nagpurpolice Chapter 369 - 12: The Conversation Was Going Well, When Suddenly Someone Mentioned the Demon (2)
Chapter 369 - 12: The Conversation Was Going Well, When Suddenly Someone Mentioned the Demon (2)
"It’s hard to say."
Westheid didn’t think Mephit, even under a Celestial Blessing, could take down Eilvette. Not even as a Yonglan Knight.
Because there were different tiers of Celestial Blessings.
The blessing left by the Yonglan Riding God was merely his Divine Blood, a temporary enhancement. The Thousand Laws Ceremony, however, was the very artifact Emperor Qianlu had used to achieve his Ascension!
Without a special ability to counter Harmonic Resonance, fighting the Grand Law Officer on the Royal Court’s home turf was an extremely foolish act. Even Westheid had never considered it for a moment.
"Clashing with the Grand Law Officer the moment you meet? That can’t be a good sign."
Beside him, Luyetan covered her mouth, stifling a giggle as she said:
"You can see it too, can’t you? Who calls the shots in the Thousand Laws Royal Court now."
"When the old order collapses, the strong define the new rules. It’s only natural."
A slight smile touched Westheid’s lips as he surveyed his surroundings and said:
"And yet, I get the feeling... this might actually be a good thing."
After leaving the port, the group quickly navigated the labyrinthine palace and arrived at a prepared open-air banquet. It was a first for Westheid, enjoying a welcoming feast in such an exquisite and aesthetically beautiful elven courtyard.
"Please, be seated, Duke Qinghui. As an ally who has extended a hand to our Royal Court, you are more than worthy of such a reception. Please don’t be angered by the Grand Law Officer’s words and actions. He’s always like that; he means no harm."
The Wind Law Queen folded her hands over her stomach and gave Westheid a sweet smile.
To that end, Ailorus had deliberately reserved the most prominent seats at the front of the banquet for Westheid and his entourage as a sign of respect.
However, Duke Qinghui had brought only a small retinue of about a dozen legion commanders. He had even left the Witch of the Ring of Clear Skies behind to avoid suspicion, as the current level of trust was far from sufficient. The best he could have hoped for was for the Elves to turn a blind eye, and he wasn’t about to test that.
Thus, even after his party was seated, there were still many empty seats, enough for the Wind Law Queen’s own retinue to join them.
"The Grand Law Officer must be working tirelessly for his country and its people, so a slight lapse in etiquette is understandable. In fact, his loyal, serious, and dutiful nature is quite reassuring. After all, we will soon be fighting side by side, and nothing is more important than a reliable comrade-in-arms."
Westheid spoke these pleasantries while trying his best not to let his gaze linger on the beautiful Elf maiden standing beside the Little Queen—a woman with a high purple ponytail and a figure that surpassed even Rozana’s.
Ailorus clapped her hands, exclaiming with delight:
"That’s wonderful news."
Then, the petite Her Majesty the Queen lifted a Glazed Cup filled with Fruit Wine in both hands, raising it to Westheid in a toast.
"To Duke Qinghui!"
As the Elf maiden’s delicate, bell-like voice faded, the members of the Elf Royal Family in attendance followed suit, raising their cups.
For the Wind Law Queen to personally propose a toast was an undeniably generous honor. There seemed to be no precedent for it; even the now immensely powerful Grand Law Officer had never been afforded such a courtesy.
But no one present found it strange. Westheid wasn’t just the Monarch of the Qinghui Territory; he also held the title of "Yonglan Knight King"! Although the authority of a Knight King was less than that of the rulers of other Realms of Order, in terms of sheer status, Westheid was nearly the Wind Law Queen’s equal.
It was a simple matter of status: you’re a ruler, and I’m a ruler.
Westheid had always operated on a simple principle: treat others as they treat you. He immediately returned the toast, saying, "And to Her Majesty the Queen!"
For a while, the air was filled with the clinking of cups and lively chatter as the guests reveled in the festivities.
One member of the Elf Royal Family after another approached Westheid to offer toasts and compliments. Their flattery reminded him of his time in the Imperial Capital, which had been just as extravagant—so opulent it made one lose all track of time, unable to tear oneself away.
However, the revelry was cut short by the sound of firm, powerful footsteps.
The Grand Law Officer, Eilvette, was approaching with a group of his own. His mere presence made the atmosphere turn serious, and many of the Elves even began to quietly slip away.
Eilvette seemed oblivious to this, walking straight over to Westheid and Ailorus and taking a seat. His expression was placid as he spoke:
"Your Majesty, I apologize for the interruption, but please allow me to take a moment of your time."
Then, the Grand Law Officer turned to Westheid, his expression growing serious.
"Duke Qinghui, I must brief you on the enemy we face and the current state of the war. The matter is urgent. Even if we can delay deploying troops, the sooner we start planning our strategy, the better."
Everyone had been having a pleasant conversation, and then someone had to bring up the Demons.
When the topic arose, even the Elf Royal Family didn’t want to hear more. The Demons had always been a thorn in the side of the Royal Court’s nobility, and after a series of devastating blows, they couldn’t even bear to confront the issue. One by one, they rose from their seats and departed.
Westheid, however, didn’t feel his mood was spoiled in the slightest. He was quite interested in the Royal Court’s current Demon’s Frenzy Banquet and wanted to know just how far things had escalated.
"Hm. I’m all ears."
Westheid leaned back slightly, waiting for Eilvette to begin.
"From the moment of its founding, the Thousand Laws Royal Court has had seventy-seven Cities in the Lake, and that number remains the same today. Each one is a crucial node in the Grand Ensemble. In the past, while we were aware of the Demons’ existence, we never imagined so many of them were sealed beneath these nodes."
The Grand Law Officer took out a map to show Westheid the unique geography of the Thousand Laws Royal Court.
"As of now, the Royal Court directly controls only twelve of the Cities in the Lake. We can still establish contact with another seventeen. The rest have fallen and become nests for the Demons."
Westheid was blunt. "Doesn’t that mean you’re completely finished?"
’I knew the Demon’s Frenzy Banquet was widespread and severe, but I never imagined it was this bad.’
’More than half their territory has fallen. No wonder the Royal Court is so desperate they’re ignoring their ancestral laws to request reinforcements from the outside world.’
"That’s not true!"
Hearing Westheid’s grim assessment, Eilvette’s brow furrowed. He let out a cold snort and retorted:
"The Royal Court lost so many nodes because the Demons themselves were sealed within the Cities in the Lake. Over hundreds, even thousands of years, they became intimately familiar with the nodes. The moment they broke free, they seized control of the Thousand Laws Ceremony’s nodes, making them unshakable by any amount of Tuning."
"We have not been routed. We are simply finding it difficult to retake the nodes from the Demons. If those Celestial God’s Shadows dared to invade the Central Royal Court, I would ensure they suffer a crushing defeat!"
Eilvette rarely exaggerated; his words carried weight and credibility. And he was right—if the Royal Court were truly weaker than the Demons, it would have fallen long ago under the siege of the hate-filled Celestial God’s Shadows.
Westheid nodded. "I see. But by your account, this stalemate will simply drag on. If the Grand Ensemble is interrupted for too long... I imagine that would be a rather bad thing, wouldn’t it?"
At these words, Eilvette’s expression turned grim. He said:
"You are correct... but there is no need for alarm. Even if the Grand Ensemble is interrupted, its collapse will not be immediate. It would take at least several years, perhaps even decades."
’Such an honest man. Is that really something he should be saying out loud?’
The Grand Law Officer said through gritted teeth:
"If we can retake just one City in the Lake... even a single one would significantly slow the Grand Ensemble’s collapse. Therefore, our next objective is simply to recapture the most recently fallen City in the Lake—one of the territories occupied by the Master of Decay."
Eilvette marked a location on the map. It was, indeed, very close to the area under the Central Royal Court’s jurisdiction.
"The Master of Decay? Never heard of him. Seems you have a few too many of these Little Demons running around."
Westheid said, raising an eyebrow.
"Among our many great Demon adversaries, he is considered one of the weakest. In fact, even without your assistance, this was the Royal Court’s next target, and we were highly confident of success... But since we now have the support of Duke Qinghui, Yuanxi Palace, and the others, there’s no harm in making additional preparations for war."
The Grand Law Officer looked up, his eyes burning with intensity as he said:
"I hope you will allow your troops a period to train and integrate with the Royal Court’s Stringed Swordsmen, so that we may be invincible in the battle of reclamation to come."