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

"But would Surtr agree?... No, the statue was originally my... friend."

"Yes, I want to go up too, that way..."

Mudrock suddenly had a brilliant idea. He looked at Wayne's legs, then took out a small clay figure from the storage box, rolled it into a mud cake, and then made a slightly larger leg model in the shape of Wayne.

"If I wear this, I won't get burned, right?"

She compared Wayne with the leg model in her hand, suddenly frowned, her face under the mask turned red, she flattened the leg model, and then sculpted it back into a small clay figure.

This time, however, the little clay figure looked somewhat similar to Wayne.

While everyone's attention was focused on Wayne and no one noticed her little actions, she placed Wayne (the clay figure) on the ground, activated Originium Arts to command him to move a few steps, and after confirming that it was feasible, a crimson smile bloomed on Mudrock's face. She picked up the clay figure and quietly put it back into the storage box.

She suddenly realized that she would have something to do every night from now on.

She wanted to recreate herself, Wayne, Vina, and Theresa... all her friends, and then put them in a cabinet to keep as a keepsake!

This is a unique treasure that can only be created using her Earth Origin Stone craftsmanship!

Unaware that Mudrock had already quietly unlocked the figure collector trait, Wayne, who had walked some distance away, turned around in confusion and shouted at Mudrock:

"What are you standing there for? It's time to go!"

Mudrock shuddered, instinctively covering the storage box, then quickly released it, jogging to catch up with Wayne, and replied:

"Coming right away."

Wayne felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He could only look at the mudstone with a strange expression.

Mudrock blushed as she walked, secretly observing Wayne's appearance from inside her armor. At that moment, she was incredibly grateful that she had a mask.

Chapter Sixty Chen: The Sixth Sense!

"Oh—it's a pleasure to see you again, dear Prince Wayne. I sincerely wish you good health and a long life."

Even from several hundred meters away, Winston and Vincent rushed over upon seeing Wayne. Vincent, in particular, was deeply moved upon learning Wayne's true identity and immediately offered his best wishes.

Whether he was loyal or not, Wayne didn't know, but he knew the tone was a bit strong. He frowned, dodging the prisoners of war being led away by the steam-armored soldiers, and gave Earl Vincent a subtle warning:

“My dear Earl Vincent, if you keep talking like that, I’m going to order all the men in the country named Tom to contribute their boots to Victoria so they can kick your ass.”

At that moment, Earl Vincent felt the terror of royal power. The days when he could act arrogantly because Tom was not in his territory were over. Now, he deeply realized that under Aslan's leadership, Victoria was a unified entity.

The way they came to realize this was a bit strange.

Ignoring the embarrassed Earl Vincent, Wayne looked at Winster, the leader of the Clock Tower Unicorns, who had an unusually anxious expression on his face.

Winster examined Wayne from head to toe, and only after confirming that there were no major injuries other than minor burn marks on his feet did he breathe a sigh of relief and say:

"It's good that Your Highness is alright. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to explain it to Her Majesty the Empress."

Reminded of this, Wayne remembered the matter and quickly asked:

"How is Vina doing?"

Winster and Vincent exchanged a glance, then stepped aside and gestured for Wayne to come in, leading him into the living room.

There, thanks to the restoration of communications, the television has been turned back on, and is currently broadcasting live the scene of Vina and Theresa appearing together on the terrace after the speech.

The new king of Victoria, a direct descendant of the legitimate Aslan royal family, is currently holding the hand of a Sarkaz and waving to all the citizens of Victoria.

Perhaps the crowds waving flags and shouting outside the palace haven't noticed this yet, but it undoubtedly sends a huge political signal. The leaders of the Terran kingdoms, currently observing this grand event, are probably already pondering and speculating about the new relationship between the lions and the demons.

But then again, how many people could truly guess Theresa's real identity in Victoria?

This is my wife! Wayne proudly muttered to himself.

"It seems that a lot of important things have happened while I was away."

Wayne uttered a small sigh, but there was little regret on his face.

For him, rather than having Vina by his side to offer advice during every major event, he hoped that Vina could grow up quickly and truly stand on her own.

After all, only in this way could he confidently hand over the country to Vina, and then, relying on his foresight, go to Kazdel, Ursus, Lungmen, and so on, to act as his Terra firefighter.

"I'll ask Vina for clarification after everything is over. Now, let's get ready and begin the interrogation."

The raid was very successful. Unlike mountainous forests where enemies could easily hide after an attack, the Vincent Earl's territory was a wide open space. Even the few flowerbeds and bushes that could be used for hiding were nowhere to be found under Surtr and Wayne's almost godlike search.

So they captured a very important person, so important that, in principle, he shouldn't have been here at all—the leader of the Northern noble rebels, the head of the secret society, the Noble Republicans, and the Duke of Normandy.

This rebellion was too strange and too coincidental. Wayne was quite looking forward to getting something of value out of the rebel leader.

........

"Come on, students, come this way."

Wayne and the others went to the basement to interrogate the Duke of Normandy. The old butler went to the military camp and has not returned yet. It is estimated that he is probably dead. The task of evacuating the students naturally fell to Count Vincent, who is the lowest-ranking nobleman here.

There was no way around it; the highest-ranking person in Earl Vincent's mansion was a prince, the current Queen's brother—though a cousin. Their relationship seemed even closer than that of blood relatives. The lowest-ranking were soldiers in steam-powered armor, but with Ernest standing behind them, Earl Vincent naturally dared not put on any aristocratic airs.

As for those outside the official ranks, such as Yan Guo Yingwei Zijin, royal guards Shiertel and Niyan, he could not command any of them.

What can we do? There's just no way.

Fortunately, Count Vincent was usually quite approachable, and the students, exhausted from all the major events, were not inclined to cause trouble and were very obedient, which made the evacuation work appear to be surprisingly orderly.

However, at that moment, a pair of small horns in the crowd caught Count Vincent's attention.

He vaguely remembered that the blue twin-tailed dragon girl seemed to have entered the mansion with Prince Wayne at the beginning, and she was holding Prince Wayne's hand at the time.

In other words, he must at least be an acquaintance of His Highness Wayne.

Count Vincent thought for a moment, then stepped forward and called Chen out.

“This student…”

However, before he could speak, Chen anxiously asked first:

"We've finally found someone in charge here, sir! Have you seen Bruce? He's my classmate, and it seems he's lost!"

"Is someone lost?"

Earl Vincent immediately became alert. This was no small matter. At most, he would be criticized for not paying attention to details if he failed to properly entertain Prince Wayne's acquaintances. But if a noble student got lost on his territory, even if it was because of the rebels, he would still be implicated.

After all, those powerful nobles who bully the weak and fear the strong might not have the guts to go to the battlefield and fight the rebels, but wouldn't they have the guts to bully a mere border lord like myself?

We'll make sure everything is clearly arranged for him when the time comes.

Earl Vincent immediately asked:

"Which Bruce are you talking about? What does he look like?"

Chen paused, recalled Wayne's appearance, and described him:

"It's not about what he looks like, he's really...very unique...his hair is blonde, it looks fluffy and warm, like an autumn wheat field..."

Count Vincent thought to himself, "I'm in a hurry to find someone, and here you are, impromptu composing poetry." His mind raced, and he quickly recalled the many faces he had seen that morning while greeting guests, comparing them one by one, until finally his eyebrows twisted into a strange shape.

Recalling the image of Wayne and Chen walking into the mansion together, chatting and laughing, he felt it was almost certainly true, but something inexplicably strange remained...

Count Vincent gestured for Chen to calm down and said:

"Hey, classmate, don't worry, we'll arrange for someone to find this [Bruce] classmate for you right away. Please go back to the group and wait for news."

Chen noticed Earl Vincent's strange expression, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then, after a moment's hesitation, nodded helplessly and urged, "..."

"I understand. Then hurry up and take more people with you. We were just surrounded by a group of armed men. Bruce disappeared there. It's very dangerous. Make sure you take plenty of people with you!"

"I know, I know."

Vincent nodded as he pushed Chen back into the dispersing group. After watching her walk into the mansion, turning back to look at her every few steps, he suddenly turned around and ran towards the basement.

He needed to confirm with His Highness Wien what kind of background this classmate from Yan Kingdom was.

Just seconds after he hurriedly ran away, a small dragon-man with a furrowed brow suddenly appeared on the steps of the mansion.

After glancing around and confirming that no one was around for the time being, she jogged after Count Vincent in the direction he had left.

This is a woman's sixth sense, and also the observational ability of a future police superintendent.

"You must know something about Bruce that you're hiding from me!"

"Since I definitely won't get an answer from you if I ask directly, I'll just have to find out for myself!"

Chapter Sixty-One: Wielding the Whip of Utter Defeat Against You!

Victoria, Earl Vincent's House, basement.

Count Vincent was known for his kindness and was a well-liked gentleman among the nobles. Surprisingly, his mansion didn't have the prison cells that most nobles preferred. Since Wayne and his companions had originally come to the North with the Royal Military Academy, they naturally didn't bring any torture instruments. Therefore, for the Duke of Normandy, who sat surrounded by people in a chair, the so-called interrogation wasn't particularly stressful.

His face was still covered with dirt and dust from when he dodged Surtr's fire attack, and his military uniform robe had some scorch marks and holes, making him look somewhat disheveled. However, his expression was very calm, and he did not show the slightest emotion even when he saw Ernest in the crowd.

The Duke of Normandy knew exactly what he had to do—stick to his guns and never give in!

The rebellion was a stain on his record, impossible to wash away. Even if the Duke of Normandy wanted to have a talk with his unfilial son who had inexplicably branded him, he had no chance. But rebellion aside, he absolutely could not reveal the aristocratic Republican Party!

If he launches a rebellion, only his family will be purged. But if the Noble Republican Party is exposed, the resulting storm will sweep across the entire Victoria. His close old comrades, the lower nobles who depend on him for survival, and the grand dukes who are his equals and must be worried sick right now will all be implicated!

If it were merely a rebellion, Prince Wayne of Londinium might spare his family's life out of consideration for his father, the King of the North, who had fought for him in countless battles, even if not with great merit. But if all those people were implicated, tomorrow... no, tonight, the Normandy family would vanish from this land.

The Duke of Normandy had made up his mind. Since Heidi was dead and the notes supposedly containing evidence of the Noble Republicans had been reduced to ashes in an explosion and fire, Ernest could do nothing to him as long as he confessed to the rebellion and denied the existence of the secret society.

As for torture? That's impossible. As a duke, although he may be less powerful than Ernest, they are equal in rank. Duke Ernest has no right to torture himself, who is also a grand duke. To torture him, the two members of the Aslan royal family from Londinium would have to come in person.

But the Duke of Normandy knew very well that it was impossible. The North was already blockaded by his soldiers, and all the mobile cities had deviated from their designated crossing routes. In the midst of the fog, neither His Highness Wayne nor Her Majesty the Queen could risk their lives to come to the North.

Those students of the Royal Military Academy were backed by dukes of the same rank as him, and none of them had the power to substitute for torture.

The Duke of Normandy leaned back confidently in his chair, and with the help of the lamp on the interrogation table, looked at Ernest standing opposite him on the other side of the table, and smiled slightly.

Dukes? Just a few dukes? They think they can take over Normandy in no time?

If a member of the royal family suddenly appears and kills me instantly, I, the Duke of Normandy, will eat this lamp on the spot!

The Duke of Normandy leaned back strategically and said calmly to Ernest:

"What's wrong, Norfolk? Can't figure out how to bring it up with an old friend? Or are you at your wit's end?"

Ernest glanced at him and said, "I'm not the one interrogating you."

As he was speaking, the basement door opened, and Wayne, holding the documents that Unicorn had hastily compiled for him, glanced at everyone present, nodded, pulled out a chair, and sat down opposite the Duke of Normandy, saying:

"Sorry I'm late. I just quickly got some information from Unicorn."