Chapter 390
"So, what exactly happened?"
In the end, she was the one who asked the question first.
Since the other party appeared in this manner, it means he had no malicious intent.
If that's the case, why not just lay things out plainly?
The man maintained his smile and calmly asked the question.
"... I just wanted to ask, weren't you two the ones who saved South River City before?"
"It wasn't a rescue; we just put in our last bit of effort."
Maria shook her head, seemingly unwilling to accept the praise.
The man just smiled.
"The matter of the Great Beast isn't something that can be resolved simply by adding one or two more people..."
He seemed to be referring to something specific.
Meanwhile, even Sui noticed something amiss. She paused slightly while eating, but after a moment's thought, she obediently buried her head in her rice.
She'd already dealt with petty people before, and it was indeed very troublesome. Since Maria was present, she'd leave this matter to Maria!
Just do your job honestly!
"It was just a coincidence."
Maria seemed rather unfazed by this, casually changing the subject.
"But what is your purpose in appearing before us several times?"
"... Just out of curiosity."
Seeing that Maria had become wary, the man didn't continue the original topic. He just kept sipping his drink and changed the subject.
"With your abilities, you two could become renowned detectives anywhere. But I've heard you came to Hundred Stoves specifically for this purpose. Is there something you're looking for?"
"... really."
Maria nodded.
Her slender fingers gently traced the rim of the wine glass.
"I came here... to find a way to defeat the Great Beast."
Silence fell over the room.
"A method to defeat the Great Beast...?"
The man didn't seem surprised, but it's also possible he was good at hiding his emotions.
After hearing Maria's words, he simply nodded, then smiled and said...
"So, did you find it?"
"Not at the moment."
"That's truly a pity... Now that we haven't found it, will you two continue to stay in Hundred Stoves?"
"Perhaps."
Maria also began to use cryptic language, revealing no flaw whatsoever.
The man noticed this as well, and after calming down for a moment, he said it as if it were just a casual remark.
"But... you two have already defeated the Great Beast in South River City, which means you already have the ability to contend with that celestial monster. So why did you come to Hundred Stoves to search for it?"
"That's just a worthless little beast."
Maria's tone remained calm as always, but everyone's hearts gradually hardened with her words.
As people in high positions of power, they naturally knew the most accurate information about South River City.
Countless guards perished while responding to the first wave of attacks from the Great Beast.
Countless celestial masters chose to use themselves as a medium to help their fellow beings cast spells and enhance their powers.
Half of South River City was destroyed in the final battle... and this was accomplished in just a few hours with their full support for Maria and Sui!
Heaven knows how long the entire South River City could hold out if things really went all out.
But... according to Maria, this Great Beast was only a relatively weak one?
What would a truly powerful Great Beast be like?
For a moment, everyone couldn't help but feel anxious.
Even among Great Beast, strength is not uniform; there are always strong and weak ones...
Maria continued speaking, her eyes fixed on the man in front of her with his strikingly vertical pupils, a feature reminiscent of ancestral traits.
"What I need is a solution for dealing with those powerful Great Beast."
"Does this 'Hundred Stoves'... exist?"
Maria's voice was calm, but the surrounding rain seemed to sense something, and the sound of it hitting the ground became softer...
The man's smile finally faded.
He looked at Maria and Sui, who were completely unlike normal people in both their aura and posture, and silently lowered his hand.
"It's okay to have it, or it's okay not to..."
"That depends on your respective roles or identities."
"Is it a human... or Great Beast?"
The man opened his eyes, revealing a bright light.
A powerful surge of energy churned around him, and the golden threads seemed almost tangible!
The crowd around him who heard him speak were all stunned.
On the contrary, Wei Sanzheng gently placed his hand on his weapon, his eyes still closed, like a statue...
Maria watched this scene without saying much.
The man was very wary; he knew perfectly well that with the current technology of the Great Yan, there was no possibility of defeating the Great Beast.
Li Zhenfang from South River City was an old friend of his, and he believed that the other party would not deliberately deceive him.
Furthermore, with the secret letter hidden inside the envelope, he also learned that the real solution to the problem in that battle was Maria and Sui...
This in itself made him suspicious.
During the day, the reactions of these two people inside the Hundred Refining Bureau further confirmed his conjecture.
These two seemingly calm women... are definitely not human!
This made him need to be vigilant.
You must understand, this is the heart of the Hundred Stoves... the very heart of the Great Yan!
If this place were attacked by Great Beast, who knows what people would think, and what rumors the people of the Shanhai Assembly would spread.
Therefore, he must be vigilant.
To be honest, he shouldn't have come to see Maria in person today.
After all, as the emperor of the Great Yan, no matter how many responsibilities he bears, even if he has no power whatsoever, he must remain there. As long as he is alive, the center of the Great Yan will not be in chaos.
The task of testing the Great Beast's attitude was by no means his responsibility.
But it was also during the day, and he realized that the two humanoid Great Beast in front of him seemed to be quite different from the Great Beast he had seen and learned about.
Leaving aside her age... at least, Maria doesn't seem to be so ruthless and contemptuous of human existence.
On the contrary, she even knows some human etiquette... although these etiquettes don't seem to have been learned from the Great Yan.
But that doesn't matter.
This gave him more ideas than just his initial doubts.
He wanted to spend more time with the other person... perhaps he could find out something.
But...
"Is that arrogant?"
She tilted her head back and looked at the man in front of her with a smile.
She spoke casually, and a golden-red aura surged up, forcefully breaking through the man's imposing presence!
She stood there, gazing at him proudly, her eyes regaining their fiery intensity.
As her shockwave erupted, the surrounding air instantly became scorching hot.
Others didn't even feel the sweat pouring out of their mouths before their lips turned pale and they were incredibly thirsty.
Even so, no one dared to make any move.
Because age has indirectly proven the correctness of men's words in its own way.
They... are definitely not human!
"You're saying... you've found a way to defeat the Great Beast?"
Sui smiled as she looked at the man in front of her. Although her words were calm, the aura emanating from them was still overwhelming.
This time, Maria didn't try to stop him; instead, she just watched from the sidelines.
Of course, this was also largely due to the fact that the girl looked imposing, but in reality, she was holding Maria's hand with her own little hand under the table the whole time.
She kept giving Maria hints.
She wasn't really angry; she just wanted to scare these people.
In the battle of South River City, humanity had proven its wisdom and strength to her, and she had noticed the interesting aspects of these little people.
So, their current actions are really just out of curiosity to see what gives these guys their confidence.
If it really involves some kind of technology... she would actually be happier.
Because she also wanted to show her fellow countrymen just how much power the petty people they had always looked down upon actually wielded.
"Perhaps?"
It must be said that after the woman unleashed her full power, the man froze for a moment.
But even faster, he composed himself and met Sui's gaze without fear!
The two auras swirled together.
"How arrogant you are..."
The man grinned and slowly raised his body.
As she moved, Wei Sanzheng, who was standing to the side, seemed to sense the threat and slightly drew the sword from his waist, his eyes sharp.
The man waved his hand, signaling him not to make a move yet.
He continued to watch Sui.
"The word arrogance doesn't seem to suit us... It's always been the Great Beast who are arrogant."
"Perhaps, I don't deny that."
Sui smiled, his eyes slightly narrowed, "But our arrogance is built on the premise that any one of our members could easily conquer all your cities. If I wanted, I could turn this Hundred Stoves into one stove in an instant..."
"Then... on what is your arrogance based?"
He said, "I'm old."
The Wood Court next door seemed unable to withstand the dry atmosphere any longer.
As the girl spoke, sparks suddenly flew from the trees on this rainy day!
With just a faint scent, she was able to change the surrounding environment!
And all of this is just the tip of the iceberg of her abilities...
"..."
The man noticed this too, and his previously composed expression crumbled.
He had anticipated as much as possible how powerful he would become, but even now, he could still feel his heart pounding wildly.