Rui, who stood to one side, seemed about to interject, but seeing that even the Elven Queen had agreed, he ultimately held his tongue.

Not long after, several Elven guards entered, carrying several corpses. They then respectfully withdrew. Mo Han glanced over and recognized them: the six Elven guards who had been murdered the previous night. Once the bodies were brought in, every eye in the room fixed on Mo Han, eager to see what he intended to say concerning these deceased guards. Mo Han walked calmly to one of the corpses, examined it closely, and then spoke, "That's right. I can state with certainty that the Royal Guard of the Kanya Empire was absolutely not responsible for this incident."

Hearing Mo Han’s declaration, Rui, standing nearby, spoke up discontentedly, "What evidence do you have for such a claim? Don't think that just because you are human, you are entitled to speak up for the Kanya Empire."

Mo Han shook his head. "It's not because I am human that I defend the Kanya Empire. It’s because I don't want your kin to be wrongly identified as the murderers while the real culprit walks free. Besides, I am not from the Kanya Empire, nor do I have any reason to help them. I am simply stating facts as they are."

Elder Airy, standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, "Since Mr. Mo Han says this, you must have found some evidence, haven't you?" Mo Han nodded and addressed the assembly. "We already discussed this. If it were the Kanya Empire responsible for killing these Elven guards, it would require at least twenty people, meaning these bodies should be riddled with wounds from different sources, right? Yet, the result is entirely different."

Rui scoffed upon hearing this. "Are you implying that the wounds on our kin are insufficient?"

Mo Han replied calmly, "I haven't finished. If they had been simultaneously attacked by multiple assailants, the depth and force of the wounds on the corpses should vary. But if you examine the wounds on these bodies closely, despite their multitude, they were all inflicted by the same weapon, and the force behind each strike is almost identical."

Rui countered immediately, "The Royal Guards carry identical weapons. What's so strange about the wounds looking the same?"

Mo Han shook his head. "Although the killer tried to cover their tracks, a careful observation reveals the work of a single hand. If multiple people were involved, such a result would be impossible; everyone’s fighting style and strength vary. It is impossible for so many wounds to be nearly identical. Anyone with even a moderate understanding of martial arts cultivation can distinguish this."

Upon hearing Mo Han’s explanation, everyone in the room hurriedly turned their attention to the wounds. However, most of the Elves present were mages, possessing limited knowledge of martial techniques, and could not discern the subtle differences in the wounds. They shifted their focus to Tremor, the Guard Commander. Tremor carefully examined the wounds on several corpses and nodded solemnly, signaling his agreement with Mo Han's assessment.

Rui and his faction’s expressions grew grave as they processed Mo Han's words. Only Anna, standing behind the Elven Queen, displayed a faint smile, while the Queen’s eyes flickered with a hint of admiration.

Noticing the change in demeanor, Mo Han continued, "If this was the work of one person, to silently and effortlessly dispatch several skilled Elven guards in such a short time, this person’s skill must reach at least the level of a High Sword Master. Furthermore, since he could kill them so easily, yet deliberately created these false impressions to mislead us, his purpose and motivation warrant serious suspicion."

"Then how do you explain this gold token? We found it in the dense forest; it was clearly dropped by the killer accidentally." Rui stated reluctantly.

Mo Han smiled in response. "It is precisely this gold token that exposes his plan. Think about it: a warrior of such high caliber, who could kill the Elven guards with such ease, with no one else around at the time—how could he possibly make such a fatal mistake as accidentally dropping such damning evidence? This kind of low-level error shouldn't have occurred. There is only one explanation: this gold token was deliberately left behind by the killer to misdirect our attention."

Hearing Mo Han’s answer, Anna beside him couldn't help but chuckle. Mo Han continued, "Moreover, the Kanya Empire has been observing the Elven Forest for a long time and has a certain grasp of its strength. With their current power, they cannot engage the Elven Forest alone. If they truly harbored ill intentions, they would have attacked long ago; why wait until now?"

Mo Han paused, then added, "Furthermore, if an empire decides to wage war, there is only one reason: profit. But what benefit could the Kanya Empire gain by becoming enemies with the Elven Forest? The forest holds nothing they truly need. How could the Emperor of the Kanya Empire not grasp such a simple matter? And knowing that a war against the Elven Forest would be unwinnable, why would they provoke conflict? That defies all logic. I believe the Emperor of the Kanya Empire would not make such a basic error."

At this point, the Elven Queen, who had remained silent, spoke. "Since Mr. Mo Han has analyzed this so thoroughly, can you help me analyze who might be behind this, and why they would instigate this incident?" After speaking, the Elven Queen gazed steadily at Mo Han, her eyes holding a clear expectation, clearly hoping for an answer. The others in the hall also turned their eyes to Mo Han upon hearing the Queen’s question, wanting to see how he would respond.

Mo Han pondered for a moment before speaking. "I have a bold conjecture, though I cannot be certain. It should only be taken as reference." Hearing this, a flicker of pleasant surprise crossed the Elven Queen’s eyes, and she encouraged him, "It's fine, speak your mind. We will all consider it carefully."

Mo Han nodded and said, "In fact, I suspect this incident was orchestrated by the Nether Race."

Upon hearing Mo Han's answer, everyone in the hall displayed surprise, except for the Elven Queen, whose expression remained composed, as if she had anticipated his conclusion. A look of appreciation again crossed her gaze toward Mo Han.

Mo Han continued, "I believe everyone present has heard of the last Holy War, haven't you?" The occupants of the hall nodded. Elves are long-lived, with lifespans reaching at least a thousand years. Therefore, many present had already been born when the last Holy War occurred, and a significant number of Elves had participated. Naturally, they were all familiar with the earth-shattering conflict from five centuries ago.

Seeing their affirmation, Mo Han nodded. "According to the records of the Church of Light, the Nether Race invades the Dragon Rising Continent every five hundred years. If those records are accurate, the invasion is now less than a year away—it is imminent."

At this, Airy spoke up. "Are you suggesting this incident was intentionally provoked by the Nether Race, designed to push the Elven kin and humans into the vortex of war?"

Mo Han nodded and explained, "Exactly. If the Elven Forest were to engage the Kanya Empire in conflict now, the other Empires, fearing the strength of the Elven Forest, certainly would not stand idly by. No single nation on the continent has the power to defeat the Elves alone; only by uniting can they confront the Elves. Thus, the other great nations would inevitably intervene to stop the war, eventually dragging everyone into a protracted conflict. The result would be that the strength of the Elven race and humanity would be severely depleted. If the Nether Race were to invade at that point, their chances of success would drastically increase."

The assembly fell into contemplation after hearing Mo Han’s explanation. Then Rui spoke up. "Even so, these are just your one-sided speculations. Perhaps that isn't the reason at all?"

Mo Han nodded. "Of course. If these were the only reasons, I wouldn't have made this conjecture. But do you recall what I mentioned earlier about being delayed while tracking these Elven guards, causing me to fall slightly behind them?" Everyone in the room nodded at Mo Han's reminder.

"Could the matter that delayed you be related to the Nether Race?" an Elf, seated next to Airy and who had not yet spoken, inquired.

Mo Han nodded and replied, "To be frank, I carry a Holy Token of the Church of Light. I believe you have all heard of it?" As he spoke, Mo Han reached into his robes and produced the Holy Token, placing it in his open palm.