Chapter 96: The Undercurrent-Surging Meeting

"Vilna, wanting to take over supreme power at this time, I'm afraid you are still a bit lacking!"

"Oh? So, you think you are more suitable?" Vilna emitted a cold sneer, "When Sakavi and I personally conquered this territory, you, Iroge, were still playing with mud in the magma! Now you dare to covet this power? Don't you think your eating posture is too ugly?"

"Humph! I, Iroge, act, and I can't do such despicable things as taking advantage of others' danger to grab territory and treasures! Even if I want something, I will grab it openly and win fair and square! Unlike some people, who rely on the boss to block disasters while having already calculated to harm their own family! I feel disgusted just thinking about such backstabbing things done within the family!"

"What a fair and square! Yes, I admit! The demon warning was reported by me, and the evidence was destroyed by me!" Vilna's voice rose suddenly, her sharp eyes piercing Iroge.

"But what about you, Iroge?! Who said Sakavi was a 'coward curled up in a pile of gold' and incited us to take the initiative to attack? Now that the demons are pressing on the city, do you want to pretend nothing happened?!"

"Iroge is not enough to convince the public, and you, Vilna, are even more the source of chaos." Morax's tone was calm but carried unquestionable decisiveness, "You are not qualified to lead us. No need to look at me like that; I also participated in the old matter of uniting everyone to force Sakavi, and I make no defense for this."

"Humph, going around in circles, this position is ultimately what you, Morax, want to sit in, right?" Vilna emitted a cold laugh, her eyes like poisoned daggers.

"A dragon beast with impure blood like you, also worthy of getting involved? Don't think that wearing a silver skin makes you superior. I, Vilna, am a descendant of the orthodox Drow noble family that has been passed down for more than two thousand years. How can your bloodline compare to mine, a hybrid?"

"Vilna, watch your words." Su Lai De's voice was steady and carried unquestionable weight, "I, Su Lai De, also have blood mixed with humans, White Dragons, and Blue Dragons flowing in my body; even if it is thin, it is a part of my strength and existence.

Is my bloodline not worthy of standing here with you? Please don't forget, I, Su Lai De, am also one of the undisputed founders of this Grand Duke's territory! My foothold is based on merit and oaths, not your set of stale bloodline theories."

"That's right! So what if I'm a dragon beast? I, Klausu Na, am proud of this! And I must remind you, it is precisely my identity as a dragon beast that became one of the veterans who pioneered this territory!"

"Everyone, don't be excited! The demons haven't retreated yet, are we going to collapse ourselves first?" Aequilon interrupted the dispute sternly, "Now is not the time for argument. I propose that Su Lai De serve as the temporary commander; this is the only way out under the current situation. Those who agree, vote immediately!"

"I have no opinion!" Iroge roared, his sharp claws hitting the ground heavily, shaking up a cloud of dust, "Su Lai De, it's you! Does anyone have any objections?"

Although Vilna was very unconvinced, facing the many Legendary Rank dragons present, she could only express her protest with silence.

"Since everyone trusts me, I, Su Lai De, will temporarily take the position of temporary commander." He swept his eyes over the audience, his voice steady and powerful, "I know some people are unconvinced in their hearts, thinking they are more qualified to hold power. But I, Su Lai De, have always acted based on strength! Whoever feels they are stronger than me, the door of the gladiatorial arena is always open; as long as you can win, the position of commander can be handed over at any time!"

In terms of strength, although Vilna was an old-fashioned Legendary assassin, assassins themselves did not have an advantage in head-on confrontations. Moreover, Su Lai De grew up in the wilderness since he was a child and had extremely rich combat experience; even Morax was not sure of winning. Of course, Su Lai De should be more careful that one day he would wake up with a dagger stuck in his chest.

"Silence is your answer." Su Lai De nodded slightly, then turned to the Silver Dragon, "Morax, you put down all affairs first and prepare for the ritual with all your strength." His voice was not high, but it clearly reached everyone present.

"I know better than anyone how many of you are waiting to share a piece of Sakavi's legacy. But please remember one simplest truth: without him sitting in command, who can truly lead everyone? Who can suppress all the voices of dissatisfaction?"

In the confrontation with the Abyssal Lord, Sakavi indeed made full preparations. To resist the soul backlash of a Demigod-level existence, he conducted a dangerous gamble, stripping away and sealing his true soul core, and instead injecting a carefully refined soul replica to control the Black Dragon.

However, the power of the Demigod far exceeded his most conservative estimation. Under the destructive impact of the Abyssal Lord, the substitute puppet completely disintegrated in the brilliance of fel energy. Even more fatal was that the highly polluting power of the Abyss flowed upstream along the soul link, severely eroding his soul.

Sakavi, although his true soul was preserved, his body was tattered due to the erosion of the Abyss. He had to passively wait for a sufficiently powerful and trustworthy ally to help him complete this... return ritual.

Although Morax did not specialize in necromancy, the Silver Dragon was known for his erudition, and his relevant knowledge foundation was unmatched by any of the high-level officials present. More importantly, his lack of interest in Sakavi's treasures was crucial at this subtle juncture.

It is worth noting that the fierce power struggle among high-level officials did not penetrate to the middle-level system. This was due to Sakavi's ingenious personnel layout; the "Academic Faction" he established and vigorously promoted constituted the backbone of the management layer.

The promotion path of these officials highly depended on the Grand Duke himself and had no origin with other giants. It was precisely this unique background that made them the only stable force in the power structure full of factions that did not need to take sides.

Of course, they might not have the chance to take sides at the moment, because that powerful Abyssal Lord was not just muscular, but his brain was not bad either, and he was commanding the army to attack Agrik city with all his might. The students led by Sha Lu Te were trying their best to command the defense mission.

"Du Ge!" The tall Ogre commander's bare upper body muscles were knotted, and his teaching whip "slapped" heavily on the east bank position, "The outer perimeter of the east bank is handed to you. I don't care if you use your teeth to gnaw or your blood to fill it, twenty days! One hour less, and I will personally twist off your head as a wine pot!"

The whip tip then swept across to the west bank, "Zoi Nuo, the same goes for you! If the west bank is gone, your end will not be half a point better than his!"

Finally, he turned fiercely to the silent Ye Kemu on the side, the whip tip pointing to the city sewer area on the sand table, "Ye Kemu, take your people and clean up those damp swamp scum in the sewers! Before the next full moon, we must launch a counterattack—do you all understand?!"

"Old... boss," an Ogre wearing black plate armor leaned forward, his voice extremely low, his tone full of hesitation, "Are we... are we fighting to the death here, what's the use? The Grand Duke himself is cold, and those above are busy fighting for power, who still cares about us here? How about... we also think about a way out?"

"Fart!" Sha Lu Te's eyes were red, and he grabbed the other's chest armor, "I have never sold my own people in my life! So what if the Grand Duke is gone? Even if the whole territory is dead, as long as I am still standing, you have to top it for me! Is it your turn to worry about how they fight above? Did the Grand Duke promote you to be a coward? Whoever dares to disturb the morale of the army again, I will let his head move first!"

"The Marshal is right!" Oer's low voice was like a war drum, his majestic Minotaur body turned to the speaker, "You think running away is a way to live? Open your eyes and look! There are millions of demons outside the city, where can you retreat to?"

"Gem, we are brothers who crawled out of the Abyss together, your axe blade has never been stained with the shame of retreat, and now it shouldn't have it even more!" Seeing that a civil strife was about to happen, this chief of staff, known for his wisdom, smoothed out the restlessness with just a few words.

"I know what you are afraid of! Aequilon used the bones of more than 300,000 Lizardmen and Ogres in the Saltwater Swamp, plus the lives of over a million Murlocs and Goblins, to exchange for this month and a half! Is this price tragic?!" Sha Lu Te's voice was like a heavy hammer hitting everyone's heart.

He changed the subject, his eyes burning, "But you think about it, following me, Sha Lu Te, to fight in the Abyss several times, which battle was not stepping on a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, fighting out the reputation of our Ogres?!"

"Gem, you kid from a recruit on the watchtower, all the way to a legion commander, every scar on your body was fought out following me, Sha Lu Te! You don't believe those high-and-mighty guys, can't you still believe in me, the boss who crawled out of the pile of dead people with you?!"

"Boss, your strength and combat record, none of us dare to question. More than five Master Rank demons have died at your hands, you have dared to charge head-on against a million-strong demon tide with only two or three legions several times, and... never lost."

His voice gradually lowered, full of unease, "But this time, it feels completely different... The intensity of the demons far exceeds the past, and, the Grand Duke's life or death is still unknown, we... is there still hope?"

"I understand your mood! To tell you the truth, whether the Grand Duke is alive or dead now, I don't know either!" Sha Lu Te's voice was like a war drum, hitting the heart of every Ogre soldier, "But you tell me, when have we Ogres ever betrayed our own people?!"

"Everyone outside says we like to fight internally, and we are more ruthless than anyone when fighting our own people, I admit that! But what did the Grand Duke say? He said that when we Ogres are facing the outside, our spines have always been hard! If one is bullied, the whole clan will pounce on it and tear the enemy to pieces! Gem, you tell me, in this situation today, if we don't fight for our lives, are we worthy of the Grand Duke's trust?!"

"The Marshal is right!" Oer's low voice was like a war drum, "Everyone says that we Minotaurs are stubborn, more stubborn than a rock. There are only a handful of people who can be recognized as brothers by us!"

"Over the years, we have taken the Grand Duke's pay and eaten the Grand Duke's grain. If we don't fight for his life at this juncture, don't you feel that so much military pay is like a hot potato, burning your conscience?" ===== CHAPTER 97 =====