On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

"Is this also to be passed on to your confidant and the Empress?"

"No, quite the opposite. We must not let them find out. You must secretly contact the Holy Kingdom and hand this over to that Holy Kingdom goddess!"

A triumphant smile spread across Lena's face.

You like forming alliances, huh?

You like succubi but also ostracize them, right?

You two think you can fight against Lady Reina? How laughable!

Lena couldn't wait to see Styutia's expression and reaction when she received the crystal ball and the little nun saw the "images" recorded inside.

On the other side, Caroline, still in surprise, asked, "Give it to...the Holy Kingdom's Goddess?"

"Yes, you don't need to worry about security. I've already put several restrictions on this crystal ball. Originally, it was set so that only Styutia could open it, but just now, I modified it again, and now you can open it and see what's inside."

"Me too?" Caroline was astonished.

For something to be valued and kept so secret by Lady Lena, and only given to goddesses, it must be something extremely profound and important, possibly involving some major secret. Is this something she can even see?

Lena's answer to this was

"Yes, because I think you need to learn more about what it means to be a succubus."

Caroline: ".?"

After carefully putting away the two crystal balls that Lena had given him, Caroline had one last crucial point to report as Lena was about to leave.

"Lady Lena, please wait a moment! Regarding that remnant of the Old Alliance, Minister Charlotte, just before you arrived, my subordinates reported that Charlotte seems to have disappeared. We need to send more people to pursue him."

"No need." Lena interrupted Caroline before she could finish speaking.

"He's part of my deal with someone else."

Chapter 142 Escape

"Hurry up, make it go faster!"

A powerful beast with muscular limbs and a bright red crest that indicated it had a very rare bloodline was speeding along a secluded path carrying a camel cart. Despite its best efforts, the people inside the cart seemed unsatisfied, constantly urging it on with anxious and impatient cries, causing the driver to relentlessly lash it with his whip.

Even though the pack animal's hide was thick and tough, it was now covered in blood from the repeated whippings. But the pack animal did not resist. At most, it let out a few mournful cries, and then, stimulated by the pain, it continued to carry its abuser and run desperately.

Perhaps it is precisely because of their submissive and patient nature that they were chosen as "carrying beasts" to be "cultivated" and "reproduced" to be more numerous?

Of course, no one cares about a pack animal. Even if this one is ruined, there will always be another one. This is their fate as tools. Right now, what Charlotte cares about most in the carriage is, as he has been urging, faster and faster.

This minister of the Dragon Kingdom, who was once considered "second only to the emperor," was now in a very disheveled state. Not only was his hair messy, but several buttons on his clothes were also out of place, making it clear that he had left in a great hurry.

after all

If he doesn't escape quickly, he will face the wrath of the empress and be subject to judgment.

The thought of this made Charlotte's expression even more ferocious.

Damn!

He had maintained contact with the high priest of the Southern Ancient Wolf Clan. Bar was his direct superior within the Old Alliance, so the moment Charlotte lost contact with Bar, he knew something must have happened in the Southern Realm. It was very likely that the worst-case scenario he feared had occurred: the Empress had indeed found out everything.

The majestic dragon roar that resounded throughout the Dragon Kingdom and the fading of the curse on the demi-humans were undoubtedly a blow to Charlotte, like a bucket of ice water being poured over him. Charlotte never expected that even a mysterious and powerful being like the "High Priest," who was considered the absolute backbone of the Old Alliance, could not even last a day before being destroyed by the Empress.

Terrified out of his wits, he no longer cared about transferring assets. He abandoned all the wealth he had accumulated over hundreds of years through his authority as a minister and fled the Dragon Kingdom overnight.

Fortunately, thanks to the information he obtained from Miss Caroline in Shanghai, he was the first to know that the Empress was in the Southern Territory. Therefore, he had planned in advance how to escape and protect himself should something really happen.

Of the five major powers ruling the continent, the Holy Kingdom is the closest to the Dragon Kingdom and the easiest to escape to, but its national strength is too weak to protect him at all. Moreover, in Charlotte's eyes, the people of the Holy Kingdom, especially the official church, are a bunch of fools who would do anything for a ridiculous faith. According to the Holy Kingdom's doctrine, someone like him would probably be arrested by the church's knights before the Empress even comes knocking.

If we're talking about the best place to escape to, Shanghai is undoubtedly the best choice. As the largest neutral and independent city, it advocates so-called freedom and tolerance and has a friendly attitude that welcomes almost any foreigner. This makes Shanghai a paradise for many fugitives. Many people like him who can no longer stay in their own country often end up coming to Shanghai.

Unfortunately, Shanghai is too far from China. In his current rush, he simply doesn't have enough time. Moreover, judging from the attitude shown to him by "Caroline," who was probably a high-ranking official in Shanghai, he wasn't friendly. Clearly, Shanghai's overly "free" and "equal" approach prevents him, as a former minister of China, from fully utilizing his esteemed status and enjoying his due position in Shanghai.

Therefore, after careful consideration, the new force that Charlotte is currently fleeing to is located on the other side of the Dragon Kingdom, next door.

The Alliance of Machines.

As the largest weapons supplier, the Dragon Kingdom, which follows the "survival of the fittest" principle, has always been a valued customer of the Mechanical Alliance. Many of the equipment of the Dragon Gate Army is imported and purchased from the Mechanical Alliance. Such a large customer order has made Charlotte, who holds great power, the target of many "companies" of the Mechanical Alliance who try to win over the huge weapons orders from the Dragon Kingdom through various bribery means.

Among them, the one that "fawned" over him the most and had the best relationship with him was Keltech.

Therefore, Charlotte immediately contacted the senior management of Kyle Technology. After understanding the situation, the other party readily accepted, saying that they were not only willing to recruit Charlotte into the company after he arrived at the Mechanical Alliance and give him a high position, but also immediately dispatched an elite armed force. The two parties agreed on a location to pick up Charlotte and provided a special plane for Charlotte to fly directly to the Mechanical Alliance.

Charlotte wasn't particularly bothered by Kyle Technology's overtures. After all, he held the position of "minister," and even a weakened giant was still bigger than a horse. As for whether Kyle Technology actually possessed the necessary strength, Charlotte wasn't worried at all.

After all, they had been cooperating for so many years, and he knew that Kyle Technology was the absolute leader in the field of military equipment within the Mechanical Alliance. Therefore, Charlotte had great confidence in the armed forces sent by Kyle Technology to pick him up. As long as the Empress did not personally arrive, he should be completely safe once he reunited with the enemy forces.

Of course, Charlotte wouldn't really trust Kyle Technology and put all his bets on one company. He had done a lot of research on the Mechanical Alliance and knew that there was a medical insurance company specifically established for personal safety that was also very famous within the Mechanical Alliance.

Charlotte planned to enroll in the "Emergency Medical Team" insurance company as soon as he arrived at the Mechanical Alliance. He even used his connections to get a "Gold" level membership. The highest level, "Platinum," couldn't be enrolled directly; one had to build a certain level of cooperation first. Charlotte was a little disappointed, because it was said that with a "Platinum" level membership, as long as you didn't leave the Mechanical Alliance's territory, no one could kill you from the "Emergency Medical Team."

Besides these arrangements within the Mechanical Alliance, Charlotte himself naturally possessed original trump cards, which were also his greatest source of confidence. All of these stemmed from...

"Lord Charlotte, if all goes well, we should reach the location you marked on the map in about half an hour!"

Around Charlotte's wagon was a team of six guards, one of whom was the one who had just been reporting to Charlotte with a map.

These were all Charlotte's most trusted confidants, loyal to him to the core. In their hearts, even the Empress could not compare to Charlotte.

Most importantly, all six of them are Relic Envoys. There are only forty-two Relic Envoys in the entire Dragon Kingdom. Only Xia Luo could field such a luxurious lineup of six Relic Envoys as bodyguards, which is the source of his confidence.

Chapter 143 Bonus Item

"Okay, thank you for your hard work. If you are tired, you can rest in my carriage."

"No, no, no, Lord Charlotte has been incredibly kind to us. Now is the time for us to repay him. We must not let our guard down until you are completely out of danger."

"You... Hey! You don't have to be like this. As relic envoys, you can have a bright future wherever you go. There's no need to hang yourself on my tree. If there really is an insurmountable enemy, then don't worry about me, just run away."

Charlotte deliberately feigned a helpless sigh, and as expected, this immediately earned her the even greater loyalty of the six guards outside the carriage.

"If Lord Charlotte is gone, what meaning do we have for each other!"

"Anyone who dares to abandon Lord Charlotte, I'll be the first to kill him!"

"And Lord Charlotte, please don't say things like that again!"

"Yes, and besides, with the six of us here, you can rest assured that there are no enemies that we cannot overcome!"

Listening to the loyalists outside the carriage, Charlotte's tense heart gradually relaxed. Indeed, the Empress should still be preoccupied with the curse on the demi-human race and unable to spare any time. Apart from the Empress, the power of the six relic wielders was such that even if Long Yi himself came, he might not be able to stop her.

Just as this thought had just formed in Charlotte's mind, his cart suddenly braked sharply, nearly throwing Charlotte out of the carriage.

what!

What happened?!

Once Charlotte calmed down, she was immediately filled with panic. When she hurriedly lifted the curtain and looked outside, she found that a figure had appeared out of nowhere and blocked the way in front of them.

There was only one person on the other side, and judging from their clothing, it was clearly not the style of a Chinese person.

Wearing a tailcoat and a strange tall hat that hid half of his face in the shadow of the brim, making it impossible for Charlotte to see his features, the person was dressed entirely in black except for white gloves, giving him an eerie and sinister appearance.

Swish!

Without hesitation, the six relic wielders who were Charlotte's protectors launched an attack on the mysterious figure ahead, with the one wielding a weapon that resembled an "ice bow" being the first to do so.

The frost-covered arrows were launched in the blink of an eye, carrying a biting, chilling wind as they whistled towards the mysterious figure opposite them.

puff!

To everyone's surprise, the man in black did not dodge at all, but just stood there and was pierced through the chest by the frost arrow. Large patches of frost followed immediately, freezing his clothes.

"This"

After a brief moment of surprise, Charlotte's six relic envoys exchanged glances and decided that they could not be careless.

Soon, the second relic user, wielding a "staff," summoned a massive, blazing fireball, which, accompanied by a scorching heatwave, hurtled towards the black-clad man who was frozen and unable to move.

During the fireball's flight, another relic user summoned a wind blade that struck the fireball. The combination of the two caused the fireball's area to increase dramatically, multiplying its attack power.

Boom!

A massive fireball engulfed the man in black, and immediately afterward, the remaining three Relic Envoys, each wielding a different melee weapon, rushed forward. Some bound the man in black's limbs with chains, while others pierced his heart with spears. The last one, wielding a giant axe, cleaved off the man in black's head with a single blow.

The entire combat process was smooth and seamless, with the six people cooperating perfectly, clearly indicating that they had been training regularly.

Charlotte, inside the carriage, only breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the black-clad man's head chopped off.

Unfortunately, before he could even finish exhaling, Charlotte's eyes widened again, and the six guards around the carriage all wore expressions as if they had seen a ghost.

Because what they were seeing was truly no different from seeing a ghost.

The headless corpse that the man in black had been lying on the ground suddenly stood up again, picked up his head from the ground, and put it back on!

Not only that, but even the various frostbite, burns, and the bloody hole that pierced his heart that healed on his body at an extremely fast speed until he was completely healed.

What?!

Shocked as they were, the six relic guards reacted the fastest, immediately preparing for another attack. But this time, what surprised them even more, even terrified them, was...

"How could this be! The relics aren't responding!?"

None of the six could control the relic anymore. Then they realized that it wasn't the relic that was malfunctioning, but rather that the power within them had mysteriously vanished.

"Actually, I quite dislike using my own abilities."

"Because it reminds me of the many painful memories our clan suffered at the hands of 'that person.'"

A magnetic male voice, tinged with a sigh and sadness, rang out. The voice came from the man in black opposite them.

The man in black glanced at Xia Luo and his group, but whether it was Xia Luo or the six relic envoys, the one that lingered on his gaze the longest was the pack animal.

On the other side, Charlotte, upon hearing the voice, suddenly shuddered, as if she had realized something.

As he stared intently at the man in black, a blurry figure began to emerge in his mind.

Because that...that's...

He was his former superior, a high-ranking member of the Old Alliance on par with Barr, a top-tier "upper-level" Forsaken. If Charlotte remembered correctly, the other person's name should be...

Herlo?

"Lord Hero Hero!?" Charlotte called out tentatively from inside the carriage.

"Oh? You still recognize me?" Hero shifted his gaze from the pack animal.