People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

The last time someone could instill fear and awe in her with just a glance was before she went to Sherag. Her sister demanded that she leave Tara, leave the Deep Pool, and go as an envoy to that unheard-of snowy realm to ingratiate herself with a boy she had only met once, to act as her eyes and ears and gather information about him.

Lavshini didn't want to go at the time, and she unusually defied her sister.

Abrahana gave her that profound look and said bluntly, "If you don't grow up, you'll only be a mediocre and useless person. And in my eyes, a useless person has no future."

Lavshini truly felt the pressure emanating from the word "death" at that time.

She finally accepted Abrahana's orders and embarked on the journey to Sherag with unease.

Fortunately, this unknown journey brought a happy ending. She did not encounter any cruel treatment in Sherag. Instead, she was allowed to stay by Ernst's side and observe his every move, from which she learned a great deal.

In return for a favor, Raphsini also used her Originium Arts to provide Ernst with warmth and energy.

When she was summoned back to Tara, she suddenly realized that her sister wasn't so scary after all.

It wasn't that Abrahana's attitude towards her had changed much; it was just that her sister's previously incomprehensible actions had become understandable in Raphsini's eyes now.

If punishments are unknown, then authority cannot be measured. Humanity's greatest fear comes from the unknown. If you can understand a person, then that person is no longer frightening to you.

Lafshini understood Abrahina, but Abrahina didn't understand Lafshini. The older sister only thought her younger sister had grown tremendously, failing to realize that she was beginning to lose touch with her sister's thoughts. ☆Book Carrying*Skirt:

She was unaware of this, which stemmed from her arrogance and from Lavshini's pretense.

Talk less, do more; think thrice before acting, and then make a final decision. This is what she learned from Ernst.

She readily accepted Abrahana's orders to become the ship's physician, taking on the responsibility of ensuring the Duke of Wellington's health. As she rekindled the flame of life in the Duke of Wellington, she even thought for a moment that she had finally understood him.

But now, meeting the Duke of Wellington's deep gaze, she once again felt a long-lost fear of the unknown.

The Grand Duke of Victoria, the greatest, strongest, and most powerful in his time, was not so easy to understand.

"Your Grace, Duke?"

The Duke of Wellington frowned and said in a cold voice:

"Keep calm, your disguise is quite good. You're already more satisfactory to me than Abrahina."

"Duke, it's me..."

"You don't need to explain. Now, listen to me first."

The Duke of Wellington interrupted Laphsini, his face solemn:

"Next, after I finish speaking, you will cease your spell. I will die, but before I die, I will personally order that command of Gastril and my core forces be handed over to you. This force is my direct line; their parents and elders were those who followed me in conquering Gaul. Every single one of them has been selected and tested by me and is absolutely loyal to me. You will lead them directly to the Summit of Nations to deliver the surrender document to Ernst Shivaish. You will write it yourself."

"With this elite force, even if the duchy falls apart, you will definitely be able to protect yourself. The Victorians will not dare to hastily start a civil war again. My death, coupled with your surrender, is enough to deprive them of any reason to launch an attack. Ernst Shivaish has a special relationship with you. He is a kind man who seems ridiculous on this land but is worthy of respect. Whenever there is a means other than war, he will mediate to avoid war."

"Then, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should directly summon you to a meeting. Whether it's the World Summit or the Glory, do not refuse. At the meeting, you must quickly sever ties with me and all the Tara extremists, including your sister. Do not associate with her again, and do not imitate my behavior. Stay away from the Deep Pool. If necessary, you must openly show your hostility towards Abrahina. Whatever she supported in the past, you must oppose. Whatever she opposed, you must support."

“My officer is trustworthy. If Ernst leaves you at the International Summit and is unable to return for the time being, you can hand over your authority to him. You can help Ernst with peace of mind and not bring up the matter of Tara’s independence again, but you can tell him what you have seen and heard in Tara. The Duke of Wellington will be in chaos for a while, and the remaining six dukes will quickly seize the spoils after my death, but as long as you do as I say, at least this core force can be preserved, and Tara will not be completely defenseless.”

"In this way, Tara will have a period of peace."

The Duke of Wellington spoke at length, his words clear, logical, and progressive, clearly indicating that he had planned this all along.

Raphsini's expression gradually changed from shock to confusion, but she listened attentively.

"I've arranged everything, but it's a pity there wasn't that time with the shapeshifters."

Wellington's face showed no trace of sorrow, as if the regret he was recounting at this moment did not belong to him.

According to his original plan, he wouldn't need to use Raphsini as a backup plan.

He would also fire on the Victorians on the battlefield, significantly weakening their strength. But after that, a healthy man would skip the World Summit and immediately send envoys to quickly reach an agreement with Caesar and others, making Tara practically independent and a “comrade-in-arms against the Sarkaz” with Victoria, rather than the current colony or vassal state.

The Victorians wouldn't refuse, especially Lady Caesar, who, having played chess for so long, felt she had everything under control. But if someone overturned the board and used underhanded tactics, she would panic. At that moment, she would do everything in her power to get the game back on the board, back to her own rhythm. Ernst had already tested this.

The Duke of Wellington could see it too, but unlike Ernst, he didn't often use such methods on trivial matters—such as the evacuation of refugees from Lentinium. He was holding back, waiting to give the arrogant and complacent Duke of Caesar a big blow at the end, who thought he was already a trapped beast!

The Duke of Wellington has the ability and the courage. As long as he is alive, the Duchy of Wellington will be an impenetrable force, and he will be able to awe Victoria!

But who knew that as he held it in, the shapeshifter suddenly popped his balloon.

"Heaven has not granted me a long life. If I had another year, this would be all I could do right now."

"Zero Wellington said."

A puzzled expression appeared on Zero Raphsini's face. She dropped the pretense and asked rather bluntly:

"But why did you do that?"

"How much hostility would firing on the Victorians on the battlefield provoke? They're known for their vindictiveness!"

"This is the will of the people."

The Duke of Wellington's lips trembled slightly, a hint of helplessness in his expression.

"The arrow is on the bowstring, and it must be released." Is this saying just for show?

Lavishini was still a bit inexperienced, but Wellington had no regrets, as there was no more suitable successor than her now.

Since Lu still had plenty of time left, he patiently explained to the Drak girl, whom he rarely paid much attention to:

"Lavshine, why do you think I'm supporting your sister?"

“Do I look like a loyal subject protecting the country? If I were truly loyal to the royal family, I could have led my troops into the city during the Alistair Rebellion. What Theresis did, I could have done as well. But I chose to stand by and watch. I don’t care about the royal family, bloodline, or any claims.”

“I have my own expectations for Victoria, and I also have my own grievances. I am not a fighter. I support your sister and pursue Tara's independence because I also have something to gain. Because in Victoria, I have been besieged for too long.”

The Duke of Caesar's extensive network of connections was no joke in its attempt to contain the Duke of Wellington. Within Victoria's chessboard, she virtually blocked all of Wellington's paths, whether forward or backward.

Like a dragon trapped in a well, Wellington's goal was to break free of this well, so that he could be like a dragon entering the sea, no longer bound by any constraints.

"To that end, I supported Deeppool, helped Abrahina, revived Tara culture, incited populism, and amplified the Victorian threat. I made the entire Tara area so impenetrable that even the Grey Hat of Castle couldn't get in. Do you know how to achieve this effect?"

Lavshini looked somewhat bewildered.

Wellington said slowly:

"fanaticism."

"The fanaticism of the most devout religious believer. Only the most fanatical fanatics can produce this effect."

“Tara is now a cage, containing a brainwashed beast. If I have another year, I am confident that I can change course and gradually wear down this hostility through border frictions, personnel conflicts, resource negotiations, and propaganda.”

"But I don't have a year left."

"If I die, Raphsini, do you think your sister can handle it?"

Lavshini opened her mouth.

She felt that whether Abrahana could control the situation was one thing, but whether she would actually manage to control it was another matter entirely.

Knowing her own situation best, Raphsini was all too aware of Abrahina's proud nature. If Wellington were to die and she were to take over Wellington's territory and retinue, would she suppress the anti-Victorian fervor in the Tara region?

What a load of crap, it's all about Victoria!

Seeing Raphsini's hesitant expression, Wellington's eyes revealed a rare hint of a smile.

“Not bad, you’re even more capable than I thought. You noticed, that’s right, your sister was created specifically to ensure my survival as a leader.”

"She is ruthless, proud, and arrogant. She has absolute confidence, which is like a drug to Tara, which has been weak in front of the Victorians for centuries. With her leadership, my assistance, and the support of the populism we have stirred up, a self-respecting, confident, and incredibly fanatical kingdom of Tara can be born."

Lavshini could imagine that situation.

Abrahana bestows her "favors" upon the world, and Duke Wellington has countless "loyal" warriors to protect Tara. This will be an incredibly united, yet exceptionally fanatical, new kingdom.

But Wellington died.

Tara's populism has been stirred up, and Abrahana has no power to suppress this wave. Instead, she will follow her nature and become a part of it, even a leader.

But she didn't have Wellington by her side, no one to press the pause button and say "enough is enough."

Then this populist snowball will keep growing bigger and bigger until it hits an impenetrable wall and finally shatters itself!

To destroy something, you must first make it mad. When that time comes, the reckoning will come, and Tara will be truly finished.

Wellington couldn't even protect this last remaining elite force. The Victorians have no morals; they would inflict the most brutal suppression on Tara. Ernst and the World Summit wouldn't help them either, because that horrifying form would also evoke some extremely unpleasant associations in Ernst.

So, you fired that shot?

"Raphsini murmured."

Wellington nodded:

"It's all for the sake of losing."

His eyes seemed to reflect the scene of war, only to disappear in the next blink, followed by a voice that spoke earnestly:

“Lafchini, I learned a lesson from my campaign against Gaul.”

"Surrender as soon as possible."

If Therese can use any of these methods, why can't the Duke of Wellington use them as well?

One shot, and they surrendered immediately. All the blame lies with the Duke of Wellington alone. The Wellington Duchy is a large enough pie to be divided among the remaining six dukes after his death; the calamity will not affect the ordinary people of Tara.

By handing over power to Lafsini and decisively abandoning Abrahina, she at least brought Tara a mediator like Ernst. Ernst wasn't a god; he couldn't piece together the full picture of Tara from all the information he had, and naturally, he couldn't understand Wellington's strategy of channeling rather than blocking in order to unleash the flood of "populism." But with Wellington's death as a testament to his loyalty, Lafsini's firsthand account of Tara's experiences, and his own character, he would at least prevent Tara from falling into the worst possible situation.

This wasn't the best ending he envisioned, but...

At least that gives Tara hope.

The Duke of Wellington let out a long sigh of relief, a faint, almost imperceptible smile of relief appearing on his face.

"I've fought battles my whole life to win, but this last battle is one I'm going to lose."

"Lavshine, come here."

Lavshini walked over cautiously.

Wellington gestured for her to come closer.

Lavshini shook her head slightly.

Wellington shook his head somewhat helplessly and took out a small emblem and a piece of candy from his pocket.

The coat of arms is the Duke of Wellington's family crest, and the sugar looks unremarkable.

"Take them all."

A kind smile, befitting his elderly appearance, appeared on Wellington's face. Seeing Raphsini accept the emblem and candy, he slowly turned his head to look at the sunset on the horizon, which had painted half the sky red. His expression was relaxed and peaceful.

"I owe my life a great deal of gratitude for the spark of life that I have given you."

"I have nothing else to give you, so consider this candy a token of my gratitude."

"They say nothing is more beautiful than the sunset glow, but I wonder if my afterglow is just as magnificent for this empire."

The blood-red setting sun was reflected in his eyes.

Then, the sun set in the west.

Chapter 877, the Tara Autonomy Act

Funeral diplomacy is a very important diplomatic activity in Terra's international politics.

The number of people who come to mourn you when you die, and how many of them are important figures, is a great indicator of your status during your lifetime.

For someone like Duke Wesley Wellington, his death would likely require three funerals: one on the Gastrill for the Grand Dukes, another back in the Duchy of Wellington for all of Terra who are interested in Wellington and Victoria, and finally, one before his burial for those who truly care about Wesley Wellington.

This battle now belongs to the Grand Dukes currently on the front lines in Victoria. After all, frankly, she doesn't even really want to search for someone like the Duke of Castle. The Duke of Wellington is already dead.

If the Gastrill hadn't announced the memorial service that very evening, she might have even sent a Grey Hat to test the waters. But since the news had already been released, it was safe to assume that the Duke of Wellington was indeed dead.

The Duke of Caesar did not sleep all night.

Even so, at the memorial service the next day, she still sat in the front row, gazing at the pale-faced Duke Wesley Wellington in the crystal coffin, and remained silent for a long time.

Her feeling was somewhat strange.

Wellington, the most feared enemy of his, the most powerful Grand Duke of Victoria, a formidable figure, was finally dead.

As his political opponent, Kast should be feeling relaxed right now. But she only felt a sense of emptiness and exhaustion.

Wellington did not die at her hands. The giant net she wove with interests could not ensnare this true "lion." He died from the devil's scheme. He did not lose, nor could he be considered a winner.

Victoria underestimated the Sarkaz, leading to the current outcome. A war resulted in the deaths of two grand dukes, severely weakening Victoria's power, and it will likely remain in a period of dormancy for decades to come.

"Speaking of which, there's also the Duke of Fife's memorial service later."

Eleanor, the Duke of Normandy's representative and "Little Duke," approached the Duke of Caesar. Looking at Wellington, motionless in the crystal coffin, she jokingly remarked with a hint of amusement,

"It's a pity we couldn't even find his body, don't you think? Hahaha~"

The Duke of Caesar gave her a cold glance.

“You shouldn’t be laughing here. A true great man is lying in front of you.”