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

"If there's a chance, I mean if there's this chance, would you be willing to come with me? Even if we can never go back to Victoria!"

Victoria was no longer an option. Even Ernest, a military strategist, couldn't save Bruce from his predicament. Besides, Ernest could only protect him temporarily, not permanently. As long as Bruce remained in Victoria, his life was constantly in danger. After failing to find a way to contact the military and rescue Wayne through a special admission opportunity at the Royal Military Academy, Chen was left with only one path.

Take Wayne away, bring him back to Lungmen. Away from this murderous swamp, away from this complex vortex, start a new life in Lungmen.

But this means that Wayne has to give up his hatred, his chance to make a comeback, and even everything he has accumulated over the past twenty years in Victoria, relying on Chen's position in Lungmen to protect him and allow him to live a stable life. This is tantamount to living off Chen.

She was asking Wayne, but she was also asking herself.

She wanted to see Bruce strong and unyielding, never backing down, fighting against the imperial power to the end, becoming the hero she admired but had never been able to be; she also wanted to see Bruce live a peaceful life, no longer bound by these anxieties and loneliness, living an ordinary life. She had no choice.

So Chen turned his bright gaze toward Wayne.

Wayne answered without any hesitation.

Chapter 41 is inexplicable.

"Student, you shouldn't be here. This is the proctor's office!"

The guard, Vulper, carrying a heavy crossbow and a long sword at his waist, spoke to the panting Chen in a businesslike manner.

"The convoy is currently facing an emergency, but please trust the school and the invigilation team. Everything is still under control. Students do not need to worry about their safety. We will definitely bring everyone back safely."

Chen hesitated for a moment, then took out the olive branch and peace medal that Wayne had given him from his pocket and said:

"Bruce sent me. Please pass this on to Marshal Ernest and tell him that Bruce wants to see him immediately."

The guard, Walper, looked Chen up and down suspiciously, then took the olive branch medal from Chen and walked toward the heavily guarded armored vehicle, knocking on its window.

A small window was opened in the main window, and the messenger inside, Felin, asked somewhat impatiently:

"what's up?"

"A student wishes to see Grand Marshal Ernest, and she asked me to pass this on to him."

The guard, Walper, reported in a low voice.

"Not many people know that Grand Marshal Ernest is the chief examiner for this assessment. Only a few important figures know. It's not impossible that they would give their juniors a heads-up, so I didn't refuse immediately."

The messenger, Felin, nodded in confusion. He understood the guards' concerns. After all, those nobles who were able to get advance notice were not people soldiers like them could easily offend. If it was indeed one of their children who discovered something was wrong at the rear and wanted to see Grand Marshal Ernest to sound him out, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.

However, he was also in a dilemma. Grand Marshal Ernest had clearly stated that he was urgently contacting Lontinim and the Northern Military District to mobilize steam-armored troops as reinforcements and to request Vina to send unicorns to the North for support. He could not be disturbed unless it was something urgent.

After much deliberation, the messenger, Felin, cautiously peeked out and leaned close to the guard's large ears, asking:

"Are you sure it belongs to those high-ranking nobles?"

"Uncertain. As far as I know, Victoria should not have any nobles of the [Dragon] race."

Guard Volper shook his head, but then added,

"But as far as I know, two specially admitted students made an exception and participated in this graduation assessment: Bruce and that dragon girl. One of them came to relay a message for the other, so I..."

The messenger, Felin, snorted coldly, thinking to himself, "You really don't want to offend anyone, and you dare not offend anyone. How can the Grand Marshal manage the army with a cowardly insect like you around?"

He cursed under his breath, but in reality, he cautiously accepted the medal, closed the small glass door on the window, and turned to walk into the car.

Victoria General Staff Temporary Combat Armored Vehicle.

The latest armored vehicle uses Victoria's unique Originium-steam hybrid energy, coupled with technical assistance from Raytheon Industries and high-quality ore from the Rembiton mine, giving it top-notch anti-explosion and anti-sniper capabilities in all of Terra. But right now, Ernest just wants to slap those incompetent people in the Equipment Department.

Why can't you just add an antenna to the roof?

The signal was so bad that his communication with the steam-armored troops stationed in the Northern Military Region was beyond a fill-in-the-blank exercise; it was more like a written expression, starting with "Hello, this is the Northern Military Region Headquarters," and the rest was all guesswork!

"How many times have I emphasized to them to pay attention to the military research direction of those traitors in Colombia? We can't underestimate their achievements just because they are the descendants of criminals. Now look what's happened! Poor signal, complete darkness! If the Northern Military District is like this, then Londinium is completely out of contact!"

Ernest slammed his fist on the table, the force of which sent the documents and water glass bouncing and falling back down. His adjutant, Anhalt, stood by with a forced smile, offering words of comfort:

"Don't worry, Marshal, don't worry. We have already begun sending messengers and scouts to the test sites ahead and to the unknown battlefields behind. I believe we will have results soon."

“You make it sound so easy!” Ernest glared at him and snapped, “Do you even know who’s in our team?”

"The Duke of Wessex's son, the Duke of Polk's grandson, and the Earl of Stephen's only daughter—putting aside their identities, they are all pillars of the nation's future. If anything goes wrong, even if I manage to leave Toronto alive today, I'll be hanging on the gallows in Londinium tomorrow!"

"Besides, my death is a small matter, but His Highness Wayne is also in the caravan."

He rubbed his graying hair in frustration. But as if on cue, the messenger arrived a second later; Philin entered the car, saluted the two men, and presented Wayne's Olive Branch Medal.

"Report, Marshal, a student named Bruce wishes to see you. May I ask?"

Ernest rolled his eyes in despair.

Misfortunes never come singly. He had finally managed to explain that he hadn't intentionally wanted to investigate Prince Wayne, and before the punishment was even handed down, he'd already trapped Wayne in this desolate wilderness, his escape route blocked and communication disrupted.

How to explain this?

There's no way to explain this. Even if Ernest himself were in Wayne's shoes, he would have to think twice before acting in such a situation, let alone a master strategist like His Highness Wayne.

But even if you can't explain it, you still have to explain it.

Ernest sighed, stood up, and accepted the Olive Branch Medal. He immediately recognized it as the "Peace" Medal that Vayne had commissioned from the Army Equipment Department to be made when Theresa of Kazdel visited Victoria. It couldn't possibly be fake. One of the medals was given to Theresa by His Highness Vayne, and the other was now given to him by His Highness Vayne.

What is the implication of handing over "peace" to him at this time?

Ernest thought for a moment, and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat!

His Highness Wayne is implying that the medal belongs to his Norfolk family, and that since the medal is in his possession, the "peace" of the Norfolk family is in his hands. If Ernest doesn't value this "peace" and doesn't give him a satisfactory answer, then...

The consequences could be disastrous.

Perhaps from this point on, the three Dukes of Victoria will become nothing more than a thing of the past.

Ernest carefully placed the "Peace in Norfolk" medal in his pocket as a sign of its value, then immediately turned and left, giving instructions as he went:

"Order the communications and engineering teams to continue trying to contact the Northern Military District. The rest of you, take all the steam-armored units and come with me to see Prince Wayne."

Ernest gritted his teeth, pushed open the car door, looked at the ruins in the distance where the fighting had gradually subsided, and said fiercely:

"I'd like to see who's so reckless as to dare to openly frame me, Ernest!"

Chapter 42 Kal'tsit's Dog

Victoria, County Toronto, hill road ruins.

The once tranquil mountain path, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, was now a scene of devastation. The birds that once soared in the sky could no longer find their way home. Kal'tsit stepped over the rubble left by a collapsed rock, her gaze fixed on the direction from which the sound had come. After waiting quietly for ten seconds, and confirming that she was no longer being targeted, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew—finally shaken them off."

Even with Kal'tsit's temperament, she couldn't help but feel somewhat pleased.

The Great Yan Imperial Guard chasing her was clearly no longer at his peak; both his martial prowess and speed had noticeably declined. This allowed her to successfully use the terrain to shake off his pursuers.

Is this why he calls himself a "Shadow Guard"? But whose faction is it that they can command a group of retired Shadow Guards? Just who is this Princess of Great Yan?

With too little information, Kal'tsit pondered for a while but could not come to a reliable conclusion. She could only bow slightly towards the distant place where the sound of gunfire could still be heard.

I have to thank the Lateran musketeers; if they hadn't helped restrain that Thunder Mage Master, it probably wouldn't have been so easy for me to escape the battle unscathed.

Don't let Kal'tsit's cat-like face fool you; when she gets really mean, she can starve even the most shrewish creature to death.

“mon3tr, come here.”

Kal'tsit beckoned, summoning mon3tr, who was hiding in the forest, to her side. She gently scratched mon3tr's chin and took out an olive branch medal from her pocket.

This was given to Theresa by Wayne, but now it's in her hands.

As for how he obtained it?

Kal'tsit didn't say anything, but she was already prepared to be taught a lesson by Theresa and taken to the laundry room to identify the scene after returning to Kazdel.

I'm sorry, Theresa, but this is a necessary preparation.

If it weren't for this etched badge, Kal'tsit wouldn't know how long it would take to find the direction Vayne left from these ruins. After all, she wouldn't dare to fly on her Mon3tr now, unless she wanted to be riddled with holes by the Revolver and the Thunder Mage.

But now, all she has to do is this.

Kal'tsit placed the medal in front of mon3tr's nose and whispered in his ear:

"Come on, mon3tr, smell this, and then lead me to this person."

mon3tr: "?"

Kal'tsit suddenly remembered something and added:

"Oh, I'm looking for the one with a milder flavor, not Theresa. You have a keen sense of smell, you should be able to tell the difference, right?"

mon3tr: "(Angry roar!)"

So you're treating me like Pelosi?

You thousand-year-old lynx spirit, look at me. Look at my face, look into my eyes. Do I look like a creature with a "nose"?

Moreover, I am a weapon of war, a mercenary who has fought against the Ursus Emperor's blade and hammered the gutter of Kazdel. How dare you treat me like a dog?

I may not be human, but you really are a dog!

mon3tr turned its head away in dissatisfaction, flicked its tail, and drifted to the side.

Kal'tsit raised an eyebrow and asked with a hint of disbelief:

"You can't find it?"

I wasn't planning on helping you find one!

mon3tr now deeply regrets not developing vocal cords back then, otherwise she could be vehemently criticizing Kal'tsit's inhumane and undemocratic treatment of her pets, and angrily calling on all Originium creatures to stand up.

Seeing that mon3tr was ignoring her, Kal'tsit realized what was going on, frowned, and sneered:

"Aren't you going to help me find it?"

mon3tr shook his head. No way!

Even if I, mon3tr, die, even if I go out and get chopped into pure Originium by that guy with the knife, I will never sniff that stuff like a dog!

"Then I don't want you anymore."

mon3tr: "(A fawning sound)"

I really want to be Kal'tsit's dog, but unfortunately Kal'tsit says she likes Theresa. But I still want to be Kal'tsit's dog.

mon3tr brought his face close to the medal in Kal'tsit's hand, shook it slightly a few times, and then drifted eastward, with Kal'tsit following closely behind.

After hacking aside a fallen tree and navigating around a pile of boulders, mon3tr finally let out a joyful sound after about five minutes of progress. Kal'tsit looked at the dense thicket of bushes before her and breathed a sigh of relief.