Chapter 449
"Your Great Lord, execute the backup plan."
The Blood Demon Great Lord grinned slightly, revealing a playful expression that said, "Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier?" He teased, "..."
"Your His Highness, I opposed your decision to add Manfred to the Military Committee. That guy is more trouble than he's worth; he's messed things up now, hasn't he?"
Theresis didn't want to explain his past decisions. He didn't argue with the Blood Demon Great Lord's sarcastic remarks. Regardless of the reason for the airship's explosion, the fact was that the plan had completely failed.
"Alright, this meeting is adjourned. Your Great Lord, the rest is up to you."
Upon hearing this, the Blood Demon Great Lord rose, placed his right hand on his left shoulder, and bowed, his mouth practically twisted into a Nike grin.
"Yes, Your His Highness."
Shi Lei remained suspended in mid-air without landing, and left the scene after the Green Flame dissipated.
He took Ines and Manfred and flew back to the Self-Rescue Army camp to reunite with the Doctor. How to deal with this Sarkaz general was up to Rhodes Island.
If Shi Lei descends to the hotel entrance and meets up with Mudrock and the others, the members of the Glass Gang might guess that the airship explosion was related to them.
The fewer people who know about this, the better; there's no need to make it public knowledge. Besides, it's still unknown whether Vigna and the others will keep their mouths shut, so there's no need to do anything unnecessary.
He remotely manipulated the Mudrock's ring to move, and the latter knew to check the contents of the Rock Constructs's Writing Tablet.
With her in charge, Vigna and the others will surely be able to safely transport the supplies back to the Self-Rescue Army's Temporary Camp.
Shi Lei could sense that the fake Breath of the Kings was almost out of the Norbert District. He had to admit, the Grey Hat was incredibly fast at escaping.
He flew under the cover of night, with the ranks of Duke and the civilians evacuating below.
The crowd walked along a road without streetlights, just as they themselves could not see the future clearly.
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Chapter 525 Misfortune Eastward (4K)
Shi Lei swiftly descended from the sky and arrived outside the tent where the Doctor was located. This startled Logos, who had just returned after eliminating the Shapeshifter clones.
Last night in the Sardien District, he overheard Broca persuade Sarkaz officer to surrender. At the time, Logos was skeptical, but now he is completely convinced.
With such flight capabilities, they can move freely on the battlefield. They can even bypass all enemy defenses and outposts to assassinate enemy leaders directly.
Along with Shi Lei, Ines also landed, along with the immobilized Manfred.
Logos had met this Sarkaz general before, but he never expected to become a prisoner the very next day. He looked utterly dejected, as if he had completely lost his will to live.
Because of his large size and distinctive features, Broca was ordered to stay outside the Doctor's tent.
Upon seeing Shi Lei land, he stepped forward to greet him, kneeling on one knee in a gesture of exceptional respect.
"My lord, you're back."
"Okay, continue guarding this place."
"Yes, sir."
Manfred watched, his feelings incredibly complex. It turned out that this powerful, Masked Man was the Liyue City Lord that Wendigo had mentioned.
Who could have predicted that if he didn't surrender then, he would be captured alive from 2,000 meters in the air the very next day?
Broca noticed Manfred, but didn't strike up a conversation. This selective ignoring was like a silent mockery.
Manfred knew he was outmatched and gave up all resistance. He wasn't afraid to die, but he wanted to die with purpose. If he were lucky enough to survive, he would definitely deliver the news of the Liyue City Lord to His Highness, urging him to be on high alert!
Shi Lei lifted the curtain and entered; the Doctor and Kal'tsit were both there. He controlled the Jade Shield Cage and forcibly brought Manfred before them.
"This is General Sarkaz, whom I captured from the airship. He's yours to deal with. No one else knows I did it yet, so please keep it a secret."
The Doctor smiled and nodded, agreeing:
"Okay, thank you for your hard work Doctor Zhongli."
Judging from his calm expression, he seemed completely unsurprised by Manfred's arrest.
After all, in the eyes of the Doctor and most Operator, Zhongli is synonymous with miracles. No matter how outrageous or difficult the task, entrusting it to him is always the right thing to do.
Even if Doctor Zhongli were to bring Theresis back, the Doctor wouldn't be surprised. Because only he could do these things; no one else had the ability to imitate him.
After a brief handover, Shi Lei stayed in the tent without wandering around, waiting for Mudrock and the others to return. Texas and Xi were still asleep, so he didn't want to disturb them.
A little over ten minutes later, a truck loaded with supplies drove into the Temporary Camp. The sound of its horn attracted many members of the Self-Rescue Army, who rushed over to help unload the goods.
Vigna and Alda had previously agreed that 30% of the supplies they received would go to the Self-Rescue Army.
They usually live in the Underground Passage and often don't even have a hot meal. Today they finally have some nice food to improve their diet.
Amiya jumped off the truck and noticed a large number of families fleeing the city passing by outside the camp. They mistakenly believed that the Green Flame that had just fallen were chemical weapons developed by the Sarkaz, and they had no choice but to leave the Norbert District to survive.
Unable to return home, they decided to try their luck in the Outer District of Londinium. The infrastructure there was very basic, but they had no better option at the moment.
While the Duke withdrew from their territories, only the Duke Windermere's army continued to move in. They were like outcasts, advancing against the flow of people into the city.
Intelligence agents spotted Dephine near the camp and immediately reported to Duke Windermere.
The military staff suspected that the Green Flame were poisonous and could turn Norbert District into an infected area. They advised the Duke not to enter the area and to send Elite Squad instead.
The advice given by the advisor is for reference only.
The Duke Windermere ignored their advice and insisted on leading his troops to the Self-Rescue Army's camp.
They finally arrived at their destination at 9:05 and met their beloved daughter, Dephine.
"Mom!"
A trembling shout told of the grievances she had suffered during this time.
When the Duke Windermere saw that his daughter was safe and sound, he embraced her tightly.
The reunion of mother and daughter is certainly touching. But outside the camp, there are large numbers of homeless people. What separates them is not a wall, but their respective social classes.
After bringing Dephine back, Mudrock didn't stop for a moment before turning around and running to the tent to find his master.
Vigna and the others stayed behind to inventory the supplies. After that, they would drive the truck out again to deliver some of the supplies to the neighbors near the Glass Gang, so that they could get through the coming winter.
Duke Windermere was quite surprised to learn that someone had rescued his daughter from Ablana.
The leader of the Deep Pool is no ordinary person; she is a descendant of King Gael of the Dolak Royal Family. The fact that she managed to protect Dephine from her attacks is also not to be underestimated.
With gratitude and a desire to make an acquaintance, she accompanied Dephine to the Doctor's tent to request an audience. Out of aristocratic courtesy, Duke Windermere did not force his way in.
Shi Lei was chatting with the Doctor when he noticed that Mudrock didn't seem inclined to leave. He turned his head and asked with a smile:
"I'm calling you, why aren't you going out?"
"Don't want."
She glanced outside the curtain, then looked away.
"Now I truly understand why you do good deeds but are unwilling to accept gratitude. Sometimes, other people's gratitude can be a burden, one that you can't escape."
Mudrock believed that she was acting on her master's orders to provide protection for Dephine, and that this was where the blame lay. She argued that Daifeien should thank Shi Lei, not her.
"But since they've come to us, we should at least go and meet them. If they don't want to accept the repayment, just make that clear."
"Um."
Mudrock nodded, finally agreeing to go out and take a look.
Duke Windermere had already learned of the white-haired Sarkaz's deeds from his daughter.
Although she hated every Sarkaz who plundered Victoria's territory, she was still able to see things clearly.
"Thank you so much, Miss. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything. I'll do my best to help you with anything within my power."
"No need. I came out just to let you know. I don't need any reward; let's leave it at that."
The Duke Windermere was interested in getting to know her, and such a hasty conclusion wouldn't be satisfactory. Her eyes flickered for a moment, then she quickly found a new topic:
"Even if I don't repay this favor, you've taken care of my daughter during this time, so you should at least offer some form of compensation, right? I'll do my best to fulfill your request, no matter how much I can."
Before Mudrock could refuse again, Dagda stepped between the two and asked a pointed question:
"Excuse my intrusion, Duke Windermere, but are you aware of the matter four years ago when all the Steam Knight were ordered to the Place Where the Kings Sleep?"
The meaning of this statement is quite cryptic, because only those in the know understand the extent of the betrayal suffered by the Steam Knight.
Duke Windermere felt that Dagda looked somewhat familiar, and after a moment's thought, he remembered him:
"Daughter of the Montague family, I know why you ask with anger. To be honest, you can call that operation a conspiracy. And I did sign that transfer order. For the future of Victoria, that was their mission, and it was our mission."
Vigna followed her out of the crowd, dismissing a certain word she had mentioned with disdain, and couldn't help but scoff:
"Mission?"
"Yes, Miss Vigna Alexandrina Vina. It's a real surprise to see you here."
Vigna disliked being addressed by her full name, especially by Duke who had been staying outside the city for a long time.
"Not surprising, is it? Your intelligence agents and networks have long been spread throughout the Norbert District. I admire your willingness to acknowledge what happened four years ago. But the dead are gone, and it's pointless to assign blame now. Excuse me, my friends and I have more important things to do."
Based on Dagda's inquiries, Duke Windermere already had a guess. He guessed that they had discovered the truth of what happened back then, which was why they were no longer participating in the competition for the throne.
"Is it about distributing supplies? I heard about your deal with Duke Kester from Dephine. But exchanging the Breath of the Kings for a truckload of supplies is far too cheap."
As a descendant of Aslan, you should know that the sword's value is far greater than that. Yet you still did it; are you disillusioned with Victoria?"
Vigna didn't want to answer and quickly ended the conversation:
My future choices are none of your business.
The Duke Windermere smiled awkwardly and extended an invitation to her and the members of the Glass Gang:
"Thank you for taking care of Dephine. She can return to my Defense Zone later to collect sufficient supplies. Consider this your way of repaying me for looking after her during this time."
Free things are often the most expensive. If Vigna goes to someone else's Defense Zone, some things will no longer be up to her:
"Forget it, we're not worthy of it."
She didn't want to interact too much with the Duke Windermere, and slightly tilted her head to signal to her companion:
"Dagda, let's go."
Perhaps influenced by Vigna, or perhaps the people of Londinium already harbored resentment.
Although the Self-Rescue Army within the camp did nothing against Duke Windermere's troops, they did not appear friendly.
Knowing she couldn't linger, she thanked Mudrock profusely and asked the Doctor to leave some medicine. Then, she left the Self-Rescue Army camp with Dephine and her subordinates.
On his return En route, Duke Windermere encountered many local refugees. They stared at the Duke, who was surrounded by soldiers, their eyes filled with resentment and malice.
Most ordinary people are just that—ordinary people—who simply want to live a peaceful life. They don't really care who Ruler. Whether it's Aslan, Dolak, or even the Demon Race they curse behind their backs every day, as long as they aren't burdened with exorbitant taxes, they gradually accept it, even if they're dissatisfied.
It was the Sarkaz who brought the seeds of war. It was these Dukes, who had long observed from outside the city, who nurtured it with a hands-off approach. Ultimately, war took root, sprouted, and bore fruit, leaving no one in the entire Londinium unscathed.
June 24, 11:30 pm
Shortly after the airship suddenly exploded, Theresis convened a meeting of the Sarkaz Military Committee.
Taking advantage of Ablana's absence, the Blood Demon Great Lord's army of blood descendants launched a surprise attack on Duke Wellington's Defense Zone.
This battle resulted in heavy losses for the garrison in Victoria.
The field commander reported to the Duke Wellington aboard the high-speed warship via encrypted telephone:
"Your Lord Duke, our casualties are severe. A third of the Royal Guard is incapacitated. Our Doctor are doing their best to save them, but the outcome is not optimistic. The Frontline can only hold out for a maximum of one hour."
The Sarkaz Army that raided the Defense Zone this time had a very strange appearance. They seemed impervious to pain, and despite being riddled with crossbow bolts, they could still move nimbly. Based on intelligence comparison, the enemy was likely the Blood Demon Great Lord's forces.
Soldiers have reported that the Sarkaz are using a Witchcraft Device we've never seen before. Combined with Originium bomb, it will cause massive casualties on the battlefield.
The turmoil in his backyard made the Duke Wellington somewhat anxious, but his elite troops had all been taken out by Ablana.
"Order the Frontline to hold the line. Instruct the artillery to suppress the battlefield and clear the gap to the east."
"Understood, I will carry it out immediately."
Just as the Duke Wellington was about to hang up, a woman's voice suddenly came through the receiver:
"Duke Wellington, you really show no mercy to Duke Windermere. She just lost a warship this morning, and you're already sending the Sarkaz to her camp?"