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

The scene of the explosion.

"Ahem...tsk, I thought it was the princess calling."

Ying Weizi waved his dragon-patterned Tang sword, creating a wisp of wind to disperse the surrounding smoke and dust. Even walking in such an explosion-stricken area, not a speck of dust touched his body. This is probably why the people of Da Yan call the Imperial Guards "Land Immortals"—walking among the mortal world, yet remaining untainted by any filth. They are probably such people.

Ying Weizi turned his head and looked towards the cliff where he had sensed the murderous aura, but unsurprisingly, the Duke of Normandy and the mercenary Garson, having achieved their objective, had already swiftly retreated from the scene. He could only look at empty air.

The aged shadow guard could only turn his head helplessly, looking at the colossal rock statue gradually emerging from the smoke and dust not far away, and slowly said:

"Hmm...this is interesting. Aren't you going to come out and meet us, stranger? The enemy who attacked you is already gone."

As he spoke, he casually brandished his Tang sword, seemingly speaking offhand:

"Or are you also enemies who intend to harm the princess?"

However, the first response did not come from the giant mudstone statue that was bending over and embracing the vehicle, but from the deep cliffs nearby.

"I don't know your princess's name. All I know is that this is my first time riding a horse!"

Surtr struggled to reach out and grab the wreckage of the mountain road. She used a miraculously undamaged tree trunk as a springboard to leap back onto the path, her face, bruised and battered from the unexpected fall, contorted with rage. Pointing to the sheer cliff beside her, she roared, a mixture of grievance and fury:

"Then I exploded!"

Shadow Guardian's expression froze for a moment, then became subtle. However, this subtle, "unclear" expression stimulated Surtr's sensitive nerves at that moment.

She just felt like things weren't going her way today!

She and Mudrock had originally arrived in Toronto with the group of Kurantas with horns on their heads, but as soon as they arrived, the group suddenly disappeared, leaving Mudrock and her, one a simpleton and the other a hopeless navigator, stranded on the streets of Toronto. They wandered around for ages before finally learning the location of Earl Vincent's mansion from an all-knowing taxi driver.

Upon arriving at Count Vincent's mansion, Surtur pondered that although he had not yet officially taken up his post, he was still holding the title of Londinium Commissioner personally bestowed by Vina, so its prestige was self-evident. He thought that once he arrived at the Count's mansion, he would surely be treated to a grand welcome with plenty of food and drink, right?

At the very least, you'd need two freezers for ice cream, right?

As it turned out, Count Vincent and the little girl named Heidi rushed over to him like thirsty ghosts seeing water, rattling off a whole bunch of things. Surtr, guessing he was illiterate, let them summarize: there was no welcome banquet, no ice cream, I know you're imperial envoys, and that's exactly what I've been waiting for. Now get to work and pull Wayne out from behind that landslide area!

Goodness, Surtr is just goodness.

Even General Theresis's military council didn't exploit Sarkaz mercenaries this ruthlessly. I traveled all the way to the Queen Victoria Prize with a bunch of "Unicorn Limited Edition Racehorse Girls," and now that I'm here, I haven't even had a chance to settle in before I have to go back to work?

Mudstone, tell me about them! Tell me!

Oh, you agreed.

Tsk, the working class tamed by the corrupt and decadent bureaucratic class!

Surtr clicked her tongue, suppressing her dissatisfaction, and said, "Fine, fine, even though we haven't even warmed our seats yet, we can warm them up with Levadin." They came to this place called Doron to bring back the Prince of Wales, whom Vina and Mudrock had touted as a god, to complete their entry-level assessment. Once she's a member of the royal family, just like Mudrock, what kind of feasts won't she be able to enjoy?

They might even eat better than the Military Commission!

Unfortunately, she didn't know that becoming a guard and becoming a member of the royal family are two different things...

Moreover, her tiring run wasn't without reward. Looking at the dozen or so noble guards Heidi brought, and most importantly, the tall horses they were leading, Surtr said she wanted to give it a try too.

When she rides her handsome white horse and wields the Twilight Sword, she will cleave through the rubble and transform into White Horse 42, descending before Wayne. She will surely leave Wayne with a great impression, and might even surpass Mudrock in status.

And to make matters worse, despite enduring the throbbing pain in my butt from my first horseback ride, I still hadn't seen Wayne.

She immediately exploded.

Surtr raised the Leivatin in his hand, pointed it at the Shadow Guard Zijin who was about to break down, and questioned:

"is that you?"

"You dare kill my horse?!"

Chapter 47 The Cannon Shoved into His Mouth

Vincent swore he never imagined he would one day meet these legendary figures.

Lions, red dragons, unicorns—which of these three isn't a being that can make the entire Victoria tremble with just a stomp of its foot? Before today, Vincent had never seen any of these three types of powerful figures, but today, he has witnessed two of them.

An Aslan royal encounters danger in his territory, and with him comes a "unicorn" to investigate the matter and its connection to his superior, the Duke of Normandy.

Trembling with fear, Count Vincent handed over the documents he had collected over the years concerning the Duke of Normandy to the old man in the white, high-collared uniform. He took a step back in awe, as if afraid of having any connection with the man before him.

Indeed, unicorns are also nobles. Moreover, their noble status far exceeds the original concept of "noble," surpassing even Ernest's. But Vincent knew that some people were not to befriend, nor even to curry favor with. Such a vast difference in status would only arouse the suspicion of the secret police of Victoria's shadowy side. This was something countless nobles dreamed of never seeing.

Just do your job well, that's all!

Count Vincent placed the documents on the tea table in front of the old man, watched him expressionlessly down the cup of expensive black tea in one gulp, and then said:

"Sir, this is all I have here."

"That's all?" Winster looked up, his unwavering gaze conveying a message—you must have more, don't hold back.

To conceal information during a unicorn search is tantamount to treason.

Their deployment was driven by two reasons: first, they sensed a mysterious connection between the unnatural deaths of the Northern Immortals and Wayne's visit at this critical juncture; and second, they had received an order from Vina to thoroughly investigate the Duke of Normandy's alleged treason.

As for Wayne, Winster felt there was no need to worry too much for the time being. After all, this was Victoria, and even if there was danger, it would be limited to "danger within Victoria." And he asked himself honestly, there was no audacious nobleman who would dare to openly challenge Aslan's rule in Victoria.

As for external threats?

That seems unlikely. For an external enemy to bypass the Unicorn's sight and enter Victoria's territory, they would need at least the same level of combat power. And aren't the Imperial Guard of Great Yan, the "Blades" of Ursus, the Absolute Masters of Sarkaz, or the Spire Witches (Masters) of Letania the elite forces of their respective countries? They wouldn't be so idle as to all flock to Victoria to play mahjong.

Therefore, what needs to be investigated more urgently right now is the "Duke of the North's treason case," which is highly likely to damage the nation's vitality.

Reliable intelligence indicated that this major case might involve a local intelligence organization in the North, as well as the late King of the North himself. Unicorn couldn't afford to be complacent. After a series of investigations, Unicorn finally focused its attention on Earl Vincent.

He was the last person to have seen the newest leader of this local intelligence organization in the North: Heidi Thomson. Moreover, he was the protector who took Heidi in after Old Thomson's murder, theoretically Heidi's most trusted person, and the one closest to the truth.

"You'd better tell us the truth. Or tell us where Heidi Thomson is right now. Otherwise, we'll have to resort to some drastic measures."

Winster rubbed his teacup and spoon together; the sound of metal scraping against ceramic was extremely unpleasant. He was ready to begin the interrogation.

Intelligence work has never been a glamorous affair. Infiltration, honey traps, and setting up schemes are all just specific methods for specific times. Most of the time, Unicorn still believes in the traditional method of "coercion and enticement".

There are always those who have to do the unsavory things for this country. The unicorn's decision to withdraw from politics, seemingly relinquishing power in Victoria, was actually a strategic retreat, establishing its hegemony in the shadows. Clearly deeply intimidated by this "hegemony in the shadows," Earl Vincent shook his head with a sorrowful expression.

"I really don't know."

“I am a nobleman, and I only care about what nobles should care about. I know that Heidi and Thomson are doing something dangerous but necessary, but I don’t know the details. I protected her simply because, as a nobleman, I should protect my people from enemies, not just because she is my old friend’s child, little Heidi.”

Vincent's face seemed to have aged several years, but his spirit seemed to have become stronger. Having already said what he needed to say, he no longer intended to remain subservient. The count, well past fifty, straightened his chest and addressed the silent Winston before him:

“I know many things. I know that most of my friends have other ambitions. I know that Heidi holds an opportunity that could make me rise to prominence. I also know that my lord, the Duke of Normandy, has an extraordinary and treacherous relationship with the six dukes outside of Londinium. But I have never thought of breaking the ice, because that is not something I, as a border count, should care about. I simply stick to my path—managing my territory and protecting my people. If I could, I would rather that member of the Aslan royal family, the distinguished guest of the Royal Military Academy, and you who only exist in legends, remain as before, mere fragments cut from the glorious epics of Londinium by bards and messengers of the Scourge.”

"I wish you had never come."

“That’s right.” Winster withdrew his gaze, his expression calm. “So, what else? I need you to provide more information.”

Winster had largely dispelled his suspicions about Vincent. Unless a mere border lord was capable of deceiving his millennia-old, honed eyesight, what Vincent had just said was indeed not a lie.

But what he needs is not the truth or the lie, but useful words.

"Where is Heidi?" Winster asked bluntly. "This is very important. Providing timely clues will earn you unimaginable rewards, while refusing to reveal it will put your head on the checkpoint at the entrance to Toronto tomorrow."

Coercion and inducement.

Vincent paused, realizing that his attempt to use impassioned rhetoric to evade Heidi's whereabouts had been exposed.

But he was really hesitant.

Torn between a duke and the daughter of a literary society president, what choice will these "big shots" from Lentinium make? After all, even if the president's daughter were to entangle them, her status and influence would still be far inferior to that of the Duke of Normandy.

Before the matter was fully investigated and the Duke of Normandy was hanged, Winster would never have revealed their purpose to an ordinary nobleman.

All of this can only be decided by his judgment!

Vincent bit his lip, staring in shock at Winston's raised hand and outstretched fingers. One finger bent every ten seconds, and he had only fifty seconds to make a final decision.

"I don't...."

I wanted to pretend I didn't know, but I gave up the idea after bending down one of my fingers.

"She is..."

The words caught in his throat, and before he could overcome the hurdle in his heart, he bent his second finger.

"If you are a nobleman who adheres to noble principles, then you should trust us who also adhere to these principles. Unicorn values ​​the validity of contracts more than anyone else."

Winster spoke, his fingers bending down to the third mark.

Count Vincent's eyes turned slightly cold, as if he had finally made up his mind, and he took a deep breath.

Reason prevailed over emotion. He chose to trust the credibility of the unicorns, the "bell ringers" of the empire.

"She has already headed to the landslide area. With the two who came earlier, a red-haired demon and a demon wearing heavy armor."

"It should have been done long ago."

Winston rolled his eyes, placed his teacup on the table, stood up, looked at the unicorns who stood as silent as a clock tower that had stood for a thousand years in Victoria, and waved his hand, saying:

"Go to the landslide area."

Having said that, he took the lead and walked towards the gate. The unicorns respectfully divided into two lines, those in front bowed to him, and then stood up after he passed, following behind him in a neat, long line.

They were orderly and meticulous, looking like clockwork machines, precise to the millisecond.

Winster pondered whether he should rescue Wayne along the way after heading to the landslide area, or let him stay there for a while, since there was no danger and it wouldn't affect their operation.

He weighed his options as he opened the door.

The next second, along with the sunlight, what came into view was the dark muzzle of a cannon, staring straight at the gate without any room for doubt.

"Fire!"

The artillery commander gave the order in a pure Victorian tone, with a strong Northern accent.

"boom!"

Chapter Forty-Eight: A Powerful Punch!

"Humph!"

With a cold laugh, Winster raised his hand, and a semi-transparent barrier unfolded in front of him. The fierce artillery fire bombarded the barrier, but it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, not even causing a ripple.

He is the leader of the Unicorns, the bell ringer of Big Ben, Victoria's most important clock tower. If a few cannonballs could take him down, how could Victoria have earned the title of the strongest nation?

He could have easily dodged the attack the moment he opened the door, but considering that it was a nobleman's mansion behind him, and being relatively honest, Vincent took some effort to reach out and block the blow.

"I need you to provide a reasonable explanation."

He glanced at the insignia of the Northern Garrison emblazoned on the heavy artillery before him, then surveyed the large group of Sarkaz mercenaries slowly closing in, and said calmly,