People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Give me a light.

The man in the grey top hat nodded immediately, turned, and left the room.

They searched him as soon as they entered the room; he didn't bring any fire.

A moment later, the man in the grey top hat returned to the room, but instead of immediately lighting the fire for Kester, he simply gave another curt bow.

"what happened?"

Kester frowned.

"Your Grace, someone wishes to see you."

"The people from Wellington arrived so quickly?"

Castle frowned, tapping his fingers on the armrest of chair number 7, somewhat puzzled. 1

That shouldn't be the case, Wellington, he doesn't seem like the type to be so impatient.

Or is it someone else?

Godottin? He's certainly the most likely candidate. That man is incredibly intelligent, but his personality is terrible. He only wants to be a stable nobleman and has absolutely no ambition. Now that Wellington has put on such a grand show, there's a good chance he's gotten desperate.

But Kess had no intention of meeting anyone so soon.

Wellington's betrayal, as the most powerful and influential nobleman in Victoria, makes her attitude a key point for outsiders to ponder. It's similar to how the Grand Dukes only dared to wage war against Londinium after learning of Wellington's stance.

She hadn't reached a deal with Wellington yet, and if she rashly met with Godottin and the others, that guy might see through her.

"Who is coming?"

"The Duke of Godotin's special envoy."

It's really him.

Kester shook his head, about to say he wouldn't see her, when the man in the grey top hat continued:

"And there's Miss Daphne, daughter of the Duke of Windermere, the Duke of Abercohn's special envoy, and the Duke of Ashworth himself."

The man in the grey top hat paused, then looked up at the Duke of Caesar, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

The Duke of Caesar had already sensed something was wrong. She stood up from her chair, walked to the man in the grey top hat, and asked in a deep voice:

"So many people? What are they doing here?"

"I do not know."

"How come you don't know anything? Didn't you ask them a single question?"

"I don't have that permission, but I received this."

The man in the grey top hat looked somewhat helpless. He reached into his robes and took out a small emblem.

The coat of arms is the emblem of the Victorian Empire. However, unlike ordinary national emblems, the center of this coat of arms is not the "Imperial Shield," but a lifelike unicorn!

The man in the grey top hat stood up, because according to Victoria's "rules," arriving with the unicorn's secret order was equivalent to the Red Dragon Emperor and the Aslan Emperor being present in person, representing the will of the royal family!

However, the throne of Victoria has been vacant for more than ten years, and the palace of Londinium has been silent for more than ten years. In those ten years, not a single secret order from the unicorn has been issued from Londinium, to the point that many people have forgotten the existence of the unicorn [Guardian Duke].

There are even people who know of the unicorn's existence and believe that the unicorn was killed by the Sarkaz who broke into Londinium.

Until this moment.

The man in the grey top hat presented the coat of arms to Kast. After all, he was Kast's subordinate and received Kast's salary. Even if he knew the rules, he wouldn't dare to act arrogantly towards his own Duke just because of a secret order.

He could only try to find a balance between humility and pride, and read out:

"The Unicorn Order".

"She said she wanted you to come out and see her."

The Duke of Caesar's expression shifted repeatedly before he finally nodded and, after many years, uttered two long-unspoken words:

"As ordered."

Chapter 871 Snowfall Brings a Message: The Giant Beast Sami Comes to Fulfill the Promise

"Are you so confident? You think a secret order will make the Duke of Caesar obediently come over?"

Standing on the deck of the Glory, Ernst looked at Clovisia with great interest.

In the past, Clovisia wouldn't have bothered to even offer an explanation when faced with such a question.

Who is she? A unicorn!

This title carries significant weight for Victoria. Anyone with a bit of knowledge knows that she truly lives up to her reputation – strong flavor, no need for extra salt!

But now, she really does have to explain herself.

After all, the recent Victorians have evolved to the point that she can't understand them at all. She's 99% sure that the Duke of Custer will give her and the unicorn's secret mission face, but she's not so sure about the remaining 1% possibility.

What if this is another god-like being who cares about the world but sees unicorns as nothing?

Of course she knew Castle and knew that she didn't seem like that kind of person at all, but what if it was just a disguise?

You can't be sure, right?

Seeing ghosts everywhere, being paranoid, and being shocked by "surprises" so many times, look how frightened the little unicorn is!

Ernst felt a pang of sympathy for them.

"She will come."

Clovisia said, clearly lacking confidence.

Ernst nodded, not wanting to further upset the little unicorn who was already suspicious after his words.

Fortunately, the Duke of Caesar did not let Clovisia's wait become a regret.

Soon, the figure in the grey top hat appeared on the deck, followed by the Duke of Caesar, holding a long pipe.

Upon seeing Kaster, Clovisia's face broke into a rare, excited smile, and she eagerly boasted:

"See, I told you so. The Duke of Caster did indeed come!"

Ernst nodded, unable to suppress a smile, and applauded Clovisia.

"Hmm, impressive, no wonder it's a unicorn."

Clovisia chuckled and hummed twice, but her expression quickly stiffened, as if she had realized something was wrong.

Duke Caesar certainly saw this scene. Although there was a large group of people on the deck, the figures of the unicorn and Ernst were always the most conspicuous.

She seemed to understand something, placed the emblem of the secret order in front of her, gave a slight bow, and said earnestly:

"I didn't expect that His Excellency the Duke of the Protectorate would know Prime Minister Ernst. It seems that Lentinium's operation was a success?"

Ernst also became serious and said solemnly:

"The flags of the Victoria City Guard are clear enough. Whether it succeeds or not, I'm sure His Excellency the Duke of Caster knows better than I do."

“Prime Minister Ernst is joking. With the Duke of the Nation here, I have no reason to lie to you. Grey Hat’s intelligence network in the city has been wiped out by the Shapeshifters. Not a single one is left. Now I am truly in the dark.”

"The Duke of Caesar said slowly."

Ernst frowned.

He said that he hadn't seen any shapeshifter groups along the way, and it turned out they had gone to clean up the "eyes" in the city.

That's right. The shapeshifters should also remember the "prophecy" made by the Cyclops. Rhodes Island and the Military Council had never had any direct armed conflict before. This time, however, Kal'tsit brought Logos and others into the city, clearly aiming for the Shard Tower. As the combat force of the Military Council, the shapeshifters had no intention of rushing to give the young Banshee Queen any credit.

He wasn't necessarily afraid; it's just that the fact that he was talked to to death by the succubus's talk therapy was indeed a bit of a laughing stock if word got out.

With Theresa personally intercepting the Rhodes Island group, he went off to do something else, avoiding a direct confrontation with Rhodes Island and Ernst, which can be considered fulfilling his duty.

Moreover, to some extent, if the Grey Hat's spies were still in Lentinium, then Talulah, Allardy, and other members of the self-rescue army would still be in danger. Ernst's attempt to win over the city's defense forces wouldn't be so easy—the Duke of Caesar wasn't stupid. In the current situation, whoever could gain control of the city's defense forces first would have a "first-mover advantage" upon entering the city. She might not have considered this initially, but when the time came, her reaction would definitely be no slower than anyone else's.

Moreover, given her abilities, the conditions she can offer might be even greater than what Ernst can promise. Whether the city's defense forces will be swayed is anyone's guess.

The shapeshifter's actions actually helped him out.

"Duke of Caster, let's not beat around the bush. What do you plan to do about the Duke of Wellington's matter?"

Clovisia reached out and took the secret emblem from Duke Caster's hand.

“I will absolutely not allow any actions that could divide Victoria. The Duke of Wellington’s behavior has crossed my bottom line. I doubt the Duke of Castle would want to negotiate with him alone.”

Clovisia is talking nonsense.

Before she could summon Christ with a secret order, she had already intercepted the grey hat messenger who was carrying out Christ's message.

The contract to be given to the Duke of Wellington was now in her left hand, and she knew perfectly well what Castle was up to.

But she still wanted to ask, to force Castle to make a statement.

Now, with Windermere, Ashworth, Abercohn, and Godottin all here, it's as if several Grand Dukes are present. Castells's attempt to secretly negotiate peace with Wellington alone is doomed!

The Duke of Wellington has caused trouble and must pay the price. The losses suffered by these dukes due to Wellington's sneak attack must also be accounted for. You, Caesar, want to get away with it? No way!

But unexpectedly, Kaster pursed his lips, but did not answer immediately. Instead, he asked another question:

"Your Excellency Unicorn, have you considered that Victoria cannot afford to get involved in another civil war now?"

"The Duke of Wellington's actions are indeed despicable, but Victoria's current situation no longer allows us to devote the full strength of the nation to launching a full-scale war against a powerful duke."

"The contract is indeed humiliating and detrimental to our nation, but I, Castle, have no selfish motives. I am willing to bear the loss of honor and dignity. However, I hope that Your Excellency Unicorn understands that the most urgent task is to stabilize Wellington, eliminate the Sarkaz army which is already at its end, and save Victoria from its dire straits!"

"For this reason, it is necessary to make a tough decision! Others may not have the courage to make this decision, but I can. I can, but you are trying to stop me. Do you want to leave Victoria in the midst of war and ignore her?"

Ernst and Clovisia clearly hadn't expected the Duke of Caster to turn the tables and resort to moral blackmail again.

At first glance, what she said didn't seem wrong at all.

Is it true that Victoria suffered heavy losses in the War of Londinium? Yes, it is true. One of the Grand Dukes died, countless high-speed warships were lost, and countless soldiers were conscripted. How could such losses be considered small?

Not to mention, this war is taking place within Victoria's borders. Even if they win, they won't reap any of the war's benefits. Instead, they'll have to spend money rebuilding the ravaged lands, restoring the economy that was squeezed to its limit by the war, and appeasing the nobles who suffered immense trauma during the war. It's an absolute loss!

At this time, if another civil war were to break out, and on a scale no smaller than this one, could Victoria really withstand it?

We can handle it.

But the Duke of Caesar and the other grand dukes might not be able to withstand it—such a huge expense, such great turmoil, and such a troublesome situation could really shake their rule.

Ultimately, the Tara region was almost entirely the territory of the Duke of Wellington, a barbaric land. Even if it were ceded, how much loss would it cause to the other dukes?

Whether or not to damage one's own foundation for the sake of the Tara region is a question that all Grand Dukes need to consider.

As for what followed, such as "I, Kester, have absolutely no ill intentions," that's all nonsense.

She said that purely to position herself as the "person in charge of Victoria," but in reality, she isn't the one in charge right now.

"I'll take the blame," Jiu said. But when the time comes, if she's not the one in charge, she won't take any responsibility at all; she can't afford to.

Moreover, in the end, the Duke of Caesar was simply grafting a cause-and-effect relationship onto Victoria. Whether Victoria fought a civil war or not had absolutely no causal relationship with whether she signed a private contract with Wellington, yet she spoke as if the two were directly related.

The contract she signed with Wellington only guarantees that she won't fight with him. Does that mean she can represent all the other dukes? You signed a contract that humiliated and betrayed the country; does that mean this can be extended to all the Grand Dukes of Victoria?

They make it sound like they're the ones who are wronged and selfless, but in reality, they have absolutely no connection to either side.

Ernst was well aware of this, but he was puzzled as to what the Duke of Castells was doing. Such clumsy moral blackmail and attempts to cover up the truth didn't seem like something she would use.

However, in just ten seconds of thinking time, Ernst was indeed unable to instantly see through the Duke of Kester's true purpose, and at this moment he could only follow that one principle.

No matter how many routes you take, I will only go one way.

Grasp the principal contradiction in the problem, and grasp the main aspect of the contradiction!

The Duke of Caesar's arguments were all based on the uncertainty of the war situation with the Sarkaz. Because the situation was uncertain, it was unknown how much more the war would cost. Because the situation was uncertain, it was necessary to stabilize Wellington first to prevent his interference from allowing the Sarkaz to regain their strength. Because the situation was uncertain, any greater losses had to be avoided, and therefore, a ceasefire with Wellington was necessary immediately.

But wouldn't it be better if this situation were made clearer?

Now that Theresis has fallen and the Military Council is a mere shell of its former self, the city's defense forces and self-defense forces have begun cleaning up the battlefield and tidying up the mess inside Lontinim. The only force the Sarkaz can truly call a fighting force is the "Carrion Legion" outside the city.

Coincidentally, someone had been eyeing this legion for a long time.

"Duke of Cactus, your loyalty to Victoria is truly moving." (4)

"However, the war has come to an end at this point."

Ernst took a deep breath.

Before intervening in the Lentinium situation, he made three preparations and prepared one trump card.

The first preparation is to have a "Preserver" who can intimidate the Grand Dukes and provide them with intelligence and confidence.

The second preparation was the Agors and their superweapons that could directly suppress Theresis.

The third preparation was a strategy of first being courteous to Precyth before resorting to force, which involved himself.