Hello, Arknights

During the outbreak of the Red War, Victoria's external communication channels were temporarily closed. Rosalina was stranded on Rhodes Island, looking forward to letters from her family day and night, but the flow of information was not allowed, and she had no ability to do anything.

Ling Dengxian took the initiative to bring her out, which allowed her to relax earlier, but his team was still missing a Xinhuo who could go back to Black Steel temporarily with Jessica, which was a bit regrettable.

The final destination of this journey was Caraton, a border city. Grey Hat and Daphne also traveled with them, while the Duke of Fife's envoy did not join the caravan, "to ensure that no unnecessary trouble would arise." This was what Grey Hat said.

The women in the car settled down. Rupert was driving, while Sakta and the Sarkaz beside him were looking at the scenery outside the window. The girl Vaifan leaned on his shoulder and fell asleep peacefully with the bumps caused from time to time by the uneven road. A special smell lingered around him. Bagpipe's body was not hot, but he felt like the person leaning against him was a piece of charcoal.

I care so much...

He was worried that he had brought too many people with him this time and he didn't know if they would have enough accommodation.

In addition to them, Zi, Skadi, White Owl and Platinum Provence also traveled together. He had originally invited Black Horn Night Blade, but the latter had to go on a team mission with Ranger Durin and could not come, which caused him to suddenly realize that the situation seemed a little not optimistic.

How was he going to explain to Texas Bagpipe that all the people he brought out were women?

But he soon let it go. After all, he had experienced it once at Longmen, and they would understand.

probably.

……

Caraton.

"Honorary Viscount?" The middle-aged Count Rupert with gray hair glanced at the messenger. Just now, he was told that a war hero who had shone brightly in the bloody war would be stationed in his territory.

It's not like he hadn't heard of it before, but for many reasons he hadn't made any comments. He hadn't been involved in military affairs for a long time, so he didn't know the details. But now that the other party had been awarded the title of "Honorary Viscount" and was specifically assigned to his territory, he had to deal with it seriously.

"Yes, and this 'Honorary Viscount' was officially approved by the Parliament, approved by the new Speaker, and discussed by the Dukes to confer the title on a foreigner." The messenger was his confidant, and he provided him with detailed information when he needed it.

"...Cast and Windermere...even Wellington's signature is on it?" the man asked in surprise. Compared with the Bloody War, the "Nasrsha Exercise" not long ago was more important. Logically, Tara Wellington should not interfere in their affairs now, but his signature appeared on a small viscount's appointment letter.

"Whether it's good or bad, it seems I have to 'visit' this new 'Viscount'." The man's knife-like face showed a mixture of helplessness and bitterness, and he made a decision.

"I understand. Also, Your Excellency, Lieutenant Scamander has returned..." The confidant hesitated to speak.

The man seemed not to have heard what he said at all. He stood up and walked towards the courtyard where he usually liked to relax. He picked up his exquisite cane. Under the sunlight, his hair seemed to have turned pure white, and his straight back did not show any signs of fatigue.

But the man looked old the moment he left the house, and the words he said were vague and unclear:

"If you're back, then you're back."

……

Just as Ling Dengxian was about to fall asleep from the jolting, Karaton finally arrived. The men led by Daphne, the man in the gray hat, got out to hand over the documents. Ling Dengxian jumped out, stretched briefly, and immediately turned back, but Bagpipe had already helped Nightingale down and winked at him. Mostima got out a little later. Texas parked the car, looked up at the sky, put on his sunglasses, and took a nap in the driver's seat.

Ling Dengxian chuckled dryly and looked away, but when he saw Dai Feien, he felt a little guilty again. Then he shifted his gaze and saw the man in the gray hat, and he finally smiled with relief.

Gray Hat was puzzled.

"Mr. Gray Hat, have you told me before what I need to do?" Ling Dengxian stretched and asked him about the relevant matters again.

"Claim the mansion, visit the territorial earl, and deliver a speech to celebrate your appointment. In principle, you can leave at any time after completing this process. If you prefer, you can actually ask someone to handle all of the above procedures on your behalf, and the final steps can be simplified. However, if that's the case, Miss Delphine and I may not come—this is a polite request."

Dai Feien glanced at Ling Dengxian and said, "I may not. The Duke asked... told me to spend more time with this family... and the 'teacher'."

The man in the gray hat laughed. "Of course, of course, I was just expressing my feelings, and conveying the Duke's attitude. Please forgive my clumsy performance if I strayed into the wrong place."

Ling Dengxian couldn't help but ask, "Has your Duke really lost his word to this extent? To the extent that he needs to closely monitor and implement even something as simple as rewarding those who deserve it, which can even help restore some impression? He doesn't usually seem to care that much about public opinion, does he?"

The man in the gray hat said awkwardly, "Haha... The Duke of Wellington is really... inconsiderate of the consequences. Even he himself hasn't bothered to hide in the public opinion arena to excuse himself."

After the end of the Bloody War, investigations into the origin of the disaster were also underway. However, with the exception of Windermere, who was far away on the border and had no idea about the matter, all the other dukes had more or less participated in the "Blood Warrior" project. Under the guidance of their public opinion, the truth was about to sink to the bottom of the lake, but suddenly Nasrsha's newspaper reported that the bloody monster was a disaster caused by the Grand Duke crossing the forbidden border, and published a large amount of physical evidence. Coupled with the written records and reports of the Leithanian war correspondents who risked their lives to go deep into the battlefield, the public was outraged, the reputation of the dukes was ruined, including Wellington himself who pushed for the disclosure of the truth, and the influence of the grand dukes was greatly reduced.

"Also, Mr. Viscount, please be careful with your words. Dukes have always cared about public opinion. If you say something without basis... please be mindful of the impact." The man in the gray hat chose his words carefully, trying not to offend this unruly upstart.

This "upstart" showed no sign of aristocracy at all. He shrugged and said, "Is it because we have a new Speaker now? Before, the people had no choice. No matter which side they took, they were just jumping from one pirate ship to another. Now—"

The man in the gray hat smiled wryly, and Ling Dengxian lost interest, no longer pursuing her. Vina's influence quickly solidified under these circumstances, and she successfully established a foothold in Londinium. The focus of the parliament also began to shift. However, this was a marathon, and a momentary rush wouldn't determine victory or defeat. Ling Dengxian understood this, and so did Vina.

Ling Dengxian chose to have a good rest, and at the same time remove the vines that were tripping up Rhodes Island, which was protecting him, and comfort his friends. He would also behave himself.

He turned his gaze towards Caraton. The people in charge of the handover had returned. He motioned for everyone to get in the car. Nightingale, who was being looked after by Bagpipe, tugged at his clothes and said, "I just realized you brought so many people with you. How are we going to solve the problem of feeding them?"

"The Honorary Viscount has money to earn. I've calculated that feeding everyone for seventeen or eighteen days shouldn't be a problem." Ling Dengxian was speaking when Texas started the car, accelerating rapidly as usual. His cold voice was steady enough to drown out the engine noise: "I'll help."

Ling Dengxian gave a thumbs-up and smiled gratefully. Fengdi scratched his head sheepishly, "I only know how to stew potatoes... I can't make anything too delicate..."

"I'll teach you." Mastema smiled. "This is a required course in Lateran."

"Really? Even I can learn it?"

"...If you put it that way, I suddenly feel a little insecure." Mastema smiled helplessly. They had slept in the same bed together back in Longmen, so it was natural for her to ask, "Are we sleeping together tonight?"

"Well, Xiao Mo, I'm sorry, I want to talk to other people tonight, so it may not be possible." Fengdi gave an embarrassed smile.

Ling Dengxian's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that...

"Texas, can we share a room tonight?"

With a brake, Rupert parked the car steadily in the transport elevator, but it was still a little hasty.

"...Okay." She was wearing sunglasses and her eyes were stiff as she looked through the rearview mirror, not sure whether she was looking at Fengpi or Ling Dengxian.