Chapter 256: Gaining Compliance Through Reason
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
n.o.body said anything, and Vigilante A seemed to be daydreaming too.
“Hey, what did you just say? Other than the Great Azure Dragon, I will not recognize anyone as the Alliance leader!”
The great green insect suddenly flew out from the side. It hovered in the air, its front limbs akimbo as it spoke with gusto, subconsciously emitting a weak power aura as it did so.
The great green insect stood on the side of neutral justice, but it was no saint. It had its fair share of problems, one of those being that it liked growing in size to scare people for fun. However, it never went overboard…
That was what its father from the previous realm had thought it, so that it would not again die from hunger caused by being too honest…
However, anger had fogged her mind as she completely forgot what Vigilante A had said.
Park Deokhwan’s trio was merely as strong as those at the peak of Pond-level, and none of them had any Morality too. Not to mention the fact that they obviously harbored ill intentions, so how could they possibly handle the pressure from this power aura?
The great green insect was a powerhouse of Skylake-level, which meant that it was stronger than even the strongest of the Lake-level powerhouses. However, it lacked a strategical mind, which meant that it wasn’t skilled at battles at all.
Their faces turned pale with fear as they subconsciously took a few steps back. They almost fell to the ground too. It was truly a pathetic sight.
If it was not due to the fact that the great green insect had subconsciously revealed a sliver of her aura without the intention of scaring them, they might have actually been killed from her aura alone. The difference in power between both parties was just much too big.
The other partic.i.p.ating members too felt the strong aura wave that was emitted.
However, since they have already agreed to attend this meeting representing their country, they were all naturally people that always followed the right path with a strong will.
Just like what had been said about this Alliance by the public, joining this meeting meant becoming the eyesores of all evil demons. It was a great risk and if one were not an idealist with the spirit of a martyr, there would be no way one would dare partic.i.p.ate in this meeting.
Although all of them felt the strong aura of power at the same time, they held themselves together. After all, they have had their fair share of experiences where the weak were able to defeat the strong; they had gone against numerous powerful demons, so they were quite used to an aura as subduing as this.
As compared to the Goguryeo people, everybody could see the obvious difference. The other attendees shook their heads in disdain.
n.o.body could read the true behavior of these three people from Goguryeo, but it was obvious that they not only weren’t dauntless, they were also people that had strayed from the virtuous way of cultivation.
If they were people that had followed the path of virtuousness, when faced with the subduing pressure of that power aura, they would have faced it head-on and grown stronger in the process as well.
Somebody jibed, “Intelligence beyond measure, excellent leaders.h.i.+p qualities, and the ability to look at things on a grand scale are all important criteria to be considered while electing an Alliance leader. However, bravery and the character of a person are the basics. If our Alliance leader has the determination to walk a virtuous path, only then will the future of the Alliance be guaranteed. Only someone of dignity and honor and fearlessness in the face of strength has the right to be chosen as Alliance leader.”
“That’s right, some people may seem very brave, but in fact they may be cowards with no character at all. Imagine being so afraid of a sliver of power from a powerhouse. It really is hard to imagine whether or not he would be able to maintain his composure when faced with the true power of a powerhouse. Yet somebody like this also wants to chime in on what type of Alliance leader we should pick?” piped up somebody right after.
“Biasness and overthrowing the order of importance; I think this representative from Goguryeo harbors ill intentions and is stirring up trouble on purpose. Why not we let everyone vote on whether or not they’re still allowed to partic.i.p.ate in this meeting?” The Duke of Cloud Fog City, Yun Hui seized the opportunity to kick the trio out, just in case they caused the Venerable One his position.
Yun Hui had always been an ambitious person. He had always been a neutral party when it came to picking between good and evil; he had never been bound by the virtuous path.
Park Deokhwan’s expression was glum. It was just like what his master said, the attendees of this meeting were righteous people, which meant someone like him had the rights to speak.
With his master, when had it not been doing as he was told? He could only obey orders, where would there be the existence of different opinions?
As his thoughts drifted to his master, he stood his ground once more, “Bullying someone through force, and yet all of you dare call this an Alliance of Justice? If that is the case, we’ll just quit.”
However, this statement of his was nothing more than someone trying to act strong despite being weak inwardly, a coward acting like a bully if you will.
Once a person loses the confidence of those around him, then no matter how logical are his words, he would only seem like he was giving excuses in the eyes of those around him.
For example, no matter how much stories and statements that are meant to help them are spewed by criminals, they would still have to convince the judge in the end. If the judge did not believe in them, nothing they said would be able to save them.
“He can’t even withstand such weak coercion. It is obvious he does not possess any Morality as he only knows to rely on his mouth in a pinch. I’m afraid he might have done any just deeds as well. I think we will have to strictly review the qualifications for partic.i.p.ation for the next meeting.” A number of attendees shook their heads in disdain.
…
Fang Ning felt happiness bloom in him and he proudly said, “Did you see that? It used to be righteous characters being forced into a corner by the wicked ones, now it’s the other way around. We have the advantage of numbers on our side, so the Alliance leader didn’t even need to waste any energy at the appearance of an opposing party.
“We can credit this to the success of our strategy where we roped in enough allies in advance, which allowed us the advantage of numbers today. Everyone is speaking on behalf of us. Tell me, would a tiny System like you be able to achieve something like this? With the way you act, not offending anyone would have been enough of a surprise.”
The System deadpanned, “I can’t do something like this… Am I allowed to farm those spirits now?”
Fang Ning rolled his eyes, “I want to use them both as sacrifices, so wait a minute. After my subordinates are done, it’ll be the time for me to s.h.i.+ne! Do help me release some Morality later…”
Hearing the words “bullying someone through force” made the great green insect withdraw. As if realizing that it had made a mistake again, it hid into the head feathers of the giant eagle, not even daring to peek its head out.
However, she was elated that the Azure Dragon did not reprimand it this time.
At this moment, all 41 attendees were high up in the air, however none of them were standing at equal height. They could only gather into a loose circle, which naturally meant the giant eagle was excluded.
Officer Zhang had spoken from the middle of the circle in the beginning, but he had now moved to the outside of the circle to speak with the higher-ups.
The trio from Goguryeo had also gradually withdrawn from the circle. They stood a few meters away, their faces pale.
“Everyone please settle down, I would like to say a few words.”
Right after the voice fell, everyone’s gazes turned towards the previously quiet Venerable Dragon G.o.d, who was today’s pre-decided protagonist. He had finally appeared in the middle of their circle.
However, his gaze was fixed on the trio from Goguryeo. With a wave of his hand, silence fell upon everyone.
“I already know of your origins, and I also know that the three of you are non-friendly.”
As his voice fell, a wave of white gas shot into the sky before it dispersed to shroud everyone at the venue.
The attendees from China as well as the other 13 countries felt at ease after the white fog swept through them; it was like entering a spa during winter, or dipping into the pool during summer. Some of them even felt like they had grown stronger too.
As for the trio from Goguryeo, Park Deokhwan’s reaction was nothing out of the ordinary as he was merely s.h.i.+vering. The two sinister-looking elders behind him, however, shrieked in horror before black gas that betrayed their unparalleled evil started emitting from their bodies. Immediately, they fell limp to the ground.
Watching this unfurl before their very eyes, everyone came to the horrified realization and glared at the trio. These evil demons were extremely courageous; they even dared to attend a meeting like this? It seemed that the trio were merely cannon fodder.
The gust of white air that had appeared was no foreign sight; all the attendees had a bit of that in them, and they knew that it was because the newly-created Heavenly Axiom had bestowed upon people of virtue a unique power known as Morality – which could be used against beings of evil.
The Venerable Dragon G.o.d was overflowing with it, and they have never seen a single being with so much Morality either. It was no wonder none of them could see through the trio from Goguryeo, yet they were exposed by the Venerable One instantly.
“However, some of your statements are not wrong. Using power to bully others is not the way of virtue, and intelligence is a factor that should be taken into consideration when choosing the leader of this Alliance.”
Everyone listened intently as Vigilante A continued, “I will give the three of you an opportunity today, so that you will admit defeat willingly. I also want you three to understand what is true wisdom! I’ll have you know that justice will always prevail!”
Vigilante A’s words were full of shock, which moved everyone.
As expected of the Venerable One; righteous to the core, just and honorable, gaining compliance through reasoning and never bullying someone through power!
Despite the fact that he was the strongest in this realm; undefeated and ever-triumphant.
They have never heard of him bullying those weaker than him, nor have they heard of him looting through force. He had always earned his keep through hard work; the actual value he has generated for society had already gone far beyond what he should have gotten in return for his efforts.
Apparently a lot of big organizations had wanted to hire him as a foreign member for their organization, and that included gifting him free shares for their respective organizations. They were all rejected, however, as he did not want anybody taking advantage of his power to do evil behind his back.
This time around, he had accepted the position of Alliance leader because he wanted to take charge of serving justice and maintaining order.
If you were to compare both situations, if the Venerable One was after fame and wealth, he would have picked any big organization to join instead of a.s.suming the post of the leader of this Alliance, which would give him little in return despite great contributions.
“Well said!”
Some of the attendees could not help but clap their hands. At this moment, they finally saw hope for the new era!
“As expected of the Pharos of the East. His light illuminates the entire world, no shadow or darkness will be able to take form!”
Some of the attendees were crying even; not every country was as strong as China, and facing evil is no easy task!
Now that a righteous figure of such power and reason had appeared, they could finally experience the satisfaction that came from subduing evil. How could they not be moved?
Everyone knew that Vigilante A was most skilled at battles, but at this moment, he had made a resolute decision to do something that he was not skilled at just so he could stick to his reasoning until the other party was persuaded.
Why did evil cause so much fear, while justice provided so much security?
Because evildoers would never reason with you!
No matter how honest or well-behaved you were, if the other party happened to be in a bad mood, only death awaited you!
Other matters would involve problems with standpoint, so having a clear line between good or bad would be difficult; however, this aspect of evil would never change.
If a powerhouse decided to murder the innocent for entertainment just because they were in a bad mood, that meant they were undoubtedly evil!
There was one thing they have never doubted; Fang Ning was not only lazy and playful, he also liked holing himself up at home. He truly had lots of minor problems…
However, he had always been a person of reason. One person could only hide so much of themselves, but you would never be able to hide your true character completely since it would reveal itself occasionally.
Even if he suddenly had the obsession to take someone’s life, he would never. Not to mention the fact that he would never lay a hand on the innocent. This aspect of him completely differentiated him from evildoers!
Hearing this, Park Deokhwan felt that something was amiss. When their true ident.i.ties had been revealed, he thought they would be kicked out of the meeting immediately, and they would never be able to complete the task a.s.signed to them by their master, the United States of America.
However, he had not expected that Vigilante A was meticulous to the bone. Vigilante A actually listened to his statements and agreed to his suggestion to conduct an examination?
He lifted his head once more and painstakingly said, “Since you’ve put it like that, then Goguryeo will come up with the first problem for the examination. I would also like to see if you, the one who carries everyone’s expectations on his shoulders, possess true intelligence!”
Everybody’s gazes glinted with fury; this man really knew no bounds. If he had any ounce of common sense left, he would have left the meeting long ago instead of being so stubborn about things Did he not know that the Venerable One’s time was precious?
The Venerable One actually carried out deeds of justice for 24 hours straight. He was unlike this despicable man who only knew how to twist his words, who had nothing better to do other than stir up trouble!
Park Deokhwan paid the scrutiny of everyone else no heed. He had only the orders his master had given him before they left on his mind.
“If Vigilante A possesses Heaven’s Eye and sees through the disguises of the Wisdom Spirits, you are not to go after the position of Alliance leader. Go with the second plan of proposing that question for the examination and expose Vigilante A as the true idiot that he is.”
“The question that we have decided will definitely expose Vigilante A’s true self. He has no ability to serve justice and act as the leader of the Alliance of Justice and Order. He will not be able to carry out the Path of Heavenly Punishment at all.
“The most he can do is sacrifice himself for the leader and act as nothing more than a p.a.w.n in maintaining order!”
“If you successfully complete this task, we will welcome your entire family into the USA and reserve a position for all of you in heaven.”
With the success of the task within his reach, he controlled his agitated emotions and prepared to speak.
Suddenly, someone interrupted him.
It was Officer Zhang, who had finally finished receiving orders from the higher-ups.
“Hold it, the question that you would like to ask should be approved by the representatives of the other 13 countries. After it has pa.s.sed the test of fairness, only are you allowed to use it as a question.”
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement at Officer Zhang’s words, since they all had thought the same. The people of Earth came from various cultures, so there was no lack of questions that tested one’s intelligence. Even deities would have a hard time answering some of the questions that existed.
“Exactly. If you come up with a question that has no definite logic or answer behind it, wouldn’t that mean you were trying to pick a fight?” quipped someone.
Park Deokhwan was not humbled by the statement and instead he spoke with confidence once again, “Hmph, why would I come up with a question like that? Our question is simple and fair. We only want to ask the Venerable Dragon G.o.d, the Pharos of the East, in this new era with its complex situation, tensions between races have flared up and a whole country has even been completely destroyed.
“Under these circ.u.mstances, where does the future of humans lie? What is our goal, and how are we going to achieve that? I hope the Venerable One will answer this himself, and act accordingly to his answer as well.”
This statement of his shocked everyone.
This clubhead dared to ask such a heavy question, yet it was a question that could not be avoided by the leader of this Alliance. If the leader himself had no idea where his goals laid, how would he lead others?
They only hoped that the Venerable Dragon G.o.d did not care about the situation’s Achilles heel, and would come to answer with a statement that would subdue the other party completely.
They could not let anyone else come up with an answer for the Venerable One to repeat too, since the Venerable One had to act accordingly to his answer.
The Venerable Dragon G.o.d could only answer from his heart and act accordingly to his answer.
Any answer provided by someone else would definitely not fit the goals of the Venerable One.
As expected, this person had already planned everything from the start.
At this moment, the gaze of every righteous figure there had their gazes all locked on Vigilante A!!