Otherworldly Affairs Office-Chapter 854: Xila’s Visit (Part 2)

"Oh! Really? Tell me, how does it relate to me?" Hearing Xila's explanation, Pei Yan's anger subsided slightly, and he put away his previous hostility, shamelessly leaning forward to ask.

"Flamel forced us to withdraw from the competition. This is a temporary agreement set by the Magic Realm with our side before the competition. To ensure that the Magic Realm could smoothly advance should they be unable to secure a position, the Demon Race would yield unconditionally to support the Magic Realm at critical moments. Correspondingly, the Magic Realm promised a significant return to the Hell Plane afterwards—enough to compensate for the losses the Demon Race incurred in the competition. Mr. Pei Yan, we truly need this support and, to prevent the Magic Realm from using this agreement to let my race target the Investigation Bureau, we specifically stated before setting the agreement that our members must not attack the Investigation Bureau. This is also why Flamel chose to have us simply withdraw."

Hearing this, Pei Yan nodded to acknowledge Xila's point. Seeing that he accepted the explanation, Xila continued, "Actually, before the competition, neither I nor the Magic Realm believed this was a demand likely to be fulfilled, because with the Magic Realm's strength, even without assistance from the Demon Race, they were more than capable of securing a top-three position; I assume you wouldn't consider this an exaggeration, Mr. Pei Yan?"

Pei Yan did not respond, implicitly admitting it. Indeed, if not for his efforts to obstruct the Magic Realm team desperately, given their strength, they might have swept through the Demon Race, Spirits, and Bloodshade. The Investigation Bureau and Immortal Palace would have contested for first place. From a broader perspective, Pei Yan's impulsiveness weakened the allies' strength, allowing Bloodshade to break through the chaos and secure a spot among the top three.

But Pei Yan didn't care much about this point. Just because the Magic Realm could collude with Bloodshade, they could command someone like him who fought hard—shouldn't he resist? Overall perspective? That's only real when the Magic Realm genuinely treats allies well. Since they took the initiative to cause trouble for his Investigation Bureau, what's the point of talking about the agreement of allies?

Xila sighed with emotion and said, "But no one expected this oath to really be fulfilled. Before the competition, we advised the Magic Realm to avoid conflicting with you prematurely to ensure the Investigation Bureau's smooth advancement and specifically informed them of your formidable strength. But who knew our advice would backfire, not only failing to prevent conflict but actually bringing it forward! This is also due to the Magic Realm's arrogance, and they paid the price. Yet right after the competition ended, when my father sent an envoy to demand the promised recompense…"

Xila paused, fists clenched in anger, and Pei Yan asked in confusion, "They refused to fulfill their promise?"

"Humph, not exactly. The Magic Realm is still the Magic Realm. If they actually broke the agreement, it would be utterly disgraceful—they couldn't afford such humiliation," Xila snorted coldly, her tone both angry and helpless. "It's just that in determining the execution details, the Magic Realm personnel mocked and insulted our envoy relentlessly! No matter how they argued, it was useless. In the end, to ensure the Demon Race received the aid smoothly, we had to swallow our pride and endure their humiliation."

"Ah! Weak nations have no diplomacy!" Pei Yan was moved, feeling the words of old predecessors during hard times. Xila's eyes immediately snapped up, fixed with bloodshot eyes on him. Pei Yan waved his hand hurriedly, explaining, "Slip of the tongue! Slip of the tongue!"

"A slip of the tongue? It's your true thoughts, isn't it, Mr. Pei Yan? No need to hide it. You're right, our Hell Plane is indeed a weak nation now. Haha, who could have imagined that once fearsome Demon God, who dominated Fengyun, now cowers within the Holy City, desperately upholding the Demon Race's last drop of blood, while also enduring such disgrace! Mr. Pei Yan, could you accept such a fate?"

"Miss Xila, please don't get so worked up. I understand your feelings. Can you tell me why the Magic Realm insulted your envoys, and how does this relate to me?" Pei Yan wanted to share in the passion but couldn't quite connect with the Demon God as an adoptive father, leading him to redirect the topic with a question.

"Why insult our envoys? Ha, this is just hypocrisy! They accuse us of leaking the Magic Realm participants' strength to the Investigation Bureau in advance, causing their defeat. They mock us for riding two horses at once, lacking both skill and spirit—utterly laughable! Why the Magic Realm lost the competition, do they not know? Instead of self-reflection afterward, they shove all the blame on us. The competition was witnessed by all; could it really be attributed merely to leaking some information?"

Amid Xila's angry outburst, Pei Yan pondered privately—they were indeed riding two horses, yet he didn't dare say it aloud and merely consoled, "I can attest that you definitely didn't provide us any information about the Magic Realm beforehand, although now, even with our statement, they won't believe it. Alright, I understand what you mean, but even if I answered ambiguously when facing Flamel's inquiry, it's rather far-fetched for them to blame you for that."

"It's not just your words; there was also your teammate Ye Ruozai attacking the Round Table Knights, which directly led to a permanent disappearance of one of them. This could be considered the Magic Realm's largest loss in this competition—regarded by them as a deliberate targeting by the Investigation Bureau. Also, when you avoided Flamel's combined Line of Destiny immediately, they took it as proof of our Demon Race's betrayal, because this form of magic was never used by Moira on external enemies; only the Demon God, as an ally, knew that the Magic Realm's essence was transmitted to a disciple. This almost became ironclad evidence of our betrayal!"

"That's not right! How intriguing! How intriguing!" Hearing this, Pei Yan frowned but then stretched them out, laughing heartily in the face of Xila's curious gaze, and asked, "Do you know why I could withstand Flamel's Holy Light baptism unaffected?"

This time it was Xila's turn to frown, and recalling their initial encounter in the Hell Realm, she quickly realized, "Are you implying that person is still within you? But that's not right! It's been five years! Have you become that person's host?"