Durin did not want to stay here any longer.
He was terrified that he might accidentally expose himself, so he waved his hand and cleared his throat before saying:
"Alright, you all handle the rest. Interrogate whoever needs to be interrogated, imprison whoever needs to be imprisoned. I have more important matters to attend to."
At this, the ministers' gazes filled with admiration.
More important matters?
For someone like the Emperor, those must be matters concerning the very survival of humanity!
After all, every action of such a great figure would have far-reaching consequences for the entire human race!
…
But Durin's actual plan was to take a long nap and then go out hunting for more birds when he woke up.
Shadewhite Abyss – The Round Table Conference
The conference chamber was silent.
The atmosphere was so heavy it was suffocating.
"All our spies in the human kingdom have been wiped out!
"Aside from a few low-level weaklings who didn't dare to show themselves, the rest of our kin are dead..."
"I suspect the enemy did this on purpose—to send us a warning."
The leader of the Shadewhite sat slumped in his chair, looking as if all the strength had been drained from his body.
"I had already guessed that the Emperor of Mankind had discovered them, so I tried to have them evacuate as soon as possible… but I was too late."
"It's all my fault—I should have acted sooner."
"No, big brother, this isn't your fault."
The entire chamber fell into a sorrowful silence, the sound of quiet sobs filling the air.
Then, the Shadewhite leader slowly took out a glowing orb, his expression grave.
"This is their final intelligence report. Let's take a look together."
As he activated the orb, two lines of information appeared before them:
[There is a traitor among us. And not just any traitor—someone in a high-ranking position!]
[Big brother, please take care of my wife. I beg you.]
The moment this message was revealed, the entire room erupted into shock.
"What?! There's a traitor among us?!"
"Wait… He had a wife? Since when?!"
"Was his wife pretty? Why didn't he tell us?"
"Forget about his wife! The real problem is the traitor, damn it!"
A high-ranking traitor…
Didn't that mean the spy was right here in this very room?!
Though they had no idea how the Emperor had obtained this information, messages sent at the cost of one's life were generally highly credible.
After all, who would be stupid enough to die for a lie?
"No! Something's not right!"
The Shadewhite leader suddenly raised his hand, cutting off the others' speculation.
"Think carefully—why was this information allowed to be sent out?"
A frail-looking Shadewhite, voice weak, muttered hesitantly:
"M-Maybe… they failed to stop it?"
But the leader immediately snapped, his voice filled with rage:
"Are you an idiot?! A Demigod Rank powerhouse's abilities are beyond your comprehension! How could they possibly fail to block a simple transmission?!"
"I believe the Emperor let this information leak on purpose—to sow distrust among us!"
However, not everyone agreed with this assessment.
Another high-ranking Shadewhite, his expression dark, shook his head.
"Big brother, I think you're being too hasty."
"Think about it carefully—this is the Emperor of Mankind we're talking about. Would he really rely on such simple tricks? I believe there's a deeper strategy at play."
"What if… the Emperor guessed that we wouldn't believe this intelligence, and deliberately let the real information slip—
"—so we'd dismiss the idea that there's a traitor among us, thus protecting the actual spy?"
If the Shadewhite high command dismissed the idea of a traitor, the human spy could operate freely without fear of exposure.
"No, wait—what if the Emperor anticipated our anticipation, and then countered our counter by predicting our predictions, thus misleading us even further?"
At that moment, every Shadewhite leader felt their scalps tingle and their bodies shudder.
They stared at the intelligence report, completely lost in their own paranoia.
Was the Emperor really this terrifying?!
With just one move, he had sent them all into a spiral of suspicion and fear.
This level of strategic cunning and manipulation was even more frightening than the past eight Emperors combined!
"Damn it!"
The Shadewhite leader gritted his teeth, slamming his fist onto the table.
"What the hell is the Emperor planning?! I can't see through him at all!"
The uncertainty surrounding the traitor's existence left the Shadewhite high command paralyzed.
For the first time, they found themselves utterly unsure of what to do next.
If they made one wrong move, the traitor—if they existed—could leak their plans and doom them all.
The Shadewhite leader let out a deep, exhausted sigh, his face filled with defeat.
"We are fighting an enemy we cannot defeat."
"We are no match for his strength."
"We cannot outmaneuver his intelligence network."
"And now, even in strategy, we are being played like pawns in his game."
"I propose that we immediately send word to our Lord and request reinforcements. We need a Demigod Rank powerhouse to take charge."
At that moment, the room fell into absolute silence.
A battle between Demigod Rank powerhouses was something that only happened in desperate circumstances.
Yet now, they had only just begun their operations against Ilan Kingdom, and they were already forced to call in their Lord.
This was a disgrace.
But no one objected.
Because they all knew—they had no other choice.
Two mana cycles later, the Lord of Shadewhite responded.
"I will arrive at the front lines within half a month. Until then, hold your positions—do not retreat, and do not engage the humans in direct combat."
"Half a month from now, I will personally lead Shadewhite to victory."
As one of the Ten Lords of Shadewhite, a true Demigod Rank powerhouse, he had the power to back up his words.
Upon hearing his message, the Shadewhite leaders finally sighed in relief.
Meanwhile – Back in Ilan Kingdom
After his glorious nap, Durin went out for a casual stroll.
But to the royal guards, his actions carried great significance.
"His Majesty is personally inspecting the palace again!"
"With tensions against Shadewhite running high, His Majesty is truly a diligent and devoted ruler!"
"But with His Majesty's immense mind power, why doesn't he just scan all of Ilan Kingdom? Wouldn't that be faster?"
Durin nearly tripped over his own feet and hurriedly walked away.
Scan the kingdom?
Of course, he would have done that!
…If he actually had the ability to do so.
"Do not attempt to interpret His Majesty's actions with a commoner's mind. We cannot possibly fathom his thoughts."
Durin wholeheartedly agreed.
If only they knew—he hadn't done a damn thing, yet they kept coming up with these insane theories!
Durin still couldn't understand how these people's brains worked.
He was just wandering aimlessly, but somehow, everything he did seemed to trigger wild speculation from those around him.
As he strolled without direction, he unknowingly arrived at the Magical Elixir Chamber.
Huh, what a coincidence.
For most people, magical elixirs were incredibly valuable.
The demand for them was so high that an entire profession had emerged—Elixirists, specialists in alchemy and potion-making.
Magical elixirs could assist meditation, enhance combat training, and even be used in battle.
The highest-grade elixirs were considered strategic assets, carefully guarded and reserved for only the most critical moments.
The Emperor Arrives
The moment Durin stepped through the doors, all the elixirists inside froze, then quickly bowed deeply in unison.
"Your Majesty!"
Durin, seeing their reaction, casually waved his hand, signaling them to relax.
"I'm just here to look around."
But his presence alone had already sent a shockwave through the chamber.
The news immediately reached the ears of Grand Elixirist Marthion, the most respected and powerful elixirist in all of Ilan Kingdom.
More than half of the elixirists present were his direct disciples, and even the dukes of the kingdom treated him with great respect.
But despite his prestige, when facing the Emperor, Marthion maintained an attitude of utmost humility.
Like a well-behaved 300-year-old child, he immediately rushed over and greeted Durin with deep reverence.
"Your Majesty… have you discovered something unusual?"
Durin was speechless.
Why was he being treated like some kind of magical Sherlock Holmes?!
Did something HAVE to happen everywhere he went?!
Could he not just look around for once?!
With a deadpan expression, he answered truthfully:
"I'm just here to take a look."
...Huh?
But the moment those words left his mouth, Marthion's expression turned incomparably serious.