The room fell silent as Bai Cha finished speaking.
Lay of the cards, as it was called, meant revealing each other's hands and the current difficulties they faced within their respective countries. This not only involved global conflicts but also exposed national scandals and personal weaknesses.
Knowing each other thoroughly, regardless of whether they trusted each other on a personal level or if there were any incompatibilities, meant they had to trust each other objectively. It was a powerful coercive tool, but while easy to suggest, everyone felt a bit apprehensive about actually doing it.
Believing in each other's character was one thing; genuine mutual trust was another. This decision had been made on the spot, and the complexity arose from their differing stances.
“What, you can accept death but not reveal your cards? Are you comfortable with an alliance like that?” Bai Cha held a calming spice in her mouth, unlit, with a hint of laziness. “Since you are in my room, I will speak first.”
A faint aroma wafted around her nose, delicate and elegant yet not frivolous, reminiscent of orchids, with a cool breeze brushing past her ears.
Bai Cha was completely unprepared. The spice stick she had just put in her mouth was snatched away. Bai Cha looked back, bewildered, and saw that Lucifer had, at some point, entered the room pushing a meal cart, standing behind her with a gentle smile.
“Even if it’s just spice, smoking too much is bad for your health.” Lucifer’s tone was very soft. Whether it was an illusion or not, everyone seemed to detect a faint hint of pampering in Lucifer’s voice.
However, judging by Bai Cha’s bewildered expression, she probably hadn’t noticed it.
“I wasn’t planning to light it.” Bai Cha ran a hand through her hair, feeling a bit helpless, as if the aura she had just managed to gather had been utterly destroyed by Lucifer.
Nonetheless, with Lucifer’s intervention, the atmosphere in the room had eased considerably, and some people even let out soft laughs.
The room’s atmosphere was somewhat tense, but Lucifer’s presence seemed perfectly timed. As he served everyone, including each dragon, a cup of red tea, the room’s mood had become lively.
Only when it was Asmodeus’s turn did his hand, which received the cup of red tea personally brewed by Lucifer, tremble almost imperceptibly.
Lucifer maintained his smile, his expression unchanged. He said “Enjoy” to everyone equally and then returned to stand behind Bai Cha.
“Never mind, this is my room, so I’ll go first. Besides, even if we aren’t comrades, it’s good to make a friend. We are all outstanding individuals in this field, so we should be like-minded. Why be secretive?” Bai Cha shrugged.
“My power is darkness and blood. I myself am the trump card. If I had to pick an example as a unit of measurement, Asteria would be one,” Bai Cha confessed. “In terms of individual strength, I should be considered top-tier.”
The statement sounded a bit arrogant, but it also seemed quite reasonable. Bai Cha’s calm and casual demeanor made everyone believe the truth in her words.
To use the previous world number one as a unit of measurement was something only Bai Cha could say.
“As for my situation in Country Z, I believe you all have some understanding. I won’t beat around the bush. We have all sent undercover agents, and basic information must have been transmitted back,” Bai Cha said. “As long as there are no excessive actions, we don’t eliminate them. Everyone has a good grasp of this boundary.”
It was impossible to say that any country was absolutely clean. Every country had mice, either domestic or foreign, mixed in. Finding these individuals was a skill, and managing them was another.
Bai Cha had thoroughly purged those who were harmful to the country or even close to core secrets. As for the peripheral informants who merely spoke about the country’s situation and learned superficial details, Bai Cha simply left them be.
Firstly, there was no need to hunt them down relentlessly. If they claimed to be tourists, you couldn’t do much, especially since they hadn’t revealed anything significant. Secondly, keeping them had its benefits. In critical moments, they might even be used in return, which was much less troublesome than sending their own spies.
Most countries operated this way. However, only the leaders of each country’s intelligence agencies knew precisely how many powerful undercover agents close to the core had been eliminated.
As expected, as soon as Bai Cha spoke, the room fell silent. Everyone felt a degree of embarrassment, and their thoughts of gaining an advantage for their own countries were all in vain.
“Also, I do not recommend you reveal this information directly, even to your superiors,” Bai Cha said calmly. “I am considering the issue of trust within my country. I believe your situations are no less challenging than mine.”
The few people fell silent again. Finally, Athena was the first to break the silence.
“If we are to use Asteria as a measurement standard, I would say I have a seventy percent chance,” Athena said with a smile. “While he is indeed very strong, that is in the past. His progress has been minimal over the years.”
Of course, this ‘minimal progress’ was only relative to these prodigies. For ordinary people, Asteria remained an insurmountable chasm.
However, Athena could not guarantee a complete victory over Asteria. As the world number one, he undoubtedly had trump cards, and Athena had never fought him before.
The group continued to speak in turn for over an hour. Their assessment of strength was similar to Bai Cha’s estimation. This time, the world rankings were highly contested, with all major countries sending their strongest teams to aim for the top.
To everyone’s surprise, the difficulties they were currently facing were remarkably similar.
Bai Cha was troubled by another faction that frequently disrupted things, and the neutral faction, being overly pampered, caused her more trouble in turn. Athena faced a similar situation. They had no neutral faction, but a faction that had always been close to them had recently become restless, even letting go of many people they had painstakingly captured for various reasons.
Brahma’s situation was a bit unique. They held special official positions without factional designations. However, they had been repeatedly suppressed, and various miscellaneous issues prevented them from acting freely. The situation had worsened recently, with people attempting to interfere in many matters under the pretext that he was a demonic dragon resonance holder.
In reality, insiders knew that the demonic dragon aspect was irrelevant. However, it was undeniable that some people were deliberately misconstruing it, claiming the demonic dragon was an omen of ill fortune or indicative of a dark heart. They couldn’t kill everyone who said these things, which was immensely annoying.
Among the other three, Jupiter’s situation was the best. At most, their tasks were compressed, and efforts were made to replace them with technology, but no one actively caused trouble. Jupiter and his team were happy to have peace, as their subsidies would not be reduced.
The other two were considered average, slightly better than Bai Cha but worse than Jupiter. There were disruptions, but not many. Supporters and opponents were evenly split, making it stable for a considerable period.
“Honestly, I initially considered withdrawing directly,” Asmodeus said with an unpleasant expression, gently tapping his wine glass on the table, a hint of vexation in his voice. “Even if I became a beggar on the streets, if the world truly faced difficulties, I would still step forward to help. So why endure all this suffering here?”
Brahma’s ability to maintain his leadership position was largely due to Asmodeus. Lucifer had previously warned Bai Cha that while they were still under the Dragon Mother’s control, Asmodeus possessed a unique talent for strategy and interrogation, providing him with significant assistance back then.
Asmodeus gritted his teeth and drained the wine in his glass, startling Bai Cha.
“Take it easy. That’s sixty-five percent proof Red Star Erguotou,” Bai Cha’s eye twitched. As soon as she finished speaking, Asmodeus choked and coughed, grabbing a nearby juice and guzzling it down.
“It’s so spicy! So spicy!” Asmodeus was completely overwhelmed, choked to the point of dizziness.
“You dare to drink Chinese high-proof liquor like that?” Bai Cha pulled at the corner of her mouth. As soon as these people entered, they insisted on drinking good Chinese liquor. Since this was China’s resting area, Bai Cha felt obligated to play the host.
Bai Cha did not refuse. Lucifer indeed carried some fine baijiu with him, not for drinking, but for unforeseen circumstances. If there was a need to give a gift or use alcohol for urgent purposes, it was fine to let them drink it.
To Bai Cha’s stunned gaze, these people took out enormous beer mugs, mugs as thick as a calf’s leg and just as long, saying they had to have a few more drinks.
You’re amazing. Go for it.
Bai Cha did not join them, opting for the red tea Lucifer had prepared. She silently watched them take their first sips, praising the aroma as fragrant, the taste mellow and sweet, and the sensation incredibly sharp. After a few more sips, they all put their mugs down, hesitant to drink more.
The liquor was already starting to take effect after just a few sips. How would they discuss important matters later? The group had no choice but to place their drinks on the table and discuss business first, and none of them mentioned drinking more. Asmodeus, perhaps too excited while speaking, forgot he was holding a bottle of strong liquor and took a large gulp.
“You insisted on using these cups yourselves, so finish them,” Bai Cha raised an eyebrow, looking at the nearly incapacitated Asmodeus with a hint of schadenfreude. “You can’t even finish one cup, such expensive liquor wasted.”
“Oh, my God…” Asmodeus felt utterly unwell. His alcohol tolerance was decent, but drinking such a large mug of high-proof liquor in one go had truly overwhelmed him. It took him quite a while to recover.
“The possibility you mentioned, we’ve all considered it. Resignation is almost impossible,” Athena gently patted Asmodeus’s back to help him catch his breath, shaking her head helplessly. “After all, it’s our country. If we truly resigned, how could those people allow us to continue operating within the country? If the guardians truly withdrew, it would endanger even more innocent people.”
“And it’s not just for the people, but also for our subordinates,” Jupiter said with a wry smile. “Our country has always provided for our food, clothing, and equipment. Once we leave the country, we might not even have the basic ability to survive.”
“Currently, all regions require high-end talent. Most of our people are only skilled in combat,” Gabe also sighed. “Not everyone is a versatile genius. For some, becoming a warrior is already difficult enough. As long as we are here, we can still protect them to some extent. If we truly abdicate and they take over, who knows what will happen to them.”
Silence fell upon the room again.
Sometimes, only by facing reality does one discover the complexity of matters, especially for intermediaries with special identities like theirs.
They were like soldiers, yet their identities were special; they were like merchants or diplomats, yet they only brushed the surface; they were like politicians, yet they could only offer suggestions.
They were all shadows, seemingly never able to step into the light.
“And there are also your personal issues,” Bai Cha added lazily, leaning against the sofa. “No one wants conflict, and by talking so much, aren’t we all just avoiding the problems? Things won’t improve just by sitting here.”