My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 162 The Worm Faction

Upon hearing this, a hint of interest flashed in the Prince of Wales' eyes.

He gently swirled the wine in his glass, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Destroy Dol? Interesting."

He paused, his gaze fixed on Jules:
"So, what are you planning to do?"

It was clear that the Prince of Wales was quite interested in the topic—but he remained very composed.

Jules waved the wedding invitation in his hand, a smile on his face:
“Naturally, it would be to ruin the wedding.”

The Prince of Wales showed no change in expression:
"A grand wedding cannot be built by words alone, just as it cannot be destroyed by words alone."

“I know you’re here seeking cooperation, but the truth is, interfering with Dole’s wedding is a very troublesome matter for me.”

At least on the surface, this was a grand event for the entire London aristocratic circle, and due to my sensitive status, it was difficult for me to exert any influence on this wedding.

Even if I could send someone in to wait for an opportunity, it would be difficult to influence the overall trend. Mystical methods would also be largely ineffective; Dor had already anticipated this move.

He stared at Jules and said calmly:
"Theoretically speaking, the simplest way to ruin a wedding is to target the newlyweds, but I didn't know the bride at all; she seemed to have appeared out of nowhere."

He didn't say how to deal with Dor—after all, Dor was a prince of the empire, practically standing at the pinnacle of power in the entire country; how could he be so easy to take down?

If he could, the Prince of Wales would have done it long ago.

Faced with a barrage of questions from the Prince of Wales, Jules simply responded calmly:

"That bride is my friend."

The Prince of Wales paused, his gaze turning serious, as he was about to bring the glass of red wine to his lips.

He glanced at Ram beside him, his tone casual:
"Let your servant wait outside—besides, will he leak the secret?"

Ram trembled and quickly bowed, saying:
"Your Highness, I know my limits!"

Jules also added with a smile at the opportune moment:

"Your Highness, rest assured. He has a blood feud with Dor. His sister has been sold to a noble family by Dor's men, and her fate is unknown."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, the Prince of Wales raised an eyebrow and looked at Ramu seriously for the first time.

"Where did it sell? Maybe I can help."

Upon hearing this, Ram was very excited, but he tried his best to control his emotions and said in a low voice:
The Cavendish family.

“The Cavendish family…” The Prince of Wales closed his eyes. “Ever since Dole came to power, the Cavendish family has become increasingly arrogant. Perhaps it’s time to teach them a lesson…”

He pondered for a while and said:
"You can go out now. I need to talk to the Baron alone."

"Yes, I'll be leaving now."

Ram nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with gratitude.

He knew that if the Prince of Wales said this, and the cooperation could be reached, then his sister's matter would be a sure thing!

After Rame left, the Prince of Wales turned to Jules and said in a deep voice:
"This... I'll call you Baron for now. Just who is your friend?"

His tone was even somewhat nervous.

Jules sensed the subtle change in the Prince of Wales' tone, and recalling how the Prince had deliberately sent Ram away earlier, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

It seems that the Prince of Wales takes information about Lolita, the "bride," quite seriously.

He remained silent for a moment, but instead of responding immediately, he asked in return:
"You seem to care a lot about my friend? Is it just because you want to ruin the wedding?"

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Wales fell silent for a long time before slowly speaking:
"Did you know that the English royal family's current status is entirely due to the contract signed hundreds of years ago between the strongest among us and the 'Forge' of Sichen?"

Protected by the forges, the English monarchy waged the Wars of Right of Way, thus establishing its centuries-long rule.

He stared at Jules and said calmly:

"However, it seems you are not surprised by what I said."

Jules shrugged:

"Your Highness, tell me something that outsiders don't know."

He had already learned about these things from the Anti-Suppression Bureau more than once.

The Prince of Wales, seeing Jules's expression as if he already knew about it, looked somewhat surprised, but still took a deep breath and said:

"But nothing is eternal, not even eternity itself is ever eternal."

"Forging, the principle of transformation and destruction, is precisely the main domain mastered by this Sichen."

The furnace will not tolerate any stagnation; it thirsts for change. So, as England gradually decays yet still firmly holds its dominant position, who will be destroyed by the changes that the furnace represents?

This was foreseen in the covenant hundreds of years ago, but everyone thought it wouldn't happen to them—until our generation.

At this point, he fell silent, but the meaning he wanted to express was quite clear.

The furnace will not tolerate decay and stagnation, so the next target for the reckoning is the English royal family, once "chosen by God"!
Upon hearing this, Jules fell into thought.

He had previously speculated on many reasons why the Steam Church would rebel against the Forge, but if this was the case, it was somewhat similar to his guess.

“I’ve learned that the Steam Church is trying to create machines without machine souls,” he said tentatively.

The Prince of Wales nodded and said frankly:
"In fact, this was authorized by the royal family."

Yule raised his eyebrows and said:

"So, what do you mean by bringing this up now?"

The Prince of Wales's expression gradually turned serious:

"Currently, there are two main factions in England—one advocating for reform of the now corrupt and rigid empire, and for the English royal family to withdraw from the center of the historical stage to avoid the misfortune of destruction."

“…And what about the other faction?” Jules asked.

"The other faction advocates abandoning the forge and seeking support from other forces on par with Sichen."

The words were simple, yet they were like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

Jules' pupils constricted slightly.

Although he had suspected it before, he was still shocked when he heard it from a prince himself.

This is not like when he offended the Red Cup, simply because the Red Cup was petty—England's actions were a betrayal of trust from the start!
The furnace will surely be filled with boundless rage, determined to smash England to pieces!

He thought for a moment and said:
"Is Dole one of the factions that abandoned the foundry?"

The Prince of Wales laughed:
"You are indeed clever; you guessed it without me having to remind you."

Jules understood immediately, but his face remained impassive as he smiled faintly:
"So, you believe that Dole's wedding was an attempt to win over the forces behind my friend?"

The Prince of Wales nodded slightly, his gaze deep:

"I don't know the identity of your friend, but she seems to have a fairly close connection with a certain Sichen."

Jules narrowed his eyes, his tone calm:

"So, you must be one of those who disagree with abandoning the foundry?"

The Prince of Wales put down his glass and spoke solemnly:

“Abandoning the forge is tantamount to digging one’s own grave—the power struggle between the Sichen is not something we can easily interfere with.”

Their plan, though seemingly promising, was a self-destructive act. How could mortals possibly contend with Sichen? Even the slightest ripple of Sichen's wrath would be enough to tear England to shreds.

Jules nodded and continued, "So, disrupting this wedding will not only stop Dorr, but also give you the upper hand within the royal family."

The Prince of Wales nodded with pleasure.

Seeing this, Jules fell into deep thought.

Matilda previously said that the wave was about to be revived in Lolita.

The signs of this recovery came suddenly, but combining Dole's actions with the Prince of Wales' intelligence, he still managed to discern some underlying reasons.

It is highly likely that an agreement was reached between the two sides, with the English royal family finding ways to help Lolita successfully serve as a vessel for the resurgence of the wave, bringing it back.

The Waves, as their new sages, provided them with refuge after they abandoned the forge.

"But there are quite a few Sichen who are unhappy about the return of the tide... Can they really succeed?" Jules couldn't help but think to himself, feeling deep doubt about it.

Thinking of this, he suddenly looked at the Prince of Wales and asked:
What support have they secured?

The Prince of Wales leaned back in his chair, pondered for a moment, and said:

"I suspect they have reached some kind of cooperation with the Red Cup."

Red Cup? Jules was somewhat surprised, but not too astonished, and simply nodded:

"Any more?"

"If there's anything else..."

The Prince of Wales pondered for a moment, then said:
"I can't be sure about anything else, but there's one thing I'm 100% sure of—the worm faction has infiltrated their ranks."

"The worm pie..." Jules' eyes narrowed when he heard the term from the Prince of Wales.

Although he didn't know what it was, the worm did.

Moreover, he learned from Matilda that the royal family had been cooperating with the worms all along!

"So, they're still cooperating with the worms?"

The Prince of Wales had intended to explain what a worm was, but seeing that Jules showed no reaction, he nodded slightly as well.
"Indeed, the Worm Faction craves pure destruction, returning everything in the world to the most nihilistic nothingness, and the worms hidden beneath the surface of the world are an existence that even the Sichen are wary of."

"Now that I have revealed so much crucial information to you, every single piece of it, once it gets out, is enough to cause a stir in England."

His gaze sharpened as he stared directly at Jules:

"Now that I have demonstrated sufficient sincerity in cooperating, it is your turn to make your response."

Yule smiled and said:
What do you want to know?

"For example, what is the connection between your friend and what existence does she have?"

Do you want to tell him?
Jules couldn't help but struggle internally.

The Prince of Wales certainly seemed genuinely interested in cooperating, but Lolita's identity was of paramount importance.

After pondering for a long time, he finally sighed softly to himself.

In order to rescue Lolita, they had no choice but to compromise temporarily.

His gaze met that of the Prince of Wales, and he said calmly:
"It seems that a sichen (a type of spirit or deity) wants to revive my friend."

"Si Chen is going to be revived through her body?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the wine glass crashed onto the table, then fell to the ground and shattered with a bang.

The expensive wine glass shattered into useless fragments, but the Prince of Wales paid no attention to it. Instead, he slumped in his chair, muttering absentmindedly:
"How can it be……"

Jules, unable to bear it any longer, said:

"Your Highness, there's no need to be so distraught. He's just a Sichen who hasn't fully recovered yet."

The Prince of Wales looked up at Jules and said earnestly:

"To be honest, you are the first person I have ever met who shows no respect for Si Chen, and even shows a hint of contempt."

"Since you have come such a long way on the path of mysticism, you should understand how revered Si Chen is in mysticism."

Jules smiled calmly upon hearing this, his tone composed:

“Lolita is my friend, and no matter what happens to her, I will save her.”

The Prince of Wales stared at Jules, a complex expression flashing in his eyes, a mixture of surprise and admiration.

After a long pause, he slowly stood up, composed himself, and said in a deep voice:

"Very well, since you have such courage, I agree to this cooperation."

He extended his hand, and Jules followed suit, and the two shook hands firmly.

Jules grinned and said:

"Pleasant to work with."

“It’s a pleasure working with you,” the Prince of Wales said with a smile.

"Then, let's discuss the details of the cooperation..."

……

Ram waited anxiously in the reception room of the mansion.

Although he was certain that as long as Mr. Jules and the Prince of Wales reached an agreement, his own affairs would be a done deal.

But all of this is contingent on achieving cooperation first.

What if the negotiations break down?
The thought of the possible torment his sister might suffer in the Cavendish family drove Ram almost insane.

But the harsh reality forced him to endure it.

Just as he was about to lose his composure, the door creaked open, and Jules walked out with a faint smile on his face, followed closely by the Prince of Wales.

Ram quickly stepped forward and whispered:

"Sir, how did the talks go?"

Jules patted him on the shoulder, his tone calm:
"It's done. His Highness the Prince is willing to cooperate. He has also agreed to handle your sister's matter. There should be a result within three days."

Ram's eyes flashed with wild joy, her voice trembled, and she knelt directly on the ground:

"Really? Thank you, sir! Thank you, Your Highness!"

The Prince of Wales chuckled and helped him up, saying:

"No need for that, it's just a small favor."

Jules nodded and said:

“Your Highness, now that the cooperation has been discussed and the Blue Silver Ink has been delivered, we will take our leave.”

“No rush,” the Prince of Wales waved his hand, “I have promised to bestow upon you the title of Earl.”

Jules was slightly taken aback—he himself had forgotten about this.

Besides, wasn't he an imposter?

"But I'm not either..."

“That’s not quite right,” the Prince of Wales said with a smile and a shake of his head. “Once you’re made an earl, then you’ll be truly one, won’t you?”

(End of this chapter)