People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"Miss Defiance told me before she left that if you need it, I can provide you with certain assistance, but not beyond what is permitted."

Vina paused for a moment, but still shook her head.

She could understand Daphne's good intentions, but the identity of the Duke of Windermere's messenger was still a bit too sensitive.

This soldier's mere entry into Longmen was enough to make some people paranoid, let alone his willingness to do something for them. Wouldn't that be too suspicious?

Governor Wei Yanwu treated her very well, and Vina didn't want to create any trouble for him unnecessarily.

"Please thank Definite for me, but I'm fine and don't need any help."

Seeing this, the Windermere messenger didn't say much. This was a task assigned by the Duke's heir, and he was merely following orders; there was no reason for him to ask for help. He only said as he left:

"I will rest in Lungmen for a day. If you need any help from me before 8:00 AM tomorrow, you can come to Lungmen Messenger Station No. 305."

Vina nodded, watched him leave, and then prepared to set off again for the Lungmen Governor's Mansion.

Meanwhile, at the Longmen Governor's Mansion.

Wei Yanwu sat alone in his office, his eyes slightly closed, but his brows furrowed, as if he were waiting for something.

Over the past few days, he has become increasingly puzzled.

Because Vina's behavior was really beyond his expectations.

Because she did nothing, she acted as if she were a diplomat on a government-funded trip to Lungmen!

In Wei Yanwu's view, the appearance of Vina, a descendant of Aslan, in Lungmen is likely to cause some trouble. The bigger problem could be that she will be questioned by Victoria or investigated by the True Dragon again. The smaller problem could be that she gets into one or two car accidents or is assassinated three or four times.

Wei Yanwu had been sleepless for several nights, preparing for the possibility that Vina might suddenly die in Longmen, in order to face the political storm that would follow.

But Vina was completely unharmed, jumping around on and off the Dragon Gate as if nothing had happened, with only one guard by her side and no attendants. She had the nonchalant and courageous air of "brothers, come and fight me if you dare."

This is not right!

If you were to say that the so-called Sherag government, and the people behind it, did not provide Vina with any attendants or guards, allowing him to come to Lungmen alone, Wei Yanwu would not believe it for a second.

Putting everything else aside, even if there were absolutely no conspiracy, a diplomatic mission would still require a dozen or so people. What about your Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Surely a Foreign Minister of that rank isn't just a lone figurehead.

Where are these people hiding?

Wei Yanwu's mind raced, and he immediately guessed the answer—they could only be hiding among the group of people from the Kalan trade who came with Vina!

Therefore, in order not to expose his identity, he did not give direct orders, but anonymously reported to the Guard Bureau several times, causing the Guard Bureau to search Karan Trading's warehouse in Lungmen several times.

But they received an unexpected answer—aside from the search delaying the business of the Kalan Trade for several days and causing some damage to handicrafts, there was nothing suspicious inside!

How could there be nothing?

He certainly questioned the result, but there was no reason for the Guard Bureau to betray him. The fact that they couldn't find anything only meant that the people the other side was hiding were strong enough and well-hidden. The Guard Bureau was no longer sufficient!

Wei Yanwu was almost driven crazy by the speculation in his mind. He even began to think that if something unexpected happened to Vina, that would be the biggest unexpected event!

Once bitten, twice shy. Wei Yanwu was extremely anxious that the events of more than 20 years ago would be repeated in Longmen. After much deliberation, he finally couldn't hold back and decided to take the initiative. This time, he had to make sure that the Guard Bureau was no longer effective and that he would use his trump card, a trump card that the opponent had no way to escape!

A sound came from the window, and a cool breeze brushed against his face through the curtains that had been opened at some point. Wei Yanwu suddenly opened his eyes, and a figure dressed in black and wearing a bamboo hat appeared before him, kneeling on one knee.

This is his trump card: Shadow Guards, composed of retired elites from the Great Yan Emperor's Imperial Guard, who pledge allegiance to him!

With them involved, Wei Yanwu doesn't believe he can't find a weakness in Vina!

"Did you find anything?" Wei Yanwu asked.

As expected, the shadow guard immediately nodded: "My lord, yes!"

"The Victorian messenger who entered the city today has made contact with Vina and held a secret meeting at her residence. The messenger is a Victorian soldier with the rank of major. To avoid being exposed, I did not eavesdrop on their conversation at close range. However, our colleagues still learned most of the content of the conversation through magical means."

"Major Victoria asked Vina if she needed help, and Vina claimed that the plan was going smoothly. They agreed on a place to meet next and then quickly ended the conversation. But according to intelligence from the surveillance unit, Vina was extremely adept at counter-surveillance. She mostly used written means and only handed the letter to the major at the end. According to our analysis, the contents of the letter are probably the real key information."

“Hmm…” Wei Yanwu nodded thoughtfully.

He was right! He knew Vina was up to something!

However, given Vina's strong counter-surveillance awareness, figuring out their true purpose will likely not be easy.

"My lord, shall we intercept the letter?" the black-clad shadow guard asked directly.

But Wei Yanwu shook his head firmly: "No. Since that messenger dared to find Vina in this identity and manner, do you think they weren't prepared for the letter to be intercepted?"

"Don't forget, that man has a military rank! Don't you understand what it means to attack him?"

Wei Yanwu pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"For now, let's keep everything as it is and remain as immovable as a mountain. Let's see what this little girl is really up to."

Seeing this, the shadow guard could only lower his head, respectfully rise, and retreat into the shadows.

Almost a minute after he left, Madam Wenyue's voice rang out from outside the office:

"That little girl is here again."

They just finished their private meeting and came straight here?

Wei Yanwu frowned, then perked up and asked, "Did she say what she wanted to do?"

"She said she wanted you to help her contact someone... to purchase some fireworks, firecrackers, lanterns, and window decorations." Wen Yue's voice also sounded somewhat incredulous.

"What is all this?" Wei Yanwu muttered in bewilderment. "Is she going to make dumplings with us?"

He opened the door and headed toward the reception room.

Regardless of what Vina's actions were ultimately intended to achieve, Wei Yanwu was now certain that Vina's purpose for this trip was far from simple.

With some precautions in mind, Wei Yanwu did not believe that with the experience he had accumulated over his long political career, he would be no match for a young girl who seemed to be just starting out!

As he pushed open the door, Wei Yanwu's face was already beaming with the humble smile of a statesman:

"Miss Vina, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"I heard you want to order a batch of festival supplies? Then you've come to the right place! I, Wei Yanwu, love festivals! Come on, let me recommend a few reputable manufacturers to you, I guarantee you won't regret it!"

Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Ruthless Beast Lord Teaches People the Art of Speaking Online

Shelag, Manju Academy, main hall.

Ya'er considered herself to have a pretty good learning ability, but she really couldn't understand this book called "Mechanics" at all.

What do those symbols mean? What do the codes mean? And what do all those formulas mean?

My kids usually look at these things? They study these things? How did they memorize them?

The more she looked, the more dizzy she felt, and her spirits gradually waned. She even started to feel sleepy!

It has only been a few decades since He last woke up. Normally, He should still be in a state of high excitement right now!

"No, we can't watch any longer. If we do, we won't be able to take care of Ernst. Let's continue tomorrow."

Rubbing her temples, Ya'er muttered to herself, but then she sensed a familiar aura emanating from within the Holy Mountain area, rapidly approaching the direction of Manju Academy.

She looked up in confusion towards the main hall's entrance, but instead of a human figure, she saw a majestic wild beast.

"Lion Lord?"

Ya'er frowned slightly as she looked at the golden-haired lion king who was slowly walking into the main hall of Manju Academy.

The visitor was none other than Gawain, the guardian of Aslan and the beast lord temporarily residing in Victoria.

The lion with a dazzling golden mane nodded slightly to Ya'er, saying half-jokingly and half-sarcastically:

"I never imagined that a behemoth would learn things from humans. Do you really care that much about that human?"

Ya'er pouted, somewhat displeased, with an angry expression that suggested something she cherished had been rendered worthless, and retorted:

“Everyone in Shelag is my subject. I treat everyone equally, without favoritism!”

"Oh?" Gawain grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp, large teeth. "Then why didn't you respond at all when your Grand Elder begged you to punish Ernst?"

“I…,” Ya’er’s voice choked for a moment.

Before He could answer, Gawain had already said:

"Because of him, the Grand Elder, and Ensiodis, the three of them are in equal competition, so you are unwilling to break this fairness."

He gave me a look that said, "I knew it all along," and said calmly:

"So, admit it, you are indeed treating the Sherag people equally and fairly now. But in Ernst's words, that's a political stance, unrelated to facts—for some, it's about being even fairer than fair."

Ya'er pursed her lips, wanting to refute, but unable to say anything, so she changed the subject:

"So what? You just came here to mock my style of doing things? I admit, I do favor Ernst a bit more, but so what? I haven't settled the score with you for using that kid to dump that little Victoria girl on me yet!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Wen shamelessly knelt down cross-legged, looking at him with an air of "What can you do to me?" and said:

“That’s right. Vina was hesitant at first, but I was the one who finally convinced her to make up her mind. Because I sensed your presence in that job posting.”

Gawain recalled when he saw the job posting in the corner bookstore. He had no intention of showing up at the time. After all, Vina, who was of Aslan blood, was not in any life-threatening danger. She was just planning to leave the pit of Londinium. It was far from worth him, a lazy person, moving around.

But he sensed something unusual about that notice.

That was the scent of pristine white snow, which a powerful being had once cast a brief glance upon.

"That's why I said your affection for that kid goes beyond ordinary pity. You pay so much attention to what he does, his things, and his job search. You even scrutinize everyone who takes a job posting. It's like a meddlesome mother vetting her son's future wife, hahaha!"

Ya'er's face turned completely red. She stood up, too lazy to argue with Gao Wen, this old lion who was spouting such blunt truths, and decided to leave directly.

Beast Lords are troublesome creatures; even giant beasts can't kill them, and they're too lazy to fight Gawain.

Seeing this, Gawain stopped laughing, raised his paw, and called out to Ya'er, trying to persuade her to stay:

"Don't go, why are you in such a hurry? It's not like it's anything to be embarrassed about."

"Who's in a hurry! I'm not in a hurry!" Ya'er said, her anger finally subsiding.

Gawain shook his large lion head helplessly and explained:

"I didn't mean to mock you. I just wanted to say that we are the same kind of people."

"I promised Aslan that I would protect his descendants, and haven't I been keeping that promise ever since?"

He sighed, and a sorrowful expression, almost human-like, appeared on his beastly face:

“Vina is in a dangerous situation, and I am a civil official, not good at fighting. If something really happens, I can only carry her away. That would be too much of a burden for an old man like me.”

"That's why I persuaded her to come here. Yeragand, I'm not asking you to fulfill my promise on my behalf, but that my duties can be a little easier in this snow country."

"Heh. That's easy to say." Ya'er rolled her eyes. "Vina is Ernst's Foreign Minister now. If something happens to her, wouldn't Ernst be worried to death? Shouldn't I protect her?"

A sly look appeared on the beast lord's face.

Although he didn't speak, it was clear that he was expressing something that even Actos and Hurru would understand.

I dared to do this because I knew exactly how much you cared about Ernst's feelings.

Moreover, lions are obviously more cunning, shameless, and ruthless. They don't even wear their thoughts on their sleeves; they simply state them outright.

The first thing he said when he met Yeragand was about this.

Ya'er's lips twitched slightly: "Aren't you afraid that I'll create some kind of accident to make Vina disappear in a plausible way?"

"Come on!" Gao Wen laughed. "The younger generation is doing a great job. We old folks shouldn't meddle! We should just focus on our health, drink tea, read the newspaper, and occasionally try out the new gadgets that humans come up with to see how they turn them into something. Then we can just cover for them when they can't handle it!"

As he was speaking, he suddenly felt a cold air coming from in front of him. He looked down and found that his hands had been frozen solid.

Gawain looked at Ya'er in astonishment:

"What's going on?"

Ya'er's smile was sunny and youthful. She asked doubtfully, "We don't have an age thing in common, do we?"

Gao Wen's lips twitched, and he quickly nodded, "Of course, of course. I was just joking."

As the chill subsided slightly, he suddenly pulled his feet out and hopped and skipped out of Manzhu Courtyard.

On the way, instead of turning back to save face, he stood where he could no longer see Yeragand and glared in the direction of Manjusin:

"Tsk, how old are you, still pretending to be young. I've seen plenty of people who want to live forever, but this is the first time I've seen a behemoth that doesn't recognize its age."

A gust of cold wind suddenly swept down his spine, and Gao Wen felt a chill run through him. He quickly changed his words:

"Your age doesn't prevent you from being a mother, right?"

The cool breeze was fleeting, blowing through the valleys of the mountains, as if it were just a cold wind that had inadvertently swept through the mountains.

Only Gao Wen pursed his lips, clutching his heart which had nearly been broken during the revival match, and sighed.