All eyes inside the private room were fixed on a single figure who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
In their midst sat a beautiful young woman with long yellow hair, still wearing her nightgown. She was currently seated on the floor.
Calian and Wolvin widened their eyes. The two of them truly did not expect that their mother would actually be forcibly teleported across such a vast distance, merely a moment after Wolvin channeled his mana into the ring on his left ring finger.
A similar reaction, though with a far more massive level of confusion, was shared by Eralio and Arlen. The two of them looked so shocked that they could not utter a single word.
Their eyes were glued to the presence of a beautiful young woman who had suddenly appeared in their midst without any magic circle or incantation whatsoever.
However, Elara's reaction was completely contrary to the stiff, shocked responses shown by the four people in the room.
The yellow-haired woman remained perfectly calm. Her eyes quickly swept her surroundings, and instantly, she caught sight of her youngest son and her son-in-law, who were currently staring at her in shock.
Realizing she had been forcibly relocated using the authority of the heirloom rings she had given to her son and son-in-law, Elara immediately focused her gaze on the face of the black-haired Night Wolf youth sitting next to Calian.
"So, Wolvin..." Elara's voice broke the silence, flowing calmly yet demanding certainty. "Are you the one who summoned me here using the ring on your finger?"
The direct question was like a gentle slap that instantly made the Night Wolf youth blink a few times. His mind, which had been drifting in amazement, was now forcibly pulled back to reality.
Wolvin looked at his mother-in-law sitting on the floor in her nightwear, feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt and extreme awkwardness settle in his chest. Waking and forcibly pulling his mother-in-law out of bed this early in the morning felt like a fatal act of disrespect.
"F-Forgive me for summoning you here so suddenly, Mother." he answered in a very sincere tone, bowing his head slightly. "I truly did not mean to disturb your rest. I simply wanted to test the truth behind how to use this ring, while at the same time... I desperately wanted to ask for your help here."
Hearing her son-in-law's honest answer, Elara let out a soft sigh. She then stood up.
"Then, who is the person that told you how to use the ring?"
Wolvin hid nothing. He raised his hand and pointed toward the opposite sofa. "Mr. Eralio, who is sitting right in front of me, Mother."
Upon learning who had discovered the ring's secret, Elara turned to her left, glaring sharply at the middle-aged man, demanding a logical explanation.
The Ring of Trust was a secret known only to the members of the imperial family. For someone outside their family to know how it worked and the conditions for its activation was utterly impossible.
"Tell me the truth!" Elara said bluntly and firmly. Her aura became oppressive, making the air around Eralio feel thin. "How could you possibly know the mechanics of a ring that has only ever been passed down from generation to generation within the imperial family since ancient times?"
Feeling the incredibly heavy intimidation from the yellow-haired woman, Eralio's body began to tremble.
"I-I possess the [Valuation] blessing." Eralio answered very carefully, feeling extremely nervous and terrified that a single wrong choice of words would provoke a lethal rage from Calian's biological mother. "With that blessing, I can uncover specific information regarding a person's identity, or hidden information about an object I look at."
Now, having heard the explanation coming from the man's mouth, Elara understood how her son and son-in-law could suddenly learn the mechanics of the secret ring.
Seeing the honesty in Eralio's eyes, Elara pulled back her intimidating aura. She chose not to make a fuss over it anymore, as an innate blessing was something beyond human control.
The yellow-haired woman then shifted her gaze away from the merchant. She looked straight at the face of her youngest son.
"Explain the situation to me now, Calian!" Elara ordered with the tone of a leader ready to evaluate a crisis zone.
Meeting his mother's gaze and hearing the firm statement demanding a complete explanation, Calian unhesitatingly began to tell her everything.
At the beginning of his report, the purple-haired youth stated that his mother was currently in Eralio's residence, located in Gias City.
Then, Calian's narrative swiftly shifted to the core of the problem: a large-scale slave-trading operation directly involving Thomas, the lord of Gias City.
However, when Calian detailed the involvement of nobles in the dirty business, Elara was not particularly surprised by her son's report. The woman's facial expression remained flat.
Just as I suspected. It turns out it is not only Khail Burtois and Barren Gildas, but there are many other bastard nobles secretly involved in this slave trade.
Calian then turned to his spouse. He asked Wolvin to bring out the thick document they had previously taken from the underground safe in Thomas's mansion.
Without a second thought, the Night Wolf youth immediately touched his dimensional storage necklace and retrieved the document.
Holding the document, Wolvin stood up from his sofa and strode forward, handing it directly to his mother-in-law.
Upon receiving the thick document from Wolvin, Elara promptly opened it and read it carefully.
Her eyes moved quickly, scanning the rows of ink on the paper.
From what she read, the book contained a highly detailed flow of transactions. There were so many names of nobles and wealthy merchants who had purchased slaves. The shipping routes detailing where the slaves were sent were also included.
Those whose names are recorded in this book must be sentenced to death without a lengthy trial! Elara decided in her heart, feeling enraged by the barbaric behavior of the imperial nobles. They are all traitors who have betrayed everyone living and breathing within this empire's borders!
However, as her fingers turned to the next page, Elara's expression instantly changed drastically. Her eyes narrowed sharply.
She had just read valid proof showing that the Larvin family was also actively involved in the illegal slave trade.
For Elara, the scale of the problem had just skyrocketed. This was no longer merely an internal issue occurring within the borders of the Erthland Empire.
After learning the truth firsthand from the documentary evidence she had just read, she realized that besides the Yornvast Empire, several neighboring kingdoms were also involved in purchasing slaves from the Erthland Empire in massive quantities.
This was an exploitation and a geopolitical attack carried out in secret to weaken Erthland's demographics.
As an Emperor, Elara knew exactly what she had to do to free all her people who had been forcibly sold outside the empire's borders.
Then, she closed the thick book and gripped it tightly. Her eyes looked at Calian and Wolvin with a gaze that radiated immense pride.
"Excellent work, the two of you!" she praised, not hiding her pride in the performance, meticulousness, and sharp instincts shown by her son and son-in-law in dismantling the syndicate. "So, tell me, what kind of help do you need from me right now?"
Calian looked at his mother with a serious expression, then voiced his request.
"Mother, please help us free those who are currently still shackled by the anti-magic and mana handcuffs, and personally lead the capture of the syndicate's remnants in this city using your authority as an Emperor."