are rehabilitation classes specifically for the victims of the Loken Tank and Columbia incidents. There, I met a Sarkaz girl named Ifrit. She was the youngest of the group, but the leader. Because she had just been sold to Columbia before being rescued and hadn't been harmed yet, her consciousness was the clearest among the children. But even she suffers from severe Oripathy.”

“That child is very strong. She has been taking care of Fiona at school and in the orphanage. I thought I had to do something for her too. I am a scientist, and the greatest thing I can do for them is to alleviate their suffering—Oripathy!” Hermès said earnestly.

Saria was somewhat intimidated by her terrifying aura, this willingness to burn herself out to achieve her goal, which was quite contradictory to someone as steady and conservative as her: "This is not something that can be accomplished overnight."

“But I will fight for this my whole life,” Hammer said.

Saria was somewhat at a loss for words when it came to Hamer's question. She instinctively wanted to dismiss such a radical idea, but didn't want to dampen Hamer's enthusiasm. Fortunately, the loudspeaker suddenly came on, rescuing her from the predicament:

"Dr. Seria, Dr. Himer, come to the board office immediately. The shareholders need to speak with you."

Rhine Life is a state-owned enterprise, so where would it get shareholders?

Wait, could it be...?

Himer and Saria exchanged a glance, and Saria immediately helped Himer remove the protective suit, take off the white coat, change into regular clothes, and rush towards the elevator.

Chapter 81: I failed my exam last night and my mentality collapsed, so I didn't update. Sorry.

Rhine Life Sciences, General Office.

Menes, who had just sent the broadcast, turned around, clasped her hands on her lower abdomen, and gave Wayne a slight bow, saying, "Mr. Wayne, please wait a moment. Himer and Seria will be here shortly."

Wayne waved his hand and said helplessly, "It's okay, there's really no need to go to so much trouble. I have plenty of time, no rush."

"They were also very concerned about your condition. If it weren't for the fact that your Spark Program also required their participation, they would probably have volunteered to go to Lentinium as medical consultants." Menes, usually a capable and efficient career woman, rarely showed such vulnerability as she said, "During your coma, those were the most urgent days since Rhine Life arrived in Victoria. Besides the medical teams stationed in various locations and the county-based medical consultants, all the long-time employees who had accompanied Rhine Life from Colombia all the way here applied for medical consultant positions in Lentinium during those days. Everyone knows your immense kindness to Rhine Life and wants to do everything they can to help you."

"Did you sign up too?" Wayne asked curiously.

"Me? No, I'm sorry, but my medical skills and theoretical knowledge aren't exactly outstanding at Rhine Lab. Compared to the scientists with their own laboratories, I'm probably just a community doctor. I didn't have the heart to fill in another spot and cause trouble. I'm very sorry."

Menes replied somewhat apologetically. Her constant apologizing made Wayne a little embarrassed.

He quickly stopped Menes from apologizing:

“It’s alright, I was just curious. Miss, you are an indispensable member of Rhine Life. Without you staying at Rhine Life as the backbone during the most critical days, Rhine Life would not have survived until Mr. Henry’s return, let alone moved the whole family to Victoria, thousands of miles away.”

And, to be honest, it might sound a bit sentimental, but Wayne was actually quite moved. The coma was probably the worst injury he'd suffered since transmigrating to this world. His entire body was covered in sores, like earth cracked open by the sun. When Theresa showed him the photos later, Wayne was horrified. Compared to his previous injury—when he slit his own throat after assassinating the King of the North, and no one cared at all, not even knowing he was dying—this time, he was practically getting all the attention he deserved.

Domestically, Theresa cared for him day and night; Vina single-handedly handled all of Victoria's affairs, ensuring that the empire did not descend into chaos after the purge of the nobility, thus stabilizing the situation; Kal'tsit personally took charge, acting as his personal physician to treat his wounds and restore his strength; Ernest and Winster swiftly controlled the spread of information, allowing the Celts to take the blame; Rhine Lab sent a medical advisory team; and even Patriarch Boudica organized a three-day, three-night prayer ceremony for him.

From an unknown heir to the throne in name only, to the Prince of Wales, a figure of immense public attention and captivating public interest, Wayne, though not becoming the false "King of Destiny" as his father, the King in the North, had planned, gained something far more important than so-called destiny. The value of this treasure far surpasses that of a glittering golden crown.

Menes clearly wanted to say something more, but the knocking interrupted her conversation with Wayne. Swallowing the words that were about to come out, Menes smiled and shook her head, saying briefly:

"Your Highness Wayne, why do you need to praise me like this? The entire Rhine Lab knows that without you, there would be no Rhine Lab as we are today. If we continue to stay in Columbia, it will either be destroyed or it will mutate into the next Loken Tank. Well, Himer and the others have arrived, so let's hand the stage over to them. It seems that Project Spark has recently made some new progress, and they are waiting to report to you."

Menes took a step back, pressed the door open button on the desk, and said:

"Please come in."

Himer and Saria pushed open the door and immediately blurted out a question: