Chapter 491 323: Argument (2)

"He's a Mage from the Mage Tower. He once told me that the Mages of the Mage Tower are responsible for guarding the entire Material Realm, so Space Channels from other worlds shouldn't be able to appear in this one."

"And now the Material Realm is like a tree trunk riddled with holes."

"Could it be that there's a problem with the Mage Tower?"

"That theory is well-known throughout the Seven Kingdoms. The Mage Tower has existed since antiquity, and Solon Bai'en is said to be almost godlike, having guarded the Middle Ages Continent for centuries."

Elizabeth nodded slightly, acknowledging this view.

"If the Mage Tower has a problem, it's something completely beyond our ability to solve." If anyone present had the right to speak on the Mage Tower, it was the Archbishop from Talisi. This old man, impassive since the very beginning, now furrowed his brow.

The Mage Tower was the ultimate sacred ground for all Casters, a place for which many would readily renounce worldly wealth and power just to go and advance their Magic Cultivation.

Thus, he understood better than anyone just how powerful this otherworldly faction was.

Besides, the biggest problem was that even if they knew something was wrong with the Mage Tower, its location was hidden somewhere in the vast world, making it impossible to find.

"There is no need for such worry, everyone. His Eminence, Legendary Mage Solon, has guarded the Material Realm for so long. How could something have easily happened to him?" The King of Harland clapped his hands, pulling the concerned group back to the present. "Compared to that theory, I'm more inclined to believe that either those Abyss Demons got incredibly lucky, or that pack of gutter rats has crawled out of the woodwork again."

"The Plague Cultists, who seek to 'purify' the world with pestilence; the Chaos Cult, which pursues disorder and destruction; and the Inverted Men, those masters of manipulation and conspiracy who worship the Faceless God..."

"These rats are practically numberless. Perhaps in the past, because of the Magic Tide, the Magic they relied upon became nothing more than a laughable parlor trick, forcing them to hide and not dare show their faces. If so, I have every reason to suspect they are now plotting something sinister."

"His Majesty Harland has a point. The number of cultists we've recently caught preaching among the common people is enough to fill a dungeon," Archbishop Rillo of Talisi said with a nod. "They will stop at nothing to plunge the world into chaos and disorder."

"Then let's conclude this matter here. We will each intensify searches within our own borders and ensure these vile rats can cause no more trouble." Harland made a dismissive gesture, bringing the topic to a close for the time being.

'It can't be this simple,' the Lord thought. But since the higher-ups had made their decision, what was the point in him worrying about it? If the sky were to fall, they would be the ones to hold it up.

He just thought that as soon as the council was over, he would use the Communication Magic Stone to instruct Tina at High Cliff Castle. She was to restart the armories, increase production as much as possible, purchase military supplies, and intensify the training of new recruits. In short, she was to prepare for a war that could break out at any moment.

Fortunately, he had managed to swindle a set of Communication Magic Stones from Fulina, so he wouldn't have to deal with the predicament of sending a letter to High Cliff Castle. The delay from such a round trip would have been significant.

"Next, shouldn't we discuss the border friction between Debei and my kingdom?" Elizabeth asked, looking pointedly at Harland.

"Lake Beier has always belonged to our Sith Kingdom, yet Debei constantly sends its fishermen to ply their trade in our territory. Your farmers even cross the border to steal cattle and abduct our women!"

"Your Majesty Elizabeth is truly skilled at distorting the facts." Faced with such slander, Harland was far calmer than the Lord had expected. He stroked the ring on his finger and said with a smile, "Regarding this matter, our own Duke Gray possesses conclusive evidence."

"Bring up the map we prepared," Old Gray said to a nearby attendant.

"As you command, My Lord."

Several Knights in Silver Armor carried out a massive parchment map. As they hung it on a stand to unroll it, they made a show of blowing away non-existent dust.

The map depicted only the Western Territory and the eastern domains of the Holy Sith Kingdom, but even the Lord, who had seen modern maps, had to admit its precision was exceptionally high.

It was so precise that every path and mountain stream was traced in color.

"This is a map from five hundred years ago. Back then, the Holy Sith Kingdom was just a minor border state, and Lake Beier already belonged to the Roganres family." Old Gray used his sword scabbard to point at a massive lake on the border of the Western Territory.

On the map, a clear boundary line placed Lake Beier squarely within the confines of the Western Territory.

"This is a fact no one can refute!" he declared, his voice booming with conviction.

'To be honest, the real reason both sides had always fought over the lake was the unminable deposit of Leaf Green Crystal Magic Ore it contained.'

'But the ore's very presence nurtured a type of Magical Beast called the Demon Fish.'

'These Magical Beasts grow Demon Cores filled with Elemental Power, which can be used as a perfect substitute for Magic Crystals.'

"Therefore, this talk of my people stealing cattle and abducting your citizens is utter nonsense! They are simply living in their own territory!"

"The area should rightfully be returned to Debei," Prince Filo commented, though seemingly to himself.

No one paid him any mind. All eyes were on the projected image of the Queen, waiting for her reaction.

But to everyone's surprise, her expression was placid. She even offered a faint smile. "Arguing over who this lake belonged to in the past is utterly meaningless."

"However, as the Monarch of the Holy Sith Kingdom, I recognize we live in a turbulent age. To avoid deepening the animosity between us, or worse, sparking a war that would displace and bring suffering to countless civilians, I am willing to gift this land to Debei." As she finished speaking, a look of profound, sorrowful compassion graced the Queen's features.

"Your Majesty, this land belongs to Debei! It is not a gift, it is a *return*!" Old Gray's brows shot up, his tone unyielding even when addressing a monarch.

"Fine, fine. A return, then," she conceded, a look of contrived helplessness on her coolly beautiful face.

'That tone...' It made everyone from Debei uneasy. Still, the land was finally being returned to them, so they all held their tongues.

"Your Majesty Elizabeth, I hold the utmost respect for your consideration of the common folk." Unexpectedly, Archbishop Rillo, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. His heavy eyelids lifted, and he tapped his Magic Staff on the floor, producing a sharp sound. "But it is wrong to accept the blame. Doing so will only embolden the bandits."

"The Lord says that when faced with villains, one should not offer consolation, but mete out punishment."

"This land, which belongs to the Holy Sith Kingdom, should not be given away so easily. Nor should you claim the faults of others as your own. The wicked should be made to taste the bitter fruit of their own actions."

As the Archbishop of Talisi and a candidate for the next Pope, he had not come here simply to go through the motions regarding the Demon affair.

Talisi shared borders with both Debei and the Holy Sith Kingdom. From their perspective, the best-case scenario was for the two nations to remain in constant friction. If a war could be provoked, all the better.

Lake Beier had always been the primary flashpoint between them. If it were returned now, a period of peace would inevitably follow the resolution of their main conflict—a development he was keen to prevent.

This was especially true now that a Dragon Knight had seemingly appeared out of thin air in Debei; they had been speculating whether Debei would leverage this new power to declare war on the Holy Sith Kingdom.

After all, a massive deposit of Leaf Green Crystal Magic Ore was more than enough to provoke a war; if it weren't, the two nations wouldn't have clashed over it so relentlessly in the past.

If the Sith Kingdom returned the Leaf Green Crystal Magic Ore and signed a peace treaty, Debei would be free to grow. With a Dragon Knight, new territory being pioneered in the Wilderness, and no war to stifle its progress, Debei would inevitably become a northern behemoth over time.

When that day came, it was hard to say what fate would await the less-developed Talisi.