Chapter 576: I've Been Duped! "It's truly pitiable and pathetic."

Su Chen shook his head, holding a teacup in one hand, sipping contentedly.

The Marshal's situation had been orchestrated by him single-handedly, with a straightforward objective: someone had to take the blame, and neither Prince Hewlett nor the Red Alert Empire representatives were suitable candidates. That left only the Marshal.

He was prepared to subdue the Ghost Clan, and with Taru, the Ghost Clan progenitor, on his side, he was confident.

The problem lay on the human side; they needed an outlet for their frustrations, and naturally, Su Chen had assigned Marshal to that role.

But that wasn't all. Su Chen had also dispatched Parasitic Species to provoke trouble for Marshal. In recent days, members of the human alliance had suddenly found themselves weakened, as if afflicted by a severe illness, collapsing to the ground.

If the other two factions had experienced the same condition, they might have found some psychological balance. However, upon investigation, it was revealed that only their faction was affected. How could this be?

Marshal, seething with anger, glared at his trusted aide. "What's the situation? Their strongest members are Seventh Order; how could they be rendered powerless all of a sudden? Even the Ghost Clan's gas wouldn't affect them."

"Marshal, we just conducted tests and found a type of toxin in their bodies. We suspect they've been poisoned."

Marshal's expression turned peculiar. "Poisoned? Are you joking? What toxin could exist on Yan Yun Star that would affect Seventh-order Transcendents? Tell me!"

The trusted aide was sweating profusely, and to be honest, even he didn't believe it when the results were first revealed.

To them, poison was considered low-level, something only weaker Transcendents and ordinary people could fall victim to. It was impossible for Transcendents of Seventh Order and above to be poisoned. The most potent toxin known on Yan Yun Star could only affect Sixth Order Transcendents and was not lethal.

A toxin capable of affecting Seventh-order Transcendents was simply non-existent.

Although Marshal found it hard to accept, he knew his trusted aide wouldn't deceive him. This meant they had indeed been poisoned by a new toxin that affected Seventh-order Transcendents.

"Have them find an antidote quickly and keep this information under wraps," Marshal commanded.

He was aware that many people outside were harboring grievances against him, and if this information got out, he'd be back in the headlines. It was best to contain the situation for now. Unfortunately, he was unaware that someone had already leaked the news.

Marshal was once again in the spotlight, as his subordinates had been afflicted by an unknown toxin. Now, they were short of personnel even for guard duty. What a predicament! Everyone took delight in Marshal's misfortune, considering it his comeuppance.

Marshal was on the verge of frustration. Having too many subordinates wasn't ideal, and the news couldn't be contained. He didn't know who had leaked it, but he was once again the center of attention.

Meanwhile, the first-ever negotiation between humans and the Ghost Clan was scheduled to take place in three days, right in the center of the battlefield, where both sides had agreed to meet.

Both humans and the Ghost Clan found it hard to trust each other, so the middle of the battlefield seemed like the most ideal place for negotiations.

Three days passed quickly. Marshal, looking somewhat weary, represented the humans at the meeting, while the Ghost Clan sent a Ninth-level Peak Ghost Master. On the surface, both sides appeared evenly matched in terms of strength.

"Jim, do you truly wish to negotiate?" Marshal asked bluntly as he addressed Jim, the Ghost Master from the other side. They were old acquaintances who had battled numerous times before, neither able to gain the upper hand.

"Marshal, the Ghost Clan simply desires the right to live on the surface. When we first emerged, our people had suppressed their hatred for humans for too long. It had to be released, which led to the previous conflicts. Now, both sides have suffered heavy losses. If we continue, the outcome is clear," Jim replied.

Marshal was well aware of this, or he wouldn't have agreed to negotiations, even if it was only superficially.

"How do you propose we negotiate?"

"We only want a territory covering ten districts; the rest will belong to your humans. We will sign an agreement of non-aggression for a thousand years."

Marshal furrowed his brow. An area the size of ten districts was already significant, considering that the entire Yan Yun Star was divided into just ten districts. His instinct was to oppose this demand from Ghost Clan.

But soon, he considered one crucial factor: once his plan succeeded, Ghost Clan would face extinction, and the extent of territory given to them wouldn't matter.

While he contemplated this, Marshal knew better than to directly agree to Ghost Clan's request. Since it was a negotiation, they had to abide by the rules of negotiation.

After a heated debate, Marshal reluctantly agreed to grant Ghost Clan an area equivalent to three districts, which was already Ghost Clan's bottom line.

In the negotiation, Jim fell short.

The three-day-long negotiation concluded, and when Marshal returned to announce the specifics of the agreement, the human populace erupted in outrage.

"Traitor! Marshal has become a human traitor! Why would he give three districts to the Ghost Clan? Yan Yun Star clearly belongs to us humans!"

"Marshal, get lost! Who do you think you are, Marshal? I spit on you!"

"Your Highness, open your eyes and take a good look. That's not our human Marshal anymore; he's become a spy for the Ghost Clan."

Marshal remained oblivious to the turmoil outside. He was waiting for the moment when his plan succeeded, certain that the human populace would be astounded.

He had endured immense pressure as a human Marshal, all for the sake of annihilating the Ghost Clan—a cause he considered noble and grand.

Just as Marshal fantasized about the bright future ahead, he was abruptly interrupted by his trusted aide's loud cry. "Marshal, something terrible is happening! There's a rumor spreading outside, claiming that Yan Yun Star once belonged to the Ghost Clan, and we humans are the intruders. They also say that Marshal intentionally gave three districts to the Ghost Clan because he knew about this!"

Marshal couldn't hear the rest of the sentence; he was frozen in shock.

This news might not have been a big deal under normal circumstances, but its timing was devastating for him.

Marshal's initial reaction was, "I've been duped!"

"Immediately issue a statement to debunk this rumor!" Marshal ordered.

However, he was too late. Prince Hewlett and representatives from the Red Alert Empire, accompanied by a substantial force of powerful individuals and troops, had surrounded Marshal's residence.

"Marshal, you are under arrest on charges of betraying humanity. Save your explanations for the court!" Prince Hewlett declared coldly.

Marshal saw the situation outside, his spirit crushed. At this moment, he realized that this was a trap—one he had walked right into!

"Your Highness, Red Alert Empire must not remain in control. My death doesn't matter, but Yan Yun Star must never fall into the hands of the Red Alert Empire!" Marshal transmitted to Prince Hewlett without offering any explanations. He was then bound and taken away by a soldier.

In this situation, not resisting was the right course of action. Any resistance would only cement his identity as a human traitor. (To be continued...)

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay