Chapter 831, This Is Impossible
The matter of the messenger from Rentam City had finally reached here.
In the original plan, the messenger's role was to locate the Second Prince.
But the messenger wasn't as fast as Wu Heng. The man's already been dead for days before the matter of negotiations was formally delivered.
Of course, when they killed the Second Prince on the train...
The four of them had already exchanged notes mentioning the messenger. At that time, it was still just intelligence, the messenger hadn't yet arrived at Nilari City.
"Who's got the time to deal with that mess now." Wu Heng, playing the role of the Second Prince, looked visibly irritated.
The 18th-level Professionals in Nilari City were either dead or gone—how could anyone stay calm?
The two ministers exchanged glances.
The Minister of Administration stepped forward again and said, "Your Highness, perhaps contacting Rentam City's messenger might bring a breakthrough."
Wu Heng looked at him and asked, "What kind of breakthrough?"
"Maybe we can use Rentam City to jointly hold off the threat from the royal capital," the minister said in a low voice.
Wu Heng's eyes narrowed slightly, a bit surprised the other party would suggest this himself.
"How do we use them?"
The minister continued, "Rentam City sending a messenger must be a move toward peace talks. If we fall, they'll have to face the royal capital's army themselves."
He paused slightly to gauge Wu Heng's expression, then continued, "We're willing to negotiate, but they need to help us fend off the threat from the capital."
Unknowingly, the situation on the Second Prince's side had reached this point.
No one said it outright, but clearly, they couldn't compete with the First Prince anymore.
Forget reclaiming the throne—once the First Prince gets word of what happened, he'll send a second wave of assassins.
No one here will survive that.
Of course, the real Second Prince was already killed by Wu Heng.
Wu Heng said, "We just sent assassins after that female City Lord."
"So, we'll have to clear up that little misunderstanding."
Damn, calling an assassination attempt a 'misunderstanding.'
Wu Heng looked at the High Commander. "What do you think?"
The High Commander said, "Getting their support would be the best outcome. The only issue is who to send. You can't go for safety reasons, and we need someone with decision-making authority."
After speaking, he looked straight at the Minister of Administration.
The minister's brow twitched, but he stepped forward and said, "I'm willing to make the trip and talk with the messenger."
"How many days until we get a result?"
"The journey will take three days. I'll inform you as soon as I have news," said the minister.
"Then set out as soon as possible. Try to get the cooperation deal locked in," Wu Heng replied, voice turning stern.
"Understood."
Then the three of them sat down to go over the bargaining chips and terms they could accept.
They also gave the Minister of Administration a fair amount of negotiation authority.
After finalizing the details...
The minister and the High Commander finally left.
......
After they left, Wu Heng remained seated.
He was still mulling over the cooperation the two ministers had proposed.
Judging from their attitudes, the disappearance and escape of all 18th-level Professionals in Nilari City was a huge burden for them too.
If their identities hadn't been so deeply tied to the Second Prince, they probably would've taken the money and run already.
High-level, well-funded...
They could live comfortably anywhere.
But the threat brought by the First Prince had pushed them to consider working with Rentam City.
To put it bluntly—they wanted to drag Rentam City into the mud and provoke a conflict with the First Prince.
As for Wu Heng...
If things were handled well, he could use this cooperation as a way to shift power.
Diminish the Second Prince's role and hand over the territory and authority to Wen Mansa.
"This could be a real opportunity!"
As he pondered, Glenda and Beni flew in from outside.
Glenda was the first to speak. "The High Commander arranged an escort team to send the Minister out of the city."
Beni followed up, "I was tailing the minister. He went home to pack and said goodbye to his family. Looks like he's really loyal to the Second Prince."
"Natalia told me he used to be the Second Prince's teacher. There might be some student-mentor sentiment there," Wu Heng said.
Xiaoxiao muttered nearby, "The Second Prince must've been a good student."
Glenda added, "Are you planning to use this negotiation to transfer power to Wen Mansa?"
"With the way things are going, whatever Rentam City asks for, we'll probably agree. If we play this right, the transition can be smooth," Wu Heng said, sharing his earlier thoughts.
Beni nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense."
Xiaoxiao echoed, "Yeah, that makes sense."
Glenda thought for a moment, then said, "There's one more thing that should be added to the talks."
"What is it?"
"Request that the Second Prince reside in Rentam City—whether as a hostage or under the pretense of protecting him. You can't keep playing this role forever. Once you go to Rentam City, you're free."
Wu Heng's eyes lit up. "I hadn't thought of that. I'll tell Wen Mansa to include that."
"Sounds good."
Once everything was discussed, Wu Heng said, "Xiaoxiao, keep an eye out. Let me know if someone comes."
"Got it." Xiaoxiao flew to the door.
Wu Heng pulled out a portable radio, connected it, and tuned to Wen Mansa's frequency.
"Wen Mansa, can you hear me?"
After a minute or two, Wen Mansa's voice came through. "Master, I'm here."
"Things going well lately?"
"Everything's great. Don't worry, Master!" Wen Mansa said with a hint of laughter.
"The messenger has arrived. I discussed a few things on my end and wanted to loop you in."
"Please go ahead!"
Wu Heng laid out everything they had decided.
Afterward, he added, "Relying on Rentam City is our best bet right now, so make the conditions demanding."
Wen Mansa asked seriously, "How demanding?"
"You guys can figure out the rest, but I need two points added."
"Go ahead."
"The minister will ask their army to assist in defense. You demand joint administration over the city under the Second Prince's name—equal command rights. He'll also mention protecting the prince, so you add that he must relocate to Rentam City."
"Aren't you the Second Prince now?"
"Exactly. That way I can move to Rentam and stop pretending. It'll all be yours to manage."
These were the two most important parts of the plan.
Joint management would let them transfer authority directly.
Bit by bit, the Second Prince's influence would fade, and Wen Mansa would take over.
The second part—sending the Second Prince to Rentam—meant moving Wu Heng out.
He couldn't stay here playing prince forever.
Wen Mansa understood. "Got it. I'll send someone to inform the messenger right away. Is there enough time?"
"Plenty. It'll take three days for the negotiators to get there."
"That's enough." Wen Mansa added, "In that case, I'll send Hartel directly to handle the negotiation. That way we don't have to explain this plan to too many people."
"That works."
Wen Mansa laughed, "Hartel has picked out a bunch of new outfits to show you!"
Wu Heng glanced at Glenda and Beni who were watching him. "We'll talk about that later. Let's sort this out first."
"Alright, Master. I'll go arrange it now."
"Good!"
Ending the call, Wu Heng put away the radio.
Glenda said, "Now we see how the negotiations go."
"It's just about buying time. Right now, there is no other path for the Second Prince."
Beni asked, "What about the Secret Cult? Will they try something?"
"Everyone from the Secret Cult around here is dead. By the time they realize what's going on, both sides will have already sealed the deal. It'll be too late."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
"Get Xiaoxiao, we're heading back."
Beni flew out to call Xiaoxiao and the three of them slipped out the back door, returning to the Royal Consort's estate.
......
Entering through the main gate.
He saw the Princess trimming flowers with the maids.
She wore a colorful floral dress, with butterflies fluttering around her.
"Your Highness!" The Princess and the maids saluted in unison.
"Mm!" Wu Heng nodded.
"Come with me to the study." Wu Heng walked ahead without pause.
The Princess dismissed the maids and followed him upstairs into the study.
Once the door was closed, she stood to the side. "My lord, is something the matter?"
Wu Heng removed his mask, motioned for her to sit, and said, "In a few days, I'll be settling in Rentam City as the Second Prince. What are your thoughts?"
The Princess looked surprised. "You're letting me go?"
"We never had any real grudge. You can leave when the time comes, but you must never mention what happened here," Wu Heng said as he poured himself tea.
The grudge between him and the Second Prince had little to do with the Princess.
In fact, she was more like a canary in a cage. The Second Prince needed a Princess, and she just happened to fit the role best.
She had even helped him before, and having signed a slave contract with him, she wouldn't willingly do anything to harm him.
So if she wanted to leave, he wouldn't force her to stay.
"I'll go stay with my family. I won't cause you any trouble," she said with a smile.
"If you run into trouble, go to Rentam City. They'll protect you."
The Princess nodded with a smile, then asked, "You look so young—how are you this powerful?"
After a couple of days around him, it was the first time she showed any desire to chat.
"I guess... talent."
"Someone like you shouldn't be so unknown."
"Actually, I'm a bit well-known out there. Maybe you just haven't been in touch with the outside world lately."
"Can you tell me about it?"
Wu Heng took a sip of tea. "Feels a bit awkward talking about myself. I have two books here—take a look."
He pulled out two detective novels and placed them on the table.
The Princess raised an eyebrow, glanced at the books, then at Wu Heng. "Your books?" she asked suspiciously.
"About me."
"Oh, I believe you're famous then." She picked up the books.
The two chatted for a bit.
Then the Princess left the room.
Wu Heng sat back down at his desk and began discussing arrangements with the three phantoms.
......
Two more days passed—in the zombie world.
On the surveillance feed, the five newly brought-in 18th-level Professionals had completed zombification.
After watching the footage, Wu Heng checked the skeleton alchemist's logbook.
The zombies in cells 202, 203, and 204 had wings that had grown to half a meter in length.
The growth rate was still pretty fast.
The remaining zombies also showed signs of wing formation on their backs.
It seemed the zombie virus used included the wing trait—all transformed zombies had wings.
Wings meant flight capability.
In Wu Heng's view, that was an advantage.
Whether for aerial combat or for lightning-speed movement like Shiny.
It all boosted their combat power.
"Uncle, I'm back!" Xiaoxiao zipped through the wall and saluted.
Glenda and Beni flew in right after.
Wu Heng handed the logbook back to the skeleton and asked, "How'd it go?"
Xiaoxiao said, "Three hit level 19, but two flopped—still stuck at 18."
That confirmed Wu Heng's earlier theory.
Zombies that reached level 19 immediately had already met the criteria before transformation, but their Fame had held them back.
After turning into zombies, that constraint was gone, so they jumped to 19.
"No worries. Even if they're still at 18, they should be close to 19."
Xiaoxiao half-lounged midair. "When do they hit 20 then?"
"No clue. As long as we keep feeding them, they'll get there sooner or later."
"Alright then!" Xiaoxiao shrugged.
After wrapping up...
Wu Heng stretched. "Let's go. Time to act the prince again."
The three phantoms merged back into his body, and Wu Heng returned to the alternate world.
......
Nilari City.
In a solemn hall, on either side of a long oak table, sat the negotiation representatives of two powers.
On the left: Edwin, Minister of Administration representing the Second Prince, and several officials. Across from him: Hartel, Rentam City's Chief Steward, dressed sharply in dark clothing and black-framed glasses, along with other officials.
The room fell into a brief silence.
The minister spoke first, solemnly. "Miss Hartel, this war has gone on too long. The people are suffering. His Highness hopes we can end this conflict peacefully, return the fields to farming, and revive the trade routes."
His tone was earnest.
Hartel sat upright and responded steadily, "We also wish for the war to end. If you have no objections, we can sign the agreement now, using the current city borders to end this meaningless war."
The minister raised his eyebrows. He hadn't expected her to be so decisive, especially while holding the advantage—she didn't even make any demands.
All she asked was for recognition of the occupied territories.
In the past, this would never have been accepted, but the current situation gave them no leverage.
Even if they refused verbally, there was no way to take those lands back.
The minister continued, "Miss Hartel, hold on. We don't object to your proposal, but we'd like to discuss deeper cooperation."
"Oh? What kind of cooperation?" Hartel looked puzzled.
The minister carefully explained what had been discussed on their side.
Mainly two things: asking Rentam City to help resist the First Prince's army and assassins, and second, to ensure the Second Prince's safety.
Hartel already knew this, but she pretended to be surprised.
The officials who accompanied the minister also showed looks of surprise.
Seemed like they really didn't know beforehand.
Hartel said, "Are you trying to drag Rentam City into this mess? Or use us as cannon fodder?"
Her tone carried a clear note of displeasure.
The minister quickly clarified, "No, we genuinely want to cooperate with Rentam City. Of course, if you have conditions, we can discuss them together. It's all for better cooperation."
Hartel fell silent.
Then she said, "Peace is the will of the people. But just verbal promises aren't enough for resisting the capital's threat. I can't explain that to my side."
The minister's face darkened.
Hartel whispered a few words to her colleagues, then said, "We can help with defense, but we need joint governance over the cities under the Second Prince. That way, both sides' interests are protected. As for the second point, protecting the prince..."
She hesitated, then continued, "His Highness the Second Prince must settle in Rentam City. That's not just about trust—it lays the foundation for future cooperation."
The minister's eyes widened.
"Move to Rentam City? That's impossible."