Chapter 4096: Living Proof (Part 1) "I say we need to reject Fyrwal’s proposal." Seryl said. "This is not only a shameful violation of the millennia-old Council traditions, but also a shameless power grab of the Hydras. They want to take Feela’s seat after taking her life. "Everybody knows that our late representative wouldn’t have been in Lutia if not for the plea for help of her so-called friend, Faluel the Hydra. The Dead King may have killed my cousin, but it was Faluel who put Feela in front of his spear. "While the Hydras stood in the safety of the backlines, Feela charged forward with only the human Representative Raagu by her side. Lotho the Treant abandoned her in her moment of need just like his kin turned its back on the Council. "Inxialot the Lich even dared forget about the battle. The so-called Undead Representative and those like him don’t care about anyone but themselves!" The Fae and plant folk burst into an uproar, and so did the undead. Inxialot, instead, kept writing. A Hush spell on his ears made it impossible for the petulant child to disturb his focus. "This is not the first time that the Hydra clan demands special treatment under the pretext of pursuing the common good." Seryl lowered her voice in a rumbling growl. "At the end of the War of the Griffons, it was always Fyrwal who forced us to accept the surrender of Ufyl, the Seven-Headed Dragon. "Even though the claws of Thrud’s general were still wet with the blood of our brothers and sisters, even though hundreds more had been sacrificed to fuel the Forbidden Magic that turned Ufyl into a Divine Beast, Fyrwal chose to spare his life, and we begrudgingly accepted. "And for what?" The Behemoth looked around the room, meeting the angry gaze of many Emperor Beasts and even more Lesser Divine Beasts. "The traitor proved useless without his mistress. "The Dead King’s forces crushed him like the whelp he once was. The research on his life force bears no fruit. An entire bloodline has allegedly worked tirelessly on him and Glemos’ Harmonizers, yet after more than one year, the Hydras have failed to do what took the Mad Queen a few months. "I know what you’re about to say. Research takes time, and normal magic is a much more demanding mistress than Forbidden Magic. Yet we don’t have the luxury of time, and Fyrwal the Hydra has nothing to show for the trust we’ve already given her. "Her quest for Dragonhood is a fool’s errand, her plan to protect Lutia failed, and Feela died for Fyrwal’s incompetence. I say that rewarding her failures with a seat in the Council and appointing her as our general is something foolish that only humans would do." Beasts and Fae roared in approval, and so did Inxialot. "Yes! I solved the mana crystals resonance issue! I’m on fire tonight." The Lich King threw his fists in the air and reconnected them to his wrists with a click. An awkward silence filled the room as the spectators struggled between asking the Behemoth to resume her speech and the curiosity about the Lich’s discovery. Anyone could bond mana crystals to an artifact, but the gemstones would each work independently and provide energy according to their size and purity. According to a popular and unproven theory, however, it was possible to increase their output several-fold by synchronizing the frequency of the mana flow of multiple crystals. "I..." Seryl felt her momentum disappear. She was among those who struggled with the mana crystals’ resonance effect and had no idea how to achieve it. "I rest my case. Fyrwal has done nothing to deserve our trust." The Behemoth went to her seat, still staring at the Lich in the hope he would say something more about his research. "A nice speech." Leegaain cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s eyes on him. "A bit lacking in the conclusion, but I doubt anyone heard anything after the crystal resonance bit. Fyrwal, the stage is yours." "Yes, your honor." The Hydra looked one last time at Inxialot before finding the strength to stand up. "My fellow Awakened beasts, I’ll be honest with you. I know that asking you to pardon Ufyl’s crimes was no small thing. "I’m also aware that you have every reason to consider my leadership lacking. I take part of the responsibility for Feela’s death. I underestimated the strength of the Dead King and his army, and she paid the price. "Yet I’m not the only one who fell for his act. We all thought of him as the whiny bedwetter Thrud had shown us and failed to prepare a proper defense against the Upyr. If you need evidence of this, just look at the death toll for all bloodlines in all regions. "Not a single leader took Narchat’s threat seriously enough, and their followers died for it. This doesn’t make my mistake any less serious, but it shows that everyone is to blame for it. "If you want a culprit, look yourself in the mirror, because I won’t let you pin it all on me." Many patriarchs and matriarchs grumbled at those words, but they also nodded, confirming their truth and dismantling part of Seryl’s argument. "As for our experiment, my only fault is to have played it too close to the vest, but who among you would have acted any differently? With the chance of becoming a Divine Beast at stake, who wouldn’t have kept everything under wraps to avoid sabotage and information leaks? "Since my talent as a leader and mage is being called into question, I’m going to disclose the bare minimum to dispel your doubts. Always remember that you can’t demand I disclose my research without the risk that in the future someone might demand the disclosure of yours." More nods followed as every Awakened looked at their neighbor like an enemy, and Inxialot covered his papers with a veil of darkness. "My eyes are up here, sweetie pie." He grunted at Raagu, who he had caught staring at his research. "First of all, I want to thank Lith Verhen for his contribution." Fyrwal said. "It’s thanks to him that we got the help of the legendary First Ruler of the Flames, Ripha Menadion, and through her, we ensured the collaboration of the equally legendary Baba Yaga and Lochra Silverwing." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂 The Hydra would have gladly avoided disclosing that part, but too many people had witnessed the two white cores and worked with them on the project. Fyrwal couldn’t ensure the discretion of the Hydras once the project ended, let alone the other Lesser Divine Beasts’. ’Sooner or later, it would come out.’ She thought. ’It’s better to reveal it now on my terms rather than pile up lies and plant the seed of doubt in my allies.’ "With their help, we have made much progress, and I can already assure you that the technique we are developing can be applied to all Lesser Divine Beasts. The Hydra bloodline will not be the only one to reap the benefits of showing mercy to Ufyr." "Really?" Seryl asked after raising her hand to speak and receiving Leegaain’s permission. "You ask us to believe you recruited two white cores based only on your word?"