The Star Luo Empire.
Inside the imperial court.
Xu Jiawei sat grim-faced upon the dragon throne, his hands gripping the gilded armrests on either side, faint bloodshot lines visible in his eyes.
Below the Golden Hall, the ministers were silent as cicadas in winter. The civil officials all kept their heads lowered, while among the martial officials standing closer to the front, several wore expressions of righteous indignation.
Just yesterday, intelligence regarding the Body Sect's attack on Mingde Hall had reached Xu Jiawei at the very first moment. Upon hearing the news, his imperial countenance had brightened with delight.
Although his "one arrow, three eagles" scheme had first lost two of its targets, he had still achieved the most important one—provoking conflict between Mingde Hall and the Body Sect, thereby drawing the Sun Moon Empire and the Heavenly Soul Empire into mutual attrition.
Last night, just as he was about to set aside his official duties and head to the harem to enjoy himself, calmly watching the Sun Moon Empire and the Heavenly Soul Empire grind against each other with fiery passion, a message arrived from the Sun Moon Empire.
It stated that, after investigation and verification, the group responsible for attacking Mingde Hall—those who had disrupted peace, burned, killed, and pillaged—were "righteous heroes" from their Star Luo Empire.
Very quickly, the Sun Moon Empire placed a massive accusation upon them. If the Star Luo Empire had deliberately sabotaged continental peace and ignited a second all-continent war, then unless a reasonable explanation was given, their armies would march straight to the border!
Xu Jiawei's good mood vanished instantly, leaving him momentarily stunned.
He had never known the Star Luo Empire to have such "righteous heroes." But soon enough, he understood in fury.
He had become the scapegoat!
The Star Luo Empire was being forced to shoulder this enormous black pot for the Body Sect—simply because those people had said, "We are righteous heroes from the Star Luo Empire."
Anyone with eyes could see that this was the Sun Moon Empire deliberately picking a fight with Star Luo. But a weak nation had no diplomacy—strength decided everything.
They could not fight the Sun Moon Empire. Nor could they afford to.
Thus, he had no choice but to convene court and discuss a solution with his ministers.
"What? Have all of you forgotten how to speak? Turned mute?"
"Aren't you usually quite eloquent? Now give me something—anything! Faced with a major crisis, you've all gone silent!"
Xu Jiawei swept his gaze across the assembled civil and military officials and barked in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, since we did not do this, why must we give them any explanation? The Sun Moon Empire deserves to fall anyway."
At that moment, a deep, rumbling voice sounded. The towering, broad-built Giant Hammer Douluo stepped forward, speaking indignantly.
Xu Jiawei looked at the Giant Hammer Douluo and pressed a hand to his forehead. The man was loyal to the core, but his intelligence truly left much to be desired. He never should have been allowed to attend court.
Whether or not they admitted guilt—was that something they could even decide?
"Chancellor, what is your opinion?"
Xu Jiawei waved his hand to have the Giant Hammer Douluo step back, then turned to the chancellor in crimson robes.
"Your Majesty, if we wish to avoid war, the best approach is to stall. There is no substantive evidence in this matter. First, we deny it outright. Then we join forces with the Douling Empire and the Heavenly Soul Empire to jointly condemn the Sun Moon Empire for slander."
"No matter how strong the Sun Moon Empire is, it surely would not dare to face the combined opposition of the three former great powers at once."
"Empty words, at times, can withstand a million troops."
"Moreover, in three years it will be the next All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, and it will be hosted by the Sun Moon Empire. They surely would not dare to let things escalate too far."
After a moment's thought, the chancellor offered his advice.
The former three great empires uniting to resist the Sun Moon Empire was the optimal solution at present.
Hearing this, a complex expression flickered in Xu Jiawei's eyes. How could he not understand?
"How ironic!"
After all his scheming, things had ended up like this—forcing him to seek help from the Heavenly Soul Empire, the very one he had plotted against.
"Very well. We shall proceed as you suggest. I entrust the matter of contacting the Douling Empire and the Heavenly Soul Empire entirely to you."
Xu Jiawei rubbed his temples and spoke with fatigue.
"Your servant obeys."
The chancellor bowed his head to receive the decree.
"Sigh… in the end, only one's own strength truly matters. Once this affair is over, we must vigorously develop our military."
As Xu Jiawei let out a breath, he made this firm resolution in his heart.
Seeing this, the hearts of the assembled officials finally eased somewhat.
"Your Majesty, I have urgent matters to report!"
Suddenly, an anxious voice rang out from outside the hall. Cheng Gang hurried in from beyond the doors.
"Minister Cheng, what has happened to make you so anxious?"
Xu Jiawei's heart skipped a beat for no reason as he asked cautiously.
After a series of successive "surprises," his heart was already close to developing a stress response.
"Your Majesty, that detestable 'Pangolin' intelligence organization is openly spreading praise throughout Star Luo City for those 'righteous heroes' of our Star Luo Empire who attacked Mingde Hall! The news has already spread across the entire city!"
"Many commoners are applauding them, praising them for having backbone!"
As Cheng Gang finished speaking, the tension that had just eased among the officials surged right back up.
Mingde Hall being attacked was a good thing. Gaining heroic prestige among the populace was also a good thing. But when these two good things collided, they became a very bad thing.
If even the common people themselves believed it was the Star Luo Empire's "righteous heroes" who did it, then the solution they had just discussed would seem utterly feeble.
As the chancellor had said—empty words could withstand a million troops.
"Ignorant! Utterly ignorant!"
Xu Jiawei took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart as he roared in a low voice.
This "Pangolin" intelligence organization had barely shown its head over the past year, yet now it had struck him with a massive blow.
"Your Majesty, this is all my fault. It was my failure in duty—I did not capture these rebellious traitors."
Seeing this, Cheng Gang hurriedly spoke up, his face full of "guilt," his attitude earnest and sincere.
"This 'Pangolin' intelligence organization has already earned the path to death!"
"This is not your fault, Minister Cheng. That 'Pangolin' organization is simply too cunning. I will assign you additional forces—spare no effort in wiping them out!"
Xu Jiawei said through clenched teeth. Over the past year or so, he had also secretly investigated this "Pangolin" intelligence organization. It was like a loach—slippery and elusive—always one step ahead, as if it could foresee everything.
He strongly suspected it originated from spies of the Sun Moon Empire, and he was certain there was at least a Titled Douluo involved.
Thus, Cheng Gang's failure to capture them was understandable.
"Hm? More forces… for me?"
Cheng Gang froze on the spot.
He had thought he would receive some mild, inconsequential punishment this time, but never in his wildest dreams did he expect Xu Jiawei to grant him additional troops.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Seeing the hopeful look in Xu Jiawei's eyes, Cheng Gang could only accept the troops with tears in his heart.
But investigating himself—how could that possibly turn up any problems…
"Chancellor, what do you think we should do now?"
Xu Jiawei turned his gaze back to the chancellor and asked in a deep voice.
This move by the "Pangolin" intelligence organization had directly destroyed half of their earlier plan. They now had to deliberate anew, but time was already running short.
"Your Majesty, we must still continue to unite with the Douling Empire and the Heavenly Soul Empire. They surely understand the principle that when the rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked. With a few concessions, they will agree."
"But more importantly, we must seek help from Shrek Academy."
The chancellor's expression grew solemn as he continued.
"I have heard that a student of Shrek Academy named Huo Yuhao was also captured by Mingde Hall. I believe they will intervene."
"We share a common enemy…"
(End of Chapter)