Not long after, the headmaster and Mousse entered the classroom.
The headmaster was the leader of the Glimmer clan and the teacher of all the young people. Judging from his attire and temperament, he looked like an educator. His white beard fluttered in front of his chest, and he wore a formal suit that was obviously rough but well-ironed.
Mousse, on the other hand, was a warrior. He wore a tight-fitting outfit and soft-soled combat boots. On his back were two curved scimitars. He was taller and burlier than ordinary people, and his eyes were cautious and sharp.
The two of them were not as fanatical as ordinary people. After entering the classroom, they briefly stated their identity and then asked someone to bring a stack of neatly bound documents.
"These are the intelligence reports from the last three years," the headmaster said faintly. "There are a total of 36 volumes, an average of one volume per month. As for the old intelligence reports from the past, there are too many of them. They are piled up in the city's underground warehouse. Since the last time your people came here, twelve volumes of intelligence reports have been added to the bookshelf every year.
"However, I don't think you are interested in the intelligence reports. If you are, I can also ask someone to move the intelligence reports out or give you the key to the underground warehouse."
Xia Fan frowned. "Why do you think we are not interested in the intelligence reports?"
The principal shrugged. "There are only three of you, and you're injured. It's obvious that you were forced to come here. If you're really going to fulfill the contract from back then, there's no way you're going to bring so few people. Am I right?
Xia Fan could not refute. He sighed and said, "To be honest, we were indeed chased by the lesser dragons and were forced to escape to the depths of the mezzanine area. The reason why we came to Holy Spring City was to seek your help. As for the agreement between Hidden Demon City and you, we did not know about it before we came.
"As leaders, you are both very clear-headed, but why don't you tell the truth to the others? When we entered the city, your people all thought that we were here to take them away. To be honest, I am very ashamed. "
The headmaster turned his head and looked out the window. The city's men, women, old and young gathered in the school yard, talking excitedly, their eyes shining with hope.
"People are always ignorant and stupid, but their stupidity is so cute, and their thoughts are so kind and simple. How can you have the heart to destroy their only hope?"
"Living in this cold and dark underground is already very difficult. Even without you guys, we still need a little bit of hope to survive. Death isn't scary. What's scarier than death is numbness. You're obviously still alive, but it feels like you're already dead."
"It just so happened that your people came. They were on the verge of death from being chased by the lesser dragons. It was my kind people who saved them. My ancestors reached an agreement with your people and let them propose that absurd immigration plan."
At this point, Xia Fan, Fo You, and Nicai were all stunned and their eyes widened.
"Yes, you heard it right. The immigration plan was proposed by my ancestor. At that time, your warriors were unwilling to agree because they knew how dangerous the mezzanine area was. It was an impossible mission to bring my people out of the darkness. It would take a lot of manpower and resources, and many warriors' lives."
"But my ancestor convinced your people that we don't need to leave the darkness. We just need to see a little light in the darkness. That little bit of light will become the driving force for us to live."
"So, reluctantly, your people agreed to the conditions. But in the end, it was beyond my ancestor's expectations. He didn't expect our people to be so fanatical. Perhaps they wanted to see the light after living in the darkness for too long. My people prepared like crazy. You can walk into any house of the city's residents at will, and there are neatly packed bags under their beds so that when the day of departure comes, you can pick up the bags and set off."
"Year after year, they prepared to leave the darkness. Countless young people really believed in the contract and entered the world of darkness without the protection of the Holy Spring to spy for information. By now, the graveyard has been filled with the bodies of those young people. There are no more gaps for missions, so we had to expand the size of the graveyard."
"In the end, even my ancestor didn't know how to end it. My foolish people foolishly believed that one day, the Demon Subduing Army wearing golden armor and riding giant flying beasts would come from the sky like a group of heroes and bring them out of the darkness to seek refuge in the light."
"This is the whole story. I don't mean to blame you. After all, that absurd idea was proposed by my ancestor. You don't have to be ashamed. The one who should be ashamed is me. I love my people and want to give them hope, but in the end, I was deceived year after year."
There was another silence in the classroom. Outside, the children were cheering and celebrating, but inside the classroom, those who knew the truth were not happy at all.
"How many people know about this?" Xia Fan asked.
"Only the two of us. Every generation of the headmaster and the guardian of the Holy Spring will know the truth. However, the truth is like the cruelest punishment in the world. The headmaster and the guardian have no choice but to spend their lives in self-blame and guilt," the headmaster said.
"When you leave, I hope you can explain to my people that you are very satisfied with their intelligence work. Unfortunately, you are only a reconnaissance team from the Demon Subduing Army who came to contact us."
"The war outside is still going on. The Demon Subduing Army needs to first deal with the lesser dragons in the mezzanine area before they can take us away. I want them to continue waiting patiently. After all, even if they are deceived for the rest of their lives, it is better than having their hopes dashed."
"Also, you should still look at this information. It was obtained by the lives of my people. According to the information, the main tribes living in the mezzanine area have been acting strangely recently. It is very likely that the demons have contacted them and reached some kind of agreement. Therefore, the war between the main tribes has completely stopped in the past two years."
Humans were really strange animals. After hearing the headmaster's words, Xia Fan should have breathed a sigh of relief. There had never been any contract. That was just a lie the headmaster had weaved to give his people hope.
However, for some reason, Xia Fan still felt a little sad. Perhaps it was because of the children's longing gazes. Xia Fan was born with no resistance to children. He liked children and could not bear to see them suffer.
Bathing in the real sun and seeing the sea and hills was not an extravagant wish. However, even such a simple wish could not be fulfilled. He did not know if the little girl who clung to Nicai's thigh and nagged would grow up to become a scout. For the so-called hope that had never existed, she would die in the darkness. Until the moment of her death, she still naively thought that one day, the Demon Subduing Army would bring her to a continent that was blooming with flowers.
Just thinking about it made him sad. In the depressing atmosphere, Xia Fan forced himself to start working. He opened the information that the Glimmering Clan had risked their lives to collect, but he could not read it no matter what.
The headmaster noticed that Xia Fan and the others were acting strangely. He said to Mousse, "Tell them not to gather here. Disperse."
So, Mousse left the classroom and asked the people gathered outside to go home. Whether they were adults or children, when they left, they looked back three times with a reluctant expression.
Xia Fan saw that on the street in the distance, someone had taken out a bag hidden in the corner and put it on the side of the road to shake off the dust. He was in high spirits as if he was about to set off at any time.
"What the hell." Fo You threw a stack of information on the table. "I don't know what happened today. I can't read it at all. I just feel very annoyed."
The headmaster sighed. "Waiting in the endless darkness is the fate of our Glimmering Clan. Don't pity us. Even if you do, you can't do anything about it. It will only add to your troubles."
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