"I cannot represent all the nations by myself, nor do I wish to represent them, so it’s better to let someone else serve as the primary envoy." Malin turned his head, glanced at Mr. Meng, and smiled slightly. To be honest, Malin’s desire to go to Thainan this time was more about fulfilling a nostalgic dream of his homeland. Even though so much time had passed and his homeland might now be nothing but a forgotten memory beneath the sea, he still wanted to see it for himself. Mr. Meng chuckled: "Your Grace, are you shirking your responsibilities?" "Really, Mr. Meng, I’m the type who likes a little more freedom." Malin’s expression was serious as he said this. "For someone who claims to like freedom, the things you’ve done seem anything but free." Mr. Meng said this with a face he could barely keep straight before bursting into laughter, his expression as exaggerated as a pig’s head blooming in boiling water. Malin could only laugh and hand him a cigarette. On the edge of the grand plaza, a Thainanite in spirit and a Thainanite in the truest sense stood together, watching the Crown Prince introduce his own faction. "This young man isn’t stupid. He knows there are problems with his faction. He also knows that his peers are nothing more than bookworms. They’ve never faced Chaos directly, whereas every one of your subordinates has faced it head-on. That’s why he speaks this way—because he’s aware that his faction consists of cowards who, while not violating their purpose, lack the courage to take real action. On the other hand, any one of your soldiers, when led to a dead end by them, would still have the guts to take them down with a backshot. That’s why I think he’s a clever young man. With you backing him and his own performance on display, your soldiers now might as well just accompany him to their deaths, but you can rest assured they won’t turn their guns on him." Mr. Meng puffed on his cigarette as he shared his analysis with Malin. "Indeed, this is actually a good era. Look, the Nobles aren’t stupid either. The Wallace family, not wanting to offend me, deliberately had His Majesty Manheim come to me with these messages. The reasoning was solid enough, given that this country is still his for now." Malin leaned against a tree as he conversed with Mr. Meng. "And that His Majesty Manheim played the game well, while his Queen added fuel to the fire at just the right moments. Each time, she nailed your emotional curve. You’d get angry; you’d think this woman was trouble. But you also wouldn’t kill her just because of that. As for his steward, he’s merely a scapegoat pushed to the fore. If you were to kill him, killing someone whose crime doesn’t warrant death would leave you feeling you’d done something wrong. In the end, you’d soften your stance toward their actions and direct your main anger at the Wallace family, who reaped the actual benefits." Mr. Meng looked at Malin as he finished his point: "Your wife Lulu pointed all of this out. She understands it, but she didn’t say it." "Yes, and she indeed didn’t need to. To be honest, I figured this out as soon as I left the house. It’s just that I still find it strange—the Queen merely needed to say it twice, but the third time felt overdone to me." Malin admitted he was still curious about this. "Maybe it’s due to her lack of acting finesse." Mr. Meng offered an opinion: "Not everyone is skilled at performing, Your Grace. Think about it—she’s a Queen. Her position rarely offers her such opportunities to stage a performance before a Legendary figure like you." "...Indeed, you’re not wrong." Malin nodded and, finally devoid of doubts, looked at Mr. Meng: "When do you plan to leave?" "Ten days. You kingdoms need to pick your respective representatives. I must say, the Western Human World is such a hassle. Why can’t they unite like we Thanan do?" Mr. Meng voiced some dissatisfaction with the political landscape of the Western Human World. "To be fair, the fragmented state of the Western Human World does have historical causes." Malin smiled, deploying a tone brimming with sardonic wit. "You speak as if you know the history from before the Great Catastrophe." Mr. Meng looked curious. Malin chuckled softly. Don’t be curious, my friend. I truly do