Chapter 442
"Maybe so, I've never seen it either."
"I heard the leader has Dolak Royal Family, so if she obtains the Breath of the Kings, wouldn't she be able to become the empress?"
"Shh, keep your voice down, don't talk about things like this."
Although the voices of the Rhodes Island members had already fallen to the level of whispers, Shi Lei's physical abilities had long surpassed human limits.
If he wanted to, he could hear everything being said within ten meters.
Considering that without explanation, the Rhodes Island might mistakenly believe that the Breath of the Kings is genuine,
They might very well dress Talulah in a yellow robe and push her to become Victoria's crown princess.
The plan was to showcase the Breath of the Kings to the other Duke, thus legitimizing her throne. But then the National Sword suddenly disappeared, turning the Rhodes Island into nothing more than a bunch of clowns?
This is a bit strange, let's tell the truth.
"This sword is fake."
Nine stared down at the Breath of the Kings in his hand, feeling incredulous and wondering if he had misheard.
"What?"
Shi Lei didn't need a detailed explanation; he simply crafted a new Breath of the Kings on the spot and pulled it out from his coat. This gesture alone spoke volumes.
"As you can see, the sword is fake. It might disappear at any time. Tonight we made a deal with Duke Kester, exchanging the Breath of the Kings for a large amount of supplies to help the poor. If you leak this information, you will be the ones who suffer."
Anyway, we've already got our supplies, and if we don't want to fight Kester, we can leave Victoria. But it's different for you. If you leak the secret, this Breath of the Kings will become scrap metal. I believe someone as smart as you wouldn't shoot yourself in the foot, would you?"
Jiu examined the Breath of the Kings in his hand and could not see any flaws in its craftsmanship.
You really have to avoid exchanging supplies with the Duke Kester, otherwise they'll just rot in your hands if you drag it out too long.
As for whether they will face retaliation for deceiving the Duke, the Rhodes Island has never been afraid.
Their enemies have always been these noble classes. One more or one less makes no difference. The supplies they obtain in exchange can feed even more people.
"I understand... Thank you for reminding me."
Shi Lei said everything he needed to say; the rest was up to the Rhodes Island to decide. Jiu was formerly the director of the Lungmen Guard Department and was well-versed in methods of maintaining secrecy and preventing leaks.
"You're welcome. I should go now. See you later."
"Please wait a moment!"
Jiu stared at him, stopped, turned around, and asked:
How can we contact you in the future?
Shi Lei wasn't familiar with her, and besides, bringing Talulah back was Chen's request, and had nothing to do with Jiu.
"I will come when I want to find you."
After saying that, he turned and left the square. Once out of sight of the crowd, he flew low back to reunite with the Doctor.
Under the physical persuasion of Texas and Xi, the infected people in this neighborhood were quite sensible.
People lined up obediently to receive supplies, not daring to complain about taking more or less, otherwise they wouldn't get anything.
After distributing most of the supplies, the group returned to the temporary camp set up by the Self-Rescue Army.
Seeing them together, Kal'tsit called the Doctor and Amiya away. Shi Lei, having nothing to do, prepared to find a book to read, but Texas and Xi grabbed his arms.
It turns out that the two of them weren't satisfied with their fight earlier and wanted to go to the Pot of Heaven and Earth for a second round of battle.
Seeing this, Mudrock also joined in the fun, shyly pulling up her trouser leg and revealing her little tips for meeting her boyfriend.
"Fine, fine, so this is how you guys play it, is it?"
June 24, 6:08 pm
The summer sun doesn't set until around seven o'clock, and Vigna and the Grey Hat had agreed to meet at eight o'clock.
Inside the Large Tent of the camp, a woman named Feline with short blue hair and golden eyes approached Clovicia and proposed to the Self-Rescue Army Commander:
"Excuse me, we need to broadcast the situation in the Norbert District now."
Clovicia was puzzled and found it somewhat baffling. She remembered the little girl seemed to be from the Glass Gang, and asked in a perfunctory manner:
"Broadcast? Why use broadcast?"
Instead of giving a direct answer, the blue-haired Feline explained the meaning behind his actions:
"I just learned that you're going to the hotel later to trade supplies with the Grey Hat. Coincidentally, that hotel has a radio station, which will allow you to contact the outside world."
"Your name is Dephine, right? Are you familiar with the interior of that hotel?"
"Yes, Dephine. That hotel was one of the best places to stay in Londinium before the Norbert District declined. To meet the needs of travelers from various countries, they installed a very powerful Signal Transceiver. If we can find that radio station, we can contact the Grand Dukes outside."
Clovicia shook her head, rejecting the suggestion. Admittedly, they could risk finding the radio station, but which Duke would they contact afterwards?
The risks and rewards are clearly disproportionate.
"Isn't that unnecessary? It seems redundant. By the way, which Duke do you want to contact?"
Dephine did not give a direct answer, perhaps because Clovicia was in her early twenties and was beating around the bush with her.
"It's not about contacting any particular Duke individually, but about spreading the information about the Norbert District. I believe some Grand Duke will be willing to step forward; after all, they don't want to conquer a district reduced to ruins."
Such an explanation was too far-fetched, and Ines, who was resting inside the Large Tent, couldn't stand it anymore. She looked at Dephine with interest and grinned:
"For example... the Duke Windermere?"
A fleeting glint of something unusual flashed in Dephine's eyes, but she quickly composed herself. She neither confirmed nor denied it, speaking very politely:
"Perhaps she will lend a helping hand out of a sense of justice; other Duke might do the same."
Like Clovicia, Ines never trusted these selfish Duke. They were merely using the guise of fighting foreign enemies to seize profits.
She now only trusts Shi Lei, and she needs to be wary of any assistance offered by other forces.
"Trust the Duke outside? Come on, I don't want to be a groveling beast begging for mercy."
"But, but..."
Dephine's explanation was completely untenable, making it difficult to convince others to accept the proposal. Seeing Clovicia refuse again, she took a deep breath and promised:
"Please trust me, as long as the situation here is broadcast outwards, the Dukes will not ignore it, I can guarantee that!"
"But Miss Dephine, we could very well find ourselves in unknown dangers by staying at the hotel looking for the radio. And do you really trust those selfish Duke outside the city?"
"No, I just believe in their ambition."
Clovicia still disagreed, feeling that the proposal was both far-fetched and rash:
"Based on your description, I determine that this is a civilian radio station. This means that the radio's frequency band cannot be encrypted, Sarkaz can also listen to the content it transmits."
So please tell me the truth. What intelligence requires contacting the Duke outside? If you continue to play dumb and hide things from us, the lives of the Self-Rescue Army soldiers are at stake, and they won't play along with your nonsense."
Dephine was torn, unable to find a suitable reason to convince them. Left with no other option, she could only reveal a few details of the truth:
"I have good personal relationships with some Duke, and they know I'm here and will definitely come to my rescue..."
"Hahaha! A personal relationship? I'm afraid not, right?"
Ines, a former mercenary, wasn't as easily fooled as Clovicia, the daughter of a commoner. She stared directly into Dephine's eyes, exposing his lies:
"When I was a mercenary, I often kept an eye on portraits with high bounties. You never knew when you might run into one, kill him, and collect the reward."
Miss Dephine, you and Duke Windermere are like two peas in a pod, even your hair color is the same. I heard she has a daughter who rarely attends noble banquets. Could it be... Your Excellency?"
Seeing that the other person lowered her head and remained silent, Ines became even more certain that her judgment was correct; she really was a rich heiress.
Ah, the Duke's daughter is big news!
She went out to report to Shi Lei, only to find that he and the Three Matriarchs were not there, and a knowing smile immediately appeared on her face.
Ines then went to see W and Heredrey, without revealing a word to anyone else. But news of the Daughter of Duke Windermere still spread like wildfire throughout the camp.
Fortunately, the enemy of the Self-Rescue Army was the Sarkaz, not these Dukes. But their dissatisfaction with these guys had been brewing for a long time, and they couldn't help but complain and grumble about them in private.
"Do you think... she might be a spy?"
"The Duke is willing to send his precious daughter to do such a dangerous job? Have you lost your mind?"
"That makes sense. Will the commander help her find a radio tonight? I don't think summoning Duke Windermere's warships is a good thing."
"These Duke are all cut from the same cloth. In the past six months, have you seen a single army enter the city? Damn, just thinking about it makes me angry. The ones truly fighting against the Sarkaz Army are actually us, the Self-Rescue Army from the streets."
"But the war has already begun, and we have no way to escape it. Perhaps seeking the Duke's protection isn't the best option, but it's not the worst either."
"Your idea is dangerous. Rather than relying on an unreliable Duke, I'd rather trust myself."
June 24, 7:00 pm
As night fell, remnants of fiery clouds still lingered on the horizon.
It takes about half an hour to get from the Self-Rescue Army's camp to the designated hotel. The personnel preparing to participate in this transaction have already gathered in the Large Tent.
Upon learning that the Doctor was to accompany Shi Lei, Kal'tsit left him at the camp under the pretext of checking his body and brain. Other Elite Operator were asked to provide protection, so only Amiya from Rhodes Island participated in tonight's operation.
Shi Lei left Broca, as his strength was more than enough to guard the Self-Rescue Army camp.
Considering the complex situation within the city, he took Ines, Horn, and Mudrock with him.
Ines was a veteran mercenary, very experienced in handling unexpected events on the battlefield. W's bombs were too loud, and besides, they didn't bring her along to keep an eye on Heredrey.
The horn is a Victoria officer; if you encounter anyone from the Victoria side, you can try to communicate with them.
Mudrock went along because she hadn't been taken with her when they went out to distribute supplies in the afternoon; it was a kind of compensation.
Besides, Texas is a bit tired, so she can just stay at the camp and sleep with Xi; she doesn't need to follow him around.
Also traveling with them were Alda and Clovicia from the Self-Rescue Army, and Dephine, who insisted on going despite knowing they wouldn't be able to find the radio station.
Her identity Duke's daughter had already been exposed, and staying in the camp would only subject her to contempt. It would be better to seize this hard-won opportunity and perhaps contact Windermere to summon the army that would protect her.
Due to the limited number of members in the Glass Gang, they were unable to transport large quantities of supplies. After discussion, it was decided that the Self-Rescue Army would provide trucks and manpower for transporting the supplies. They had no shortage of water and only needed to be paid with some food afterward.
Vigna only brought Dagda and his subordinates, leaving Belde and Cadore involved in this mess.
Once everyone had assembled, they boarded a truck and headed to the designated hotel. By the time they arrived, it was already 7:30 PM.
The group didn't wait long at the hotel entrance before the Grey Hat appeared. He waved for the truck to follow, then turned and walked to the other side.
Suddenly, to the driver's surprise, the man in the Grey Hat passed through a brown wall. After a few seconds, seeing no one follow, he returned through the wall and called out:
"Come on, this leads to the Underground Passage."
The truck driver was skeptical, but he slowly drove closer to the wall. Only when the front of the truck entered the wall without any obstruction did he step on the gas and drive through it.
Ines jumped out of the vehicle to inspect it and discovered it was a rapid traction device and a small illusion-generating unit.
When used together, these two techniques can disguise the entrance as a wall. Normal people wouldn't touch a wall, so they wouldn't notice anything amiss.
With such high-tech cover, it's no wonder that the Grey Hat could move freely in the Sarkaz- controlled area.
Inside the illusionary wall was an Underground Parking Lot. The driver followed the man in the Grey Hat to the Second Basement Level before turning off the engine.
Dagda was speechless upon seeing this and complained:
"Why do you insist on trading here? Why not just deliver the supplies to the Self-Rescue Army camp? This back-and-forth is so troublesome."
The man in the Grey Hat grinned.
"This is a matter of great importance, and there is no room for error. The Underground Passage of this hotel are interconnected, which can be used to transport supplies here and also make it convenient for me to leave the city. If we choose to trade at the Self-Rescue Army camp, it will be inconvenient to retreat."
Shi Lei's Psychic Power covered the surrounding area, allowing him to clearly sense everyone hidden nearby. It wasn't that the Grey Hat couldn't retreat; it was that he couldn't kill them to cover his tracks.
[Urge Update Sign-in]
Chapter 519 What a high-sounding statement! (Bonus Chapter)
Shi Lei remained calm and observed carefully.
The teams appear to be surrounding the Underground Parking Lot, but their actual target may not be there.
According to Grey Hat, the hotel has a complex network of underground pipes. It wouldn't be surprising to find members of other factions in such a mixed place.
The several squads combined number around one or two hundred people. If Grey Hat really wants to take down Vigna, this number alone might not be enough.
Moreover, Duke Kester is outwardly in Cooperative Relationship with Vigna. Unless he discovers that the Breath of the Kings he obtained is a fake, he won't break off relations so quickly.