Chapter 582

Staring at the young man in front of her who looked utterly exhausted, Princess Veronica abruptly stood up from her chair, her eyes wide with shock as she asked, “Could you repeat that? What happened to the Crocodile Kingdom?”

“The Crocodile Kingdom is gone. All its lands have been completely destroyed by fire. The 1.3 million citizens who survived are preparing to join our kingdom. You need to get ready to receive them.”

After repeating the message the director had asked him to deliver once more, Tom, with his heavy dark circles under his eyes, added lazily, “The matter regarding accepting refugees from the Crocodile Kingdom was decided by Leon… um… your prince. During his diplomatic mission to the Crocodile Kingdom, he noticed internal strife within the Crocodile Royal Family and, at the invitation of the sixth princess, Phelia, helped to restore order.

However, despite his best efforts, due to insufficient manpower and an unexpected natural disaster, he couldn’t save the Crocodile Kingdom. He barely managed to rescue the affected citizens and a small portion of valuable facilities…”

In other words… Prince Leon has directly brought back all the “essence” of the entire Crocodile Kingdom?

After hearing Tom’s recounting, Princess Veronica couldn’t help but take a deep breath. Her beautiful face flushed red with excitement.

So there really are free pies falling from the sky!

No! That’s not right. This pie didn’t fall from the sky; Leon found it for her! The effect of this diplomatic mission was simply… wow… how did he manage it? Even now, she can hardly believe such a huge golden pie would just crash onto the kingdom like this. Feeling dizzy with excitement, Princess Veronica had to steady herself on the edge of her desk before slowly sitting down again. She then nodded slightly and said, “Understood. I will immediately arrange personnel to prepare for receiving the citizens of the Crocodile Kingdom. There won’t be any mistakes… Mr. Tom, besides these matters, did Leon leave any other messages for me?”

“Nothing else that I can think of.”

Furrowing his brows in thought, the lazy young man shook his head:

“The director’s message was what I’ve already repeated. Although not verbatim, the meaning should be complete… oh yes.”

At this point, suddenly remembering something, the lazy youth continued:

“If I must say one more thing, he knows the kingdom has been under financial strain recently, with military and mining reforms imminent, so everywhere needs money. The sudden burden of resettling 1.3 million people is enormous. If the kingdom cannot bear it, we could collaborate with the Alleson Kingdom…”

“No!”

Just as the prince who had already embarked on the road of no return had guessed, upon hearing the word “collaboration,” Princess Veronica instantly rejected without even a zero-point-zero-one-second hesitation:

“Rescuing disaster-affected civilians is our kingdom’s responsibility, and we must do it even if the finances are strained!

Mr. Tom, please convey to Leon that he doesn’t need to worry about the kingdom’s financial situation. Bring back as many people as possible! I’ll sell the royal palace if necessary to ensure everyone is properly settled!”

“Alright, I’ll find a way to let him know.”

“Thank you.”

After politely thanking the lazy young man and calling her lady-in-waiting to escort him out of her office, Princess Veronica let out a long sigh while maintaining her composed expression.

Then, she moved aside the mountain of documents on her desk, picked up a shiny little photo frame, and planted a kiss on Leon’s exasperated-looking photo inside. Smiling brightly, she murmured to herself,

“One kiss for now, and I’ll make up the rest when you get back~”

Phew… finally back…

Walking off the steaming ferry with the jade-eyed maiden, stepping onto the dock of the Yunhe Canal in the capital city, Leon couldn’t help but relax his whole body, feeling much lighter.

After being away for over a month, going through several life-and-death rounds, he was finally back on familiar soil. The previously annoying noisy world seemed cute now.

The constant clamor of canal steam whistles, the lingering sour smell below the chimneys, the wooden floorboards worn beyond recognition beneath his feet—everything felt so familiar… Even the shifty-eyed pickpockets on the docks weren’t as detestable as they used to be.

Kicking down a pickpocket who was cutting someone’s bag, after the victim thanked him profusely, Leon handed over the thief to the harbor security office. Using the five-copper-wheel bonus from the security office to pay for the fare, he then boarded a carriage heading to the Public Security Bureau with Phelia.

The 1.3 million citizens of the Crocodile Kingdom had already arrived by ship at the inner port of Leon County and were undergoing preliminary placement. All he needed to do was safely escort Princess Phelia to the Clearing Bureau and hand her over to the director, which would mark the end of this investigative task, allowing him to request leave.

Before leaving, although he had already told Anna and the others that this trip would take a long time and he wouldn’t be able to return home, this was still the longest he’d ever been away. He wondered if they had gotten used to it… Hmm…

Glancing at Phelia, who was nervously clutching the hem of her skirt and looking quite tense, Leon raised an eyebrow.

Although she was once the omnipotent Apheta 01, Phelia, having lost her mechanical intelligence core, was now just a twelve or thirteen-year-old child. For him, the kingdom was home, but for her, it was a completely unfamiliar place.

Considering her status as a former member of the Execution King Assembly and the last bloodline of the Crocodile Royal Family, she would inevitably be placed under strict “protection” by the entire Clearing Bureau. Even if he tried to plead on her behalf, it would be difficult for her to gain much freedom.

And she surely understands this. Facing an uncertain future, her mood must be the opposite of his—probably very heavy.

“Don’t worry.”

Gently patting Phelia’s head, Leon looked into her emerald-green eyes filled with anxiety and comforted her warmly,

“I’ll keep my promise to your brother. Although full freedom isn’t possible, and heavy protection is inevitable, I won’t let you live a life of imprisonment. Moreover, the General Bureau has too much on their plate recently, so you should stay at the Virgo Subdivision for a long time.”

“Hmm…”

Upon hearing Leon’s promise, the jade-eyed girl softly responded, but instead of decreasing, the unease in her eyes only increased.

So… she’s worried not about the Clearing Bureau, but about our Virgo Subdivision?

Through Phelia’s subtle expressions, Leon keenly identified the source of her anxiety and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow in surprise before realizing something and saying, “Did you hear some rumors about our subdivision from someone else?”

(End of Chapter)