In the ordinary bedroom on the second floor of a small detached building, the eldest prince's double sat quietly on the bed. On the two sofas by the window sat special agents from the Federation's Security Committee, who were "counseling" the eldest prince to understand the current situation.

From the results of their investigation over the past two days, it indeed appeared that this person was undoubtedly the eldest prince. Whether it was his teachers, classmates, or even neighbors, all were very certain that this person was the true eldest prince.

Initially, they thought it would be a somewhat troublesome capture process... no, using "capture" seemed a bit inconsiderate, inhumane; it should be described as protection.

To prevent any extreme anti-government forces from launching attacks on the eldest prince, the legitimate heir to the Nagariel royal family, the Federation Government found him, offered protection, and would assist him in returning home to inherit his rightful power.

In this process, it's necessary to make this eldest prince realize that he actually didn't have many choices.

Before evaluating this action, the Security Committee did not consider it very difficult; someone who enjoyed living in developed countries and had long accepted advanced education should better understand the greatness of the Federation, and convincing him should not be very difficult.

Indeed, that was the case. After the Security Committee's special agents found him and had a simple talk with him, he agreed to comply with the Federation's demands and was willing to accept the new identity provided by Federation people, becoming a Federation citizen.

Besides that, there were some other rewards, like money, which were actually minor details.

"Earlier you said…", a special agent from the Security Committee flipped through his previous notes, "...you have a double, right?" he said, looking up at the eldest prince, his gaze sharp and piercing.

This was what "the eldest prince" had told them the night before, saying he had a double hidden in the shadows, arranged by the royal family for him.

According to "the eldest prince's" account, his younger brother, the second prince, was secretly very dissatisfied with him, even dispatching an assassin to kill him before, and all this was because of his status.

As the king's eldest son, he had the most legitimate inheritance rights according to Nagariel's culture and traditions. Before his death, no one could strip him of this inheritance right.

However, he had always lived abroad, and the second prince had replaced his political position in the country. If the second prince wanted to progress further, he had to remove the eldest prince standing in his way, so to prevent his assassination and death, the old king arranged a double for him.

Now he didn't know where the double was, but he believed this information was crucial, so he told the special agents from the Security Committee.

After confirming this once again, the special agent of the Security Committee stood up, walked into another room, and dialed the phone on the desk in Mr. Truman's office.

"Mr. Truman, according to the eldest prince's account, he said he had a double employed by the royal family. We believe this double poses a certain danger to our plan, and we need a domestic security assessment…"

He didn't finish his sentence completely; any matter reaching the level of national security assessment means that there is a possibility, which may require military action to eliminate the threat.

Mr. Truman himself is the commander of the entire operation, and he has very deep connections within the military. The people in the military within the Security Committee also hold a considerable number, so this call was directly made to him.

"I understand, wait for my message...", Mr. Truman, after hanging up the phone, immediately required people in the action command office to start assessing the risks.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the message was relayed to Is.

"Capture alive if possible, if not, permission to kill."

…

With the protection of Federation people being very safe, the "eldest prince" who walked to the window and looked at the scenery outside showed a leisurely and complacent smile at the corner of his mouth.

Who could have imagined that after years of quietly studying in place of the eldest prince, this double would suddenly have the opportunity to "turn official"?

At first, he was a little fearful, but soon he convinced himself that the Federation people coming to him meant that the eldest prince wasn't actually exposed. In other words, the whole world believed that he was the eldest prince!

He had a great advantage!

His classmates, teachers, neighbors, even letters he personally wrote to that old man, and his siblings were all evidence proving he was Nagariel's eldest prince!

An ambition that shouldn't have existed within him began to change under the catalyst of desire.

Replace the eldest prince, become the real eldest prince, and then live incognito in the Federation, having a prosperous life.

The double, living in Is for many years, did not like the hierarchical, rigid society; if he wanted to live in a developed country, he must have many conveniences.

Identity, and money, now these things were within reach, he decided to gamble.

For him, the cost of impersonating the eldest prince was nothing more than being discovered, but more likely, he would really replace the eldest prince.

And if he didn't impersonate the eldest prince, he would probably face danger, coming from the Federation and from the eldest prince himself.

So he gambled on this round, going all in; now was the time for his harvest. As long as he completed the diplomatic formalities with the Federation people early the next morning, he could leave the port and return to Nagariel to start his "reign."

Then, four years later, he would begin a new life in the Federation.

Just as he was imagining his future, unexpectedly, he saw a familiar figure across the street directly in front of the window.

Instinctively, a chill ran straight to his head, and a shudder from within almost made him scream; it was the real Eldest Prince!

The Eldest Prince also saw his doppelgänger. He wanted to talk with his double, but the Federation's protection was too tight, making it difficult for him to get in directly.

Federal special agents were everywhere around him; he could only glance from afar.

Just as he was about to express his thoughts through some body language, and wanted to talk to the other, he saw the doppelgänger pointing at him from the window.

In that half-second, he turned on his heel and ran, breaking into a cold sweat; this made him realize that some things were irreversible.

Soon, some Federation special agents appeared nearby and gave chase. The "Eldest Prince" was also transferred to another location, and the "Eldest Prince" crammed into the bulletproof vehicle by Federation agents breathed a sigh of relief; no matter what, he was "safe."

This incident naturally reached Mr. Truman, who gave feedback to "send him back to Nagariel as soon as possible."

The following morning, the "Eldest Prince" signed a statement at the Isai Customs willingly to leave with the Federation Government staff and embarked on his journey back home, while the real Eldest Prince was still entangled in the pursuit and interception.

On that same day, Lynch arrived at the Golden Exchange Headquarters to take over the benefits he had won in the gamble with Mr. Herbs, collateral worth millions.

"Mr. Lynch, nice to meet you again!" The financial supervisor from Golden Exchange Bank, Carl, led his employees to greet Lynch outside the bank's headquarters, showing the bank's high regard for Lynch.

Disregarding his power in Nagariel and with the United Development Company, this collateral alone brought the bank millions in income.

In a highly commercialized society like the Federation, services are never free, and as the bank was commissioned for assessment, it certainly required a fee based on the total value.

Apart from this revenue, Lynch once again proved his "value". This is how banks operate; they enjoy associating with the wealthy and keep away from the poor. They show enthusiasm and hospitality to the rich, but only indifference to the poor.

Don't even think about borrowing food when starving; even if you are on the verge of death and urgently need money for treatment, the bank won't lend a cent. They will just watch people die, then auction off their properties due to the unpaid medical debts incurred from the treatment.

Banks are the most loyal accomplices of capital and the executioner of common people's wealth and future.

Lynch got out of the car and shook hands with Mr. Carl; then, under the escort of some staff members, they entered the building.

"We cleared out a conference room today, exclusively for your service, Mr. Lynch, this way..." he said, guiding Lynch into a room on the right side of the first-floor lobby.

Upon opening the room, you could see several people inside. They were verifying documents, documents that were signed in person by Mr. Herbs as collaterals.

From jewelry to real estate and land, there seemed to be infinite varieties, innumerable in number.

Because these items involved too many categories and contents and were very important, Lynch certainly had to be present today.

The staff first brought over some convenient items, placing watches, accessories, and gems from around the world on trays lined with red velvet.

These things were not large, but they were of great value.

"Here are items worth... please take a look, Mr. Lynch. If you have no other objections, please sign your name here..." The staff introduced the items and their values while reminding Lynch to sign.

Lynch casually played with a yellow gemstone carved into a lion's head about the size of a child's fist. It was apparent that all its previous owners cherished it dearly—there wasn't even a smudge, let alone a fingerprint.

Sitting next to Lynch, Mr. Carl smiled and said, "Mr. Lynch, our headquarters offers the most reliable vault and safe deposit services within the Federation and globally. Our vault security is one of the few units authorized to carry and discharge firearms in Bupen."

"If you don't plan to deal with these items immediately, you are welcome to rent a safe deposit box or vault from us to store them."

"Moreover, we promise to deliver anything you need to you as quickly as possible, no matter where you are..."

The insurance vault business at Golden Exchange Headquarters isn't something you can simply open; it requires sufficient societal status and influence and doesn't come cheap.

The annual custody and service fees range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, discouraging many.

Lynch casually tossed the lion's head of yellow gemstone back onto the red velvet cushion and nodded nonchalantly, "I think that would be fine!"

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