Todd narrowed his eyes at the suddenly appearing Xiao Ran. His expression turned extremely grave even as a headache began to form, and the atmosphere within the entire council stiffened at once.
Todd had originally intended to use his status to pressure Cruze. He did not believe Cruze could answer him, much less decide on behalf of the Burning Legion to personally enter the fray. He had merely wanted to knock Cruze down a peg and force him to yield before dealing with the Grey Rock Legion.
But Xiao Ran had unexpectedly appeared at the Legion Council. He gave no face whatsoever and showed no concern for conflict, openly provoking Todd with overwhelming force. Cruze might not have been able to make the decision, but Xiao Ran could. In that instant, Todd had been forced into an awkward position where he could not make a choice.
If he responded, he would be agreeing to a war with the Burning Legion. Todd did not dare think about what consequences a war would bring. It was impossible to say who would win or lose, but they would certainly suffer enormous losses, and the chain of effects afterward would be far too great.
But if he did not respond, it would seem as though Xiao Ran's appearance had completely suppressed him. Others would think him weak, afraid to accept the Burning Legion's challenge and afraid to answer Xiao Ran.
But Todd had been wrong. Cruze was fully capable of deciding on a Legion War, and Todd could never have suppressed him into backing down. Every sentence Cruze had spoken and every arrangement he had made had been linked together. Even if Xiao Ran had not appeared, Cruze would still have ultimately forced the war against the Grey Rock Legion to begin.
As for