Chapter 2871 Him
Leonel didn't reply. In fact, after a while, he seemed to have returned to a perfect state of calm. He stood there, waiting for Annalysia to speak again.
He could almost sense Annalysia's frown. His reaction was too calm from her, and she didn't quite seem to like it.
But what did that have to do with Leonel? He was overplaying her hand? It more so seemed like she had, playing this card way too early in these negotiations.
"Pretending to be calm only works if the enemy doesn't have your weakness," Annalysia said indifferently.
"Your voice doesn't sound as playful anymore," Leonel replied just as indifferently.
"Neither do you."
"The difference between us is that on the one hand, your indifference is because of anger. Mine is because of disappointment. I thought the moniker of Barbarian was just a misnomer. I didn't expect it to actually come with the expected stupidity."
Annalysia's tone became icy. "You're playing with fire, boy."
"Am I? I think you've forgotten that your husband is in my hands, first of all. Second, why would you be threatening me with something that everyone could find out? The only explanation is that you've found out using a method that only you're aware of. That only leaves one explanation: The Sea Gods and their Golden Tablet.
"Although there's a chance everyone is aware and you're actually just subtly offering protection... one, I don't believe the Barbarian Race would be so bold to offend Gods so openly, and two... do you take me for an idiot?
"You think I called you out to give you the reins? Do you not understand who has the power here?
"If I dare to force even Gods into a war, what the hell can a few Demi-Gods do to me?"
The frigid cold in Leonel's voice only seemed to grow. He had wanted to do this the amicable way, but it seemed that the only way these God and Demi-Gods understood was the way of force.
Didn't they quiver beneath the terror of the Plutos? The Voids? The former Minerva?
In that case, he would become that terror instead. His life wouldn't be dictated by anyone else anymore.
Annalysia began to laugh, but it too came from a frigid cold.
It was obvious that Leonel had exposed her. The information she received was, indeed, from the Sea Gods. Most accurately... the Wise Sea Order.
However, now that he had exposed it, Leonel didn't need to say what the problem was in so many words.
First, even if it was true... how would they prove it without the Golden Tablet?
All this time, they had left the Golden Tablet with Sashae's mother because it was useless in their hands but very much the opposite in her hands. There was a reason everyone wanted a Wise Star Order. Otherwise, the Tablet alone could only be used for menial tasks, comparatively speaking... well, if a menial task was resurrecting the dead.
However, in the hands of Wise Sea Order, she could foresee things a long way ahead.
It had to be remembered that the Barbarian Race wasn't a Crafting Race, nor were they well known for their secondary professions.
So how had they managed to create such a path for themselves?
The reality was that they put such a great emphasis on Sashae's mother because she was the key to all of their success until now.
Of course, the Barbarian Race had their experts. But there was a difference between having a few geniuses in a field and an entire foundation. If one wanted to elevate an entire Race, the second was mandatory.
This meant that while Leonel hadn't said it, it was obvious that he didn't hold on to just one of the Barbarian Race's weaknesses, but two of them.
Not only did he have their world hostage, he had one of the key pieces to their rise... no, he had two key pieces - both Talon and Wise Sea Order.
As he had said, since he dared to play with Gods, he dared to play with Demi-Gods.
How would the Barbarians even prove what had happened without Wise Sea Order here? How could they have guessed that Leonel would refine an entire Incomplete World himself?
Even if they could retrieve Wise Sea Order, would they be willing to expose to the world that they had a Golden Tablet? Not only that they had one, but that they were even capable of using it? Whether it was the first, and definitely the latter, how could they be alright with such a thing?
Then let's say that everything went perfectly and the Barbarian Race was willing to take such a risk, would the Void Race admit that they had been led by the nose by a kid? A human, of all things?
At worst, Leonel would have to deal with some situations in the dark, but even then the Void Race would have to be wary of entering Demi-God and lower Mortal Realms, and the suppression that they'd experience once they did.
Then, once again, even if everything went perfectly until that point, would the war just end at the drop of a dime?
It was clear to Leonel from the beginning that the Fallen God Beasts had been looking for a reason to trigger this war, and after it became clear he realized that the Owlans weren't as cowardly as he assumed and many of them had wanted this war too.
Of course, there was no doubt that once this information came out, the Human Race would face an extinction level event again...
But that was then, and this was now.
Back then, the humans had been caught off guard, betrayed by their own, and surrounded by enemies. They had never thought that things would end up going this way.
Leonel had seen all of that history personally, and he knew it like the back of his hand. Both what was mentioned in the Tablet and what wasn't...
But now, not only would they be prepared...
They also had him.