The Eldest Princess looked at the two princes expectantly. She wanted them to make a good decision because she would have to intervene if they did not. She wanted to train them, but not at the risk of the desperate villagers.
The older prince was the first to speak with confidence
"We should send a request to the Aegis Council." Huo Zhizhao said. "This is clearly a case of devil cultivators using the five villages to collect women to use as furnaces. It is their responsibility to deal with cultivation crimes and punishments."
The Aegis Council was a sanctioned organisation on the Obsidian Continent, and it was established to police the cultivators and ensure that they did not go overboard in their pursuit of power.
No one knew how old the group was because it had always been operating under the shadows and dealing with cultivators who committed heinous acts for countless millennia. Moreover, nobody knew how they collected information and coordinated.
In the past, they would act silently and efficiently.
If a devil cultivator was discovered or a righteous cultivator was involved in something nefarious, they would be assassinated without a trace. In addition, their corpses would be displayed in an open place to warn the other cultivators and to appease those affected.
When the former Emperor came into power, he made an agreement with the Aegis Council to ensure that people could send requests if a devil cultivator acted. After all, the council could not always know about the small crimes in remote villages.
As a result, the rates at which cultivation crimes were committed declined significantly. Everyone was afraid that the Aegis Council would learn about it and end their journey before they rose to power.
"That is a good suggestion, Zhizhao. The devil cultivator must be powerful enough to act for months without detection. We also cannot ignore the possibility that there is more than one perpetrator of the crime." The Eldest Princess nodded.
Huo Zhizhao stood taller like he was a peacock. He had indeed thought about these problems, so he did not believe that there was a better solution. When he looked at his stupid brother, he pretended to be magnanimous.
"I do not know if my little brother has a better suggestion." He spoke with a slight mocking smile. "We are all concerned for the well-being of the commoners, so we should not leave out any possibility for resolving the current crisis. Imperial Father would be unhappy if we were careless."
Huo Delan did not take the bait. He knew the games that his older brother played. He would try to create opportunities for Delan to look foolish in the palace and the capital. Usually, Delan would just ignore him and keep walking.
But clearly, it had not made Zhizhao give up on trampling on him and eliminating his main competitor for the crown. Since Zhizhao could not give up when Delan did not play the game, Delan decided to play the game and show him why his Imperial Father favoured him.
"I do have a better suggestion." Delan looked at his older brother with a challenging glint in his eyes. "The villagers are desperate enough to come to this place and surround the royal airship. They will not allow us to leave with the simple promise of sending help."
The Eldest Princess nodded. "What do you suggest?"
"We should send a request to the Aegis Council, but we should remember that they do not always respond to requests. If they think that the sects in the area or the royal family can handle the situation, they will not even send a reply." Huo Delan continued.
"You have not said anything new, little brother." Zhizhao snorted.
"We can appease the villagers and convince the Aegis Council to take the case by leaving a few people in the Five Villages to investigate the situation. The cultivators will reassure the commoners we are taking the case seriously. If the cultivators resolve the problem, it is all well and good. If the devil cultivators are too powerful, the Aegis Council will have no choice but to intervene." Delan finished.
The Eldest Princess looked at her nephew with appreciation. As a boy, Delan was the most brilliant star in the palace. He was clever, talented, and adorable, always treating people well. But after he lost his talent, he gained a careless personality.
The Emperor always told her it was fine for Delan to be like that, and it was just a way for him to protect himself from the dangers in the palace. The princess was never sure if it was true because the young prince was too casual and spent his days on useless hobbies.
Now, it looked like that shining star was still burning bright. She could not help but wonder what changed Delan inside the hidden domain. Her eyes looked at Zhizhao and remembered the claim that Delan was dead.
There was a lot more to the story than either of them revealed.
But it was none of her business. If she wanted court intrigue, she would have married one of the multiple kings and princes who sought her hand in marriage.
"I think Delan's suggestion is the best. If we refuse to give immediate help, the villagers could say that we failed to lend help when we could. We should not tarnish the name of the imperial family by sending them away with a promise." The Eldest Princess said.
Huo Zhizhao was angry because he understood that his little brother had won the round. He regretted not being more thorough and ensuring that Delan died in the domain. It would have made everything much easier for him.
The desire to eliminate this problem burned strong within him again.
While most of their siblings believed that Delan was a waste and a useless prince, Zhizhao never believed it for a second. He would always see glimpses of the little prince who was loved by everyone as a boy.
Zhizhao always knew Delan would make a comeback, so he always wished to eliminate him before he was able to turn the tables. Who knew that he would help Delan regain his former self through the attempted murder?
This matter frustrated him to no end, but he had to hold in his dissatisfaction until he came up with a new plan.
"Who will we leave here?" Zhizhao decided to poke holes into Delan's plan. "The elders have major responsibilities and cannot be expected to do this work. However, the people we leave must be strong enough to thwart devil cultivators."
The Eldest Princess nodded. "Indeed. The airship needs to be back in Obsidian City tomorrow. We cannot afford to delay the elders who must watch over their sects or schools."
Huo Delan seemed to think for a moment. "Older brother Zhizhao is qualified and meets his own criteria. He is strong for his age, so he will be able to protect the villagers. Moreover, we can show the villagers our sincerity by leaving an important prince to help."
"You!" Zhizhao was immediately infuriated.
"That is brilliant." The princess clapped her hands. "It is settled. We will leave Zhizhao with a few other capable juniors. This will reassure the villagers and give credibility to the reports sent to the Aegis Council."
Huo Delan thought of something. "Not many people in the younger generation are as powerful as Older Brother Zhizhao. We can send an Umbra Envoy Raven to Riverside and get Long Jingyi and Su Yaling to also come here and help with the investigation."
Huo Zhizhao gritted his teeth at the stream of good ideas coming from his little brother.
"What about you?" He asked. "You should stay and see your idea through."
"You know I am a waste in cultivation." Delan looked weak again. "I must go home and recover from the difficult things I experienced in the domain. Of course, I will also take my fiancée with me because she cannot imagine a life without me."
Huo Delan looked at Zhizhao with darkness in his eyes that seemed to contain purple lightning, but it disappeared quickly like an illusion. However, Zhizhao understood what Delan meant through his repeated actions on this night.
The real war had begun.