My older sister is a villainous rich girl

"Twenty people."

It was too much, but considering the special requirements and rewards of this mission, he nodded in agreement, since he wouldn't be bringing any other guests on this trip anyway.

“We’ll depart from Port Dapros, go to the Northern Islands first, then to Newbridge Port in Stuart, and return along the original route.” Reynolds lowered his voice. “What are you openly transporting?”

"It's a special kind of mineral. I'll give you a cargo list before you set off, and someone will arrange for its reception when we arrive in Stuart. There are also a few minor requests along the way, and my people will tell you what to do then."

Reynolds nodded. Since the entire process was arranged, there shouldn't be much danger for him. As for the suspected shady dealings, he already had a vague guess in his mind—they were probably trying to use his fleet for smuggling.

Nobles often did this kind of thing, so Reynolds was used to it and naturally didn't ask any questions. Although it was risky for him, the rewards were also considerable, and even if something went wrong, the Edgeworth family would step in, so he had no reason to refuse.

"My fleet is already waiting in the port and can set sail at any time."

"Go straight back to Port Dapros tomorrow, my men will meet you there."

After giving Reynolds the new code, the hooded man downed the drink the waiter brought, left two silver coins, and got up to leave. He circled several alleys to make sure no one was following him before removing his hood. In the bright moonlight, a handsome, fair face was revealed – it was Wayne.

He let out a long sigh of relief.

He actually wanted to go out to sea with them, but he simply couldn't find the time to disappear for one or two months. That's probably the limitation of his identity as [Wayne].

When he heard that Duke Willen wanted to recruit [Ecos] to assassinate [Wayne], he was actually tempted for a moment. An uncontrollable thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

—If I can turn the tables and make [Wayne] disappear from everyone's sight, perhaps I can indeed have a wider world to explore.

However, the next second he thought of Chris and Geli, and of their expressions, whether they knew the truth or not, that one step made it impossible for him to take it.

Chapter 744 Accumulation of Power

"The connections between people are like shackles, and no one can be freed from them while they are alive."

In the brightly lit study, the firewood in the fireplace brought warmth to the room as it burned. A thick white wool carpet was laid out on the floor, and several generous cushions and animal dolls were placed on the chaise lounge in front of the fireplace, which were Chris's favorites.

In the past, Chris would lie on the blanket and browse through her favorite newly published comics, while Wayne would sit at the desk at the other end of the room and write furiously, just to finish the school assignments as soon as possible so that Chris could copy them.

However, Chris went out shopping with her close girlfriends today, leaving Wayne alone at home, bored out of his mind. So, out of sheer boredom, he started browsing through the books Chris had placed on the bookshelf next to him, and randomly picked up a novel to read.

Then you see this sentence written by Chris in her delicate handwriting on the title page.

Wayne stared at the sentence for a long time, then put the book back on the shelf as it was, sighed, and sat back down at his desk.

"What, are you starting to feel tired of life in this world again?"

The young man, who was engrossed in reading another novel while lying on his desk, asked without looking up.

"Don't talk like you know exactly what I'm thinking." Wayne rudely pushed it aside, pulled out the "Magic Circuit Analysis" that it had been pressing down on, and continued working on his unfinished homework.

"Although magical girls are theoretically not supposed to be able to split themselves, no one has ever said that they can't supplement the theory and develop new abilities." Xiaobai turned another page.

Wayne looked at it suspiciously. "You would be so kind?"

"Of course! Haven't I been good enough to you?" Little White looked up and examined Wayne's round eyes. Although they seemed to be trying to be cute, Wayne felt that they had ulterior motives no matter how he looked at them.

"Will I have problems with soul damage? Or will I be unable to reunite after being in two separate bodies for too long?"

"The clone won't become another version of your original body. When the magic circuits inscribed within the clone fail, or when the original body dies, the clone will disappear. A single infusion of magic that drains the original body can keep the clone going for about two months." It sat on the table in a very abstract posture, its two front paws crossed over its chest. "After the spell is dispelled, it needs a month to cool down before it can be used again."

"Then teach me."

Many in the capital now tacitly acknowledge that Wayne and Aikos have a good relationship. However, Aikos refuses all invitations, so no one has noticed the fact that Aikos and Wayne never appear together. But if the situation changes further, Wayne dares not even think about whether the current situation can be maintained. For example, Bulwer has clearly realized that Aikos and Wayne may have a closer connection.

"Ahem, you know, its theoretical basis is, after all, the power of magical girls." Xiaobai temporarily put aside the novel she hadn't finished reading and started pacing around Wayne.

"So?" Wayne's sense of unease grew stronger.

"So you need to undergo a complete magical girl transformation, and then the clone separated from your magic will become a cute, beautiful, and charming girl." As if imagining something, Shiro chuckled in an extremely eerie way.

Wayne felt he would no longer be fooled by it: "Get lost, this is actually your real purpose!"

“I can’t force you if you don’t want to, but you can still choose this path when you have no other choice.” Xiaobai hinted meaningfully, “It won’t change your original gender. It’s just a clone that will disappear in a short while. It’s strange that you’re so fixated on the barriers of gender. It seems that your spiritual realm is not high enough.”

It urged him on, seemingly hoping that Wayne could let go of his obsession with being a man.

"Then turn into a female dog and show me first."

"Are you a pervert? Even with dogs?"

Wayne's face was as black as the bottom of a pot; this thing's true form was definitely not a dog!

Thinking about this, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration, as if he had received some kind of revelation. If it wasn't originally a dog, why did it insist on maintaining the appearance of a dog? Did it want to become a dog itself, or was it forced to appear in the form of a dog due to some external influence?

There is no such thing as polymorphism in this world. Magic is simply the manipulation of elements. The difference in strength between mages of different ranks is nothing more than the continuous upgrading of their skills in boiling water and throwing stones.

He thought for a long time while writing the magic analysis report, but the various conflicting thoughts prevented him from forming a concrete plan.

The analysis of magic circuits, however, led him to another question: the practice of attaching fixed magic to swords to enchant and enhance the power of melee weapons has become increasingly common, and it has become a popular trend for some low-ranking nobles to spend large sums of money to buy enchanted weapons. However, for mages, there has still been no breakthrough in using magic wands to enhance spellcasting.

Aikos was the only one who could use a magic wand; only Wayne knew that it was just a prop for show and did not provide any real benefit.

However, just because no one has done this before doesn't mean it can't be done in the future.

If we were to develop and manufacture magic wands with real functionality in the name of the Magic Tower and Eikos, they would certainly be more promising than the existing enchanted longswords and longbows!

The only challenge lies in imprinting the magic that is usually activated instantly through meditation into the staff, so that those who purchase the staff later can release the pre-stored magic through simpler mental communication. Theoretically, it can even allow weaker mages to release spells far beyond their own strength, greatly lowering the threshold for using high-level magic.

……

"Imprint magic into a staff?" After hearing Wayne explain his idea, Professor Conley put down the experimental report in his hand, opened a storage room next to his laboratory, and tossed a carved stick to Wayne.

“Give it a try,” Professor Conley said.

"It's already taken shape?!" Wayne was quite surprised and directly used magic to communicate with the patterned staff.

A loud bang shook the entire laboratory.

At the epicenter of the explosion, protected by two rings of magical barriers shielding both the experimenter and the laboratory, Wayne looked utterly speechless. "Isn't this practically the same as a self-destructing longsword?"

"I tried to inscribe my magic [Vine Growth] inside, but every time I tried to launch it, the magic would go out of control and explode. No matter how I improved it, it was useless. Many experiments caused me to lose a lot of precious materials." His tone was full of pain.

"Regarding this difficult point, I also tried writing to the city guard, hoping to communicate with the staff-wielding Aikos, but I haven't received a reply yet." After saying that, Professor Conley looked at Wayne, his eyes full of expectation, seemingly wanting Wayne to step in on his behalf.

“But I’m not very familiar with Aikos, though I’ll try to mention it. Whether she agrees or not is up to her.” Wayne gave a half-hearted reply.

Chapter 745: We must deliver a powerful blow!

"Your Excellency Aikos".

In the city guard, Bulwer respectfully asked Echo, "A few days ago, Prince Richard came to the city guard to inquire about you and wanted to invite you to a banquet organized by the palace."

“And it’s not just Prince Richard; Lady Cherry and the Third Prince have also expressed their desire to meet with you,” Bulwer said somewhat helplessly. “You know, it’s not difficult to hide things from His Majesty the King, but Lady Cherry knows my secrets, and I can’t hide them from her.”

"So you told Mrs. Cherry about me?" Exos sat in the seat of honor, her expression unreadable.

“I didn’t say it, but Lady Cherry guessed it.” Bulwer lowered his head. “There are only a few well-known and powerful people in the capital, and Lady Cherry knows a lot about Duke Willen’s private affairs, so… But fortunately, we also know Lady Cherry’s background, so she won’t betray us. Instead, she will cover up some of our activities.”

Aikos scoffed, "So, Lady Cherry and you are planning to take over the remaining subordinates of Duke Willen?"

"No, no, no, those are of course your spoils. If you need them, we can certainly try to incorporate Duke Willen's hidden forces."

Bulwer wanted to explain, but Echo interrupted him directly, saying, "No need. Let those people go back to their normal lives. I don't want these scheming guys to be active in front of me anymore, otherwise you might be the next one I come to deal with, Lord Bulwer."

These people come from diverse backgrounds and each has their own agenda; even if we were to recruit them, they would be more likely to cause trouble than help. If we really need people to do things, Wayne would rather support his own core group, with the restoration forces of the Principality of Milistan at its core, reorganizing and absorbing new forces.

"Please also tell Lady Cherry that I hope she is as wise as the Duke of Wellen says, knowing what she should and shouldn't do. If she's too greedy, she might end up with nothing."

Upon hearing this, Bulwer was silent for a moment, as if he had finally mustered up some courage, and tentatively asked, "So, you actually support Prince Richard, right?"

Echo remained silent, as if some memories had been stirred within her.

“Prince Richard… to you…” Bulwer said with great difficulty.

At this moment, Bulwer felt extremely bitter. It was no secret that Richard was in love with Aikos, but Aikos had never reciprocated, which was why he hadn't paid much attention. But she was the Crown Prince of Lornes, the future King, the husband that countless women throughout the kingdom dreamed of!

If Echoes were to marry Richard and step into the limelight, Richard's position as crown prince would be secure, and Echoes would rightfully own the country. No wonder she dismissed the Duke of Wellen's attempts to win her over.

The more I think about it, the more bittersweet it feels.

"Shut up, I'm just doing this for the sake of justice." Wayne was just thinking about how Richard had suddenly figured something out earlier, and he was speechless.

That guy probably also thinks that Aikos did these things because she wanted to help him, right?

Damn it! If this keeps up, how will I ever face anyone if my identity is exposed?

We must deliver a heavy blow to completely shatter Richard's unrealistic delusions!

"I will not attend the banquet hosted by Prince Richard, but I can accept if His Majesty the King wishes to invite me." If it's the former, people might think that Aikos is sending a signal of support for Prince Richard, but if it's the latter, there won't be any problem. And once I confirm my attendance, Richard will definitely come as well, then I'll think of a way to make him back out.

His Majesty the King had tried to invite Ekos more than once or twice, but she always declined, citing her dislike of public places. In the eyes of the nobles in the capital, Ekos was a person with extremely high magical skills, an eccentric temperament, and a solitary and unsociable personality, so over time, few people bothered to make the invitation.

“Recently, His Majesty the King has been holding banquets at the palace every day for various reasons. After all, this is currently the most natural way for the Third Prince to get acquainted with the nobles,” Bulwer said. “His Majesty the King has also invited you, but I declined each time, insisting that you had more important official business to attend to. Now, you can say that your previous official business has been completed, and you have a period of vacation.”

"That's fine then."

……

"Vien Vien!"

The next day, Chris burst into the study in a great hurry, disregarding ladylike manners, and pounced on Wayne from behind as he was analyzing magic circuits at the desk.

"Come with me to the banquet at the palace!"

She made the demand in a way that left no room for refusal.

"Huh?" Wayne was used to Chris's unpredictable and whimsical style, but he still couldn't help but be confused sometimes. "Now?"

"Tonight," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and whispering mysteriously in Wayne's ear, "I heard that the mysterious beauty from the city guard, Echo, will be there tonight."

Wayne: ? ? ?

"Didn't you say you didn't like the royal banquets?" Wayne asked, his tone complicated.

Chris, by nature, always avoided such social occasions filled with false courtesy and arrogant pretension, so Wayne never imagined that she would pull him into them.

“But we can see Aikos tonight!” she said matter-of-factly. “Don’t you want to go see her? My girlfriends all say she’s the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, and that just one meeting is enough to make anyone dream of her.”

This all spread because of Richard, right?!

“You’re the only one in my heart, Chris.” Wayne’s smile was forced. “No beauty can compare to you in my eyes.”

"Then come with me."

Why are you so stubborn?

“Actually, I’ve gone to the city guards several times, but each time they either say they’re not there or they’re too busy. I’ve attended Edgeworth’s banquet before, and even Golly has met Aikos, but I haven’t met her. I can only hear others say how beautiful she is. I’m so unwilling…” She was fuming, not knowing what she was so unwilling about.

"Even if we see them, what then?" Wayne said listlessly, clearly showing a very negative attitude.

"Hey, what do you mean? You've already partnered with Aikos, but you don't want me to meet with her?" Chris asked warily, tightening her grip on Wayne's neck as she questioned him.

"Let go, let go! You're trying to murder your husband!"

Chris let go of him. "One question: are you coming with me or not? Even if you don't, I'll go by myself tonight."

Chapter 746 This is the only time!

Chris is always very particular about small things, which is sometimes her strength, but sometimes it can be quite bothersome.

For example, her insistence on seeing Echoes.

Is it really going to be...?

Without giving Wayne much time to think, Chris decided on her own: "Well, not objecting means agreeing, so let's leave it at that. Anyway, you didn't have any other plans."

She didn't realize that Wayne's excuses stemmed from ulterior motives, assuming he was simply avoiding going out because he was busy researching new magic with Professor Conley. The scrolls of paper inscribed with magic circuits on the table and the stacks of magical analysis books beside them proved Wayne's dedication, but Chris didn't see it as an urgent matter.

As she often says, homework has to be done every day, but the joy of enjoying life can't be had every moment.

Her motto in life is that eating, drinking, and having fun are always the top priorities.

Having unilaterally decided on the next part of the itinerary, she happily hummed a little tune as she went to her bedroom to prepare what dress to wear that night, leaving Wayne alone, bewildered.

He desperately wanted to say he wasn't feeling well or had plans with someone else, anything to avoid the situation, but he worried that this would arouse Chris's suspicion.

She just doesn't want to think too much; she's not really stupid. If you really arouse her suspicion, she might become more difficult than anyone else.

……

As the sun was about to set and the Duke's carriages were ready to depart at the gate, Wayne seemed to have lost all his ideals in life, and walked numbly to Chris like a broken rag doll.

Seeing his dejected appearance, Chris charmingly fanned herself with her small folding fan, which was purely decorative, and asked in surprise, "Wayne, what...what did you do this afternoon?"

"It's nothing, just some reflection on the ultimate meaning of life."