Chapter 2016: Dark Raid, The Past

However, before Xia Duo could decide how to explain, the representatives of various countries, who had temporarily adjourned due to this sudden situation, had already taken the initiative to approach him to ask for the reason:

"Lord Xia Duo, what just happened? To cause such a huge commotion!"

"Everyone, please look!"

Because the Floating City had already undergone a spatial shift, Xia Duo pointed to the sea of Magic Net Strings still boiling above Hengchun Square, signaling the representatives to see for themselves.

"This is—"

The representatives did not think much of it at first, assuming it was a common accident or something Xia Duo had just done, but when General Kelusi of Sluwen spoke out the phrase—"a Dark Raid by the Demon Descendants"—the nature of the matter changed.

The ostensible reason for this war was indeed the Demon Descendants, though in essence, it was initiated by Yierlan for its own interests; now, the negotiations between the countries were mostly directed at Yierlan, rather than the Demon Descendants.

But now, the Demon Descendants, who were supposed to be playing dead, had come to attack the negotiation venue of various countries. Where would this leave the representatives of the various countries and their dignity?

"General Kelusi, are you sure this was done by the Demon Descendants? Didn't your leader of Sepeitiya just say that you had already purged the Demon Descendants from within? Then where did these Demon Descendants come from?"

The one asking this was Mage Tailun of Yierfalan. Now that the negotiation venue had been attacked within the territory of Sluwen, if this question was not explained clearly, it could very well become an excuse for Yierlan to escape.

And after he raised his doubt, the representatives all turned their gazes toward Sepeitiya in unison, especially Commander Adalier of Yierlan. If he could find a flaw in the other party's words, perhaps he wouldn't have to take the blame!

"Ahem—"

Sepeitiya, being watched by everyone, did not care at all. Instead, he cleared his throat quite calmly and repeated his previous words:

"Sluwen has already purged the Demon Descendant infiltration within its upper echelons, and at the same time, we are willing to accept inspections by the Northland Alliance commissioners!"

Immediately following this, Kelusi, who had realized his loss of composure, added: "Sluwen has a large population; it is impossible for us to screen every citizen, but for the upper echelons who hold power, I can guarantee that not a single Demon Descendant exists."

"Additionally, I would like to say that the fact that the Demon Descendants attacked in Sluwen does not mean they came from Sluwen; it is simply because the target they wanted to attack is here!"

"A nice explanation!"

Mage Tailun, who had just raised the doubt, nodded, indicating he accepted this explanation, but there were always those who could not accept it. Commander Adalier of Yierlan raised his doubt again:

"Then what about the 'Dark Raid by the Demon Descendants' that General Kelusi just mentioned? To blurt it out without any hesitation, you must be very familiar with the Demon Descendants!"

This was as good as pointing out directly that "Kelusi is a Demon Descendant," but this also reminded the representatives that Kelusi might really know some inside information about the Demon Descendants.

At the very least, they had never heard of any "Dark Raid," so this time Tailun did not speak either, silently watching Kelusi, hoping to hear a satisfactory answer.

Kelusi's expression was somewhat resentful, but under the gaze of everyone, he still slowly explained: "Sluwen is a country that has suffered greatly from the scourge of the Demon Descendants, so we will always remember some of the Demon Descendants' methods more deeply than other forgetful countries!

"Commander Adalier, please recall the historical records of your Yierlan regarding that war over a thousand years ago. Are there descriptions such as 'after the darkness, all things perish'?"

Although this was a request for Adalier to answer, it was not a subjective question, but an objective one with a relatively clear answer; after all, many participated in that war.

Even if Adalier denied this claim due to a conflict of interest, there were still historical records from other countries. As long as a similar description could be found, wouldn't Adalier's cover-up appear even more pathetic?

Adalier also realized this point. He feigned recollection for a moment and finally nodded with a gloomy face, but he still had doubts: if he wasn't very familiar with the methods of the Demon Descendants, why could he blurt it out without thinking?

Although the matter of the Demon Descendants was only an excuse for Yierlan to start the war, because it had been confirmed that Demon Descendants currently existed, Adalier had specifically checked Yierlan's past records on Demon Descendants before the war.

As a frequently used raid method of the Demon Descendants, Adalier had even paid special attention to it at the time, but even so, when he saw the scene of the Magic Net boiling above his head just now, he did not associate it with a Dark Raid by the Demon Descendants.

Therefore, even if the Sluwen side claimed they could accept inspections by the Northland Alliance commissioners, Adalier remained suspicious of Kelusi's behavior just now.

It might not necessarily be that he was a Demon Descendant himself, but he was certainly extremely familiar with the Demon Descendants and their methods!

Adalier was about to continue questioning, but halfway through, he was forcibly interrupted by Xia Duo, who began asking Kelusi for information regarding the so-called "Dark Raid."

In fact, he also suspected Kelusi, but there was one point where Kelusi was incomparable to Adalier, and that was Sepeitiya's proposal that all high-level officials of Sluwen were willing to accept inspections.

This point alone could minimize the suspicion that Kelusi was involved with the Demon Descendants.

"General Kelusi, I don't think all the representatives present here understand the details of that great war back then. Please introduce this method of the Demon Descendants."

"No problem. Actually, we have already prepared some materials related to the Demon Descendants, but we did not bring them out due to time-sensitivity issues and certain concerns. After this meeting ends, if you are still interested, you can go to Taier'annuo to collect them."

After finishing the digression, Kelusi began to answer Xia Duo's question, "The Dark Raid was the most commonly used method by the Demon Descendants in the war back then. The so-called 'raid,' as the name implies, is often followed by subsequent attacks after it is used.

"This raid method can instantly paralyze the Magic Net in an area. Below the level of a High Mage, there is almost no power to resist, and even for a High Mage, it is difficult to organize an effective counterattack when suddenly attacked; it is good enough if one can escape.

"In that war, one of the things that left the deepest impression on me was that the Demon Descendants used a Dark Raid to wipe out the two largest Upper Families of Taier'annuo at that time in one fell swoop.

"Additionally, on the battlefield, the Demon Descendants used the Dark Raid very frequently. On this point, I think Commander Adalier should have more say."

Noticing that everyone's eyes had turned to him again, Adalier felt annoyed in his heart, but he still nodded with a miserable expression, "Most of Yierlan's High Mages in that war died under the Dark Raid."

After speaking, he immediately changed the subject, "If Yierlan had a Floating Fortress like Lord Xia Duo's back then, how could we have been repeatedly caught by the Demon Descendants!"