Chapter 496
This little-known figure had secretly established close cooperation with high-ranking officials in multiple countries. He himself was kept in the dark, looking like a complete clown.
Spilled water can't be taken back. You have to swallow the bitter fruit you brewed yourself.
High-ranking officials in many countries now know that the Duke Wellington has formed Allied Forces to oppose Zhongli. From the moment the Messenger was sent out, there was no turning back. Who knows when they might come knocking to settle scores.
Knowing that death is near is terrifying.
Knowing that death is near but not knowing when it will happen is even more terrifying.
The Duke Wellington was tormented by this anxiety for weeks, and dared not tell anyone, fearing that the more they knew, the harder it would be to absolve himself of responsibility.
"Your Lord Duke!"
Suddenly, a cry of surprise rang out from outside.
The sergeant ran breathlessly to the door; his terrified expression said it all.
"The Scout report that Zhongli, who recruited the Sarkaz, is leading his men this way!"
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Chapter 570 The Time Has Not Come (4K)
Has it finally arrived?
Upon hearing the news of Zhongli's arrival, the Duke Wellington did not exhibit the anxiety he had felt in the past few days. On the contrary, he felt a sense of relief.
What's meant to happen will happen; there's no escaping it.
Even if I find a secluded place to hide, what's the point? I just hope that Zhongli won't implicate His Highness Ablana because of her resentment towards me.
She is now the Spiritual Leader of the Talulah, the last descendant of King Gael, and cannot afford any mishap.
His Highness used to have a younger sister, but she became infected after being affected by a Dirty Bomb in Little Hill County.
If Ablana were to perish, as an infected person, she would be destined not to receive the full support of the Talulah.
Thinking of this, the Duke Wellington couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If his actions led to the failure of the Tara Dynasty's restoration, he would truly become a sinner for all time.
"Alright, I understand. Take the guests to the Council Hall and treat them well; don't neglect them."
"Yes, Your Lord Duke!"
After the sergeant left, the Duke Wellington took off his clothes, opened the wardrobe door, and took out a green military uniform that he only wore when receiving ranks.
After changing his clothes, he opened the combination lock box.
Inside lie quietly a collection of medals of various shapes and sizes, including but not limited to the Victoria First Class Order of Merit, the Victoria Order of Distinguished Service, the Victoria Second Class Order of Merit, and the Victoria Royal Order.
These medals are like a microcosm of the Duke Wellington's life, enough to encapsulate his life story.
The Duke Wellington neatly pinned all the medals to his uniform. He then examined them repeatedly in front of the mirror, still feeling unsatisfied.
He noticed his beard was a bit long, so he trimmed it slightly with a razor, hoping to die with some dignity.
To shave it completely clean, you would need to soak it in foam for a few minutes and then use a special razor to clean it. But this takes a long time, and Mister Zhongli might not have the patience for that, so he simply kept it simple.
Finally, the Duke Wellington took out hair oil. He poured some into his palm and then rubbed it into his graying hair.
He rarely uses this stuff, preferring a more natural look. But now, for the sake of his hairstyle after death, he's forcing himself to apply a bit more.
Having completed these preparations, the Duke Wellington opened the drawer and took out his pre-written will and a beautifully crafted, jewel-encrusted dagger.
This is Royal Treasure he seized during his attack on the Gallo Royal Palace. There is only one of its kind in all of Terra, and it is Duke Wellington's most prized trophy.
"Huff huff..."
The Duke Wellington, panting heavily, prepared to commit suicide in his room as an act of atonement. Everyone struggles with their conscience before suicide, and he was no exception.
The Duke Wellington was willing to take responsibility for his mistakes and pay the price for his actions. But for some reason, he felt empty inside.
Perhaps it was because he had lived a glorious life, and felt resentful that he couldn't maintain his honor in his Late Festival Not Protected years. Or perhaps it was because his ambitions remained unfulfilled, and he regretted not being able to witness the restoration of Tara.
A myriad of thoughts flooded my mind, like a fleeting panorama.
"Your His Highness, farewell."
The Duke Wellington picked up the Royal Dagger and plunged it into his heart.
Five minutes ago.
Sergeant Victoria, following orders, led Shi Lei and his group to the Council Hall with utmost respect.
"Please wait a moment, everyone. The master will be here soon."
After saying that, he ran to get coffee beans from the Columbia Manor and brewed a cup of Pour-over Coffee for everyone.
Shi Lei wasn't interested in this and didn't even touch it.
He waited for several minutes, but the Duke Wellington did not appear. He wondered if the Duke was trying to use the officers to buy time and slip away, so he began to Psychic Scan.
Soon they discovered an Old Man seventy meters away, holding a dagger, about to stab himself in the heart.
Shi Lei sensed something was wrong and remotely cast Jade Shield on the target to prevent the Old Man from repeatedly committing suicide. He then got up and walked towards the target's location.
Texas and the others hadn't had coffee either, but seeing this, they got up and followed him inside.
Officer Victoria, who was in charge of receiving them, dared not stop these important figures. She could only grit her teeth and follow them, anxiously watching their movements.
Inside the room, the Duke Wellington, who was preparing to commit suicide to atone for his sins, stared at the dagger broken in two, his face contorted with rage.
No wonder Gaul fell; this broken dagger is useless except for its ornate design, it can't even be used for suicide.
Before he could search for his weapon again, he heard footsteps approaching from afar, and his heart skipped a beat.
At this moment, Shi Lei had already arrived outside the open door, and was very dissatisfied with his cowardly behavior:
"You're too arrogant. First, you sent Messenger to various countries, wanting to form Multinational Allied Forces to attack me. You thought that because there was a precedent of Joint Campaign Against Helkhorzoren, you could use the same methods to deal with me."
It's the same now; you think suicide can solve all your problems. When you were causing me trouble, you didn't ask for my opinion. Now that you've messed things up, you still don't ask for my opinion and are taking your own life to atone for your sins.
You don't even have the courage to apologize in person, you're really too arrogant. You think you can Morality blackmail me just because you're dead? Do you think I'll fall for that?
The Duke Wellington remained silent, for he had no way of answering the question.
It's not that I can't, it's that I don't want to.
The Duke Wellington knew, of course, that he could negotiate directly with Shi Lei. But he also knew that a simple apology would not be effective and would hardly quell the other party's anger.
The Duke Wellington did not understand Zhongli; if he had been replaced by another Duke, one would know the specific outcome.
The most likely outcome is that he will be severely humiliated in public, forced to strip naked and run wildly or crawl on his stomach and howl like a wild animal, thus losing all face.
Even if the Duke Wellington were alive, his soldiers would still gossip about him behind his back.
It even became a laughing stock among the people of Victoria, a nightmare he could never erase from his life.
If that's the case, he might as well commit suicide to atone for his sins. At least in the eyes of the Talulah, he would leave with a good reputation.
The Duke Wellington rose through the ranks from the lowest ranks of the army to his current position through military achievements, regaining all the dignity and prestige he had once lost.
But picking it up is easy; putting it down is hard. It sounds simple, but how many people can truly relinquish their pride?
He would rather die than suffer humiliation, which is why he avoided communicating with Shi Lei and subjectively chose to atone for his sins with his death.
Having come this far, the Duke Wellington refused to lower himself to kneel and beg for mercy, and was prepared to go down a path of no return:
"One person does the deed and takes responsibility for it; this is between you and me, and has nothing to do with anyone else."
Shi Lei was amused by this and laughed:
"Now you're the one who did something wrong and is asking for forgiveness. And you're even making demands of me? Do you think that's reasonable?"
"..."
Seeing the other person's tense face, he continued:
"Actually, this matter could have been resolved with an apology. Even if a Multinational Allied Forces were formed, I wouldn't take it seriously. But your current attitude makes me feel that you have absolutely no remorse."
The Duke Wellington closed his eyes in anguish, feeling that he had messed things up once again.
He spent decades navigating the political landscape of Victoria, dealing only with two-faced individuals.
Neither the ambitious Duke Kester nor the Duke Godot were benevolent figures. Only the conservative Duke Windermere was an outlier in the officialdom.
If a Duke were to catch him in a compromising situation, even if the Duke Wellington didn't die, he would be severely punished.
Therefore, he never considered resolving the conflict through the simple method of apologizing.
It can only be said that the Duke Wellington has become too deeply entrenched in the stagnant swamp of Victoria.
Applying conventional rules to those who are above the rules and powerful will only lead to failure.
"So... what do you want?"
After a moment's thought, Shi Lei listed the points clearly and logically:
"You formed Multinational Allied Forces to kill me. If I die, the more than 40,000 people of Liyue will be completely without support. You shouldn't have any problem providing them with food and water for a year, right?"
The cost of feeding 40,000 people for a year was enormous, and the Duke Wellington, with his considerable wealth, reluctantly agreed.
"Can."
"Let me make this clear from the start: you can collect supplies, but you absolutely cannot plunder them from the people of Londinium. They've suffered terribly from the war and can't be squeezed for anything. If I find out you're targeting them, don't blame me for being ruthless."
The Duke Wellington felt a pang of regret, but those were all external possessions, and he nodded in agreement.
"Can."
"Second, issue a public apology to me. Not only in person, but also in a published apology. Inform the countries that sent you Messenger of this apology as well."
Shi Lei was previously unknown, and Liyue City was equally obscure; many people had never even heard of him.
But after incorporating the Sarkaz, he officially stepped onto the international stage. Sending Messenger from the Duke Wellington was a warning to world leaders: don't get involved with such clueless individuals again.
The Duke Wellington gritted his teeth, thinking that although this would damage his reputation, it was far better than being humiliated.
"Can."
"Third, summon all the Duke in the city to you and tell them I have something to inform them. If you have no other questions, go and do it now."
"Okay, I'll go right away!"
Duke Wellington was quite surprised to see Shi Lei give up. If this was the price of forming an allied Allied Forces, then it wasn't so unacceptable.
He felt extremely guilty about this.
Having spent too long in a treacherous environment, some find it difficult to adapt to this simple and straightforward communication style.
The Duke Wellington was unable to calm down for a long time and quickly left the military camp to inform the other Duke.
Seeing that he had left, Exusiai, having learned the whole story, asked him:
"Are you just going to let him go like that?"
"Otherwise what? Do you think I'm Great Demon killer? Let's go, while he's busy informing the Duke, let's quickly take care of some personal business."
"Personal matters? What are they?"
"Let's go first, we'll find out when we get there."
Shi Lei offered no explanation and led everyone away.
He used his Psychic Scan the Norbert District and quickly located the only Draco woman in the area— Ablana —at the Sunset Hotel.
Upon arriving at the scene, a guard from the Deep Pool Forces saw Sarkaz and immediately drew his weapon, issuing a warning:
Who are you people?!
Shi Lei had no intention of wasting words with the lackeys; with a single glance, he sealed them away with his Rock Constructs. He then took Mudrock's hand and led him up the stairs to the hotel's top floor.
This made Mudrock's heart flutter; she was both concerned about the stares from others and secretly delighted.
The sentries outside the Sunset Hotel noticed something amiss and immediately notified Ablana on the top floor via Walkie-Talkie.
"Leader, a man has forced his way into the hotel with a white-haired Sarkaz woman. We will do our best to buy you time; please evacuate the scene as soon as possible."
Upon hearing the name "White-haired Sarkaz, "Ablana immediately thought of the woman who had ruined her plans:
"Withdraw? Why should we withdraw? They've come to us of their own accord, why should we turn back? This is Londinium, how can we allow a Sarkaz to act so arrogantly?"
With that, Ablana whipped her tail, unleashing a burst of purple flames that burned through the glass. Then, she leaped from the top floor, landing heavily on the glass as she slammed to the ground.
Shi Lei Psychic Scan, immediately grabbed Mudrock, broke through the window, and plummeted down. He landed outside the lobby of the Sunset Hotel and came face to face with the other party.