The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

"Then I believe your wife thinks the same way, right?"

"Yes."

"So if I said this to your wife, what would she do?"

"She will immediately confront the Grand Duke, because that's how she's always been taught—"

"That's why this mission can only be undertaken by you alone."

Qiao Yelan interrupted the man softly, and Kent opened his mouth wide, as if struck by lightning.

"Times have changed, Kent—loyalty can no longer buy you anything in Windermere; on the contrary, it will make you the common enemy of the other dukes. His Excellency the Grand Duke saw this five years ago."

"But if that's the case, then why did we have to fight that battle five years ago? The current situation in Windermere Territory can be said to be caused by that battle."

Kent still couldn't understand.

"That was an explanation, an explanation that had to be given—if the Duke of Windermere hadn't done that back then, the sharp internal conflicts within the army alone would have completely torn Windermere apart."

"You yourself said that even your wife, the daughter of the Duke of Windermere, was furious and went to argue with her father when she heard the news. So what about those soldiers who have been taught to be loyal to the monarch and love their country all along?"

Qiao Yelan's voice wasn't loud, but it made Kent see stars.

"When they heard that in Londinium, His Majesty the Emperor had been captured by treacherous officials and was in imminent danger of death, Grand Duke Windermere said, 'It's pointless. Sacrifices are futile. We should preserve our strength and maintain a semi-independent status like the other grand dukes.'"

"Do you think the situation in Windermere Territory would be better or worse than it is today under those circumstances?"

The answer is obvious.

Apart from the most loyal personal guards of His Majesty the Grand Duke, the other armies either lost their will to fight and began to give up, or they angrily rose up and questioned the Grand Duke about why he did this.

Therefore, that battle was inevitable and could only be fought.

Once the battle is over, both domestically and internationally, we'll have a satisfactory explanation.

Domestically, he had done his best, even to the point of being bedridden and nearing death, which was enough to prove his loyalty to His Majesty. The army would only feel that there was a significant difference in strength.

Externally, it was a complete failure; internally, Windermere was overwhelmed with problems, so it was only natural that Windermere would no longer participate in the power struggle.

So to this day, despite having fought fiercely with other dukes, Windermere has miraculously remained untouched by internal problems, with no duke ever questioning or taking advantage of the situation again.

Although this gave some nobles an opportunity to usurp the throne, there was no doubt that the majority of the army still had their hearts set on Windermere. Given some time for Amphilis to regain control of them, the internal problems would naturally be resolved.

Although external assistance will be received during this process, Grand Duke Windermere only used a piece of intelligence to obtain this assistance, which means that Anferis's future development will not be hindered in any way.

Is this what politics is?

As a young man, Kent was able to win Amphilis's favor, which naturally shows that he had his own abilities, and he also possessed the pride that comes with youth.

But when faced with the political wisdom of those old nobles, he could only watch helplessly, needing help from others even to understand.

"You can investigate whether what I said is true or false, or you can search through the vast amount of intelligence. His Excellency the Grand Duke will not mind. He just hopes that you can become a powerful assistant to Ms. Anfelis—especially in the political and diplomatic fields, which she is not good at."

"I...I understand."

In fact, Kent had already believed the previous analysis to a great extent. In addition, if Grand Duke Windermere really used the whereabouts of Princess Aslan as a bargaining chip, then he would definitely be able to find clues in Windermere's intelligence system—something that lies could not cover up.

"I'm taking you with me to the Duchy of Wellington this time to take care of you. After all, your first mission is to meet such a person. Only with you by my side can the Duke feel at ease."

Qiao Yelan emphasized.

"I understand, and I will definitely do as you instruct."

Kent quickly said.

If he had previously harbored some thoughts of wanting to spar with Qiao Yelan, he has now completely woken up and decided to follow this senior closely, observing and learning as much as possible.

"That's how politics is. The more you see, the more you understand. Since the Grand Duke has paid the money, I am responsible for after-sales service. If there is anything you don't understand, or any issues that are difficult to discuss with your wife, you can come to me."

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Excellency Qiao Yelan."

Kent bowed respectfully.

-------------------------------------------------- -

After settling things off with Kent, Qiao Yelan did not rush to the Duchy of Wellington.

He still has two guests waiting.

"Thank you for waiting, Your Excellency Qiao Yelan."

Oren Agiolas, the former Cardinal of the Seventh Papal Court, was now dressed in a smart combat uniform and bowing to Qiao Yelan with a smile he had never shown before.

"Young people really have a lot of energy. I've been traveling quite a bit these past few days."

Although Outcast complained, he clearly didn't have any real anger.

"Although His Holiness the Pope granted my temporary leave, there are still many matters to be handed over, which is why it's so late. I also had to rush along the way. I'm so sorry, Senior Outcast."

The old angel simply waved his hand and saluted Qiao Yelan.

"Operator Outcast reporting for duty, Doctor."

“Welcome—and welcome to my team, Cardinal Oren, or rather, Mr. Oren Messenger.”

"Messenger of all nations, Oren Agiolas reports to you, Your Excellency Joe Yelan."

The arrival of the two Sarkaz aroused some curiosity among the members of the delegation, but given their relaxed attitude these days, they were too lazy to cause any trouble.

Since Your Excellency, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, doesn't see any problem—then we also think there isn't.

Kent felt even more awe towards Qiao Yelan's identity, after all, he had heard of Lord Oren's name—Qiao Yelan addressed him as "Cardinal".

Is Lateran going to get involved in Victoria's mess too?

He couldn't help but guess.

Over the next few days, Kent paid more attention to the two Sakortas, but unfortunately, he didn't make any valuable discoveries.

And the mission finally set off again.

This time, everyone couldn't help but show a serious expression.

After all, the person they were going to visit was that legendary Grand Duke.

-------------------------------------------------- -

To outsiders, the Duchy of Wellington appears to be filled with armies and cold steel warships—but in reality, it looks surprisingly ordinary, so ordinary that it's not significantly different from most of the Victorian region.

However, the mission's objective was not the mobile city that was the capital of the Duchy of Wellington.

Unlike all other grand dukes, the Grand Duke of Wellington did not like to stay in the city. He spent most of the year on his flagship, the Gastrill, with his steel fleet.

Therefore, it is also known as the Duke of Wellington's camp.

That was the mission's destination.

This time, however, there was no banquet to welcome them.

Several officers hosted them, but the hospitality was more like a "surveillance meal." They were then taken to a living area prepared for them, which was surprisingly nice.

At this point, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial finally began to do what a deputy should do: deliver gifts, apply for visits, and negotiate with the outside world—clearly, his period of leisurely life had not made him any less capable.

However, the reply he received still brought a hint of smugness to his expression.

"Well, sir, the request from over there is that they don't want formal negotiations. The exact words are—'His Highness only wants to talk to people who can make decisions on the spot, not to pointless discussions and debates.'"

"I understand. Keep an eye on everyone in the delegation, including that Windermere envoy and the two Sakortas. They must follow your instructions here, don't cause trouble, don't test the waters, and don't sabotage."

"clear."

Shaoqing was clearly very familiar with this process—Qiao Yelan went to "secretly negotiate," while he was responsible for making sure the delegation "properly" slacked off.

Watching the officer push Qiao Yelan's wheelchair away, Mr. Shaoqing couldn't help but grimace.

The previous points were one thing, but this "Imperial Death Knell" from Victoria also chose to have a secret meeting with Lord Qiao Yelan...?

However, as a professional and politically experienced bureaucrat in the capital, he was well aware of the principle that the more you know, the more dangerous it is.

He withdrew his gaze and began to read aloud the military camp rules written by Wellington himself, which he had just received, to the rest of the delegation.

-------------------------------------------------- -----

"You look really old, my friend."

"Twenty years from now, I will still look the same. Although I don't have your ability to reverse aging, I can still live."

The old man's posture, as if carved by a knife and axe, was enough to make young people feel ashamed in comparison.

"How was that big show in Lentinium five years ago? I'm a little disappointed that I wasn't there."

"I wasn't there either."

"Come on, even if you weren't there at the time, how could your Iron Guards not have been there? That was the moment that severed the Aslan Kingdom's fate, how could you possibly miss such a thrilling spectacle?"

Qiao Yelan teased.

"Don't interrupt. You've never been one to reminisce about the past—this time you're coming to see me openly and honestly. What do you want?"

The old man neither answered nor denied it, but simply stared intently into Qiao Yelan's eyes.

"Wasn't it already written in the official documents submitted earlier? We want to know your attitude towards the implementation of Lungmen Coin in Great Yan, whether there is any possibility of negotiation, and also that the existence of Lungmen's Drak is actually fake. Our Emperor has already made a final decision."

"Is it really... fake?"

"It's true, but it's not the one you're looking for."