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

Vina and Mudrock exchanged a glance. Mudrock's expression was hidden, but Vina's face was filled with helplessness.

However, since Mudrock recommended her, and after spending some time with her, Vina could tell that Surtr wasn't the kind of scheming, treacherous person. Since she was so eager to apply for the guard position, she decided to let her give it a try.

Having made up her mind, Vina said:

“Well then, my brother isn’t in Londinium right now. He’s gone off to Dorron County all by himself without any guards. I’m very worried about him. Now that you’re back, Mr. Mudrock, I’d appreciate it if you could take Miss Surtr with you to Dorron County to protect my brother. And please remind him to come back soon.”

Vina said seriously:

“This is no easy task. The situation in Doron County is strange. According to the (unicorn) intelligence, two immortals have died mysteriously in the North, and Duke Normandy of the North is showing signs of rebellion. I have already dispatched special personnel to lead troops to deal with this, but they are mainly responsible for investigating the cause of death of the immortals and the rebellion of Duke Normandy, so they may not be able to spare any attention to protect my brother. This task is entrusted to you.”

"This is your onboarding assessment, Miss Surtr. You don't need to solve all the problems. You just need to work with Mr. Mudrock and the specialist I sent to safely escort your brother... the Prince of Wales, back to Londinium, and I will approve your application. Can you do that?"

Surtr's lips curled slightly upward, and he proudly raised his head, patting his chest:

"Leave it to me!"

Chapter Forty-Four: Lord Loves Plush Toys

Victoria, a vacant lot in the outskirts of Toronto.

The hastily cleared open space was guarded by soldiers in steam-powered armor. Wayne sat on a stone bench that had been temporarily moved into the open space.

He spoke with considerable emotion:

“I never imagined we would meet in this way, Lord Kal'tsit.”

Kal'tsit rubbed her shoulder, which had been roughly held down by the soldier. The soldier had clearly not held back; if it weren't for her special constitution, her shoulder blade would likely have suffered a series of shattered fractures the moment she was pinned to the ground. Even with her strong, resilient physique, she estimated that the fair skin beneath her shoulder would now be covered in bruises.

She looked at Wayne, her face devoid of any smile, and scrutinized him with a sullen, cat-like expression before speaking:

"I'm sorry. But I think you should be able to understand my concerns..."

"I don't quite understand."

Wayne had no intention of engaging Kal'tsit in riddles, and instead asked her directly,

"I've been thinking about this ever since I saw you at the Earl of Vincent's mansion. What reason could my fiancée's confidant possibly have to travel all the way to Victoria to spy on me? It can't be just to see what I look like, can it?"

Wayne shook his head and tentatively asked:

"Did Theresa send you?"

Kal'tsit immediately shook her head: "It has nothing to do with Your Highness, this is my own decision. If you want to punish someone, then punish me alone."

She could easily have claimed that the trip was arranged by Theresa, and given the princess's personality, she would undoubtedly have helped her cover up the lie. However, Kal'tsit didn't want to involve Theresa, and even less did she want to create any resentment between Wayne and Theresa.

Because she is now certain that Wayne is not controlled by some force; he is indeed himself, a man who was not simple from the beginning.

Indeed, where would one find such a fool in the royal palace, especially in a country like Victoria... I guess I was overthinking it.

Upon hearing Kal'tsit's reply, Wayne nodded noncommittally.

“I will talk to Theresa about this, including the fact that you stole her medal. You are not my subordinate, so let her decide on the punishment.”

Kal'tsit's face stiffened. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she nodded helplessly, looking like a child who had made a mistake and wanted to get away with cleaning for two days but was insisted on by the teacher to have his parents called.

Wayne nodded in satisfaction.

"So tell me, what brings you here, and what was that fight all about?"

Kal'tsit paused for two seconds, composed herself, and looked up at Wayne with a hint of curiosity. There was one thing she didn't understand:

How did you learn about me?

Kal'tsit had no direct impression of Wayne, because she had never actually met this Prince of Victoria. This is why, as stubborn as she was, after receiving Theresa's completely opposite assessment of "Wayne Bruce," she did not choose to stick to her own opinion, but instead went to Victoria alone to find out for herself.

But if even Kal'tsit's almost indelible book of memories doesn't contain a single note about Vayne, then where did Vayne learn about Kal'tsit from?

He even knew about the existence of mon3tr!

Wayne had already prepared his answer and spoke without any psychological pressure:

"Theresa told me."

Kal'tsit's expression froze slightly. She was about to shake her head and say it was impossible, that Princess Theresa would never betray her information to outsiders, but she stopped herself in the next second.

There was no other reason than that she suddenly recalled the happy look on Theresa's face when she talked about Wayne.

She suddenly felt that what Wayne had said might be true. To confirm, she frowned and asked:

"What did Princess Theresa tell you? What else did she say?"

Wayne paused for a moment, then replied, "Well, she also said that you had been to Victoria before and were a friend of Earl Vincent."

Kal'tsit's brow relaxed slightly. Theresa did know about this, but it wasn't the decisive factor. Most of the Victorian nobles who attended the gathering knew this information, and Wayne likely learned it from them.

"anything else?"

"Kal'tsit asked."

She was actually a little hesitant to ask, because looking at the increasingly subtle expression on Wayne's face, she felt that he would utter something terrible the next second.

Wayne paused, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke in a low voice:

"Does Your Excellency like plush toys?"

Kal'tsit: "!"

Under Wayne's ambiguous gaze, Kal'tsit quickly turned her head away, stood up from the rock, and abruptly distanced herself from Wayne like a cat with its fur standing on end.

She was certain that Wayne had not gotten her information from Theresa!

Theresa would never tell anyone this information!

Absolutely not.....

perhaps?

How about we call Theresa tonight and ask her?

But the medal is still with me. If I get caught and taken back to Kazdel, I'll have to go into the laundry room to identify the scene.

No, committing a crime is a small matter, but losing one's integrity is a big matter. We still have to ask!

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore."

Having thoroughly enjoyed the female protagonist's rich and varied expressions—the one with the fewest score differences in the entire Ark—with a mischievous smile, Wayne straightened his expression and said:

"Who were you fighting in this battle? And who are the current leaders in the North?"

Kal'tsit pursed her lips, took a deep look at the man before her who, for the first time, seemed completely unknown to her, and replied:

“Your Highness Wayne, according to my intelligence, there are at least four forces in the North: the steam armor of Victoria, myself from Kazdel, the Papal Guard and envoy from Laterano, and the Shadow Guard from Flame.”

Wayne narrowed his eyes. Theresa stood behind Kal'tsit in Kazdel. He had also glimpsed the Papal Guards and Mostima in Laterano at the manor, so he was somewhat prepared. But the Shadow Guards of Great Yan...

Wayne couldn't help but turn around and look at the dense forest behind him and the convoy camped on the mountain road behind the forest.

Are they here to protect Chen?

Overall, none of the three parties seem to pose a threat to Wayne himself. He is confident that he can escape unscathed and even gain some benefits by facing any of them alone.

But how did they end up together by such a coincidence?

And what are they here for?

Kal'tsit could be explained as coming to check on him because she was worried, and the Shadow Guard could be explained as Wei Yanwu being worried about Iron-Headed Little Dragon Man wandering around alone and getting tricked by bad guys. So what is Mostima doing here? How long has it been since he let her go? And she dares to go back to Victoria?

Furthermore, according to Kal'tsit, she even brought five Papal Guards with her, those things that shoot blue flames. What is she here for?

Wayne had a bad feeling.

But that's impossible. Triangles are stable, so wouldn't his dancing on three eggs be an unbreakable bond?

Could it be that my dancing skills are lacking?

"Your Highness?"

Seeing the ever-changing expressions on Wayne's face, Kal'tsit couldn't help but ask,

"Should we notify Her Highness Theresa and Lentinium to send a rescue team? We are in a very dangerous situation right now."

Wayne looked at Kal'tsit, organized his thoughts, and said:

"It's not dangerous... all three parties are actually on my side..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, a guess forming in his mind.

Is Mostima here to hold Lateran accountable?

Thinking back on the past few months, he felt increasingly certain that Wayne had been living a life of ease, enjoying Lateran food and drink, and even trying to seduce Lateran angels.

His expression changed, and he hurriedly changed his words:

"You should still call out to them."

But the unfinished words from before had clearly reached Kal'tsit's ears. The thousand-year-old lynx pondered the meaning behind Vayne's words, blinking incredulously without doubt.

What does it mean that all three parties are his people?

Her appearance was definitely an accident, but the other three parties were all her people?

So he had to hold himself together to prevent himself from ruining his plans?

He is simultaneously manipulating the three countries of Victoria, Yan, and Lateran, instigating conflict.

Upon hearing the guess, Kal'tsit involuntarily took a half step back. She felt her throat was dry and wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say.

Wayne's words just now seem like he let something slip, but is that really the case?

Could a man who made her analyze the error so thoroughly, and who still knows nothing about it, possibly make such a basic mistake? Kal'tsit thought it was impossible. Rather than believing that Wayne's mistake was unintentional, Kal'tsit preferred to believe that it was a small hint and warning from Wayne to this "smart person."

He was implying to himself not to interfere, otherwise he wouldn't mind "removing" him, this unstable fourth party.

"I understand."

Kal'tsit said this, but her thoughts didn't stop at all. She was analyzing what Wayne Bruce was trying to do.

The man before me, though not an immortal being nor possessed by one, is far more terrifying than those decaying beings!

Theresa... are you really going to... pin your hopes on such a self-destructive act?

Just as Kal'tsit was about to give up and continue thinking, a loud noise suddenly came from the distant mountain path, breaking her thoughts.

Suddenly, a busy tone came from the previously silent communicator, followed by intermittent cries for help.