“It's alright, Theresa, you've already done very well.”
Although Xing Chen and Theresa had tried their best to annihilate Victoria's troops, a few of Victoria's soldiers still managed to escape.
In the past, such rebellious acts might have led to suppression by Victoria's main forces.
“But it’s different now. The King is dead, and this empire no longer has a backbone. The Iron Duke, who rules the Tara region, is only superficially allied with Victoria, not to mention the big commotion your brother caused in Londinium—the various Dukes’ troops and energy will be prioritized for dealing with affairs in the capital. A riot in a small border town won’t attract much attention.”
“But such a small wound could still be fatal to them,” Theresa clearly didn’t quite believe Xing Chen’s words. Although her relationship with Victoria was not good, she had a very clear understanding of Victoria’s strength. As long as they sent out an army of not-so-large scale, they could easily wipe out this small town.
“You’re right, but you need to understand one fact—the territory of any Duke is several, or even dozens, of times larger than Kazdel, and their administrative power and energy are limited. They must prioritize the most important matters. Moreover, it’s highly possible that their noble system will lead to a situation where if a superior doesn’t value something, their subordinates won’t either—the same logic, limited energy, they have to do important things first, like getting along with their superiors. Even if a matter doesn’t require a high-ranking person to make the final decision, it still won’t get done.”
That’s what Xing Chen said, but he actually couldn’t guarantee that what he said was correct, and he didn’t even quite believe it himself.
But that wasn't important, because his country no longer exported revolution, so he himself didn't care. He was only doing this to pave the way for his upcoming plan.
Theresa had listened to Xing Chen talk so much. She knew Victoria's situation better than Xing Chen—the Iron Duke would most likely not come to suppress the rebellion.
And she had a rough guess of Xing Chen's purpose. “Alright, I understand. I’ll go design some warning surgical procedure right away. I hope those guests won’t do anything out of line to the Victorians you left behind.”
---Divider---
A few nights later, Xing Chen was sitting at the former mayor’s ornate solid wood desk, studying Originium circuits, when Theresa, who was resting on the soft, large bed, suddenly sat up.
Xing Chen knew someone had arrived, so he put down the casting unit. The two changed into the black clothes Theresa had sewn and stepped into the town’s night.
At the same time, Deepsea's scouts were also stealthily heading to the rendezvous point.
Xing Chen had issued a curfew order, but the scout was one of the workers who had risen with him, so obtaining a pass and password was not difficult.
After greeting the patrolling sentries, the scout walked towards the slum area on the outskirts of the town.
The ordinary Victorians were not to be troubled, and those wealthy Victorian merchants were still useful for foreign trade; it was a matter of giving a carrot after the stick.
However, it was certainly not appropriate for them to continue staying in their mansions in the town center, so Xing Chen had people dismantle some of the tin shacks and built a separate residential area.
The residential area had dedicated patrols, and after a brief chat with the guards, the scout was allowed to enter.
Although not as good as the mansions, the houses in the residential area were not bad; at least they had full water and electricity and were not drafty.
Arriving at the agreed-upon house, before he even pushed open the door, the scout smelled blood.
“You’re the scout here?” The unfamiliar Feline Caster pulled his staff out of the head of a bloated Victorian, leaving a large bloody hole, “Why did you leave them alive?”
“This is what Mr. Xing Chen and Ms. Theresa wanted,” the Caster’s status was high, but the scout responsible for dangerous infiltration missions was also very important, and he wasn’t intimidated by this Feline, “They are both very kind people, and what they say makes a lot of sense. Our strength is still very weak for now, and these Victorian *expletive* can help us grow stronger with a little utilization.”
After speaking, he kicked the corpse's head hard, “But you weren’t wrong either, they really deserve to die.”
The Feline Caster lowered his guard, pulled several blood-stained dog tags from his pocket, and threw them on the table, “I took care of the soldiers who escaped. You guys are safe here.”
“Very good,” the scout nodded, and also took out a blueprint from his pocket, “This is the new weapon Mr. Xing Chen gave us, it hardly contains any casting units.”
“You guys defeated those Victorians with this thing?” The Feline Caster was a bit incredulous, “I thought you won because of that Demon Caster.”
“Ms. Theresa contributed a lot, but don’t underestimate it. We assembled it all from factory scrap, and the warhead’s detonation rate and jamming rate are unbearable. Even so, as long as you maintain a certain distance, it can suppress Victoria’s regular infantry.”
“It doesn't feel as good as the Shadow Casters' masks; with their refraction effect, we can contend with Victoria's Caster units.”
“How many Casters are there? The battlefield still relies on ordinary soldiers...”
Just as the two were about to argue over whether ground-based Vanguards were more important or high-platform Casters were more important, a knock suddenly came from outside the door.
The scout and the Feline Caster instantly fell silent. The person outside knocked for a while, and after receiving no response, stopped.
“I think the medical department is more powerful.”
“Mr. Xing Chen? Why are you here so late?”
“Just out for a walk, William. And to meet a guest.”
The main door was kicked open from the outside. The Feline Caster immediately floated close to the ground, summoning a stone golem and a Stone Shield.
Theresa waved her hand for the first time, and the stone golem instantly scattered into pieces. With her second wave, a speck of dust passed through the Stone Shield and pressed against the Feline Caster’s neck.
“Alright, Mandela, using the Sarkaz magic you learned from a Sarkaz grave against a Sarkaz Caster, isn’t that a bit like teaching a fish to swim?”
Xing Chen patted Theresa’s shoulder, signaling her to remove the speck of dust.
“You know me?” Mandela was terrified by the magic just now. What kind of magic could so easily pass through her Stone Shield?
“Hmm, a Tara person who grew up in the sewers,” Xing Chen walked to the rich merchant’s corpse, kicked it aside, and pulled up chairs for himself and Theresa, “We are not your enemies. We have a lot in common when it comes to dealing with Victoria.”
Mandela glanced at William, who nodded. She temporarily chose to trust Xing Chen and Theresa.
“Speak, what can you bring us?”