Chapter 246: Crack

The inspection of the magic crystal cannon factory was coming to an end.

The gnome engineers in the factory were still immersed in the shock brought to them by the blueprint depicted by the Demon King. They either whispered excitedly or discussed how to assemble the first prototype, some proposed to make a model with wood first, while others ambitiously proposed to use good steel directly. As for Luo Yan, his gaze had turned to the distance—a small figure was quickly passing through the busy area of the factory, walking toward him in a hurry.

That guy's name was Snik, the director of the Goblin Community Neighborhood Committee.

Although not long ago, he was still a small character, but since he obtained the promotion of the Demon King and became the exclusive "dog-leg" of the Lord's Mansion. It was also since that day that this guy had become a hot figure in the goblin community of Black Wind Castle, every time he went out, he would be followed by a large group of followers, goblins shorter than him couldn't even see his eyes, only his big nostrils.

And at this very moment, he had a solemn expression, his expression was rarely serious, and at the same time, he was as humble as a wagging French bulldog.

"Demon King—" Snik ran to Luo Yan, panting, trying to make his posture look formal, "I have important intelligence to report!"

Kunbu Copper-Tooth looked at Snik, then at Luo Yan, sensibly didn't ask more, but beckoned to the surrounding craftsmen: "Alright, alright, put the chariot matter aside, everyone go back to work!" Immediately, he saluted Luo Yan and took the craftsmen away, leaving a relatively quiet space.

Luo Yan stood with his hands behind his back under a steel frame outside the workshop, nodded slightly, signaling Snik to continue.

Snik licked his lips, with a hint of eager excitement in his eyes, but more of a cunning light.

"Demon King," he lowered his voice, the wrinkles on his face piled up a proud smile, "I found some guys in the goblin community who are not quite right."

Luo Yan raised his eyebrows.

"Oh? Speak more specifically."

Snik lowered his voice, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the corners of his clothes, his tone with a hint of goblin-specific cunning: "They don't steal, don't rob, don't gamble... even never brag about how many treasures they grabbed from humans, and don't show off the junk in their hands! You might feel that this is nothing, but they are goblins! I have lived so long, and I have never seen such quiet and low-key guys!"

Luo Yan lightly said "Hmm," indicating that he knew, and Snik continued fawningly.

"Your servant—the humble me immediately realized their wrongness! According to your instructions, I didn't startle the snake, but let my little brothers secretly mark these guys! Later I found that they were even more suspicious than I thought, these guys never work, don't even do small business, just wander around the community all day, or stare at the entrances and exits of the magic crystal cannon factory!"

When talking about this, Snik's thin body straightened up, looking like he was asking for credit, hehe smiled.

"Demon King! As long as you say a word, I can take people to solve them! You know, although we goblins are usually honest and gentle, we will never be soft-hearted to guys who are lazy and slippery! And I guarantee you, we won't leave any traces..."

A dangerous smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and bloodthirsty excitement flashed in his eyes, as if he couldn't wait to disembowel those sneaky goblins.

However, looking at the eager Snik, Luo Yan just smiled lightly and said lightly.

"No need, just keep watching."

Snik was stunned, blinking his eyes with some incomprehension.

"Demon King, you mean... to keep them? But... Snik feels that they are about to take action."

"Isn't that just right."

Luo Yan said calmly.

"Snik, why do you think I arranged for you to do these things, do you think I don't know who is behind them?"

Snik hurriedly lowered his head, restrained that self-righteous look, and said with a full head of sweat.

"Small, small one doesn't dare!"

Luo Yan smiled lightly, his tone calm.

"It's easy to kill them, with the little army they have, compared to those disobedient vassals in my labyrinth, they are just the leg hair on a flea. If I really wanted to do it cleanly, I would have done it at the Lord's meeting, at most announcing to the outside world that it was food poisoning, do you think the Dragon family behind them would seek justice for them?"

Snik felt a chill in his heart and couldn't help but shiver.

I was also in the meeting hall at the time, if this Demon King really started killing, wouldn't I also...

Looking at Snik, who was trembling with fear, Luo Yan suddenly smiled gently and continued.

"Don't be nervous, just a hypothesis."

"Yes, yes..." Snik nodded tremblingly, squeezed out a weak smile on his face, turned his eyes, and quickly said, "Demon King is wise... you want to let them take action, and then implicate the people behind them?"

"That's right."

Snik's mouth opened slightly, and after some hesitation, he couldn't help but tentatively ask: "But if... they are really planning something dangerous?"

"Then let it happen."

Luo Yan shrugged lightly, his gaze calm enough to make people feel cold.

"Just a little chaos, it's nothing."

Snik swallowed, a tremor in his heart.

Although he considered himself smart, in Luo Yan's eyes, he and those guys who were quietly active were probably not much different, just chess pieces on the chessboard.

But at the same time, his heart also ignited a fanatical worship.

As expected of the Demon King—

Truly unfathomable!

Thinking of this, Snik stood straight loyally and nodded.

"I understand what you mean, Demon King, the subordinate will continue to watch them and make all preparations to deal with it. The moment they are exposed, I will take my men to catch them all in one net, and quickly control the situation, minimize the losses, and let your people learn your majesty!"

Luo Yan looked at him unexpectedly, not expecting this guy to interpret it this way.

But it didn't matter. Snik's misunderstanding, whether intentional or unintentional, was not a bad thing for him.

In fact, he might care even less.

It was just a group of goblins.

They weren't even the same species.

Not to mention that Black Wind Castle was a territory he picked up for nothing.

To put it cruelly, whether they could understand his majesty or not, the only impact was their own mood, and whether they spent today and tomorrow awkwardly or happily.

He just needed to achieve control.

"I look forward to your performance."

Luo Yan nodded with satisfaction, then moved his gaze away from the bowing Snik and turned to look at the magic crystal cannon factory in the distance.

Steam permeated the air, workers continued to be busy, and the metal-laid factory building looked increasingly thick and solid under the reflection of the fire, just like the situation firmly controlled in his hands.

Under his personal gaze, the magic crystal cannon factory of Black Wind Castle was as solid as a rock, the Dragon family couldn't splash water in, couldn't insert a needle, and could only stir up the power of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance to start from the periphery. And at the same time, in order to deal with the increasingly boiling "public opinion," the Ministry of Truth had begun to investigate the debacle of Sardo Port.

Even if the final punishment for General Sebes was light, the gesture made by the Ministry of Truth was enough to make those around General Sebes waver. After all, not everyone was qualified to trade with the Dragon family, not everyone could get benefits from this political game, and there must be people who were dissatisfied with this inexplicable failure, just enduring it under the pressure of reality.

All he had to do now was wait.

If nothing unexpected happened, someone should start to get anxious.

Front line.

The cold wind blew across the desolate battlefield, the broken flags fluttered on the city walls, and the smell of dried blood remained in the air, seemingly telling the sadness flowing in the silence.

The Battle of Sardo Port had passed for several weeks.

Facing the pursuit of the "Empire Griffin" Hamorton, the Red Flame Legion fled in a panic all the way, retreating from the volcano to the Blood Flow Plain area of the underground world, and only stopped the decline by relying on the dangerous terrain and nearby reinforcements. However, even though several weeks had passed, this mighty army that was once unstoppable had not walked out of that miserable defeat, from holding the winning ticket to fleeing in a panic completely shattered their self-esteem.

What frustrated the soldiers was not only the failure itself and General Sebes's indifference, but also the rumors circulating in the army.

It is said that in the distant Demon Capital, a Demon King who had also experienced many battles pointed out the secret—the debacle of Sardo Port was not because the soldiers of Hell were not strong enough, but a premeditated political adventure!

This was an incredible piece of news.

It was like a fierce bitter wine, and like a sweet rain that comforted the soul.

No one was willing to admit their failure, especially when they had already occupied the advantage and could pinch their opponents to death just by moving their fingers.

A few cut-out clippings became the few oases and sustenance in the hearts of the front-line soldiers... even if their superiors strictly prohibited them from spreading rumors, and even opened their letters and confiscated the newspapers enclosed in the letters. And the more the superiors were afraid of them discussing, the more they felt that the superiors had ghosts in their hearts, otherwise why couldn't they even touch them?

They didn't know.

General Sebes did have ghosts in his heart, but what he was afraid of was not their suspicion, but that these groundless rumors had a probability of attracting the pollution of Chaos, and the latter might involve the Ministry of Truth, making the originally simple things more and more troublesome.

Sure enough.

When everyone is afraid of something happening, it is highly likely that it will not run away.

Just when General Sebes was anxious, people from the Ministry of Truth really came to the door.

It was a hot afternoon.

A column of Abyss Knights wearing black armor rode on tall magic skeleton warhorses into the military camp, silent, only the metal collision sound of armor echoing in the night. In the carriage behind them sat several investigators wearing dark red magic robes, watching the outside of the carriage window with dead eyes.

Watching this unusual team, the soldiers in the camp whispered and discussed in low voices.

"It's the people from the Ministry of Truth!"

"Ministry of Truth?! What are they doing here?"

"Could it be that General Sebes really has a deal with the people of Sardo Port..."

"Shh! Do you have evidence?"

"Shut up! Don't you want your life!"

Some demons were terrified, some demons had expectations flashing in their eyes, but more demons were numb, especially those veteran soldiers who had experienced many battles—compared to those new recruits who believed that Hell was invincible, they knew very well that they were just cannon fodder, whether it was the Ministry of Truth or the Demon King who spoke for them in the rear, it was impossible to really solve any problems.

Otherwise, why did they come now?

However, regardless, the arrival of the Ministry of Truth investigation team was like a cold spring rain, bringing a rare coolness to this scorching camp, making those demons who were lingering on their last breath no longer feel unable to breathe.

The Abyss Knights rode to the center of the camp and stopped slowly, then a demon wearing a red robe came down from the carriage in the middle of the team, looking down at the front-line camp coldly at this moment, like a stone statue without expression.

His name was Xilong, a temple adjudicator of the Ministry of Truth, and he was looking down at the front-line camp coldly at this moment, like a stone statue without expression.

Right behind him, senior record officer Moria followed closely off the carriage, holding a thick file, opening one of the pages, and his cold eyes swept across the camp.

"Let's be direct." He pushed the gold-rimmed monocle on the bridge of his nose, his tone cold and efficient, and with a hint of calm elegance, "We are here to investigate the relevant matters of the Battle of Sardo Port, the Ministry of Truth requires all officers, tactical commanders, logistics personnel, and soldiers who have experienced the battle to cooperate with the investigation, anyone who dares to hinder our work will be treated as a traitor."

A tense atmosphere spread in the camp.

The Ministry of Truth has always had zero tolerance for traitors, and the highest punishment can even be soul shattering!

The demons swallowed their saliva, their fingers numb with tension. There were also some demons whose eyes flashed with excitement, clenching their fists unconsciously, seeing the dawn of hope.

This time might be different—

Maybe they can really get the truth!

Moria cast his gaze toward Xilong to the side, nodding respectfully.

"Lord Xilong, please say a few words."

"I have nothing to say," Xilong watched those uneasy soldiers and officers, looked at the pocket watch in his hand, and said in a meticulous tone, "Meeting in the command tent in a quarter of an hour, all officers above the centurion level must attend."

No demon reacted.

Xilong frowned slightly.

At this moment, General Sebes's adjutant Baro suddenly stepped forward and took a deep breath.

"At your command."

Looking at this flame demon officer, Xilong nodded with satisfaction.

"Notify the order."

The camp of the Red Flame Legion was stirred up.

With the issuance of the order, officers above the centurion level gathered in the command tent, sitting upright and waiting for the officials of the Ministry of Truth to give instructions.

This included General Sebes himself.

This spirited fear demon sat in the command tent, actually suppressing Xilong's momentum, as if it wasn't the latter investigating them, but the former listening to the latter's work report.

The attendant of the Ministry of Truth frowned slightly, but didn't break out.

Adjudicator Xilong didn't say anything either, just went through the process he should go through officially, then shook hands with General Sebes, and politely sent the latter to the tent door, thanking him for his cooperation with the work of the Ministry of Truth. Watching his superior's actions, Moria was a bit undecided.

He originally thought Xilong would give the officers of the Red Flame Legion a slap in the face, but he didn't expect his superior not to do so.

How were they going to carry out their work later?

Seeing the confusion in Moria's eyes, Xilong smiled faintly and said in a light tone.

"Mr. Moria, what do you think of General Sebes."

"This guy has a big problem." Moria said without hesitation, "The demons I investigated before were all scared to death when they saw us, but he is a look of having nothing to fear."

It was precisely because of this guy's look of having nothing to fear that even those centurions and thousand-men commanders who were originally sitting upright changed their eyes from fear to calm.

Xilong's reaction was as if he wasn't surprised by his words at all, and continued with a smile that wasn't a smile.

"Then why do you think that is."

Moria chuckled.

!

"Need you ask? This guy must have a backer!"

Xilong looked at him meaningfully.

"Then do you think it makes sense to move him?"

Moria was stunned.

What does this mean?

The Ministry of Truth is backed by the Demon God!

Even if General Sebes's backer is hard, can it be harder than them?!

However, Xilong's eyes told him that things were not as simple as he thought.

After pondering for a long time, Moria struggled to squeeze out a sentence.

"Then... what are we here for?"

"Whether we can find out anything is not important," looking at the camp in front of him, Xilong narrowed his eyes slightly and continued in a steady tone, "Our being here is important."

If the rumors were allowed to continue to ferment, superimposed on the panic permeating the camp, they were likely to attract an existence more terrifying than death—the power from Chaos.

The Demon King of Lei Ming County played a dangerous game.

Regardless of whether he calculated this step or not, the Ministry of Truth was indeed utilized by him and had to intervene in this muddy water.

However—

So what if utilized?

Mutual utilization is a normal thing.

Compared to those who add fuel to the fire, those who set the fire are obviously more hateful.

Compared to the Demon King who utilized him, Xilong hated those nobles who used the power in their hands unscrupulously even more; they traded with humans, used the blood of the Demon God's people as a bet, and completely forgot the obligations that the Demon God handed to them while granting them power.

General Sebes must be punished as he deserves.

Including the Dragon family standing behind him.

Of course, he is a demon who knows the current affairs.

If the Dragon family wins in the end, then pretend he never thought about it.

However, he was still more inclined to another result.

Not only because the Demon King who grew up in the temple naturally made him have a good impression, but also because the Dragon family had taken the initiative twice in a row, but had not achieved effective progress.

As everyone knows, the more complex the plan, the easier it is to reveal flaws when facing accidents.

The Dragon family seems to hold the initiative, but the advantage is not necessarily in their hands.

Perhaps even the Demon God couldn't watch it anymore.

Just as Xilong and Moria were chatting, a demon centurion walked to their side tremblingly, swallowed his saliva, and lowered his voice.

"Respected Adjudicator... my superior wants to see you. He said he has some things he wants to talk to you about alone, but it's not convenient for General Sebes to know."

Xilong's eyebrows raised slightly, and a pleasant smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Oh? Please tell him for me, I am very welcome. How about in my carriage? There won't be any outsiders to hear, and it won't be disturbed by others."

The demon officer nodded and said cautiously.

"My superior means the same thing... then, see you later."

Xilong nodded.

"I am waiting for his arrival."

Watching the demon officer leave, Moria looked at Xilong in surprise, a flash of excitement in his eyes.

"Is this opening a breakthrough?"

Xilong smiled faintly.

"Who knows... but it is indeed possible to become an opportunity."

Anyway, wait until people come to know.

The dark night shrouded the front-line camp, and the wolf howling from afar mixed with the crackling sound of the campfire, which was particularly harsh in the silent darkness.

The shadow of defeat still shrouded the entire military camp, the soldiers were silent, and occasionally low-level officers of the Red Flame Legion exchanged glances during patrols, but no one dared to say anything more, as if they were not in Hell, but trapped in the enemy camp.

Baro wrapped his military robe tightly, walked through the path between the tents with his head down, his steps steady and cautious. His heart beat very fast, the rhythm of the flame crystal was uneasy, but his face didn't show any abnormality.

He had observed for a long time, and after confirming that no soldiers were following him, he quickened his pace and walked into the camp of the Ministry of Truth guard, quietly coming to a carriage.

Two Abyss Knights stood silently, their black armor reflecting a cold light under the campfire. They didn't stop Baro, just looked at him coldly, as if confirming his intention.

"I am General Sebes's adjutant, and I have urgent intelligence to report to... the Demon God." Baro said in a low voice.

The Abyss Knight tilted his head slightly, and a cold response soon came from inside the carriage.

"Come in."

Baro took a deep breath, pushed open the thick curtain, and stepped into the carriage.

The interior of the carriage was dim, with only a small magic energy lamp hanging on the top, casting a cold light.

Xilong sat on the opposite seat, the red adjudicator's robe wrapped around his figure, his eyes still cold, without any ripple of emotion. Senior record officer Moria was sitting on the side, flipping through an ancient parchment, the magic energy pen sliding on the paper, recording the investigation progress of their past day.

The door of the carriage was closed, the noise of the camp was instantly isolated, leaving only the heavy air in the enclosed space.

Two gazes were fixed on him, Baro took a deep breath and said in a hoarse voice in a low voice.

"It was a windless morning, our artillery position had been deployed on the high ground north of Sardo Port, 20 magic crystal cannons blocked all dead angles from the port to our position, even a small demon with a pit in his brain didn't doubt that the balance of victory had tilted to our side, and the humans of Sardo Port were already praying in the flames of doomsday."

"You want to say you couldn't lose." Moria stared into his eyes, leaning forward slightly, guessing the subtle motivation.

Baro was silent for a long time, nodding slowly.

"We had no reason to lose, the empire's warships didn't even dare to approach Sardo Port, only dared to land at a temporary port in the distance. Their line infantry marched toward the mountain, I clearly saw the despair on their faces, as if rushing to death... but what I want to say is not these, what I want to say is something that happened before this battle started."

He hesitated for a long time, finally swallowed his saliva, and told the story that had been buried in his heart for a long time.

"At that time, General Sebes and I were playing chess, he was usually very focused, but that day he was a bit absent-minded. Especially later, when he won me, he suddenly said a sentence that I still can't understand."

Moria's pen paused, his eyebrows frowned slightly.

"What did he say?"

Baro took a deep breath, recalling what Sebes said at the time:

"War is never because of any historical wish, just the continuation of current politics... and the latter has always been just to solve current problems."

The carriage fell into a dead silence.

Xilong's eyes narrowed slightly, Moria thoughtfully flipped open a new parchment, his eyes excited and pursued.

"What do you think he means?"

Baro smiled bitterly.

"If it were usual, I would only think he was chatting... but it happened to be that moment, I suddenly had a bad premonition, could what he hinted be the fate of Sardo Port? Hope to pull me onto his carriage? Perhaps I shouldn't speculate like this, but afterwards, I was sent to the front line by him. If it were usual, that was indeed an opportunity to make a merit. But looking back, I always feel he hoped I would die there."

"You are still alive." Xilong reminded lightly.

Baro nodded silently, using a tentative tone.

"Yes... after that day I didn't dare to say anything, could only pretend to be stupid in front of him. Later he tested me several times, I fooled them all, pretending I didn't remember anything... I don't know if I successfully deceived him, and I don't know if I thought too much. If you didn't come here, maybe I would take this question to the grave, but since you are here... I think his backer might not be so secure?"

When this sentence was spoken, his heart beat fast, his flickering eyes flashed with panic.

This golden-level flame demon who was once terrifying on the battlefield and brought death to Sardo Port, even General "Empire Griffin" Hamorton didn't dare to look at him, now had to bow his head to two silver-level demons.

Or rather, to the Demon God behind them.

That was the only straw he could see.

Now General Sebes hadn't done anything, but it was hard to guarantee that he wouldn't solve his "hidden danger" in the next battle.

Moria's eyes flashed with unconcealable joy, and he struck while the iron was hot.

"Rest assured, Mr. Baro, the Demon God will not let go of any traitor, nor will he wrong any loyal minister! You found us and found the right person, any backer is a paper tiger in front of the Demon God! And, if you have read the newspaper, you know that the Demon Capital attaches great importance to the 80,000 soldiers who died in the Battle of Sardo Port, their families need an explanation, and the citizens of the Demon Capital also need an explanation... tell me your speculation!"

Moria's fanatical eyes made Baro feel a bit uneasy, but also felt inexplicably at ease.

Indeed—

Even if General Sebes has a deep background, what can it count for in front of the Demon God?

He endured the restless heartbeat and tentatively said.

"If the defeat of Sardo Port... was arranged in advance?"

Xilong's eyes narrowed slightly, his index finger tapped the table lightly, staring into his eyes.

"This is a very serious accusation, have you thought it through?"

Baro was silent for a long time and nodded.

"I have thought it through."

A smile appeared on Xilong's face.

Although these few testimonies were not enough to be evidence to topple General Sebes, the determination of the Red Flame Legion's adjutant was enough.

The fortress that was as solid as a rock had already appeared cracks.

This would be a major breakthrough for the work of the Ministry of Truth.

He stood up from his seat and extended his right hand.

"Welcome to abandon the dark and turn to the light, General Baro."

Baro stood up quickly and shook his hand.

He knew.

Having taken this step, he had no way back...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 247 =====