Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 722 - 723: Quadrilateral Talks

"If you hadn’t run away at that time, Liya could still be living happily now. But you ran away, abandoned your friend, didn’t you? Ah, is this what a chosen one should do?"

Lisa said lightly, staring at Mengxi’s face.

Every word was filled with dense sarcasm.

Clearly,

Lisa was not only putting immense pressure on Mengxi, akin to the sky falling, but also trying to provoke this Girl of Destiny with her words.

However,

Times have changed, and the current Mengxi is no longer the weak girl who was at the mercy of Madam Lisa years ago. Even now, with Lisa still imposing a tremendous psychological pressure, Mengxi, who is now at level 8, does not fear Lisa’ oppressive aura.

The silver-haired girl remained composed, standing firm and gentle as a mountain.

As for the provocative words spoken by Lisa. Admittedly, they did remind Mengxi of many unpleasant memories. But she quickly took a few deep breaths in her heart, forcefully suppressing the anger brewing within, and stabilized her restless mindset with her strong willpower. She knew well that if her emotions were stirred up now, it might give Lisa the opportunity to plant her pawns…

In the face of provocation, Mengxi smiled slightly in a very ladylike manner, without directly answering Lisa’ question, and gracefully curtsied without any perturbation.

Meanwhile,

Mengxi remained silent, simply gazing at Lisa with eyes full of ’emotion’.

"Hmm?"

Seeing Mengxi unmoved, Lisa frowned, her displeasure evident. She then poked Mengxi’s solid silver-white breastplate with her finger.

It was clear that Madam Lisa did not intend to let the matter rest.

However,

Just as the pink-haired woman was about to continue speaking, a deep voice carrying immense pressure suddenly reached Lisa’ ears, halting the actions of the lord of Sky City.

"Lady Lisa, it’s time to stop."

"..."

Biting her lip, Lisa slowly turned her head, glancing behind her:

"Your Holiness..."

Under Lisa’ displeased gaze, the crowd gradually parted, revealing a noble golden-haired man dressed in a high priest’s robe, flanked by two Holy Envoys, walking towards her.

The person who interrupted their "mother-daughter sweet flow" was none other than the leader of Asumos Church - Kael.

He is also a top-notch expert with the strength at peak level 8, just like herself.

Although Kael’s words were gentle, Lisa could easily sense the threat in them.

Even though Lisa had swelled with confidence after successfully breaking through to the peak of level 8 using so many resources of the underground city, she was still acutely aware of the gap between herself and a seasoned peak level 8 like Kael, this guy, was not someone she could afford to provoke at her current stage.

Lisa loathed these insects living on the surface of the continent.

Unfortunately,

For now, for her ultimate goal, Lisa could only choose to acquiesce.

Reluctantly averting her eyes from Mengxi’s picture-perfect face, Madam Lisa turned to face Kael, put up a brave face, covered her lips in an unusual fashion, and apologized:

"I apologize, Your Holiness. I became a little thrilled since I hadn’t seen my dear Mengxi in a long time. I’m hoping you’ll be understanding."

Upon hearing this,

The members of the Church nearby couldn’t help but show a look of disdain,

After all, they were all too aware of the initial calculations of the Sky City. How could the church members feel any fondness for such an old witch who wanted to take away their Saintess’s body, even if she appeared quite tempting...

Unlike the general believers who were aware of these facts, Kael did not show a look of disgust, but rather, like an outstanding diplomat, he maintained his usual friendly smile,

"I can understand Lady Lisa’ feelings. It’s normal to want to interact with a child you’ve reunited with after a long time. However…"

His tone suddenly changed,

Kael’s gaze shifted to the Supreme of the other function and the prince of the Red Leaf Empire not far behind:

"However, if you wish to catch up with the child, it might be best to wait a moment. We have more important matters to discuss thoroughly, don’t we? Lady Lisa?"

"Indeed."

Lisa nodded noncommittally.

Seeing that she was no longer behaving recklessly, Kael withdrew the threatening look in his eyes and, with a gentlemanly gesture, invited Lisa:

"The matter is of great importance, so I ask Lady Lisa to please move to the Goddess Temple for communication."

"Understood, Your Holiness."

After responding very politely, Lisa jumped back into her luxurious carriage. Along with the members of the Sky City delegation, they passed through the church’s welcoming lineup and walked towards the distant, brand-new Grand Cathedral. Seeing this, Mengxi likewise quickly followed the group’s pace...

Thereafter, the church and the Red Leaf Royal Family’s meticulously rehearsed welcome ceremony was smoothly conducted on the open ground in front of the Grand Cathedral.

Mengxi had no interest in this formalistic consciousness, but she had to bite the bullet and step forward, welcoming the visitors from Sky City to Anvika in the name of the Saintess.

No matter what,

On the surface, the purpose of the gathering of numerous powerful people in Anvika was to attend the coronation ceremony of the Girl of Destiny.

As the main character of the event, Mengxi needed to welcome the arrival of the main guests as the host.

Fortunately,

Perhaps due to Kael’s warning,

Under the watchful eyes of countless believers, Madam Lisa did not continue to provoke or trouble her, but instead cooperated very well with the welcome ceremony.

And after the welcome ceremony,

The real purpose of the quadrilateral talks was about to begin immediately.

The Quadrilateral Talks, as the name suggests, represent a gathering where representatives of four top powers convene to discuss major issues.

These four powers are Asumos Church, Red Leaf Empire, Holy Tower, and the recently arrived Sky City - Laplace. Secondary powers like the Holy Lomar Empire, the Snow Night Empire, and the Orc Tribes, despite their strength, do not qualify to participate.

Unsurprisingly, the matters up for discussion are related to the Holy War.

At this moment,

Under the watchful gaze of the goddess statue in the grand temple,

Representatives of the four powers were seated in an orderly manner around a round table. As the Girl of Destiny and a core member of this Holy War plan, Mengxi was naturally seated next to Kael. With the arrival of Hakim, the Supreme of the Holy Tower, the atmosphere instantly became solemn, and an invisible pressure descended from the heavens in the silent space.

Even Mengxi, who was at level 8 couldn’t help but find it difficult to breathe.

Due to the discussion revolving around the confidential operation against Demon Temple, all servants, guards, lower-level managers, and talkative higher-ups were asked to leave the temple. Furthermore, just before the meeting was about to begin, Kael and Hakim jointly set up a triple-sealed magic circle around the temple, impenetrable and capable of blocking all external perceptions.

After ensuring that no one outside could detect what was happening within the barrier, Kael stood up solemnly, sweeping his stern gaze over the attendees.

Without any unnecessary pleasantries or insincere greetings, Kael got straight to the point:

"Now that the delegates from Sky City have arrived in Anvika, it’s time we moved to the next phase of preparing for the Holy War. First…"

He said,

Kael’s dark red eyes locked onto the beautiful young woman sitting opposite him:

"Lady Lisa, although your Sky City missed the previous meetings, I believe our external envoys have dutifully informed you of the outcomes discussed."

"Indeed, I am well aware,"

Lisa responded with a smile:

"So, next, we are to prepare for the charging of the ’Divine Annihilating Cannon,’ correct?"

"Yes. The ’ Divine Annihilating Cannon,’ even at one-tenth of its power in its base state, is unlikely to be sufficient to eliminate the Demon Temple. Therefore, our Asumos Church, along with the Holy Tower and the Red Leaf Empire, will provide Sky City with ample energy crystals to ensure the ’Divine Annihilating Cannon’ can be powered up to its maximum capacity. As for how to silently transport these tons of energy crystals up to Sky City, I will inform you of the detailed plan later. Lady Lisa, what your Sky City needs to do is to receive and safeguard these energy crystals,

and ensure the ’ Divine Annihilating Cannon’ can unleash its full power on the day of the Saintess’s coronation."

"Of course, Your Holiness."

However, just as Madam Lisa finished her response, a cold hum filled with skepticism echoed through everyone’s ears.

"Haha…"

"Do you have any questions, Lord Hakim?"

Suppressing the displeasure in her heart, Madam Lisa narrowed her eyes slightly, casting an annoyed glance at the silver-haired man beside her, who had his arms crossed over his chest and eyes firmly shut.

Unconcerned with Lisa’ sharp gaze, Hakim opened one eye and coldly met her gaze. Naturally disdainful of Sky City’s methods, Hakim’s tone of voice was far from friendly, his skepticism unmistakable:

"Are you certain the main cannon can be powered to its maximum capacity? That cannon was modified during the goddess’ travels across the continent, dating back three thousand years. It’s well known that such intricately designed weapons are difficult to maintain over long periods. In these recent centuries, there has been no sight of your people in Sky City using the main cannon. After three thousand years, can it still achieve its peak power? This question is worth pondering. If not, why should we give Sky City tons of invaluable energy crystals? What’s the point?"

"Lord Hakim, are you suggesting that we, at this critical moment, are attempting to deceitfully garner resources?"

"Given your notorious past, I find it entirely possible."

Hakim responded bluntly, not mincing his words.

To this,

Unusually, Madam Lisa shrugged her head in defeat and puffed out her chest in self-satire instead of being furious:

"Ah, it seems... we are indeed underestimated. Not being trusted by allies is indeed an uncomfortable situation."

"I am merely raising legitimate concerns. Given the gravity of the matter, we cannot afford any mistakes."

"Hehe, since Lord Hakim is unwilling to trust us, why not send someone to inspect our Sky City? I... can assure you, the ’Divine Annihilating Cannon’ has no issues whatsoever. As long as it can hit the Demon Temple, it will certainly blast it to ashes…"