People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"And the steam knights have, in fact, become the last resort of the royalists. Of course, my statement without any evidence is unlikely to convince the public."

She extended her hand, and the adjutant beside her, wearing a grey top hat, immediately handed her a document. The Duke of Caesar generously placed it on the table, allowing it to be circulated among all the grand dukes present.

"This is the letter of appointment from the City Council of Lentinium. It is not us loyal dukes who want to eradicate the Steam Knights and abolish this ancient system, but rather the nobles of the capital who are well protected by the Steam Knights."

Kent got his hands on the document.

The signature of the Speaker of the Londinium City Council and the council's seal are clearly visible; Kester would not have so obviously forged something.

He swallowed hard. His mind was a jumbled mess, and he was utterly incredulous.

What is this? If it weren't for the protection of the Steam Knights, how could those noble councilors of the Londinium City Council have so blatantly occupied the city and issued that decree refusing entry to the Grand Dukes?

Now look what's happened, they've turned on us and are about to stab us in the back.

Kent never underestimated the moral limits of nobles and politicians, but the historical spectacle of human morality created by their combination still shocked him.

"As for the publicity issue you mentioned, Your Excellency Kent, we already discussed this matter yesterday."

The Duke of Caesar continued, seemingly unfazed.

The propaganda outlets have been blocked!

Kent immediately understood what Castle meant: a complete blockade of all channels for the royalists to voice their opinions. The bill he voted to pass yesterday was not aimed at the royalists who had already weakened to the point of being unable to cause any trouble, but at the steam knights who were about to be "judged" as royalists!

Furthermore, the Duke of Caesar was using this method to blatantly eliminate dissidents!

Whenever he dislikes someone, he gathers his group of vassal nobles and labels that person and his entire faction as despicable royalists. Then, he legally and legitimately blocks their channels of communication, solidifies their accusations, and finally, openly and legitimately imposes sanctions and condemnations!

That looks so familiar. If Ernst were here, he would definitely exclaim, "Holy crap, beautiful!"

Kent's lips moved, and some comments about the Son of the Beach were about to come out, but he swallowed them back.

He had to consider Amphilis, and he had to consider Defiance.

Given Amphilis's personality, if she were attending the meeting, she would probably have already shoved an ashtray in Kester's face.

"Do you have any other questions?"

"I ask very politely," Kester asked.

Kent could only look away, and with one last effort:

“The Steam Knights aren’t statues; they won’t wait for you… If we go to demolish and abolish them, it will inevitably be accompanied by bloodshed. Who do you plan to send?”

"Do any of the Victorian soldiers really want to attack the steam knights they've admired since childhood?"

“Yes, there are.” Duke Godotin burped and laughed heartily. “Not just idols, but even beloved family and friends, brothers and sisters, are available, though… haha, it just costs extra!”

“Duke Godotin, please be serious,” Duke Castle said coldly, explaining with a hint of reproach, “Rest assured, as the nation’s current role model, we certainly will not let the lives of our loyal warriors be wasted on such matters. We have already found someone willing to take on this mission.”

"Who?" Kent asked.

The Duke of Caesar turned around and clapped his hands.

The heavy doors of the conference room were pushed open by a white-horned Sarkaz wielding a long, withered wooden sword, wearing a black robe, and with a dragon-like face. His imposing, armored figure stepped out of the shadows and into the light.

The Duke of Caesar introduced him to everyone.

"Theresis, the current leader of the Sarkaz."

Chapter Ninety-One: A paltry gift of a few tens of millions

Kent eventually signed the agreement.

Despite his deep reluctance, despite the torment of his conscience, and despite the constant reminders of his noble instincts that he had done nothing wrong and that no one would blame him for it.

But he still felt depressed.

The lingering storm over Londinium had somehow begun to weigh on everyone's hearts.

"Let's go back."

Upon returning to their resting place, Kent immediately expressed his desire to return to his adjutant.

The Duke's secret meeting was not yet over, and the Duke of Caesar promised to host a month-long gathering for the distinguished guests who had attended the meeting to discuss state affairs after the meeting concluded.

But Kent had absolutely no desire to participate.

He didn't know what disgusting things that gossipy woman would discuss tomorrow, and he didn't want to attend the party where he would have to greet her with a smile. If he could, he really wanted to carry out the instructions Anferis had given him before she left.

"Give that arrogant woman a good beating!"

Although it had only been a little over a month since they last met, Kent had never missed the breeze of Liincarden so much. Anferis's face and voice floated into his ears, and Kent felt a long-lost sense of comfort.

He knew that now was not the time to continue colluding with Kaster; he had to return to Liincarden immediately and inform the Duke of Windermere of everything that had happened in Lentinium. Only in this way could she have the most time to deal with the impending storm.

Sarkaz, with the permission of the Grand Duke and the Council, entered Londinium and was about to abolish the Steam Knight system. The Duke of Caesar had seized the microphone of public opinion; her ambition was now crystal clear!

Who will be her next target?

The dukes had already tacitly accepted this outcome; it was yet another decision that had been made but was merely a formality. Otherwise, Kent wouldn't have been the only one to raise objections at the meeting.

After the abolition of the Steam Knights, the Duke of Windermere, who was at odds with the Duke of Caster, was destined for an extremely awkward situation in order to further establish his authority.

He had to remind Amphilis.

Kent's previously drowsy gaze gradually regained its former sharpness.

Now that the Duke of Caster has excluded Windermere from their clique, now that they have placed the Duke's interests above Victoria's, now that they may be detrimental to Amphilis Windermere and the entire Duchy.

Kent wouldn't just sit idly by and wait to die.

There's a saying that goes something like this:

When the other party might attack, sanction, or even use force against you as a royalist.

You better really are.

The adjutant, true to the fine traditions of the Windermere army, did not ask any further questions. He simply saluted and quickly ran out of the room to inform the Windermere delegation to prepare for departure.

Kent stood by the window, gazing one last time at the towering Shard, the dull tolling of the clock tower echoing in his ears. The once sacred and solemn chimes now seemed to carry a sense of sorrow and grief.

...........

"Your Grace, the Windermere delegation is assembling; they are preparing to leave Londinium."

The man in the grey top hat knelt before the Duke of Caesar. The elegant woman took a sip of her tea, gazed in the direction from which the bells were tolling, and asked casually:

"What are your thoughts when you hear the bells of Londinium?"

The man in the grey top hat remained silent and did not answer.

The Duke of Caesar shook his head rather uninterestedly, and said slowly and meaningfully:

"Old age, decay, outwardly fierce but inwardly weak."

"We are looking forward to a more energetic person to push its firing pin."

She sighed:

"Unfortunately, the person who holds the firing pin now won't so easily agree to hand over their job to someone more capable."

"It's a pity that it was him who came, not Windermere."

"Otherwise, the 'retirement ceremony' I arranged should have been more grand."

The man in the grey top hat nodded knowingly and left the Duke of Caesar's room.

...........

Victoria, wilderness.

A week has passed since Kent led the Windermere delegation away without saying goodbye. Now, this small convoy is traveling through the desolate wilderness.

There are many such places on Terra, situated between the orbits of several mobile cities, yet due to various factors, they are not incorporated into the orbits of any of them, ultimately becoming uninhabited, but belonging to the "legal borders" within Victoria.

They were already quite far from Lentinium.

That city of ten thousand cities, the greatest mobile metropolis since Lingons, is now completely out of sight. And the journey to Liincarden, which should have taken a month, has been reduced to just half a month thanks to Kent's speed boost.

Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

The only downside was that Kent was sick.

Perhaps the arduous journey day and night had damaged his health, or perhaps the seeds of illness had already been sown in Lentinium. In any case, Kent had fallen into a semi-comatose state in the desolate wilderness.

Of course, there were military doctors in the accompanying delegation. In Terra, a place where accidents could happen at any time, doctors and nobles were inseparable friends. But even the best doctor cannot cure a broken heart.

If a person hasn't had a good night's sleep for ten days or even a month, and is constantly worried and anxious, even a small fall could be fatal. Let alone such strenuous travel.

When he was awake, Kent forced himself to sleep, but when he wanted to close his eyes, he had to force himself to stay awake. The doctor's medication could alleviate his insomnia, but it could not stop his thinking, his worries, or the torment of guilt in his heart.

He signed the pact that allowed the devil to kill the hero; he deserves to go to hell.

He suddenly understood why Amphilis hadn't let him step into the limelight from the beginning and manage the Duchy of Windermere with him, dealing with the other grand dukes.

He, the second son of the Earl, had not received any proper aristocratic education. He only knew how to win the Duke of Windermere's heart with his recklessness and maverick personality. In this dirty circle, he was still a bit too innocent.

"call--"

He let out a long breath and felt a slight draft in his throat.

Upon hearing his voice, the military doctor, who had been inseparable from him for some time, immediately opened his dark-circled eyes and asked with concern:

"Lord Kent, are you feeling unwell?"

I feel uncomfortable everywhere. To be honest, can mental illness really make someone feel this bad?

Kent didn't voice these discouraging words; instead, he forced a smile and shook his head.

"It's okay, I feel much better."

He paused, took a breath, and continued.

"Could you get me some paper and pen? I want to write a letter to Amphilis and Defiance."

The medic opened his mouth, seemingly realizing something, but seeing Kent's stubborn gaze, his military instinct for obedience prevailed. He nodded, stopped the convoy, and got out of the car.

Kent watched his retreating figure walk away, then listlessly cast his gaze upon the endless wasteland.

This earth was about to devour his insignificant life; he could only hope that Victoria could struggle a little longer.

"Ok?"

Something seemed to be happening ahead of the convoy, and the commotion gradually came from behind.

Kent frowned slightly, straightened up, opened the car door, and staggered out of the car, walking towards the front of the convoy.

He was somewhat worried that they had encountered wilderness bandits or madmen from Rusthammer. If a battle broke out, he, as the commander, would have to go to the front lines, no matter how difficult it was—this was Windermere's commandment.

Although it sounds like a commandment that's quite prone to "accidents".

Unexpectedly, Kent ran into a returning medic and several soldiers in familiar uniforms halfway there.

"Sword Guards? What are you doing here? Did something happen to Anferis?"

Kent immediately asked, his spirits seemingly restored somewhat.

But the guards simply shook their heads and explained, "His Excellency the Duke sent us. We've come to take you home."

"His Excellency received Miss Defiance's warning that you were in danger in Londinium, and immediately dispatched us along the main road to Londinium. We encountered your party here. Judging from the time, the Duke's secret meeting should not be over yet."

"Miss's information is correct."

“Defiance…” Kent’s lips moved as he silently uttered the name.

He knew very well that Defien, who was in Sherag, isolated from the world, and whose messenger was someone Kent knew very well, could not possibly have the ability to obtain information about Lontinim.

The person who actually used Daphne to pass on the intelligence was probably Ernst!

Only he has the ability to look beyond Sherag.

Kent's statement wasn't mere conjecture; Ernst's interest in Victoria was well-established. The last bloodline of King Aslan was currently under his command. To say he wasn't concerned with Victoria's affairs and had no intelligence about her—do you really believe that?

Indeed, his collaboration with Ernst, the darling of the behemoth, was arguably the most successful diplomatic move of his life.

It's a small gift but carries great meaning. A mere tens of millions of dollars was enough to win his favor. Could there be a better deal?