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

"Bring him here to see if it's Wayne. If not, kill him."

Chapter 112 The Great Tranquility Disaster

Victoria, Londinium, Iron Palace, Queen's Office.

Vina, exhausted, clocked in for work on time. She yawned sleepily and familiarly flipped through the stack of files on her desk, intending to start from the bottom. But before she could even open the first folder, an unfamiliar voice rang out beside her.

"Your Majesty, I apologize, but please start with the first one this time."

Vina jolted awake, jolted awake by the sudden shock. She looked up to her right, focusing on the woman standing beside her. Her first noticeable feature was the prominent single horn on the woman's head. She let out a long sigh of relief, patting her chest to calm her racing heart, and frowned as she asked:

"What are you doing in my office so early in the morning, you unicorns? If you're going to come, then come without making a sound. Are you trying to scare me to death?"

"I apologize." The female unicorn bowed apologetically, performing a courtly salute, and repeated, "Your Majesty, please begin with the first one."

Vina nodded in confusion, then flipped the file back over and opened the first folder. She quickly realized the unusual nature of this document. Compared to the other civil documents held in blue clips, the military documents in red clips, and the diplomatic documents in green clips, this document not only used a striking and rare gold folder, but even the cover was made of special genuine leather, adorned with the Victorian coat of arms featuring a lion and a red dragon dancing together.

Vina straightened her expression and read the contents of the folder.

[Encryption Level: Top Secret, Visible Only to the Emperor of Victoria — Approved by the current Unicorn Chieftain, Winston Skywalker Unicorn, and visible to the current leader of Victoria, Prince Wayne Bruce of Wales.]

[A Level 1 Disaster has occurred. The Clock Tower observed a large-scale burst of spiritual energy in Rembiton, mixed with demonic corruption. Rembiton is currently in a "quasi-Great Tranquility State," and external communication is cut off.]

[Chieftain Winston Skywalker Unicorn has led a team to investigate. It is not yet confirmed whether this was caused by a demonic invasion; the disaster level is currently locked at level one.]

Your Majesty, prepare for the worst.

[Reporter – Winster]

"What does this report mean?" Vina put down the leather folder in her hand and looked at the unicorn beside her. "Isn't there supposed to be a demon appearing in a Level 1 disaster? Rembitor is a vast distance away, whether it's the scorching hot lands or the far north tundra. Where did the demon come from? How could a large-scale mental energy outburst be that big? Just one incident caused a [Great Tranquility] level disaster?"

The Great Tranquility refers to a catastrophe that once befell Iberia. No adjective can describe the intensity of this disaster, for simply stating the facts is enough to suffocate everyone. Iberia was once a prosperous nation. Through its connections with the Agorians of the sea, the Iberians mastered many advanced technologies far ahead of the other Terran nations, and were the only nation to possess a powerful navy. Their cities were built on the coast, and trade was conducted rapidly by sea, unaffected by natural disasters severing shipping routes. Their invincible fleet, known as the "Golden Fleet," once ventured deep into the ocean, conquering territories unknown to the Terrans. If their conquered maritime frontiers were also considered part of their territory, then Iberia's land area undoubtedly far surpassed that of the Ursus Empire.

But this very nation, the most powerful contender for world hegemony, vanished overnight. Their country, their civilization, their technology—all disappeared along with the "Golden Fleet" that plunged into the depths of the ocean, never to return. All communication and contact between Iberia and the outside world was severed. Iberians stranded abroad could not return home, and the Agor people underwent a bizarre mutation, losing their rationality and becoming extremely aggressive. Their magic could no longer be used, all industrial products were destroyed, prosperous cities were reduced to ruins, and the highest levels of government fell into silence. This situation lasted for nearly a month, until the first search and rescue team from various countries entered Iberia. All of Terra was astonished that a civilization could collapse overnight and be reduced to such desolation in just one month.

This was the Great Tranquility of Iberia, its cause and course unknown. The result was the destruction of the great maritime power of Iberia, leaving only a people struggling to survive amidst the ruins. With the help of the Lateran Catholic Church, they established the so-called Iberian Federation—an alliance of scavengers, religious believers, and cultists disguised as the former Iberian nation. Simultaneously with the Great Tranquility of Iberia, the mysterious maritime kingdom of Agor was also plunged into immense disaster. However, this was not of concern to the Terrans on land. Their focus was more on vying for the meager resources on land, showing no interest in the vast ocean world.

Now, Rembitox has experienced a major disaster of the "Great Silence" level. Although the word "like" is added before "Great Silence," it is clear to anyone with discernment that this is merely a subtle difference between killing with a gun and killing with a knife. The word "like" alone is far from enough to reassure anyone.

More importantly, if this were just a disaster in a distant mining nation, it wouldn't be so bad. Even though Rembiton's mines are related to the fundamental interests of the nations of Terra, everyone has some strategic reserves. Even if Rembiton were to collapse, it would be enough to sustain them for a considerable period of time, more than enough for each nation to quickly organize a rescue team to help Rembiton. But this time is different; Wayne is still at Rembiton!

"Why does trouble follow my brother wherever he goes?!"

Vina wanted nothing more than to bite Wayne and see if he was born with a troublemaking gene in his DNA. But things didn't go as planned; Wayne wasn't there, he was still on the dangerous front lines.

The unicorn standing nearby answered very seriously:

"The report is exactly what it says, Your Majesty. There's no need to be too anxious (it won't help anyway). Chief Winster set off last night and should arrive in Rembiton this evening local time. On the bright side, perhaps Prince Wayne is alright?"

"What do you mean 'maybe'!" Vina glared fiercely at the mute unicorn.

Why don't you just say that this whole incident was caused by Wayne? Didn't you have an etiquette teacher to teach you what to say and what not to say, Unicorn? If you don't have any, I can give you two; I have plenty here!

Vina picked up the intercom on the table: "Get me through to Ernest! Have him prepare the troops. Prepare for the aftermath of a potential Level 1 disaster." At the same time, she took out her own phone and tried to call Wayne.

As expected, the message reads, "The user you dialed is temporarily out of service."

Chapter 113 The Truth Deduced from Clues

Even aboard the aircraft, the Unicorns were diligently investigating the cause of the sudden outbreak of the Level 1 Rembiton Disaster. A hastily formed crisis management office compiled all information exchanged within the ten minutes prior to the [Great Tranquility-level Disaster] in Rembiton, from ordinary citizens to high-ranking officials, from the public to the government, and from the real world to the internet. This information was then compiled and analyzed to identify anomalies that might be related to the cause of the Great Tranquility. This information was then sent to Winster's desk for the Unicorn Chieftain to personally review.

Initially, the documents that arrived were highly suspicious, such as the assassinations of numerous prominent figures and officials in Rembitox's Sigraine on the eve of the Great Quiet. The criminals' methods were brazen yet highly sophisticated, keeping Rembitox's police force on the run almost overnight. Winster initially prioritized this intelligence, devoting considerable effort to searching for relevant clues and evidence. However, after meticulous investigation, Winster not only failed to find any connection between these individuals and the disaster, but instead uncovered Wayne's involvement.

"Did these people all have their eyes on the Rabbit Mine area in the days before they died?"

Winster checked with the unicorn beside him, and the unicorn nodded. Winster lowered his head and frowned. If he remembered correctly, the place His Highness Wayne had gone to was the Rabbit Mine, wasn't it?

These men had their eyes on Prince Wayne. Where did they get the audacity to target the Victorian royal family... Oh right, Prince Wayne was traveling discreetly in plain clothes again this time. Those men probably had no idea that the so-called Babel Tower Construction Group, which had secured the mining rights to the Rabbit Mine, was actually a state apparatus disguised as a corporation. Otherwise, even if they survived, based solely on the information they had gathered about their plan to extort Prince Wayne, Winston wouldn't hesitate to issue a Unicorn Order, sending these ungrateful businessmen to beg God for ransom.

"They got off too easily," Winster sneered, putting down the first lead report with some regret. It was unclear whether he regretted not being able to investigate the true cause of the Great Silent Disaster, or whether he regretted not being able to personally execute a few scoundrel capitalists.

The next lead pointed to a complex heretical religion spreading throughout Rembiton. Victoria adheres to the Anglican Church, the state religion of Victoria, independent of the Lateran Catholic Church. Although they share the same deity and fundamental beliefs, the Anglican Church's ideology is more progressive and modern than the conservative Lateran religion. The Lateran Catholic Church, while not declared an illegal religion in Victoria and still permitted to proselytize, receives no support and faces overt and covert policy suppression.

Currently, only these two religions are legally recognized in Victoria, and only these two religions have the right to open churches, offices, and preach within Victoria's territory. Even the Sarkaz religion of absolutists is illegal in Victoria and does not possess these two crucial rights.

The religions circulating on Rembiton are far more numerous. They range from the "Fist Cult" that believes in force, the "Study Society" that believes in wisdom, the "Hermes Society" that worships a false starry sky, and the extreme Protestant remnants who firmly believe in the omnipresence of God and the self-ordained nature of destiny (during the Reformation, due to social environment, political needs, and other factors, Lateran religion was transformed into various different branches. These branches lacked the power of the mainstream Anglican Church of Victoria and did not have their own system; therefore, now that the Reformation has largely settled, they are referred to as the filtered remnants of Protestantism). And of course, there is the strangest of all, the "Cult of Will," which happens to spread near the Rabbit Mine, near the explosion point.

“These fanatics are extremely xenophobic and have been roaming around the Rabbit Mine, causing considerable trouble for local patrols and even the military and police. But we cannot confirm where these believers were or what they were doing before the incident. During the Great Quiet, searching and collecting evidence has become almost impossible.” A unicorn volunteered to add to the part that was not mentioned in the report.

"Most importantly, their headquarters, the ruined city, is a satellite city abandoned by Rembiton, which does not have any weapons capable of launching EMP shocks that cover the entire Rembiton. Nor could anyone possibly assemble such a weapon."

Fanatics are all crazy. They've omitted the motive for their crimes, but can't they find the tools they used?

Winster pursed his dry lips, picked up his teacup, warmed it in his palm with magic, took a sip, and suddenly asked:

Did these people encounter Prince Wayne? Did Prince Wayne personally appear in the Rabbit Mine?

"The first question cannot be confirmed. As for the second question, His Highness Wayne did indeed go to the Rabbit Mine. Just one hour after the explosion, according to the operation log, His Highness Wayne had just finished an adventure and commented that it was just like his first adventure. He then set off for a settlement near the Rabbit Mine."

"Abandoned settlement?" Despite knowing the unicorn couldn't confirm, Winster murmured unconsciously, "What does 'adventure' mean?"

Winster knew that although Wayne always said things like, "What decent person keeps a diary?", he was always the most meticulous when recording every detail of a mission. Because that was "the most direct proof of his existence in this world." With such a good habit, Wayne never used such ambiguous wording in any of his records.

Unless, of course, this so-called "adventure" isn't that Wayne is too lazy to write it, but rather that Wayne is unable to write it.

It cannot be written on paper... it cannot be seen or known by others... but how could high-ranking people like me, Vina, and Ernest understand "Prince Wayne's Great Adventure"...?

Winston's breathing stopped abruptly, his heart skipped a beat, and his face turned deathly pale in an instant.

What was Prince Wayne's first adventure?

It was the Normandy Duke's rebellion, which occurred because he coincidentally remained in the North and single-handedly confronted the Northern rebels. And in that event, who cannot be named?

There was only that one thing...

"Chieftain, what's wrong? Have you figured it out? Is this religion the source of the Great Tranquility?"

Winston took a deep breath, forcing himself to appear calmer. He turned to the unicorn before him, who was eagerly seeking an answer, and spoke in a noticeably unnatural tone:

"Yes, it is them. But it's not entirely them."

"Send a report to Her Majesty the Queen, requesting that she contact the Leitanian government so that our aircraft can make a temporary landing within their territory. Then find me a quiet room so I can have a private, undisturbed phone call with Her Majesty."

Did you take the 114th picture with that thing?

Rembiton, Rabbit Mine, Abandoned City Settlement.

Unaware of the huge trouble he had caused, Wayne was exploring the streets of the ruined city. As he strolled around, he kept complaining about Kroos's useless little bat.

"Serves you right for recklessly grabbing things. Now look what you've done, you've ruined it. It can't even start up, it can't even fly."

Kroos patted her little bat with a wronged expression, her face full of disbelief, and kept muttering to herself, "It's impossible, I specifically tested it before I left, there's no way this could have happened."

Ascalon, contrary to his usual behavior, walked by with his head held high, even showing interest in finishing off Kroos while she was muttering to herself.

"It seems that high technology isn't always so useful?"

Patriot Bozokasti, listening from the side, shrugged helplessly. Yelena, holding Bozokasti's right hand, noticed her father's gesture and asked curiously:

"What's wrong, Father?"

"Nothing... I'm just wondering... where does this... unfounded... competitive... mentality come from?"

Yelena blinked, then glanced at Kroos and Ascalon, who seemed to be secretly competing, and couldn't help but chuckle. She quickly covered her mouth, pretending to sneeze, so as not to attract Ascalon's attention.

"My father actually pays attention to this kind of gossip?"

"Is this considered...gossip?" Patriot was somewhat surprised, then shook his head. "Then I...won't watch it."

Yelena tilted her head: "Why?"

Bozokast explained in a serious tone, "Gossip...is something only children...care about."

Yelena rolled her eyes and retorted, "Father, if a young person today said something like that, they'd be cursing an entire generation in one go."

Bozokas's puzzled eyes flashed red, as if he were blinking. Not far from them, Kal'tsit and Theresa naturally noticed Ascalon and Kroos's ongoing feud. Theresa looked quite intrigued:

"This is the first time I've ever seen Ascalon get into a fight with someone. Kal'tsit, what do you think?"

She turned her head, anticipating Kal'tsit's reply. Kal'tsit nodded seriously, pondered for a moment, and then said, having carefully chosen her words:

"The struggle between traditionalists and modernists is ubiquitous across the land, but even more evident and common within Sarkaz. The rifts created by this ideological divergence cannot be bridged even by the ancient covenants of the royal court. Yet, everyone is born to stray from the right path; only by being different can one prove their worth and meaning. Ascalon, born into nobility, serves on the Kazdel Military Council, has participated in countless wars, and possesses all the elements of a traditional Sarkaz. Kroos, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. When two such different worldviews collide, sparks naturally fly. But such minor frictions are not necessarily a bad thing; friction generates heat, allows for the exchange and fusion of matter, and gives birth to something entirely new. Harmonizing this contradiction and keeping it within a controllable and beneficial range is a crucial issue that Prince Wayne and you should seriously consider. I eagerly anticipate that, through your joint efforts, Babel will become more than just a small, ordinary organization. Rather, it will be like the Tower of Babel in mythology—a tower of science and a sanctuary of thought."

"Stop!" Seeing that Kal'tsit was still planning a long-winded explanation, Theresa rolled her eyes and made an "X" sign with her hands in front of her. "Who asked you that?" she said helplessly. Amidst the old lynx's bewildered expression, she took a few steps forward and caught up with Wayne.

"Mr. Bruce, aren't we going to do something about it?"

Wayne turned his head, took Theresa's hand, and said as they walked, "What do you care?"

"Ascalon and Kroos."

"Never mind. Kal'tsit is right, ideas need to collide to spark. Besides, even if we were to intervene, now wouldn't be the time. Theresa, something's not right about this city."

Theresa immediately became alert. Having just defeated the demon, they had indeed relaxed their tense attention and hadn't noticed anything unusual in the city. Now, upon closer inspection, something was indeed amiss.

The streets were eerily quiet. Based on the last footage Wayne saw from the drone, there should still be many believers making their way to the central city hall. But after walking for so long, Wayne and his companions hadn't encountered a single person, nor heard a single sound. If Wayne's mental energy hadn't indeed detected no trace of illusion, he would have thought he had been trapped in the illusionary cage of some reckless demon once again.

But since his mental state wasn't compromised, the city's complete silence was utterly illogical. Wayne deliberately slowed his pace and took detours, hoping to find one or two locals to ask about the situation, but so far, he hadn't seen a single local and was almost lost on the local roads.

"There's not a single person in the city. This doesn't make sense. The city hall is only so big, and people couldn't possibly move that fast. Especially since some citizens should have been brought back from the nearest mine, but now they've all disappeared. Where did they go? Can the city hall even hold them all?"

Wayne narrowed his eyes, looking at the city hall building in the distance, its outline already visible, and became alert:

"I always feel like someone is fishing."

.........

"Do you know Wayne Bruce?" He crouched down before the atrocity, speaking coldly. Though it was a question, his mechanical voice betrayed no hint of doubt.

Bound with her hands tied behind her back to a marble pillar, she was definitely a tough woman. Even in danger, she showed no sign of backing down. Although she didn't spit directly at the god's face, she still retorted without any politeness: "I know a lot of people. Which one are you asking about? Do you have a photo? No picture, no proof."

To everyone's surprise, instead of being angry, He seemed to have suddenly realized something and asked the two-horned beasts around Him:

Does anyone have a picture of Wayne Bruce?

A two-horned beast immediately produced a blurry photo of his back and handed it to Him. He turned around, handed the photo to Violence, and asked:

"it's him."

Violence glanced at the photo. She wasn't stupid. After her verbal sparring with the bicorns, she roughly understood the purpose of this powerful organization and the reason she had been imprisoned until now—they had mistaken her for a friend of Wayne Bruce.

Ha, that's really funny. Violence doesn't remember ever knowing anyone named Wayne Bruce. And she doesn't want to know him again. Otherwise, she'd just smash herself to death with a hammer, if she even has a future.