Xuan Ye let out a breath of Turbid Qi.
"Are Yueye and the others... being interrogated by the Elders' Council?"
To save him, the entire Moon Demon Race's commercial lifeline had been dealt a severe blow. As a princess, Yueye had naturally borne the brunt of the backlash.
"Make up for the losses..."
Xuan Ye lightly tapped his fingertips against his knee, thoughts racing.
"It's nothing more than a matter of money."
How could he solve it?
A faint smile unconsciously tugged at the corner of Xuan Ye's mouth.
When it came to running a business...
For instance, forging steel chains or making glass, he genuinely didn't know the first thing about those.
He wasn't some transmigrator from the ancient Blue Star, with a head full of knowledge about the Industrial Revolution.
He came from an age of information overload.
People of that era might not know how to make things with their own hands, but they'd seen plenty.
On short-video platforms, he'd come across countless case studies of business prodigies, the fundamentals of brand management, practical marketing psychology... even down-to-earth business decisions like, "Brother Yong, take a look and tell me if I should buy this plot of land."
In the relatively primitive society and business environment of the Devil Race Territory, these seemingly scattered scraps of knowledge were nothing short of a Dimensional Reduction Strike.
He might only understand the barest basics.
But even those basics were enough to earn back, with interest, everything Yueye had lost because of him.
Meanwhile.
The Moon Demon Race Council Hall.
The atmosphere was as heavy as iron.
Dozens of Moon Demon Race elders in luxurious black robes sat on either side, gloom written across every face.
In the seat of honor, Yueye wore a black dress, her expression indifferent and her violet eyes utterly calm.
Yue Chen and Yue Xing stood quietly behind her with their heads bowed, their expressions hidden.
"Your Highness."
A Goatee Elder spoke first, his voice dry.
"The trade caravan under your command is the lifeblood of our entire Moon Demon Race. Now, because of your personal feelings, you unilaterally halted our trade with them, causing our race enormous losses. How... do you intend to answer to everyone?"
Another elder immediately chimed in. "The Undead Demon Race has already made it clear that if we don't compensate them for their losses in a timely manner and give them an explanation, they'll retaliate! Your Highness, can you bear that responsibility?"
One question after another shot toward the young woman in the seat of honor like a volley of arrows.
Yueye didn't even lift her eyelids.
She merely picked up the teacup beside her and gently blew the floating tea leaves aside.
Only after a long while did she speak, her voice cool and even. "I'll take responsibility."
The entire hall fell silent.
They dared to hold her accountable, but they wouldn't dare actually do anything to the princess, who was deeply cherished by the Demon God.
Seeing that he couldn't get anywhere with Yueye, the Goatee Elder's eyes shifted to the Twin Sisters standing behind her.
His voice suddenly rose, dripping with scorn and anger.
"Her Highness is a princess of noble blood. Perhaps she didn't think things through! But you two are her maids—are you made of wood?"
"You watched the princess make such a grave mistake and not only failed to stop her, but helped her in her wrongdoing! Do you even care about the Moon Demon Race's interests?"
"I say you two wretched maids were whispering in her ear, stirring things up and manipulating the princess!"
Filthy insults surged toward Yue Chen and Yue Xing like a tide.
Yue Chen instinctively shielded her younger sister. Her body trembled, and all the color drained from her fair cheeks.
Yue Xing hid behind her sister, biting her lip tightly. Her eyes reddened in an instant, tears glistening in them, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
"I say we should take these two negligent maids into custody and flog them as a warning to the rest!" the Goatee Elder declared sharply.
"I disagree." Yueye's voice turned icy. She set down her teacup, a trace of killing intent flashing in her violet eyes. "They're my people. Who dares lay a hand on them?"
The Goatee Elder's heart quivered under her gaze, but this time he refused to back down.
They couldn't touch the princess. Surely they could deal with two lowly maids?
"Your Highness, this is a clan council! Do you intend to make every decision yourself?"
"Exactly! We must have an answer today!"
The elders were determined to make an example of the sisters and humiliate the princess.
Yue Chen and Yue Xing stood alone, battered by pressure from every side, looking so helpless and pitiful.
Seeing this, the Goatee Elder grew even more pleased with himself and fixed the sisters with a menacing stare.
"Speak up! Was the princess wrong this time? Should that Human Traitor named Xuan Ye never have been saved? Should he have been left to die out there?"
His words struck straight at the heart.
Every gaze in the hall focused on the sisters.
Yueye's breath caught for a moment.
In the deathly silence, Yue Chen, who had been quiet until then, suddenly drew a deep breath.
"I believe Young Master Xuan Ye deserved to be saved."
After saying this, she pressed her lips tightly together and lowered her eyes slightly, bracing herself for the storm about to break.
"A mere maid dares to run her mouth at a clan council!"
"Take her! Take her this instant!"
The elders' fury erupted, and the entire hall descended into an uproar.
Just then.
"Bang—!"
The heavy doors of the Council Hall were suddenly shoved open from outside.
A figure stepped into the heart of the storm.
The angry shouts cut off. Every head turned toward the entrance.
"Who goes there? How dare you barge into the clan council!" the Goatee Elder shouted.
Xuan Ye ignored the gazes that seemed ready to swallow him whole. He walked straight in, swept his eyes across the hall, and fixed them on Yue Chen and Yue Xing's pale, helpless faces.
He gave Yueye a slight nod from where she sat in the seat of honor, then turned to the elders and asked calmly, "Am I not also a member of the Moon Demon Race?"
"The Moon Demon Race has suffered such heavy losses this time. I should do my part."
The hall fell silent for an instant, then burst into laughter.
The Goatee Elder laughed so hard that tears nearly came to his eyes. He pointed at Xuan Ye.
"Do your part? You?"
"You're just a human brat who's barely grown up. What could you possibly do? You'd be a blessing if you managed not to cause us more trouble!"
He stressed the word "human."
Another elder recognized Xuan Ye as well. His face darkened at once as he berated him. "So it's you, the troublemaker! If we hadn't had to save you, our race wouldn't be in this mess! And now you still have the nerve to speak up!"
"Get out!"
One angry shout after another crashed down on Xuan Ye.
Yueye's face turned deathly pale.
A flicker of panic crossed her violet eyes, and she instinctively glanced at Yue Chen and Yue Xing behind her.
The sisters' faces were full of worry and helplessness too.
They knew all too well that by stepping forward now, Xuan Ye wouldn't help matters at all. Instead, he would draw every elder's anger straight onto himself.
He would become the target of everyone's hostility.
Before you continue