The low-key yet luxurious residence had been reduced to ruins, wisps of black smoke rising steadily into the air. Even from far away, one could feel the searing heat and oppressive waves of scorching air.
Staring at the devastated scene before him, Wei Yenwu had only a single thought in his mind.
It's over! It's all over!!!
He didn't know which damn, cursed assassin had dared to attack the two living ancestors inside the residence, but with Emperor Talulah of the Holy Terra Empire having been attacked in his Lungmen, there was no way—no matter how much he argued—that this had nothing to do with him, the Governor of Lungmen.
As long as Talulah so much as wanted to pursue the matter, Wei Yenwu wouldn't even have room to plead innocence. The charge of "Governor of Lungmen conspiring to assassinate the Emperor of the Holy Terra Empire" would be nailed firmly onto his head—irrevocably so. Even the gods themselves wouldn't be able to save him.
When that happened, the former Ursus and Victoria group armies, Kazimierz's Silverlance Pegasi, and the Wendigo Legions would cross the borders in minutes and press straight up to the city gates. Lungmen—and Yan itself—would explode on the spot.
Lungmen… his Lungmen… was about to leave him behind!
No—no, that absolutely could not be allowed!!!
"Y-Your Majesty… may I ask what happened here just now?"
Clinging to a sliver of hope, Wei Yenwu stepped past the guards. Forcing himself to steady his trembling body, he asked in what he tried to pass off as a normal tone, all the while praying desperately in his heart.
Please don't be assassins! Please don't be assassins! Anything but assassins!
"Oh, nothing much," An Xora replied before Talulah could speak. "Just now, a man who claimed to be the Second Aspect of Sui—said his name was Wang—attacked us. He dragged us into an illusion and insisted on playing chess. After the illusion was broken, he ran off. We didn't quite control the aftermath, so the residence ended up like this."
Thud.
Hearing those words, the last shred of hope in Wei Yenwu's heart died on the spot. His legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees right in front of his niece, Talulah.
"Your Majesty! That man is a beast incarnation who has defied the court since early years—a stubborn rebel bent on overthrowing Yan! This heinous act was entirely of his own doing and has absolutely nothing to do with me or with Yan! I beg Your Majesty to see the truth!"
Watching Wei Yenwu's tearful display, Talulah—standing beside An Xora—almost couldn't hold it together.
From her perspective, she had simply chased off a lunatic who forcibly dragged her into a chess match, and incidentally smashed a residence by accident. She'd even been considering whether she should compensate them for the damage.
She never expected that her uncle would suddenly kneel before her in public.
As for that lunatic called Wang who had forced her into a chess game, Talulah had never blamed Wei Yenwu or Yan for it in the first place. What kind of person she was—her uncle should have known perfectly well.
What she didn't know was that after these days of interaction, Wei Yenwu had come to understand two things very clearly.
First, Talulah was indeed much the same as she'd been in her youth—not a cruel or bloodthirsty person—and she was still willing to acknowledge him as her uncle.
But second—
The imperial family is the most ruthless of all.
On this land, even fathers and sons, brothers and sisters could turn on one another and slaughter each other over ambition. Let alone him—a long-estranged uncle who had even wronged her in the past.
The fact that Talulah had come to Lungmen without settling old scores was already immense mercy. How could Wei Yenwu possibly expect that such a fragile personal connection would make the ruler of the strongest nation on Terra give up such a golden opportunity to extend her hand toward Yan?
Just thinking about it made the answer obvious—utterly implausible.
That was why Wei Yenwu knelt so decisively.
Just as Wei Yenwu wept and Talulah was about to speak, An Xora—standing at her side—quietly tugged on her tail and shot her a look.
"Don't say anything," he murmured in a voice only the two of them could hear. "Just turn around and leave."
Talulah immediately closed her mouth. Apologizing silently to the kneeling, crying Wei Yenwu, she took a deep breath, put on a cold expression, turned around without a word—and left.
"Your Majesty, where are you going, Your Majesty?!"
"Your Majesty, can we still have dinner together in Lungmen tomorrow?! Your Majesty, please say something!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty—don't go! Your Majesty!"
Seeing Talulah walk away without a single word, Wei Yenwu completely panicked. He lunged forward, trying to grab her leg.
Unfortunately for him, he only made it halfway before a sudden figure appeared and kicked him straight back.
"So it seems some rather interesting things happened while I was away."
Lappland, having returned to Lungmen from Siracusa in an extremely short time via the Shadow Kingdom of the Shadow Guard, withdrew her long leg clad in black boots. She instantly reappeared at An Xora's side, curiosity written all over her face.
"Quite a few things happened," An Xora replied casually to the dog who had just come home. "But nothing too serious."
He then walked over to Wei Yenwu, who had just been kicked by Lappland and was now sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, looking as though all strength and will had left his body.
"This really is a terrible situation," An Xora said calmly. "The Emperor of the Holy Terra Empire is attacked by a Yan beast incarnation during her inspection of Lungmen. Enraged, she returns home and launches a war against Yan. No matter how you imagine it, it's bound to be a scene of utter devastation."
"But," he added lightly, "this situation isn't entirely without a solution."
Hearing that, life returned to Wei Yenwu's dead eyes. He sprang up and clasped An Xora's hands tightly.
"Please, sir—enlighten me!"
An Xora smoothly pulled his hand free, turned his back, and spoke at an unhurried pace.
"Considering the 'filial respect' you've shown during this period, I have a suggestion. Since you already claimed that the Second Aspect of Sui has nothing to do with Yan, why not hand over the Sui Aspect?"
"Our Emperor is a reasonable person. As long as she sees Yan's attitude, her anger will naturally subside."
Wei Yenwu's eyes brightened at those words, but worry still lingered.
"But that beast incarnation has long been at odds with the court. Now that he's fled, Yan cannot guarantee capturing him in a short time. And even if we truly delivered him before Your Majesty… would she really calm her anger and abandon plans to march on Yan?"
"That's easy," An Xora replied. "Didn't that guy call himself the Second Aspect of Sui? That means there should be other Sui Aspects besides him, right? As long as Yan sends over the other Sui Aspects to show sincerity, that will do."
"As for our Emperor, I'll personally handle her. I guarantee I can persuade her."
"Oh, right—one more thing. We only want the women. No need to send the men."
"As long as Yan is willing to show its stance, I can vouch for this here and now. This matter will be considered settled. How about it?"
With An Xora's guarantee—and recalling how highly Talulah regarded him—Wei Yenwu took a deep breath and made his decision.
"Very well. I will submit a memorial at once and report this to His Majesty. In the coming days, we will deliver the accomplices of that traitor to you."
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