People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

But what do you mean, Duke of Wellington?

It should be noted that since the Duke of Caesar began to weave a net to contain the Duke of Wellington and curb his development, the Duke of Wellington has been out of the political spotlight in Victoria for almost twenty years.

Although people generally still look to the Duke of Wellington for his opinion and stance when something happens, there is no doubt that the Duke of Wellington rarely has the opportunity to "speak out" anymore.

In the nearly four years since he boarded the high-speed warship Gastrill and began a grand tour of his territory, there have been very few specific ducal orders issued from the warship.

Even the Duke of Caster wondered if the Duke of Wellington was showing weakness.

Who knew that this old bastard would come at the worst possible time, and when he did, he did something drastic!

Why would the Duke of Wellington suddenly establish diplomatic relations with Shelag? Didn't he know that Shelag was a place I had my eye on? Did he also want to break ties with me?

Establishing diplomatic relations is not a big deal, but the fact that Sherag signed with Wellington instead of himself is somewhat offensive, but extremely insulting.

In addition, she has been having a run of bad luck lately.

The plan to eliminate Kent Windermere went awry and failed. The plot to use the Sarkaz to eliminate opposition in Londinium and directly seize the city also took an unexpected turn, with the Sarkaz turning the tables on them. Adding to the woes, Duke Windermere, now recovered, was causing trouble everywhere, making it a series of misfortunes.

This blow really broke her defenses.

The Duke of Caesar could only console himself: "Thank goodness, thank goodness that Sherag was in contact with Wellington, not that crazy woman."

She waved her hand, indicating that if the painter was alright, he should leave quickly, as she needed to rest.

The painter tactfully withdrew, and a few minutes later, another summoned figure in a grey top hat entered the room.

The man in the grey top hat, speaking with a Lontinem accent, bowed to the Duke of Caesar. Just as he was about to speak, the Duke coughed, interrupting him:

"Any good news?"

The man in the grey top hat was taken aback, and replied, somewhat confused:

"One piece of good news, one piece of bad news."

“Let’s start with the bad,” Kaster said.

The man in the grey top hat hesitated, feeling that he might have arrived at an inopportune time. But the Duke had already spoken, and he couldn't leave now, so he could only bite the bullet and say:

"The Duchy of Windermere has announced that they have established diplomatic relations with Shelag."

"........."

There was no response from the chair for a long time, and the man in the grey top hat felt a little uneasy.

"Your Majesty the Duke?"

"Hold!"

Chapter 123 The Evacuation of Chinese Nationals from Lentinium

Victoria, Duchy of Caest, Duke of Caest's House.

After what was later known as "the darkest half hour for the Grey Hats," the door to the Duke's lounge opened a crack once more for the Grey Hats.

The trembling man in the grey top hat slowly moved in and was met with a smiling Duke of Cactus:

Did you see anything just now?

"No." The man in the grey top hat understood immediately.

Castle nodded in satisfaction, swirling the wine in his glass, and said in an elder's tone, "Yes, remember, as a member of the Duke of Castle's household, no matter what you face, you must maintain elegance and uphold the fine qualities of a Victorian nobleman."

"Understood." The man in the grey top hat lowered his head, accepting the compliment humbly.

The Duke of Caesars then breathed a sigh of relief and returned to normal:

"What about the good news?"

The grey-hatted man, speaking with a Lentinium accent, immediately replied:

"Your Grace, the president of Victoria National University asked me to pass on a message to you."

"The Sarkaz of Londinium are a bunch of uncivilized, uneducated, and disrespectful barbarians. In order to ensure that the legacy of Victoria National University is not cut off by the Sarkaz, he hopes that His Highness the Duke will approve their relocation of the school."

The Duke of Caesar raised an eyebrow with interest.

Victoria National University, while not as prestigious as the Royal Victorian Guard College or the Royal Victorian Academy of Sciences, is still one of the top five universities in Victoria and one of the top ten in Terra.

During the Aslan era, it was the scientists at this academy who first proposed the "Steam-Originium Theory," thus helping Victoria gain an advantage in the first Originium Industrial Revolution.

It is worth mentioning that although the "Steam-Originium Theory" originated from Victoria National University, the Steam Knight, the culmination of Victorian technology and the highest product of the Steam-Originium Theory, was not created by Victoria National University.

They were created by the Royal Victorian Society.

Victoria National University even fought a years-long legal battle with the Royal Society of Victoria over the honor of being the "creator of the Steam Knight".

In the end, the Royal Society of Victoria won the case.

The reason is simple: their headmaster is a relative of King Aslan.

This is why, during the Londinium Incident several years later, Victoria National University was one of the few academic institutions that did not remain neutral amidst the chaos, but instead stood up directly to defend the alliance between Parliament and the nobility, and to hang King Aslan for his rebellion.

Today, the steam knights and the steam knight system have been physically abolished by the nobility. It is pointless to debate whether the outcome of the sensational "Case of the Creator of the Steam Knight" was fair, or whether the Royal Academy of Sciences engaged in academic plagiarism.

After all, Victoria National University, which has since become a staunch aristocratic institution, no longer cares about the "Steam-Originium Theory" that it personally proposed and that made the university so glorious, right?

The Duke of Caesar was well aware of what Victoria National University meant.

The Sarkaz's occupation of Londinium was indeed unexpected. Instead of acting like a bunch of nouveau riche and wreaking havoc in the city, the Sarkaz hijacked the city council and used it as a tool to issue orders, which deprived the grand dukes of a legitimate reason to march on Londinium.

Although, in the Duke of Caesar's view now, the Sarkaz's occupation of Lentinium may not be entirely a bad thing—while she failed to take the city, didn't the other dukes also fail to do so?

But her failure to save them, and the dukes' failure to save them, does not mean that the people within Lentinium will not save themselves.

Victoria National University is one of these individuals and organizations trying to save themselves.

They came to him, asking for his approval, which was a signal that they recognized the Duke of Caesar as the leader among the Grand Dukes.

In the past, the approval process for university relocation was personally decided by Emperor Victoria.

This was undoubtedly very pleasing news for the Duke of Caesar, especially after she had been repeatedly targeted and criticized by the Dukes of Wellington, Windermere, and Sherrag.

Having a university that is obedient, compliant, and possesses considerable influence and authority, willing to submit to you, is undoubtedly good news.

Moreover, there are quite a few aristocrats among the students of Victoria National University.

Kester's eyes flickered.

Most of the noble children sent to Victoria National University were not the eldest sons of their families, nor the first in line to inherit the family business. But even so, if they could be saved, would those nobles not give them a favor?

It is common sense that those in power do not show favoritism, but those in power can never say that they do not care about family ties.

Just like pillow talk, advice from loved ones may not seem like much in normal times, but when it comes to crucial moments, it can be incredibly powerful.

"Do we have a way to transport these people out of the city of Londinium through our channels?"

"The Duke of Caesar asked."

The man in the grey top hat nodded firmly.

“Of course, Your Grace. The Sarkaz are nothing but a rabble occupying Londinium. They haven’t even fully taken control of the core area; they’re just using the council’s functions to bully others. We, on the other hand, have been cultivating that city for half a century. Sending some people out is no problem at all.”

"Universities don't just have a few hundred students; national universities have tens of thousands."

The man in the grey top hat was stunned.

What, you want to save them all?

I thought you'd just symbolically move the school leaders out and that would be enough, but it turns out you've gone way too far!

A university with tens of thousands of faculty and staff members—the Sarkaz may be disorganized and undisciplined, but they're not blind! How could they let so many people just vanish into thin air?

Perhaps realizing that his request was a bit excessive, the Duke of Caesar compromised slightly:

"At least the noble children should be safely evacuated. As for the ordinary people, the Sarkaz are civilized people and should not harm them."

She nodded matter-of-factly, completely ignoring the fact that just minutes before she had confirmed the National University President's assessment of Sarkaz—that he was rude, uneducated, and disrespectful of authority.

"But there are nearly a thousand people in this group. And just screening them out is troublesome enough, let alone transporting them away under the noses of the other students..."

The man in the grey top hat wanted to say something more, but the Duke of Caesar's gaze had already shifted to the books on the table.

She didn't want to talk about it anymore.

The man in the grey top hat could only keep his mouth shut.

After a moment of silence, just as the man in the grey top hat was about to bow and take his leave, the Duke of Caesar spoke again:

"The matter of the national university reminded me of something."

"Although the Sarkaz have occupied Lentinium, there is still resistance within the city."

"If I can harness this power and become their leader and supporter, then when we finally reclaim this city, I can enter as a 'liberator' and receive the highest level of support."

A gentle yet chilling smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

"This matter is entrusted to you, along with Allardy Cumberland."

"Understood." The man in the grey top hat bowed.

Chapter 124 Bottom Line

Duchy of Wellington, Leinstershire.

“There’s no such thing as helping without a reason. The Duke of Wellington might invest in a now-down-on-his-luck entrepreneur, but he wouldn’t splurge his money on a beggar. You need to demonstrate your value to the Duke of Wellington,”

Ahmoni said matter-of-factly.

Ernst nodded knowingly.

In intergovernmental relations, especially those between governments, friendship alone is not enough; interests must always be considered.

The Duke of Wellington was not a philanthropist. As a nobleman who was strictly guarded by the Curtes and even surrounded and restricted, the treatment he received to some extent proved his strength and shrewdness.

If Ernst wanted to gain something from him, he would certainly have to give something in return.

"As long as it doesn't harm Sherag's fundamental interests, everything else is negotiable."

His answer was flawless, and Ahmoni nodded knowingly:

"Rest assured, the Duke of Wellington has no demands on Sherag. Victoria respects the independence and sovereignty of every country, region, and nation."

Ernst's business smile twitched, and he almost couldn't hold it in.

It's rather ironic to hear this from someone who's a Victorian.

But Ahmoni seemed completely unfazed by the statement. She gave an example with remarkable ease and self-assurance:

"Isn't that so? Among the modern nations of Terra, Colombia gained independence from Victoria, and the Rembiton mining consortium was supported by Victoria. It was we who protected the poor Letanians from the cannons of the hateful Gauls, ensuring that their music and art were not lost. It was also because of us that the Ursus barbarians were kept out of the core civilized world! Shouldn't Victoria be the beacon of democracy and the vanguard of freedom on Terra?"

Oh right, right, right. If Nobel saw what Victoria had done, he would have to fight a resurrection match with the prison and travel back in time to award you the Peace Prize.

Ernst didn't know where to begin complaining, so he could only mutter a curse in his heart.

As expected of a conjugate father and son; your rhetoric is practically from another world's America. You're practically stealing Colombia's entire ecological niche!

While inwardly cursing, Ernst had to feign admiration and echo Ahmoni's sentiments with a smile.

“You’re right. Everything Victoria has done is for the sake of Terra. Either way, it’s a win; the only difference is whether it’s a small win, a medium win, or a big win. I just wonder, what does the Duke of Wellington want us to do?”

Ahmoni nodded in satisfaction, and her tone became much more cheerful:

"His Majesty the Duke's idea is simple: he hopes that you all can cause the Duke of Caesar some trouble."

"Specifically?" Ernst asked.

He knew the Duke of Wellington wouldn't just give such a vague goal. The goal of "annoying the Duke of Caesar" was too broad; Ernst's daily letters calling the Duke of Caesar a "Stockholm goat" were doing her atrocity, as was declaring Scherrag's war on Victoria—perhaps the former would cause her even more annoyance than the latter.

He must have something he couldn't do himself, but wanted to do through Ernst.

As it turned out, Ernst was right.

Ahmoni gave Ernst an appreciative look and held up three fingers:

“Three things. If you can cause some trouble for the Duke of Castle in just one of these matters, the Duke of Wellington will be very generous. The more trouble you cause, the more help the Duke of Wellington can provide. If you can completely ruin one of the Duke of Castle's matters, then the Duke of Wellington will certainly not be stingy with his wealth.”

She paused, then looked at Ernst meaningfully:

"Didn't the Duke of Caster help your brother establish a company and train a military force?"

"The Duke of Wellington can not only help you with these things. As long as you are 'sincere' enough, Wellington also has quite a few 'near-decommissioned' high-speed warships that need to be dealt with."