I! Cleaner!-Chapter 1035 - 954: Inescapable Calamity

"A... plunder targeting the bloodline?"

"Yes."

After confirming his statement once again with a nod, Leon glanced at the few confused princes and princesses, and then continued to ask the old King:

"Your Majesty, regarding this conjecture, there is something I need to confirm with you... Can you tell me on what basis the succession orders of these Highnesses are arranged?"

"This..."

Hearing this, the old King hesitated for a moment, then somewhat uncertainly said:

"As for the succession order, there is actually a whole set of very complex standards. I'm not very clear on the specifics, but basically, it's about age, maternal family background, bloodline kinship... bloodline kinship?!"

It seems I guessed right.

Watching the old King who seemed to understand something, his eyes widening suddenly, Leon couldn't help but sigh in his heart, and then said with a somewhat unpleasant expression:

"According to what I've heard from Prince Vernon, he's fourth in line, and Prince Ambes, who is second in line, both have mothers who are collateral branches of the Western Carlay Wen royal family, and Prince Ambes' mother was only recently split off from the 'main line' two generations ago.

Meanwhile, Princess Aerial and Princess Cristana, who are seventh and tenth in line, their mothers are not from the Western Carlay Wen Kingdom, but from other kingdoms, so..."

"So the higher the 'concentration' of the bloodline, the slower the speed at which the hair color changes?"

"It's the speed at which it's 'plundered' that is slower, or rather, the duration they can hold out is longer."

Correcting the old King's words, Leon frowned and said:

"I checked Miss Olivia's hair earlier, and only the ends of a few strands at her temples were slightly black. This should relate to some instances of 'atavism' in her bloodline, but even in her special case, her own bloodline has still been subjected to minor plundering.

Therefore, I believe that this plunder targeting the bloodline of the Twin Kingdoms should be stable and at a uniform pace, but even people with highly concentrated bloodlines cannot escape — they can only hold out for a bit longer, and this change is likely irreversible."

How could it be?!

Upon hearing Leon's words, a few people in the hall were shocked, and the youngest of the three princesses, Princess Cristana, couldn't help but clutch her sister's skirt, eyes wide with fear, and said: 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Then... then if our bloodline is completely taken, what will happen to us? Will... will we die?"

"Death is unlikely."

Pointing to his own hair mixed with black and white, Leon answered confidently:

"If only the citizens of the Western Carlay Wen Kingdom had their hair color change from white to black, there might be such a possibility. However, whether it's me or the other black-haired East Carleighwen Kingdom remnants I've seen on the Sky Clipper, they've also experienced hair color changes.

And whether it's power, bloodline, or any other force, it never suddenly appears or vanishes; they all have origins, which is why I believe this 'plunder' must be bidirectional, something that could even be seen as an 'exchange.'

Someone is using a method I don't yet understand to forcibly exchange the bloodlines of the citizens on both sides, so you will receive a corresponding replenishment for the bloodline you've lost. There won't be much of a physical impact, with the most severe results being persistent fever and days of mental fog."

"Not harming us, just replacing the bloodline? Then what exactly does he intend to do with this?"

Hearing this, the old King couldn't help but ask:

"They must have a purpose for doing such things, regardless of who they are, right?"

The purpose... is actually quite obvious.

On hearing this, Leon couldn't help but blink, his eyes revealing a flash of contemplation.

Guessing the purpose is indeed rather difficult, but since the Slaughter King Association is behind this, and their main goal has always been to break through the Watcher's Palace, directly associating it with the Watcher's Palace can't be wrong.

In the Ophiuchus Eroded Nation incident, the direct bloodline of the East Carleighwen Kingdom has already been completely erased, and the corresponding mark on the Watcher's Palace had long been invalidated, losing its ability to strengthen and conceal the palace.

So, as long as this exchange is completed, replacing the royal bloodline of the Western Carlay Wen Kingdom with the 'dead' bloodline of the East Carleighwen Kingdom, then the Western Carlay Wen Kingdom would be equivalent to being 'dead,' and the corresponding mark would similarly lose its effect.

And in the current situation of the Watcher's Palace, just losing any one 'mark' would weaken it to the point where the True God could freely pass through, and their purpose would indeed be this without much doubt.

What's really troubling me right now isn't the purpose of the Slaughter King Association, but the purpose of the Director's visit.

Recalling the Director's strange behavior and the scattered white ashes all over, Leon's brow couldn't help but furrow tighter and tighter.

If it was to thwart the Slaughter King Association, the Director wouldn't need to hide from me at all, so thinking the other way around, since she chose to act privately, it proves that what she wants to do is definitely something I or the Clean-up Bureau does not wish to see.

And what both I and the Clean-up Bureau don't want to see, and happens to be taking place in the Western Carlay Wen Kingdom, naturally, it's letting the Slaughter King Association succeed, which means that she likely, for some reason, decided to temporarily stand on the side of the Slaughter King Association, thus becoming my opponent.

As for the exact reason behind this...

"Sorry, Your Majesty."

Vigorously shaking his head to rid his mind of chaotic thoughts, Leon looked up at the old King on the throne with an apologetic face and said:

"The purpose of the opposition is related to a significant secret within our Clean-up Bureau with the highest confidentiality level, and it's quite complicated to explain. I'm not quite at liberty to disclose it to you now.

What I can tell you is, they are indeed scheming something very dangerous, and once they succeed, the entire real world would plunge into crisis.

At that time, not just your Western Carlay Wen Kingdom, but all human settlements in the real world would potentially face excessively large-scale disasters frequently, and no one could escape unscathed. Whether or not such a disaster can be averted depends on whether you are willing to help me."

A disaster threatening the entire real world?

After hearing Leon's words, a group of people sporting panda-colored highlights couldn't help but exchange glances, then uniformly turned their sights toward the old King on the throne.

Sizing up Leon with precaution, realizing he might not be talking nonsense, the old King couldn't help but grit his teeth, raising his scepter to strike hard on the carpet.

"Of course, we must help! Since this threatens the entire real world, our Land of Justice must not stand aside! Sir Leon, whatever help you need, just say it! Whether it's manpower, resources, or equipment soldiers, whatever you need, we can provide!"

"These aren't urgent for now..."

Looking at the old King exuding righteousness on the throne, Leon couldn't help but quietly breathe a sigh of relief, then pointed at the three non-mainstream princesses beside him, speaking somewhat shyly:

"I'd like to ask you to select one among the three princesses, and temporarily let her inherit the throne... Would it be convenient for you to step down today?"

"..."

(ΩДΩ)?!(ΩДΩ)?!!!