My older sister is a villainous rich girl

In that instant, a somewhat absurd thought suddenly popped into his mind.

It seems somewhat similar to dark magic...

"Miss Exos, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Out of respect for the strong, he stood up.

Wayne discreetly surveyed the scene inside the office.

The cabinets didn't hold many items, and the furnishings were all several levels lower than those in the city guard headquarters building, giving it an old and worn feel, as if it had just been unearthed from a warehouse.

He cleared his throat twice. "Don't call me 'Miss,' just call me 'Your Excellency.'"

Bulwer was puzzled by his request.

However, it's quite normal for strong people to have some unique quirks.

So he readily changed his tune.

"Lady Aikos, what brings you here today?"

Since their hasty parting, he had not received any further reports about Aikos.

Such a big person, it's like he's vanished into thin air.

He strongly suspected that Miss Echoes might have concealed her true appearance and been hiding in the capital for a long time.

Otherwise, someone with such beauty and strength could not possibly be completely unknown to outsiders.

Wayne did not answer his question.

He casually walked over and sat down, crossing one leg over the other, and said nonchalantly, "What are you still standing for? Sit down."

It was as if he was entertaining guests.

Bulwer was tense and wary, looking very suspicious.

But seeing that Aikos was still quite friendly, he gradually lowered his guard.

He doesn't want to push such people to the opposite side unless absolutely necessary.

"I heard that Lord Bulwer is preparing for something big recently?" Aikos asked.

Bulwer's mind went blank.

—How did she find out so quickly when I hadn't leaked anything?!

At this point, only a short while had passed since he adjourned the meeting.

Could it be because of her and His Majesty the King...?

No, impossible.

If things were as I suspected, I probably could have executed those traitors on the spot when I discovered Norman and me.

Seeing his pupils narrow and his eyes flicker, Wayne knew he was probably imagining something extraordinary.

But he had no intention of explaining; he merely offered a brief hint before steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Where is the investigation into Norman Laird at?"

Bulwer was somewhat surprised when he suddenly brought up another unrelated matter.

But he still admitted, "Norman and his men have left the capital, and all leads have been cut off. I believe the joint investigation team will close the case soon."

It's impossible for people drawn from different departments to be stuck on things that yield no results indefinitely.

There are actually quite a few cases like this that are left unresolved, and in the end, they only make the files in the archives a little thicker.

Wayne pondered for a moment, then asked, "According to him, everything he did was solely for revenge. Didn't he also have any intention of restoring his kingdom?"

The former territory of the Principality of Milistan has now become the stronghold of the rebels.

However, the factions within the rebel army are not just remnants of the Principality of Milistan; a closer analysis reveals that their composition is quite chaotic.

Among them were Enross people dissatisfied with the aristocratic system, exiles recruited from abroad, and even some bandits and powerful figures.

The only thing that could bring them together was probably their shared resistance against the brutal rule of the Kingdom of Saint Enros.

Currently, the Kingdom of Saint Enros remains powerful, which largely masks their own shortcomings.

Under the pressure of a powerful external enemy, all internal dissent must give way to the survival prerequisite of "safety".

But what happens after that?

Different people have different opinions.

For Norman Laird, what could be a more enticing lure than rebuilding the Laird family's glory?

Yes--

This is bait.

This was a bait designed to separate him from the rest of the rebel forces.

In order to provide development opportunities for ordinary people, Wayne can secretly help them.

However, he would never allow the Laird family, who had a blood feud with the Wincher family, to continue stirring up trouble.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Honestly, if I were Norman Laird, I would have killed every single member of the Winchester family.

But he is Wayne.

If anyone wants to kill Chris, then I will have no choice but to strike first.

He may understand and feel pity, but he would never harm his family out of compassion.

Upon hearing this, Bulwer was slightly taken aback.

“He never said he wanted to rebuild the country. On that point, I believe him.”

Wayne smiled faintly.

It seems that Bulwer and Norman are closer than one might imagine.

However, such a vague word as "believe" may convince yourself, but it cannot convince others, Lord Bulwer.

He said no more.

If this feud can be resolved in the future, then everything will be fine.

But if you refuse to let go of your grudges...

Then we'll have no choice but to ask them to accept the punishment from the main characters.

When the Duchy of Milstein was mentioned, Bulwer's eyes dimmed slightly.

“Actually, Duke Laird was a very good man,” he remarked. “If he were still in power, life in the Southwest Province would be many times better now.”

Wayne scoffed, "Didn't he die in the Battle of Mist Moon? You've never even met him. Getting to know someone based on rumors isn't a good habit."

However, Bulwer shook his head and revealed a secret that even he found extremely shocking.

"—Thirty or forty years ago, Archduke Laird concealed his identity and studied at Qingxi Academy, where he was a classmate and friend of George I."

"At that time, his name was Monroe."

Chapter 216 Wayne's Well-Intentioned Efforts

"A Research Report on How to Maintain Stable Price Fluctuations at the Grassroots Level" — by Munro

Sitting in the library, Wayne stared at the open book in front of him, lost in thought.

He would occasionally settle down and study in the library for a while, or borrow some miscellaneous books.

Perhaps due to his bias, he only realized at this point that he had actually read most of Mr. Munro's works.

Just like the book I have in my hand now, although I have read it many times before and appreciate its detailed data records and very objective research results, I still only have a vague and unclear impression of its creator in my mind.

He thought this person was probably a...

Scholars who specialize in this field.

The content is almost entirely from the perspective of ordinary people, exploring better solutions to the issues they care about most.

Could such a book really have been written by the "Grand Duke Laird" himself?

—How could that be?

It wouldn't be surprising if Mr. Monroe were from a wealthy aristocratic family.

After all, these days, acquiring knowledge is a significant hurdle for ordinary people. Without a certain level of education, it's simply impossible to write such insightful research.

However, if we were to say that his true identity was the king whose kingdom was destroyed by the Kingdom of Saint Loens?

That's really a bit outrageous.

Although it has been quite common for nobles from other countries to come and study at Seiki Academy since its establishment.

Last night, Bulwer talked to himself about those distant old stories that had been buried under the sandstorm.

Decades ago, the young Laird had not yet ascended to the throne of Grand Duke; he was merely a dashing young man who held the first in line to the throne.

Out of admiration for their friendly and powerful neighboring country, he enrolled in the country's best magic academy under the false identity of "Monroe".

At that time, he wanted to learn how to make his country strong.

However, after arriving in this internationally renowned place filled with the elite, he was disappointed.

This place is no different from the Principality of Milistan.

In some ways, it's even worse.

What he saw was not the country's growing strength, but a difference and struggle even more severe than in his own hometown.

However, despite the disappointment, everything that happened here might provide a good point of reference for myself.

Therefore, he resolved to thoroughly study the actual situation in the Kingdom of Lornes and find ways to effectively improve the lives of the people.

On such a day, he met another friend who shared the same aspirations.

That is--

George, the prince of the Kingdom of Lornes and his classmate.

Once the most glorious years have quietly passed, the stories that follow become rather unremarkable.

These two close friends, who once shared the same aspirations and had many nights of heart-to-heart talks and countless memories of drinking together until dawn, changed everything once they sat on the throne of a nation.

King George I of Lornes, under the pretext that Grand Duke Laird was secretly researching dark magic, rallied the church and other allied nations to jointly attack the Duchy of Milstein.

Faced with such a stark disparity in strength, Archduke Laird was utterly powerless to resist and, filled with despair, committed suicide after his army breached the capital.

Thus, the smoke and dust dissipated, and the dust settled.

Today, the Principality of Milstein no longer exists, and that war has become a part of history.

Is this one person's account the truth of what happened back then?

unknown.

The truth has already been distorted into different forms by different people.

Stroking the cover of the book in his hand, Wayne felt a little wistful.

Even if you've only heard a story, or even if you're just in the middle of a play.

It's always hard to let go of someone who truly existed in your heart and then disappeared.

After recounting these past events, perhaps sensing his own emotional fluctuations, Bulwer extended another invitation to him.

—I hope that Aikos can join the Red Rose Squad as a special member.

This was the second time he had recruited him. Unlike the previous attempt to develop him into a rebel, this time he offered him a perfectly legitimate identity.

Not only can they receive extremely high salaries and allowances from the city guards, but they also enjoy various hidden benefits.

All you have to do is show up when you have free time to make up the numbers.

In order to win over the mysterious and powerful Echo, Bulwer even agreed that he would only seek her help when punishing evil and would never disturb her private life at other times.

It seems that because of the "Judgment of Evil" slogan left behind last time, even Bulwer thought that Echoes was a person who hated evil.

After a moment's thought, Wayne agreed to his request.