Chapter 1020: Chapter 774: Framed?
This success brought joy to some, and naturally, anger to others.
Sajia had never anticipated that Elsa would respond to the rumors in such an unorthodox manner, and at the same time, further boost her popularity. Within a short period, the old Imperial City, now occupied by Ghost Spirits, had become a hot topic throughout the Heaven Realm, with even people from other parts of the Plane planning to witness just how terrifying these legendary Ghost Spirits were.
Ai Lin even ordered the Ghost Spirits to partake in intentionally frightening activities, which, while harmless, scared the tourists out of their wits. But afterwards, everyone claimed they got their money’s worth.
Or rather, it was a bargain!
"But, in any matter, there are always accidents waiting to happen, right?" Sajia said to his confidant at the time, not needing any detailed instructions for his confidant to understand his meaning.
Two days later, news exploded across the Heaven Realm. Three young adventurers were attacked by Ghost Spirits in the old Imperial City, resulting in two fatalities and only one lucky escape!
Reportedly, the sole survivor was so terrified that he died in his sleep the day he returned home.
The news instantly chilled the enthusiasm of everyone still interested in exploring the old Imperial City, and visitor numbers plummeted.
The council forcibly ordered Elsa to investigate the incident, and if it proved to be true, the Heaven Realm would take coercive measures to close all the passages leading to the old Imperial City.
Elsa’s response, however, was consistent, "Although I’m unaware of the specifics of what occurred, I must clarify that everyone is informed of the potential dangers before entering the old Imperial City, and they must take responsibility for their own lives. In fact, that place has never been meant for the faint-hearted—of course, I will certainly investigate this matter to ensure there are no traces of human deception."
"Investigate seriously? How do you plan to conduct the investigation? My sister, are you going to ask those Ghost Spirits?" Sajia asked with a smirk, delighted about the affair. Even though Elsa didn’t show much reaction, he believed it was just her feigning composure.
"It’s quite simple. In the old Imperial City, I’ve cast a live scene reproduction spell on every Ghost Spirit. If it’s really the work of some Ghost Spirits, I’ll know immediately. And if it’s not done by the Ghost Spirits, but instead witnessed by one of my Ghost Spirits, I’ll know immediately just the same," said Elsa, staring at Sajia with a sly smile on her expressionless face. "That magic can record both imagery and sound, so let’s pray it hasn’t recorded anything too sensitive."
Sajia’s heart skipped a beat, well aware that this was not the doing of Ghost Spirits, but a fabricated accident. With all three parties involved now dead, it would have been a case with no evidence to counter. However, if sensitive secrets had been recorded, the problem would indeed be severe.
Sajia sneered immediately, "You’ll investigate? It’s hard to guarantee that you won’t tamper with things! You might even frame someone else!"
But Elsa shook her head, "Which is precisely why I’ve decided to hire the Celestial Clan’s Chief Justice, along with a team of experts from the Magic Research Institute, to form a special investigation team. This team will thoroughly and objectively examine every detail of the magic, ensuring there are no traces of falsification."
Sajia was stunned; he had not anticipated Elsa would have already made such preparations. Now it seemed that Elsa had set a trap, just waiting for him to leap into it!
This was bad!
Sajia was extremely nervous, for he had no knowledge of what the Ghost Spirits might have seen. It was one thing to discover they didn’t die at the hands of Ghost Spirits, but if they had said something they shouldn’t have, then the matter would truly be grave.
To hell with it, go for broke!
That very afternoon, the relatives of the three deceased went to the streets, rallied some people, and protested against Elsa’s adventure trips to the old Imperial City. Meanwhile, amidst the onlookers, some were spreading rumors that Elsa was actually harboring ulterior motives. Soon, the number of people who believed there was really something wrong with Elsa grew.
However, Elsa likewise did not rush to defend herself, because the results of the investigation were already out.
With a Ghost Spirit standing in the center of the joint investigation team, the esteemed Dean of the Magic Research Institute activated the live scene reproduction spell personally and ensured that the spell had not been tampered with. Then, an astonishing story unfolded.
From the moment the three people entered the old Imperial City, a Ghost Spirit had been stealthily following them. Unlike the other adventurers, they seemed burdened with worries. When they reached a secluded part of the old city, two of them immediately took out a small bottle of potion.
"You’ll take care of our families, won’t you?" one of them asked.
"Don’t worry, for the grand plan of the First Prince, you’ll be the cornerstone for the future Emperor, and your families will be the First Prince’s family!" said another.
"Good!" The two raised their heads and downed the liquid. In the blink of an eye, they fell to the ground, their bodies altering to resemble deaths by Ghost Spirit attack. The third person then quickly staged signs of a struggle, destroying all evidence. He shredded his clothes and fled.
The scene froze there until about half an hour later, several Celestial Clan warriors arrived.
From beginning to end, Elsa watched from a distance, an ambivalent smile on her face, neither joyous nor angry.
"The matter is clear now, Princess Elsa, you are innocent in this affair. So, what do you plan to do next?" the Chief Justice said, his demeanor icy. As the Chief Justice, he reported directly to the Emperor and did not need to align with potential future emperors. But the impact of the incident was so staggering that even he did not know what steps to take next.
"Next, I naturally need to seek justice for myself," Elsa said.
That day, right across from where the families of those three had gathered a crowd, a huge magic projection enveloped a large expanse of the sky, starting to loop the previously investigated content.
At first, those people immediately clamored that this was a frame-up, that it was fabricated, but the people didn’t think so. The coherence of the content was too consistent, leaving no room for falsification.
At that time, Sajia, who had been lingering nearby, also saw it and understood that the thing he most feared had still occurred. Those three bastards had actually mentioned his name, if they hadn’t mentioned his name, just committed the act, then it would have nothing to do with him, but with his name involved, the problem was completely different.
He had gone from an accuser to a criminal!
What should he do now?
Sajia thought hard for a long time, and apart from insisting that this was a forgery, there seemed to be no way to clear himself of suspicion. Meanwhile, outside, when people saw this video, it did not cause much of an uproar. The reaction of most was more like, ’Oh, it figures!’
Yes, ever since Elsa returned to the Heaven Realm, there had been too many conflicts between her and Sajia. When people heard about what had happened to Elsa, their first reaction was definitely, ’Hmm, it’s probably Sajia.’ And now, it appears that was indeed the case.
Concerning this matter, Sajia did not shirk, but instead, during the regular morning meeting, he solemnly accused Elsa of fabricating evidence, an act of trying to smear him with mud. Elsa did not appear at the time, while Sajia spent nearly an hour by himself tirelessly defending his own name and singing his own praises. As the First Prince and the host of the morning meeting, he had this privilege, and no one stopped him. Elsa, however, responded afterward.
She invited Sajia to a face-to-face confrontation in the arena.
Sajia immediately agreed, as he had to show confidence to win back his reputation, and to do this, he even skipped bringing any guards, to prove his uprightness. When he saw Elsa at the center of the debate platform, he first confidently smiled and said, "Come on, my sister, let me see what you can concoct to slander me."
As soon as these words came out, the surrounding audience actually emitted a chorus of boos.
This was something unprecedented, a crowd booing the First Prince. People had always liked the eloquent Sajia. And the emergence of boos this time truly made Sajia realize that he really needed to do something to restore his reputation.
"I don’t need to smear you because what you’ve done is already dark enough," Elsa retorted.
"Is that so? You even stoop to forge evidence to slander me, shifting the blame of your own mistakes onto me, and now you tell me you haven’t smeared my name?" Sajia laughed.
"Actually, I originally thought you would come here to confess everything you’ve done, but I didn’t expect you to still be like this. Clearly, I was wrong this time, I should not be wasting my time with you here," Elsa said.
"Is that so? Then what do you plan to do?" Sajia spread his hands and asked.
Whoosh!
Sajia didn’t even see it clearly when he felt a chill in his shoulder, and his entire arm suddenly flew off! Instinctively trying to grab it, Elsa beat him to it, kicking the arm far away.
"Ahhh—"
Sajia screamed in pain, knowing Elsa always liked to draw her sword at the first sign of disagreement, but this time was too sudden, he had no mental preparation. Yet somehow, he began to feel elated inside.
"Yes! Fight me! If you think you can force me to confess to things I never did by violence, then you are wrong! I am Sajia! The Great Prince of the Celestial Clan! I will never submit to any evil!" Sajia roared, his voice echoing.
"Is that so?"
Whoosh!
Another slash, and Sajia’s other arm was severed.
Sajia endured the excruciating pain, very aware that this was a prime opportunity to garner sympathy. Elsa would definitely not kill him here, and after this pain, he would win a great deal of sympathy!
Indeed, that’s what happened. The audience began to murmur. Some cheered, while others thought Elsa was being a bit unreasonable.
"I knew you would never admit it, so I have prepared a special surprise for you," Elsa said, and with a clap of her hands, a wave of deathly aura spread out, an array manifested on the ground, and then Tilian walked out from it. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes, monthly votes, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
