The city hall in the western part of the city was the site of the council meeting.

Rachel leaned against the window of the main hall, looking at the murals on the ceiling that told the legend of the black dragon, and sighed softly.

Today, almost all of the high-ranking officials and military commanders of the Dragon Kingdom have gathered together to discuss just one matter.

"It's too early to talk about His Majesty's misfortune." Prime Minister Emerson frowned. "The most important task at hand is to find out what happened."

A restless Cumberland paced back and forth, yelling at Emerson, "The Soul Space has lost contact. Do I need to remind you when this last happened?! Nine years ago! His Majesty nearly died there while campaigning against Cú Chulainn in the north!"

Alfonso looked worried: "His Majesty always notifies everyone before cutting off the soul space. It's quite rare to lose contact like this."

Huggins, who had remained silent until now, suddenly said, "Waiting is not the solution; we must find a way to confirm His Majesty's safety."

Emerson stroked his beard and said, "His Majesty is currently in the south. How can we confirm this?"

The Valkyrie Ivy, who had her arms crossed, suddenly spoke up: "My sisters and I can fly south to search for His Majesty's whereabouts."

Cumberland glanced at Ivy: "According to the scouts' reports, the entire Southern Empire has become a land of the dead. Forget about finding a place to land; even the air is not safe."

Emerson said in a low voice, "In the end, His Majesty lost contact with the Elders' Council this time, and his disappearance must be related to that place."

Evie turned her gaze to the window and said, "At least someone here knows the situation better than we do."

Everyone's eyes turned to Rachel without prior agreement.

The latter looked around and said calmly, "I hope you all remember that when His Majesty went to the Council of Elders alone, I was strongly opposed and repeatedly asked to accompany him."

Emerson shook his head: "Now is not the time to talk about this. You come from that place, and your Alien Association has intricate connections with the Elders' Council. You should know some things..."

Rachel said coldly, "Is this a court of law for treason? Or do you all believe from the beginning that I have a conspiracy?"

Harkins emerged, leaning on his cane: "Miss Rachel, everyone has secrets, but... you have too many..."

Cumberland turned around and growled at Rachel, "From the first moment I saw you, I didn't trust you. I know you're hiding something... If you don't want to talk, fine, I have a thousand ways to pry your mouth open!"

Emerson reached out to stop the crowd and said to Rachel, "Forgive our abruptness, I know these guys seem a bit rude... but at least we can agree on one thing—find His Majesty as soon as possible."

Rachel sighed, straightened up, and said to the crowd, “In your eyes, Todd is just His Majesty, the ruler of this kingdom… but in the eyes of us aliens, he is the protector of our race, the guarantee that we can continue to live in this city. So believe me, I am more anxious about his disappearance than you are.”

Emerson: "So, do you know anything? Or are you just guessing?"

Rachel: "If I'm not mistaken, Todd should now be inside the Elder Council's forbidden area, which is the underground of Mount Supaha. There grows a kind of mineral there, the anti-magic stone. Any alien species that gets close to it will lose their abilities. Wayne once used it to imprison the abilities of Crusader soldiers."

Emerson: "So you mean that once His Majesty enters there, the abilities of the Soul Space will become ineffective."

Ritchie: "It's possible, but it's just speculation, I'm not sure."

Cumberland thought for a moment and retorted, "No, if His Majesty's abilities were imprisoned because of the anti-magic stone, then he would definitely leave that area temporarily and, after leaving, use the soul space to warn everyone... But this time the communication in the soul space was interrupted without any warning, which means that His Majesty has been involved in something."

Emerson looked at Rachel again: "Any other possibilities?"

Rachel shook her head: "I don't know. Perhaps only by going south can we find out the truth."

Cumberland, puffing out his beard, said, “To the South? How can we get there? The road is teeming with the dead!”

Wayne, who had been silent all along, suddenly said, "There's a way to get there... by boat."

Emerson was taken aback: "By boat? The sea is full of undead..."

Wayne: "There is a ship that can sail south."

Cumberland: "I know what he's talking about, that alien warship built entirely with a keel."

Wayne explained, “The keel is a completely free-form insect body that can completely close and isolate itself from the outside world, thus blocking the invasion of the necromantic plague; moreover, the Tesla parasites are placed around the bottom of the keel, forming a closed circuit inside the entire hull. With just one command, it can discharge electricity to the outside, thus protecting the hull.”

Emerson thought for a moment and then asked again, "Are you sure that warship can withstand the attacks of the undead in the sea?"

Wayne: "We've tested it, and there are no issues with airtightness and safety."

Emerson nodded and said, "Next, it's about choosing the right person."

Cumberland stepped forward first: "I'll go."

Emerson looked at him with a headache: "If you go, what will happen to the Knights?"

Cumberland: "Alfonso can do everything."

Emerson glanced at Alfonso, who looked bewildered, and shook his head, saying, "I don't think so. You must stay and take charge of the kingdom's defense."

Cumberland: "His Majesty is more important than the Kingdom!"

Emerson: "Then I can't let you go. The battlefield here needs a commander who can oversee the overall situation."

Huggins stepped forward: "Then I'll go."

Emerson glanced at the cane in the other man's hand and rejected the idea again: "The inner city needs a steward. You stay."

Ivy stepped forward and said, “The Valkyrie will always follow her master. I must go on this trip to the south.”

Emerson looked at Evie, then exchanged a glance with Cumberland, and said, "Not all Valkyries need to participate in this search operation."

Ivy: "I know what you're thinking. I'll take a few of my sisters south, and I'll persuade the rest to help with the city's defense. But... there's one more person who has to come with us."

Evie turned her gaze to Rachel: "We need someone who is familiar with the local area."

Rachel replied with a smile, "With pleasure."