Chapter 394 Court Opening
"I've come all this way here, leaving my journey behind. Is this so-called difficult mission just to kill a dead thing?"
The mercenaries complained unhappily on the communication channel. Chu Hengkong smiled and said, "So, are you interested in assassinating the city-state speaker?"
"How many points?"
"Powerless representatives of the people."
"Not interested."
Velvet interrupted, "It won't be long before all forces enter the fray. We still have time to get to the front lines."
"Oh? Velvet Velus." Shax scoffed. "Is that so? Congratulations on rekindling your past. A sadist is always happier with a loyal dog, right?"
"Akong, are you sure he's a teammate now?"
"Don't worry, we have a very close relationship now." Chu Hengkong instructed, "When you have time, you can go to the Third Meridian to take over Gulibo. There are three Seismic Point Fives waiting to join the battle there."
"The world is getting crazy faster and faster."
Shax sighed and severed contact. It was said that the mercenary Gunner had made his mark on the Frontier during Sephiroth III, so returning to their old turf would likely be familiar to him.
Elite prosecutors and some Divine Guards arrived at the scene, and the severely injured Guo Yutu was taken in. The city-state elites had complicated expressions, as the wanted order had not yet been lifted, and their duty was still to "hunt down the wanted criminal."
Although Chu Hengkong and his men fought their way all the way to Mansa Star Fortress and their deceptive media broadcasts were disrupted, these were all "civilian" actions. Officials' stance wouldn't change due to public suspicion. As long as Parriman was Speaker, they would remain enemies of the Thorns. Regardless of their own thoughts, the Divine Guards had no right to take action.
"There's no point in making things difficult for the soldiers here." Chu Hengkong moved his shoulders. "Let's meet up with Huaisu. They should be in..."
"The Supreme Procuratorate of Mansa Star Castle," Velvet said, "Come on, it's time to showdown with Parriman."
·
The third lineage, the headquarters of the Divine Guard.
Li Ke stared intently at the water screen. The City State 24-hour broadcast had stopped, and now all the channels were occupied by the Jingsha Independence promotional video she'd grown tired of seeing. She turned to her father and said, "This means Chu Hengkong and the others succeeded, right?"
"I don't think anyone can stop them with violence." Trek closed his eyes and rested. "Parriman thinks too simply."
"That bastard is really getting impatient! If he insists on delaying until the last day, we'll be in trouble..."
"No, that's not right." Trick shook his finger. "Parriman's timing and overall direction of action are spot on. If time drags on, public opinion will gradually shift to our side, which is unbearable for Du Ai. And we won't let him continue. I'm afraid it won't be long before Miss Velvet formulates an assassination plan. Once the Great Lily is studied and cracked, infiltrating Mansa Star Fort will be a piece of cake."
Li Ke stretched out her voice: "From what you said, his strategy seems to be quite clever..."
"Don't underestimate the Speaker. He's always had a pretty accurate grasp of the general direction. His flaw lies in his operational thinking," said Trick. "Ultimately, he's not a soldier and doesn't understand warfare. Relying on public opinion, wanted notices, and the suppression of the sacred tree is a classic bureaucratic tactic. Which general would stake the outcome of a battle on 'public opinion'? Approaching war through the lens of political gaming is bound to lead to defeat."
Li Ke didn't quite understand her father's thoughts. After all, she knew nothing about fighting. She nodded in agreement and asked, "So, we won a great victory?"
"One more breath left. If we don't defeat him within the rules, all this will be meaningless."
Finally, Trek touched the petition signed by tens of millions of people and patted the girl on the shoulder.
"Help Dad run a mile. The real battle is about to begin."
"Okay, okay." Li Ke nodded. Trek was a little surprised.
"What's wrong? You still don't have the fighting spirit at this time?"
"Nothing... I'm just a little depressed." Li Ke touched the back of her head. "The key to victory from now on will depend on Mr. Benningtik, Chu Hengkong, and you, Dad. There's nothing I can do to help you except talk. I'm sorry."
Trick laughed dumbly: "You. You want to be more awesome than your dad at this age?"
"Isn't that possible? He's younger than me and he's so amazing..."
Trick reached out and patted his daughter's head. His smile was surprisingly gentle.
"You have to understand, Rico. The reason your father has been able to hold on until now is because you and your mother have always believed in me and supported me..."
"It's true that you're not the strongest fighter. But what you consider the 'key to victory' is the support of thousands and thousands of citizens like you, which gives you the strength to step onto the battlefield. To me, you are the 'key' to my life."
Rico slowly raised her eyebrows and smiled, "Oh!"
Rico vanished, having been transported to Mansa Star Fort. With the Great Lily now decrypted, his abilities were now fully operational. Trick put away his smile and quietly awaited the summons from the Supreme People's Procuratorate. He wondered if he should say something to his teammates or prepare a speech just in case. But after twenty years of ordinary life, he felt a sense of calm, his mind empty.
The office door opened and a wealthy middle-aged woman walked in. Trek was a little surprised.
"Ma'am, I'm still at work."
Mrs. Trek smiled and patted his face. "I came to cheer you up. Are we going to fight again?"
"Ah, I haven't been to the battlefield in 20 years. To be honest, I feel a little guilty. I'm more worried about being defeated like we were at the Thorn Flower Festival..."
The wife encouraged him, "It's okay. You've never lost a battle before!"
·
Mansa Star Castle, the Speaker's residence.
Parriman closed the water curtain and sat down in his office chair with his eyes closed. A mountain of documents piled before his desk, a mountain of official business still to be processed. With the House of Lords severely damaged and the captains of the Divine Guard imprisoned, the central authority of the Thorns had practically shut down. These documents were meaningless... or rather, even if all went well, they would become meaningless in a few hours.
After some bumps and bruises, the plan finally made it to the present moment. The three elements necessary for independence were almost achieved.
The first element was the passage of the Independence Act, which gave independence procedural legitimacy. It took him 20 years to achieve this, laying the foundation for independence.
The second factor was the construction of a city defense system, ensuring a viable and independent existence. The Great Lily of Mansa Star Fortress was destroyed shortly after its activation, but Guo Yutu's battle provided the missing combat data. Thus, after a narrow escape, the second factor was also completed.
The remaining factor was merely a symbolic third factor: the Thorny Sacred Tree's approval. Pressing the button, pulling the trigger, officially launching the independent program. This should have been the simplest step, but he couldn't reach that button. The enemy was too fast, and the delay caused by this city-wide manhunt was much shorter than he had anticipated.
Originally, they had thought the allied forces would temporarily hide, waiting for the storm to pass, or for reinforcements from other Dust Islands to arrive, before joining forces internally and externally. However, unexpectedly, the enemy launched a reckless advance. Thus, the plan stalled at the finish line, just one step away, but unable to pull the trigger.
"How much time did you originally want to buy? One day? Three days? As long as the sacred tree physically leaves the secret realm, you can declare victory. Unfortunately, you greatly underestimated their mobility." Wang Quan laughed. "Now that you think about yourself for refusing peace talks half a day ago, do you feel any regret?"
This time, the killer reappeared as a white-haired teenager, sprawled carelessly on the sofa like a sarcastic taunter. Parriman casually flipped through the papers on his desk and said, "You should be well aware of my true situation. Do I ever feel 'regret'?"
"I lost my temper. It doesn't exist. The actions you've been carrying out, your mission, the task you've been given... that's the only meaning that has kept you alive until now. No one, no matter who they are, can betray their own purpose."
Parriman nodded and stood up from the table.
"Swear to me," he said.
Wang Quan tilted his head with interest.
"Swear to me that you will not let the citizens of the city-state of Thorns die. If my mission fails, you will make them the darlings of the abyss instead of ritual sacrifices. If you win the final victory, you will let them live in ignorance and happiness under the light of the dark moon, away from pain and death." Periman said quietly.
Wang Quan smiled and said, "What meaning does an oath have for people like us?"
"It's meaningless," Pariman said. "It's just a hypocritical promise I want to hear to reassure 'Pariman' before heading into battle."
Wang Quan stood up and bowed to him.
"Then I promise you that I will do my utmost to protect this beautiful country and make the people you love become the fallen ones favored by God."
"Very good, thank you very much," Pariman said. "When I am truly defeated, you will obtain the key to the core of the sacred tree."
His final bargain as a politician concluded, Parriman recalled with a long-forgotten feeling the moment he first stepped onto the battlefield. Fear, panic, a desire to escape, a desire to return home, never wanting to step into such a cruel world again.
He smiled and stepped out of the mansion.
·
At the Supreme Procuratorate in Mansa Star Fort, Benintic was slowly recording the confession with a quill.
"You're sure you have evidence that the Speaker directed the members of the City-State 24-hour live broadcast team, right?"
"We control it with hypnosis." Ji Huaisu said obediently.
"The means of collecting evidence are still under consideration, but based on the current situation, you are convinced that you, Chu Hengkong, and Velvet have been falsely accused, correct?"
"Yes, yes." Vander nodded desperately, "The Divine Guards suddenly rushed in, and we were also panicked!"
"So you're heading to Mansa Star Castle..."
"I want to provide evidence to the first team and prove my innocence!" Ji Huaisu said with emotion.
"The violent clashes on the road were..."
"It's self-defense caused by induction into excessive panic!" Vander shouted.
Benintic put down his pen with satisfaction, and his divine power descended, organizing the rough confession into a beautiful document.
"That's enough evidence," he said, "and now the guests have arrived."
He left the interrogation room and arrived at the entrance of the Procuratorate. Chu Hengkong and Velvet had already arrived. The loyal First Team members were guarding the door, not allowing any unauthorized personnel to enter. A white-haired girl was running up the stairs quickly, holding an emerald green divine power crystal in her hand.
"Welcome, Miss Liko Trick. What can I do for the Supreme Procuratorate of Mansa Star Castle?"
"Here are... 71 million citizens' signatures and a petition!" Rico said breathlessly.
Benningtic took the materials and conducted a routine review. They were flawless, with no errors in the formatting. He nodded and said, "However, with Jingsha City-State currently at war, a petition for a re-vote on the bill would require approximately 80 million citizen signatures. This number is insufficient."
"You're mistaken. I'm not petitioning for a re-vote on the bill," Li Ke said seriously. "The purpose of our petition is—"
"—A retrial of a suspicious case from the past."
An emotionless voice cut her off.
A blond man holding a cane was walking down the long stairs.
"In a state of war, the number of petitions required for all the last clauses of the Constitution would be doubled. The number of petitions required for re-voting bills would be increased from 40,000,000 to 80,000,000, and the number of petitions required for re-hearing cases would be increased from 25,000,000 to 50,000,000. The present number of petitions, 71,000,000, would be sufficient to meet the requirements even in a state of war."
Neither hurriedly nor slowly, he narrated the rules of the city-state.
"Miss Liko Trick filed the application as a 'family member of a person involved in a case.' Her family has only been involved in one major mystery case in the past century. That was the trial for 'a major strategic blunder' faced by Mr. Jas Trick, commander-in-chief of the Thorns Defense Force, approximately 20 years ago."
"If the case is to be re-examined, all those involved in the past must temporarily leave their current jobs and appear in court as persons without authority. This includes then-Judge Benintic, the defendant, Jas Trick, and..."
"The court clerk at the time, Zan van Parriman."
Parriman walked to the center of the hall of the prosecutor's office and stood in front of all his enemies.
"I'm right here," he said. "Time is precious, so let's get started. A retrial of a case from 20 years ago!"
(End of this chapter)
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