Chapter 355 Plan B

"To be more precise, a promotion in official rank can also lead to a leap in Sephiroth. For example, Captain Banintik already possessed the ability to become a 6, so he could naturally be promoted after becoming Captain. Meanwhile, Parriman wasn't originally a person who could be promoted, but he held a high position in the city-state. Therefore, the power of the Thorns was channeled down to grant him a 6 Sephiroth 'personhood' during his tenure, ensuring he was qualified to serve as a symbol of power within the city-state system."

Velvet looked at someone and said, "This system has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that if there is a sufficient talent pool, the city-state can quickly produce Sephiroth 6 through political means. The disadvantage is that if the upward path is blocked, those with existing talent will not be able to move up to the next level."

Trick stared silently at the water screen, which had already lost its image, completely oblivious to everyone's discussion. Li Ke couldn't stand it anymore and slapped him, and only then did he come to his senses.

"Ah... that's certainly true of the official Transcendents. Lone Rangers who break away from the system don't have such concerns. Enjoying the conveniences granted by the system comes with corresponding restrictions." He smiled. "To be frank, the only official Sephiroth 6 in the Thorns right now is Benintic, and that's the result of internal factional struggles. Perriman's influence is too great, and any high-ranking official appointed from the Divine Guard would likely be one of his confidants, which would create a die-hard independent captain... So, Benintic, from the Judiciary, was made captain, relying on him to maintain the balance of power."

Velvet continued, "The price of this move is that the highest position in the Judiciary, Chief Judge, is currently held by a purely civilian, without the status granted by the Divine Tree. Because Benintic holds both the Divine Guard and the Judiciary, the system does not allow the Judiciary to dominate."

Ji Huaisu said angrily: "To maintain internal balance, they weaken the overall strength. How can such a ridiculous thing happen?"

"This is the safest way forward right now. If a law-abiding captain really shows up, we're already planning how to forcibly kill Seismic Point 6," Vander said dryly. "So this is the end of the situation, right? Unless someone on our side can turn things around and get elected a high-ranking official within the next 30 days, we'll have no one at the top."

"Lord Shenshu is still on our side!" said Li Ke.

"The Jingsha Sacred Tree can't even protect itself. Who knows what it will become in a few days?" Fander retorted, "Don't forget the face on the back of its head!"

An indescribable sense of dejection spread. Everyone present had the courage to fight the enemy to the death, but this time, the "enemy" was a disembodied system. The facts were clear: Parriman had spent twenty years creating this complex system, and it was impossible to easily change it with military force alone. Even if they were willing to kill Parriman at all costs, how would that change the laws already enacted?

Gulibo listened for a long time without understanding, and said blankly, "Parriman has a lot of votes, can we go canvass for them too?"

Vander retorted: "It's not that simple! By now the votes have long been—"

“Absolutely,” Velvet said. “Next, let’s go get votes.”

Everyone stared at her blankly. Velvet found a copy of the Thorns Constitution on the first-floor bookshelf and flipped to the last page.

"In the Jingsha Constitution, there is a clause proposed by the Jingsha Sacred Tree itself. This clause has remained unchanged through hundreds of revisions over thousands of years, always at the very end of the Constitution, like an unchanging bottom line. The written language of the clause is complex, but its core idea is as follows:

To ensure that the democratic political system does not make major decisions that violate justice, morality, and love due to collective misjudgment, if a large number of Jingsha citizens independently initiate a petition, the Senluo Divine Tree may initiate a second review of policies that have already been implemented and affect the lives of citizens, re-vote on passed governing bills, and re-examine the judgments of major and above-level cases. Other public political decisions that have a significant impact on the city-state may be handled in accordance with this rule.

Everyone took a few seconds to digest the information, and then Rico was the first to jump up and say, "So, we still have a chance to vote again? As long as we collect enough petitions!!"

"But this law has never been enforced!" said the Poison Otter editor. "Law schools interpret it as a symbolic law, intended to demonstrate the sacred tree's status, because its enforcement conditions are too harsh!"

"The 'large number of citizens' mentioned in this article is determined by a combination of the total number of citizens currently eligible to vote and the results of democratic voting..." Trick calculated. "This number differs between normal times and wartime emergencies. The latter requires nearly double the former. Assuming normal times, overturning implemented policies and hearing major cases would require approximately 20 million votes... The number of votes required to pass a bill is calculated by dividing the difference between the votes of both parties by the number of citizens who did not vote, which is..."

Hill came over pushing a whiteboard. Velvet took out a pen and checked the calculations on the spot, writing a long line of numbers at the bottom of the whiteboard.

"About 47 million votes," Velvet said. "If we can gather 47 million signatures on a petition, the Divine Tree can initiate a re-vote on the independence bill."

Chu Hengkong clapped his hands and said with a smile, "That was your original plan, wasn't it?"

Velvet didn't deny it. "There's no point in directly opposing Parriman's bill on his home turf. Parriman will undoubtedly resort to every possible means before the vote, and his momentum will be unstoppable. He relies on the ills accumulated over thousands of years in the city-state. Before the vote is announced, the public won't understand the significance of their choice, and any outcry will pale in comparison."

"But after the results are announced, public attitudes will change." Vander followed her train of thought. "Citizens who supported the bill out of momentary emotion will start to reconsider, and the mainstream public will change their minds due to their own interests. Moreover, there are a huge number of people who did not participate in the vote. They are the most likely to be won over."

"Independents—what should we do?" Manager Crucian Carp discovered a new problem. "They're always the most powerful! If they still dominate after re-voting..."

Ji Huaisu said angrily: "If the city-state still insists on its own way at that time, it means that Jingsha deserves to be destroyed!"

"We will never get to that point," said Trek. "The public may be deceived, but they will never lose their conscience. If we can provide timely guidance, we will definitely get back on the right track."

His expression was unprecedentedly solemn. "Ms. Velvet, since you already have a plan, why not tell me about it? I believe everyone here will lend a helping hand!"

Velvet nodded, turned the whiteboard over, and marked three areas: enemy, neutral, and friendly.

"We analyze the situation from both inside and outside Jingsha. The core conflict within Jingsha is the issue of independence. Anyone who supports independence is our enemy, while those who remain loyal to the alliance are our friends."

Chu Hengkong found a pencil and quickly drew a sketch of Parriman, pinning it to the top of the enemy zone. Velvet circled the number 1 underneath it. "Parriman and the First-Section nobles who support him are the core of the independence faction. These votes are at the heart of their interests, so they can't be won over. They don't need to be given too much attention."

Velvet wrote 4 slightly below: "The Fourth Vein, Harvest Fields, is Pariman's main voting base, and the majority of its citizens support the bill. However, due to its large population, a significant number of apolitical citizens did not vote. These citizens are the main source of votes we need to win over. What is the attitude of the captain of the fourth team?"

"She's a die-hard supporter of Parriman," Trek said. "But this is a political stance, not a moral one. She's still fighting for Thorns."

"The captain of the fourth team can fight for it," Velvet confirmed. "Then there's the neutral zone. Currently, the second-line Ironthorn Crown and the first-line Justice Division led by Benintic are neutral."

She wrote a 2 and another circled 1 in the neutral zone. Ji Huaisu asked, "I understand Benintic, but what about the second pulse sequence? I remember that was a barracks, right?"

"Soldiers wounded in the war and those loyal to their moral principles have been arguing endlessly. Several armed clashes have occurred within the Second Lineage this year, each suppressed by the Second Captain," said Trick. "Consider the Second Captain a neutral faction. His duties restrict him to silence, but he holds considerable influence among the people. If we can get him to clearly side with one side, the barracks' vote count will increase significantly."

Velvet emphasized the number 2: "The second-order lineage represents the military strength of the Jingsha people, and they are the force we must win over. As for the third and fifth-order lines, they are the most staunch opponents of the bill. Our attitude is to gain as much power as possible while maintaining our base."

"Those people in the amusement park are actually against the bill?" Gulibo was confused.

"Businessmen are the most adept at weighing the pros and cons. The Fifth Order's primary revenue stream relies on tourism. Jingsha's independence would be a disaster for them," Velvet concluded. "Within the next 15 days, we must incite the Fourth Captain to defect and secure the support of the Second Team. This is the first part of our plan."

"The first part of raking in 47 million votes from two different lines sounds challenging enough," said Vander. "I can't even imagine how crazy the second part will be."

"After initiating a new vote on the bill, we'll move on to the second part of our plan." Velvet placed a large X on Parriman's portrait. "Assassinate Parriman, crush his power, and utilize the wartime clause to elect a new Speaker to eliminate future trouble."

The big seal held up the sign and groaned: [You proposed to assassinate the Speaker in front of so many citizens of Thorns...]

"Good plan!" Li Ke said excitedly.

Captain Ji was even more forward-thinking: "Can we just go straight to the second stage?"

"No, because Wang Quan is here," Chu Hengkong said. "Even if we succeed in killing Parriman, Wang Quan will disguise himself as Parriman and stage a 'resurrection of the dead' drama. This drama will effectively make him a saint, and then no one will stand on our side. So we have to wait until the bill is re-elected and at least 47 million votes are collected so that we have the initiative before we can take action against Parriman."

"Why did Wang Quan wade into this mess?"

"Because Parriman is the one who hired the King's power," Velvet said. "To be more precise, they all hope to see the independence of Thorns. They will cooperate sincerely until their goal is achieved."

Trek didn't react. "I won't mention the evidence. After all, anyone with a discerning eye can see the true purpose of the Thorn Blossom Festival's attack. I only have one question: why would those assassins go all out to help Parriman? What benefit can a figurehead Parriman offer them?"

"This question needs to be answered in two ways," Velvet said. "For all assassins below the king, this is just a common Blood Alliance mission. The king has absolute command over the Blood Alliance, and they cannot challenge the king's will."

Trek pressed on, "What about Wang Quan himself?"

Velvet didn't answer, instead looking at Chu Hengkong. Chu Hengkong knew what she meant. She could guess Wang Quan's strategies and abilities, but she didn't truly understand him as a person. Regarding his deeper motivations, in the realm of reflection, only he was qualified to offer an answer.

Because for a long time, Dark Sovereign was his best friend.

(End of this chapter)