My older sister is a villainous rich girl

The answer was as expected.

By severely cracking down on a group of newly risen nobles, His Majesty the King further consolidated his power, and Lady Cherry, who was favored by His Majesty the King, was thus promoted in status.

Although her power was as fragile as duckweed floating on water, she was already the one in the rebel camp closest to the pinnacle of power in the kingdom.

If they want her to carry out any plans, they should be getting restless by now.

Unconsciously tapping his fingers on the table, Wayne wondered if he should find a reason to simply separate the people of the Principality of Milistan from the rebels.

Ross had given him a general overview of the Laird family's current power.

Although Norman Laird had been operating in the capital for some time, his foundation was still weak, and he had to handle many important matters personally.

The boss has to do everything himself. Before, the weaknesses weren't obvious because of Norman's elusive dark magic, but once they encounter a tough opponent, the ship can capsize in no time.

Although Norman, the leader, has disappeared, the remnants' obsession with restoring their kingdom has not dissipated. They even pin their hopes on themselves, an outsider completely detached from any interest group, solely because of Archduke Laird's bloodline.

Is it ignorance or naivety?

Without any powerful backing, the best outcome for these rootless duckweeds is to become cannon fodder dependent on others. They themselves risk being used as cannon fodder as well.

After all, Mrs. Cherry, Norman, and Bulwer were all accomplices of the rebels, and Bulwer already knew that Norman's disappearance might be related to Echoes.

However, Bulwer has not yet revealed this information, which means that he has made a choice to try to distance himself from Norman in order to show Echoes his position.

To some extent, Ross and his associates' concealment or probing of Bulwer was meaningless. However, their bluffing presented a good opportunity for them.

Only the fear of having one's weakness exposed by others provides sufficient motivation to resist joining forces with the rebels.

In the short term, all I need to do is provide them with sufficient funds to keep them under control. Once I've established a firm foothold, I can then take a more forceful approach to control key personnel positions, currying favor with the sycophants and favoring the ambitious officials. It won't be long before I can replace them with a new batch of talent.

Damn, I'm such a genius at courting death.

……

"You mean, you want us to start a factory?" Ross looked at the boy sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, looking completely bewildered.

“That’s right, I’ve already chosen a location, a scenic suburban plot of land, not far from the main gate for entering and exiting the capital.”

On the ground, an entire wooden box of banknotes lay open, and anyone who saw this enormous fortune would inevitably feel their heart race.

After a moment of stunned silence, Ross seemed to suddenly have a flash of inspiration and finally understood the young master's intention. He slammed his fist on his hand: "I understand!"

"?" Wayne asked curiously, "What do you understand?"

"You must be planning to have us gather manpower under the guise of employment, collect a group of people, temporarily lie in ambush on the outskirts of the city to accumulate strength, and wait for the right opportunity to start a new great undertaking—"

After listening to him talk at length and seriously analyze the long-term strategic plan, Wayne twitched the corner of his mouth.

“That’s right! That’s exactly what I meant.” He continued, “Except for a few scouts, secretly transfer all our core personnel outside the city, and dismiss the uninvolved bystanders. Ignore the orders from Bulwer; the rebels won’t risk their lives for us, and our men don’t need to shed blood for them.”

Chapter 634 Wayne's Ambition

Without any qualms, Wayne sowed discord among the rebels.

Ross was deeply moved upon hearing this. All the cold treatment and grievances he had suffered at Bulwer's hands seemed to be healed in an instant when he heard such words that hit the nail on the head.

“Young Master Wayne, you are truly… truly thoughtful! I have fully understood your profound meaning, and I will arrange for men to shrink the battle position immediately.”

“However, we cannot turn against the rebels for the time being.” He analyzed in detail the predicament of his remaining party members seeking to restore the nation.

The reason they joined the rebel coalition was simply because they believed that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and that they needed each other and banded together for mutual support.

"Since the fall of the Duchy, King Lornes has been constantly purging our people in the southwestern territories he has seized under the guise of bandit suppression. Although the long-deceased Grand Duke Laird is still remembered by many in his homeland, no one dares to have direct contact with us anymore..."

At this point, Ross was filled with resentment.

"The successive Grand Dukes of the Laird family devoted countless efforts to creating a prosperous and peaceful country for future generations from a barren land."

"But these people have now completely forgotten the kindness of their ancestors, indulging in the lure of Lornes' money and power, and colluding with their former enemies with whom they had a blood feud."

The more Wayne listened, the more uneasy he felt.

Why do I feel like you're indirectly criticizing me?

Seeing that Wayne's expression turned sour, Ross realized that he had misspoke.

"You...you mustn't misunderstand! I, Ross, will always be a servant of the Laird family, and I would never do anything to disrespect my master!" He hurriedly swore loudly, "If I break this oath, I am willing to suffer the ultimate punishment of dark magic, to be left to rot in the wilderness after death, to be devoured by wild dogs!"

His expression revealed no trace of pretense.

"So do you think I should take revenge on the Wincher family?" Wayne's calm, even tone seemed to conceal a turbulent undercurrent.

Ross turned pale.

If answered honestly, he would say he wished to kill all those who had caused Laird's country's destruction. But young Master Wayne, having grown up in the Winchester family, could he truly feel no affection for those people?

If you guess his thoughts correctly, that's fine, but what if you answer incorrectly...?

"Whatever decision you make, I will obey your orders."

Finally, Ross lowered his head and said.

No one answered; the room was extremely quiet.

Wien remembered that Bulwer had once told him that Norman didn't actually have any intention of restoring the country; everything he was doing today was just for revenge.

Perhaps it was because they realized that the Laird family's power was waning thanks to these remaining followers; or perhaps they felt that they couldn't reveal their true intentions to the rabble in the rebel army so early, lest they cause conflicts of interest with other forces in advance.

After a long pause, Wayne sighed: "I will rebuild a new duchy."

"Its birth will not be burdened with unnecessary hatred, nor will it bear the sins of anyone. It will be a new, ideal city that ensures the survival of every citizen."

Achieving this nominally was far easier for him than outsiders imagined.

After all, if things had proceeded as planned, Wayne could have inherited the title of Duke of Winchester. Given his relationship with the two princes, coupled with his own methods and abilities, he could have easily gained a degree of autonomy in the Kingdom of Lornes in the future.

At worst, we can use threats and inducements to force others to agree, even if they disagree.

Later, I'll try to find a way to manipulate things, whether it's in the name of exchanging territory or in the name of rewarding me for making great contributions. As long as I can get the royal family to grant me the territory that was annexed in the past, then neither the restoration forces nor the kingdom's high-ranking officials will be able to overstep my bounds and act recklessly.

Although this is just a most idealized assumption, he is willing to believe that this is the future he will eventually achieve.

"At that time, the people who were once destitute due to the fall of their country will find new homes. There will be no more Lornes' army to plunder, and no more taxes beyond their means."

He doesn't mind laying these things out now.

If these people truly wanted to restore their kingdom, their only hope lay with him. Through his observations and interactions over this period, Wayne was quite certain that without him, as the symbol of legitimacy and a member of the Laird bloodline, reuniting a segment of the people, the already weakening remnants of the restoration movement would soon fall apart.

Now, Wayne has decided to give him a choice.

If they are willing to follow the path I've given them, Wayne isn't unwilling to let them off the hook.

Otherwise, he would have no choice but to eliminate these troublesome and unstable factors.

He will do some things, but that doesn't mean he's willing to be forced to do them by others.

Ross's lips trembled as he said, "You...you really intend to restore Millistan?"

“It’s not about restoring Millistan to its former glory, but about creating a new nation that belongs to us all.” Wayne looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle from the window and said, “Whether it’s you or anyone else, I will give you all the same opportunity to change this world.”

"I have no need to boast about the glory of my ancestors. Because the great achievements I have made will surpass all those who came before me in this world."

At that moment, Wayne felt like the chosen one of this world.

From Ross's eyes, which were filled with barely concealed fear, excitement, and reverence, Wayne realized that he undoubtedly possessed a certain aura at that moment.

Damn it, the protagonist's halo is really addictive!

"Ross, the most loyal servant of the Laird family, is willing to serve you!" He performed a gesture of respect that was unfamiliar to Wayne with great solemnity.

"I will select a group of absolutely trustworthy people for you. Please do not worry about the possibility of your identity being leaked. I have brought you the list and basic information of all relevant informants. They are all Lord Norman's confidants. Please destroy this document immediately after you have read it."

He took out a stack of papers from the file bag he had brought. "These documents are what I spent the whole day writing yesterday, and they involve many secrets that outsiders don't know."

"Three of them are still in the Southwest region coordinating rear affairs. If it is convenient for you, they would like to come and meet with you one by one."

It seems this person is aware of the situation. He knows that without revealing his true intentions, he will never truly trust him.

Wayne carefully memorized all this information, then used pure magical energy to disintegrate the paper in his hand into invisible dust.

“No rush,” Wayne said.

“Use the capital I brought to pave the way, and you can start by setting up the factory. Recently, many new trends have emerged in the kingdom, and the market demand in the upstream and downstream supply chains is very strong. This is a good opportunity to raise funds for our business.”

Even if you only catch a few trendy opportunities, you can still take off.

Chapter 635 Your Little Cutie Has Expired

After a busy period, Wayne finally got a long vacation.

A group of trees, stripped of their branches and leaves, rushed past the carriage window, but the distant meadows were faintly lush and green.

Looking at the desolate yet vibrant scene before him, his mood eased considerably.

Taking advantage of the holiday, I finally had time to fulfill my promise to Chris and return to my old hometown, Perdonis, for a revisit.

Duke Elliott was quite surprised when he first heard Chris make this request, but he ultimately did not object.

"I happen to be planning to send people to inspect the fiefdoms under the family's name during this period. You can go and take a look along the way. But please be careful. I will arrange another team to protect you."

Chris was overjoyed to have her father's support.

However, Wayne wasn't really looking forward to it.

The Wincher family's fiefdom was far from the kingdom's economic center. Although the land was vast and rich in resources, it was not particularly prosperous. The town where they were born was especially remote, a typical poor rural village. Due to the poor transportation conditions, many people lived their entire lives in isolation from the outside world.

In such places, even a remote branch family that had severed ties with the main family decades ago could still act arrogantly and domineeringly by virtue of their noble status.

Wayne felt absolutely no sympathy for those who had locked him in the basement when he was young.

Wayne glanced at Chris, who was fast asleep with her head resting on his shoulder, then turned to look at Little White, who was also fast asleep and had taken up a whole row of seats opposite him. Wayne shook his head.

For reasons unknown, the creature suddenly ran over with its little blanket in its mouth before Chris and I left, pretending to be crazy. Taking advantage of Chris's good mood, it managed to get on the carriage.

At this moment, its belly rose and fell with its breath, showing no unusual features.

Wayne had a tiny bit of suspicion about its slightly unusual behavior.

Could it be that, due to some kind of limitation, it cannot be too far away from itself or Chris?

“Wayne… is a big idiot…” Chris mumbled absently from the side.

Wayne couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Even in my sleep, they would make fun of me in their dreams, despite the fact that I endured the soreness in my arms to maintain the posture for so long.

He shifted his body slightly to make his right hand more mobile, and then pinched the soft flesh on Chris's cheek.

Chris frowned and instinctively snuggled closer to Wayne, trying to escape his clutches, but she didn't wake up.

The carriage gradually slowed down.

“Young Master Wayne.” A knight in valiant armor approached the window.

"After crossing that river, we will arrive at the Wincher family's fiefdom. There is a town not far ahead, and according to the itinerary, the vassals of the fiefdom will meet us outside the town."

Following his words, one could see a river, like a silver ribbon, shimmering in the bright sunlight, with an extremely wide steel bridge spanning its banks.

“What a beautiful view,” Wayne couldn’t help but exclaim.

From a real-world warfare perspective, the river served as a perfect barrier, giving the town an exceptionally advantageous defensive position.

However, in a magical world, so-called common sense is no longer such a reliable measure.

There's no need for a water mage to guide the water flow; building a bridge with one's own magic is a piece of cake.

Shaking off the inexplicable siege simulation that had appeared in his mind, he signaled the knights to continue advancing.

The vibrations from the wheels rolling over the small pebbles were very slight. Wayne no longer gently and forcibly woke Chris: "Lazybones! We've arrived at our destination."

After he called her repeatedly, Chris finally opened her eyes, still half asleep.

“Wayne…” she said, her emotions inexplicable, “I dreamt about you again just now.”

Wayne smiled. "I know."

"You know?" Chris asked, sounding surprised.

"I'll let you in on a secret, but remember not to tell anyone. I actually have a magical talent: I can hear what people are thinking. I just heard you cursing me in your mind."

Chris's expression didn't change as he talked nonsense with a straight face.

"So tell me, what am I thinking right now?"