Wary Yet Reassured

Sometimes, it's better to get straight to the point.

This is especially true for the political animals of the Arcane Council.

Rather than the argument that "I want to maintain world peace and fight against the Star Palace with you, so I won't kick you when you're down, and I might even help you," they are more inclined to believe the realistic motive of "Eat shit, I want your money, people, and technology or I'll beat you up."

With the exchange and transfer of benefits, they actually felt more at ease.

At least they can understand what Kang De really wanted.

Kaliusi probably understood this as well, but still shook his head. "With my authority, I cannot promise you too much... I do not have that power."

"So I need to make sure you have it," Kang De said dramatically, "You'll become the next Speaker of the Council."

Kaliusi instinctively replied, "To become the Grand Speaker, one must follow ancient traditions and sacred procedures, going through the Senate's selection and nomination process, and the various departments..."

Kang De shrugged. "Good luck then."

"What I mean is, I'm not sure I'll succeed..."

Upon hearing this, the Earthling waved his hand. "For the sake of the greater good, for everyone's dignity, you can fabricate evidence and cheat. For the sake of freedom and democracy, this is not shameful."

"How can this be?" Kaliusi frowned. "And why does it have to be me?"

"Because you are the most suitable," Kang De said, his gaze intense. "I've already said it, you are probably the one in the Council who has truly suffered at their hands, and who has thus developed a deep hatred and hostility."

Kaliusi remained silent.

"I recognize that look." Kang De stared into his eyes. "Your eyes are filled with the fury of betrayal. The person who betrayed you once earned your trust and even your respect. You thought you shared common ideals and paths, and even took him as your role model and goal. But in a single day, everything turned upside down. He betrayed and hurt you. You are in pain, confused, doubtful, incredulous, and even filled with hatred."

"You hate him, and you hate even more the person who made him this way. You can't wait to know what kind of future Star Palace promised Griffin, that would make the man you respect betray everything he's done so far..."

Before Kang De could finish speaking, Kaliusi said in a deep voice, "Enough!"

Kang De simply smiled faintly, "That's why I think you should become the Grand Speaker... Although I don't completely trust you, and I don't know if you will follow in Griffin's footsteps and choose this cowardly and despicable path of rebellion against the king, at least for now, you are the most suitable."

Kaliusi remained silent, then glanced at the three leaders of the Security Committee. Their expressions varied, and none of them spoke—the executive officer seemed to understand something and suddenly let out a cold laugh.

He turned to look at Kang De: "Is this some kind of provocation or a case of flattery to kill?"

"No, that's not it," Kang De said calmly. "I just hope that the new generation of power in the Arcane Council can view their relationship with Distant Harbor more rationally, and not be like that idiot Griffin, who was obsessed with solving problems through war, only to be blinded by the Star Palace and end up disgraced."

He pressed a button on his headset to confirm, then said, "By the way, just as we were talking, Phaethon and Griffin, who had broken through the siege, rushed to a hiding place in the city and escaped using a teleportation array. It seems that this defecting Grand Speaker was quite well-prepared."

The monks' expressions changed drastically.

Phaethon was already a top-tier powerhouse with unpredictable methods and exceptional combat strength. Coupled with Griffin, a legendary spellcaster who was also among the pinnacle, the two of them working together would be enough to keep any monarch awake at night—especially since Griffin was once the highest leader of the Council!

He knew almost everything about the country—classified intelligence, secret weapons, national information, troop deployments, and so on.

All the secrets accumulated and sealed away by the Council over hundreds and thousands of years of history were completely exposed to Griffin. Who knows what he was planning!

Kaliusi reacted the most agitatedly. He tried to stand up, but the excruciating pain made him groan. Then he glared fiercely at Kang De: "Why didn't you say so sooner!"

Kang De shrugged and said, "Because I want to blackmail you."

"You!"

Phoenix patterns appeared in the eyes of the Fire Thief, golden flames blazing. He said calmly, "Leaving aside the direct destructive power of the two top experts, just consider how many of this country's top secrets and weaknesses Griffin knew during his tenure as Grand Speaker. Do you think you can allow him to escape alive?"

"You want to hunt him down and execute him? Do you even know where he ran to? If you do, you're sending powerful experts to wipe him out? Who would you send? How many? Only peerless experts can kill a peerless expert, and there aren't many people of that level in the Council, are there? They belong to various factions. How are you going to coordinate? How are you going to boost morale? How are you going to ensure that those involved in the operation don't spread rumors?"

"As powerful as they are, it's difficult to bind them with military discipline and contracts, isn't it? What kind of rewards and incentives could make them wholeheartedly fight to the death against at least two peerless experts?"

These questions were extremely real, leaving Kaliusi and the others speechless.

That's absolutely true.

Every living being possesses the instinct to survive; who would willingly await their death? Defeating a peerless expert is one thing, but killing one is quite another—the backlash and struggle before death would be terrifying, potentially taking several lives. Cultivation is hard-won; who would willingly risk their life like that?

Kaliusi asked, "You're willing to help again?"

Kang De snapped his fingers, "That depends on how much you're willing to pay."

"What would you like?"

"Don't be so amateurish, be more professional," Kang De said with a smile. "What services would your country like to purchase?"

"For example, location reporting services, which involve searching for and precisely specifying the location of another person, are a service with their own pricing structure, charged per use."

"You know the enemy's location and send your henchmen to kill them, but the henchmen need time to travel. Maybe by the time they arrive, Griffin and his men will have escaped. Wouldn't that be terrible? That's when you need logistics services to Phase Teleportation your assassination squad and even your equipment to the designated battlefield location to fight the traitors. That's also a service—and it's charged based on the number of people and the number of times."

"Once the fighting starts, your men are outmatched and getting utterly routed, desperately needing help. That's when you can call our company for assistance—this major service is quite detailed, consisting of many smaller projects."

"For example, summoning a Forbidden Spell, bringing in a powerful reinforcement. Oh, and by the way, do you want to purchase the Trauma Squad service package? That means if your henchmen are about to get hacked to bits by Griffin, we can use the emergency teleportation service to bring them back..."

"--alright!"

Kaliusi was overwhelmed; he had never imagined that Kang De would be such a... lively fellow.

He made a sarcastic remark. "You seem to assume that Griffin and Phaethon will only continue to oppose the Council, so you're desperately trying to sell us your services. But when their targets shift to Distant Harbor, who will foot the bill for these expensive services?"

Kang De whistled, "Then the attackers will have to pay the price—leaving aside Phaethon, Grand Speaker Griffin, as your country's former leader, is quite valuable. How exactly do you extract his remaining value? After squeezing him dry, you can repurpose him and sell him to the Empire..."

He glanced at the increasingly sour faces of the crowd, then wisely stopped, smiling and remaining silent.

This level of explicitness is sufficient.

Kang De smiled slightly and stood up, "Alright, let's stop here for today, Executive Kaliusi. I hope you can quell the chaos as soon as possible. I await your good news."

The executive officer paused for a moment, then said, "What about Griffin and Phaethon...?"

"I'll track down and pinpoint the location first. Once you've calmed the situation and united all forces, we can discuss the details of a joint attack." Kang De wagged his finger. "After all, the promises you're making to me now are nothing but empty promises, meaningless."

With the help of the two mages, Kaliusi stood up. "But..."

"My best friend, Congressman Aokexindun, will discuss those minor details with you in detail."

"What?" The executive officer was startled. "Congressman Aokexindun?"

--Best friend?

"Yes."

Kang De flashed his pearly white teeth. "For the past six months, the Starry Sky Council has been opposing Distant Harbor. Ultimately, it is Grand Speaker Griffin, who was turned and seduced by the Star Palace, who led a group of greedy and unscrupulous councilors to launch baseless and shameless attacks on the peaceful development of Distant Harbor. Such behavior is unpopular and is resolutely opposed by the people of the Council."

"And I am pleased to see that the general public is not in cahoots with these politicians, and that among the core members of Congress, there are many with a conscience, such as Congressman Aokexindun."

--You're talking nonsense! Even though I'm not in the Starry Sky Council, I know that among the core councilors, Aokexindun is a complete hawk and has always advocated being hostile to you!

Kaliusi's face twitched slightly.

Kang De spoke with great emotion, blinking his pure, large eyes as he looked at Kaliusi —his gaze was so innocent and clear, it was obvious that he had not been corrupted by knowledge.

He exclaimed, "Consul Aokexindun is a good man! He refused to collude with those corrupt councilors. Out of sympathy for the Azure Fleet sent to the front lines, and unwilling to see the Council and Distant Harbor's relationship break down, he volunteered to take on the mission to Distant Harbor and actively mediated. Especially when Yilan-Tai'er was deceived by the God of the Star Palace and attacked the Azure Fleet, Councilul Aokexindun bravely fought alongside the soldiers..."

At this point, Kang De added, "Oh, right, considering Griffin's shady dealings with the God of the Star Palace, we have reason to believe that the battle between the Azure Fleet and Yilan-Tai'er might also have been a scheme by this Grand Chancellor—and after that incident, Councilor Aokexindun was placed under our protection because I feared that if I let him return to Tula Xiaye, he would be assassinated by Griffin..."

After praising Aokexindun for a while, Kang De concluded, "Now, upon hearing that there's unrest in the Council, even a threat of war, the patriotic Senator Aokexindun didn't even bother reciting poetry before returning directly to your capital—of course, he wasn't worthy to, but that's not the point. The point is..."

His gaze swept across the faces of the assembled gentlemen.

"Congressman Aokexindun is one of the few remaining politicians with a conscience in the Starry Sky Council. Such a good congressman— the Council will certainly ensure his safety and prevent Griffin's remaining henchmen from harming him," he said with a smile. "Right?"

After he finished speaking, in the eerie silence, Kang De's figure disappeared into the brilliant portal of light.

The sanctuary was completely silent.

Angelos broke the silence. "He... is he going to extend his reach into the Council?"

"They've already extended their reach." Executive Officer Kaliusi's eyes flickered with a deep, thoughtful light. "However, we can also extend our reach to Distant Harbor... can't we?"

Director Naisha, who had been lost in thought, suddenly exclaimed, "Huh?"

The men looked over with displeasure. "What is it now?"

"... nothing."

"However..." Kaliusi stared at the huge gap in the temple wall, a massive hole punched by Phaethon, the most gruesome wound in the Tower of All-Seeing, a testament to the Council's most wretched state today.

He felt the wind blowing from hundreds of meters above. "... What a formidable person."

Kang De.

The three leaders of the Security Committee remained silent, regardless of whether they were dissatisfied, angry, or wary of Kang De — Kaliusi was right, the Dragon of Cathay's performance today was nothing short of amazing.

He decisively launched a surprise attack on Tula Xiaye, turning the tide of the worst situation and forcing Griffin to flee in disarray. He then pressed his advantage, expanding his gains, interfering in the succession of power in the Council, infiltrating the council system, and exerting strong pressure on the world's great powers. All these actions were carried out in one fell swoop.

"Griffin deserved his defeat for choosing someone like that as an opponent."

Kaliusi finished speaking, a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

And now...

He raised his hand and brushed the blood-stained collar of his shirt. Kang De had placed his hand there earlier to expel the deadly alien energy, and the strange feeling had not yet dissipated.

The executive officer remained silent for a moment before saying, "I feel both apprehensive and at ease."

Such a person is terrifying as an opponent, but as an ally, one should feel quite at ease.

Before he could finish speaking, he heard a loud bang.

The executive officer looked up abruptly. The loud noise came from the southeast. Looking closely, he saw that it was Saint Mann Square. Half of the wide flat ground had collapsed, revealing the unfathomable depths within!

The familiar, brilliant blue light flickered and then vanished within.

Kaliusi paused for only a moment, then roared, "Kang De! Robber!"

He turned around, furious, and shouted, "Quickly! Griffin's residence! His manuscripts! His notes! And his students, assistants, confidants, and advisors! Take control of them all!"

The three leaders seemed to wake from a dream, and were about to take action when they suddenly seemed to realize something.

"Executive," Angelos inquired, "Does this imply an alliance?"

Kaliusi remained silent for a long time after hearing this, then smiled sadly, "A sacred tradition..."

He shook his head violently, then stretched out his hand. "Fuck... everyone, you all heard that, let's join forces, too many enemies, too many challenges."

Meanwhile, in White Mist World.

"Finally found them! These idiots didn't even realize I was stalling for time!"

Kang De burst into loud, unrestrained laughter.

Phaethon and Griffin, they've run away, so be it. There'll be a time to catch them again. For Kang De, chasing and killing them wasn't a priority.

--If the Council n't going to take action, why should Malegith and the others have to risk their lives?

Moreover, more than chasing after those two, Kang De was indeed more concerned about the black technology Griffin had developed... that Deceleration Field that could counter Forbidden Spell and even modern weapons.

While the force field was still active, Horus sent out drones to circle around, assuming the Deceleration Field was a regular spherical shield, and then locked onto the center of the sphere, which was the area where the Age of Gods Mechanism was located.

Furthermore, he determined the actual location while negotiating with Kaliusi and his group.

The final raid involved capturing people and stealing their belongings, taking everyone away.

He looked at the group of unconscious mages on the ground, each of them with hard, columnar objects— Paradox Element crystals—stuffed inside their bodies. They must have a lot to say.

He then looked at the Age of Gods Mechanism that had landed steadily on the ground. All the magical energy circuits had been interrupted, and the thing was no longer functioning. However, this strange and eerie, huge floating pyramid-shaped object still exuded a mysterious aura. It looked completely different from the arcane style of Mortal World Civilization.

He frowned and said, "You look familiar..."

Horus said calmly, "Tacitus."

Kang De's expression shifted slightly.

He paused for a moment, lost in thought, "... In short, we should first thoroughly study the principles behind this thing, see if we can reverse engineer any technology, and also develop countermeasures."

It's a good thing that Star Palace has given this technology to Griffin and is using it now—otherwise, if it had been brought out during a major war, it would have certainly caused Kang De a great loss.

He opened the Phase Gate and returned to the Mortal World.

We're safe.

Using a teleportation spell, Phaethon and Griffin escaped from Tula Xiaye. In the distance, clouds and mist shrouded the mountains, and the plains stretched out vast. They were now close to the border region between the Council and Goth.

Phaethon let out a long, resounding howl, as if venting his emotions and dispelling his fear.

Griffin's face turned ashen. "Stop shouting!"

He had not yet recovered from his extreme confusion and helplessness... From this moment on, he had become the most destructive traitor in the history of the Arcane Council.

Phaethon wasn't angry—surprisingly, he wasn't angry at all.

Instead, he patted Griffin on the shoulder. "Celebrate! You have no idea how fortunate it is to escape from such a desperate situation... It must be thanks to your master's protection."

Griffin coldly brushed his hand away. "Let me speak to Apophis!"

He glared coldly at the other man. "The plan can still be carried out with minimal effort, but even with the help of the Deceleration Field, the military force we can command and control is no match for Kang De's army! If you want us to play a greater role in the Mortal World and strike Kang De as hard as possible, then we need more support from your Star Palace! Support! More support! Let me speak to Apophis!"