The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!

"Do you really wish for this?" Jones slowly began to smile, a hint of mockery in his expression, "Dracula is my only bond with the Blood Clan. It not only grants me the rights I deserve as a member of the Blood Clan, but it also restrains me. I am willing to follow the laws and achieve my ideals peacefully, even if you oppose them. But..."

"When you strip away the rights that should belong to me and no longer consider me a part of the Blood Clan, you also lose your control over me. To me, you will become the enemy of my faith, just another foreign race. Is that what you want?"

Jones's voice stopped.

The entire hall fell back into its original silence. He stood in the center, head held high, quietly staring at the elders on the platform, unyielding.

"You want to resort to war?" one of the elders asked, "Your brother is confronting Heaven in the north, and he can't help you. You don't have the power to resist the entire Blood Clan alone."

"I don't want to resort to war. As the Giant Snake City Lord, it is my duty to prevent war, to prevent the bloodshed of my people. Unless war is inevitable. Please believe, the White Bone Holy Light Court has never feared war. There's hardly ever a time when we aren't at war. In matters of war, we are very professional, much more than in making armor or producing various devices. In fact, we are always preparing for war, ready to fight for our faith at any moment." Jones replied nonchalantly, "Moreover, I hope you understand something, we don't just fight wars; we can do many, many things, more than you can imagine. Are you certain you want to unlock the shackles on me and make it all a reality? Just to guard an outdated tradition and a way of life that should have been eliminated? Being easily defeated shows that such traditions and ways of life are already out of place, doesn't it?"

"Having a crisis that prevents the Blood Clan from being complacent might only reduce the number of slaves, but it won't weaken the strength of the Blood Clan. If anything, it might make the entire Blood Clan stronger. Those slaves, they could never fight for the Blood Clan, they were never part of the Blood Clan's strength." Raising his voice with wide eyes, Jones sternly questioned, "The era is changing, do you wish for the Blood Clan to remain unchanged? Can an unchanging Blood Clan truly survive in a new era? The complaints of a few clueless lords or the survival of the Blood Clan, which is more important?"

The entire hall was silent, only Jones's voice resonated.

Everyone was watching Jones.

The elders on the platform sat motionless.

The short, fat Blood Clan member who had been the representative for the prosecution widened his eyes almost to falling out. He quietly picked up the materials he had prepared, glanced at them, and then threw them aside.

Prince Louis quietly cleared his throat, almost choking on his own saliva.

Prince Harries's eyes slowly narrowed to slits.

Tiris's gaze constantly shifted between the elders and Jones.

This was supposed to be a hearing based on a family trade dispute, but now it had escalated beyond that. It had reached the height of the very survival of the Blood Clan.

Indeed, even without considering whether Jones's words were right or wrong, this was at least a diplomatic meeting with the potential for war if it broke down.

After a while, Jones took a deep breath, took a step back, stood still, and then smiled respectfully, "The elders gave me two choices, now, I give the elders two choices. One, you continue to recognize me as a member of the Blood Clan, and I will enjoy the rights of a Blood Clan member and be bound by the Blood Clan laws. Everything remains as it is. All outdated things will be naturally eliminated through competition. Two, you can strip me of my membership in the Blood Clan. In that case, the Blood Clan law no longer applies to me. From then on, our talks will be conducted in diplomatic terms. You will have a potentially headache-inducing enemy. Consider carefully. Also, Giant Snake City is my domain. Everyone within Giant Snake City, and their property, are under the protection of the Giant Snake City Lord. No one has the right to drive them away. This is my promise to them. Promises are more important than life."

*Was this a declaration of war?* It was a covert declaration of war. Jones had unmistakably chosen Gruglu. If the elder council insisted on carrying out their decision, it would inevitably lead to war.

The two sides just stood there, confronting each other.

Silence, a long silence, so long that the Blood Clan members watching could no longer bear it. Finally, one of the elders spoke softly, "We need time to discuss, we can't immediately answer your question."

"Fine." Jones smiled, raising his head, "I'll give you time."

After saying that, Jones took another step back. The Liches behind him swiftly made way for him.

Turning around, Jones left the central platform of the hall with Dora, Goya, and the four Liches, stepping out in large strides. The wind blew past him, lifting his black cape with the Nine-petal Snake Flower emblem.

The Blood Clan members present could only watch in stunned silence.

Adelle and Belle hurriedly stood up, rushed down from the spectator seats, and ran after him.

"You still dare to follow me?" Jones asked softly as he walked out of the hall.

"Honestly, it's a bit scary..." Adelle replied with a dry laugh, raising a thumb, "I didn't expect it to come to this. But you spoke wonderfully, I support you."

"I... I support you too!" Belle quickly chimed in.

"Thank you." Jones smiled gratefully, "But if we fail, you'll have to move to Giant Snake City."

"I'm willing!" Belle replied.

"Totally willing." Adelle helplessly spread his hands.

...

The hearing ended, but everyone still remained in their seats in the hall. Even the elders.

Some were lost in thought, while others were simply unable to recover from the shock.

The entire hall was suffused with an oppressive, suffocating atmosphere.

After a while, one of the elders softly said, "Meeting adjourned."

With that, he stood up, leaning on the high-backed chair's armrest, and then turned to leave. The other elders also stood up one by one and left through the arches behind the platform.

In the blink of an eye, only the Blood Clan members who had attended the hearing were left in the hall, their expressions complex. The three main family representatives were especially at a loss for words. In contrast, the smaller families present as mere observers were buzzing with discussion.

"Do you think the elder council will agree? Let him keep his Blood Clan status."

"They probably won't... How could they? He's caused so much damage to the entire Blood Clan."

"But he called those damages improvements. He even said he wants to change the whole Blood Clan. Didn't you get that?"

"It's insane. The elders wouldn't agree."

"If it's impossible, why put off the answer? Shouldn't they reject him outright?"

"Maybe they're afraid of a direct declaration of war?"

"That's even worse. If they fear war, they'll have to agree."

*These whispered conversations were suffocating, especially for the Sambo family.* In the worst-case scenario, they would not only lose their huge investments in Giant Snake City, but also lose Jones's friendship, and in the coming days, have to face the consequences of competing against Jones head-on.

The hall was chaotic, some had already begun to leave, while others continued discussing fiercely.

No matter what, the hearing held today would quickly spread throughout the High Court and the entire Blood Clan.