Victoria, as a powerful nation with a long and storied history, naturally harbors many of the most legendary races on the continent of Terra—such as the Drach, the Aslan, and the Unicorns.
Even among the so-called "ordinary" races, these are merely general classifications. Within them exist rare and mythic variants. For example, Horn's race, the Lupo, includes unique bloodlines. Or take Suzuran from Rhodes Island—even among the Vulpo, she is rare: after all, she's a nine-tailed fox.
Then there are the Felines—a race so numerous that they are present in nearly every country across Terra. Victoria, in particular, has the highest population of Felines.
Even Exusiai, an Aslan, isn't readily recognized as such by those unfamiliar with the race. Most people would simply mistake her for a Feline.
In Victoria, Felines have a distinct offshoot: the White Tigers.
"I didn't expect Victoria to have become this chaotic. Horn's father, that so-called disgrace of the nobility—the White Wolf Count—will he continue to lie dormant?"
A noble White Wolf, reduced to a recluse by a single Beasthunter, hiding away in his homeland and avoiding contact with other nobles—it all seemed too exaggerated. But what if it was intentional?
Judging from Horn's capabilities, there's no way her father could be as worthless as he pretended to be. It was just like another infamous noble in Victoria—Count Vincent. Known across the nation as the very image of hedonism, he frequently hosted lavish parties at his estate.
Who would've guessed that, behind the scenes, he was Kelsey's contact? Much of the critical intelligence passed through his banquets—intel that Kelsey herself had shared with Daniel Davis.
"You called for us?"
As Daniel was flipping through information on Victoria, Liskarm and Franka entered the room. Upon seeing them, he put away the documents and pulled out a file.
"Yes. I heard some things from Kelsey. Liskarm, I know you've wanted to establish your own mercenary group—I'm willing to fund you." As he spoke, he handed her the document.
"These terms...?" Franka exclaimed after glancing over the file. The contents were far too generous.
"Why?" Liskarm finished reading quickly—it wasn't long, and she was a top student. That only made her more skeptical.
"If we want to change this world, Rhodes Island alone won't be enough. You have that dream—I'm willing to support it."
Rhodes Island's ability to act was limited. Bound by national borders, policies, and its own position, it could only do so much. Just like the Little Hill County incident—Rhodes Island could save victims but couldn't stop the war from happening.
"I need time to think it over," Liskarm finally said after a long silence.
"No problem," Daniel nodded.
He understood her hesitation. After all, this would affect her entire life—and even if she accepted, she would still need time to terminate her contract with Blacksteel.
"Kelsey, it's been a long time. I didn't expect you to come here."
At the entrance of a mysterious valley in Kazdel, Kelsey—who had previously excused herself for other matters—now stood calmly. A deep, heavy voice echoed from within the valley.
"King of the One-Eyed, the prophecy has changed," Kelsey, dressed in a black gown, spoke softly.
"What did you say?"
"Borzchtak is still alive. Kazdel has a new path forward."
"Impossible. What happened out there, Lord Kelsey?" This time, the voice was filled with shock and urgency.
"Kazdel—the Sarkaz—face a new turning point in their fate."
"Come inside."
"It's almost time. Once Theresa's matter is resolved, and Exusiai's sister is cured, we'll head north in Yan to investigate the demonic threats. After that, we can leave. The Oripathy situation needs to be addressed sooner rather than later."
Having roughly sketched out his next objectives, Daniel stood and made his way outside. He already had a general understanding of what the Sea Terrors were—and they were not something he wanted to tangle with. Even if the legendary underwater city of Algo was as prosperous as the stories claimed, it wasn't worth the risk.
The demonic threat, however—what the Patriot described as a thousand-eyed, thousand-handed creature—still required further investigation.
"W, get ready. We're going to Londinium."
"I've been ready," W replied, her eyes lighting up with excitement at the name.
"First, we talk to the Doctor and Kelsey."
Londinium's situation was complex. With ties to Amiya, Exusiai, Talulah, and more, it required a carefully laid-out plan.
Daniel had already discussed this with the Doctor and Kelsey: when Talulah and Exusiai spoke about the future, it was proposed that both should become kings of Victoria.
The reason was simple. If a cure for Oripathy was ever developed, it would need to be promoted—widely and effectively—so that more infected people could be treated.
For years, revolutions had failed to erupt across Terra, primarily because of the infected. But if the infected could be cured, the scapegoating of this group would collapse.
Wages for the infected were only a third of the norm. Their medicine was overpriced. They were exploited at every turn. If a cure came out, those profiting from this system would do everything to suppress it.
That's where political power mattered. If Talulah became queen, and Exusiai supported her, the resistance from within Victoria would lessen drastically.
"Eight Grand Dukes. Hundreds of thousands of troops. Surrounding Londinium without doing anything... people like that don't deserve to rule Victoria."
From atop a mountain in the distance, Daniel looked down at the iron giant of a city—Londinium. Around it, in all eight directions, military camps sprawled across the landscape. He sighed deeply.
"They're clever. By doing nothing, they gained the perfect excuse to 'legally' march their armies to Londinium."
Victoria's law forbade Grand Dukes from entering Londinium—a rule created long ago by the dual kings of Drach and Aslan to prevent unrest. But clearly, the law had no real bite.
All laws are man-made. If someone wanted to circumvent them, they'd find a way. And if they outright denied their validity? What could anyone do?
"So they invited the Kazdel people in on purpose."
Bringing in foreign enemies to justify their own actions—this was the plot of some Grand Dukes. How did Theresis, a Sarkaz, become Victoria's regent? Because certain people had agreed to it.
The reason was simple: the throne of Victoria. Even though it had been vacant for over twenty years, and some claimed Victoria didn't need a king anymore, everyone still coveted that seat.
With the forces of the eight Grand Dukes—hundreds of thousands strong—if they attacked, not even Londinium's mighty defenses could hold.
Londinium's walls were enormous and sturdy, able to withstand direct cannon fire from land-based warships. Its walls were lined with countless artillery emplacements. Under normal circumstances, a frontal assault would result in massive casualties.
But this was Victoria. The city's defenses required authentication codes to activate. The Sarkaz may have personal power, but when it came to technology—well, that was another story.
If the eight Dukes attacked now, the defense systems wouldn't even activate. But because each Duke feared the others might rush in first and seize the throne, they constantly undermined one another.
Thus, a strange balance formed: between the Dukes themselves, and between the Dukes and the Sarkaz in Londinium.
"A mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it—but none of them realize there's also a hunter watching. And that the cicada is poisonous."
The Dukes had planned to invite the Sarkaz into Londinium, let chaos ensue, and then heroically "liberate" the city. In their minds, the Sarkaz—lacking even a country—were easy prey.
They had no idea that the Sarkaz were not only tough, but they weren't the only ones holding the script. Until now, each Duke believed they alone were directing the play.
Pitiful. They had no clue that they were merely pawns in the Iron Duke Wellington's hands. The Iron Duke didn't bring his army because he lacked ambition—but because he held the ultimate trump card.
Think about it: if one Duke tried to seize the throne, only for a Drach to suddenly appear, what would happen? Wellington would be justified in stepping in.
"They don't even know where the Steam Knights are, yet they dare compete for the throne... fools."
Victoria's most legendary military unit—the Steam Knights. Once, they were an elite force that triumphed across battlefields. But after the last Aslan disappeared, they too vanished.
According to Kelsey's intel, they had disbanded—gone into hiding, awaiting the return of the king. This was the ace in the hole that gave Exusiai a fighting chance against the Dukes and Kazdel.
Even though Exusiai had been taken from the royal palace at a young age, she still knew many of Londinium's secrets. Talulah had no idea.
"It's awfully quiet. Whatever, let's go see her first."
While Londinium wasn't entirely closed off, entry required passes issued by the Sarkaz. But that was no obstacle for Daniel. With W in tow, he easily snuck inside.
The once-prosperous Londinium now lay eerily quiet. Those on the streets moved quickly, heads down, doing their best to avoid the white-uniformed Sarkaz Royal Guards.
Having taken the city, the Sarkaz had looted much—no longer carrying rusty blades, but wearing Victorian uniforms and wielding standardized weapons.
"You sure you're not that old woman's illegitimate daughter?"
The person Daniel wanted to see was, of course, Heidi—the girl who, even in her youth, had been infatuated with Kelsey. Upon seeing her, W stared for a long while before blurting that line.
Kelsey had many admirers, but none mimicked her so closely—aside from her former student Ifrit. W had clashed with her many times. But now Ifrit had taken a backseat, and Heidi had become the perfect Kelsey impersonator.
"You're W, right? Kelsey has spoken of you often."
"Hmph." W snorted and turned away when Heidi smiled exactly like Kelsey.
Daniel ignored her and instead spoke with Heidi, gathering the latest intel on Londinium. Since the Grand Dukes had sealed off the city, transmitting information had become extremely difficult.
"The Londinium Resistance Army... I see. I understand the situation now. Kelsey was very worried about your safety—she asked me to bring you back." As he spoke, Daniel opened a golden portal.
"Kelsey! Kelsey!"
Seeing Kelsey on the other side of the portal, Heidi stood up, clearly moved. But Kelsey had already stepped through.
"It's been a long time, Heidi." Kelsey smiled warmly at her.
"Say what you want after we get back! We still have business here," W interrupted, unable to bear the sentimental moment.
"Many nobles have gone missing? Likely the work of the Blood Demon Lord."
After sending Heidi and Kelsey off, Daniel began organizing the intel she'd provided. Ironically, despite the city being occupied by the Sarkaz, the ones fighting back were the commoners. Most nobles and officials had surrendered immediately.
Normally, Theresis would have spared them. But with the Blood Demon Lord among the Sarkaz, that was out of the question. There was a reason people feared the Sarkaz and called them demons.
Kazdel's Ten Courts weren't exactly... sane. Blood Demons, Shapeshifters, Cyclopes, the Carrion King, the Banshee Queen, the Stonewing Fiend—most of them terrified even their fellow Sarkaz.
Daniel had no intention of including them in his interworld migration plan. Vampires and carrion eaters had no place in Datang.
Kal'tsit and Warfarin were the rare exceptions. All he needed were regular Sarkaz.
"I didn't expect this... This doesn't look like mind control at all."
Having infiltrated Shard Tower alone, Daniel found himself surprised by the dynamic between Theresa and Theresis. He'd originally thought the resurrected Theresa would be a puppet. But now, it was clear—she had full cognition. She even still cared about Rhodes Island.
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