Chapter 392
For the first time, Wei Wudi felt that the bumpy ride in the cart wasn't so bad after all. Would he miss this feeling when he sat on the magnificent dragon throne in the future?
"Sir, we've arrived at the yamen."
Upon hearing the reminder from outside, Prince Xian lifted the curtain.
Before the driver could bring out a small stool to help him stand on, he jumped directly into the puddle.
With cheerful steps, they quickly jumped onto the wet steps, taking two steps at a time.
After a week of checking in, everyone in the government office knew this important figure.
Seeing that the Prince's trousers were dirty with mud, the constables looked at each other, heads bowed, not daring to point it out lest they incur his wrath.
It wasn't until he reached the top of the stone steps that Wei Wudi suddenly realized his trouser legs were dirty.
But he's in a very good mood right now and isn't bothered by such a small thing.
Wei Wudi hummed a romantic tune meant only for royalty and nobility, heading straight for the prison where Shi Lei was imprisoned. Out of caution, he stopped humming just outside the gate.
Little did he know that he had already been locked onto by Shi Lei's Psychic Power the moment he arrived at the entrance of the government office.
It was pouring rain outside. In such terrible weather, even if someone wanted to report it to the authorities, they would wait until the rain stopped before doing so.
Seeing that even someone like the Prince Xian had come to the prison, Shi Lei was initially surprised by the Prince's persistence.
But he quickly noticed Wei Wudi stepping into the pit and uttering obscene words, and gradually realized something was wrong.
Oh, today is the seventh day after your son's death.
What happened that made you so happy?
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June 23, 8:20 pm
Following Vigna's footsteps, the group arrived at the hidden underground tunnel leading to the Oktriug District.
The dark corridor was long and narrow, and the quiet environment amplified all sounds, including footsteps.
If you listen carefully, you can also hear the clicking sound of Stone Crab crawling through the sewers and the roar of machinery operating overhead.
The pipes were pitch black with no light source; you could only use your phone's flashlight for illumination. Walking around here with a torch was practically suicidal; if you ignited the biogas, you'd be instantly incontinent.
Shi Lei can see in the dark, and Texas has a similar talent. But the others are in a much worse situation; they might step on something filthy at any moment.
Underground pipes harbor filth and grime; anything could happen. Mudrock stared at her lover's descendant, suddenly feeling a pang of nostalgia for the days spent with Exusiai. Her own high-brightness light source was safe, pollution-free, and power-efficient.
The unseen future seems like an unclear future, with endless darkness stretching from one end to the other.
Vigna arrived at the T-junction and reached out to feel along the wall. She quickly found the dusty Cover plate, opened it, and then grabbed the lever and pulled it down forcefully.
"Klala..."
With the sound of turning mechanisms and gears, what looked like Secret Door in the wall suddenly swung open.
Closure forward slightly and asked:
"Miss Vigna, are you very familiar with the underground structure of your Londinium?"
She regretted it as soon as she said it, because Crownslayer had just mentioned that his surname was Victoria.
Despite the Bloodfiend's awkward small talk, Vigna didn't show any aversion and chatted gently in return:
"This is my second time here. The last time was a long, long time ago. It is said that a hundred years ago, a huge fire swept through the center of Londinium. Only the royal family and a portion of the nobles escaped the flames."
From then on, a legend began to circulate in the city. It said that a magical Magic Array had been built beneath the Royal Palace to protect the Royal Family. What they couldn't understand was actually this Secret Passage.
Crownslayer rarely mentions his past within the Glass Gang. His subordinates only recently learned of Vigna's Royal Identity.
Seeing that she had finally opened up, Indra, a native of Norbert District, chimed in:
"I've heard a similar story, but it's not quite the same as the version you're telling. It's said that the former Victorian Emperor was in love with a courtesan, but her reputation wasn't good. So he used the excuse of building an escape route to build Secret Passage to meet her in secret."
Goodness, this sounds like something out of Water Margin.
Is this Victoria's version of Emperor Huizong of Song, secretly meeting with courtesans through Secret Passage?
But the women of the night in this country shouldn't be involved in the refined arts of playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
Instead of redeeming the other party from bondage, he specially built Secret Passage for their clandestine rendezvous. Shi Lei this behavior difficult to evaluate.
Before they knew it, the group had arrived at the next intersection.
Vigna quickly found the Cover plate by the wall, only to discover that the lever there was somewhat rusty. She gripped the Round Ball and pressed down hard, actually breaking it off in two.
"Damn it, this door is thick enough to withstand at least seven or eight hits from armored vehicles. Maybe we should retreat and look for other entrances into the Central Urban Area."
"Don't rush, let me take a look."
Closure, an engineer from Rhodes Island, spent her days dealing with machinery. She volunteered, took out her flashlight to inspect the equipment, and provided her findings to the group:
"No, the Main Gear has come off. It fell down and got stuck with the other gears, making it unable to operate."
Using his Psychic Scan, Shi Lei quickly determined the layout of the mechanism. He wasn't particularly knowledgeable about mechanics, but he understood after hearing Closure's explanation.
First, create a tweezer-like Rock Constructs inside the mechanism to retrieve the fallen gear. After placing it back in its original, empty position, fill the gaps to prevent it from falling again.
Shi Lei gave Texas a look and tilted his head slightly, signaling her to drive. The latter immediately understood, walked over, grabbed the broken half of the lever, and pushed it down.
"Klala..."
The mechanism emitted a harsh, tooth-grinding sound as it slowly raised the Metal Door, revealing a pitch-black passage.
Closure quickly checked and was astonished to find that the dislodged gear had returned to its original position.
"Hey, weren't the gears stuck? Miss, how did you manage to do that?"
Texas smiled without saying a word, raising her hand to make a shushing gesture, signaling the other party not to delve into it. Closure she let it go.
Shortly after entering the passage, the group discovered Dry Bones sitting on the ground. The body was devoid of flesh and blood, revealing stark white bones. The clothes were torn to shreds, with only a Golden Medal serving as proof of its former glory.
Unable to identify the other person, Vigna put away the medal and continued walking.
Perhaps finding the sounds of footsteps and breathing in the pipes too monotonous, she took the initiative to start a conversation:
"Two hundred years ago, Victoria's army, along with two other nations, besieged Kazdel. One night, an entire fully armed legion vanished in the valley where they were stationed. The Earl leading the army sent men to search for them, but they only saw Crimson Aurora illuminating the entire mountainside. At the time, everyone speculated that it might be the work of the Blood Demon Great Lord. Combining this with Clovicia's intelligence, it can be deduced that the Blood Demon Great Lord possesses Originium Arts capable of causing widespread damage, and later..."
Vigna chatted with everyone along the way, providing information about the Sarkaz as she knew. Before long, they arrived at the third mechanism, where they pulled a lever to raise the Metal Door.
"This is the last door. Beyond this door lies the Oktriug District of Londinium."
June 23, 8:30 pm
To avoid arresting the wrong person and allowing the real culprit to escape justice, Manfred summoned his subordinates and carefully reviewed all the video recordings made at the time.
Those rock formations appeared out of thin air inside the cockpit. After successfully breaching the City Defense Cannon, they vanished without a trace. Currently, aside from Mandela in the Deep Pool, there are no other suspects.
After all, Rock Element Originium Arts are extremely rare, and someone who can achieve this level of skill is unlikely to be an unknown individual.
Meanwhile, news came back that the Abandoned Distillery had fallen. Heredrey had led a small squad of about a hundred sorcerers to hold out there, but their whereabouts are currently unknown.
Manfred was worried about his safety, but now was not the time to concern himself with that. His Highness's plan had reached a critical juncture; there could be no more mistakes!
"General Manfred."
Hearing the familiar voice, he turned around in surprise. Empress Theresia had actually come out of the Shard Building.
"Your His Highness, what are your orders?"
Theresia looked around, her gaze sweeping over the damaged City Defense Cannon one by one before finally returning to her surroundings:
"What a pity..."
Manfred assumed she was there to interrogate him, and reluctantly took all the blame:
"Your His Highness, I am sorry. I have failed your expectations. All the City Defense Cannon were destroyed tonight because I underestimated the enemy. I hope you will punish me severely, but do not implicate other Sarkaz Soldier."
Theresia smiled faintly as she observed the man with his head bowed before her with great interest.
"Back in Kazdel, you never spoke to me as reserved and polite as you are today."
"..."
Seeing that Manfred remained silent, she continued:
"At that time, you would look me straight in the eyes."
"Your His Highness, I am truly sorry. I was young at the time and had no sense of awe whatsoever. If I have offended you in any way, I sincerely apologize."
Theresia stared at the young general and suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
The Empress's silent gaze made Manfred feel like he was sitting on pins and needles, as if he had a bone stuck in his throat. He desperately wanted to start a new conversation to divert her attention.
"Let bygones be bygones for our past ignorance. It's good that you've returned and are leading us again. Just like countless times before, you'll bring victory to the Sarkaz. I and the other generals firmly believe this."
"Unwavering belief? Ha, I don't have that ability now. To be honest, Manfred, I really want to meet that Casters. After all, the Demon King Power she possesses was bestowed upon me in my previous life."
"..."
Upon hearing the words "before his death, "Manfred's mouth dropped open in surprise. He knew there was more to this than met the eye, and feeling he couldn't grasp the situation, he could only remain silent.
Seeing that he remained silent, Theresia looked up into the distance, as if answering her own question:
"Does a dead person dream?"
"..."
"Over the past few months, I have often dreamt of the time when the Babel still existed. The ship that was painstakingly dug out, the taciturn Feline Doctor, and the silent commander. I stand shoulder to shoulder with them on the deck, gazing into the distance. I dreamt that on countless nights, I would lean against the bedside and tell Amiya the stories of the Sarkaz and this land, lulling her to sleep."
Rhodes Island's "Exotic Demon King" had already become the target of everyone's criticism during internal meetings.
Faced with such a sensitive question, Manfred licked his dry lips, hesitant to give a direct answer:
"Is Your His Highness aware of this matter?"
"Yes, he knows everything. It's just that he's used to being silent most of the time."
June 23, 8:38 pm
The Shard Building, in the Central Urban Area Londinium.
The masked Confessors Leader stood beside Theresis and respectfully asked:
"Your His Highness, you've let her out?"
"Salus, you should know very well that although the Exotic Demon King is still young, the power within her is not small at all. Neither Manfred nor the Blood Demon Great Lord may be able to capture her successfully."
The safest way to defeat a Demon King is naturally to send out another Demon King, specifically the Demon King who granted her power. Wasn't this the very plan you had in mind when you proposed that insane scheme to me?
Upon hearing this, the Confessors said apologetically:
"His Highness was extremely angry about the Empress being killed and then resurrected, which I will never forget."
Only when the Sarkaz see you standing together will they believe that the chaotic Dark Ages are over.
From now on, the Sarkaz will no longer wage civil war. There will no longer be two opposing voices in everyone's hearts.
However, the appearance of the Exotic Demon King has now broken the situation where Sarkaz only had one king.
We must capture the Exotic Demon King and seize her Demon King Power for our own use.
Theresis stared coldly at Salus, the Confessors Leader, her attitude quite clear:
"Since you know this, then do it. The soldiers' attention needs to be focused on the battlefield. They should follow the monarch who helped the Sarkaz out of their predicament, not Exotic Demon King a different race whose power they cannot even control."
Salus placed his right hand on his left chest and bowed slightly as a sign of respect:
"As you wish, Your Majesty. I will urge the Emongard to complete 'that' plan as soon as possible. If the Empress can persuade the Exotic Demon King to voluntarily relinquish his power this time, it will be beneficial to both her and the entire Sarkaz."
The two hadn't been talking for long when the Blood Demon Great Lord, dressed in magnificent robes, arrived at the Shard Building.
Seeing this, Salus took the initiative to greet him:
"I didn't expect you to be back so late, Your Great Lord. And you look rather tired."
Upon hearing this, the Blood Demon Great Lord snorted coldly, clearly dissatisfied with the Confessors in charge of intelligence gathering:
"Why didn't you tell me that the Mistress of Banshees had come to Londinium? Their abilities are far more troublesome than the Scavengers, and this little guy is incredibly talented."