“Are there news from the Holy Knight Order?”
Frederick the 32nd was elated.
“No, that’s not it! Meng Lei has come!”
“What?”
“Meng Lei has come?!”
The hall was in an uproar at once.
President Fred, who was among the crowd, was even more astonished. “Isn’t Meng Lei at the Magical Beast Village? Why is he here so quickly?”
“Let him in!” ordered Frederick the 32nd hastily.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Before long, led by the golden-armored guard, Meng Lei stepped into the grand hall.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Everyone’s gazes simultaneously landed on him. Within their eyes was fury, murderous intent, hatred, confusion...
Frederick the 32nd eyed Meng Lei up and down, an unusual glint flashing across his eyes. Then, he shouted fiercely, “Meng Lei, do you own up to your sins?!”
“Own up to my sins? How have I sinned?” Meng Lei feigned astonishment. “Why the question, Your Majesty?”
“How dare you make fallacious arguments even at death’s door!”
Frederick the 32nd was furious. He pointed at the 108 corpses on the floor as he shouted, “Do you know who they are?! Do you know how they died?!”
“These people...”
Meng Lei squatted down, casually flipped over a piece of yellow fabric, and took a look. Then, with a shake of his head, he remarked, “So it’s them!”
“You recognize them now, don’t you? Since you have, then tell me!”
Frederick the 32nd roared furiously, his voice like dull, rolling thunder, “Why did you kill them? 108 people! That’s a whole 108 people!
“Every one of them was an elite of the empire, the painstaking effort of every major academy for the last dozens of years, and even more so the future pillars and Saint Domains of the empire!
“Tell me! Why did you kill them?!”
“I caused their deaths? Aren’t you shouting for others to catch the thief when you’re the thief yourself and deliberately framing me, Your Majesty?”
Meng Lei burst into loud laughter as though he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. His raucous laughter resounded brazenly in the hall, echoing continuously for a long time!
“How impudent!”
“How dare you!”
“How brazen!”
Everyone glared furiously at him right away. The way they were glowering at him was as if they wanted to eat him up.
“This is the empire’s grand conference hall, Meng Lei. With the emperor in front of you, a great many Saint Domains beside you, and all the court officials here, your impudence and arrogance will not be tolerated!”
Duke Eustace stepped forward and ordered, “You need only to answer His Majesty’s questions honestly. Do not be unruly and ignorant, or act in a bold and presumptuous manner!”
“Be civil, Meng Lei!”
President Fred, who was so shocked that his heart was pounding, hastily stepped forward and chastised him softly as well.
“Fine!”
Meng Lei nodded slightly. He couldn’t just disregard President Fred, after all.
He said dispassionately, “I sympathize with how the 108 contestants have died from unnatural causes, but there are only two real culprits behind their deaths. The first one—themselves!”
“They caused their own deaths? Ridiculous!”
Everyone couldn’t help but sneer at his words.
“Had they not coveted the divine tree’s fruits, would they have landed themselves in such a state? Therefore, it’s their greed that led to the current situation!”
Meng Lei’s voice was calm and aloof. He looked straight at Frederick the 32nd and went on. “The second reason is you yourself, Your Majesty!”
“Don’t be impudent, Meng Lei!”
President Fred was so shocked that he couldn’t help but shudder. He hastily lowered his voice and chided him, “Are you out of your mind? How dare you speak to His Majesty like that!”
“Hear me out, President!”
Meng Lei gazed at Frederick the 32nd, who was seated high above on the throne and said, “It’s because you sent us there for the competition when you haven’t even gotten a clear idea of the Lost Continent’s background and situation. That’s what ultimately led to this tragedy!
“Therefore, it’s you that caused their deaths, Your Majesty! It’s your lack of thorough investigation that caused their deaths! It’s your carelessness and lack of vigilance that caused their deaths! What... has it got to do with me?”
“Y-you... You...”
Frederick the 32nd’s face had turned a dull purple from his words. He glowered at Meng Lei, his visage pale one moment and green another, his eyes looking as if he wanted to eat Meng Lei up!
“Meng Lei!”
Duke Eustace shouted fiercely, “It’s clearly you that had stolen the native half-deity’s belongings and ultimately caused the deaths of 108 contestants. How dare you be so bold and audacious as to push the blame onto His Majesty! This is truly perverse behavior and an attempt to confuse the public!
“Your Majesty!”
Eustace looked at Frederick the 32nd and said, “I request that the survivors be summoned into the hall so that they can confront Meng Lei face-to-face!”
“Summon them!”
Soon, a group of surviving contestants walked into the hall. The moment they saw Meng Lei, they acted as if they’d just seen the murderer who killed their fathers and collectively lashed out at him.
“Meng Lei! You bastard! It’s you! It’s you that killed those 108 contestants!”
“If you hadn’t stolen the Tree of Life’s belongings, would it have killed them so mercilessly? You have to take full responsibility for the deaths of those 108 contestants!”
“Meng Lei...”
Frederick the 32nd took a deep breath and asked, “What do you have to say now, Meng Lei?”
“What do I have to say? There’s nothing much I have to say!”
Meng Lei shook his head and went on. “I’ve already clearly stated whatever that should be said. Whether all of you are willing to listen or not has nothing to do with me.”
“How impudent! Meng Lei, you have caused the deaths of 108 contestants and caused the exchange competition to be halted midway. On top of that,
