Chapter 394

"You just said you're the head of the Self-Rescue Army in the Central City District. Have you been secretly fighting against the Sarkaz City Defense Army with the city's nobles all these years?"

"Yes, Your His Highness."

Alda nodded, appearing very polite.

"After so many years of effort, the resistance has gradually begun to show some progress. But we will not be complacent, because this is far from enough."

Vigna was somewhat surprised to hear her address:

"Do you know who I am?"

"Aslan, with his striking blond hair. No one in all of Victoria has such a distinctive appearance. Clovicia only said that important guests were entering the Central Urban Area and asked me to meet them. We've only just made contact and confirmed it's His Highness's party."

We've been searching for you for so many years, but unfortunately, we haven't been able to find any valuable clues. Many people thought you died in that massive fire at the Imperial Palace.

The fall of Aslan was a wound that Vigna was unwilling to reopen, so she glossed over it briefly, unwilling to discuss it in detail:

"I also thought I was going to die there."

"Why."

Alda looked at Crownslayer, lost in thought, and then sighed heavily.

"Nowadays, the Victorians, apart from the nobles who still retain their titles, have either fled here or become slaves to the Sarkaz. Everyone lives in fear just to survive. They might even call out 'Your His Highness' in their dreams in the dead of night. If the Lion King hadn't fallen so quickly back then, would the Londinium City be in such a state today?"

Vigna felt that she overestimated herself; sometimes having too high expectations is not a good thing.

"Alda, I advise you not to have too high expectations. Do you really think that my return will change the status quo?"

"It's hard to say, but at least there's another possible development for the future. Everyone, please follow me. This isn't the place to talk; please proceed to the Cumberland Manor. The Sarkaz City Defense Army are about to rotate shifts, so we'd better hurry."

Alda bowed respectfully to the Crownslayer, and then led the group to the mansion.

Shi Lei Psychic Scan and found no ambushes nearby, so he silently followed in the center of the formation.

When he saw the magnificent gardens of the Cumberland Manor, his relaxed brows furrowed slightly.

Something's not right. Something's not right about this woman.

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498 Demon King's Dream 4K

Central City District, Western Grand Hall of the Holy King's Assembly.

This hall was completed before Londinium was even a mobile City-State. Its interior is extremely luxurious, adorned with gold and rubies on the exterior walls and dome.

At that time, there was no Dual Monarchy; Dolak was still the sole Ruler of Victoria.

The Royal Family would only summon their officials here for the coronation of a new emperor or for major national events. In terms of political significance, it was equivalent to the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

These gold and jewels disappeared in a fire three hundred years ago. Some say they were stolen, others say they were burned. Because unauthorized personnel were not allowed to approach, the whereabouts of the jewels were the subject of much speculation.

Fortunately, the overall structure of the Western Hall has been preserved. During the period of Dual Monarchy, the first Aslan King was crowned here, and the Western Hall was renamed the Western Grand Hall of the Holy King's Assembly.

The last time anyone visited this place was more than twenty years ago. Now, sitting at the conference table is neither Dolak nor Aslan, but Sarkaz.

After leaving The Shard Building, Theresis came here to rest. The spacious lobby was undisturbed by outsiders, but the mundane affairs of life were hard to escape.

The Walkie-Talkie carried the voices of the Confessors, who were gathering and summarizing intelligence from various sources:

"Duke Godotin 'Duke's Army remains inactive. However, our actions within his territory have been severely restricted since the Viscount's assassination."

"The Duke Normandy hosts lavish salon dinners at his mansion every night, indulging in group sex. Although he seems to be obsessed with lust, the flow of men within his army is highly suspicious. We sent several intelligence agents to investigate, but all returned empty-handed..."

"Deep Pool Leader's forces disappeared after entering the Duke Wellington's territory. We have no internal intelligence and are unsure whether Deep Pool is cooperating with the Iron Duke or has been completely eliminated by him."

"The Duke Kester continued to make many friends and accepted the Marquis who surrendered and their followers. The power she gathered gradually grew to a point that could not be underestimated."

"Since the beginning of summer, the military activities of the Grand Dukes have been particularly frequent. We have reason to suspect that they will choose an appropriate time to launch a formal attack on Londinium."

"Here's another breaking news: Empress Sargon left Duke Windermere's territory in a high-profile manner three days ago. Our failure to detect the contact between the two sides in time was due to inadequate intelligence."

"Furthermore, a fortress has temporarily changed its course and is heading towards Londinium. If the intelligence is correct, it is very likely the Duke Windermere's army."

After speaking for a while on the Walkie-Talkie- talkie without receiving a response from the Regent, he asked in confusion:

"Your His Highness?"

Seeing that Theresis did not respond for a long time, the other party kept the call going for more than ten minutes before ending the communication.

After an unknown amount of time, Theresia arrived at the Western Grand Hall of the Holy King's Assembly. She looked at Theresis, who was resting with his eyes closed, and knew that he had been under a lot of pressure lately.

As the regent of the Sarkaz, one must maintain an imposing and dignified presence in front of subordinates. One must never easily show signs of fatigue or exhaustion to outsiders.

Sensing someone intruding, the latter opened his eyes on his own.

Upon seeing that it was Empress, Theresis's tone softened:

"Oh, it's you."

Theresia glanced at the Walkie-Talkie on the round table, then quickly looked back at the Regent:

"Hmm, weren't you listening to the Confessors's report? What's the situation outside Londinium?"

Theresis sat up straight and yawned. These last few days are crucial; it's rare for her to find a moment to nap.

"What else can we do? They're all two-faced old guys. The intelligence we can get doesn't involve any real secrets. Although we're at a disadvantage in this multi-player game, we're not at a disadvantage either."

"The veracity of intelligence is of paramount importance. This is the only path Sarkaz can take in the future, and any false intelligence will lead to our utter ruin."

Theresis scrutinized the Empress with great interest, as if looking at a comrade-in-arms who had shared life and death with her:

"I know, but thankfully you're here."

The sudden question left Theresia momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.

"Ah?"

Theresis found the other party's current reaction amusing and brought up the topic of the Empress's resurrection from the dead:

"Before you came back to life, I wondered countless times if you would take my head. But you are calmer than you were in life, so calm that you seem unfamiliar. But that's fine, I do need different voices to correct my path. Just now, I had a dream."

Theresia was quite surprised that he would talk about such a boring topic as dreams.

"What dream?"

Theresis tilted her head back, as if recalling something. After three or four breaths, she began to describe:

"I dreamt that we left Londinium and lived in the sky, surrounded by clouds. The streets were clean, and many Sarkaz lined the streets to welcome us."

The scene wasn't just filled with them waving flags and shouting; there were also other races like Kuranta, Ursus, and Feline. Even among the crowd were quite a few infected individuals. Their faces beamed with happy smiles, like the afternoon sun.

There was no discrimination, no oppression; everyone, whether Sarkaz or Infected, was treated equally. It felt like heaven to me...

At this point, he couldn't help but chuckle self-deprecatingly:

"Heh, do you think such a dream is too idealistic? Such a country simply doesn't exist on this land. The future of Sarkaz can only be created by our own hands."

Theresia paused for a moment, then her lips parted slightly:

"I think... it's alright. There's an old saying in Yan: 'What you think about during the day, you dream about at night.' Perhaps what you're looking forward to is that equal and harmonious world."

"Was I looking forward to it? Not really. Later, I dreamed that I fell from heaven. It felt like falling into an endless abyss, never to land again."

I saw the Scavengers and Bloodfiend fall one after another. I saw countless Sarkaz battling unknown creatures on the sea. I saw other races fall one after another, falling into the dark abyss. I saw a pair of hands appear out of thin air and pull me back to heaven.

I couldn't see the other person's face clearly, but I could feel a strange sense of security. That person seemed indifferent to my past; he called me... friend.

I saw the various Sarkaz races, no longer rejected wanderers. We embraced the land, we united, we... had roots.

The dream that Theresis described was so outlandish that she had to reorganize her words:

"Uniting with other races is a truly imaginative idea."

He didn't reply immediately, but looked down into Theresia's eyes and said very solemnly:

"This is not my dream. It is the future that you described to me before you died, the future that the Sarkaz might have."

"..."

Upon hearing this, the Empress remained silent for a moment. She met Theresis's gaze, her eyes no longer darting away:

"I remember you said back then that this ideal was too far away. Not only our enemies couldn't understand our ideal, but also the Sarkaz. Ten thousand years of accumulated resentment will turn into swords and be used against me. Compared to this beautiful future, the Sarkaz clan will be torn apart by the struggle of civil war before we even see any signs of it."

Their positions have changed compared to a few years ago. Like two sides of a coin, they are opposed to each other yet interdependent, and cannot be completely separated.

"If you desire peace, you must prepare for war. Only through struggle can the fate of the Sarkaz be bound together with an unbreakable rope."

"You can hear the voices of those dead souls, you can truly feel the thoughts of those ancient spirits. Then Theresia, please tell me. For ten thousand years, have the wills of all beings and souls of Tiracaz found even a moment of peace after crossing the shores of life and death?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress lowered her head and shook her head slightly.

"I... I don't know."

Theresis seemed to have anticipated her answer, and there was no reproach in his eyes:

"It's normal not to know, because we are the ones making history right now. The path is under our feet, not in the painful wails of the losers. Do you think Victoria has made much progress compared to two hundred years ago?"

Theresia pondered for a moment, then replied:

"It's huge. They not only built Mobile Cities to defend against the rampant Catastrophe, but also tried to control the storms. And those white Steam Knight are many times stronger than the Knight used to wear steel armor."

When mentioning the rapid technological advancements in various countries over the past two centuries, a hint of envy flashed in his eyes:

"Perhaps it is because of their innate bloodline that the Sarkaz races have a longer lifespan. But apart from us, other countries are constantly progressing."

When I led my troops into Londinium and saw the massive construction projects within the Shard Building, my most immediate thought was: how many opportunities has the Sarkaz missed over the years? Perhaps we really are, as the alien races mocked, a barbaric civilization built on violence.

We need to harness the power of the storm to buy the Sarkaz a few decades of breathing room. During this time, it's best to let the academically gifted Sarkaz learn as much as possible, so our technology doesn't fall too far behind. Theresia, this is your initial..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a member of the Confessors suddenly spoke through the Walkie-Talkie, his voice filled with extreme anxiety:

"Your His Highness, are you there? Urgent message!"

Theresis was interrupted and was utterly speechless.

"What's up."

"We have spotted the last Pureblood Wendigo in the Sardien District. He is heading towards the Central City District with the Mistress of Banshees and Lord Kal'tsit."

Lord Kal'tsit...

Thinking of that old woman who had both helped and destroyed Sarkaz, Theresis's eyes narrowed to slits as she gave the Confessors an order:

"She is likely to join forces with the Exotic Demon King. Notify Manfred to intercept her immediately!"

Londinium, Central City District.

Oktriug District, Cumberland Manor.

Shi Lei noticed something was amiss as soon as he entered the garden. However, he didn't show any emotion on his face, so no one else noticed anything.

Amiya, who gained the ability to perceive emotions from the 'Demon King Power', asked curiously:

"Doctor Zhongli, what's wrong?"

Seeing that everyone was turning to look at him after hearing this, Shi Lei, unwilling to point out the truth, casually brushed it off:

"It's alright, you can all go in. I suddenly remembered something I'd like to discuss with the Doctor."

Alda's distinguished guest this time was Vigna. Seeing their tactful manner, she grinned.

"You guys chat first, then come in when you're done."

Shi Lei had no intention of going inside, but Texas, Mudrock, and Xi naturally wouldn't abandon him.

W and Ines weren't familiar with the Crownslayer, so they stayed in the garden to enjoy the scenery. Considering they might be discussing confidential matters, they took Heredrey a little further away.

Seeing that there were no outsiders present, Shi Lei then publicly pointed out what was wrong with Alda:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to start with a question. Over twenty years ago, the Lion King was overthrown and executed, and the Cumberland family, who followed the Royal Family, suffered annihilation. Why did everyone else die, but she alone survived?"

Everyone expressed their opinions, resulting in two possible scenarios.

First, she narrowly escaped the frenzied pursuit and has since lived under an assumed name ever since.

Secondly, someone secretly protected her. Using their own abilities and connections, they raised Alda to adulthood.

After listening to everyone's answers, Shi Lei nodded in satisfaction and continued, following up on the previous point:

"That's right, there are two situations: one with insurance and one without. You see, these flowers originally came from Sargon and are a precious variety of marigold."