My queen is rebelling!

In the Office of the Grand Justice, Gore's hands were clenched tightly, his knuckles slightly white from the force.

His usual composure and calmness had vanished without a trace, replaced by a look of panic in his eyes, darting nervously towards the door.

He had received accurate information that Prince Haug of the Senate had sent people to the Kingdom of Ceylon to investigate a man named William.

When he first received this news, it almost gave him a heart attack.

Their investigation was progressing too quickly!

How could those old fogeys in the Senate, who only knew how to sit in their offices, point fingers, and make trouble, be so efficient all of a sudden!

How could they have found William so quickly?

He had cleaned up his tracks very thoroughly; it shouldn't be possible.

But now was not the time for complaints. No matter what Prince Haug found, as long as there was no William to testify, no one could connect the case to him.

Even Prince Haug could not accuse a senior cabinet minister without evidence.

Soon, a knock came at the door.

Gore took a few deep breaths, checked himself in the mirror, wiped the sweat from his forehead, straightened his attire, and his voice returned to its usual steady and dignified tone:

"Enter."

Herman pushed the door open and entered. Gore perked up instantly upon seeing him, lowering his voice to ask:

"Have you gotten any other news from your old friend?"

Herman's position in Gore's eyes had risen sharply.

If he hadn't told him that Prince Haug had sent people to the Kingdom of Ceylon to investigate William, he would still be in the dark!

Herman's expression remained unchanged as he replied softly:

"My old friend is just a clerk in the Senate, with limited access to information.

However, he said that Prince Haug has been in a bad mood these past few days.

He severely scolded several officials in charge of Ceylon affairs.

He suspects that there hasn't been much progress in finding William."

The Grand Justice's expression softened considerably. It seemed there was still time.

Indeed, with only a name and so much time having passed, finding William would definitely not be an easy task.

He had overreacted a bit.

A moment of hesitation flashed through Gore's mind: should he call off the operation against William?

After all, he was an old partner, a childhood friend he had grown up with…

Soon, this moment of hesitation was dispelled by the Queen's ruthless and decisive methods.

No, he couldn't gamble. He hardened his heart quickly.

The path to power was full of betrayal and bloodshed.

There was no room for any soft-heartedness!

Gore gradually calmed down, patting Herman on the shoulder:

"Well done!

Herman, keep up the good work, and I won't treat you unfairly."

As he spoke, he handed Herman an envelope:

"Public matters are public, and private matters are private.

Your old friend must spare no effort to do more work, understand?"

Herman politely declined a few times before accepting it.

He understood that if he didn't accept it, he wouldn't gain the other party's trust.

Senior leaders always needed to hold the reins of their subordinates to use them with more confidence.

Soon, a rapid knock sounded, followed by the voice of the Grand Justice's executive secretary, Gutavo:

"Your Excellency, it's me."

"Come in."

Gutavo entered, covered in dust from travel. He was about to speak when he noticed there was an outsider present.

Seeing that it was Herman, a warm smile appeared on his face:

"Herman is here too. If Your Excellency is busy, I'll come back later."

Gore said directly:

"No need. Herman is not an outsider. Speak."

Gutavo's expression faltered, and his lips moved slightly.

Herman immediately understood, standing up to say:

"I'm really sorry, Your Excellency, but I haven't finished writing those materials you asked for. You see…"

Gore's eyes flashed with appreciation, the kind of appreciation for a promising young man.

He said gently:

"Then go ahead and get busy. Don't rush to leave after work tonight. Let's have a simple meal together."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

After Herman left, Gutavo looked around and placed a barrier to block any prying eyes, his voice very soft:

"Theodore has been arranged. Three Gold-ranked individuals will depart overnight tomorrow night.

They will be using their own secret guards, so no one will know.

If all goes well, everything can be resolved the day after tomorrow."

Gore completely relaxed, leaning back on the large office sofa.

Gutavo got up to make him a cup of tea, saying:

"However, Theodore is still quite curious about this matter, subtly inquiring about Your Excellency's relationship with this William.

I don't know if it's his own idea or the Dupont family's."

Gore snorted coldly:

"A pack of ungrateful bastards, always thinking about taking the lead.

They should think about it: without me in this position shielding them, could their plan go so smoothly?

Ignore them; they're just dogs for someone else.

By the way, after you finish things here, go investigate Herman's detailed background. We still don't have enough manpower."

Gutavo's expression changed slightly. The Grand Justice meant to bring Herman over to his side.

…

Late at night, Cohen received intelligence from Herman again.

According to Herman, Grand Justice Gore was in a particularly good mood today.

They had a simple meal together in the evening, and he even drank a lot of wine, which was rare.

When he left, Herman personally escorted Gore, taking him directly to the home of his favorite mistress.

Since learning that Prince Haug had investigated William, this was the first time in so many days that Gore had spent the night at his mistress's house.

All of these changes began after his executive secretary, Gutavo, returned from the Dupont family.

Herman speculated that the Dupont family was preparing to eliminate William for Gore, and that they were very confident, otherwise Gore wouldn't be so relaxed.

Cohen read the intelligence and fell into deep thought.

If I were Gore, and I wanted to eliminate my old partner, I definitely wouldn't use the people around me.

Otherwise, it would be like telling others that I was killing someone to silence them.

Of course, this kind of thing couldn't be casually entrusted to just anyone.

The Dupont family, only the Dupont family, who had a deeper level of cooperation with Gore, would be most suitable.

Herman's speculation was correct. Cohen also believed that the Dupont family was most likely to take action to eliminate this potential threat for Gore.

Should he send someone to keep an eye on the Dupont family?

Cohen shook his head slightly.

Such a large family couldn't be without hidden forces. Just keeping an eye on the Dupont family would definitely not yield any valuable information.

Then what should he do?

Cohen's eyes lit up slightly, and he quickly had an idea.

Perhaps he needed to meet that young master of the Dupont family again!

He heard that this kid was still looking everywhere for "Elven Sacred Fruit"!

…

The Dupont family heir, Bogus Dupont, looked even paler than before.

He looked earnestly at his father, the current Viscount Dupont, who sat in the main seat, and said:

"Father, I heard that the northern auction house of the Western Regions Empire has Elven Sacred Fruit for sale. I'd like to take a few people to take a look."

Viscount Dupont's expression turned extremely enigmatic, as if he could see through his son's thoughts with a single glance. He asked calmly:

"Who do you want to take?"

Boggs's eyes darted around as he tentatively inquired:

"I saw Uncle contacting the Shadow Guards a few days ago. Are the Shadow Guards going to be deployed?"

Viscount Dupont remained noncommittal, simply gazing at his son with a calm expression.

Boggs continued:

"Since the Shadow Guards are being deployed, can you lend me two of them along the way?

Having Gold-rank guards would make auctioning the Holy Fruit in the Western Regions Empire much safer."

Viscount Dupont shook his head:

"The Shadow Guards have another mission and can't spare anyone for you.

As for the Elven Holy Fruit, you should continue to seek out Vessell.

The 'Pale Wings' definitely has more Elven Holy Fruits on hand.

The reason they're not giving it to you is simply to hold out for a better price. Be patient, and you'll get it sooner or later."

Disappointment flashed in Boggs's eyes. Sooner or later…

Who knew how late that 'sooner or later' would be?

He, the heir to a viscount family, was stuck with a broken arm every day, afraid to even leave his house.

Was a noble still a noble without social interaction in high society?

Seeing that his father wouldn't agree to let him use the Shadow Guards, relying solely on the Dupont family's visible forces…

…was simply not enough to safely auction that Elven Holy Fruit in the Western Regions Empire.

Boggs sighed and returned to his room.

However, his foul mood was quickly swept away by the arrival of a message.

The person in charge of 'Pale Wings' in Florence, that bastard Vessell, was actually taking the initiative to ask to meet him!

Boggs was immediately excited and rushed to 'Pale Wings'.

When he arrived, Vessell was already waiting for him, calm and composed.

Upon seeing Vessell, Boggs directly asked:

"Is there news about the Elven Holy Fruit?!"

Vessell calmly began to brew black tea:

"Young Master Dupont, there's no need to be so anxious. Have a drink of water first."

Boggs slowly sat down, but the anxious expression on his face couldn't be concealed.

Vessell brewed the black tea, poured a cup for Boggs, and said softly:

"Indeed, there's good news to tell Young Master Dupont.

The Elven Holy Fruit you've been longing for does indeed have some progress."

Boggs stood up again, his face filled with excitement:

"Really… really?

Thank you so much, Mr. Adam.

Whatever conditions you need, just name them…"

Vessell smiled:

"Don't be impatient, drink some water first to calm down."

Boggs sat down again, absentmindedly drinking the black tea in his cup in one gulp.

Vessell refilled the cup and continued:

"However, this Elven Holy Fruit doesn't belong to our 'Pale Wings', but to a merchant from the Western Regions Empire.

He's proposed meeting with you in person to discuss the details."

After drinking a cup of black tea, Boggs felt a slight itch in his throat and quickly downed another cup. He loosened his tie and hurriedly asked:

"Where is he, where's the person?

We can meet and talk!"

Vessell stood up and said:

"Then please wait a moment, I'll go get him."

After Vessell left, Boggs was alone in the room.

His excitement lingered for a long time.

The thing he had been waiting for so long was finally within reach, and he got up and paced back and forth in the room.

Soon, he found himself particularly thirsty today, and seeing the black tea on the table, he directly grabbed the kettle and poured it into his mouth.

In the next room, a magic stone clearly monitored the scene inside.

Cohen said:

"Are you sure the dosage of the potion is right? Don't turn this kid into an idiot later."

Vessell replied:

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

As they spoke, Boggs had already become drowsy and fell asleep on the sofa.

Cohen didn't hesitate any longer and led Nephthys into Boggs's room.

Vessell tactfully left.

Cohen said to Nephthys:

"Although he's a Fourth-Order, his willpower attribute is very poor, and with the help of 'Insight', you should be able to give it a try."

Nephthys nodded solemnly.

She slowly raised her hand, her eyes deep and focused, as if she could penetrate the mists of the mind.

As she softly chanted an incantation, the 'Insight' on her hand emitted a faint glow.

A faint ray of light flowed from her fingertips and slowly seeped into Boggs's consciousness.

Nephthys began to whisper, her voice like a sound from a distant dream, carrying a bewitching power.

Boggs's eyelids trembled slightly, as if responding to this mysterious summons.

Nephthys's voice suddenly became urgent and stern, like a sharp blade, piercing directly into the depths of Boggs's heart.

A look of painful convulsions appeared on Boggs's face, his consciousness instinctively resisting the intrusion of the mind mage, but his resistance was destined to be pale and weak.

Finally, Nephthys breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said:

"Sir, I can only maintain it for two minutes, you must ask quickly."

Cohen nodded and asked:

"Name?"

Boggs muttered:

"Boggs Dupont."

"Identity?"

"Heir to the Dupont family."

"Who is the most powerful person in your family?

What is their level?"

A trace of struggle appeared on Boggs's face, and his voice became even more intermittent:

"My… my father, Kinwaring Dupont…

He… he is a Legend…"

A look of surprise appeared on Cohen's face. Viscount Dupont had actually become a Legend!

Logically speaking, there must be an anomaly when breaking through to the Legend rank, but he was able to hide it so well!

There was only one possibility: Viscount Dupont broke through in a secret realm or ruin that could conceal the anomaly.

That is to say, the Dupont family controls at least one precious secret realm or ruin!

Cohen continued to ask:

"Does your family have any hidden forces?"

A look of pain instantly appeared on Boggs's face. Seeing this, Nephthys accelerated her spellcasting.

The light became even more intense.

Boggs said with difficulty:

"Yes… yes."

"Where?"

"South… Southern Manor…"

Cohen's eyes darkened. The Southern Manor was a royal property, and the Dupont family's Shadow Guards were actually inside!

This Dupont family was truly not to be underestimated!

He gave Nephthys a look, and the latter stopped casting the spell.

Seeing that Boggs was showing signs of waking up, the two quickly left the room.

Boggs woke up groggily, feeling dizzy, and found Vessell looking at him with a strange expression.

A wealthy middle-aged merchant was sitting next to him.

Vessell gave a knowing, ambiguous smile and teased:

"Young Master Dupont, didn't you sleep well last night?

Why did you fall asleep as soon as you arrived?"

Boggs quickly perked up and smiled embarrassedly.

He then looked at the merchant next to him and said excitedly:

"This… this is the merchant who owns the Elven Holy Fruit?"

Vessell nodded:

"I won't disturb your business negotiations. I wish you a happy cooperation!"