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

I have no choice, I have many ways to deal with her, Theresa. I can use every trick in the book to subdue her.

I'm not afraid of Theresa!

"Ok?"

Seeing that the two were still exchanging glances, Theresa gave another soft hum.

Wayne immediately turned his head, waving at Kal'tsit to shoo her away:

"Alright, alright, you film! Ha, film, coming to my room so late at night instead of sleeping! I didn't come to the computer to be used as a communication tool by you, film! I have more important things to do!"

He pushed Kal'tsit, who had a "how dare you say that to me" look on her face, out the door and locked it with a click. Turning back to Theresa, he scratched his head and said:

"Heh, nowadays, all that's worth looking at about her is her looks."

How good-looking is it?

"Not as good-looking as you."

"Tch." Theresa glanced at Wayne. Although as a queen she was basically indifferent to such flattery, as a young girl she was still very happy to be praised by someone she liked.

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore."

A smile played on her lips, but she deftly ended the ambiguous topic.

"What brings you here so late, Mr. Bruce? It's not just to continue telling me fairy tales, is it?"

“Uh… that’s not ready yet.” Wayne scratched his head.

“I will wait for you.” Theresa said gently but firmly. “When everything has settled down, let’s choose a sunny afternoon, enjoy afternoon tea and desserts, and tell you the story that only we know.”

Wayne turned his face away, blushing slightly.

As expected of Theresa, her sweet talk is off the charts! Even Mount Everest can't compare. It made me blush.

He nodded and said, "Yes."

Then, Wayne, not daring to interrupt, immediately got to the point and sent the news report draft, which he had spent the whole night compiling, into a document and sent it to Theresa via LINE.

"Theresa, this document contains evidence and testimonies from the Duke of Normandy regarding the various atrocities he and his son committed in the North over the years. Keep it safe, and when the time is right, use the computer in my palace room to submit it to the Columbia News, the Victoria Morning Post, and the Lentinium newspaper as a journalist named Joseph Pulitzer."

These media outlets are among the most influential in Victoria and even the entire Terra region. Once this evidence is submitted and published, it will spread throughout the land at the fastest speed.

At that point, public opinion will reverse instantly, and the public opinion that the Earl of Princeton previously regarded as his lifeline will become the last straw that breaks the camel's back. All his reasons for defending himself, all the good deeds that Wayne initially called selfless, will become "cowardly acts of trying to curry favor with Wayne in order to gain forgiveness in anticipation of punishment," and will be even more despicable.

People's favorability and aversion can be instantly reversed or even multiplied by a key event. The Earl of Princeton will be overwhelmed by the angry crowd and pay a heavy price for his past and present actions. Meanwhile, Wayne will conduct a trial for him in accordance with the will of the people and the law, in the capacity of the royal family, thereby greatly enhancing the authority of the royal family.

Inviting guests, beheading—all done in one swift motion.

As for accepting them as dogs?

Wayne never considered, nor did he need, the defection of a rebel.

His sole purpose in doing this was to uncover the Earl of Princeton's hidden true intentions, and then...

—A radical solution!

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Fish and Hook

Victoria, Earldom of Princeton in the North, 1:00 am

While Wayne was busy outwitting Kal'tsit and Theresa, the former master of the Earl's mansion—the Earl of Princeton—was not idle either. Judging that it was late at night and Wayne and the others were probably already resting, he quietly left the mansion through the escape passage.

Of course, he wasn't trying to run away. He had accumulated wealth, recruited a large army, and harbored great ambitions—so many things bound him together that he couldn't possibly choose to flee.

He was going to find an opportunity to turn the tide!

He was going to find Master "Reed".

The King in the North has a son and a daughter. Wayne is of bloodline, while Reed is an adopted daughter. According to conventional practice, only Wayne, as the legitimate son, should have the right to inherit the throne and claim it, but Reed is an exception.

Although she was only an adopted daughter, she was of Drak's blood, a descendant of the red dragon, and was born with the same right to claim the Victorian throne as the lion Aslan. In addition, as the daughter of the King of the North (Aslan), her legitimacy was even stronger than that of Vayne in some respects.

Of course, claims are just claims; true public support depends on the will of the people. Wayne's authority in the North is far greater than that of the reeds lurking in the shadows. Therefore, the Earl of Princeton never imagined that he could overthrow the now-powerful Wayne with the reed wagon. His trip to find the reeds was merely a desperate attempt to persuade the daughter of the red dragon to intervene and save his loyal hound.

Ideally, Reed would clash with Wayne over the succession, allowing him to reap the benefits. However, the Earl of Princeton also knew that in the North, Reed and Wayne had always maintained a good relationship, making such a scenario highly unlikely.

But what could he do?

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, the Earl of Princeton arrived at the location of the "secret room".

This is a mountain range in the northern border of Victoria, isolated from the ocean, and is also the true northern frontier of Victoria. Following the direction of the mountain range, dozens of miles to the west, you can see Dublin, the former capital of the King of the North, while about a hundred miles to the east is the first stop for Wayne and his companions in the North, the place where everything began - County Dorron.

The ruins of the low hill destroyed by the musketeers were part of this mountain range, but unfortunately, the Earl of Princeton could not see the terrifying scene that symbolized the pinnacle of Laterano's military power from his current position.

He followed the familiar road into the mountains, heading towards the peak where the secret chamber was located.

The mountain path twisted and turned, but the Earl of Princeton had traveled it many times. Although the visibility was less than a meter due to the darkness of the jungle, he was still able to steadily follow the correct path by relying on his senses.

However, things did not go as smoothly as he had imagined.

The silent jungle was always filled with the rustling sounds of figures moving about, but the darkness prevented him from seeing anything around him.

The Earl of Princeton felt more than once that someone was following him, but no matter how unexpectedly he turned around, he could only see the abyss-like darkness of the path he had come from.

Faint whispers seemed to emanate from the treetops all around, but they were not speaking the language of Victoria. In fact, the Earl of Princeton could not determine whether it was a language, the rustling of leaves in the wind, or the hiss of some kind of rodent.

He repeatedly turned his head, repeatedly scanned the surroundings, repeatedly spread his arms wide as if in a survival textbook, and let out strange cries, trying to scare away any wild beasts that might be there.

But no matter what they do, the figures moving through the jungle remain, the chilling feeling of being watched from behind remains, and the unintelligible sounds from the treetops all around remain.

"Perhaps it's all just the wind."

Earl Princeton felt he was probably being a little neurotic. Perhaps it was the pressure Wayne was putting on him, or perhaps the fear his father felt before hanging up the phone was too deeply ingrained, or perhaps the fact that it was late at night, in the forest, and that he was alone made him subconsciously associate many bad things with the situation, making him feel anxious and incoherent at the moment.

Finally, he mustered his courage and shouted to those around him:

"I am the Earl of Princetonshire, Victoria! Anyone here? Come out! What kind of hero hides like this?"

As expected, there was no response from those around.

The figure vanished, the gaze faded, the whispers ceased. The Earl of Princeton felt courage and strength return to him, and he took a step forward.

Then, he bumped into the chest of the man in black in front of him.

The Earl of Princeton gasped, his mind going blank for a moment, even his breathing faltering. He instinctively took a step back, intending to draw his staff for defense, but then suddenly remembered that his staff, the Sargon Scimitar, and the Victorian Honorary Earl's Scepter were already in Wayne's hands. He himself, concerned about appearances, had never worn a Victorian-style staff.

He was unable to cast spells or retaliate.

He looked up at the three men in black who were several sizes taller than him.

Wearing masks that barely cover their eyes and wrapped in heavy black robes, their attire would certainly resemble that of the Black-Cloaked Shadow Guards of the Yan Kingdom if they were to add a bamboo hat.

The Earl of Princeton swallowed hard, about to say something, when he felt a murderous intent lock onto him and abruptly stopped speaking. He only heard the leading man in black glance at the two beside him and ask calmly:

"(Old Victorian: Do you know this person?)"

This language was the very whisper he had just vaguely heard from the treetops.

"(Old Victorian: I don't know.)"

Another man in black shook his head and looked at the last man in black. The last man in black glanced at the Earl of Princeton and nodded.

"(Old Victorian: I know His Highness's dog.)"

The leader of the men in black sheathed his drawn sword—the Earl of Princeton hadn't even noticed when he'd drawn it in the first place—and nodded:

"(Old Victorian: So it was His Highness's dog. What should we do now? His Highness didn't give any orders that a dog would come here at night. He saw the [Deep Pool]. Should we silence him, or should we ask His Highness for permission first?)"

"(Old Victorian: Let's consult His Highness first. This dog seems to be of high status; killing him might attract the attention of Lontinim. Don't act rashly; our current strength is insufficient to deal with the [Unicorn] and [Athlan].)"

The leader of the black-robed men thought for a moment, then nodded somewhat reluctantly and released his hand from the hilt of his knife. At that moment, the murderous intent that had almost suffocated the Earl of Princeton finally dissipated.

He wanted to say something, to ask something. But he couldn't understand the conversation of the people in front of him at all. He could only vaguely guess that these people were either monitors and ambushers arranged by Wayne, or they were related to the "Secret Chamber" and Lord [Reed].

If it's the second one.....

A glimmer of hope rekindled in the Earl of Princeton's heart.

If these people are indeed Lord Reed's troops, and if Lord Reed still possesses such an elite private force, they might very well have a chance to turn the tide and achieve a miraculous comeback.

With this thought in mind, and clinging to hope, he walked into the depths of the dense forest, which resembled a dark abyss, under the control of three silent men in black.

Even the three men in black from the Deep Pool didn't notice that a figure was quietly watching them not far behind them.

.......

Victoria, the temporary residence of the King of the North, Wayne's bedroom.

Having just finished communicating with Theresa and Vina, Wayne glanced at the time, estimating it was about time, and then pushed open the door, heading towards the Earl of Princeton's current bedroom—formerly the Earl's mansion's medical room.

Pushing open the door, as expected, it was empty; the Earl of Princeton was nowhere to be seen. At the same time, Winster silently approached Wayne and reported:

"As you instructed, the fish has been in the water for almost two hours, and a hook is locked onto him. The latest intelligence is that he has been taken into the depths of the Forgotten Mountains by three men in black."

"Have the unicorn continue to follow, but be careful not to expose yourself."

Wayne nodded. It was obvious; with the unicorn on Wayne's side, how could an unarmed earl possibly sneak out of the earl's mansion in the dead of night without his consent?

He's playing the long game, hoping to catch a big fish. He wants to see if he can lure out the possible mastermind behind the Earl of Princeton.

In hindsight, he made the right bet.

There is indeed someone more deeply hidden behind the Earl of Princeton, manipulating everything, and now, Wayne has discovered her true colors.

"Things are getting more and more interesting."

Wayne sighed softly.

Chapter Seventy-Nine: Unexpected Gains

Victoria, the North, "The Secret Chamber".

Dressed in a black robe, Deeppool led the Earl of Princeton to open the door to the secret chamber from a place he had never been before.

Unlike when he entered the secret chamber during the day, this entrance allowed them to go directly to the greenhouse with its flickering firelight, instead of wandering around the maze-like cave for half an hour.

This is probably a secret passage specifically for these people.

The Earl of Princeton realized, and became even more certain, that the three mysterious men surrounding him were undoubtedly subordinates of Lord Reed. This secret passage was essentially the escape route he had used to slip out of the Earl's mansion; unless they were very familiar with Lord Reed, they would never have known of the existence of such a life-saving passage in a crisis.

Unfortunately, although the three men in black had been talking the whole way, no matter how hard the Earl of Princeton tried to decipher their somewhat Victorian-sounding language, he couldn't find a single syllable to correspond to the existing official Victorian language or local dialects. He still couldn't understand a single word of the Deeppools' conversation, nor could he glean any information about them from it.

Fortunately, this situation did not last long. Once they officially entered the secret chamber, the man in black finally spoke the first sentence that the Earl of Princeton could understand in Victorian with a thick Northern accent: