Elder Xie's words were like water droplets falling into a pot of oil, instantly causing a stir in the entire conference hall.

"Where is the Abyss? The decisive battle... is it about us...? Who are we fighting again? What?! The Lord of the Abyss...? Could it be that what they said before was actually true?"

This is an arrogant, ignorant, and confused person.

“There must be some misunderstanding. After all, how can we start fighting as soon as we meet? We should send an envoy to negotiate and try to reach a settlement, and then discuss the matter at length.”

This is a self-proclaimed neutral skeptic.

"After the glorious battle, we have few strong warriors left. Time is running out, what should we do?"

This is the fear and pessimism of those who maintain rationality.

Their cacophony of voices, like bursts of rain, drowned out Elder Xie's remaining words.

Only a very small number of people were filled with righteous indignation, but they did not mingle with the crowd. Those who were quick-witted and secretly determined to scheme against the group were numerous.

Yun Wei coldly observed the various aspects of human nature below the stage.

Humans, as a group, are creatures that never learn from their mistakes. The scenes unfolding in the conference room are strikingly similar to the invasion of the Lord of Chaos eight hundred years ago—

According to Isaac, all those who harbored illusions eventually died, after paying a hundred or a thousand times more in extra, meaningless sacrifices.

And how hollow are those self-deceiving voices that call for peace?

He preferred to pray that he could always keep the power to intimidate his enemies in his own hands.

“It’s still a while,” Yun Wei whispered to Isaac amidst the chaos.

But after a long pause, he suddenly sighed, "Only seven months left."

Time really flies.

However, Isaac did not answer.

The other person simply frowned and looked at him with a melancholy expression.

He really wanted to reach out and smooth away that furrowed brow, but in the end he didn't dare to do it, and just smiled imperceptibly.

But then a noise came from the other side.

Elder Xie suddenly prostrated himself on the ground, bowed, and when he looked up again, his hair and beard stood on end in a fit of rage.

He then spoke eloquently:

"We, the people of Bicheng, have crossed the sea to this land for over a thousand years, living in harmony with the people of the mainland, sharing the same sun and moon, and feeling as close as brothers. We have always kept our promises and dared not trespass across the vast ocean; we have diligently cultivated propriety and righteousness, and earnestly hope for harmonious neighborly relations with all nations..."

"The great calamity we face today is not just a calamity for my city of Bicheng, but a common calamity for all nations."

"For the sake of our comrades, we, the sons and daughters of Bili, are willing to personally lead our small boats into the deep abyss of the dark sea, and fight alongside the nations on the sandless battlefields..."

"To have my blood stain the annals of history is my lifelong wish; to take up my sword with righteous indignation is not difficult at all."

His words were so concise that he paused here, and the only sound in the hall could be Xie Mulang's clear and fast-paced translation following behind.

Language is the most outward expression of knowledge, capable of revealing one's identity.

As a result, many nobles nodded and clapped their hands, some clenched their fists with excitement, and others appeared completely absorbed.

But Elder Xie then changed the subject and asked Catherine to take in the commoners of Green Glass City.

"Although there are still 100,000 women, children, and the elderly in the city, they are kind-hearted, unarmed, and no match for demons and monsters..."

Yun Wei couldn't bear to see the old man's tearful and bitter state, so he lowered his eyes.

He was all too aware of Bili City's awkward situation.

The battlefield, personally chosen by the Lord of the Abyss, is right next to Azure City.

Once war breaks out, it will be difficult for anyone to survive.

Two new cities, located in the southeast of the Zhuyuan Continent and facing each other across the sea, are still under construction and cannot accommodate the large population of the Nine Heavens within them.

But to be honest, given the current state of the backward productivity of the Zhuyuan Continent, it would be difficult to accommodate so many refugees all at once.

Perhaps Xie Qiu knew this, which is why he proposed to Catherine that they only take in women and children.

However, judging from the nature of the nobles of the Zhuyuan Continent...

Elder Xie probably thought too highly of them.

Sure enough, almost from the moment the other party made the request, those old foxes who had seemed incredibly moved suddenly stopped crying.

That was acting skill that would leave future generations in awe; it was seamless and had its own built-in transitions.

They either pretended to chat intimately with their colleagues, or feigned not understanding Xie Mulang's message and leaned forward with furrowed brows, or stared inscrutably at the old man in front of the hall, making no attempt to hide the greedy glint in their eyes.

Yun Wei felt uneasy, so he quietly withdrew his gaze, sat up straight, and remained expressionless.

After a long while, Elder Xie finally finished his nervous speech and bowed deeply again.

He looked helplessly at the princes and nobles below the stage, their appearances varied, and a trace of sorrow inevitably showed in his weathered eyes.

Living under someone else's roof, one becomes like a fish on a chopping block.

I have never failed Heaven, so why should the gods punish me?

Is it because the four great families are complacent and lack ambition?

Or is it because of the extravagance and debauchery in the Nine Heavens, leading to internal strife and discord?

But no amount of regret or self-blame will help.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be standing here, hoping for a glimmer of hope for the inheritance and continuation of tradition.

Thinking of this, his already hunched back bent even more limply.

He could only look at Her Majesty the Empress, who was seated on her throne, and saw Catherine nod and say to the eunuch beside her, "Nie Bo, help the old gentleman to the next room to rest."

The eunuch did as he was told, and together with Xie Mulang, they helped the old man, who was walking heavily, to a quiet room in the back to rest.

Seeing the gate close, Catherine turned around and looked at the nobles of the Red Moon Kingdom.

She actually laughed, a rare occurrence for her. "My esteemed ministers, having heard the old gentleman from Bili City's plea for help, do you have any suggestions?"

Yun Wei was closest to her and could clearly see the coldness in her eyes, so she swallowed the words that had risen to her throat.

His Majesty has clearly made a decision.

Duke Gennare spoke impatiently, "I believe we should not agree so easily."

Seeing Catherine's expressionless face, the man sitting next to Grand Duke Chifeng forced himself to continue, "Azure City is separated from our Zhuyuan by a vast continent, thousands of miles away. As the saying goes, different religions and customs mean different minds. In my opinion, even the silk handkerchief of the Lord of the Abyss may not be genuine; there is likely a deception involved. Your Majesty is wise and powerful; you must not fail to investigate!"

Before he could finish speaking, Yun Wei noticed a commotion nearby.

Richard was about to slam his fist on the table when Isaac stopped him.

Just like back in the academy, the two began a silent, covert struggle.

Unfortunately, the latter still had the Heart of All Elements hanging around its neck, and moreover, it was stronger than the other party, so although the Silver Dragon was furious, it was still helpless.

If he was able to discover it, so was Catherine.

But the other party pretended not to know and said calmly, "Whether it's true or false, you can tell at a glance. Who has the ability to make millions of corpses rise upstream in a single day? Oh, I think Yun Wei can indeed do it, but he has clearly been sitting with us these past few days."

As everyone knows, Grand Duke Yun Wei of the Ice Sparrow Flower is the most sought-after figure on the continent after the Empress's restoration; the phrase "unrivaled in popularity" is insufficient to describe him.

Unfortunately, he also happened to be a Bili person.

If you're talking about different religions and customs, then we can satisfy all of them.

If Yun Wei really had that idea, even if he swallowed all of Yun Wei's territory and arranged for the Bili people to live there, what could Yun Wei say?

It's reasonable and legal.

Grand Duchess Renalé, who had been urged to take the lead, was already in a hurry. Upon hearing this, her face turned pale, and she stammered for a long time, unable to utter a complete sentence. "I, I certainly didn't mean that... I mean, uh, anyway, it's all for His Majesty."

Grand Duke Chifeng cursed him inwardly as a good-for-nothing, but chuckled and smoothed things over, saying, "Vincent's territory is closest to Bili, and it was just a moment of panic. He was thinking of the kingdom and Your Majesty."

"But there is no such thing as a free lunch. I have long heard that Bili is rich and prosperous, and is a city that the entire continent of Zhuyuan desires. In the spirit of charity, it is not unreasonable for us to take them in for a period of time, but we must make them offer sufficient benefits."

"Bullshit!" Richard, unable to contain himself any longer, roared even as Isaac held him down, "I'll skin you alive! I'll fuck you to death—"

His voice stopped abruptly, but his mouth continued to open and close, and silver scales rose up on his neck.

It turned out that Catherine had pointed and erected a large curtain wall next to him, repelling wind elements and blocking out his disruptive noise from the meeting.

Despite being utterly incapable of fighting, Grand Duke Chifeng remained unmoved, instead turning to the chief's direction. "This is a matter of course, and no one can find fault with it. What do you think, Your Excellency Yun Wei?"