Chapter 351 The City's Highest Authority (2)

From their conversation on the road, he had confirmed the Old Count’s terror and utter helplessness in this matter. ‘The time is ripe.’

After a long moment, he finally raised his head slowly and said in a low voice, “I don’t have the power to make such bold promises.”

“If you want to truly solve this problem, Skinning Manor will also have to pay a price.”

Count Albarrez nearly leaped to his feet. “Whatever the cost. You can have temporary command of all of Skinning Manor.”

A subtle, fleeting smirk touched Mr. Wei Ya’s lips before he slowly began to speak. “That said…”

“Although the situation can no longer be contained and the Circulating Knight Order has likely detected it, it isn’t impossible to resolve this before they arrive. To put it simply, we can endure the Circuit Knights’ suspicion, but we cannot allow them to obtain concrete proof.”

“…”

A sharp glint appeared in the Old Count’s eyes. He nodded repeatedly. “Go on.”

Investigator Wei Ya’s gaze turned cold. He said in a low voice, “Right now, that Black Goat is, in essence, guilty of Stealing our secret prison in Giant Horn City.”

“No one knows that place better than I do. All secret prisons have a mechanism that, when control is lost, can push the entire thing into the Abyss, ending it once and for all.”

“However, this time, she made her move so suddenly—summoning the power of the Fertile Forest to occupy the entire prison—that now even we are unable to activate this most critical mechanism.”

“So, the solution to the problem is actually quite simple.”

“…”

The Old Count was already getting excited. He turned, his gaze fixed firmly on Investigator Wei Ya.

After a slight pause, Investigator Wei Ya’s voice took on a grim tone. “I will indeed adopt your suggestion. I’ll open the reality barrier, let that Old Vampire into the city, and create an opportunity for her to attack the secret prison.”

“Use her thousand-plus years of Spiritual Power to break the secret prison from the outside, allowing the Penetration of the Fertile Forest’s power into reality.”

“Afterward, I will even use the power of this reality’s hotbed to bolster her, giving her a chance to confront the Black Goat inside the Fertile Forest. Then, as they weaken each other, I will activate the defense mechanism and push her, along with the secret prison, into the Abyss…”

“…”

At this, both the young Vampire and Count Albarrez’s eyes widened.

Mr. Wei Ya waited a moment. Hearing no objections from either of them, he continued, “This way, when the Circuit Knights arrive, all they will find is a collapsed secret prison.”

“Secret prisons losing control is something that happens from time to time. It’s not considered a major crime.”

“Of course, the essence of the Fertile Forest can’t be completely eliminated. But Giant Horn City has been semi-publicly researching the ‘vessel’ issue, and the higher-ups are well aware of it. They will punish Giant Horn City, but the punishment won’t be more than we can bear.”

“Of course, this entire plan hinges on you being willing to sacrifice the Old Vampire’s life. Otherwise…”

“…”

“Now is not the time to discuss that. I believe all things find their proper end.”

Count Albarrez immediately changed the subject. “But if you do this,” he said in a low voice, “how will you deal with the power of the Fertile Forest after its Penetration into reality?”

“That is the key to persuading the Giant Horn City council.”

Mr. Wei Ya said flatly, “The Penetration of the Fertile Forest’s power into reality can only be neutralized by the third reality barrier.”

“I estimate this will cause Giant Horn City to lose a population of at least one million, possibly even double that. The resulting losses will be astronomical.”

“Although I will do my utmost to minimize casualties during the operation, the key to convincing the council lies in how we compensate for this loss.”

“…”

“I will cover it!”

Count Albarrez suddenly bit out, his voice low, “I will merge Skinning Manor into Giant Horn City. My research has failed anyway, so there’s no point in me staying here anymore.”

“Right now, I just want this trouble resolved so I can return to my family in safety.”

“…”

Faced with this development, even the young Vampire looked hesitant to speak. ‘This feels like a huge loss.’

‘After all, it sounded like this was supposed to be *our* plan…’

“In that case, there’s nothing left to worry about.”

Hearing the Old Count’s final guarantee, Mr. Wei Ya seemed to finally relax. He picked up his walkie-talkie and said, “We have an agreement with Skinning Manor. You can ask for the council’s opinion now.”

A voice quickly replied over the walkie-talkie: “The council voted to approve Mr. Wei Ya’s proposal five minutes ago. They are now waiting for him to provide a more detailed plan.”

“This…”

The Old Count turned his head slightly to look at the Independent Investigator from Giant Horn City.

‘He only just realized it. Before the Count had even gotten in the car, Wei Ya had already arranged for his subordinates to present the same proposal to the Giant Horn City council—and had already gotten their approval.’

‘Had he been certain from the very beginning that I would agree to anything to get him to solve this problem?’

“The Fertile Forest appeared forty-three minutes ago. We have three hours at most before the Circuit Knights arrive. Therefore, I don’t have time to let them review a more detailed plan.”

Mr. Wei Ya, meanwhile, raised a hand to direct the vehicle toward a highway that offered easier access to Giant Horn City, while speaking into the walkie-talkie, “All I need now is the council’s signature.”