Hello, Arknights

Chapter 394 Edge

A dull atmosphere lingered in the city lord's council hall. The scattered meetings were held twice, with and without the Duke himself present. No matter what the occasion, "dragging" is always the best tactic to deal with forces that are unwilling to support. Testing, estimating strength, and calculating bargaining chips all take time.

As for the King of Advance, apart from the fact that they could not ignore it no matter what, there was nothing else that made the dukes afraid of him.

Caster had already explored the Londinium factory and had made arrangements. The Steam Knights couldn't remain permanently armed; they needed supplies, a crucial issue. For Vina, intent on changing the landscape of Victoria, she had to secure her base before she "drown."

But this requires the Duke's approval. She is just forcing them onto the chair. Apart from war, feigning compliance is what the Dukes are best at.

They are looking for the balance point that maximizes their benefits, and this process is very easy to become unbalanced until one of the parties is suddenly stung in the numbness.

It's a shame that the King of Push doesn't seem to be seen as a true equal.

Only Vina and Caister were sitting at the table. Windermere had temporarily left the table. The Duke of Fife casually glanced at the books beside the bookshelf, but did not pick up any of them. The "little Duke" representing Normandy said that etiquette did not allow her to sit at the same table with the Duke. In fact, she had no interest in the matter. Her only interest was in the King of Advancement, but it was not to a particularly positive degree, at least not to the point that she would put this interest before anything else.

Wellington declined to attend this time on the grounds of "reorganization and recuperation". Just like last time, his army was stationed outside Qianfeng City, and was invisibly responsible for the security of some fixed plots of land. With each other's armies restraining each other, Castle and others were not afraid of any ideas he might have at the moment.

Godotin agreed to attend but was late.

Cavendish was the only Grand Duke who did not intend to participate. He declared from the beginning that he would support any outcome of the meeting and apparently did not mind whether there would be one more person or "friend" to share the cake.

On the contrary, Duke Abercorn, who was affected and suffered a lot of losses, still attended and maintained full attendance. It is suspected that he was active because he wanted to gain influence after the death of Duke Stafford, but he seemed to have other purposes in doing all this.

Vina knew that this time there should be a result. The first of the two meetings was to finalize the placement of the army, and the second was to deal with the interests of the Duke of Stafford after his unexplained death. It was also at the second meeting that both the Duke of Caster and the Duke of Fife agreed that she could consider taking over some of the Duke of Stafford's "interests" in Londinium, but the most important fact had not been finalized.

"It seems that our 'Highness' is very dissatisfied with our attitude," the Duke of Fife broke the temporary peace. He still did not take his eyes away from the bookshelf and spoke calmly, "You have not learned to hide your dissatisfaction with the main meal at the table. When His Majesty is here, you are never picky about food."

“Being picky about food is not a good habit.”

"I heard from the Duke of Normandy that Her Highness Alexandrina only knows what she needs most, and she is not a so-called picky eater. I think even if you, the Duke of Fife, were about to die of thirst, you would not want others to serve you greasy barbecue, right?" The "Little Duke" smiled and stabbed both sides.

"Earl March is really caring towards Her Highness Alexandrina." The Duke of Fife did not have any extra reaction. Seeing that Vina was not affected, he no longer insisted.

The sound of resolute footsteps came closer and closer, and the dull door was pushed open like lightning breaking through a thundercloud. The arrival of the Duke who had left the table interrupted the invisible confrontation.

"Let's stop beating around the bush. Everyone, Kaster, the person you want is here. Let me tell you in advance that he came from my ship. Don't be too aggressive." Windermere's appearance made everyone present look stern. There was no other reason. In terms of threat level, Windermere was undoubtedly the most dangerous person present, even if she didn't carry a sword.

Ling Dengxian followed her ten steps into the arena. Windermere turned his head slightly. This was her request. To be able to kill the bloody source alone, a "safe distance" was necessary.

The cane tapped the ground lightly. Fengpi was not accompanying her, and she did not have permission to go with them. The only thing Ling Dengxian could rely on to survive in this depressing space was the cane in his hand.

"Are you sure it's him?" The Duke of Fife frowned, doubting the achievements of the "war hero" when he saw his weakness.

"When did Lord Fife's intelligence department become so inefficient?" Windermere mocked. Seeing the thick bandages on Ling Dengxian's chest exposed through his collar, he glanced at the waiter beside him. The people standing on his left and right immediately brought up the expensive chairs.

Ling Dengxian nodded and thanked him, then sat down under the gaze of the dukes. He had no upper-class manners at all, and in their eyes, he was as rough as a patch on a custom-made dress.

"Then Lord Windermere didn't treat the 'hero' very well, otherwise he wouldn't have dressed like that." The Duke of Fife retorted, the competition was not about the "hero" at all.

"Heh." Someone mocked him, but Ling Dengxian didn't take it seriously because he couldn't see.

Rather than meeting the Grand Duke, who had all sorts of taboos, in a hazy state, he chose to just blindfold himself and go through the motions. There was no need for him to remember the appearance of these important figures.

"Don't bother. It's better to say that if this person wasn't injured so seriously, Caister might not allow him to appear in a situation that might threaten his precious life." Windermere spoke bluntly. The Duke of Fife snorted coldly, glanced at the unresponsive boy, and stopped making trouble for himself.

Only Vina looked at him solemnly. She had witnessed the scene of the white dove's chest being stained with blood that day. She thanked him from the bottom of her heart for his willingness to help Victoria, and was also sincerely glad that he was getting better.

A waiter came forward respectfully and handed over a tray with an exquisite letter on it. Caister opened the letter under the gaze of the dukes and sneered after a moment:

"Godotin said he couldn't come because of something else, and he also had something else to tell me."

The waiter respectfully took the letter and conveyed it:

"On behalf of myself and Lord Gao Duoting, I extend my highest respect to Mr. Ling Dengxian and all the heroes he represents. If you need anything, please let me know. This letter serves as a token of my gratitude. I welcome you to my manor and will make a welcome for you."

Ling Dengxian couldn't understand the long and obscure Victorian aristocratic language, nor did he listen carefully. He was wondering when he could leave.

"Lord Godoting is really cautious." The "Little Duke" smiled and tried to smooth things over. He was unwilling to take any risks that might threaten his personal safety.

At the same time, her gaze finally turned to the swordsman on the chair for a moment, just a moment.

There are so many people and so many different kinds of people, so the process on the battlefield is not worth mentioning. The result is that he cut off the enemy's head, but he may not be important in the process.

"Then, today we'll discuss how to reward the 'heroes' who have made outstanding contributions in this war... Alexandrina, please sit back down." Castor glanced at the lion standing suddenly, putting pressure on him. "Or do you think our discussion of one or two positions is worth the 'Victoria Honor'?"

Aslan glared at her. The third meeting had completely torn apart Caister's purpose. Provocation was no longer enough to describe this arrogance. Her patience, dignity, and the burden she carried made it impossible for her to tolerate this arrogance any longer!

The harsh sound scraped white marks on the luxurious floor. Except for Windermere, no one could see how Ling Dengxian stood up. They only saw a little bright red seeping out of his chest, and then he tapped the ground with his cane, preparing to leave.

"...Disrespectful!" Both Caister and the Duke of Fife felt greatly offended. A figure flashed in the shadows, but slowed down due to the inexplicable chill.

"Bai Ge, can you explain your actions?" Windermere also found Kaister's tricks boring, but Ling Dengxian's decisive and unscrupulous decision to not give face was too unexpected. She even felt a little curious about him for a moment.

"I don't have much aversion to Victoria, and I still have many good memories of her, but it's hard for me to be more patient with your behavior." Ling Dengxian's Victorian words were rough, but the tone of his language was straightforward and contemptuous. Any yearning he might have had for the golden award was swept away.

"I'm not a Victorian war hero. The heroes who truly loved this country gave their answer with their lives. If even a 'response' to a living hero requires so many important figures to gather around a table to deliberate and hesitate..." Ling Dengxian nodded his wooden cane, expressing his contempt with an extremely offensive gesture. "Then forget about deceiving yourself with talk of honor. It has nothing to do with you."

The cold piercing force of the sword only allowed him to finish his words. The Duke's personal guards took action, and the sharp blades and poisoned arrows flashed with an enchanting luster, blocking all of Ling Dengxian's escape routes.

The wooden stick turned his wrist, and half of the stick flew diagonally, with wood chips flying everywhere and even piercing the cloth above his eyes. The green blade light fluttered, and the rest of the murderous intent was all blocked by the film. The beautiful floor reflected all kinds of ugliness.

"Windermere."

"Kaster." Windermere put away the sharp blade in his sleeve, his eyes cold and stern, "You can also be anxious."

"Factually speaking, he is still a 'war hero,' even if he doesn't admit it and you don't recognize it, he actually is."

Caister also knew what "facts" she was referring to. He then shook his head, stood up, and said coldly, "Then let's talk about other things...

"For example, Ling Dengxian, what is your relationship with the Longmen Governor of Yan Country?"

"What's the relationship? I used to be his employee and was taken care of by him, so what?" Ling Dengxian was not surprised at all. He set out from Victoria, and these dukes could easily find out everything about him. He knew it when they called him by his real name instead of a code name.

"Putting aside how sensitive this matter is, you can use the Cloud Breaking Sword. Is this just a simple relationship?"

Ling Dengxian laughed, feeling the absurdity of the other party's argument until he touched on his own area of ​​expertise. He chuckled softly and asked Windermere, "Sir, what do you think?"

"...Cast, that wasn't Cloud Rift, it was just a sword that looked similar. I can guarantee that." Windermere nodded in surprise. She was happy to see Caster's embarrassment.

"..."

"I...'seen' Governor Wei's Yun Lie. I just happened to have a little talent, so I just imitated him." Ling Dengxian stood very steadily. Windermere looked at him but did not move away.

"I don't want to bother myself with this anymore, everyone. I don't see any Duke of Victoria except Lord Windermere. Don't try to stop me. I can replace any of you even now."

"It's up to you whether you want to expel me or assassinate me afterwards—"

"Kid, not really." Windermere smiled, not denying what he had just said. At this moment, the broken end of the wooden splinter in the boy's hand seemed to flash with a cold light. "It's just that I offended two narrow-minded people. If something happened to you, these two people would be in trouble."

“…” Ling Dengxian was silent for a moment, and finally nodded.

"I won't stay any longer. I've held enough meetings like this with Lien Carden. Just like what this kid said, patience is always limited, especially when faced with arrogance." Windermere shrugged, broke the distance and patted his shoulder. "Let's go. I'm suddenly interested in you - are you interested in becoming a teacher?"

“…” Although Ling Dengxian didn’t open his eyes, he still looked away.

The door behind him closed heavily. It had just been opened a few minutes ago. Windermere suddenly asked curiously:

"You said you've only seen Wei Yanwu use that sword move?"

"There is no room for falsehood. After all, Old Deng wouldn't just chop clouds for fun every day." Ling Dengxian didn't give Moulong any face.

Wei Yanwu, who was far away in Longmen, sneezed.

"After seeing my sword, can you learn a few moves from it?" It had been a long time since Windermere had shown such an expression because of "swordsmanship".

"..."

"What's wrong? Is it difficult?"

"No," Ling Dengxian turned his head. "Before I completely mastered the Chixiao Sword Technique, Wei Yanwu warned me not to blindly learn other people's sword techniques, as it could easily lead to trouble."

……

"...Alexandrina, it's easy for you to get the crown. You are justified and more suitable than anyone else. No one can stop you given the current high public opinion, but you yourself rejected this proposal." The unpleasant atmosphere still had some influence, and the torn face was no longer able to support the nobles' tricks. Caister no longer concealed his minions.

"I think there's something to be said about Earl March just now." Vina took a deep breath, and her eyebrows slightly raised at the mention of the "little duke": "Vina, just call me Eleanor."

Vina didn't respond, but stopped expressing her anger and sat back down. "I'm sitting here at the same table with you. Your unhappiness isn't because I'm picky about food. What you're really unhappy about is..."

"I don't actually need to wait for you to bring the food. 'We' are capable of cooking for ourselves - if we don't consider the sacrifice, we can sit at the same table without forcing ourselves."

Sharp, confrontational, even arrogant.

"A bad idea." The Duke of Fife sneered and shook his head. "You're not even as good as that lunatic just now."

"He is a war hero, I just... fell into this table." Vina looked at the chair where the white dove had sat. The scattered sharp blades reflected an uncomfortable light. In the hallucination, they seemed to be pointed at her. She felt lonely.

Kaister sneered and stopped being stubborn.

The meeting ended, and the King of Advancement, Alexandrina Vina Victoria, became the Speaker of the Londinium Parliament. She was supported by the Steam Knights and inherited some of the Duke of Stafford's rights and interests in Londinium.

As for Mou Ling, he stood awkwardly with Delphine, who was pushed next to him by Windermere, looking at Texas and Mostima. The strange looks from the two women made him speechless.

Daphne looked at him, not understanding why he was silent.