Chapter 381: Can Reconciliation Be Possible?
Everyone looked at each other, and saw the same confusion in each other's eyes. Many people were still holding plates in their hands.
Velvet subconsciously tried to take the conch, but Chu Hengkong stopped her. He picked up the conch and said, "I am Chu Hengkong."
"I'm Parriman," the politician's cold voice came from the other side. "Let me be frank. I'm here to reconcile."
Chu Hengkong held the conch shell further away. "Jingsha's new joke?"
"I'm not in the habit of joking about big things," Pariman said. "I admit I underestimated your ability to act. Over 70 million votes were collected in just ten days, making a rerun a real possibility. The shift in the tide of the Fourth and Second Orders is undoubtedly the result of your hard work."
"However, if the current situation continues, it will not benefit either of us."
Chu Hengkong was calm and composed: "Why do you think so? We have a big advantage right now, don't we?"
"You might have overlooked one point. There are currently over 1.7 billion citizens in the Jingsha city-state. How long do you think it would take to organize another referendum?" Parriman laughed. "I'll give you the answer directly. Even with the Jingsha authorities' full cooperation, it will still take at least a month to organize and mobilize the vote!"
Velvet nodded, confirming the truth of his words.
Even laymen could understand the difficulty of this task. The citizens of Jingsha are simply too numerous, representing 1.7 billion lives of diverse races. Just the publicity surrounding the vote itself is a massive headache for the authorities. In fact, even now, a significant number of citizens of unique races remain unaware of the situation. Some insectoid and animaloid citizens, accustomed to solitary existence, are socially isolated, let alone voting. Furthermore, there are all sorts of different ballots, and the myriad problems that could arise during the counting process...
The vote during the Jingsha Festival had the support of the entire Jingsha officialdom, and to organize another referendum with the resources at hand would take more than a month.
Chu Hengkong's expression remained unchanged: "The Jingsha Sacred Tree is happy to help."
"And I will do everything in my power to stop the thorns," Perriman said. "We both need to face reality. A rerun will mean the beginning of a stalemate. You will undoubtedly use all sorts of tactics, and the authorities and I will do everything in our power to delay the rerun until the bill is successfully enacted."
We only have 20 days left. This short, high-pressure environment will force both of us to resort to extreme measures. Public opinion within the city-state is divided, and the strength of both sides will be eroded in internal strife. Ultimately, no matter who emerges victorious, their plans will be thwarted and will only benefit those outside the city-state."
"I am no hero of justice, merely a vessel. However, no matter which side or faction we belong to, all citizens of Jingsha do not want to see the city-state fall to the hands of outsiders. Reconciliation is a mutually beneficial option for both of us."
Chu Hengkong nodded: "Tell me your conditions."
"The implementation of the bill can be postponed," Pariman said. "If the existing garrison on Shura Island can hold out, Jingsha can continue supporting the Desperate Front until the Allied forces arrive and all parties can reach an appropriate resolution. Construction of new shipping routes can be carried out simultaneously during this transitional period, ensuring the supply of materials to the overseas Dust Islands."
"We, the Allied faction, have no reason to object, but how do you deal with your independence supporters?"
"I'll lie to them," Pariman said without hesitation. "I'll tell them this is part of the independence plan, the best solution worthy of our Allied comrades. My credibility is enough to sustain these lies for three to four years; that's the limit of the transition period after reconciliation. If my credibility collapses and the core issue of Jingsha's inability to maintain the front remains unresolved, a new contingency plan will have been formulated by then, allowing Jingsha to leave the secret realm in a more peaceful manner. I believe this is the better option for both sides."
Everyone's expressions changed; they could all hear Parriman's voice. Ji Huaisu subconsciously wanted to object, but he couldn't say anything. This decision was indeed rational and feasible.
A short period of intense action could sway public opinion, but it couldn't change the predicament of Jingsha's inability to respond effectively. If a transitional period could be used to find a compromise between the two sides, escaping the crisis while maintaining the front line, it would seem to be a reasonable solution for both the city-state and the allies...
But Chu Hengkong seemed to have not considered it at all. Before anyone could say anything, he refused outright: "No. The Allies agree, but I don't. This is not just work. I have my own personal vendetta to avenge!"
Fander's eyes almost popped out: "Dude, calm down..."
"Reconciliation doesn't conflict with your personal grudge," Pariman said calmly. "I can provide you with intelligence on those killers, creating opportunities for you to fight. If you are willing to show your sincerity, I don't mind mobilizing the official forces of the Thorns to assist in the arrest of the killers. You all know the attitudes of the five captains. No one will refuse to be an enemy of the Blood Alliance killers!"
He shoved all his chips onto the table and declared with the frenzy of a gambler, "Everything is negotiable! All I want is a written agreement agreeing to independence. I'll even give up the Speaker's chair if you agree to Jingsha's peaceful independence! Please consider carefully from your own perspectives: do you want to persist in internal strife in the face of a formidable enemy, or seek a compromise that is worthy of both parties?"
The bookstore fell into a hushed silence, everyone stunned by these words, by the sheer fervor of their desperate gamble. At that moment, no one doubted the other's resolve; that desperate aura wasn't just a politician's lie. He truly yearned for independence, truly loved the city-state; otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken so eloquently despite such overwhelming advantage.
But in that silence, only Chu Hengkong was laughing. Like an idiot who couldn't understand the atmosphere, he couldn't help laughing.
He clapped his hands at the conch: "Well said! I'm applauding you, do you hear me?"
Even Parriman was helpless: "...Why would you do this?"
"Good question! Why have we come to this?" Chu Hengkong sat with his legs crossed. "Zan Van Parriman is the most powerful politician in Jingsha City-State in the past twenty years, perhaps the most powerful political figure in the city-state's history. His vision, scheming, and even decisiveness are world-class. Before proposing the independence bill, he must have considered the situation after the bill's passage and the responses of the various Allied forces. He must have understood that negotiating and compromising with the Allies to seek peaceful independence is the best solution for both sides.
But he didn't make such an arrangement, why?"
He chuckled sarcastically, "Because Parriman never intended to compromise. He was determined to get Thorns away from the front lines. He wanted to get the city-state off the battlefield as quickly as possible. He would do anything to achieve this, even resorting to the cruel act of hiring assassins to attack his own captain. It's uncharacteristic of him to still want to reconcile at this point. You're the only idiot who would resort to such a sloppy and self-deceiving move, Dark Kingship!"
“………………………………………………”
silence.
There was a long silence, so long that one began to doubt the passage of time. Finally, a sound emerged from the conch again, this time belonging to a frivolous young man.
"You're obviously not used to using your brain, so why do you have to be smart at a time like this?"
Chu Hengkong sneered: "Yeah, who on earth is it because of me that I'm forced to not even have the leeway to be careless?"
"Hey, friend, I beg you to think it over seriously. It's all possible! All of it is possible," Wang Quan said. "The only difference is that I'm doing all this for Perriman. No one else can recognize it except you anyway! I truly love this country. As long as the city-state can safely leave the battlefield a few years later, it doesn't matter. We're all tacitly putting on a show for 1.7 billion people, so why not consider it?"
Chu Hengkong laughed: "I will never believe a word you say in my life."
"Come on, I'm serious. Even more serious than when I said I liked you—Hey, don't hang up! Please listen to me for one more word, please!"
Chu Hengkong lifted up the conch and said lazily, "If you have to fart, do it now."
"It's a rare opportunity for everyone to have a second chance at life, and the past is no longer irreversible. Is there really... no room for reconciliation between us?"
Chu Hengkong and Velvet looked at each other and saw the same emotion in each other's eyes.
"Others can be considered," he said. "Only you. The Dark Monarchy. Only you, absolutely not!"
"Okay, okay, I get it. Don't shout so loudly. Then our efforts at reconciliation have failed..."
Wang Quan changed his tone to a vague female voice: "From now on, it will be all-out war."
Its sound disappeared, and Chu Hengkong put the conch back on the table. Everyone's expressions were very interesting.
Before the first sentence was spoken, the door of the bookstore was kicked open and Li Ke rushed in, speaking breathlessly.
"Open the water curtain!" she shouted. "The Big Lily has activated in Mansa Star Fort!"
Ji Huaisu quickly reached for the remote control, and Vander wiped his head with his tentacles: "I'm really scared to watch the water curtain in the bookstore lobby..."
"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous! Last time was already the limit. Nothing he says can compare to the bad news of the bill passing!"
The water curtain parted, and as expected, they saw Pariman's face. The man in the iron mask stood beneath the Jingsha flag, his eyes filled with hatred and anger.
"Citizens, friends, today is destined to be a day that will be remembered in the history of our city-state. Our city-state defense system has finally been successfully activated, which means that Jingsha has taken a major step on the road to independence and peace. And I also want to share another piece of news with you. The official investigation into the Jinghua Festival unrest has been completed, and we finally have detailed intelligence on this unprecedented group of thugs!"
Several video clips emanated from the water curtain, the blurry images becoming clearer under divine scanning. There was the female knight slashing a flaming greatsword at the crowd, the man brandishing a blade in the damaged library, and the suspiciously suited woman emerging from the disguised house. Parriman rested his hands on the podium, his iron mask unable to conceal his heavy rage.
"Perhaps some citizens will be familiar with these faces. They claim to be allies coming to aid the city-state in times of crisis. Our Divine Guards believed their promise. Even though their pasts are unclear, and even though some of them bear obvious traces of heretic contamination, we allowed them to enter the city-state. Because Jingsha has always been a tolerant country, and we trust these comrades who depend on each other for life and death."
"However, they responded to our trust with betrayal and our kindness with malice. Team One's investigation has proven that these three outsiders, claiming to be comrades in the Allied Forces, are the culprits who severely injured Captain Three and destroyed the Thorn Blossom Festival!"
Parriman closed his eyes and was silent for a moment.
"I don't want to imagine how many citizens felt upon learning of this. However, I witnessed the tragedy of the Thorn Flower Festival firsthand. I witnessed the casualties and tragedy it caused. Those beautiful lives that should have been celebrating the festival, those young people who should have been fighting for freedom and peace, didn't die on the battlefield defending the city-state, but died in their own homes because of the betrayal of the 'Allies'!"
"We cannot tolerate such betrayal, and the city-state of Jingsha will never tolerate such atrocities. To protect the safety of 1.7 billion citizens and ensure the normal operation of the city-state's laws, I now declare in the name of Zan van Parriman, Speaker of the Senate of the city-state of Jingsha:
From this moment on, Jingsha City-State enters a state of war. The three terrorists who caused the Jinghua Festival disturbance will be punished by the Divine Tree and put on a city-wide wanted list!
(End of this chapter)
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