"Sinvira, oh, Sinvira..."
After Master Augut left, Roland held the Golden Phantom Beast Egg in his hands, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"Are you a nation of magic or a nation of merchants?"
"Lord Roland, this sounds like quite a valuable item."
"I've heard a little about it myself. It truly is an excellent thing."
Several members of the Atrelin delegation who had stayed behind offered their opinions.
"Still, it's disheartening to see a great Magic Empire reduced to measuring everything by worldly interests."
"Who doesn't know phantom beasts are precious? Yet they're still playing these games at such a critical moment in the demon invasion. Political gamesmanship must be ingrained in their bones."
"They might even genuinely believe this approach will work against the Abyss."
There was a saying: watch what people said and observe what they did.
A person's character and values could be judged through their words and deeds.
Assessing a nation was much the same.
One only had to look at the principles it followed and the actions it took.
On Skyrealm Floating Island, at the Planar Battlefield, those people had chosen to wrong the Sladelta People for political gain.
That alone revealed an ingrained tendency.
The one saving grace was that arcane truth and principle still prevailed in Atrelin. Its leadership had not yet degenerated into entrenched clans and bureaucrats.
That was the key to the lawful alignment's struggle against the chaotic alignment.
After sending everyone away, Roland examined the Golden Phantom Beast Egg in his hands.
According to Master Augut, it was essentially a psychic spirit unlike ordinary monsters, something that could be understood as a naturally born elf.
Such remarkable creatures created by nature were far better suited to being combat companions or mounts than many artificially cultivated beings.
If an inspection