Rhode Island Park Project

Chapter 5 Abbrana: Do you want to marry into my family? I will give birth to little Draco for you (

The Duke of Windermere and his daughter are enjoying great glory, but on the other hand, some people are not very happy.

"...Knowing that we might have to fight the Steam Knights, our soldiers' morale was greatly affected, and rumors and unrest arose within the army."

At the Duke of Caister's office, an adjutant is reporting the situation.

Still the problem,

Many Victorians grew up listening to the story of the Steam Knight. Soldiers who joined the army even regarded the Steam Knight as the ultimate goal of their struggle. Now, if they were suddenly told that they would have to face the legend they had always dreamed of, no one would be very motivated.

"..."

Duke Caister, dressed in gorgeous clothes, watched silently the video playing on the screen hanging on the wall. The video showed armored knights running rampant in the warship.

He took out a slender lady's cigarette from an exquisite leather box, lit it, and took a sip. Holding the cigarette between his fingers and slowly exhaling clouds of smoke, Duke Caister looked at the somewhat hazy screen and spoke slowly:

"This is not our Victorian Steam Knight."

After thinking for a moment, Duke Caister added, "I haven't heard that the royal family has any plans for new iterations of steam armor. If they can produce finished products, it wouldn't be so surprising that none of us have heard of it."

The adjutant also replied: "Grand Duke Wellington, Duke Godottin and several dukes have sent the same inquiry."

Obviously, everyone thought of the same question, but no one knew the relevant situation.

Steam armor has indeed undergone technological iterations. As a product of science and technology, this is normal and necessary.

Although the Steam Knight that their King has declared now is not quite the same as what they imagined, it is indeed possible that it has undergone some modifications.

But the problem is the same -

As a product that combines Victoria's highest industry and various technologies, the production of steam armor is not something that can be secretly produced in a small workshop with a wrench and a hammer.

The royal family has always controlled the core technology of steam armor and related technical personnel. The royal family will naturally not easily leak to outsiders the strongest military force in their hands that can deter all enemies and the entire Victoria.

But even so, in addition to the core technology, the production of many parts of steam armor still requires the participation of a large number of workers and factories.

It is impossible for an activity of this scale to go unnoticed by all the Grand Dukes.

“How is the control of public opinion going?”

Duke Caister, who was staring at the screen, asked another question.

“It’s not very effective.”

The adjutant replied in a serious tone, "We have already controlled the statements of all mainstream media outlets in the country, but rumors still persist.

Especially in terms of the internet, the cybersecurity department said they are sure that there are forces deliberately spreading related information, but they cannot catch them, and currently they can only try their best to delete the information after it is released.

"The Internet... huh, it's really not friendly to the elderly."

The Duke of Caister, whose eyes were already wrinkled, shook off the ashes from his cigarette.

She really wasn't that interested in these things that had only emerged in modern times. If possible, she even wanted to cut off the network in the territory.

Unfortunately, her reason told her that doing so would only make the consequences worse.

"Let those new generation talents in the Cybersecurity Department think carefully about their bonuses and future. I'm not allocating so much funding to them just to hear them say they have no other options."

"Yes."

The room fell into silence, and Duke Caister continued to watch the unfinished video on the screen in the mist.

It is probably impossible to completely calm down this public opinion storm.

The Duke of Caister was aware of this fact.

Even if she could control the media, it was impossible to shut everyone up. Even she and other dukes who knew about Steam Knight couldn't help but waver. Some people even suspected whether the former king really had left any tricks up his sleeve, not to mention other ordinary people who didn't know much about Steam Knight.

Moreover, Luo Hang was very mean and gave a close-up of the armored knight landing in the battleship and starting the gas decompression at the beginning of the longest video.

What the Armored Knight actually expelled was not steam, but a mixed buffer gas. However, to most people, the scorching sound of the jets and the surging mist were the unmistakable signs of a Steam Knight.

And more importantly -

And His Majesty the King is backing these mighty armored knights.

But the Duke of Caster knew very well that no matter whether those were real steam armors or not, the steam knights that Victoria had obtained after layers of selection were now sleeping in the ground.

Even if those armors had the same or even newer generation performance as steam armor, they could not compare to the armors wielded by Victoria's most elite warriors.

Unfortunately,

This is a fact that is absolutely deniable, but she cannot announce it to the public.

Duke Caister was just thinking about this when the adjutant standing beside him suddenly picked up his tablet and took a look at it, then looked at the Duke who was in deep thought.

"The other side has made new moves... His Majesty the King has personally announced the truth behind the disappearance of the Steam Knights and called on all Victorians to unite and overcome this national crisis."

"..."

Duke Caister, holding a cigarette, was silent for a long time before he opened the video sent by his adjutant.

The picture shows the young Aslan girl holding the national sword making her first public appearance, flanked by two very eye-catching armored knights as guards.

Of course, what is more important is what the young King said.

——The original Steam Knight was killed by all the Dukes——

The other party did not say it so directly, but rather suggested to the brink of collapse, and then made a very bright and great call on all Victorians to unite in times of crisis to fight against the powerful enemy.

Duke Caister took another sip of the cigarette between his fingers and asked while looking at the young girl on the screen:

"Is there any new news outside?"

"..."

The adjutant flipped the tablet and said, "Yes."

The resting place of the kings and photos of the steam knights being besieged and killed were directly released.

"Our people are already trying their best to control the spread of the news, but..."

The adjutant glanced at the Duke, who was staring at the screen, before continuing, "Because we were the ones who previously announced and verified the authenticity of His Majesty the King and the Sword of State, so... this time, we're afraid it will be difficult to disprove the news. We can only do our best to control it."

This is a very embarrassing question.

Previously, the Duke of Caster spent a lot of effort and used various means and channels to prove that His Majesty the King was genuine and had obtained the genuine national sword. In this case, it makes sense for Her Majesty the King to say that she went to the place of kings, right?

The National Sword is such a precious thing that it has been kept under the nose of the Sarkaz without being stolen. It is only natural that it has a special place to be preserved.

The Steam Knight never showed up when Victoria encountered so many disasters, which resolved the doubts that many people had long had.

At first, the Sarkaz were not very efficient in spreading the news about the King and the National Sword. It was only because of the strong promotion of Duke Caister that they achieved today's results, but now they are really suffering.

"I was outmaneuvered..."

Duke Caister spoke slowly in a low voice, cigarette in hand.

The current situation was indeed beyond her expectations.

She had not expected that the young King and Rhodes Island, who had managed to steal her boyfriend, could find a glimmer of hope so quickly despite the pressure from the entire Victoria.

According to common sense, a small Rhodes Island and an isolated king should have been torn to pieces by everyone's covetousness. Even if the other party said something at that time, it would be difficult to have much influence.

But now Windermere's sudden defection directly slowed down the pace of all of them, and she even began to wonder whether that guy really had some kind of discussion with the late king.

If it weren't for Windermere's help in promoting the event, and the "Steam Knight" that really exceeded everyone's expectations, the result would not have been like this.

"..."

Duke Caister exhaled slowly and put out the cigarette in his hand.

Glancing at the cigarette holder that had been bitten off in half, she looked calmly at her adjutant:

"Get Wellington for me."

……

Duke of Wellington.

"...Your Highness seems to be in a good mood."

The old man, who didn't look tall, came to the hall where Abbrana was.

The charming and elegant Princess Drake was leaning against the window, her long tail, like the reflection of the starry sky, circling leisurely out of the window. She held a stack of photos in one hand and raised one of them in the sunlight with the other hand, slightly raising her chin as if admiring it, with the corners of her lips raised.

"Heh, Your Excellency the Duke, what do you think of my previous judgment?"

With a light chuckle, Abrana in the sunlight turned her gaze to the Duke of Wellington who walked into the house.

The old duke glanced at the photo of the black armor in Her Royal Highness the Princess's hand, and his stern face did not reveal much expression.

"What Rhodes Island has accomplished has truly exceeded many people's expectations. Caster has already invited us to collaborate, asking if we're interested in the 'new steam armor.'"

"It seems Duke Caister can no longer contain himself. After all, it was Duke Caister who originally initiated this grand event of hunting the king, but now the prey has revealed its fangs that everyone fears."

Abrana retracted her tail from the swaying window and returned to the house. She tossed the photo in her hand back onto the table. Facing the numerous documents covering the table and even one wall about the development of Rhodes Island, especially the profile photo of a certain man hanging among them, the curve of her lips became more distinct.

"This man holds a grudge. Duke Caister may not know this, but it seems she still senses danger."

The instigator of this event targeting the king and Rhodes Island was Duke Kaster. If they succeeded in defeating Shihuaiya and Rhodes Island and seizing the king, it would be fine. But if they failed, then the first target of the other party's revenge would be very clear.

"Public opinion is currently out of control, but it's just public opinion. Once we have coordinated our defenses against Windermere, even if each party has less than half of their remaining strength, the combined forces of all parties will be a force that Shi Huaiya can't face."

Every wrinkle and furrow on the face of the old general seemed to bear the scars of war, and he seemed to pay little attention to the so-called public opinion.

that's the truth.

After all, public opinion is just public opinion, verbal discourse. If those in power are truly determined to disregard it, then these words will remain mere words. They will neither affect the sharpness of a soldier's blade nor the movement of a warship.

And when the result becomes a reality——

"Once we conquer Shi Huaiya's territory and bring the king back, we will still be the only legitimate ruler of Victoria."

Of course, he would not kill the king easily.

Cao Aman knew that he could use the emperor to control the princes, and the people of Terra would not be stupid either.

The fact that Cao held the emperor hostage and committed treason was known to the world, but in the end, the people never actually rebelled after discussing it. The Wei Dynasty also divided the world into three parts. They found a scapegoat to kill the emperor and then proclaimed themselves emperor and established their own country. Can we, Wei, be any worse than him?

But Abbrana shook her head.

"Do you still think that this matter will be as easy as we thought?

The real enemy we are facing is not that young and immature lion, nor even Shi Huaiya's tiger, but the man who has never really shown his face. "

Her Royal Highness Princess Drake looked at the computer screen on the table, which showed many people on the Internet praising the king's kind act.

"Even during the war, even when persecuted by those corrupt nobles, His Majesty the King still warned the soldiers around the warships that were about to explode, and even gave them time to evacuate."

'His Majesty the King and the Knight of Steam remain the King and Knight of Victoria, the patron saints of Victoria'

People do not force kindness to soldiers in war. It is commendable as long as no additional casualties are caused to civilians.

But this time, His Majesty the King was kind even to the hostile soldiers, showing his "true kingly demeanor in front of the people of Victoria", which actually won him a lot of favor.

Abrana did not doubt that this might have been done with good intentions by the young lion, but she preferred to believe that it was the work of the man.

Being able to plan and win people's hearts, this is consistent with her impression of Luo Hang.

to be frank,

She has changed her mind about what happened before.

She had indeed suffered a great loss at the hands of Luo Hang and had also endured the most unforgettable humiliation in her life, but look at this man——

First he escaped from her design and the encirclement of the army, then he made a big fuss under the nose of the Sarkaz, and then he was able to stir up trouble while surrounded by all the grand dukes and nobles in Victoria, showing no sign of weakness at all.

It’s not that I’m not capable of this, but this man is really good enough and excellent enough, right?

"I have an additional plan. Would Your Excellency the Duke like to hear it?"

Abrana raised her head and said these words with some special meaning.

***

A few days later.

Rhode Island.

Luo Hang, who has returned home, welcomed a special guest.

"...Are you Abbrana's messenger?"