Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 293 A Perilous Situation: The Game Between the Elf and Xiyue
Elder Zegen dragged his weary body and slowly entered the towering domed hall of the Federal Council.

This mission can be considered a complete success for him, but at this moment, the old man walks with difficulty, and the various gems inlaid on the eaves reflect the weariness that is hard to hide on Lao Zegen's face.

The political structure at the top of the Xiyue Federation has long been described as a "two-headed dragon."

In other words, the Federal Parliament and the hereditary monarch were the two major powers, with royalists and parliamentarians vying for power.

Of course, the royalists are divided into soft, conventional, and hard factions; and the parliamentarians are divided into left, center, and right factions!

Old Zegen was one of the leaders of the centrist faction in the parliament. With his seasoned experience and relatively moderate stance, he maintained a fairly good relationship with all parties.

This time, he was entrusted with a heavy mission and traveled to the Han Hai Territory. After a series of arduous negotiations, he successfully completed the negotiation task, not only successfully signing a phased ceasefire agreement, but also taking back Qingze City without bloodshed.

When the news reached them, the members of the parliamentary faction were naturally overjoyed.

"Elder Zegen! The fortified city that the Northern Wind Legion's tens of thousands of elite troops could not conquer for a long time was actually recaptured by your words! Truly, a tongue can be worth ten thousand soldiers!"

A member of parliament, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, beamed with pride and showered the crowd with compliments, drawing echoes of his own.

"If you ask me, Elder Zegen did a great job preparing! I said long ago that the Lord of Hanhai is young and inexperienced, a hypocrite, and he's bound to be very concerned about saving face. As long as we give him enough face, what's there to be afraid of in talking?"

"That's right, when it comes to connections and backing, the Xiyue Federation has never lost to anyone!"

"Absolutely!" another voice excitedly chimed in. "I have an idea. That ruin in Xiasha is useless anyway. Why not just rename it 'Liushuang Port' and give it to Hanhai Territory? Let them do whatever they want with it. They can even dig it all up! This will surely please them!"

Amidst a cacophony of compliments and discussions, Elder Zegen, his face ashen and silent, walked to the main table in the center of the council, grabbed the magic hammer on the table, and with all his might, slammed it heavily onto the "Silent Bell" in the corner of the table.

"clang--!"

The gentle magical light rippled outwards like waves, and a clear, melodious sound instantly drowned out all the noise, echoing throughout the hall.

All of you shut up!

The old man is about to lose his temper!
As the room fell silent, Elder Zegen placed his slightly trembling hand on the table and roared at the assembled members, his first roar since his return.

"Are you all pigs? You tortured the elf captives like that, why did you release them back?"

The old man's thin chest heaved rapidly, and his voice was broken and intermittent due to his extreme excitement.

"Why can't we just say that they were killed on the battlefield, died from serious injuries, died of disease, or even escaped in private?"

"How dare you? How dare you let them go back like that?!"

“I’m sending you three letters a day, telling you to be careful, be careful, and not to give anyone any leverage against you!”

"I have repeatedly instructed that even slaves under the command of the Lord of the Vast Sea are spared from physical torture. Whether you call it feigned compassion or genuine kindness, we are the ones begging him now. Even if you are just pretending, you have to put on a show for me!"

"But what are you doing?"

"What are you doing!"

The old man's final question was choked with a hint of hysterical despair.

According to the rules, once the "silent bell" of the council is rung, the other party must be given time to speak. Of course, if you can't say anything that makes everyone feel you have a reason to rung the bell, you will definitely not have the opportunity to rung the bell again.

With each strike of the hammer, the magical orb on the "Silent Bell" completes a full cycle, which takes approximately twelve breaths. At this moment, the orb has completed its cycle, and its soft light dims.

Almost the instant the light went out, a tall and imposing figure stepped forward.

He was dressed in the exquisite uniform of a Guards Corps Commander, the gold tassels on his epaulets swaying gently with his movements, his face bearing undisguised arrogance.

The younger brother of the current Emperor Gerhard Hein of Xiyue, Prince Cloty Hein, the leader of the Royal Guard, and one of the most die-hard core figures in the royalist faction.

In their words, His Majesty the Emperor is wise and benevolent, and his grace extends to all corners of the land. Why does the Council of State need to interfere and criticize? Wouldn't it be better for you old folks to go home and hug your grandchildren?

When he intervenes, he's bound to say something unpleasant.

"That Lord of the Vast Ocean is meddling way too much!"

Prince Clotty sneered, "In the life-or-death struggle on the battlefield, what mercy is there? To spare their lives is already a great favor! Are we supposed to treat them like servants?"

The royalist officers present let out a low chuckle.

Old Zegen's eyes were blazing with anger, and his hands were trembling slightly with rage.

During this period, he racked his brains, flattered and fawned, and even lowered himself to talk to those minor officials and patrolmen he usually looked down on, just to figure out the young lord's temperament. In the end, he managed to reach a good outcome.

For Xiyue, the last war was a surprise attack, and the initial losses were too great. Baishi City was lost in an instant, and Qingze City was taken in one battle. These were all manifestations of the Federation's corrupt structure and slow response.

However, once the Federation is fully mobilized, with its superior cities and military strength, it should be able to hold its own against the elves. Besides, once this period is over, they might be able to get help from human nations.

The longer the time drags on, the more advantageous it will be for the human race.

But now, a prisoner exchange has triggered a huge uproar that has almost destroyed all of the old man's efforts!
"Grace? What a grace!"

Elder Zegen stared intently at Cloti, "That elf has a great deal to 'thank' you for your kindness!"

"The Lord of the Vast Ocean has already given his word. This matter is too cruel, and he cannot stand idly by. Either hand over the culprit and give the elves a clear explanation, or he will never receive any more envoys from Xiyue again!"

Elder Zegen stared intently at Cloti with his angry eyes and revealed the shocking turn of events that left everyone stunned.

Clotilde Hein's face also darkened immediately.

Is this Lord of the Vast Ocean really that inexplicable?
This isn't just ordinary "saintly heart," this is insane!

There is no prisoner-of-war protection treaty on the Starry Continent. The only rule for prisoners of war is that nobles must not be humiliated!

Elves have never been part of the human nobility system!

Seeing his commander remain silent, the subordinate stepped forward, forcing a smile, and tried to explain: "Lord Zegen, please calm down... This release of prisoners was not without compensation..."

"The elves paid an extra sum... a ransom for each surviving warrior."

“This is a huge sum of money! His Majesty has allowed each legion to collect the ransom themselves, so…”

Upon hearing this, Elder Zegen felt a wave of powerlessness wash over him. He knew all too well that this was another problem caused by the Federation's system.

Originally, there was no ransom involved in the exchange of prisoners, but as Zegen said, the elves were worried that Xiyue might kill all their warriors before the exchange, so they offered to pay a considerable ransom for each surviving warrior.

Anyway, the elves had seized a large amount of Streammoon currency, so money wasn't a big problem. They just wanted to save as many of their people as possible.

In order to obtain this money, the North Wind Legion handed over the elves, who were already tortured to the point of near death, as prisoners.

From an outsider's perspective, it might be hard to understand why Xi Yue, who has spent so much money to befriend Han Hai Territory, would care about this small amount of money to ransom people.

But Elder Zegen knew perfectly well that what Xiyue spent lavishly was national funds, while what she brought in was the army's private wealth.

It is precisely because of the checks and balances of the dual monarchy of the Xiyue Federation that the money in the national treasury cannot be used for the private purposes of any party. As a result, no one cares about spending it. If it can bring some extra benefits to their side, even if the country spends 10,000 and the private party gets 100, they will all flock to it.

What Old Zegen said was that the correct solution was to conceal the excessive destruction of the elves and simply deal with it. All the other officials in the court knew this! However, since it involved the interests of the "North Wind" Legion, no one could or was willing to influence the decisions of Commander Lind and his group of arrogant and fierce generals.

Whether the Lord of the Vast Ocean will be angry or not is not important. Even if they know he will be angry, the "North Wind" Legion will still collect this money!

At worst, we can just take some money from the national treasury to appease that "pretentious" lord, just like before.

Elder Zegen slumped weakly into his chair, listening blankly to the heated debate between the council members and the core members of the royalist faction. Hand over the culprit? Impossible. That was a group of high-ranking officers from the "North Wind" Legion down to the legion commander—the backbone of the royalist central army.

The royalists themselves had a strong opinion against "kneeling to the enemy," so who would dare to use them to quell the enemy's anger?

Zegen could clearly hear a member of the royal family shouting: "Traitors! You are all a bunch of traitors!"

As for finding another scapegoat? That probably won't work this time!

The matter is clear, the sequence of events is clear: it was the North Wind Legion that did it. Moreover, those released were alive. The injuries on more than one elf were personally inflicted by the Legion Commander and several high-ranking Legion members. Those released elves are living evidence in themselves. The real culprit cannot be hidden!
So, despite the heated discussions and countless schemes, Zegen knew that the outcome of the matter was almost certain.

He made one last attempt.

"Hand over a few high-ranking officers and bring some 'North Wind' soldiers, then I'll go and make some further arrangements."

"The events surrounding the zircon are still vivid in my mind! At the very least, we shouldn't let the Vast Ocean side with the Elves!"

However, by this time, no one was listening to him anymore. He was no longer qualified to ring the "silent bell" and no matter how loudly he appealed, he could only leave the stage in disappointment under the contemptuous gazes of the royalists.

When the old man walked out, his back was terribly hunched, as if he had aged more than ten years in an instant.

That evening, Zegen invited a dozen or so tribal elders he knew from the council to a small gathering at his home.

Upon meeting, the familiar elder, before Zegen could speak, preemptively silenced him, saying, "Brother Zegen, it's not that we don't want to help you!"

"This is something we can't help with. Anyone who said a good word for you today has been labeled a traitor, a disgrace to Xiyue. Who can bear such a heavy label?"

"Yes, using nobles to evade punishment is utterly absurd!"

Zegen was well aware that his suggestion would not only be opposed by his adversaries, but even his own allies would not agree.

The crimes of nobles are not crimes, as long as someone can be handed over to take responsibility. This is a tacit understanding that has been formed between the Xiyue royal family and the higher-ups for a long time.

Everyone benefits from this system, and it's absolutely impossible to allow Zegen to break it so easily, even in order to save the Federation. In some people's eyes, the Federation's crisis might be weathered, but once the barriers of aristocratic privilege are breached, it will be truly catastrophic.

Old Zegen shook his head. He had already figured it out; he hadn't come here to talk about that this time.

"Elders, please sit down and listen to what I have to say!"

Next, Old Zegen sipped his wine slowly and recounted his experiences on this trip: cities without walls, sand seas firmly held back, polite priests of the Seven-Eyed Temple, respectful high-ranking elven warriors, large numbers of orc slaves as obedient as human slaves, and the magnificent Naga Crystal Palace, half-land and half-sea…

An impatient elder from the Xiyue tribe in the border region, listening to these dreamlike descriptions, couldn't help but scoff and interrupt Zegen with a sarcastic tone: "It sounds like Elder Zegen, your trip there isn't for negotiations, but rather for a pilgrimage!"

"They've been completely intimidated! They've been exaggerating that Han Hai Territory into something like a divine kingdom on earth!"

Old Zegen didn't respond to him, nor did he even look at the elder. He just continued talking to himself, eventually mentioning the Lord of the Vast Ocean.

"He's very young. If I hadn't carefully researched his background before going, I would have definitely thought of him as a second-generation lord relying on his family's legacy. But in reality, he's a genuine pioneering lord who built a great northern territory from barren land!"

"He's a very kind person, always greeting even the most ordinary people on the street. His rule is that kneeling is forbidden, so the people from Hanhai all give him a 'small bow,' but the respect they show him is even greater than our 'big bow'..."

"You're talking nonsense again!" This remark immediately drew laughter from the elders. "Not kneeling? How could that be? Those lowly wretches below kneel down automatically when they see the master. If they're late, they'll slap themselves for ages. If you're going to lie, at least make it believable..."

Looking at his colleagues who had been immersed in the old order for too long, whose thinking had become rigid, Old Zegen's last desire to explain was extinguished. His invitation tonight was not to debate whether the system of the Vast Ocean Territory was advanced, nor was it to persuade them to believe in a world that "does not kneel."

He wanted to save people, or rather, he wanted to issue a final warning before a possible major upheaval.

Believe it or not, it's up to you!

"I called you here because I want to tell you something important."

“I have seen that lord with my own eyes, observed him up close, and had in-depth conversations with him! I know him better than any of you here, or most of the people in the Federation!”

"I've spent a long time thinking about this matter, and I'm almost certain that we were set up by the elves."

"Don't the elves know that 'North Wind' will abuse their prisoners? How could that be? For hundreds of years, whether half-elves or elves, they have been humiliated in the human kingdoms and paid lower wages than others."

"If someone commits a crime, things like gouging out eyes, piercing ears, cutting off tongues, or dismembering limbs are just ordinary punishments. In this life-or-death battle on the battlefield, do you really expect our Xiyue soldiers to show mercy?"

Everyone nodded in agreement with these words.

The discrimination against elves by human nations is a systemic form of discrimination, much like the prevalent skin color and racial discrimination on Earth. Although they live under the same sky, barriers exist everywhere.

"So why would the elves pay such a high price to save these elves' lives and let these cripples go back alive?"

The old man slowly put down his wine glass and exhaled a breath of pent-up frustration.

"This is for that lord to see!"

"They know that lord's temperament too well! They know his psychological limits!"

"Does this immortal species, which has been hiding in the forest for hundreds of years, really think it's been eating tree bark and sleeping all this time?"

A man around fifty years old, considered a rising star in the council, suddenly stood up: "Elder Zegen, shouldn't we hurry up and inform that lord of this news?"

Old Zegen shook his head helplessly: "What's the point of telling them? Aren't they Xiyue's soldiers the ones who did this?"

"What I'm talking about, even if there were evidence, in that lord's eyes, the fault lies with Xiyue, not the elves!"

"What a pity for my Xiyue's excellent situation!"

Zegen genuinely felt it was a pity.

The more he learned about the Vast Ocean Territory, the stronger his feeling became, almost to the point of despair—the Stream Moon Federation's affection for this lord was practically a perfect start.

When Chen Mo fled here, the mercenaries he met and hired were from Xi Yue. His professional qualifications were registered with the mercenary guild, and his basic learning and advancement were carried out in Xi Yue's mage tower. His most respected teachers were people from Xi Yue's own territory. Even the current leader of the Han Hai army, Lin En, and the intelligence chief, Lin Zhong, were all from Xi Yue's background.

Old Zegen could tell with a little deliberation that this network of relationships, woven from time, ties, and human connections, was comparable to that of the survivors of the fallen kingdom in Yunwu Territory.

Look at the treatment those people from Cloud Mist Territory are receiving in the Vast Ocean Territory now! It's beyond simply being "cared for"; it's practically being kept!
And look at the elves' attitude towards the remnants of Cloudlands! They're desperate to forge a bond with them through this kinship!
Old Zegen even had a vague suspicion that it was because of his trip that the Lord of the Vast Ocean showed some friendliness towards Xiyue, which made the elves restless and led them to come up with this vicious scheme to sow discord.

Old Zegen could see it, but he couldn't solve it.

He was just a member of the federal parliament, not the emperor, and even if he were the emperor, he might not be able to solve it.

Nobles are exempt from punishment, but the foundation of the Federation remains unchanged until enough blood is shed and enough people die.

So, he was disheartened!

"Everyone!"

"The war will inevitably resume in a few months. How long can Xiyue hold out then? Heh..."

He let out a low, ambiguous laugh. "Old man, I'm about to say something that might be considered treasonous, but you can just take it as nonsense. In my opinion, this council is a ship about to capsize, and I can't stay here any longer!"

“I’m exhausted from all this traveling, and I can’t take it anymore! I’ll resign from this position as a councilor tomorrow and go back to my tribe to recuperate.”

"I am grateful for your past care. That's all I have to say for today. I wish all the elders a bright future and many descendants!"

The night breeze swept through the quiet courtyard, bringing with it the chirping of insects from near and far in early spring, a sound that was both melodious and melancholic.

It was a deep-seated desolation, like waking up from the freezing cold, looking around blankly, unable to find any companions.

(End of this chapter)