****(POV)

In the water palace, only three of us remain. I, the Water Queen, and the water Fairy are looking at each other. The latter is showing a little discomfort. She clearly knows what is happening but isn't that used to it.

Now that the Water Princess and the Water Empress are gone, we can finally have a candid discussion. The former seems to have changed her opinion on him completely and a little too fast. The latter just can't keep a secret.

"Now, Queen. How about you explain yourself?"

"Now is probably not the best time to turn against ourselves, right?" (Fairy)

"Sigh, it's fine. Let me see. It all started when I found some old records about the God of Order's Prison. Apparently, some old monsters were locked in there, the kind that would grant the ones liberating them some power. I sent one of the members of the younger generation on a quest to free them so they could be grateful to our Flowing Water Sect." (Queen)

"Now, clearly something went totally wrong."

"Of the group, only one survived and one got his body possessed. Apparently, these two visiting us claimed to come from the prison directly and there were traces of it having been opened recently too. So I didn't disregard that possibility at first." (Queen)

"Except that was clearly an obvious lie. There is no way he would have memories of the recent years otherwise. Him talking about things that happened two years ago is a clear giveaway."

"Are we sure that they cannot have been the people sealed inside somehow?" (Fairy)

"Doubtful, the seal hasn't been disturbed for centuries or there would have been noticeable impacts on the world. My guess is they could have somehow stumbled upon this event and are using it opportunistically to further their position amongst our ranks." (Queen)

"Somehow I don't get the feeling he is trying to harm us at all." (Fairy)

"*Chuckle* Well, if he wanted to fool you that's how he'd do it." (Queen)

"You mean that they would be trying to infiltrate our ranks to cause our demise? (Fairy)

"Perhaps. Still, the whole situation is weird. They are way too blatant in their methods. One is simply going around the whole city trying to convince people to undress while the other clearly talks about a recent past that is incompatible with the background story he gave. There is a good chance they are trying to actively look harmless by doing so."

"Ah! So all this would be a huge sham?! Then if we do follow his advice on the barrier, we would be digging our own doom?" (Fairy)

"I could very well imagine someone using the construction of defensive measures to subtly disable our own water barrier from the inside. It could clearly bring about our complete annihilation."

"Well, there are always remains the small chance that they are genuine but we both know that this is even a worse situation." (Queen)

"Why?! Isn't it a good thing if he truly wants to help defend our sect?" (Fairy)

Ah, the young ones are so naïve. Well, it can't be helped she spends too much time in that garden of hers to truly understand politics.

"It's a problem with his personality. Not only does he not want to fight but he wants us to scour the continent looking for some of his friends. We have no idea who exactly these friends of his are at all. But even then, they already sound sketchy. don't you think? A mythical dwarf? A village protecting the world from a calamity? Meeting a god? This sounds completely ridiculous."

"Why would he even lie about that?" (Fairy)

"Well, I do have a theory. What if both of them are simply madmen?"

"How is that a theory?!" (Fairy)

"I agree, this could very well be possible." (Queen)

"Point is, knowing if they were locked or not matters not. Perhaps they truly were at some point. Perhaps they even are the powers Queen was looking for. Either one is a man obsessed with being naked and the other is a compulsive liar that invents stories …. or both are lying fakes. That is what I believe."

"True, but honestly who they are is irrelevant. The real question should be what are they capable of and how should we use them?" (Queen)

"We know that both seem to be body cultivators, the naked one being slightly weaker but having incredible regenerative abilities. We can definitely use that."

"Are you suggesting we enslave them?!" (Fairy)

"Very much so. Actually, I'm pretty sure Queen has been plotting something along the line for a while, am I right? How will we play this?"

"*Sigh* You are as scheming as usual. Can't you simply look away for a little while?!" (Queen)

"Haha, the pot calling the kettle black. Let's just say your research hasn't been as subtle as you'd think. How about we each take direct control of one that should suffice don't you think?"

"Wait! How about we simply convince them to help us?! Maybe there is a way to make them see reason and help us in the war?" (Fairy)

"Well, the problem is he is either full of shit or unmotivated about worldly pleasure. Otherwise, there is no way he would ever propose something as boring as simply living in seclusion here. Where is the pursuit of fame, power, and wealth that usually motivate people to participate in wars in the first place?!"

"Well, the only motivations I could see him having are his friends. We could take them hostage to force his hand, or we could make him believe that they have been captured by our enemies and go on a rampage to punish the kidnappers." (Queen)

"Of course, the only issue is how long we could keep the charade up. We are talking about two individuals that very much have the capabilities to rush ahead in the enemy lines without a care in the world. We won't be able to control the information they receive from our enemies then."

"Isn't that simply vile?!" (Fairy)

"Well, are you ready to take the chance? If he is a scheming devil, we will probably all perish. If he genuinely doesn't want to participate in the war and remains a spectator, will you assume responsibility if we lose? Standing by idle is pretty much the same. Do you want to risk tricking him?"

"That…no..." (Fairy)

"Don't feel too guilty about it. There is definitely something alarming about the way the Water Princess suddenly changed her opinion of him. Surely, you've heard of mind-control magic, right?"

"You don't mean?!" (Fairy)

"Alright, let us plan our next move then…" (Queen)