Chapter 396
"Are you the Lion King's daughter?"
"That's right."
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Clovicia's mind raced, and she quickly knelt down on one knee to swear her loyalty.
In earlier years, people believed that the Lion King's daughter died in the massive fire that destroyed the Imperial Palace. However, since her body was never found, various theories arose.
Now that the Lion King's daughter has returned, Londinium will be at peace. With the Lion King's daughter back, the heavens will be clear!
"Your His Highness!"
Vigna was uncomfortable with this enthusiasm and took the initiative to help Clovicia to her feet:
"No need for that. I am no longer the Crown Prince, but the leader of the Glass Gang, the Crownslayer."
Alda noticed that no one else reacted to Vigna's announcement, clearly indicating that they knew about it beforehand:
"It's quite unexpected that you all knew His Highness's identity."
Shi Lei smiled and looked out the gate:
"It's a bit unexpected that Sarkaz would come to monitor Cumberland Manor so late at night."
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Alda's lips moved, but no sound came out.
She stared at the man before her, wondering when he had noticed the Sarkaz surveillance agents outside.
"Sir, you should understand. We have paid a huge price to establish ourselves in the Central City District. The least valuable thing among them is dignity."
If conditions permit, I will explain in detail. But for now, please believe that the Sarkaz are monitoring me and the Duke's Mansion are also under my control.
They didn't detect my infiltration and mistakenly believed that the nobles in Londinium City, isolated, had lost their will to resist. But they were wrong.
It sounds like everything has been explained, but in reality, nothing has been said.
Kal'tsit's riddle was at least somewhat useless, as it could barely yield a tiny bit of information. Alda's words, however, were like sugarcane that had been chewed repeatedly—tasteless and uninteresting.
First, they avoided the most crucial question, and then they talked about the Cumberland family sacrificing their dignity in order to gain sympathy.
Then they made promises, indicating that everything was under control. Finally, they introduced new information, subtly shifting the topic to infiltration and weaponry.
He changed the subject and talked about other things; what a well-coordinated approach!
Shi Lei wasn't buying it, but someone else was. Amiya, for example, showed interest in the topic:
"Do you have any means to counter Sarkaz surveillance?"
"Since Your His Highness has taken the initiative to reveal your true identity to the Self-Rescue Army, I should not hide anything either. For the sake of our future cooperation, I guarantee it with the honor of the Cumberland family. We still have channels of communication with the outside world to ensure that the Central City District is always under our control."
Amiya was somewhat incredulous, because the signal had been cut off ever since they entered the Central City District.
Closure checked and said that most of the area had Signal Jamming Tower. Only dedicated frequency bands and communicators could make contact with the outside world.
"Miss Alda, the Sarkaz are very familiar with war and surveillance assassinations; they are not stupid at all."
"I know, but you've come here and seen how big Londinium is. Their manpower shortage will give us an opportunity."
Amiya looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated, and the words that came out were just two words of compromise:
"All right."
Alda, observing the other person's expression, noticed that they seemed a little uneasy and cautiously inquired:
"It seems my answer did not satisfy you?"
"No, Miss Alda. I just feel that you are burdened with too much?"
She didn't understand Amiya's intentions and didn't know how to respond.
"Ah?"
Seeing the clear look in Alda's eyes, Amiya, though somewhat reluctant, still pointed it out:
"If what you say is true, that the Central City District is always under your control, then what are the things the forces behind the scenes have been asking you to do, given their continuous assistance?"
When Alda heard this question, her expression changed instantly. Even though she quickly recovered, she couldn't escape the notice of everyone present.
Amiya, Demon King Power, felt emotions more genuine. It wasn't the anger and panic of having her lie exposed, but a painful sorrow.
She only wanted to tell the truth and had no intention of putting the other person in an awkward position.
"I'm sorry, Miss Alda. I didn't mean to offend you, I'm really sorry."
"..."
Did I say something wrong?
"No, I'm the one who misspoke."
Alda's tone softened instantly, because there was no point in continuing to argue.
"You saw through my little scheme. Actually, my control over the Sarkaz is limited to preventing them from forcibly breaking into the Duke's Mansion. If things really come to a head, it's hard to guarantee they'll still have any sense left."
I was overjoyed to learn that you possess the Red Dragon Key, and I'm thrilled that I could uncover the truth of what happened back then. To appease you, I began to exaggerate my influence. I am truly sorry for that.
"It's alright, Miss Alda. We just want to understand the actual situation; we have no intention of assigning blame."
After hearing the explanation, Alda secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Not wanting to delve deeper into the conversation, she deliberately changed the subject:
"I've heard that Rhodes Island has always been fighting against the Infected. May I ask, what are you fighting for this time, accompanying His Highness into Londinium?"
Amiya was ultimately too young and inexperienced to understand the other party's intentions, and explained very earnestly:
"We are here to help people in need. Every living person, whether or not they are infected, has the right to live."
Rhodes Island is a pharmaceutical company, but it's more than just a pharmaceutical company. Besides rescuing the infected from various locations, it also treats the non-infected. We will do everything in our power to prevent a war from breaking out in Londinium.
Using the pretext of stopping the war, Alda took the initiative to extend her hand and shake hands with the other party:
"Miss Amiya, our goals are now aligned. Let's ignore the Sarkaz outside for now; our priority is to get to the Place Where the Kings Sleep as soon as possible."
The journey involves crossing several city blocks and passing through Sarkaz outpost. Please give me some time to raise funds so I can make arrangements for those ahead.
The financial backer behind Alda has indeed sent a lot of money to the Cumberland Manor in recent years.
If you use it for personal use and socializing, there will be some left over, but if you use it to cultivate relationships, it will definitely not be enough.
Between the districts of the Central Urban Area, there are heavily guarded outposts by the Sarkaz. To pass safely without conflict, one must pay a certain 'toll'.
After all, it's difficult to bribe a Sarkaz guard with just a few hundred dollars. Moreover, a stronghold usually has hundreds of guards and patrolling squads.
To safely reach the Place Where the Kings Sleep from the Cumberland Manor, one would need at least 500,000 Victoria Coins.
Clovicia, also a member of the Self-Rescue Army, knew very well that the other side wasn't as wealthy. Now that the Sarkaz were adopting a posture of waging war against the various Duke, the tolls collected by their strongholds would only become more and more expensive.
"Raise funds? Do you have that much money?"
"You don't need to worry about this. The things in the attic should fetch a good price."
"Up in the attic..."
Clovicia's pupils dilated slightly as she instantly recalled the Cumberland Family's prized Steam Armor in the attic.
The Duke Cumberland is now buried, and this Steam Armor serves as a spiritual symbol, like a medal.
"Are you crazy? Selling that?"
Alda didn't see anything wrong with it; it was the most valuable thing in the Cumberland Manor.
"Ah, what else? Past honors should die in the past; they are of no benefit to Cumberland now."
Twenty-six years ago, you probably weren't even born yet. And I, I witnessed His Majesty the Lion King hanged in the Royal Palace gardens. From that moment on, the Cumberland family's past glory became history. Now, what's the point of keeping that armor except for reminiscing and feeling sorrow? Selling it is the only way to realize its value.
I'm not a child anymore. That pile of stuff in the attic is just scrap metal, it's nothing.
The Butler, who had been attending to the servants, heard that Alda wanted to sell the Steam Armor and stepped forward to object.
"Miss, please don't! No matter what, that's the Cumberland family's Steam Armor. The Old Duke's blood flows in its veins. It's the honor Victoria bestowed upon the Cumberland Family, a symbol of eternal nobility! It can be destroyed in war, or it can be given to another noble person. But it shouldn't be treated as merchandise by greedy merchants and sold off at will."
"Wait a moment."
Shi Lei took the initiative and interrupted:
"From what you're saying, you're planning to sell some Steam Armor to raise money to get through the Sarkaz Defense Zone?"
"That's right."
"That's easy, I'll pay for it."
Having said that, he reached into his robes. He conjured Pure Gold in Alda's blind spot and retrieved it.
"I have fifty gold bars, that should be enough, right?"
The Sarkaz have now taken over the city's mint, printing money day and night. This money circulates only within Londinium, and when trading with merchants outside, they only accept equivalent exchange. Otherwise, once some Duke arrives and issues new currency, the old coins will simply become worthless.
With war looming, high-purity Pure Gold is definitely a better store of value than Victoria Coins.
A gold bar weighing one pound can be exchanged for about 200,000 yuan. Fifty gold bars can be exchanged for ten million yuan.
Shi Lei can manufacture as many as he wants, or he can order hundreds right away, but there's no need for that.
"Ah, this..."
Staring at the thick gold bar, Alda's expression became extremely complicated. She swallowed hard and asked:
"Fifty sticks, really?"
"Of course it's true. If you can't produce it, you can detain us, but we won't involve you."
It's just casting gold, no big deal.
Amiya and the Doctor were unaware that Shi Lei possessed the ability to create Pure Gold. However, seeing his confident demeanor, they figured he wasn't joking.
After all, he is the omnipotent Zhongli!
Alda paused for several seconds upon hearing this, then smiled with relief:
"That's wonderful!"
Although she repeatedly stated that she wanted to say goodbye to her past glory, she was still very reluctant to part with it in her heart.
If it weren't for the urgency, and the fact that there wasn't enough time to wait for the bigwigs behind the scenes to send the money into the Central City District, Alda wouldn't have had to sell her Steam Armor to raise money for bribes.
Moreover, if this stuff falls into the hands of unscrupulous merchants, the purchase price will definitely plummet. Whether they can raise enough money by selling it at a loss is still an unknown.
If we can avoid selling now, that would be the best outcome.
"Now that the money issue is resolved, I'll get to the preparations right away. You can all use the bathroom at the Duke's Mansion to relieve your fatigue from the journey. It's already past ten o'clock; we'll depart at eleven-thirty tonight."
After saying this, Alda bowed and took her leave.
Once she disappeared from everyone's sight, Amiya approached her and politely inquired:
"Doctor Zhongli, you just said there are Sarkaz watching us outside. Do we need to deal with them as soon as possible?"
Shi Lei, unaware that the people outside had left, shook his head slightly and then offered an improved plan:
"Not for now, to avoid alerting them. When we set off later, I'll send the three of you up to the sky. Clovicia just said that Rhodes Island is wanted by the Sarkaz City Defense Army. If you follow them through the stronghold, there's a risk of being discovered and causing a scene."
As for Alda, you didn't need to explicitly say anything. Once the Breath of the Kings is found, she'll reveal her own intentions if she has other plans. I've already prepared a solution, so don't worry."
"Um!"
Seeing that the other party had arranged everything, Amiya felt very relaxed and at ease.
"The Doctor, it was a very wise choice of you to come. With you here, I feel that I don't have to be afraid of any danger."
Shi Lei grinned, seemingly unfazed.
"Hehe, that's an exaggeration. We're currently in the pre-departure rest phase, so I'll excuse myself for a moment. I'll probably be back around 11 o'clock. Just don't leave this hall. If we encounter Sarkaz attack, I'll be there in time."
"Okay, Doctor Zhongli."
He waved to his girlfriends and then walked towards the corridor next to the hall. Texas, Mudrock, and Xi instantly understood and followed him.
Alda was right; they were drenched in sweat from running all the way from the outskirts of Londinium to the Central City District. They definitely needed a shower to unwind and relax.
But they might not be used to other people's bathrooms, so why not create one on the spot? Shi Lei found a corner, carved out an extra space, and constructed a huge hot spring.
The four of them can go in and have a good wash.