https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-208-Relief-and-Unanimous-Approval/12969841/
Chapter 207: No Chuuni Involved
Chapter 207: No Chuuni Involved
"...”
As he watched Lyon, who had just finished speaking, spring to his feet with energy, the middle-aged Joshua couldn't help but feel a little dazed.
This "Little Bavin," whose origins were unknown, seemed like a deliberate prank from above, erasing years of his hard work within just thirty minutes.
Now, the rogue gang he had personally established would not only have nothing to do with him from now on, but the members were already considering whether to take him down, judging by their gazes. If he delayed any longer, even his chances of escaping seemed uncertain.
"...
"Huff... I admit you won!"
Glaring at "Little Bavin" across the table, the defeated middle-aged man gritted his teeth and said,
"But don't think this is over. Once these fools following you hit a wall, and realize how unrealistic your ideas are, they'll betray you just like they did to me today!"
"You're wrong. There has been no act of betrayal in this room today."
Lyon, feeling the phantom pain in his heart, resisted the urge to grimace. He shook his head, his face serious as he continued,
"You can't deliver the results they want, you can't make them embrace your ideals, and you can't give them a future worth looking forward to. Of course, they wouldn't want to follow you."
"..."
"I don't want to discuss this with you!"
Knowing he had lost the verbal battle, the middle-aged man took a deep breath and clenched his fists, trying to remain rational as he negotiated,
"Little Bavin... Whether you're truly Little Bavin or not, I'll call you that for now.
If you're really planning to save this country as you claim, you must follow my instructions. Lead an assault on the Dock Tower, kill the scent scouts of the Corrock Kingdom, and destroy all records of the kingdom's mineral deposits."
"..."
Even in such a situation, the middle-aged Joshua was still fixated on the Dock Tower assault. Lyon, aware that Joshua had come from the future, furrowed his brows and asked,
"Why?"
"I can't tell you!"
After hearing Lyon's question, the middle-aged man's expression darkened,
"The more I reveal about the future, the greater the impact, and the faster I'll die. Understand? And since you're so smart, why don't you guess yourself?"
"..."
That annoying attitude... It's definitely Joshua.
Lyon couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the middle-aged man before him, who was clearly seeking help but insisted on maintaining a superior attitude, talking down to him.
The day before, Lyon had felt a vague familiarity with him, but he hadn't connected it to Joshua because "Sir Nathan" had seemed emotionally intelligent and polite.
It was hard to imagine that person and the Joshua from the palace, whose brain seemed to rattle in his skull with the slightest shake of his head, being so emotionally volatile, as one and the same.
But now it seemed that after experiencing the fall of his nation, Joshua had matured significantly. Even when he lost his temper, he still revealed his true nature, but at least he had learned to put on a facade most of the time.
Hmm... Lyon needed to carefully consider Joshua's words.
As Lyon pondered over the middle-chut, chu-chut, chut-chut... Lyon narrowed his eyes,
"Are you saying that the scent scouts discovered a valuable mineral deposit, and the Corrock Kingdom, in their pursuit of these minerals, might even be willing to wage war against the kingdom to obtain them?"
"That's not what I meant!"
The middle-aged man hummed in response, denying Lyon's guess without hesitation. However, he raised his hand to smooth his hair, showing Lyon his now-white temples.
A sudden aging... So, I guessed correctly?
Lyon's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he considered the information Joshua had shared, understanding why he suddenly wanted to attack the Dock Tower.
...
If one were to rank the twelve nations of this world by overall strength, the kingdom would only place seventh or eighth, while the Corrock Kingdom, renowned for its machinery, was a solid second, vying for the top spot.
This tiny nation, with a population of only a few million and a territory half the size of a single county in the kingdom, was a microstate. Yet, in terms of mechanical industry, it surpassed the other kingdoms by at least a century. Most tasks had already been automated.
However, the high level of mechanization led to an almost pathological thirst for energy. Beyond the basic coal and oil, they craved the lightning ore from the lightning nation of Vandast, the concentrated whale oil from the thousand-sail sea nation of Theo, the sunbird feathers from the refraction kingdom of Reflay...
Any resource that could provide energy, they would demand, even going to war if necessary.
Even the airships that traverse the skies and the docking towers standing in the territories of various kingdoms are technologies directly "freely" shared by the Corlok Kingdom to achieve its goal of searching for energy sources.
The only condition for granting the "power to ascend to the skies" to the various kingdoms is to ensure the unimpeded passage of the scouts dispatched by the Corlok Kingdom, allowing them to obtain intelligence on mineral deposits and energy resources promptly. This clearly demonstrates their desperate need for energy.
But... something still doesn't seem right.
After pondering the situation in his mind, Lyon's brows furrowed slightly.
Although the Corlok Kingdom is extremely powerful, due to its small population, it cannot afford heavy casualties. Moreover, with its possession of advanced technologies, it earns money effortlessly through "international trade." As a result, it is usually reasonable in its dealings.
This nation is not the type to be completely uncooperative; it does not resort to force unless necessary, especially in transactions involving the procurement of energy resources, where it is surprisingly generous.
Therefore, for a typical energy deposit, given the kingdom's usual attitude, it should choose to hand over the mining rights in exchange for a substantial amount of money and technological support from the Corlok Kingdom. Why would it choose to go to war? Or, to put it more bluntly, the kingdom's military might is not on the same level as the Corlok Kingdom. The latter would only need to flex its muscles slightly, and with the kingdom's typically weak foreign policy, it would likely back down immediately. How could it escalate to the point of war?
"Are you sure?"
Grasping the black goat's horn secretly, Lyon asked earnestly, "Are you certain that the future kingdom would go to war with the Corlok Kingdom over the mineral records held by those scouts?"
"I don't know anything."
Although he claimed ignorance, he raised his hand, pointing to his graying temples, and the middle-aged man said with a somber expression, "I've already told you, figure it out yourself!"
"..."
There's no need to guess; your soul has already given me the answer...
After observing the middle-aged man's intense yet stable soul flame, Lyon confirmed that he was not lying and had indeed witnessed the war from the Corlok Kingdom in the future. He frowned and asked, "So, why?"
Noticing that Middle-aged Joshua wasn't making baseless accusations, although Lyon didn't entirely agree with the idea of attacking the docking tower and provoking the Corlok Kingdom, he still asked, "What did those scouts discover that caused such a ruckus?"
"Do you want to know?"
Glancing at Lyon's furrowed brows, Middle-aged Joshua, who had lost miserably today, let out a cold laugh and said with great satisfaction, "If you want to know, then lead your men to raid the docking tower and seize the mineral records!"
Haha, Little Bavin, don't think that you've ruined my plans. I believe that after reading those records, no matter what you think in your heart, you will eventually make the same choice as me!"
As the middle-aged man spoke, he raised his hand and pointed at Lyon, his eyes filled with hatred as he challenged, "Just wait! The facts will prove to you who is right between us!"
"..."
"Also, don't even think about capturing me."
Looking around at the room, where the expressions of the surrounding rogue gang members varied, some even approaching menacingly, the middle-aged man said with disgust, "Don't bother; as soon as any danger appears, I will be teleported away! You damn traitors will never..."
"Your Highness Joshua."
?!?!?!
Hearing his name from the mouth of "Little Bavin," the middle-aged man was startled and abruptly stopped his half-spoken retort, his eyes wide with shock as he looked at Lyon.
The gang members in the room, who had not understood the meaning of this name, suddenly realized its significance when they saw his reaction.
"From your expression, I think I've guessed correctly."
Noticing Middle-aged Joshua's intention to flee, Lyon, lacking a way to detain him, decided to reveal his identity.
Having successfully achieved his goal and once again preventing Joshua from leaving, Lyon discreetly knocked on the small mirror, signaling Yuhua to urge Senior Emma to hurry, while calmly asking, "Your Highness Joshua, I'm curious. What did you experience in the future that transformed you from an arrogant, naive prince into the person you are now?"
"..."
"Little Bavin... you're a frightening person..."
After a silent pause, Middle-aged Joshua took out a silk handkerchief and wiped away the thin layer of powder he had used to conceal his cheekbones, revealing the two small, distinctive, irregularly-shaped freckles to the stunned gang members.
"Yes, I am Joshua, but not the current foolish prince; I am the future Joshua, the last king of the kingdom!"
"This... this..."
"Impossible!!!"
"Prince?"
"The leader of the Rogue Gang is a prince!"
Facing the middle-aged Joshua, who had calmly admitted his identity, the rogues could no longer hold back. The bald lady, a die-hard supporter of the leader, painfully clutched her head.
If the leader of the rogues was a prince, or even if the entire gang was created by him, what had they all been fighting against in the past?
A bunch of idiots!
After looking disdainfully at his former subordinates, the middle-aged Joshua turned his gaze towards 'Little Bavin', confusion evident on his face as he asked, "Tell me, how did you figure it out?"
"..."
It wasn't me who discovered it. It was the other you who had a nightmare, and then Senior Emma and the Director put the pieces together, eliminating other possibilities and directly speculating about your existence. I merely benefited from their conclusions.
Of course, he wouldn't reveal these truths to the middle-aged Joshua.
With a slight curl of his lips, Lyon offered the middle-aged man, who was perplexed, a mysterious smile. Then, he began to fabricate a story, "Well, it's because you've left too many loopholes."
"Loopholes?"
"Yes. Even though you've changed a lot and can even treat an ordinary person like me with kindness, that innate arrogance is still unchangeable.
Moreover, your obsession with saving the kingdom, and that inexplicable resentment towards the kingdom's parasites, are very different from others."
Lyon gestured towards the others and continued his serious-looking nonsense, "Others also want to save the kingdom, but they aim to bring about change and a better future. Your desire, however, seems more like an attempt to make up for regrets.
Others hate those parasites because they empathize with the victims, but your anger seems more like someone is destroying your property."
"Perhaps these differences aren't apparent individually, but when you're together with others and express emotions like desire and anger, you stick out like a sore thumb."
"..."
...
Just because of these minor differences, I'm exposed?
Unaware that the other him had a nightmare, the middle-aged man, after hearing Lyon's fabrication, was already convinced. He took a deep breath, his eyes filled with complexity as he stared at Lyon, "So, in your eyes, I come from a family environment that fostered arrogance, view the entire kingdom as my property, know what will happen in the future, and am desperately trying to save the kingdom... This isn't enough! Little Bavin, you were able to see through the kingdom's situation at a glance and propose a feasible plan. But I don't believe you could deduce my identity based on these minor details!"
"..."
Indeed, because I didn't deduce it at all.
I only infiltrated yesterday, how would I know about any details? These words were just a way to stall for time, leading you to the answers. They're supposed to sound unreasonable!
"Of course, these details alone aren't enough. I do have other information."
Lyon narrowed his eyes, assessing the middle-aged man's expression. After successfully setting the trap, he smiled and asked amidst the rogues' astonished gazes, "Then, Your Highness Joshua, we all have something we want to know. Are you willing to tell us what those mineral deposits are, and in return, I'll tell you how I guessed your identity? What do you think of this trade?"
"I..."
Unaware that Lyon was attempting to swindle him, the middle-aged man, filled with questions and a desire for answers, instinctively clenched his fist tightly. He struggled internally.
After a moment, he loosened his tight grip, gritted his teeth, and shook his head, "You devil... I won't trade! If you want to know, go and find out for yourself!"
Relying on his immense willpower, he rejected the trade with 'Little Bavin'. Fearing he might change his mind, the middle-aged man immediately drew a pistol and aimed it at his own head, ready to activate the Water Bottle Director's backup plan through crisis.
However, what the middle-aged man didn't expect was that at the moment he pulled the trigger, 'Little Bavin', who was supposedly only capable of making people bow, simply raised his hand and squeezed the air, turning the pistol into a useless lump of metal!
?!?!?!
When he saw the toad pendant in 'Little Bavin's' collar, emitting a golden arc light, the middle-aged man trembled, almost popping his eyes out of their sockets!
"You... you're...!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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