Each with their own aims

The officials seated in the places of honor erupted in an uproar after hearing Marlena's account.

Chen Xuan was also watching their reactions. Thanks to the Divine Eye Method, not a single change in expression among the Immortal Alliance members escaped his eyes. Their faces showed doubt, disdain, surprise, and even... joy?

A man seated to Hermit Zhuojiu's left seemed to be arguing with the governor-general.

"...You mustn't, sir... the Immortal Alliance has no precedent for this..."

"Even so, we must..."

"...They're merely barbarians..."

"...Be careful you don't get burned."

They whispered among themselves for quite some time before Xu Yuanqing called for silence.

He looked at Chen Xuan again. "The threat posed by demons certainly cannot be ignored. If everything this young lady said is true, the Immortal Alliance cannot stand idly by."

Chen Xuan nodded. "Your sense of duty is admirable, Lord Xu." Inwardly, though, he felt a qualification was coming.

Sure enough, his next words were, "However, I cannot take it upon myself to promise you aid."

Once the interpreter finished translating, disappointment immediately appeared on Marlena's face. "Why not?"

"It's quite simple. It isn't that we're unwilling, but that we're unable." Xu Yuanqing spoke unhurriedly. "Foreigners may find it difficult to understand how we operate. The Immortal Alliance's primary responsibility is to mediate disputes between sects. Only the alliance leader has the authority to command all the sects under heaven. If those demons invaded the Central Plains today, we could sign this treaty immediately. But the Immortal Alliance has yet to discover any such signs. As things stand, I alone cannot represent the entire alliance."

Marlena looked utterly bewildered.

Baron Milton likewise failed to understand what he meant. "But... aren't you their leader?"

Chen Xuan, on the other hand, understood this system perfectly. With the local