Above Shattered Lake, a Transport Ship was cutting through the waves, and along the way, finger sharks would leap up, attempting to taste the colossal creature, producing a tinkling, crisp sound.
“Hollis is colluding with the Eternal Wine Club?”
In the only VIP room, the benevolent-looking Ogre sat in a plush armchair, biting on a pipe, exhaling a ring of pale green smoke.
In front of the Ogre, the Holographic Screen displayed a tall, handsome, pointy-eared bald Goblin flipping through documents. Dressed in a tailor-made black suit and wearing glasses, his face was etched with worry.
“Yes, mayor, I’m afraid they’re trying to initiate impeachment to cut your term short. You’re the primary person responsible for the 422 Incident, and if Hollis manages to rally the centrists against us, demanding a mayoral vote, it would be difficult to garner support. Even the councilors who support us are under pressure from their Area’s constituents.”
“I never expected that after struggling with Andrei for so long, it would be Hollis, that bastard, who Picked the Peach
1
…”
Crack!
The Ogre bit down fiercely, shattering the white ivory pipe! It chewed a few times, swallowing the pipe completely!“How could one possibly govern well surrounded by these vermin!?” Its brow furrowed, the once kind and gentle face now radiated a deadly aura: “Hollis, a Human known for his lack of firm stance, unremarkable viewpoints, dull thinking, inability to change the status quo, and being notoriously easy to manipulate, dares to compete with me!?”
“Mayor, if it really comes to it, we could wait for the next term—”
“There is no next term, Gibot, there isn’t! Once I’m out, there’s no coming back!” The Ogre held up three thick fingers: “In the history of Kaimon City, there have been 51 Elf mayors and 42 Human mayors, and I am one of the mere three Non-standard Race mayors!”
The Blood Moon Sovereign impartially bestows glory upon all races, but some, due to their appearance, receive more glory, such as the Elves and Humans, known as the Standard Race. The others, the Orcs, Ogres, and Goblins, are considered Non-standard Races.
After years of artificial selection, the appearance of Non-standard Races has come increasingly closer to that of the Standard Race. The most primitive and ferocious Non-standard Races are weeded out at infancy, never even reaching the door of the Nursery.
“Do you know what I have sacrificed?” The Ogre tapped its teeth: “I pulled out all my sharp fangs and replaced them with neat, white ones; every morning, the first thing I do is clip my nails, because an Ogre’s claws can grow a joint’s length overnight; I have to undergo photorejuvenation weekly to ensure my skin doesn’t show unsightly wrinkles.”
“Even with all I’ve done, if it weren’t for the citizens’ curiosity, it wouldn’t have been possible for me to be elected mayor! Even though I, Arandor Fernand Snow, hold three Golden Degrees, am a Golden Two Wings Sorcerer, and have many other titles I’ve forgotten, the citizens won’t give me a second chance, just like you wouldn’t watch the same clown perform twice.”
“Gibot, do you know why I chose you as my secretary? Because you’re a Goblin. Only you can understand my plight, only you have been through the mockery I have faced.”
In the Holographic Screen, the Goblin Gibot seemed to want to say something but hesitated. Ogre Fernand Snow raised an artificial eyebrow and asked, “What do you want to say?”
“Mayor, why… why don’t you save the citizens?” Gibot’s voice carried a note of distress: “You knew it was an invasion by Sorcerers from the Outer Realm, yet you first dismissed it as rumors, claiming nothing happened.”
“Then you said it was a series of murders, and had the Sin Hunter’s Hall investigate.”
“Only at the end did you declare a terrorist attack and mobilize all the city’s armed forces.”
“And when it was all too late, you finally called in the Warzone Sorcerers.”
“If the truth had been disclosed from the start…”
“Revealing the truth from the beginning would have only caused panic among the citizens, leading to large-scale gatherings and attempts to flee, which would have offered the Invaders an opportunity,” Fernand Snow explained calmly. “So what do you think I should have done? Faced with over a hundred well-prepared Sorcerers from the Outer Realm scattered throughout, I had the Sin Hunter’s Hall take action immediately.”
“There are also the Research Institute and the Church!” Gibot added. “If they were willing to intervene, the Invaders wouldn’t have been able to wreak such havoc!”
“They’re unwilling. The Invaders haven’t harmed their interests; they have no reason or obligation to protect Kaimon City.”
“But you’re the mayor. If you pressured them to take a stand in public, the people would surely support you!”
Fernand Snow glanced at Gibot.
“I see now, Hollis just wants me out of office, and you want me dead.”
“No, I didn’t mean that…”
“Indeed, as you say, if I were to publicly pressure them, the Research Institute and the Church would likely step in to help expel the Invaders to maintain the good reputation they’ve built over the years,” continued Fernand Snow with a cold tone.
“But no one can exploit the sacred bloodline and the Moon Shadow without paying a price, no one. When my term ends, what awaits me is a prolonged death, a warning to other rulers.”
Gibot looked downcast: “So are we to just watch helplessly as the citizens are ravaged by the Invaders…”
“Do you think I lack compassion? Does your restless goodwill need to be so ostentatiously displayed?” Fernand Snow waved his hand impatiently: “The attack from the Outer Realm will soon pass. There are plenty of people to fill the vacant positions, destroyed buildings will be quickly rebuilt, and this will create a lot of jobs. In a few months, Kaimon City will recover as if nothing happened. Moreover, due to this unexpected catastrophe, consumer spending over the next six months will increase. The majority of those who died were the physically weak, too slow to escape, the middle-aged and elderly… Purely for Kaimon City, this attack is actually more beneficial than detrimental!”
Gibot, appearing stunned on the Holographic Screen, looked at Fernand Snow: “Mayor, you…”
“This isn’t just my view; the Racial Assurance Hall, the Sin Hunter’s Hall, the Development Department… the entire government system is hinting at it,” continued Fernand Snow. “Once the attack is over, the next six months will be an opportunity for the Government Affairs Hall to improve its performance records.”
“Gibot, a mayor is just a temporary master parasitic on the government system. If the system itself harbors such intentions, any disaster relief orders I give will only be implemented slowly. Instead of going against everyone’s wishes, why not go with the flow and save some money in the process?”
Fernand Snow spoke calmly: “It’s like gardening; you need to properly prune the overgrown plants to keep the garden beautiful. In the Blood Moon Kingdom, however, we cannot and do not allow pruning. If someone else does the pruning for us, why not be pleased?”
“What’s more important,” he spread his hands, “is that the Blood Saints crave corpses, and the Moonshadow cherishes death… Both races from the Blood Moon enjoy this massacre. It’s a game for the gods. The Government Affairs Hall can’t afford to upset them, you understand, right?”
Muttering, the Goblins said, “This is too much…”
“If you want to go further in the future, don’t concern yourself with good and evil. The Government Affairs Hall is only concerned with order and chaos.” Fernand Snow tapped on the table, “Alright, lesson’s over. When you go back, take one-fifth… no, one-third from my treasury to bribe the Non-standard Race councilors. Then take another seventh to pay Sylin. Have Woodpecker eliminate Hollis and the rest of those remnants from the Eternal Wine Club!”
Gibot appeared somewhat panicked: “Mayor, how can you—when you’re released from prison, you’ll have to undergo a memory scan—”
“I’ll erase the memory myself,” Fernand Snow said nonchalantly.
“But Hollis is not an ordinary person; he’s a Human councilor. The Sin Hunter’s Hall will surely investigate thoroughly! It’s a gamble!”
“Without gambling, there’s no chance!” Fernand Snow’s voice was cold, his eyes wide like brass bells, the chilling Killing Intent made Gibot realize for the first time that the mayor was an Ogre: “It was not easy to persuade the other Race councilors… even the Elves have agreed to my plan… Kaimon City’s Races are finally uniting for the first time…”
“If we’re lucky, and we’re the first to discover the correct Virtual Realm Passage, if we’re the first to invade the Outer Realm, that achievement will be enough to please the Blood Moon Sovereign, ensure my re-election, and give me more time to prepare!”
“Unfortunately, Ogres are not known for their good luck…” Fernand Snow said through gritted teeth: “But no matter what, I can’t end my term early, nor can I hand over the mayor’s position to a sycophant like Hollis! Humans are more arrogant than Elves, more short-sighted than Goblins, lazier than Orcs, greedier than Ogres… Humans are the least reliable Race, they’d abandon their own flesh and blood to take on the sacred bloodline, wear the skin of Moonshadow, then turn around and exploit their own kind even more! Now, we’re forced to make some minor mistakes!”
Gibot looked incredulous: “You call assassinating a councilor a minor mistake? What then constitutes a major one?”
“Being discovered is the real mistake,” Fernand Snow said coldly.
The scenery outside the window ceased to pass by, and the room’s speaker announced, “Mayor Fernand Snow, Transport Ship number 322 has arrived at Shattered Lake Prison.”
Fernand Snow walked to the window, his fingers lit up with a faint glow, and he tapped his temple, pulling out a thin white silk which he then tossed into the sea outside. A finger shark leapt out and swallowed it.
“I’ve already forgotten what I just told you,” he said, looking at the young secretary on the Holographic Screen. “It’s in your hands now, Goblin.”
With that, Fernand Snow turned off the Holographic Screen and exited the room, accompanied by two Blood Mad Hunters, and stepped off the Transport Ship into Shattered Lake Prison.
Within the yellow line, two neatly dressed Prison Guards awaited.
The Hunters didn’t show Fernand Snow any special regard and handed the documents to the more handsome Prison Guard: “This Transport Ship is carrying only one Prisoner. Please sign for receipt.”
The handsome Prison Guard checked the documents and nodded, “Confirmed, the Prisoner is Kaimon City Mayor Arandor Fernand Snow.”
“Are there some supplies on the ship that only you can move?”
“Sorry, not sure if it was the last shipment of food that was off, but now half the Prisoners and most of the Guards have upset stomachs and are lined up at the Treatment room. Could we ask the Hunters and sailors to help move the supplies?”
The Hunter muttered, “I heard that Kaimon City recently found some toxic Lala Fatty… couldn’t be… Of course, no problem, but we don’t know where the warehouse is.”
“I’ll lead the way for you,” said the handsome Prison Guard, looking at his colleague. “You take the Mayor to register in the Catalog of Sinners and arrange his dormitory.”
“Yes.”
Fernand Snow turned his head to look at the other Prison Guard next to him, whose presence seemed almost nonexistent. Whether it was the glare of the sun or something else, he found the guard’s face somewhat blurry.
“Mayor Fernand Snow, welcome to Shattered Lake Prison, where you will receive a stay that feels almost like home.”
Footnote:
Picked the Peach(摘了桃子):
It’s a metaphor for when someone else takes away the fruits of one’s own hard work and effort.
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