Chapter 165
"No longer... a hotel?"
"You're planning to start in Londinium?"
A few beads of cold sweat trickled down the Duke's forehead, and he unconsciously asked a question.
"Londinium? No, I just think that building might be of some use."
So what exactly are you planning to do?
"Isn't the Earl of Warwick's territory still vacant?"
Wellington immediately understood what he meant.
"So what are you planning to do?"
"I am Eblana and the others' father, and they are clearly not yet qualified to inherit the Duke's lands...and title."
"As the guardian, I feel I have the right to collect it on your behalf. What do you think?"
"... Good idea."
"And... I also hope to expand Earl Warwick's territory, after all... the Tarans of Victoria are suffering too much, aren't they?"
"... Are you really planning to take over as Drak?"
Wellington squinted, seemingly harboring some minor "opinions" about it.
"Aslan is fine with it, but then we'll need to find a reason to 'cleanse' the palace a bit."
"... I think it's time for Drak to take the throne. Aslan has been on the throne long enough."
Wellington wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and spoke with some sincerity.
Chapter 123, Human Nature
"Are you getting ready to go back?"
Zuo Jian stood at the edge of the wall, watching Wellington return from among the soldiers.
"With me here, these soldiers must be feeling quite nervous, especially considering the Duke's residence..."
The guards must have noticed our departure; it's time to go back.
As the Iron Duke spoke, he turned and waved to the soldiers he trusted.
"Too."
Zuo Jian smiled slightly. He had almost achieved his goal this time, and it was time to head back.
However... he sensed the situation inside the warship behind him.
Xiu Tina seems to have calmed down a bit... I'm really sorry to have troubled Laurentina.
"However, perhaps you should try somewhere else... and adopt a different approach? After all, the soldiers here will subconsciously be glancing our way."
Wellington stroked his beard and reminded Zuo Jian.
The latter nodded, then raised his finger and pointed to the warship beside him.
"I've considered what the Duke said, so I'll have to trouble you to go to the rear of the warship. That will provide some cover and also prevent some...unnecessary rumors."
Upon hearing this, the Iron Duke leaped from the city wall onto the deck of the warship, directly expressing his thoughts through action.
After all... at least for the time being, he didn't want Zuo Jian's existence to be revealed.
Its ability to freely transform appears identical to that of the Shapeshifter in Sarkaz, but the form it takes is similar to that of the Bloodfiend.
Extremely similar.
However, neither the Bloodfiend nor the Shapeshifter in the Sarkaz could create such terrifying high-speed warships.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to be in such a hurry to launch their plot against Victoria.
After all, what a high-speed warship needs is not just a few powerful individual races, but an entire industrial chain.
Kazdel, on which the Sarkaz depend for survival, is nothing more than a dilapidated city that is constantly being repaired and maintained.
However... to be honest, the model of this warship looks somewhat familiar.
Although the surface is painted a dark red, and the chassis has four strange feet... oh, the feet are gone, were they stored away?
But putting all that aside, the Duke always felt that the warship looked familiar.
It's like... I've seen it somewhere before.
Wellington's boots clattered on the crimson floor, but in the instant his thoughts drifted, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a fleeting mark beside him!
His eyes widened, and he stood rooted to the spot, staring at an area on the hull of the warship beside him that wasn't completely covered by the dark red paint.
At this moment, the exposed white paint in that area could be faintly discerned.
"Ursus Army Group... Army Group... Ship... number."
The missing area in the middle was covered in red, as if it had been stained with blood.
However, even without looking at the army group and ship numbers to which this fleet belonged, he could roughly guess what it was...
"What's wrong, Duke?"
Zuo Jian stood beside the Iron Duke and asked with some doubt.
Originally, his attention was focused on observing the surroundings of the warship.
As he watched, he couldn't help but marvel at the wisdom of the people of Terra. He could understand some of the structures, but others were completely incomprehensible.
Just as I was about to marvel at it, I suddenly realized that I seemed to be too engrossed, causing me to look around like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world next to the Iron Duke, which was really not in line with my current persona.
But as soon as he turned his head, he realized that the old duke's expression of shock was even more exaggerated than his own.
They even stopped in their tracks.
This left him with no choice but to ask.
"No... it's nothing."
Wellington wiped away a cold sweat; he was almost certain that this warship was one of the two Ursus Army Group warships that had recently obtained permission to sail from his territory.
At this point, he even felt there was no need to ask such pointless and foolish questions as, "Where did the other high-speed warship go?"
He seemed to be thinking, then took a deep breath and asked.
"Your Excellency, I would like to know what Ursus's thoughts are on this action?"
Zuo Jian seemed taken aback for a moment when he heard Wellington's question.
What are Ursus's thoughts?
What does this have to do with Ursus...?
After saying that, he looked down at the warship.
Wasn't this warship Xiu Tina created for him?
Without a doubt, he could clearly sense every corner of the warship.
Its composition is almost entirely flesh and blood.
Could it be...?
Zuo Jian was reminded of the various "legends" about a certain world police in his previous life.
So, in Terra, Ursus is the world's policeman?
Oh, wait a minute, if he remembers correctly, Columbia seems to have just emerged from a period of Great Reclamation and Great Development, and... given its strength and the way it sends troops everywhere, it's not surprising that Ursus is being appointed as the "policeman"?
However, aren't these kinds of statements like "I suspect you have a large-scale weapons program" and "I suspect you are secretly expanding your military" typically used by large countries against smaller ones?
Victoria... is she even more outwardly strong but inwardly weak than he thought?!
Surely not... Or is this duke just being overly cautious?
Indeed, the current situation in Terra might be worse than before.
He imagined it would be even more tense.
Zuo Jian glanced at Iron Duke, indicating that he fully understood the other party's concerns, but then spoke calmly.
"Honestly, I think Ursus is overstepping his bounds if he's going to meddle in even this."
As the words fell, Wellington's pupils widened.
Wait a minute.
What does it mean when someone's arms are too long?
You've practically ripped them out of their system, and now you're saying they're overstepping their bounds by intervening in this matter?
Are you going to chop off their hands before you're satisfied?!
"However, to be honest, I don't really want to see Ursus send troops or anything like that."
"After all, war... is never a good thing."
The duke was stunned. In that instant, he seemed to see something called compassion in the man's pupils.
"You're right, war is indeed a bad thing, but... many times the outbreak of a war is not up to either side."
"If Ursus really sends troops, we can't possibly... Or do you have any way to stop the war?"
Wellington looked at Zuo Jian, somewhat curious about what other promises this man could make him.
The latter stroked his chin, then thought for a moment before speaking.
"Let me think about it."
"How about we chop off their emperor's head and hang it on the flagship of the Ursus Army Group before the war starts?"
"Pfft... wait... what are you saying...?"
"If that doesn't work, then hang a few more. If the emperor's head isn't enough, then add the prime minister's. If the prime minister's isn't enough, then add the army's..."
Wellington's expression at this moment could no longer be described as merely astonished; his mind was filled with the image of Zuo Jian's nonchalant expression as he spoke of beheading an emperor of an empire.
"... If you can really do that, it could indeed disrupt Ursus's internal affairs and make them abandon the idea of sending troops."
Extremely crazy and brutal methods.
Of all the methods Wellington envisioned to prevent a country from sending troops, Zuo Jian's idea was the most extreme, the most insane, and also the most... effective.
"However, I think you've gone a bit too far, sir. To be honest, this approach..."
Frankly, it shouldn't have been used to try and stop the deployment of troops, but rather as a bargaining chip... After all, there's no better deal than risking one's life.
Of course, Wellington only dared to think these words in his mind; he couldn't just interrupt the thoughts of the being before him.
Is it extreme?
Zuo Jian leaned against the railing of the warship, looking at the point where the horizon met the wilderness.
As far as the eye could see, there was only desolation.
"I only need to kill an emperor, or a few other high-ranking officials, to temporarily prevent a war from breaking out. Don't you think that's a good deal?"
"The life of an emperor was exchanged for the lives of soldiers who died on the battlefield because of the conflict."
"From any perspective, this is an extremely reasonable action."
"How many people die in a conflict? Countless soldiers from both countries have died, and now we only need to kill a few people to stop it from breaking out. Don't you think it's a good deal?"
"This doesn't solve the fundamental problem... it's like there's always a successor to the throne..."
"So what? We just need to repeat the above steps. As long as the number of deaths is less than the scale of the war, I think it's reasonable and worthwhile from any perspective."
Zuo Jian, his entire demeanor as indifferent as if he were describing the crushing of some unrelated insects.
Crushing a few insects can stop the majority of insects... which is indeed a very reasonable move.
Madman.
A complete madman
Wellington muttered to himself, but the next moment, the latter's eyes suddenly seemed to light up again, and his whole body seemed to perk up a bit.
Suddenly, Zuo Jian spoke as if he had become a completely different person.
"War, it really is no good thing. If it really happens, a lot of people will die."
"If it really happens, we'll have to find a way to stop it. But since this involves politics, I'll have to leave it to another ally, since I'm not really good at this kind of thing."