"Hmm?" William scanned the area with his suit and asked in surprise, "Where's the old Earl?"
Sunday didn't reply immediately. Instead, one of the robots strode to a stone sarcophagus on the high platform in the hall and pushed the heavy stone lid aside.
William started to step forward to take a closer look, but Sunday promptly advised, "SIR, I do not recommend you examine it directly. Based on the degree of decomposition, the old Earl does not appear to have been turned into a non-human entity."
"Not turned? How is that possible?" William muttered, his brow furrowing. "That doesn't make sense. If he wasn't turned, why would the werewolves steal his corpse and guard it so fiercely?"
"Apologies, SIR. This question exceeds my logical processing capabilities and cannot be answered."
William hesitated for only a few seconds before deciding, better safe than sorry. "Burn it. Burn all the corpses to ashes."
"Understood."
Whatever type of biological entity they were, being reduced to ashes would make resurrection impossible.
By the time William returned to the ground floor of the hall, the basement was already glowing with firelight as the robots and cleaning units incinerated every trace of the werewolves and the old Earl's remains.
After an hour of cleanup, William opened a portal to send the robots back to the Yellowstone facility. He stepped into the portal himself and underwent a thorough decontamination process in the base's sterilization chamber, ensuring there were no lingering threats on his Mark III armor.
Once completely sanitized, William opened another portal and returned to the underground levels of Oxford Castle. Standing on the armor assembly platform, he raised his arms as the four mechanical arms began disassembling the suit.
Afterward, he took a hot shower and ordered Sunday to incinerate all the clothing he had worn, just to be safe. Finally, he lay down in the medical room on the castle's first underground level, letting Sunday conduct a full body scan to ensure his health.
After a series of scans, Sunday reported, "SIR, I can confirm there are no abnormalities in your body."
"Good," William replied, dressing quickly as he left the medical room. "Tonight, produce some werewolf detection devices. Tomorrow morning, under the pretext of preparing for the banquet and other festivities, start installing streetlights equipped with the detectors in and around the castle grounds and Devonshire Village.
"I want any werewolf that sets foot near the castle to be detected immediately. After the banquet, establish detection points across a ten-kilometer radius and develop smaller portable devices for targeted use."
"Understood, SIR. The task has been initiated. The portable detection devices will be ready for delivery tomorrow morning."
By 6 AM the next morning, the castle and Devonshire Village were bustling with activity as workers hung celebratory banners and decorations.
A convoy of over ten trucks and five buses rolled into the village and castle grounds.
From 8 AM onward, the village square and the main roads leading into town became hubs of celebration, with more than 20 fixed stalls and 100 barbecue grills and beer stations.
All visitors to the village could enjoy free roasted meat and beer. At the same time, police from all the townships across William's 34,000-acre estate were deployed to maintain order, supported by 100 temporary security hires.
Sunday also dispatched hundreds of spider drones and Black Blade surveillance drones to monitor the area, ensuring that no danger would arise.
At the castle itself, a team of 200 security personnel managed the outer perimeter, while 20 elite agents from Kingsman and the disguised members of the Expendables team handled internal security, blending seamlessly into the guest crowd.
Meanwhile, seasoned fighters like Carlos, Wesley, Fox and her family, Swagger, and the Black Ghost were stationed in hidden positions, fully armed and ready to act at a moment's notice.
At 7 AM, William was still sound asleep when he was rudely woken up by the excited Ambrosio. Groaning from his less-than-six-hours of rest, he pulled her into an embrace and started a morning workout session to calm her down.
By the time he was showered and dressed, it was already past 8 AM.
When he walked down to the castle's main floor, he saw Abigail and Jessie, both dressed in professional business attire, busily directing the household staff and banquet workers.
The sight of William immediately earned him a glare from Abigail, who walked up and started straightening his collar with an exasperated expression.
"Do you have to sleep in so late? There are so many things to decide, and now they've all been dumped on me!"
William chuckled and kissed her on the cheek. "Relax, sweetheart. It's called delegation. I handle the security, and you, my brilliant steward, handle everything else. Isn't that fair?"
Abigail narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, really? So now I'm just the 'brilliant steward,' am I? You and your mother really are two peas in a pod, both acting like royalty while I run around like the one actually in charge."
"Exactly! Small, trivial matters are for you to handle," William teased before suddenly grinning. "Alright then, I now officially appoint you as the Chief Steward of the Devonshire Family. From now on, you'll have full authority over everything except my mother and me. How about that?"
"Not interested," Abigail retorted, but her lips twitched into a small smile. "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. You just want to officially make me your unpaid labor."
"Objection overruled," William declared, playfully pinching her nose. Then, turning to Jessie, he asked, "How about you, dear? Want to be Abigail's assistant?"
Jessie glanced at Abigail and, without hesitation, nodded. "Sure, I'll help Abigail manage the banquet preparations."
"Excellent. Then I'll leave everything in your capable hands," William said with a smile. Planting a kiss on Jessie's cheek, he released Abigail and walked out of the castle, ignoring their annoyed stares.
Once outside, he instructed Sunday, "Tell Ambrosio to get up and help Abigail with the preparations."
After a few minutes, Sunday replied, "SIR, Miss Ambrosio asked me to inform you that she knows what she needs to do."
William smirked. "Good. I'll let her handle it, then."
He paused for a moment before adding, "Security today is your top priority. I don't want anyone sneaking into the bedrooms or the underground levels."
"Rest assured, SIR," Sunday replied. "I've deployed over 1,000 spider drones to monitor every corner of the castle, ensuring no blind spots. Outside the castle, there are an additional 1,000 spiders and over 300 Black Blade drones patrolling the area."
Feeling reassured, William headed to the stables. After donning his riding attire, he mounted his prized horse, Red Hare, under the watchful and slightly envious eyes of the stable master, Old Neil.
Riding out to the horse training grounds where his mother was practicing, he spotted Lena atop her black Arabian steed, Black Coal, navigating an obstacle course.
To avoid interrupting her, William urged Red Hare into a gallop around the racetrack. After a few laps, he reached into Red Hare's mane and cast a healing spell infused with natural energy into the horse.
Energized by the magic, Red Hare let out a spirited neigh and surged forward at full speed. Its sudden burst of speed startled not only the stable staff but also Lena's horse, Black Coal, which stopped in its tracks, nervously watching Red Hare's wild sprint.
After five laps, William gradually reined in Red Hare, slowing the horse to a trot as the magical energy dissipated.
"Show-off," Lena teased from her position on Black Coal, though the amused smile on her face betrayed her pride.
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Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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