"These are some materials I've prepared; I hope everyone will study them thoroughly and memorize the entire text~"
Shuang Ye stood up and handed the first parchment to Kleivore: "Forgive my presumption, Emperor, but I believe that these clear, detailed, and logical analyses will be more convincing than empty rhetoric. So, please allow me to distribute them before this meeting officially begins. Just pretend to listen seriously."
The approachable Emperor nodded slightly, placing the densely written, neatly penned 'materials' on the table in front of him: "You've put thought into this."
"It's no trouble at all, Emperor." Shuang Ye left her seat and slowly walked behind Grand Duke Fernan, placing an identical parchment in front of him. She calmly said, "Although the Emperor has already sent messengers to inform you all of most of the situation, I still want to briefly explain it again. In short, a very terrifying Plague has broken out in Misha County in the northern part of the Empire..."
Kleivore, who had been carelessly examining his 'materials,' suddenly stiffened. His somewhat weathered but still bright light-gray eyes suddenly focused. He had originally thought these materials would be of little use to him, having already learned all the information from Shuang Ye, but it seemed that was not the case.
"Indeed, a very terrifying Plague." Shuang Ye revealed a barely perceptible smile, gently adjusted her glasses, and then walked over to Grand Duke Baloka, who was about the same height sitting as she was standing. She placed another parchment into his hand and bowed slightly: "It's a disaster that no one with a conscience can ignore. Conventional healing magic and divine arts are almost useless. Even high-level alchemical potions worth over a hundred gold coins can only delay it—hmm, probably just postpone the infected's death by a day or two, if they're lucky."
Baloka nodded gravely at Shuang Ye and said in a deep voice, "If what you say is true, then we should indeed offer a helping hand."
Gongxin Fernand, sitting to his right, suddenly began to tremble, his face pale and terrified.
"Thank you, Grand Duke Baloka. Of course, you wouldn't stand idly by." Shuang Ye smiled meaningfully, gently patted Vernon Baloka's chair back, and then slowly walked past him: "As far as I know, Grand Duke Baloka possesses a rare and noble character. Neither natural disasters, man-made calamities, conspiracies, nor bribes can sway him, right?"
"I think so." Vernon turned his head, raised an eyebrow at the girl whose back was to him, and then looked down at the parchment in front of him.
Shuang Ye handed another parchment to the young Grand Duke Crystal Wolf, and after exchanging a friendly smile with him, she continued: "Death and fear shroud that land, and countless diseases are spreading wildly. The local people have tried; they established a blockade to prevent the disaster from expanding further, but there are still some who slip through. The Holy Church United to the north of Misha County has also tried; they sent two Saintesses and five hundred low-tier paladins, but it was just a drop in the bucket..."
She walked around the long table and approached Lord Hou Saiyin, gently placing a parchment in front of him.
Grand Duke Baloka and Grand Duke Crystal Wolf across from her exchanged extremely shocked glances. The former's fist clenched tightly under the table, while the latter suddenly looked up at Shuang Ye.
But Shuang Ye did not look back at her, nor did she look at Duke Hussein, who let out a soft snort through his nose. She simply walked silently like a ghost behind him, handing the fourth-to-last 'intelligence' to Duke Dengtis, who took it with a smile and nodded kindly at Shuang Ye.
"If you have all paid close attention to matters outside your own territories, you will clearly realize that the geographical location of our Fire Claw Territory is not far from the southern part of Misha County. Even for commoners walking on two legs, it's at most a few days' journey." Shuang Ye sighed leisurely, then walked towards Xi Mu Simon Grand Duke: "During this time, we have, out of humanitarian concerns, accepted many Plague-infected fugitives, taking extreme risks..."
Clang!
Lord Hou Saiyin suddenly stood up, waving the parchment in his hand, his two narrow eyes fixed on Shuang Ye: "You... what is this on here... you didn't say..."
Shuang Ye asked without looking back, "What did I say?"
Scorpi clutched the deformed parchment tightly: "What you said, and the content on this paper, what's the..."
"Duke Hussein." Emperor Kleiwo suddenly interrupted the Grand Duke, who seemed agitated. He gently tapped the table, his voice filled with weariness: "Perhaps we all have the same doubts in our hearts, but for now, let Miss Shuang Ye finish what she wants to say."
Scorpi turned his head to look at the old Emperor, surprised to find that the doubt and shock in his eyes seemed no less than his own: "But Emperor..."
"Although your expressed respect is limited, Scorpi..." Kleivore's tone suddenly became sharp. He tapped the table again: "But you still call me 'Emperor.' Does this mean you still acknowledge the Violet Family as the rulers of this country?"
Scorpi froze for a moment, then forced out a feigned smile, sat back in his chair, and lowered his head slightly: "Of course, Emperor, I was presumptuous just now."
"If I were you, Duke Hussein." Shuang Ye, who had been silent in place until now, suddenly chuckled maliciously, turned around and winked at Scorpi, saying loudly in an unsubtle tone: "Even if it's just for show, I would definitely pay for my unintentional offense against the Emperor, so that no one would think I'm an idiot with a brain full of dung."
Scorpi glared at her angrily: "What did you say?"
"I said calmness is a very good quality." Shuang Ye grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth: "Especially for an influential Grand Duke with limited appetite."
Lord Hou Saiyin could swear to God, this was the first time in his life he had heard someone imply his appetite was limited.
But in the next second, he smiled, and after a slight nod to Shuang Ye, he turned to Kleivore: "My dear Emperor, this... hmm, Miss Shuang Ye is right. I must pay for my previous offense, hmm, specifically two offenses. Next month, the Hussein Family will donate three hundred thousand gold coins to Saramun without compensation for the repair of the city walls."
"Thank you for your generosity, Scorpi."
Kleivore accepted with pleasure, but he did not look up, simply continuing to study the parchment in front of him. After a pause of more than ten seconds, he said softly, "Continue, Consultant Shuang Ye."
"You're welcome, Emperor." Shuang Ye nodded with a giggle, completely unaffected by Kleivore's now colder attitude. In fact, she even made others feel as if the Emperor had just thanked her, not Scorpi. She strolled behind Xi Mu Simon Grand Duke, gently placing the second-to-last parchment in front of him, and suddenly stopped: "Where was I? Oh, we took extreme risks?"
Kleivore looked steadily at Shuang Ye's unusually bright eyes and slowly said, "Yes, you told me that some time ago at the Tricolor Courtyard, and the envoy I sent to Fire Claw Territory also sent back the same feedback, but..."
The old Emperor placed his right hand, whose skin was already somewhat loose, on the 'intelligence': "What is this, then?"
"Of course, it's the trouble that arose from this Plague incident, the so-called additional problems, hmm, additional problems that we need to deal with simultaneously!" Shuang Ye gently clapped her hands, then suddenly leaned in and asked the frowning Xi Mu Simon, "Respected Grand Duke Simon, do you know what kind of people get infected by the Plague?"
The impeccably dressed, impeccably coiffed, and impeccably bearded middle-aged Dark Elf meticulously scrutinized Shuang Ye with his unperturbed scarlet eyes. After a long while, he calmly replied, "The messenger sent by the Emperor told me that the weaker a person's strength, the higher the likelihood of infection. Low-tier professionals are very difficult to infect, unless there is direct and prolonged contact between a wound and Plague-infected blood. Mid-Tier professionals and above are completely immune."
"That's right, it seems you are indeed a diligent person." Shuang Ye smiled, then turned to look at Raul Dengtis to her right: "Then, Grand Duke Dengtis, do you know how fast the Plague in the north is spreading?"
The white-haired Raul spread his hands, his eyes wide in a playful manner: "I'm sorry, Miss Shuang Ye, it's not that I didn't listen as carefully as Xi Mu, but that messenger didn't tell me such specific details. However, I guess it wouldn't spread too slowly, otherwise the Emperor wouldn't have reconvened the highest council after so many years, would he?"
"Of course, your analysis is entirely correct." Shuang Ye stood up, the smile slowly fading from her face. Then, in a low, sorrowful, and highly evocative voice, she slowly said: "In just half a month, Misha County has been entirely infected. The evils that cannot be expelled by elements and faith seem to be able to spread and proliferate through all mediums. They are omnipresent and pervasive. One infected person can spread the Plague to an entire village in just a few days, and a hundred infected people can make the Plague sweep through an entire city overnight. Please consider, if those things that even the God-blessed ones of the Holy Church United haven't been able to resolve spread throughout the Empire..."
She shrugged, rolled up the last parchment in her hand, tapped her forehead with it, and let out a long sigh.
The pale-faced Grand Duke Fernan shivered.
Grand Duke Crystal Wolf Aimilin frowned deeply, lost in thought.
Grand Duke Baloka looked down at the paper in his hand, a flicker of anger in his eyes.
Duke Hussein's face twitched twice, grimly, almost crumpling the parchment.
Duke Dengtis no longer looked around with a smile.
Grand Duke Simon sat impeccably in his seat, narrowing his eyes as he read the intelligence he had just received.
Emperor Kleiwo's eyes were downcast, seeming somewhat older than before.
Only Grand Duke Marshall, who had not yet received his parchment, was somewhat anxious. This middle-aged man, though slightly overweight, still appeared handsome and refined. He was the first to break the silence, first muttering softly, 'It must be controlled,' then swallowing with some difficulty, turning to Kleivore and saying loudly, "Emperor, if Miss Shuang Ye's words are true, then the Empire is about to face a disaster of unprecedented scale. We must prepare in advance. I think..."
"My dear Buffy." Kleivore did not look at the Grand Duke sitting to his right, merely lowering his eyes and saying softly, "I think Consultant Shuang Ye probably has more to say, and the problems she has brought seem to be more than just this one..."
Buffy Marshall let out a confused 'huh,' then turned to look at Shuang Ye, who was separated from him by Grand Duke Simon, and smiled at her: "Oh, dear lady, you seem to have forgotten my materials. Of course, if it's possible, I could also share a copy with Grand Duke Simon. We often did that when we studied together at the Knight Academy when we were young..."
"Apologies, Buffy." Grand Duke Simon, however, raised a hand and pressed down on the parchment in front of him, shaking his head at Marshall: "I think Miss Shuang Ye didn't 'forget' your materials, but rather doesn't want to give them to you right now."
Buffy looked at his old classmate in surprise, his expression utterly bewildered.
"Don't worry, Grand Duke Marshall." Shuang Ye, however, suddenly smiled brightly at him, waving the last parchment: "I'll give it to you after I say a few more words. I don't need it myself; I've already memorized everything on it, so please be patient."
Grand Duke Marshall seemed to freeze for a moment, but quickly nodded compliantly: "No problem."
"Alright, since our Grand Duke Marshall is in a hurry..."
Shuang Ye tossed her waist-length orange hair and, in a very lazy tone, completely different from before, slowly and unhurriedly said, "Then I will now summarize the first problem the Empire is about to face: infected individuals carrying the Plague are continuously pouring into Fire Claw Territory. They are extremely dangerous, and only a few powerful warriors can guard them without worry. Furthermore, we cannot kill the infected at will, because even if their corpses are buried or burned, they will cause pollution. My unlucky brother's stench after rotting could even sicken many elite warriors, not to mention that mass slaughter is not a long-term solution, and we must consider humanity and reputation. As for letting them go or expelling them, no one here would be willing to do that..."
Aimilin, who loved her people like her own children, subconsciously nodded.
"So this leads to the second problem." Shuang Ye spread her hands and raised an eyebrow: "Fire Claw Territory is short on manpower. Yes, short on manpower..."
She put emphasis on the last four words, and many people's expressions turned serious.
"As for the reason for the manpower shortage, I think at least one percent is because the people of Fire Claw Territory are simple and have little enthusiasm for nightlife." Shuang Ye giggled, amused by her own words, then walked to Buffy Marshall and gently placed the last parchment in front of him: "The remaining ninety-nine percent is because our good neighbor has been too diligent these past few years~"
Marshall stiffened, mechanically looking down at the parchment. Then his entire being fell into a state of bewilderment. He could tell at a glance that this paper was not some information about the Plague; it was a highly condensed... slave trade investigation log, even more meticulous than Grand Duke Simon's hair!
Shuang Ye's playful voice leisurely sounded beside him...
"This is what I mentioned before—the additional problem~"
Chapter 254: The End
