Chapter 1045: The Era of Extravagance
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In fact, even if the family leaders did not raise any objections, Vivian herself did not have much interest in the thankless job of becoming the chairperson of the Shadow Council. She knew that the new order of the supernatural camp would be very chaotic in the beginning; the races plotting against each other would not play by the rules, plus there were still many people who did not care for the new life of stability and prosperity but just wanted to vent their anger on human society. Even some of the madcaps were hoping to show force in front of the cowardly mortals. All these would greatly annoy her.
More importantly, Vivian felt that she had a more important mission and role to play by Hao Ren’s side; she had to cook, wipe the floor, wash his clothes and change water for Lil Pea. The countess was busy; she had no time for stuff like the New World Order.
But it was one thing to be unwilling to be the chairperson, it was another matter to be pointed out by others. The countess was embarra.s.sed and p.i.s.sed off. She wished she could teach these rude juniors a lesson. At the same time, she also wanted to keep her image as an elder. So she put on a plastic smile and said, “Maybe you guys need a good beating again, isn’t it?”
The representatives quickly denied it. Vivian said, “Okay, in fact, what you said makes sense. I am not the right person for the job. Seniority doesn’t always reflect ability, and I know that I am not good at this. You can recommend another candidate, but I would still have privilege in the Shadow Council, isn’t it?”
“Of course,” said Zeon Lucas, placing his hand on his chest and bowed slightly in an elegant manner. “The Countess will always have privilege in the Shadow Council, just as you have in all other a.s.sociations, secret organizations, and councils throughout the ages.”
Hearing that, Hao Ren was a little curious. He asked Vivian in a whisper, “Privilege? What privilege?”
“Like today, storming into their high-level meeting and giving them an earful,” Vivian said casually.
As the oldest otherworldling in the world, the most influential living being that had met all the supernatural races and partic.i.p.ated in all epic events of the planet, Vivian had an unspoken privilege. This privilege was not just about giving face, but rather that if she was willing, she could give her opinion to any supernatural forces and gain their respect.
She was a recognized sage and elder of all powers, even if she were a pauper, becoming mad every other day, wandering in the human world and living with human beings, she would still receive this transcendental treatment.
Vivian never joined any otherworldling forces. She did not belong to any family or have a family under her name. If Vivian wanted to express her thoughts, everyone, including the werewolves, would listen attentively. Though she had fought with many of them, she was also the arbitrator and mediator when these races had disputes.
When she was delirious, everyone saw it as a moving natural disaster. But when she was calm, everyone respected her.
Vivian was such a great and contradictory existence in the circle of supernatural beings. She was moody and awesome. Today, Vivian could storm into the high-level meeting in the Athens’ sanctuary and condemn the family representatives. Tomorrow and after the setting up of the Shadow Council, she could also do the same when she was not happy. She was eligible to partic.i.p.ate in any meeting of any races by default. This was Vivian’s privilege.”
Without tens of thousands of years of life and experience of the Mythological era, it was difficult for ordinary people to understand this phenomenon.
Hao Ren could not make head or tail of it. He was not interested in it. He did not know how great Vivian was in the circle of the supernatural creatures. Of course, he would still be amazed sometimes, but that was all about it. He preferred to marvel at Vivian’s cooking skill, and her losing the money on her way to buy ice pop.
Hao Ren lost his interest in the matter after the idea of the Shadow Council was settled. He was a neutral observer, so he was not interested in partic.i.p.ating in the management and control of any organization. At most, Hao Ren would monitor and intervene only when the situation got out of hand. So he left the meeting room with Vivian to get some fresh air outside.
The others were free to act.
Calm had returned to the square outside the meeting hall. There were only a handful of people walking around in the empty s.p.a.ce. The crowd that made troubles were like veteran actors; they were excited and impa.s.sioned during the shoot but quickly dispersed when it came to lunch break.
Lo and behold, they did not even leave a single piece of garbage behind.
“They weren’t like this before,” Vivian said, standing next to Hao Ren looking at the empty square. She then glanced back at the meeting hall behind her. “These races were originally violent, war criminals, and ready to fight at the slightest disagreement. Though they intrigued, they did it openly, and little did I know that they had learned the crafty and deceitfulness of the humans: manipulation of public opinion, using coercion and sneaky tricks to get what they wanted. Though I knew that they have been changing, this change still shocked me,” she said.
“Because they have long been living in human civilization,” Hao Ren said casually. “So they become more and more like the humans.”
“You seem to have something in mind?” Vivian looked at Hao Ren with a smile.
“I just didn’t expect that they could really be persuaded,” Hao Ren said, scratching his hair. He knew that Vivian was observant, but he did not expect she could so easily read his mind. “I thought they wanted to regain their glory,” he said.
Vivian just smiled and looked at the distant city street. After a long while, she suddenly said, “See? That new street uses electric streetlights.”
“Huh?”
“In fact, it is not you and I who have persuaded these people though we do play a part. These guys are stubborn, and their own judgment dictates their own behavior,” Vivian said with her arms crossed and the corners of her mouth arced. “Even without us, they wouldn’t really launch a counterattack. They wouldn’t even allow others to do so. Do you think they are stupid? They enjoy the convenience of modern society. They know how comfortable the world is after being transformed by human beings. Humankind has not only replaced the G.o.ds after thousands of years of development but more importantly, the world has developed from being barbaric to what it is now. This is an extravagant period where civil aircraft flies faster than any Blood Clan member, the modern industry produces tools that are more convenient than anything in ancient times, mobile phones are more convenient than messaging magic, and tablet computers have replaced all traditional entertainment. Those who were immersed in all these were living in extravagance.
“So, do you think they will allow anyone to destroy this comfortable and beautiful era?
“They certainly won’t. Instead, they want to enjoy all of this. They want benefits, not wars and ruins. Only those who have nothing but fervor would go to war. Almost no one in the sanctuary would want to risk all these because they have too much to lose; they are not going to give it up. All they want is to enjoy life. So after the disappearance of the demon hunters, they didn’t vie for hegemony because it meant returning to the old world of barrenness and barbarism. All they wanted is to walk out of the sanctuary and embrace the new world openly. As long as the big families set the unspoken rules, the chaps screaming around making noises are just chess pieces. The farce in the square wasn’t about revolution but a scheme of the big families fis.h.i.+ng in troubled waters,” Vivian said.
Hao Ren thought for a moment and shook his head. “It’s too chaotic and doesn’t make sense to me,” he said.
“To tell the truth, I can’t make sense of their thinking too, but whether it is human or otherworldling, they have come a long way amid many troubles,” Vivian said. “It’s troublesome and boring, yet many people never get tired of it.”
Hao Ren smiled helplessly and said nothing, just standing next to Vivian and looking up at the chaotic, shadowy dome of the sanctuary.
Soon, this dome would become useless.