The Chief, sitting across the long table, seemed to notice the impatience in Qimeng's eyes.
She tapped the tabletop, preparing to deliver a dignified opening statement as the host.
However, the black-haired monster girl sitting opposite completely ignored the script and took the initiative.
“Alright, cut the chatter. First of all, I admit that I ate those four Sacred Spirits of yours.”
The Elders on the right side of the table grimaced.
“Also, those two backup little Sacred Spirits in the treasury...”
Qimeng looked away and cleared her throat.
“Well, alright, I ended up devouring them too.”
The row of loli Elders on the right almost had their blood pressure spike to the limit.
“You!”
The Grand Elder slammed her hand on the table.
“Those were the very foundation of our tribe! How do you plan to compensate us, black-haired monster lady?!”
“Oh, come on. At worst, I'll just return a few items to you in a bit.”
Qimeng waved her hand righteously.
“Wait a minute! The items you're talking about were our tribe's treasures to begin with!”
The Chief couldn't help but slam the table too.
“You're using things from our own treasury to compensate us? Are you trying to make a risk-free profit?!”
“Oh, you caught me.”
Qimeng's expression turned serious.
“But! There were objective reasons for all of this! After all, I'm a monster. That sudden surge of appetite back then was completely beyond my willpower to control!”
“Then explain the grave crime of destroying the thousand-year-old Mother Tree...”
Just as a loli Elder was about to launch an accusation, the Elder next to her pulled her back and began plotting out loud.
“I was there! I can prove that the Mother Tree was caught in the crossfire when the demons and lizardmen teamed up to destroy the tree veins! It wasn't her doing! At most, she just helped herself to some snacks!”
“Is that so? Then we must lay this charge squarely on the heads of the demons and lizardmen!”
“Exactly! We don't need her to pay for this. We'll get our revenge on the lizardmen!”
Hearing every word of their loud plotting, Qimeng chuckled inwardly.
Wow... they actually rationalized the excuse for her? The thief trio died a glorious death, not in vain! In that case, she would gladly go along with it!
“Hmph. Considering how Yinzhi risked her life to plead for you, we won't hold the destruction of the Mother Tree by the demons against you!”
The Chief tried to save face.
“But the matter of the little Sacred Spirits isn't over! Don't think you're getting off scot-free. Prepare to spend the rest of your life as a prisoner in our tribe to atone for your crimes!”
Hearing the word “prisoner,” Qimeng's eyes turned cold.
Boom!
Her High-tier Intermediate mana was unleashed without reservation, turning into a tangible wind pressure that surged through the cramped meeting room, making the clothes of every elf present flutter wildly.
“A prisoner? Chief, you seem to have misunderstood something.”
Qimeng's eyes held a playful glint.
“I'm sitting here talking peacefully because I believe in maintaining a sense of decency. But with my strength, I'm not necessarily afraid of you. Isn't the law of the jungle always what decides right from wrong among forest monsters?”
“You...!”
The Grand Elder glared at her, her eyes wide with anger.
“But we aren't pushovers either! Even if we have to perish together, we will muster the strength of our entire tribe to destroy you here and now!!”
The atmosphere froze over once again.
Looking at the group of iron-willed lolis opposite her—who, despite their short stature, had eyes filled with the determination to drag her down with them—Qimeng clicked her tongue. She knew she had indeed fleeced them a bit too hard.
“Alright, alright. You really can't take a joke. Such short tempers.”
Bored, she withdrew her mana and leaned back against her chair.
“Fine, in that case, let me make my defense. Actually, I had a reason why I absolutely had to eat the Sacred Spirits to increase my strength, and those treasures also serve a purpose that requires me to take them.”
“However, in exchange, I accept the condition proposed earlier: the mission to find the Great Spirit.”
“What reason? No, wait a second. Before that, we need to have an internal discussion.”
The Chief raised a hand, and she and the Elders huddled their heads together.
Once again, the room filled with the thunderous sound of whispered plotting.
“Hey, what do we do? The current situation is extremely unfavorable for us. We've searched almost all the resources near the valley. If we want to choose new spiritual seeds, we'll have to go to more distant and dangerous forests. Not to mention, many spiritual seeds have already been destroyed by the lizardmen, and now the demons are interfering. It's incredibly risky.”
“Wait a minute! Compared to the material possessions she took, what if... and I say if... she and Yinzhi can find the Great Spirit?”
“Can she really find the Great Spirit?!”
“Shh! Keep it down! In this Great Black Magic Forest, strength is everything! And think about it: even if she didn't take those treasures, they would have been stolen by the lizardmen sooner or later, right? After all, the fact that those guys could sneak into the treasury is the best proof!”
“That makes sense! If we have the protection of the Great Spirit, we can fight our way back to the resource-rich Flourishing Forest!”
“Exactly! Looking at it this way, rather than fighting to a mutual defeat and getting nothing, turning around and using her is the optimal solution, right? When you think about it, compared to the Great Spirit, our current losses are nothing. In fact, wouldn't you say we've actually made a profit?!”
Qimeng, sitting to the side, was completely dumbfounded.
What the heck do you mean by profit?! You even shifted the blame for stealing the treasures onto the lizardmen?
Just how are your elven brains wired? Your mental gymnastics are way too fast!
Seeing the group of legal lolis getting more and more excited and starting to rejoice all on their own, Qimeng raised her hand weakly.
“Um... are you done? Can I speak now?”
“Cough, ahem!”
The Chief sat up straight in a clumsy attempt to cover it up, trying her best to put on a dignified expression.
“Hmph. You may speak.”
“Go on. What exactly is your so-called reason and explanation?”
Meeting the table full of expectant gazes, Qimeng turned her head slightly.
“Actually... yeah, that's it. In short, I did all of this to save you. So listen up.”
“Huh?! What do you mean by that?!”
The loli voices of the Chief and the Grand Elder pitched an octave higher.
“Stop talking nonsense! You're clearly a bandit monster who fleeced our treasury! How could you suddenly turn into our savior?! Unless you're actually the manifestation of the Great Spirit, how could that even be possible?! Wait, why am I going along with her made-up story?!”
Qimeng cleared her throat.
Speaking of which, back in her old Knight Order, there was a certain trick that never failed.
“Then listen well. Actually, I traveled back from the future.”
Qimeng's eyes darkened, becoming deep as if she could peer through the river of time.
This wasn't an act. She had truly experienced it. To the Wood Elves, the black-haired monster girl suddenly appeared incredibly profound and enigmatic.
“In the original timeline, just last night, I witnessed the night your tribe was wiped out. Because I was dragged into your mess back then, I was also caught in that catastrophe.”
“But, I activated my Reincarnation authority and came back!”
The meeting room fell silent, waiting for her to continue.
Rate on N.U.
