Chapter 234

He neither chose to directly hand over the intel nor did he choose to take Leon’s slap head-on. Instead, relying on his own courage, he successfully blazed a third trail…

First, he got thoroughly beaten up, then cried while handing over future intel.

What do you even gain from this?

Looking at Joshua, whose snot and tears were smeared all over his face, still holding his swollen cheek with resentment glaring daggers at himself, Leon couldn’t help but sigh, feeling that this time he might have gone slightly too far.

Even though he’s already started causing trouble everywhere under the title of prince, Freckled Prince is actually younger than his own sister Anna—no facial hair yet, truly still just a half-grown kid. Not only did I beat him up using brute force, but I even stole his “stuff”—that’s downright immoral.

But this concerns the future of so many people in the kingdom, and may even relate to the safety of the Watchtower Palace, or even the security of all humanity. Such crucial intel absolutely cannot be overlooked… Next time when Joshua loses it again, I’ll try to hold back and beat him a little less as an advance payment for this time!

As the Freckled Prince sniffled and began writing silently, Senior Jerry had already returned to the bureau. And after Leon made the decision to “advance pay,” once he took out the Sheep Head and asked the Freckled Prince a few questions to confirm the intel was legit, he immediately pulled out the [Infected Blood Bandage], wrapped it around the prince’s face, reducing the swelling, and then quickly left the royal palace, hailing a carriage to rush toward the Clearing Bureau.

…

So that’s how it went…

Unfolding Joshua’s hastily written future intel inside the carriage and quickly skimming through it, Leon finally understood why the future kingdom didn’t choose to cooperate with the Crocodile Kingdom, instead rejecting their request to jointly develop “minerals,” ultimately leading to the Crocodile Kingdom invading them.

Because what the Crocodile Kingdom scouts discovered in the kingdom weren’t actual minerals—they were dozens of underground lava rivers stretching hundreds of kilometers, along with eleven dormant volcanoes located across two counties of the kingdom!

Both my “hometown” Leon County and Merino County, famous for its wool production, are situated atop a special “hotspot” in the Earth’s crust, harboring almost limitless geothermal energy beneath the surface. If these volcanoes were mined, they would be enough to meet more than 80% of the Crocodile Kingdom’s energy needs.

But the problem is, the mining method proposed by the Crocodile Kingdom is unimaginably brutal—not only would the eleven dormant volcanoes need to be reopened, but they’d even require multiple deliberate explosions! If the kingdom really cooperated with the Crocodile Kingdom, not only would the residents of the two counties need large-scale relocation, but the volcanic ash and smoke spewed out after the eruption of the eleven volcanoes would, driven by seasonal winds, spread westward, blanketing more than half the kingdom.

Next, not only would Leon County and Merino County become uninhabitable for humans, but tens of thousands of large farms and ranches throughout the kingdom would also be affected by the volcano, suffering terrifying reductions in production or even total crop failures, causing widespread famine lasting several years.

Additionally, the tectonic shifts caused by the explosions and subsequent mining activities could bring intermittent earthquakes and large-scale ground collapses. Facing consequences of this magnitude, no matter how much the Crocodile Kingdom offered, the kingdom side simply couldn’t agree.

Thus… one side was determined to secure these underground energy resources at all costs, while the other side couldn’t accept the consequences of mining. With core interests clashing, naturally, the only option was to resort to violence and settle things with fists.

And although the population of the Crocodile Kingdom is extremely small, the hardness of their punches is something the kingdom can’t match. Once both sides start “exchanging blows,” the situation is bound to be one-sided, with the kingdom having virtually no ability to fight back on large battlefields. After the most steadfast resistance faction princess was killed, the kingdom nearly collapsed entirely, teetering on the brink of destruction.

After finishing reading the information about the Crocodile Kingdom’s invasion, Leon felt like some of his doubts about the future had been somewhat resolved.

No wonder middle-aged Joshua didn’t run away during that time but chose to grit his teeth and negotiate with me amidst the chaos, hoping to persuade me to attack the Boarding Tower and kill the Crocodile Kingdom scouts. This was already the best possible way he could think of to avoid such a future.

Besides…

Looking at the dark future recorded by the Freckled Prince—a sky full of thick smoke and ash, the kingdom’s population halving, nearly 60% of people suffering from lung diseases—Leon’s eyebrows couldn’t help but furrow deeply.

Since this future has indeed occurred, it means the Clearing Bureau hasn’t interfered, strictly adhering to agreements with various kingdoms to only handle abnormal situations and never stepping into non-anomalous affairs.

Judging from what I saw today, with each subdivision of the Clearing Bureau operating independently, almost like a disorganized mess without large-scale actions, such a result is quite plausible.

Not to mention those division directors who seem to have already deviated from the realm of “humanity” due to deep exposure to anomalies, even the directors present showed considerable indifference to the massive casualties caused by the Aquarius Director privately.

The only one who might care, the Taurus Director, will soon ascend to a higher position next year. By the time the Crocodile Kingdom invades, the only ones likely to pay attention might be the Virgo Subdivision and Gemini Division.

But considering the brain-swap surgery involving the Aquarius Director, the Gemini Division seems to have a “very close” relationship with the Crocodile Kingdom, making it unlikely for them to intervene. So…

Where’s the Bureau Director? What is the Bureau Director doing? After pondering the Bureau Director’s usual style, Leon’s frown deepened.

Although the Bureau Director isn’t very reliable and loves toying with people when sober, and completely zoning out when drunk, they are undoubtedly a “good person” on the side of kindness. Seeing these things, even if they can’t directly interfere, they wouldn’t just sit idly by and do nothing.

Yet, in the future described by Joshua, there’s almost no trace of the Virgo Subdivision. Even the Aquarius Director, who failed to replace the Taurus Director in ascending, made appearances a few times, but our Bureau Director seems to have vanished into thin air, as if they’ve never existed, and the entire Virgo Subdivision is nowhere to be found.

Based on my understanding of the Bureau Director, such a situation is absolutely impossible. Therefore… In that future where I wasn’t present, did the kingdom encounter some catastrophic event that caused heavy casualties across the entire Virgo Subdivision, or even…

“Woof! Woof woof!”

While Leon was clutching the intel written by the Freckled Prince and pondering what exactly went wrong, a rather urgent bark suddenly rang in his ears.

Surprisingly turning his head, he saw Ms. Lisa, the partner of Senior Jerry’s beloved dog… This adult Golden Retriever was sticking her head out of the carriage window, shoving a hastily scribbled note into his hands.

‘Come back quickly, there’s trouble at the bureau!’

？！！！