Mo Han offered a courteous greeting, and the Elven Queen, along with Elder Ai Rui and two other elders, quickly returned the gesture with smiles. Lui and the other two elven elders, however, remained impassive, their expressions unreadable, leaving one to wonder what thoughts churned within them. Anna rushed toward the Elven Queen with a bright smile and spoke affectionately, "Mother Queen, this is the Elder Mo Han I often tell you about. I am absolutely certain that the deaths of our kin have nothing to do with him. You must investigate this thoroughly."

The Elven Queen gently patted Anna’s small hand with a tone of mild rebuke, smiling, "Oh, you. All day long you only know how to cause trouble. The matter of this incident will be decided by the elders; they certainly won't wrongly accuse anyone. Don't cause a scene here; stand quietly to the side."

Hearing this, Anna quickly stuck out her tongue, reluctantly standing behind the Elven Queen.

Just then, the Elven Queen addressed Mo Han, "Mr. Mo Han, there is no need for such formality. Please, have a seat. In truth, none of us believe this could have been the work of Mr. Mo Han. It is simply a matter of fairness, and the elders wish to ask you a few questions, so we hope you will forgive our interrogation."

Mo Han immediately nodded and replied, "Your Majesty the Queen is too gracious. Mo Han also wishes to clear his name, so I will report everything truthfully. Please rest assured, everyone."

No sooner had Mo Han finished speaking than an elf seated next to Ai Rui politely addressed him, "We have seen the bodies of those kin. The murderers were truly cruel; they were hacked to death by multiple blades—utterly inhuman. Therefore, we only wish to ask Mr. Mo Han if you noticed anything unusual upon your arrival, or if you saw anyone in the vicinity at that time?" Hearing the elven elder speak, the elves in the room displayed expressions of fury, suggesting the manner of their kin's deaths had stirred their anger.

Mo Han shook his head in response, "In truth, when I arrived, your elven kin were already dead, and I noticed nothing unusual. Shortly after I arrived, Elder Lui and the others also reached the scene. Thus, what I know of the situation is not much more than you."

At this point, an elven elder sitting beside Lui spoke coldly, "Then what was your purpose in trailing our kin outside the city so late? Furthermore, since you were following them the entire time, how is it possible you didn't notice anything strange? That is incredibly hard to believe!" Anna, on the side, looked displeased and was about to defend Mo Han, but she was stopped by the Elven Queen, who merely gazed steadily at Mo Han, waiting to see how he would answer.

Mo Han then spoke, neither subservient nor overbearing, "I have already explained my reason for following your kin to Elder Lui. Yesterday, I happened to see several of your kin hurrying out of the city with uneasy expressions, and because of Anna, I became curious and wanted to see what was going on."

"Since you were following them, how could you not have seen how they died? That simply doesn't add up! Do you truly expect us to believe that?" the questioning elder pressed persistently.

Mo Han remained calm and replied, "As I have already said, I was delayed by a matter at the city gate, which is why I was a little late. By the time I finished my business and arrived, I found those elves had already been murdered. Everything I have said is the truth."

"Hmph. I believe you have something to hide, which is why you are fabricating excuses to slip by! Even if our kin weren't killed by you, it must be connected to the Kanya Empire. What scheme do you humans have that requires murdering our people?" the elder declared brazenly.

Seeing this, Mo Han let out a cold laugh. "A scheme? Preposterous. I would like to ask this esteemed elder, just tell me what scheme I have. Do you have any proof? Or are you just spouting nonsense without basis?"

The elven elder retorted, "If I knew, would I need to ask you? As for evidence, are the mangled bodies of our deceased kin not the best proof? Each one of them suffered dozens of stab wounds. Besides you humans, who else could commit such an atrocity? Outnumbering and overwhelming opponents has always been the nature of your human race."

Mo Han heard this and spoke neither quickly nor slowly, "The elder keeps insisting your kin were killed by people from the Kanya Empire, but I must ask: what evidence do you have to prove they were responsible? Did you witness it yourself, or did any other elves see it?" Lui, standing nearby, spoke up calmly, "We naturally have proof; otherwise, we wouldn't be so certain." Having said that, Lui reached into his robes and produced a golden plaque—the very same one he had seen the previous night, though Mo Han hadn't gotten a clear look when Lui first produced it upon Mo Han's arrival.

"See for yourself, and then tell us if we are speaking falsely." Lui handed the plaque to Mo Han.

Mo Han took the plaque and examined it closely. Across the front of the golden plate were boldly inscribed the words "Kanya" in gold lettering. On the reverse side was an etching of a magnificent golden dragon, beneath which was a line of smaller characters reading: 'Imperial Edict—Palace Guard.'

Once Mo Han had finished reading, Lui spoke coldly, "Now you know why we are so certain. This plaque was found near the scene of the incident last night. It must have been dropped accidentally by the murderers as they fled. Do you have anything further to say?"

Mo Han, however, suddenly burst out laughing, causing everyone in the room to look at him strangely, unsure what he found so amusing. Only the Elven Queen shot Mo Han a thoughtful glance, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, as if she grasped the reason for his sudden mirth.

Lui’s cold voice broke the silence, "What is it? What is so funny? Are you mocking our elven race?" Mo Han shook his head and replied with a look of helplessness, "Of course not. I merely wished to ask the esteemed elder a question?" "Ask it. If I can answer, I naturally will," Lui responded expressionlessly.

Mo Han composed his expression and then began, "I only wish to ask the elder: the strength of the few guards from your elven race who died last night—it must have been considerable, correct?" Lui nodded proudly, "Naturally. Those individuals were soldiers in the Elven Queen’s Royal Guard, each one handpicked. Their strength goes without saying." Lui could not fathom why Mo Han was suddenly asking these seemingly unrelated questions.

Mo Han nodded thoughtfully and continued, "And if we compare them to the soldiers of the Kanya Empire, who is superior?" "Naturally, our elven guards are superior. That should be obvious," an elven elder next to Lui chimed in.

"Then I ask: if Kanya Empire guards were to easily slay these few elven guards, roughly how many of them would be required to accomplish it?" "Even the Royal Guards would need strength several times greater than ours to possibly achieve it, and they would certainly suffer casualties in the process," the elder who had just answered Mo Han’s question added smugly.

Mo Han nodded, "Precisely. According to the elder's words, a total of six elven guards died last night. Even if we estimate conservatively, it would take at least twenty Kanya Empire Royal Guards to accomplish such a feat, wouldn't it?" Lui, though still unclear about Mo Han's line of reasoning, nodded, conceding the point to Mo Han's mathematics.

Seeing this, Mo Han smiled and turned to the Elven Queen, saying, "I have a small, perhaps presumptuous request, which I hope Her Majesty the Queen will permit." The Elven Queen smiled faintly, "Speak it. As long as it pertains to this incident, I will do my best to accommodate it."

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Queen," Mo Han said smoothly. "I wish to request if Her Majesty the Queen could have the bodies of the attacked elven guards brought here. This is very important." Hearing Mo Han's request, the Elven Queen hesitated, but before she could speak, Lui shouted out, "What are you doing? Our kin are already dead; do you mean to deny them peace even in death?" The elves around Lui also stared at Mo Han with looks of fury, and even the Elven Queen gazed at him with curiosity, wondering what game Mo Han was playing.

Anna, seeing the situation, grew inwardly anxious, unsure why Mo Han would suddenly make such a request; wasn't this inviting universal wrath? Mo Han seemed not to hear Lui’s outcry and continued addressing the Elven Queen, "I am not forcing an unreasonable situation, but this matter concerns the cause of death for several elven guards. Only by examining the bodies can we ascertain how they died. I trust Your Majesty the Queen does not wish for your subjects to die without understanding why."

Hearing Mo Han's words, the Elven Queen deliberated for a moment before speaking, "Very well, I can grant your request, but you had best provide us with a satisfactory answer, or the elders present will surely not agree." The Queen’s meaning was clear: if Mo Han failed to produce a sensible explanation, even if she were willing to let him go, Lui and the others absolutely would not consent.