The story of the black silk female knight

"Before the Central Continent Empire unified the Tianxuan Continent, there were 14 countries here. Even though the Central Continent Empire had the largest population of all the countries, it still accounted for less than one-fifth of the total population."

After the new policies of the Central Continent Empire were implemented, almost all those who rose to prominence due to their talent and ability were former citizens of the Central Continent Empire.

The other side of the saying "talent can lead to great success" is that the lives of mediocre people will be like those of slaves in the old days... or even worse. At least slaves had work to do and food to eat, so they wouldn't starve to death.

"...So you suspect that the Dragon Emperor secretly favors the people of the former Central Continent Empire, and that the so-called 'talent supremacy' policy is just an excuse for the people of the former Central Continent Empire to exploit and oppress you?"

Valensa guessed.

"No...that's not the point...those policies that prioritize talent were actually quite fair and just in their implementation, otherwise they wouldn't have received so much support in the first place."

Dong Hui shook his head:

"The key point is still those demonic beast bloodlines... Generally speaking, humans and demonic beasts cannot naturally produce offspring. What do those traitors on your continent call this... reproductive isolation? I think that's the term."

In short, in the past, only extremely powerful cultivators could have offspring with demon beasts who truly loved each other through special means... Humans with demon beast bloodlines were very rare. Normally, in a city of 100,000 people, having two or three would be considered a lot.

But now look at this…

As Dong Hui spoke, he pointed to the nobles and elites of the Central Plains Empire on the streets of Hua Sui Prefecture:

"These people from the former Central Continent Empire almost all possess the bloodline of demon beasts."

"So that's what you meant..."

Valensa squinted and thought for a moment:

"It's not hard to understand that humans and demon beasts can hardly have offspring directly. But what about these humans with demon beast bloodlines? Wouldn't their offspring also be born with demon beast bloodlines? If the Dragon Emperor intended for these demon beast bloodline holders to reproduce in large numbers, it seems normal that the population has reached its current scale in a few hundred years?"

“Abnormal.”

Dong Hui shook his head again, his expression serious:

"The power of the demon beast bloodline can indeed be passed on to the next generation, but there is a limit to the inheritance of this power... Generally speaking, if one of the parents is a demon beast, his power will be completely exhausted after a maximum of 3 generations, and the offspring will become no different from ordinary people."

However, those with demonic beast bloodlines who have become important talents of the empire over the past few hundred years have all possessed extremely powerful talents, almost comparable to those whose parents were directly demonic beasts.

To achieve this, the demon beast bloodline must be continuously strengthened, so that even if humans with demon beast bloodlines continue to marry other humans, the power inheritance will not be weakened.

The only way to ensure that the power of the demon beast bloodline doesn't weaken with inheritance is to make humans with demon beast bloodlines live more like demon beasts, maintaining their bestial nature... and the most crucial point is that they need to eat people.

"eat human?"

Valensa was truly shocked this time:

"You mean, in order to mass-produce outstanding talents with demon beast bloodlines, the Dragon Emperor would have those with demon beast bloodlines constantly eat people to maintain their bloodline power? Do you have any evidence?"

"...If we had evidence, would we, the resistance, have waited until now? We would have already tried to report it to the Church of the Sun."

Dong Hui shrugged helplessly:

"As I said before, our strength is simply too weak... Even if we are 100% certain that this is the truth, we simply don't have the ability to obtain the evidence. Or perhaps one of our comrades has obtained the evidence before, but was unable to bring it back... That's why we need your help."

“I see… You’re telling me the direction to look for evidence… Indeed, if we can find irrefutable evidence that the Dragon Emperor actively promoted large-scale cannibalism, it would be very helpful in convicting him of crimes against humanity… Hmm.”

Valensa nodded in realization, then remained silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh:

"But that's not enough... The act of cannibalizing one's own kind on a large scale is indeed despicable, but it's not enough to convict the Dragon Emperor of crimes against humanity and get the Church involved in the war based solely on that... The Dragon Emperor can easily argue that those were the autonomous actions of the imperial nobles, and had nothing to do with him or the will of the empire... Even if we all know he's talking nonsense, it's still not enough... Are there any other clues?"

"There are other clues... as well."

Dong Hui thought about it carefully again before saying:

"First, there are clues on my own side... The reason I infiltrated the Imperial Army was to investigate irrefutable evidence of the Dragon Emperor's gang's large-scale cannibalism."

The reason why those elite imperial troops are so strong, with more than 4% of their ordinary soldiers possessing innate true qi, is because many of them also have the bloodline of demonic beasts.

Within the Imperial Army, soldiers and generals with and without demonic beast bloodlines are stationed in different camps and use different logistical supplies.

I've always suspected that soldiers in the Imperial Army with demonic bloodlines regularly consume human flesh to maintain their fighting ability, but unfortunately, I've never been able to find any evidence.

"The logistical problems of imperial soldiers with demonic beast bloodlines... Hmm, that could be a direction for investigation."

Valensa nodded slightly and asked again:

"Anymore?"

"There's also a rumor... just a rumor and some scattered clues, no evidence."

Dong Hui gave a soft "hmm" and continued:

"It started as a folk tale that there was a family that was originally very poor and had no talented members, but suddenly became rich... They couldn't compare to the real powerful and wealthy, but they were much richer than other ordinary people."

However, the observant neighbors also noticed that the family's lovely little daughter was missing. When asked, they only received evasive answers, and the girl's mother would often burst into tears for no apparent reason while eating.

Later, the girl's father, in a drunken state, revealed the truth... that the reason their family suddenly became wealthy was because they sold their youngest daughter, whose physical condition was considered rare, to a secret department of the Empire to serve as a laborer for the Empire.

"A noob?"

Valensa frowned again:

"This way of calling it... could it be..."

"A name that evokes a lot of imagination, isn't it?"

Dong Hui smiled bitterly.

"If this lead is true... if the Central Continent Empire really has such a secret department, it will be of great help to the conviction process!"

Valensa then thought of something else and became somewhat excited:

"Eating people is not the same as cannibalism! Those powerful people with demon bloodlines can eat people just for their personal pleasure. But this kind of organized purchase of human flesh by the state is a truly unforgivable crime by the Dragon Emperor's regime... Perhaps it can directly give the Church a reason to intervene! And then? What happened to this matter?"

"...There was no later."

Dong Hui, however, poured cold water on Valensa's enthusiasm, spreading his hands and saying:

"Didn't I say? This story is just a folk tale... Although there are many similar folk tales, we have investigated based on the clues in the tales, but we have found nothing."

"That's it..."

Valensa calmed down again and continued to think.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind, and she quickly asked:

"By the way... according to your resistance's investigation, when do you think the Dragon Emperor started instructing the Imperials to engage in large-scale cannibalism?"

"Well... I'm not too sure, after all, I'm not even 140 years old this year."

Dong Hui was momentarily stunned, then thought for a moment and said:

"However, we can make a simple guess... The Central Continent Empire completely pacified other countries and unified this continent about 650 years ago. After that, the Dragon Emperor did indeed work hard to govern for more than 100 years. During that period, the people of the entire empire lived in peace and prosperity until the series of decrees that prioritized talent were issued... and then people's lives began to become severely polarized."

If our suspicions are correct... then the Dragon Emperor's group began instigating large-scale cannibalism among humans more than 550 years ago, or even earlier.

"More than 550 years ago?"

Valensa's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

In recent years, although she has been busy trying to find ways to fight against the Central Continent Empire, she has not forgotten the task that her sister assigned to her when she left.

For some unknown reason, this planet has been constantly watched by the Abyss Spirit Ruler... If we don't find a way to find out the reason and resolve it so that the Abyss Spirit Ruler will turn his attention away, then sooner or later, an evil Abyss Spirit will descend upon Eve's planet and devour everything.

Valensa had investigated this matter before and learned that the earliest appearance of the Abyss Cult was more than 500 years ago... The Abyss God's attention to Eve Star should have started from that time.

Combined with the information we've obtained from Dong Hui...

Is it possible that the reason Eve Star was being watched by the Abyss Spirit Ruler was because the Dragon Emperor was engaging in cannibalism?

The possibility is great.

Valensa's rational analysis and emotional intuition both told her that this was the answer.

The origin of the Abyss Evil God is the collection of resentment from all the lives devoured by intelligent civilizations in the endless void, which is why the Abyss Evil God takes devouring civilizations as an obsession.

In what circumstances could the resentment of being eaten as food be greater than the resentment of being eaten as food by one's own kind?

Chapter 77 The Royal Family of Nanli

Just as Valensa was thinking that this trip to the Tianxuan Continent might solve the two most important problems at once, Dong Hui suddenly stopped.

They arrived at the place.

Before me stood a three-story building, its gold bricks and jade tiles exuding luxury. It was located in the most prosperous area of ​​Hua Sui Prefecture, a place where every inch of land was precious, and those who came and went were either rich or noble.

"Distinguished guest, please come upstairs."

As he approached the entrance of the small building, two alluring women dressed in light veils immediately came to greet him, bowing and speaking in soft, seductive voices.

He still ignored Valencia, who was walking right behind Dong Hui.

Dong Hui, however, naturally revealed a hint of arrogance, ignoring the allure of the two women in light veils, and raised his hand to reveal a pink jade pendant:

"I have a date with the sparrow."

"So you're Sister Que'er's distinguished guest!"

The two women in light veils immediately became much more proper and serious, ceasing their seductive actions and beckoning Dong Hui into the small building like normal waitresses.

Valensa followed, and still no one noticed her presence, even though she entered openly through the front door.

The atmosphere inside the building was even more filled with the scents of alcohol and cosmetics. The first floor was a rather spacious hall, which was divided into sections by various screens and paper doors. In almost every section, there were richly dressed men drinking and making merry, with sexy women draped in light gauze sitting next to them.

Clearly, this is a brothel, and most likely the most upscale one in Hua Sui Prefecture.

Guided by the two women, Dong Hui didn't linger in the lobby area on the first floor. He quickly passed through the private rooms on the second floor and only stopped in front of the innermost room when he entered the restricted area for guests on the third floor.

"Sister Que'er is inside. Please make yourself at home, esteemed guest." x2

After leading the way, the two women, dressed in light gauze and with curvaceous figures, bowed again and obediently turned to leave.

"Yeah!"

However, after taking only two steps, one of the women couldn't help but scream, clutching her buttocks, and glared at Dong Hui with a charming yet reproachful look before leaving.

Dong Hui was completely bewildered by the glare. After three or four seconds, he suddenly realized what was happening and glanced at the female knight beside him, who still had a cold and serious expression. He was speechless.

But he could only pretend he knew nothing, knocked lightly on the door twice, and then pushed it open.

"My lord, you've arrived?~~"

Immediately, a figure arrived accompanied by a fragrant breeze, embraced Dong Hui intimately, and even used his ventriloquism to imitate the sound of a passionate kiss.

This was an extremely beautiful woman, noticeably older than those women in light veils, yet her beauty surpassed theirs. She possessed a captivating charm, the kind of alluring beauty that radiated charm to the very core.

Especially now that she's using her mouth to imitate the sounds of a passionate kiss while also humming softly, it's enough to make anyone's bones melt and make them completely unable to resist.

Although Dong Hui didn't make any physical contact, his face was noticeably redder, and his breathing was heavy, giving the impression that people inside were being intimate.

Then, Dong Hui embraced the woman with one hand and picked up a teacup with the other. Instead of drinking the tea, he used his sword intent to quickly write a few small characters on the surface of the water.

Sparrows are our companions; walls have ears.

Valensa immediately understood what was going on and what Dong Hui meant.

She first adjusted her ability to reduce her presence using mental power, allowing the alluring woman named Que'er to see her. Then, she used the same method to write words on the surface of the tea with holy light to continue communicating with her.

Dong Hui and Que'er continued to feign intimacy and make various sounds, while the two of them explained the situation and plan to Valensa in the most concise language.

Que'er is a descendant of the royal family of the Southern Li Kingdom, a core figure in the resistance, and the most famous courtesan in this brothel, well-known in Hua Sui Prefecture.

The rebels obtained much important intelligence from the time when Que'er, as a courtesan, entertained and served those high-ranking imperial officials.

Therefore, this brothel also attached great importance to Que'er, with skilled guards listening to her every move 24 hours a day under the guise of protection.

To rescue Zhuque and harness her power for one's own use, Que'er, a member of the royal family of the Southern Li Kingdom, is indispensable; she must first be taken out of this brothel.

Dong Hui was, after all, a master equivalent to the peak of the Star Glory realm, so forcibly taking Que'er away from the brothel would have been quite simple. However, this was also the most prosperous district in Hua Sui Prefecture, and once they left the brothel, leaving the city would be beyond Dong Hui's capabilities.

They had no choice but to ask Valencia for help.

This was indeed not a difficult task for Valensa, and she readily agreed. After thinking for a moment, she took out her phone and sent a message to Pink Purple One, who was lurking in the near sea.

[Send a demonic beast to attack Hua Sui Prefecture. Its strength doesn't matter, I'll take action anyway, but it must have an imposing appearance, looking just like a powerful demonic beast.]

[Yes, Commander!]

Although the advanced fog demons have completely transformed into ship girls and embarked on a technological path, they have not lost their skills from when they were advanced fog demons.

Using nano-mist to mimic various powerful monsters in battle is a fighting method that high-level mist demons have been using for nearly a thousand years, and each high-level mist demon is very skilled at it.

Especially since Valensa said that all it takes is appearances, which makes it even simpler.

Within minutes, a thick fog descended from the coast of Hua Sui Prefecture, followed by a roar that came from within the fog, and a huge monster appeared out of thin air.

The monster was a hundred meters tall, with a body resembling a dinosaur. It had fish fins on its back, was covered in scales, and had very thick limbs. It stood on two feet with two sharp claws.

This was clearly an attack by a very powerful monster. Alarms immediately sounded in Hua Sui Prefecture. The common people around the city could only hide in their simple wooden houses and tremble with fear. The nobles in the city ordered the city defense army and experts to fight off the monster while fleeing from the north out of the city.