For a moment, the mood in the hall sank noticeably.
Some people, though unwilling to openly contradict Prince Huo for the sake of face, could not help but recall those nightmarish experiences. The unpleasant memories were simply too fresh.
Backers. Backers. If backers were truly reliable, would the Huichun Island Domain have fallen to its current state? They had an instinctive resistance to the very concept. They had never approved of Prince Huo running off every so often to seek out some new patron.
Yet Prince Huo showed not the slightest hint of guilt. On the contrary, he gazed at the Emperor on his throne with complete composure.
"Imperial Brother, your younger brother has been working tirelessly for the Huichun Island Domain all these years. Some things, some accidents, are truly beyond anyone's control. But this time, I can say with certainty that I have brought back an opportunity for our domain. This backer is nothing like the unreliable ones from before. The ambushers from the Sancai Island Domain were destroyed before him as easily as toddlers who had just learned to walk."
"Who is it, exactly?" the Emperor asked, his voice heavy with deliberation.
"His name has been the hottest topic in the entire Myriad Abyss Island these past days. The rebellion in the Eternal Sacred Land and the True Martial Sacred Land — it was changed almost single-handedly by him."
"You mean… Young Master Jiang Chen of the Eternal Sacred Land?" The Emperor was taken aback.
"Imperial Brother is wise — it is indeed Young Master Jiang Chen!"
At the words "Jiang Chen," the atmosphere in the hall shifted instantly. Many who had been quietly opposed had a change of heart in that very moment.
And those who had been neutral before now had their eyes light up with unmistakable excitement.
Without question, to them, Jiang Chen was a figure of legend — someone truly beyond reach. He had become the idol of countless people across the entire Myriad Abyss Island.
They already knew that the person who had claimed Dongyan Island was Jiang Chen. Not a single soul had dared demand justice, let alone ask for the island to be returned.
They had never imagined that such a figure would intersect with their Huichun Island Domain. Could someone of Prince Huo's standing truly have earned his favor?
Was Prince Huo perhaps spouting utter nonsense?
The Emperor drew a deep breath, his gaze piercing as he looked at Prince Huo. "My dear brother, this matter is of the utmost importance. There must not be even a shred of exaggeration in your claims. Didn't you say that every time you went, you received no response at all? That everything you sent vanished without a trace? That every visit, you were told Young Master Jiang Chen was not on Dongyan Island?"
"Imperial Brother, when have I ever been prone to exaggeration? This time, our Huichun Island Domain was fortunate — Young Master Jiang Chen happened to be on Dongyan Island, and I was fortunate enough to meet him."
"Oh? Young Master Jiang Chen has agreed to help our Huichun Island Domain?" The Emperor was overjoyed.
"He has, though I took it upon myself to promise half of the archipelago's Ling Shi resources as his compensation." Prince Huo made no attempt to conceal this — he knew it could not be hidden.
Upon hearing that half of the archipelago's Ling Shi resources had been given away outright, the mood in the hall turned peculiar once more.
"Well, well. No wonder he agreed to help — it turns out Prince Huo is quite the generous man. Selling off the family estate without a care. Prince Huo, it isn't your foundation being squandered, so I suppose it doesn't hurt, does it?"