Outside the city, Chen Yu and Luo Yi were in cahoots.
Even though the outer areas of the underground world were technically under the kingdom's jurisdiction, the laws were poorly enforced due to the extreme distance from the royal city.
If not for the City Lord's Mansion wanting to curry favor with the Ska family, they wouldn't have bothered with it.
Chen Yu's city-state was located on the outermost edge of the underground world, while Luo Yi's City Lord's Mansion belonged to the kingdom's core area. The City Lord's Mansion had no time for such trivial matters.
Let alone invasions, what business was it of theirs if a tribe was wiped out?
Moreover, from the moment Luo Yi saw Kimura, he felt a sense of unease. The man had shifty eyes and looked like someone with ulterior motives.
He regarded Kimura's words with skepticism.
Now, seeing that the person involved was his brother-in-law, he was even less likely to believe Kimura, this scoundrel.
"Here, you heard that, sir doesn't believe you," Chen Yu spread his hands innocently, looking at Kimura as he blinked incessantly. "Do you have anything else to say?"
The hyena Kimura was also somewhat stunned by Luo Yi's response.
What was going on?
This sir was someone he had contacted, so why did it feel like he was siding with that foreigner?
"Luo Yi, do you know what you're saying?" Svir couldn't help but frown. "This person is a foreign invader. Are you going to believe him?"
"Invader, who says they are invaders?"
Luo Yi smiled in confusion and shrugged. "Did our kingdom issue a proclamation, or did the Divine King himself define them?"
"They..."
"These foreigners were invited into the underground world by the Divine King. If we are to speak of their identity, they can be considered guests of our underground world. We should be polite to our guests, shouldn't we?"
Svir stared intently at Luo Yi for a long moment, as if a realization dawned upon him.
There was something wrong with Luo Yi!
He probably had an unusual relationship with the foreigner in front of him.
"Do you know each other?" Svir suddenly asked with a frown. "From the moment you two met, I found it very strange. Now you're speaking up for him. Luo Yi, you actually know this foreigner, don't you?"
"Does that matter?"
Luo Yi smiled calmly, unconcerned by Svir's revelation.
"Regardless of whether we know each other or not, it doesn't affect what we're doing now. Accusations require evidence. To claim invasion, one must present substantial proof."
"I already have," Kimura said, his gaze fixed.
"I'm truly sorry, but your evidence is not enough in my opinion," Luo Yi said with a smile, spreading his hands. "Your recorded video is just a short segment. Who knows if it's taken out of context? To accuse someone of invasion with such a video is too hasty, isn't it?"
"You're covering for him!"
Kimura gritted his teeth and shouted, then looked at the envoy from the Mermaid Kingdom.
"Envoy, this person is deliberately shielding this foreign criminal. You must uphold justice for us, the vulnerable."
The dignified Golden Realm mage was now throwing a tantrum.
He cried and wailed, demanding the Mermaid Kingdom's envoy to intervene.
The Mermaid Kingdom's envoy frowned slightly, unsure of how to proceed.
In fact, they had also watched the video Kimura presented as evidence, and they agreed that the short video was insufficient as proof.
However, it also didn't prove that Chen Yu hadn't done it.
The Mermaid Kingdom had always been fair and just. They would never wrong a good person, nor would they let any wicked person go unpunished.
Unless—
"Envoy, I have evidence!" Just as Kimura was throwing a tantrum, Chen Yu suddenly raised his hand. "Envoy, envoy, I have evidence to prove my innocence."
"You have evidence?"
Upon hearing Chen Yu's words, the eyes of both envoys lit up.
"Heh, I'll trouble you two to come with me and take a look," Chen Yu grinned. Kimura, who was feeling anxious, frowned. "What? If you have evidence, are you afraid to let others see it?"
"Can't I?"
Chen Yu raised his eyebrows and blinked, feigning confusion.
"Do you suspect that the envoy would shield me? You don't trust the Mermaid Kingdom's envoy? If you don't trust them, why did you invite them here?"
With a few words, Chen Yu silenced Kimura.
Chen Yu also smiled and gestured, and the two envoys followed Chen Yu for about a hundred meters.
"Hmph, putting on airs," Kimura snorted, watching Chen Yu and the envoys' retreating figures. "What evidence could you possibly have? It couldn't be bribery, could it? If it's bribery, then you're seeking your own demise."
As Kimura muttered, Svir and Luo Yi exchanged glances.
"Luo Yi, your involvement with a foreigner and your unclear identity will be reported to my uncle as soon as we return to the city. This matter is not over."
"Tch~"
"Too lazy to even argue?" Svir wore a sinister grin. "I truly underestimated you. To protect this foreigner, you've managed to infiltrate our City Lord's Mansion. It seems you and this foreigner are indeed very close. You probably have a stake in this city-state as well, right?"
Unbeknownst to Svir, Luo Yi remained unfazed by his taunts.
After Svir finished speaking,
Luo Yi finally raised his eyebrows with a calm expression.
"Svir, do you know why, even though you are related by blood to the City Lord, and the City Lord never hesitates to promote talented individuals within the clan, you have never been given a significant position despite being an adult for a long time?"
"Why?" Svir subconsciously asked.
This matter had long troubled him, but since the City Lord didn't use him, he didn't dare to inquire further.
"You're an idiot!" Luo Yi suddenly chuckled. "Use your wooden head to think. When did I enter the City Lord's Mansion, and when did that old wasteland dog find the City Lord's Mansion? Could I have predicted the future? I'm just amazed you can say such low-level things!"
"You..."
"Feel free to say whatever you want to the City Lord when we return to the city. Do you think I'll care if you lodge a complaint?" Luo Yi's disdain intensified. He then looked at the camp chiefs. "As for you all, who were misled here by that old hyena, think about how you will explain this to Chen... Chen Ba Tian. From what I know of him, he might not let you off if you cause trouble for him."
"Could it be that he dares to use force?"
Svir snorted, looking at the camp chiefs.
"Don't be afraid, with me here, that foreigner won't dare to do anything to you. Moreover, the Mermaid Kingdom has always upheld justice. As long as he is truly guilty, the Mermaid Kingdom will never allow him to continue. The compensation and restitution you deserve will not be a penny less."
"Young Master Svir, you're truly amazing." Kimura said with a fawning smile and a thumbs-up.
Flattered, Svir's eyes showed contentment and enjoyment, but his gaze was playfully fixed on Luo Yi.
"Idiot."
Luo Yi scoffed inwardly.
The Mermaid Kingdom was indeed always fair and just, but this fairness and justice had a prerequisite—
"Mr. Chen, what evidence do you have to prove your innocence?" the envoy asked softly, having been led a hundred meters away. Chen Yu looked at them for a while and grinned, revealing his white and neat teeth. "I have no evidence."
"Huh?!"
"But I have this. See if this is enough?"
Saying that, Chen Yu displayed the bracelet and the jade pendant gifted to him by Illya.
"The White Dragon Jade Pendant, and the Little Princess's bracelet!" the Mermaid envoys exclaimed in unison. As they looked up, their gaze towards Chen Yu changed, and then their eyes revealed a knowing smile. "We understand."
The Mermaid Kingdom was always just.
But, there was a prerequisite, and that was their justice was shown to outsiders. If it was someone from within their own kingdom, they would reveal another side of the Mermaid Kingdom.
They would protect their own to the very end!