T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 658, Section 657: The Simplest Solution

Plata's new assessment has left many people with doubts.

If the speculation comes true, it would be quite an "unprecedented" event.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much time left to ponder and confirm the boundary between reality and illusion. As expected, an unexpected incident occurred at the debate meeting on the second day at noon.

In the game, under normal circumstances, both the boundary between reality and illusion and the Falling Star Sea are in the right.

Even if the nobles were unwilling, they could only debate whether Giza and others should be sentenced to death for their crimes, and the immunity of nobles from trial.

Sloan's attack gave rise to a situation where this otherwise straightforward and clearly defined heinous act could be twisted and fabricated.

In the council chamber, almost all the Anna nobles present stood on the side of Giza.

Even though the true culprit behind the Sloan attack remains unclear, it doesn't stop them from firmly insisting that it was an act of revenge by Falling Star Sea.

Regardless of the truth, it's all about perspective.

The Fallen Star Sea is no longer a perfect victim and can no longer gain a dominant position in the council. Even the nobles who were cursed to death in the previous game can now raise their arms and shout arrogantly, accusing the Fallen Star Sea of ​​blaspheming Anna, and taking the opportunity to propose that the Fallen Star Sea should hand over the perpetrator of the attack before dealing with Giza.

Once the proposal was put forward, it naturally became the main topic of discussion that day.

Those in the know understand perfectly well that with the other party's mastery of high-level stealth magic, as long as they are determined to remain hidden and leave no trace, Falling Star Sea will have absolutely no way to prove their innocence.

There was even a rather comical scene where several ancient families, led by Grelian, advocated for the punishment of Giza.

There's no other reason; they really do have a "cow".

Renee, as a hostage, and several of her Star Speakers classmates remain detained in the Fallen Star Sea and have not returned.

If negotiations break down, Grelian really doesn't dare to gamble that Jingxin's mental state is still good.

Kurien, who lived on the second floor of the council chamber, tapped his fingers lightly on the railing in frustration.

He noticed the awkwardness of the group at the boundary between reality and illusion.

It wasn't that they lacked eloquence, but rather that the nobles had formed a united front, making it impossible for them to find a starting point.

The vast majority of nobles harbored a naive, clear-eyed folly, believing that the Starfall Sea's threat of war in this matter was merely a show of force to demonstrate its stance.

These fools, who have never dealt with the Fallen Star Sea and have no understanding of Jingxin, are presuming to judge others by their own standards.

Their judgment was most likely based on the fact that the Siren bloodline was rare, making it not worthwhile or in the best interests of the group, and would inevitably be met with strong opposition from other high-ranking members of the Falling Star Sea.

What a bunch of idiots!
Jingxin is the undisputed king of the Falling Star Sea!

Moreover, there are things in this world that the sirens value far more than mere self-interest.

It's no use having just two or three large families like the Grelians cheering them on.

Anna is getting closer and closer to war.

Returning to the mansion, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, Jiang Heyi was utterly exhausted after a day of arguing and facing one piece of aristocratic, ruthless meat after another.

Neither Kesha's tail pillow nor the massage from fries could calm him down.

The air in the entire hall was heavy.

At this moment, they also increasingly understand the enormous impact of the attack—it is causing history to inevitably slide into the abyss.

If we can't find the real culprit quickly...

"Let's use that clumsy method."

Jiang Heyi's voice drew everyone's attention.

Upon hearing his description, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. He wasn't exactly stupid, but his success depended heavily on the other party's stupidity and cooperation.

“You all trust my judgment, and I’m willing to trust Plata’s stupid…intuition, so the loop is closed.” Jiang Heyi spread his hands. “If there are no clues, then create them.”

Two days after the first round of discussions ended, and on the 11th day after Jingxin set the 30-day deadline, a new guest arrived at the mansion on the boundary between the virtual and real worlds.

Sloan, who had been invited, stared in surprise at the hazy, misty humanoid figure floating in the air.

"This, this is..."

Elsa herself introduced, "Sister Alna is also a member of Rainbow Rain, except that she is a spirit."

"A spirit!" Sloan exclaimed in shock.

Spirits are not uncommon; traces of evil spirits have been found in many areas of Anna.

But most spirits appear in a hysterical, irrational state. Sloan has never seen a special being like Alna, who is clear-headed, articulate, and can use spells she was familiar with in life.

During Alna's talent show, her elemental magic was even better than Sloan's... I'm ashamed.

“No, a spirit should gradually dissipate or lose its reason over time, but she…” Sloan was still puzzled.

If there is no suitable body to "inhabit" for a long time, Alna should enter a state of hibernation to resist the decay of the spiritual body in order to maintain her form.

Hagiron's restored Gorcalon Casket changed everything.

Now, Alna only needs to hold her little "urn" to repair her damaged body by absorbing magic.

Gorcalon's death was far more significant than his contributions during his lifetime.

Jiang Heyi said, "Every interaction makes it easy for nobles to find fault with us. Alna can not only protect you, but also serve as a means of communication between us."

Sloan did not refuse the offer; Alna's secrecy appealed to him.

The spirit body pressed itself against the wall and shrank back. An 8th-level mage had arrived. Without careful magical investigation, one wouldn't even realize the house was haunted.

Moreover, she also has an important task to undertake.

Watching Alna and Sloan leave in their carriage, Elsa pursed her lips, looking somewhat worried.

"Don't worry, Anna's abilities are something that ordinary mages can't easily contend with," Fries comforted her. "Besides, she also has Gorcalon's treacherous life box protecting her."

"What I'm worried about is that she's not good at support roles... Protecting Sloan might be a bit difficult for her."

With time running out and the task heavy, if Jiang Heyi's plan succeeds, the final step will inevitably involve someone exhaling loudly.

Is it really feasible to entrust such an important task to Alna, who hasn't fully recovered yet?

……

……

No one realized that Sloan had a female ghost by his side.

To demonstrate the advantages of spirits to Sloan, Alna, who doesn't follow the usual route, didn't follow the carriage into the manor but instead stealthily walked along the outer wall.

Along the way, neither the passing servants nor the diligently patrolling guards noticed her whereabouts.

Without anyone noticing, Alna drifted into Sloan's study.

Sloan pushed back the curtains and stepped onto the balcony. Gazing at the safe, brightly lit, and orderly scene within the manor, he couldn't help but smile wryly.

That's terrifying!
Doesn't this mean that without using some countermeasure magical items for sensing and interception, his manor Alna would simply be a little more cautious when leaving, but there would be no difficulty in infiltrating at all?

What do you think of my personal guards... their abilities?

Elsa said they were very loyal.

"But I'm asking about ability."

"Very loyal."

"..."

Thinking of the guards who risked their lives to shield him from gunfire at the port, Sloan shook his head helplessly, but also nodded with satisfaction.

Who wouldn't want a bodyguard like Wick, who is both loyal and powerful?

Such powerful mages often prefer to enjoy the freedom granted by the mage tower and are unlikely to be subject to others.

Unless, he cultivates it from scratch. Sloan followed the same path as Kurien, except that his "fruit" may still be some time away from being harvested.

“I had my servants clean out an empty room, and all the furnishings were new.”

"But I am a spirit."

"Uh... I guess so."

Sloan felt a little awkward. He would be dealing with Alna for some time to come and relying on her for protection, so he instinctively wanted to find something to talk about.

"How did you die?"

Some words, when you think about them, you try to be as tactful as possible, and when you carefully consider the wording, you hesitate, but your mouth seems to bribe your brain and get approved in advance.

Sloan regretted asking the question as soon as he did, and was about to offer a disclaimer when Alna calmly placed her hand on his shoulder.

The hazy mist surrounding the spirit dissipated instantly, revealing a dying model based on a flesh-and-blood body.

Sloan knew that when he looked back on this scene, he would want to slap himself for speaking.

The bloody penetrating wounds appeared not only in the left shoulder but also in the right shoulder.

Then come the wrists, palms, and thighs.

It's hard to imagine what Alna went through before she died.

“It’s all in the past… Actually, I lost some memories and can’t remember some things from before I died very clearly. It’s okay, things will get better.” Alna noticed Sloan’s embarrassment and comforted him, “Becoming a spirit is quite fun. If you need me, I can scare you in different ways every day. That way you’ll fall asleep quickly.”

It would be better if this kind of way of falling asleep didn't happen in this manor.

Sloan thanked Alna for her kindness.

Indeed, whether it's the boundary between reality and illusion, or the rainbow rain that follows, everyone is quite "magical".

As he lay falling asleep, the thought of his mansion, with a ghost hovering around like a patroller, still made him feel uneasy...

The following day at noon, Sloan was summoned by Kurion.

On the carriage, he looked at Alna, who was able to move freely outdoors in broad daylight, and felt incredulous.

“We are spirits, and spirits are also energy bodies. We are just a little weaker during the day, but not to the point of dying and turning to ashes in the light. Don’t take the bard’s fancy little stories as reality,” Alna explained.

Live long and learn long.

More than a dozen new chairs were added to Kurien's study. All the visitors were princes, and Sloan was one of the later ones to arrive. As soon as he arrived, he attracted everyone's attention.

He gave a brief greeting, found Enrique, and sat down. Right opposite him was Bertrand, who was resting with his eyes closed.

Before long, all 13 of Kurion's surviving children arrived.

Curie rarely summoned the children at the same time, unless there were important matters involving the royal family that needed to be made public; usually, it was a matter of reprimanding or rewarding someone.

Awards are few and far between, while reprimands are the norm.

Thinking of this, many people present became uneasy, and they all recalled whether they had done anything out of line recently.

Although, at this point, it seems impossible to count them all.

"I've invited you here today to discuss the matter of Giza and the Fallen Star Sea," Kurien said calmly. "I've heard enough of the voices of those great nobles. Now, I want to hear your voices."

Kurien's children looked at each other, but none of them spoke up.

“Since everyone is being modest, then… Thiago, you should set an example.”

After a moment's hesitation, Crown Prince Thiago stood up and replied, "I think... the Siren's attack on Sloan was a heinous crime, and it's already a sign of Anna's leniency and kindness that it's not being pursued. The matter of Giza can be completely wiped clean because of this, so there's no need to pay attention to the noise from the Fallen Star Sea."

Kurien raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"

He looked at his eldest son meaningfully: "What about the Starfall Sea declaring war?"

“They’re just bluffing; they won’t actually start a war,” Thiago scoffed. “Their demand to kill Giza is just a bargaining chip for the negotiations.”

After Thiago finished speaking, Kurien simply nodded repeatedly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and continued to turn his attention to the next person.

"Golan, what's your opinion?"

The fourth prince, Golan, was unaware that his slave trade had been discovered by the Imperial Guard. After a moment of contemplation, he said...

"We cannot fight a war, as this would be detrimental to the many important commercial cities on the border."

"Oh? So you mean to execute Giza?"

“Giza shouldn’t be executed either,” Golan said. “I think Falling Star Sea acted out of momentary anger. Let’s drag it out until the negotiations break down, then offer compensation to test their bottom line. As long as we give them enough money, I think the sirens will be speechless.”

Kurien couldn't help but rub his temples.

"Sloan, what's your opinion?"

"We need to give the Falling Star Sea a sincere explanation. I don't think the other side is bluffing. It really could escalate into a violent conflict between the continent and the ocean."

The seventh prince, Caris, scoffed, "War? With sea monsters? Our Anna is at its zenith. Even if Father revitalizes Anna's power, would we fear a group of sea monsters with no descendants?"

“Sloan, don’t get too close to the Siren’s envoy. You are an Anan, and also your father’s son. This is disgracing the royal family.”

The sudden accusation seemed particularly "brotherly and respectful".

Sloan knew that this was the nobles behind Caris reminding him to be mindful of his stance.

Kurien frowned, skillfully concealing his anger, and turned his gaze to the people around Karis.

"Bertrand, what's your opinion?"

Bertrand stood up straight: "Kill."

Sloan nearly dropped his teacup. Although he wasn't particularly surprised by the answer, he was still quite shocked to hear it.

"This is war."

“They want war, so give them war,” Bertrand said. “I will be on the front lines and drive all those bastards back into the sea, so they will know the true power of Anna.”

"If they aren't afraid, it must be because we haven't killed enough."

"As long as we kill enough sirens, all problems will be solved."

Kurien muttered to himself, "I want war... You've always loved war, so..."

A chilling aura swept through the study, and an invisible pressure weighed heavily on Bertrand's shoulders; anyone could feel Kurien's astonishing oppressive presence.

The sleeping lion king let out a deafening roar!

"Did you send people to follow Sloan because you fear war, or do you hope for war to break out?"

Bertrand was jolted awake and eager to argue.

"Your Majesty!"

In an instant, Kurien's children wore expressions of schadenfreude.

Kurien slowly rose and walked to Bertrand, who was kneeling on one knee.

"Tell me, what happened at the port, does it have anything to do with you?"

This stopped the others from laughing.

Since Father is so certain, does he already have conclusive evidence?
Sure enough, their guess came true.

Bertrand protested: "Father, I absolutely did not..."

"How dare you quibble!"

Without a word, Kurien waved his hand, and Wick flashed in front of Bertrand, placing his hand on his shoulder to stop the flow of magic, turning him into an ordinary person.

The incident happened so suddenly that no one had time to react, and everyone was stunned.

(End of this chapter)