After a momentary silence, Neils asked, “Zhu, you remember what happened to my Naga race, right?”

Zhu hesitated but still nodded in the end. “History books said you Nagas got embroiled in a conflict against Elves. In the end, both sides went to war. Your Serpentine Cavalry got wiped out. Despite that, it took down ten times its numbers. After that battle, remnants of your Naga race fled and are now scattered throughout the regions.”

Neils nodded, “Yeah. It was something along those lines. I’ll give you a pass. You read ample.”

Not minding his pompous act, Zhu asked, “Then?”

Exhaling deeply, Neils answered with a question of his own: “Do you know the reason for that conflict? Why did it happen? You know, the Elves and us Nagas had no issues around that time, which would cause us to go to war. In fact, our relationship could be called harmonious.”

“I… I don’t think I do.” Zhu shook his head, still searching through his memory.

“I take that compliment back.” Neils rubbed his temples exaggeratedly. “You don’t read enough. Go study more instead of beating up children.”

Zhu coughed. “*Cough!* What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” Neils gave Zhu a disdainful look. Retracting his disdain, he continued, “That conflict happened because of a certain something we just so happen to find between the borders of both our races, a relic of the bygone era.”

Zhu fell in thought while digesting the information. To him, it made sense. Why wouldn’t both sides want to strengthen themselves if the opportunity came? He felt it to be natural that both sides would go to war. In Neils bringing the matter up, he immediately formed some guesses.

Putting his attention on the most likely guess, he asked, “That mask… you mean to say that it—”

“No.” Neils shot the idea down.

Zhu heaved a breath of relief. Looking at Neils, he waited for the latter’s answer.

Closing his eyes deep in thought, Neils said, “The aura I felt on that kid… Other than that of the poison and that mask which overcame it, there’s another aura on that kid. Although it’s very faint now, it’s still there. It reminded me of that ancient relic’s aura. And then, when I thought about this kid’s story, I had a wild fantasy.

“Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence, but instigated. Having said that, I’m starting to feel like those conspiracy theorists who’re published when they need to fill up their paper. Tch!”

Zhu’s eyes widened. He wanted to say something, but hesitated.

Looking at his expression, Neils chuckled. “You don’t need to have this many reservations. I’ve lived more than ten times your age. I can handle it. And yeah. I also feel it’s not a coincidence.”

Neils spread his hands apart. “Still, I got nothing to back that claim up. A mere squad captain like me wasn’t privy to any confidential information.”

“You mean someone’s manipulating the current situation?” Zhu asked with trepidation.

“Could be. Maybe, even right now, we are the part of a bigger scheme, two elements in a way bigger plan, being manipulated by someone without even us knowing.” Neils had an expression as if he gained a bout of terminal lucidity.

Listening to his words, Zhu’s brows furrowed. His expression turned uneasy.

“Still, more than fear, if I’ll feel anything, it’d be admiration.” Neils replied nonchalantly. “If there’s really something like that, even an almighty Sage like you won’t be able to stop it, let alone an old helpless me. So why bother. I did whatever I wanted. I don’t feel bad about it, anyway. Those Nagas got what they deserved when they fought the Elves. Still, if we had poison like the one in that kid, maybe Nagas wouldn’t have lost.”

A smile surfaced on Zhu’s face. “Maybe you should give up on being a doctor and work for the news agencies. You’ll get a handsome pay. You know that money makes the world go round, right?”

Neils chuckled, “Reminds me, seems all your preparations are for naught. Besides the bandages. Speaking of which, we should put em on.”

Neils’s gaze landed on the stump on his right forearm. Lingering fear filled his gaze. After a while, he shook his head. Grabbing one of the bandage rolls, he rolled them on the boy’s head, covering up the left side of his face once more in a fresh set of bandages.

Subconsciously trying to pat his hands after the job, Neils felt awkward and laughed, “Now it feels better. A good bandage always makes it look good.”

Watching from the side, Zhu shook his head disdainfully.

Noticing his gaze, Neils rolled his eyes. “What’re you looking at, huh, you punk?”

Zhu turned his head away, not bothering to quarrel.

Meanwhile, a pair of eyes opened somewhere else, observing a grand hall filled with people.

A man raised his head to look at the owner of the eyes. He had a lean stature, looking to be in his thirties and wearing a monocle. He knelt down on one knee, his right hand curled up in a fist, touching his left shoulder.

“Your highness, everything is going as planned.” The lean man reported. “However, there have been some mishaps along the way.”

“Speak.” An emotionless voice spread throughout the room. The temperature of the room seemed to plummet.

The lean man maintained his composure as he replied, “Sir, we’ve almost completed exploring all the ruins in our territories and have found one key. As for the other keys, we haven’t been able to locate them.”

“What about the other powers?”

“Our spies have reported that all the major powers are desperately searching for the keys. We can only confirm that the Tower of Magic to have one.”

“What about the conquest and the alliance?”

“Our conquest south can be called complete. Other than a few weak territories, there’s nothing of worth. Your Highness’s arrangements regarding those territories are being executed as planned. As for alliance, the leaders of their side demand your highness to show up in person. However, their true intention seems to be stalling for time. They’re most likely waiting to benefit from any abrupt changes in—”

*Rumble!*

As the fist of the owner of the pair of eyes slammed against their chair’s armrest, the entire hall rumbled, seeming on the verge of collapse.

Despite the cold sweat lining the backs of people present, nobody dared to let out a squeak.

Realising the outburst, the owner of the pair of eyes calmed down. They said emotionlessly, “We’re not in a hurry for our alliance in the north and the east. As for the conquest to the west, send the second company to speed things up. Keep a lookout for any news of the keys.”

“T-the second company has already left south and is making its way west. We need two aevis according to the worst estimate.” The lean man replied, stuttering despite trying to force his calm.

“Does anyone else have anything to report?” A detached voice demanded.

Silence filled the hall, nobody standing out.

“The court is dismissed.” The owner of the pair of eyes declared.

Making no sound, all the people present but the owner of the pair of eyes left. Looking down at the floor like before, they muttered, “How long will you hide? Do I have to make a move myself?”

The eyes closed once more, wreathing the vision of their owner in the darkness.