48 The Circles of Nobles Sure are Messy
After thousands of years of reparations and restructuring, the multiracial city of Vance underwent thousands of years of change. Its streets were messy without order, the districts which had once been defined clearly through squares and rectangles disappeared completely after numerous expansions.
The Goblins who had come to the city built their Alchemy Experimental Labs, Engineering Experimental Labs and a large-scale racing track. The Beastman brought along their Coliseum where fresh blood and glory could be found. With the arrival of the Elves, Theaters and Man-made Jungles started materializing in the city. The Mages appeared together with their high-rising Mage Towers that reached the clouds.
On both sides of the streets, infrastructure of different cultures from different eras could be seen. The solemn Dwarf's baroque-style buildings, the mysterious and sorrowful Dark Elf's gothic-style buildings, the Goblin-style buildings that were infused with metals and the smell of smoke and even the recent-times serene rural-style buildings by the surface Elves due to the Druid and Black Shaman's residing in this city.
Perhaps, the equally diverse Sulfur Mountain City might have the potential and liveliness to become a similar and well-known historical city. But in the face of this ancient city, it was still too young and impetuous.
The buildings of the new generation intertwined with those that had settled down in history. The different tribal styles of the accessory and the special products sold by the street vendors could also be treated as a beautiful scenery. The charisma of this ancient city forged by the assembly of many different races couldn't be denied. From another perspective, this showed the ancientness and the changes in the City of Platinum.
In current times, as eras changed, the original orderly design had totally disappeared. Time and history had changed the different districts into countless shapes and a disorderly picture of a 'valley' on the map. As the Alliance chose to station their headquarters here, more and more races and underground cities chose to claim a plot of land in this city. Facing a city that was changing every day, even the old Vance-ians who had been living here their entire life couldn't be sure how many different race or their unique buildings were here or which alley would lead where.
But, there was one specific place here which all Vance-ians would never be able to forget — The Platinum Chapel.
Of course, the reason had to do with the large surface area it took up and the 7 tall Mage Towers in the vicinity. Since it could be seen from every single corner of Vance City, it was impossible to forget it.
It was once called the Residence of the King of Platinum, well-known for its extravagance in history. At that time, the Underground Autarch who ruled over this city and hundreds of other underground cities in the vicinity suddenly got a stroke of inspiration and used up a hulking amount of money to build this city within a city that was more than 6 kilometers long. In fact, to stay true to its name with its name, mithril and platinum was used to plate the outer walls. Under the rays of light, the castle shined, as if it was the homeland of the Angels in the castle of clouds. Within it, jewels and treasures were glowing by the streets, beauties in faille were all around, ready to serve, just as the pond of wine and forest of meat were prepared everyday…
Fine, let's not mention how that fellow ruled oppressively and overtaxed the population, or how the resentment of the public accumulated against him until he was overthrown. The hero who had ruled the city once + had been reduced to just bone ashes. But, the Platinum Chapel that he left behind became the symbol of Vance City.
Even if the extravagant plating of precious metals had been long scraped away and the walls were filled with vine-like magical plants, but that humongous and luxurious palace still remained as Vance and the Underground World's most beautiful palace.
The Underground World today wasn't like back then, when the Platinum King was the only big faction. The 4 Underground Autarchs restraining each other kept Vance in a state without a city lord. No one dared to claim ownership of this palace but today, it was about to be used once again. It was the location for the Alliance Conference and in fact, its scale would be much larger than when the palace was in its peak condition.
The fireworks in the sky never stopped as Griffons and Scorpion-tailed Lions walked to and fro welcoming guests. The majestic gigantic Dragons could only serve as the sentry and door guards for the gathering. Each and every carriage was pulled by powerful Magic Beasts. The ingredients for the food on the lunch table were all precious top-tier Magic Beasts. The attending underground city lords were full of experts, true to the saying 'Saints are everywhere and Legends are like dogs[1]'. Maybe there wasn't the luxurious and wealth of a Human Kingdom, but in the Underground World where the strong reigned supreme, they used their own way to decorate this biannual Conference.
Despite arriving pretty early, it was already crowded everywhere. The event location was split into 3 main districts. The Outer District was the outer area of the Platinum Chapel. Normal civilians were allowed to enter and this was where the guards of the city lords would stand on guard. There were also many different kinds of activities and performances here. The buffet set up would at least last for an entire week. The Middle District was where the city lords of smaller cities and well-known heroic figures would hold a drinking party for 3 days straight. As for the Inner District, it was also where the session would be shortest. Within 2 days, the different influential figures from different places would wreak havoc with their arguments.
More than 10 Roland Robots walked together, their footsteps in sync, creating a light earthquake with every step. The carriages in front were forced to give way to us. A gigantic Metal-backed DemiDragon who blocked the way with his gigantic bottom was lifted up and kicked away by Roland No.2 like a metal ball… I wouldn't waste money for nothing. Although they could only be placed on the grounds outside of the Outer District, it was perfect to showcase our might.
Very few underground city lords had a good temper, so there were many sparks on the road. The security personnel also tacitly remained silent. On our road here, we saw quite a few duels and among them, there was no lack of Legend-rank fighters.
In truth, the reason why a large portion of city lords brought their strongest guards were to showcase their might and for their security. The Underground Autarchs, even more so, weren't able to skip that tradition. There were already 7 to 8 Red Dragons guarding the gates, an obvious show of power by Molly.
By the way, Little Red should have come but as she was unwilling to give up her bed (=give up those treasures…), I could only send her a signal to come when I required her presence when signing the Alliance pact…
But when Molly saw us, she heaved a sigh of relief. She knew the personality of her daughter. If she were to get group lynched in the middle of the meeting, then she wouldn't know where to put her face… Or, could it be that the bunch of Red Dragons at entrance were supposed to block Little Red from entering? Somehow, I felt like I got a glimpse of the truth.
"Hi, old lady, I am here. How have you been these days?"
Starting a battle in the duration of the Conference was forbidden. Those who broke this rule became the public enemy of the Alliance, but this didn't stop me from taunting them. Or rather, in such an occasion where everyone could only move their mouths, it was more than convenient for me to attack them verbally. As I started the topic about the experience they had these past few days, the beautiful face of the Dragon Queen immediately distorted in anger.
Of course I knew that they hadn't been well these past few days. After all, they suffered multiple attacks from thieves, underground city lord and even Undead Lords. Even if they had many hidden aces, but how could they take proper precautions when everyone was the enemy? It must have been suffocating to live like a rat crossing the street[2].
"Hehe, looks like the 6th Senator has appeared. It's fortunate that the first 3 aren't here… If they came, I probably wouldn't be seeing you all now. How's the ant poison from Lamost? You must be dying from the excruciating pain."
From the outer appearance, the Dragon Queen was a red-haired beauty. However, she wore a pair of black gloves which extended all the way to her shoulders and her fur coat covered her entire upper body. This style of dressing was vastly different from her usual. It was apparent to see that she was wounded. Furthermore, I heard that she crossed blades with Lamost yesterday, so it was very possible for her to have been afflicted by that deadly plague-like Ant Poison. I am purposely jabbing at where it hurts.
Of course, Molly was so enraged that her magic tattoos started deforming. But then, she grinded her teeth and tolerated it.
Grabbing a cocktail from the tray of the servants, she swallowed it in one shot and left a sentence behind before leaving.
"You won't be gleeful for long."
I immediately replied to her taunt.
"Right, your daughter says that she wants to beat you up. Remember to bring more bodyguards along, the bunch at the door aren't enough to beat her."
I purposely said it loudly. The surrounding underground city lords were surprised that there was someone who dared to challenge the Dragon Queen. Even more inconceivable, the Dragon Queen merely grinded her teeth and left, not even returning the taunt, seeming to accept reality.
"Uncle Bones, if you taunt her like that, won't she obstruct our entry into the alliance?"
"Will she not obstruct us if we don't mock her? Since we are destined to offend her, we might as well just go through with it. Besides, in the Underground World, only those who are strong will be respected. We might have offended the Dragon Queen, but at the same time, we will receive the goodwill of her enemies. Look, the bald fatty there is smiling so happily."
The bald fatty that I just mentioned was currently chatting happily with Kajah. Seeing that I was here, he waved his hand and gestures for me to come over. Shocking gasps could be heard everywhere. Not mentioning how we just triumphed verbally over the Dragon Queen, just the invitation from the Underground Autarch Eduar was sufficient for us, the group of 'freshman', to be on the headlines.
Ainsterna Eduar, his body was round and almost devoid of any hair. From afar, he seemed quite similar to a moving boiled egg, but there weren't any who dared to express such an opinion out loud.
In response to the invitation, I retreated instead to allow Annie to fulfill her responsibilities.
Due to the recent chaos, Annie had had many opportunities to fight. Also, due to there being many people taking the initiative to assault her, there were some improvements in her strength. After listening to the experiences of her godfather during his breakthrough, she seemed to have grasped onto something, it wouldn't be weird if she were to break through anytime soon.
But, compared to the fast-progressing Annie, Elisa behind my back was somehow solemn. Unlike Annie who had taken up the role as the future city lord of Sulfur Mountain City, Elisa was unsure of what she wanted exactly and it was impossible to enter the realm of Legends with doubts about the future you wish to walk on.
These few days, she had been quite silent and irritable.
"Don't think too much into it, you are good the way you are now." Even if the words of the outsiders weren't useful to the ones choosing their path, I couldn't help but to say these useless words.
My consolation made Elisa jolt suddenly. She seemed to be on the verge of saying something when 'dang dang dang', the sound of the bell echoed. A bunch of colorful flags hung in sky. Firework and the chatter outside was so loud that even the heavens tremor. The Conference began.
"Let's go in." Looking at the underground city lords who started swarming into the Inner District, I also hurried my footsteps. I couldn't leave Annie to attend the Conference by herself in the Inner District.
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"I propose to form an Alliance Army to completely wipe out the spies sent by the tailless monkeys on the surface." The furious howl of the Lion King reverberates in the large hall. Those eyes of fury stared at me. It was obvious he was talking about us when he mentioned the spies.
"Even their city lord is a Human Hero from the surface. Whose side are they actually on? What rights does Sulfur Mountain City have to join the Alliance, aren't they just intending to join in as a spy? I propose that we kick them out! Whoever dares to oppose my suggestion shall become the enemy of the Dragon City." The Dragon Queen's threat was very direct and effective. Offending the Dragon City represented all of the subordinate Dragon Tribes under the Dragon City and that wasn't something minor.
As expected, the moment the Conference started, before we could even be introduced to join the Alliance, the Lion King and the Dragon Queen started shooting at us. But, looking at this situation, I was so happy that I smiled.
"Then, let's treat it as the first matter at hand. All of the city lords, please make your decision." What surprised the Lion King and the rest was that Kajah and Eduar didn't try to stop them but rather, they even proposed to vote on the matter directly.
Following which, a shocking sight appeared. If a matter were to receive over half of the votes of those present here, it could be passed. However, in the big hall filled with a few thousand people, only a few hundred people raised their hands in agreement.
"Alright, the first proposal has been rejected."
At this point, they would really be dumb if they didn't get that something was amiss. The Dragon Queen and Lion King stared at each other with astonishment and disbelief on their face.
The underground cities tended to be quite far from each other, and many of the Alliance members had deep-seated grudges against each other, so the Underground Alliance was originally built as a loose organization. Even the Underground Autarchs didn't dare to say that they had definite control over their own supporters. But now, even the underground city lords with good relationship with them had foregone their rights to vote. What exactly was going on?!
They had expected Sulfur Mountain City to try their best to pull the other underground city lords to their side. But, these underground city lords were arrogant and aloof and they were quite far away from one another[3], so it was a daunting task to try to bribe them.
These few days, they became the thorn in the eye of everyone else. They couldn't spare any attention to set up obstacles for Sulfur Mountain City. From a certain perspective, my goal for throwing out the Scepter had been met.
Eduar nodded his head and continued.
"Alright then, Kajah and I will be proposing the 2nd matter. We want to accept Sulfur Mountain City as one of us and give it a status equal to Beast Sovereign Shou, Lord Dragon Empress, Kajah and I. Yes, we might gain another Alliance Vice-head."
After this proposal was said, a commotion breaks out in the hall. The position of an Underground Autarch wasn't something the Alliance could decide, but if this proposal was passed in the Conference where all powerful underground city lords attended, then there's no difference between Sulfur Mountain City and the other Autarchs. As for the Alliance Vice-head, it was just an official way of calling an Autarch.
"This matter is more important so going by the rules, we require more than 80% of the members to not disagree. It will be an anonymous vote so everyone can rest easy and just vote as you wish."
No one felt that this incredulous proposal would be passed, except for me…
– I told Kajah and Eduar, "This proposal definitely won't be passed. After proposing this, if we take a step back and propose something less extreme, it will be easier for it to be passed. Give us a hand, we need an explosive entrance. To repay you both, we will…"
"Those in favor, 110 votes…" Hearing this vote number, the Lion King and Dragon Queen's face were full of smiles, their gazes full of contempt against me, as though saying 'a countryside bum wants to ascend the Heavens in a single step, dream on.'
"… Those against, 206…." "Impossible!!" It was natural for the votes in favor to be little, but for the votes against being so few was inconceivable as well, the Lion King stood up abruptly.
The Lion King's expression seemed like he was ready to eat anyone made the speaker quiver.
"Neu…Neutral votes and abandoned votes come to a total of 2367, the number participating in the Conference is 3583, the proposal has been passed! AHHHHH!"
After throwing the conclusion at the audience, the speaker immediately crouched down and rolled away.
The Lion King snatched the voting results and looked over them for several times. The results were clearly written on his face. In the end, he could only express a nasty face and tear it apart to vent his anger.
"How did you did it?" Kajah leaned over and whispered in my ear, her breath smelling like flowers. However, I simply smiled mysteriously, refusing to answer.
Actually, it was not that big of a deal. Just when everyone thought that I was playing around, I had done quite a bit of important preparations.
For example, as a veteran[4] Lawyer who was skilled in exploiting the loopholes of the law and a Legislator who had to fill up these hole, I studied the rules and regulations of the Alliance one by one…
'Important decisions are passed as long as at least 80% do not oppose it.' Yes, in order to prevent a decision being unable to be made due to its diverse members, each having differing views, such a rule had been implemented. So, when the Underground Autarchs were unable to come to a consensus, this rule allowed a large portion of the underground city lord's proposals to be passed.
But, they neglected the fact that just because they were not for it, didn't mean that they were against it…
It may be difficult to pull the votes of the underground city lords over to our side, but it wasn't entirely impossible to stop them from voting against us.
"The portion of the information of the law was indeed lacking, but if you are willing to not vote against us joining the Alliance, I shall pass the rest to you[5] after the Conference. Yes, it is sufficient as long as you don't vote against us, we just don't want to lose that badly…" This was a threat…
"Hah, this was Sulfur Mountain City's present. Your clothes should have been destroyed in the catastrophe, right? These leaves and rattan clothing were rushed out by the Druids of The 'Release of Heaven's Body' Group. It has been made out of natural materials and we guarantee that it's in line with its teachings. Hehe, you don't have to pay us, it's free. It will be sufficient if you all can help us a little in the Conference voting. You know, we're new and don't know much about it. I hope to be able to rely on you, Big Brother." This was a favor…
"Don't you all feel like the situation isn't right at the moment? There are currently 4 Underground Autarchs who are split into 2 factions. It's just a matter of time before war breaks out between them. Don't you feel like we need a lubricant kind of existence in the Alliance? He should be strong, but not too strong. It would also be best if he wasn't ambitious…" This was reasoning…
While the Lion King and Dragon Queen were distracted by the Scepter, I had plenty of opportunities to pull votes over to my side. Those underground city lords, came here with the mindset that 'since they require 80% of votes for the proposal to be approve, then even if I were to abandon my vote, the proposal won't be passed anyway', this way we were destined to succeed.
"Congratulations to our new Alliance Vice-head."
Eduar's congratulations came along with it an ill-intent sarcasm. Ignoring the High Priestess of the Dark Elves who was already leaning on me, the other two Underground Autarchs on the other side were already exerting their killing intent… Normally, the more cheerful a Dark Elf seemed to smile, the more ruthless they would be. No one liked it when their authority was split. No matter how well I had put it before, I had already offended all of them.
Also, the looks with which a large portion of the city lords looked at us weren't that friendly anymore. After all, I had lied to them all, even though what I said was technically the truth.
However, this was what I hoped to achieve. I smile, satisfied. Still, being stared at suddenly by over a thousand Legend-rank experts, the two people by my side felt uneasy.
Furthermore, a large portion of the ill-intent gazes were shot towards Annie who was sitting in the middle. After all, she was the future city lord of Sulfur Mountain City.
"I didn't have the time to wait for Annie to mature slowly. The greater the pressure, the faster the growth. From now on, the entire city is our enemy. Endure through it! This is my test towards you."
"Roland! Hurry up and come over, we have met with big trouble!! The base has been attacked by Undead Lords!!"
Suddenly, Little Red's voice rang at the back of my mind. She actually used the emergency communication and for her to require assistance against an Undead Lord, they had to be at least on the level of a Xiluo Senator.
"You won't be gleeful for long." Molly's taunt flashed across my brain. In that instant, I understood what had happened.
"Using the right to join in the auction or to view the Scepter to strike a deal with the Undead Senators so that they became your fighters? Infighting isn't allowed during the duration of the Conference, but the Undead Lords aren't restricted by this rule. Indeed, the Underground Autarchs weren't to be underestimated."
I stood up, intending return to the base to back the rest up, but the Dragon Queen blocked the entrance.
"Where are you intending to go? The Conference isn't over yet. Leaving the Conference on your own accord, this isn't very respectful to the… AYO, brat, what are you doing!"
By the side, a Dwarven lad was using its short legs to kick the Dragon Queen with all of its might. What was weird was that even though the motion of his short legs weren't fast, the Dragon Queen was unable to avoid the kicks! The kicks landed squarely on her knees every time.
"You bad person, bullying Ah Pa, Ah Dang hit you."
Somehow, I felt that this voice was very familiar, but I wasn't in the mood to laugh at the moment. At the same time, a premonition crept into my heart, as though something unfortunate was going to happen to me.
"I can guarantee with my years of experience of meeting with misfortune, this feeling means that big trouble was about to come my way."
The Dwarven lad raised his head, his face full of pimples and his snot flowing all the way to his chin. His two eyes starde intently at me. Then, he smiled foolishly at me.
"Ah Pa."
"…Ah Dang!!" If it weren't for his unique way of addressing me, I wouldn't have been able to connect the extremely big Abomination that I had personally created with this little Dwarf in front of me…
At this moment, I heard a chilling voice from the back of my ears.
"…You even have an illegitimate son, and it's a Dwarf? Master, I have nothing to say about your tastes. May I ask you what did you do with the mother of this child? Did you abandon her? Master, you are too filthy!"
[1] The author really likes to use this saying...
[2] someone that everyone hates
[3] quite far as in distance
[4] means someone who has been in the industry/trade/anything else for very long and became quite cunning in dealing with its matter. Can also be used to refer to a cunning/'slippery' person
[5] He is talking about the book he sold
The Goblins who had come to the city built their Alchemy Experimental Labs, Engineering Experimental Labs and a large-scale racing track. The Beastman brought along their Coliseum where fresh blood and glory could be found. With the arrival of the Elves, Theaters and Man-made Jungles started materializing in the city. The Mages appeared together with their high-rising Mage Towers that reached the clouds.
On both sides of the streets, infrastructure of different cultures from different eras could be seen. The solemn Dwarf's baroque-style buildings, the mysterious and sorrowful Dark Elf's gothic-style buildings, the Goblin-style buildings that were infused with metals and the smell of smoke and even the recent-times serene rural-style buildings by the surface Elves due to the Druid and Black Shaman's residing in this city.
Perhaps, the equally diverse Sulfur Mountain City might have the potential and liveliness to become a similar and well-known historical city. But in the face of this ancient city, it was still too young and impetuous.
The buildings of the new generation intertwined with those that had settled down in history. The different tribal styles of the accessory and the special products sold by the street vendors could also be treated as a beautiful scenery. The charisma of this ancient city forged by the assembly of many different races couldn't be denied. From another perspective, this showed the ancientness and the changes in the City of Platinum.
In current times, as eras changed, the original orderly design had totally disappeared. Time and history had changed the different districts into countless shapes and a disorderly picture of a 'valley' on the map. As the Alliance chose to station their headquarters here, more and more races and underground cities chose to claim a plot of land in this city. Facing a city that was changing every day, even the old Vance-ians who had been living here their entire life couldn't be sure how many different race or their unique buildings were here or which alley would lead where.
But, there was one specific place here which all Vance-ians would never be able to forget — The Platinum Chapel.
Of course, the reason had to do with the large surface area it took up and the 7 tall Mage Towers in the vicinity. Since it could be seen from every single corner of Vance City, it was impossible to forget it.
It was once called the Residence of the King of Platinum, well-known for its extravagance in history. At that time, the Underground Autarch who ruled over this city and hundreds of other underground cities in the vicinity suddenly got a stroke of inspiration and used up a hulking amount of money to build this city within a city that was more than 6 kilometers long. In fact, to stay true to its name with its name, mithril and platinum was used to plate the outer walls. Under the rays of light, the castle shined, as if it was the homeland of the Angels in the castle of clouds. Within it, jewels and treasures were glowing by the streets, beauties in faille were all around, ready to serve, just as the pond of wine and forest of meat were prepared everyday…
Fine, let's not mention how that fellow ruled oppressively and overtaxed the population, or how the resentment of the public accumulated against him until he was overthrown. The hero who had ruled the city once + had been reduced to just bone ashes. But, the Platinum Chapel that he left behind became the symbol of Vance City.
Even if the extravagant plating of precious metals had been long scraped away and the walls were filled with vine-like magical plants, but that humongous and luxurious palace still remained as Vance and the Underground World's most beautiful palace.
The Underground World today wasn't like back then, when the Platinum King was the only big faction. The 4 Underground Autarchs restraining each other kept Vance in a state without a city lord. No one dared to claim ownership of this palace but today, it was about to be used once again. It was the location for the Alliance Conference and in fact, its scale would be much larger than when the palace was in its peak condition.
The fireworks in the sky never stopped as Griffons and Scorpion-tailed Lions walked to and fro welcoming guests. The majestic gigantic Dragons could only serve as the sentry and door guards for the gathering. Each and every carriage was pulled by powerful Magic Beasts. The ingredients for the food on the lunch table were all precious top-tier Magic Beasts. The attending underground city lords were full of experts, true to the saying 'Saints are everywhere and Legends are like dogs[1]'. Maybe there wasn't the luxurious and wealth of a Human Kingdom, but in the Underground World where the strong reigned supreme, they used their own way to decorate this biannual Conference.
Despite arriving pretty early, it was already crowded everywhere. The event location was split into 3 main districts. The Outer District was the outer area of the Platinum Chapel. Normal civilians were allowed to enter and this was where the guards of the city lords would stand on guard. There were also many different kinds of activities and performances here. The buffet set up would at least last for an entire week. The Middle District was where the city lords of smaller cities and well-known heroic figures would hold a drinking party for 3 days straight. As for the Inner District, it was also where the session would be shortest. Within 2 days, the different influential figures from different places would wreak havoc with their arguments.
More than 10 Roland Robots walked together, their footsteps in sync, creating a light earthquake with every step. The carriages in front were forced to give way to us. A gigantic Metal-backed DemiDragon who blocked the way with his gigantic bottom was lifted up and kicked away by Roland No.2 like a metal ball… I wouldn't waste money for nothing. Although they could only be placed on the grounds outside of the Outer District, it was perfect to showcase our might.
Very few underground city lords had a good temper, so there were many sparks on the road. The security personnel also tacitly remained silent. On our road here, we saw quite a few duels and among them, there was no lack of Legend-rank fighters.
In truth, the reason why a large portion of city lords brought their strongest guards were to showcase their might and for their security. The Underground Autarchs, even more so, weren't able to skip that tradition. There were already 7 to 8 Red Dragons guarding the gates, an obvious show of power by Molly.
By the way, Little Red should have come but as she was unwilling to give up her bed (=give up those treasures…), I could only send her a signal to come when I required her presence when signing the Alliance pact…
But when Molly saw us, she heaved a sigh of relief. She knew the personality of her daughter. If she were to get group lynched in the middle of the meeting, then she wouldn't know where to put her face… Or, could it be that the bunch of Red Dragons at entrance were supposed to block Little Red from entering? Somehow, I felt like I got a glimpse of the truth.
"Hi, old lady, I am here. How have you been these days?"
Starting a battle in the duration of the Conference was forbidden. Those who broke this rule became the public enemy of the Alliance, but this didn't stop me from taunting them. Or rather, in such an occasion where everyone could only move their mouths, it was more than convenient for me to attack them verbally. As I started the topic about the experience they had these past few days, the beautiful face of the Dragon Queen immediately distorted in anger.
Of course I knew that they hadn't been well these past few days. After all, they suffered multiple attacks from thieves, underground city lord and even Undead Lords. Even if they had many hidden aces, but how could they take proper precautions when everyone was the enemy? It must have been suffocating to live like a rat crossing the street[2].
"Hehe, looks like the 6th Senator has appeared. It's fortunate that the first 3 aren't here… If they came, I probably wouldn't be seeing you all now. How's the ant poison from Lamost? You must be dying from the excruciating pain."
From the outer appearance, the Dragon Queen was a red-haired beauty. However, she wore a pair of black gloves which extended all the way to her shoulders and her fur coat covered her entire upper body. This style of dressing was vastly different from her usual. It was apparent to see that she was wounded. Furthermore, I heard that she crossed blades with Lamost yesterday, so it was very possible for her to have been afflicted by that deadly plague-like Ant Poison. I am purposely jabbing at where it hurts.
Of course, Molly was so enraged that her magic tattoos started deforming. But then, she grinded her teeth and tolerated it.
Grabbing a cocktail from the tray of the servants, she swallowed it in one shot and left a sentence behind before leaving.
"You won't be gleeful for long."
I immediately replied to her taunt.
"Right, your daughter says that she wants to beat you up. Remember to bring more bodyguards along, the bunch at the door aren't enough to beat her."
I purposely said it loudly. The surrounding underground city lords were surprised that there was someone who dared to challenge the Dragon Queen. Even more inconceivable, the Dragon Queen merely grinded her teeth and left, not even returning the taunt, seeming to accept reality.
"Uncle Bones, if you taunt her like that, won't she obstruct our entry into the alliance?"
"Will she not obstruct us if we don't mock her? Since we are destined to offend her, we might as well just go through with it. Besides, in the Underground World, only those who are strong will be respected. We might have offended the Dragon Queen, but at the same time, we will receive the goodwill of her enemies. Look, the bald fatty there is smiling so happily."
The bald fatty that I just mentioned was currently chatting happily with Kajah. Seeing that I was here, he waved his hand and gestures for me to come over. Shocking gasps could be heard everywhere. Not mentioning how we just triumphed verbally over the Dragon Queen, just the invitation from the Underground Autarch Eduar was sufficient for us, the group of 'freshman', to be on the headlines.
Ainsterna Eduar, his body was round and almost devoid of any hair. From afar, he seemed quite similar to a moving boiled egg, but there weren't any who dared to express such an opinion out loud.
In response to the invitation, I retreated instead to allow Annie to fulfill her responsibilities.
Due to the recent chaos, Annie had had many opportunities to fight. Also, due to there being many people taking the initiative to assault her, there were some improvements in her strength. After listening to the experiences of her godfather during his breakthrough, she seemed to have grasped onto something, it wouldn't be weird if she were to break through anytime soon.
But, compared to the fast-progressing Annie, Elisa behind my back was somehow solemn. Unlike Annie who had taken up the role as the future city lord of Sulfur Mountain City, Elisa was unsure of what she wanted exactly and it was impossible to enter the realm of Legends with doubts about the future you wish to walk on.
These few days, she had been quite silent and irritable.
"Don't think too much into it, you are good the way you are now." Even if the words of the outsiders weren't useful to the ones choosing their path, I couldn't help but to say these useless words.
My consolation made Elisa jolt suddenly. She seemed to be on the verge of saying something when 'dang dang dang', the sound of the bell echoed. A bunch of colorful flags hung in sky. Firework and the chatter outside was so loud that even the heavens tremor. The Conference began.
"Let's go in." Looking at the underground city lords who started swarming into the Inner District, I also hurried my footsteps. I couldn't leave Annie to attend the Conference by herself in the Inner District.
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"I propose to form an Alliance Army to completely wipe out the spies sent by the tailless monkeys on the surface." The furious howl of the Lion King reverberates in the large hall. Those eyes of fury stared at me. It was obvious he was talking about us when he mentioned the spies.
"Even their city lord is a Human Hero from the surface. Whose side are they actually on? What rights does Sulfur Mountain City have to join the Alliance, aren't they just intending to join in as a spy? I propose that we kick them out! Whoever dares to oppose my suggestion shall become the enemy of the Dragon City." The Dragon Queen's threat was very direct and effective. Offending the Dragon City represented all of the subordinate Dragon Tribes under the Dragon City and that wasn't something minor.
As expected, the moment the Conference started, before we could even be introduced to join the Alliance, the Lion King and the Dragon Queen started shooting at us. But, looking at this situation, I was so happy that I smiled.
"Then, let's treat it as the first matter at hand. All of the city lords, please make your decision." What surprised the Lion King and the rest was that Kajah and Eduar didn't try to stop them but rather, they even proposed to vote on the matter directly.
Following which, a shocking sight appeared. If a matter were to receive over half of the votes of those present here, it could be passed. However, in the big hall filled with a few thousand people, only a few hundred people raised their hands in agreement.
"Alright, the first proposal has been rejected."
At this point, they would really be dumb if they didn't get that something was amiss. The Dragon Queen and Lion King stared at each other with astonishment and disbelief on their face.
The underground cities tended to be quite far from each other, and many of the Alliance members had deep-seated grudges against each other, so the Underground Alliance was originally built as a loose organization. Even the Underground Autarchs didn't dare to say that they had definite control over their own supporters. But now, even the underground city lords with good relationship with them had foregone their rights to vote. What exactly was going on?!
They had expected Sulfur Mountain City to try their best to pull the other underground city lords to their side. But, these underground city lords were arrogant and aloof and they were quite far away from one another[3], so it was a daunting task to try to bribe them.
These few days, they became the thorn in the eye of everyone else. They couldn't spare any attention to set up obstacles for Sulfur Mountain City. From a certain perspective, my goal for throwing out the Scepter had been met.
Eduar nodded his head and continued.
"Alright then, Kajah and I will be proposing the 2nd matter. We want to accept Sulfur Mountain City as one of us and give it a status equal to Beast Sovereign Shou, Lord Dragon Empress, Kajah and I. Yes, we might gain another Alliance Vice-head."
After this proposal was said, a commotion breaks out in the hall. The position of an Underground Autarch wasn't something the Alliance could decide, but if this proposal was passed in the Conference where all powerful underground city lords attended, then there's no difference between Sulfur Mountain City and the other Autarchs. As for the Alliance Vice-head, it was just an official way of calling an Autarch.
"This matter is more important so going by the rules, we require more than 80% of the members to not disagree. It will be an anonymous vote so everyone can rest easy and just vote as you wish."
No one felt that this incredulous proposal would be passed, except for me…
– I told Kajah and Eduar, "This proposal definitely won't be passed. After proposing this, if we take a step back and propose something less extreme, it will be easier for it to be passed. Give us a hand, we need an explosive entrance. To repay you both, we will…"
"Those in favor, 110 votes…" Hearing this vote number, the Lion King and Dragon Queen's face were full of smiles, their gazes full of contempt against me, as though saying 'a countryside bum wants to ascend the Heavens in a single step, dream on.'
"… Those against, 206…." "Impossible!!" It was natural for the votes in favor to be little, but for the votes against being so few was inconceivable as well, the Lion King stood up abruptly.
The Lion King's expression seemed like he was ready to eat anyone made the speaker quiver.
"Neu…Neutral votes and abandoned votes come to a total of 2367, the number participating in the Conference is 3583, the proposal has been passed! AHHHHH!"
After throwing the conclusion at the audience, the speaker immediately crouched down and rolled away.
The Lion King snatched the voting results and looked over them for several times. The results were clearly written on his face. In the end, he could only express a nasty face and tear it apart to vent his anger.
"How did you did it?" Kajah leaned over and whispered in my ear, her breath smelling like flowers. However, I simply smiled mysteriously, refusing to answer.
Actually, it was not that big of a deal. Just when everyone thought that I was playing around, I had done quite a bit of important preparations.
For example, as a veteran[4] Lawyer who was skilled in exploiting the loopholes of the law and a Legislator who had to fill up these hole, I studied the rules and regulations of the Alliance one by one…
'Important decisions are passed as long as at least 80% do not oppose it.' Yes, in order to prevent a decision being unable to be made due to its diverse members, each having differing views, such a rule had been implemented. So, when the Underground Autarchs were unable to come to a consensus, this rule allowed a large portion of the underground city lord's proposals to be passed.
But, they neglected the fact that just because they were not for it, didn't mean that they were against it…
It may be difficult to pull the votes of the underground city lords over to our side, but it wasn't entirely impossible to stop them from voting against us.
"The portion of the information of the law was indeed lacking, but if you are willing to not vote against us joining the Alliance, I shall pass the rest to you[5] after the Conference. Yes, it is sufficient as long as you don't vote against us, we just don't want to lose that badly…" This was a threat…
"Hah, this was Sulfur Mountain City's present. Your clothes should have been destroyed in the catastrophe, right? These leaves and rattan clothing were rushed out by the Druids of The 'Release of Heaven's Body' Group. It has been made out of natural materials and we guarantee that it's in line with its teachings. Hehe, you don't have to pay us, it's free. It will be sufficient if you all can help us a little in the Conference voting. You know, we're new and don't know much about it. I hope to be able to rely on you, Big Brother." This was a favor…
"Don't you all feel like the situation isn't right at the moment? There are currently 4 Underground Autarchs who are split into 2 factions. It's just a matter of time before war breaks out between them. Don't you feel like we need a lubricant kind of existence in the Alliance? He should be strong, but not too strong. It would also be best if he wasn't ambitious…" This was reasoning…
While the Lion King and Dragon Queen were distracted by the Scepter, I had plenty of opportunities to pull votes over to my side. Those underground city lords, came here with the mindset that 'since they require 80% of votes for the proposal to be approve, then even if I were to abandon my vote, the proposal won't be passed anyway', this way we were destined to succeed.
"Congratulations to our new Alliance Vice-head."
Eduar's congratulations came along with it an ill-intent sarcasm. Ignoring the High Priestess of the Dark Elves who was already leaning on me, the other two Underground Autarchs on the other side were already exerting their killing intent… Normally, the more cheerful a Dark Elf seemed to smile, the more ruthless they would be. No one liked it when their authority was split. No matter how well I had put it before, I had already offended all of them.
Also, the looks with which a large portion of the city lords looked at us weren't that friendly anymore. After all, I had lied to them all, even though what I said was technically the truth.
However, this was what I hoped to achieve. I smile, satisfied. Still, being stared at suddenly by over a thousand Legend-rank experts, the two people by my side felt uneasy.
Furthermore, a large portion of the ill-intent gazes were shot towards Annie who was sitting in the middle. After all, she was the future city lord of Sulfur Mountain City.
"I didn't have the time to wait for Annie to mature slowly. The greater the pressure, the faster the growth. From now on, the entire city is our enemy. Endure through it! This is my test towards you."
"Roland! Hurry up and come over, we have met with big trouble!! The base has been attacked by Undead Lords!!"
Suddenly, Little Red's voice rang at the back of my mind. She actually used the emergency communication and for her to require assistance against an Undead Lord, they had to be at least on the level of a Xiluo Senator.
"You won't be gleeful for long." Molly's taunt flashed across my brain. In that instant, I understood what had happened.
"Using the right to join in the auction or to view the Scepter to strike a deal with the Undead Senators so that they became your fighters? Infighting isn't allowed during the duration of the Conference, but the Undead Lords aren't restricted by this rule. Indeed, the Underground Autarchs weren't to be underestimated."
I stood up, intending return to the base to back the rest up, but the Dragon Queen blocked the entrance.
"Where are you intending to go? The Conference isn't over yet. Leaving the Conference on your own accord, this isn't very respectful to the… AYO, brat, what are you doing!"
By the side, a Dwarven lad was using its short legs to kick the Dragon Queen with all of its might. What was weird was that even though the motion of his short legs weren't fast, the Dragon Queen was unable to avoid the kicks! The kicks landed squarely on her knees every time.
"You bad person, bullying Ah Pa, Ah Dang hit you."
Somehow, I felt that this voice was very familiar, but I wasn't in the mood to laugh at the moment. At the same time, a premonition crept into my heart, as though something unfortunate was going to happen to me.
"I can guarantee with my years of experience of meeting with misfortune, this feeling means that big trouble was about to come my way."
The Dwarven lad raised his head, his face full of pimples and his snot flowing all the way to his chin. His two eyes starde intently at me. Then, he smiled foolishly at me.
"Ah Pa."
"…Ah Dang!!" If it weren't for his unique way of addressing me, I wouldn't have been able to connect the extremely big Abomination that I had personally created with this little Dwarf in front of me…
At this moment, I heard a chilling voice from the back of my ears.
"…You even have an illegitimate son, and it's a Dwarf? Master, I have nothing to say about your tastes. May I ask you what did you do with the mother of this child? Did you abandon her? Master, you are too filthy!"
[1] The author really likes to use this saying...
[2] someone that everyone hates
[3] quite far as in distance
[4] means someone who has been in the industry/trade/anything else for very long and became quite cunning in dealing with its matter. Can also be used to refer to a cunning/'slippery' person
[5] He is talking about the book he sold
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