Chapter 10: An Evening to Consider

Chapter 10: An Evening to Consider

“Yake, hurry and come look! Am I having a nightmare? There’s a ship flying in the sky!”

Aierjisi shouted from the window, urging Yake to come quickly.

“Huh? A ship flying in the sky? Aier, what nonsense are you talking about…”

A ship flying in the sky? How could something so unscientific happen? Surely this mischievous Little Princess was just fooling herself again. Yake casually walked over to the window, only to see the ship actually soaring above them.

WTF! What’s going on?! The ship is really flying in the sky?! Yake rubbed his eyes, doubting whether he was seeing things. But no matter how long he rubbed, that ship remained aloft—a fact too bizarre to ignore.

“Aierjisi! Yake! This is bad! You need to come quickly!”

In the next moment, Ailin kicked open their door and burst in to announce that there was trouble.

“Is it because of that ship outside?”

“Yes! We underestimated the Adrian People. Who would have thought they could create something like that? Anyway, get dressed quickly and come with me. They sent us a message saying they want to discuss something.”

The enemies not only attacked but also wanted to negotiate before the battle began? As for what they wanted to discuss? That was something even Aierjisi could guess with her big toe. They definitely wanted to persuade them to surrender.

In any case, Aierjisi and Yake quickly got dressed and made their way to the Conference Room. They weren’t alone; Weirafiya and Yaser were already waiting for them, with nearly the entire high-ranking officials of Panimir present. At the center of the table lay a Crystal displaying the figure of Gilbaris.

“You’re here. Please take a seat. You should have heard the situation from Ailin already.”

Seeing them arrive, Gaia gestured for them to sit.

“Gilbaris, we have everyone here now. What do you want to tell us? You can speak.”

The other side’s first request was for Aierjisi, Weirafiya, and Ailin—who were not human—to be present, while the presence of everyone else didn’t really matter. Since Aierjisi was finally there, Gilbaris could get straight to the point.

“Okay. Actually, I don’t have anything particularly important to say. I just want to persuade you to surrender. Hand over Aierjisi, Weirafiya, and Ailin, and we’ll withdraw our troops quietly. Otherwise, we won’t hesitate to reduce Panimir to rubble, just like we did with the Moon God Palace.”

Upon hearing the mention of the Moon God Palace, Aierjisi clenched her fists tightly. Thank goodness Gilbaris was communicating from afar through the Crystal; otherwise, she would have punched him already.

“You think we would just comply with your demands? Ailin told me your intentions. If we hand her over, it wouldn’t be long before your God would dominate this world, would it?”

Gaia squinted at the Crystal. He had heard Ailin mention their plans before.

“Don’t misunderstand, Gaia. We’re not negotiating with you; we’re informing you. If you refuse to hand them over, we can forcibly take Ailin back. If you are willing to surrender and pledge loyalty to our Chaos Clan, we could consider offering you some benefits under our rule.”

The Crystal switched its display, showing Diablo instead of Gilbaris. Compared to Gilbaris, Diablo’s attitude was noticeably more aggressive.

Once Diablo finished speaking, the image switched again, now showcasing Titan.

“That’s it. We’re giving you an evening to consider. At sunrise, we’ll decide whether or not to engage in battle based on your answer. Goodbye, and we hope you realize what choice is best for you.”

The image completely shut off, leaving Gaia and the others in a contemplative silence.

“What should we do? That’s what they said.”

Aierjisi looked at Gaia, knowing he was the king here and needed to take a stance first.

The others looked at Gaia in the same way, waiting for him to speak.

“Well, shouldn’t you already know what my answer will be? There’s no way I’d give up Ailin. I won’t abandon any of my comrades. I won’t step down until the very last moment of battle. True, the enemy is quite powerful, but we’ve also been reinforcing our defenses. Resisting their attacks isn’t impossible.”

Gaia stood up, pounding the table as he looked at everyone. Handing over his wife to the enemy? Not a chance!

“Gaia…”

Ailin was so moved by Gaia’s words that she couldn’t find her voice. However, Aierjisi and Weirafiya were frowning. It wasn’t because they found his words uncomfortable; it was because they were contemplating other matters.

“However, Lord Gaia. The enemy is the Ultimate Life Form, isn’t it? Before, just Diablo alone could suppress both Ailin and you at the same time. Now, they’ve brought even more of their kind. If it comes to a battle, I might not be able to win against them.”

Dreams are lofty, but reality is harsh. The enemy’s strength was not to be underestimated. Three Ultimate Life Forms plus that ship, and inside that ship, there were likely many more Chaos Clan members. In a direct confrontation, Panimir might not emerge victorious.

“That’s true…”

Despite the bravado of his earlier speech, the reality of the power gap between him and the enemy was an undeniable challenge. If they didn’t find a way to overcome it, their fate was sealed.

“How about discussing a battle plan? There should be a way to bridge the gap in strength.”

After her enhancement, Aierjisi’s strength still didn’t match those Ultimate Life Forms. In a direct confrontation, it would barely be an even fight. For a short time, they could hold their ground, but if they could incorporate some tactics, it might just offset the disparity in strength. That would make driving the enemy away possible.

“That’s the idea. Do you have any good plans, Aierjisi?”

“Not at the moment. It’s impossible to devise such a plan so quickly. I still know nothing about the Royal Palace’s layout.”

Besides, crafting such a plan should definitely be the task of someone familiar with the surroundings!