Chapter 317 Bloom
Percy had a nightmare.
In his dream, he was pinned to the ground by guards, his cheek pressed to the ground. His brother, crowned and robed, sat on the throne, his smoky gray eyes coldly gazing at him. "I don't have a brother as incompetent as you," the aloof tyrant said coldly. "You're just wasting my energy, asking for ridiculous affection. But I don't need a foolish waste under my command—you are exiled," the tyrant declared. "You will never set foot in my territory again."
Brother, I will do better next time! In the dream, he collapsed and cried and made a scene in shame. Please, give me another chance, don’t abandon me——
But he was still dragged out by the soldiers. Before the door closed, he vaguely saw a golden figure appear behind the tyrant, who seemed to be leaning down to say something. His brother, with a gentle expression, raised his head slightly and kissed the person obediently...
Percy was abruptly awakened by the dream.
"Are you having a nightmare?" A somewhat unfamiliar face came closer curiously. Percy almost punched him, but when he saw the other person's iconic black clothes, he slowly reacted.
This was a Shadow Chaser, an assassin trained by his brother. His eyes were gleaming with gossip and excitement: "When I was unconscious just now, I kept yelling at my brother not to abandon me..."
Percy: "..."
"You heard wrong." The black-haired boy said coldly. In front of everyone except his brother - perhaps excluding a certain god who could always accurately break his defense - he always behaved coldly, reserved and elegant, which was very consistent with the noble image of a young genius.
Shadow Chaser shrugged, not delving into the details. Don't think he didn't know. In a sense, Percy Brody was also well-known among the higher-ups of the People's Party. It's just that there were so many people throughout the West who admired Mr. Ghost. Besides being quite capable, a relative of the professor, and a bit of a fool, this guy wasn't particularly conspicuous.
"Wait, did your brother send you?" Percy suddenly realized that his brother had only said that the People's Party would send a weapons expert. The black-haired boy sat up suddenly, and the next second he couldn't help but gasp as he covered his wound that had not yet fully healed. "And those Royal City soldiers..."
"Everyone's done," Shadow Chaser casually skipped over the most bloody and brutal part. This was Ghost's order. For the sake of subsequent plans, none of the Royal City troops could be spared. Upon learning that he, too, was sent by Mr. Ghost, the citizens of Ironthorn Territory readily, even cheerfully, accepted his orders and submitted to his command. Many even approached him, seeking information on "Little Brody's" current situation.
"I'm here to protect Mr. Sainz." Seeing the expectation in the black-haired boy's eyes gradually dim, Shadow Chaser pretended to be ignorant and explained, "He's also an ordinary person, and a valuable scientific researcher. How could the professor ignore his safety and let him come here alone?"
"...I understand." Percy suppressed his disappointment and nodded coldly: "Thank you for your hard work. I hope Mr. Sainz gets what he wants."
It was worth it that the civilians of Ironthorn Territory were forced to learn how to operate artillery.
"Oh, by the way, the professor also arranged something that's related to you." Shadow Chaser deliberately stretched out his voice. Seeing Percy suddenly look up, his eyes began to shine again, he continued with a smile: "'If Percy Brody is about to lose his life, you can interfere. Otherwise, don't get involved. Let him do it boldly.' These are the professor's exact words."
Percy: “!”
"I knew my brother wouldn't abandon me!" He clenched his fists excitedly, eager to pounce on his brother and wag his tail to claim credit. However, the Brody family and the Ironthorn Territory still needed him, so Percy could only suppress his turbulent emotions, ignoring the pain and sobs he had previously felt. He immediately stood up and prepared to quickly deal with the follow-up matters so that he could be reunited with his brother as soon as possible.
The professor far away in the royal city also received the news from the Ironthorn Territory. He breathed a sigh of relief without making a sound.
The good thing about that foolish boy, Percy, was that he'd trained him to be quite obedient. His bad thing was that he was inexperienced and prone to extremes, requiring extra attention from him. However, placing subordinates in positions that best suited their strengths and encouraging their continuous growth was what a qualified leader should do, so all the efforts so far had been worth it.
The audience with the king concluded, and the formal meeting began. Nova and the members of the Third Council once again entered the main hall of the Kite Heart Palace. Perhaps knowing that these unruly "country bumpkins" would do anything when pushed to the limit, and to preserve the "royal dignity" that might still exist, no one deliberately tried to stop them this time. They entered the hall smoothly and took their seats—the three rows of seats farthest from the throne, in the outermost corner.
After a while, the members of the Royal Court Council finally arrived at the hall a little early, while the members of the Holy Council arrived on time. The professor's pupils shrank slightly—he saw the figure of the priestess Apatara, also known as Princess Nivena, who was absent during the last meeting with the king.
The priestess, having clearly noticed him, winked at him coquettishly and blew him a kiss without hesitation, causing an immediate uproar. According to ancient custom, members of the Blooming Conference were all adult male citizens of a certain social status; women were not permitted to stand. However, since the rise of the faith in the Goddess of Love, the Elysian Visitors have spread across the globe, and the priestesses of the Temple of Love have become religious leaders. Consequently, women have inadvertently entered the Blooming Conference—after all, divine authority trumps human rights.
The professor looked away expressionlessly, as if he hadn't seen her.
Fina, who also saw the flying kiss, was startled. She looked around vigilantly, but then she remembered that even if the gentleman was by their side, she would not be able to detect anything.
"Do you know that priestess?" she couldn't help but whisper, "Being able to attend the Blooming Conference, she must have a very high status in the Temple of Love, right?"
"I know her, sort of. I've had some dealings with her," the professor said calmly. Remembering the priestess's intense jealousy and possessiveness of the deity, he warned her, "Stay away from her. She's in a special position and mentally unstable. If you get caught up in her, I'll bring her down."
After all, Analene likes to attack the women around him, and this "deal" will probably make her more restrained.
Fina solemnly agreed. Even if Mr. Ghost hadn't warned her, she wouldn't have rashly approached such an obviously dangerous woman. Ordinary women who didn't believe in the God of Love always had mixed feelings about these "loose" women, a mixture of disdain and fear. But after her upbringing in the People's Party, Fina vaguely understood that it wasn't these women's "shamelessness," nor was it their fault. The Temple of Love relied on the false veneer of faith, allowing lower-class female believers to sacrifice their bodies and wealth while the higher-ranking priests profited from it, consolidating their power. It was simply disgusting. The Temple of Love itself, including the existence of prostitutes, was a manifestation of the structural alienation, oppression, and exploitation of society as a whole.
Port Morris was home to numerous prostitutes and the Temple of Love. While the former were "liberated" by the People's Party with lightning speed, the latter were handled more gradually. They first gathered the crowd and solemnly announced that, under the new law, prostitution was illegal, and forcing others into prostitution was a felony. Women who wished to leave were allowed to do so immediately, and the People's Party would provide them with medical care, employment, and safety. As for the remaining "devout believers," if a customer seeking the Temple's "blessing" offered money or goods, both parties involved in the transaction, including the intermediaries, would be guilty and face fines or imprisonment, depending on the severity of the offense.
This move completely severed the economic lifeline of the Temple of Love. Without the foundation that sustained the priests' extravagant lifestyles and the functioning of the temple system, the so-called "faith" became nothing more than a flimsy, easily shattered facade. Thus, without financial resources, the Temple of Love barely lasted six months before officially disbanding.
But Fina, who grew up in the Batalha Highlands, knew that only the People's Party would so harshly crack down on this kind of "exploitation" disguised as religion. The outside world simply viewed it as a "consensual" transaction, a romantic affair enjoyed yet despised. Meanwhile, the culprit who oppressed these poor women, and the entire world's poor people, sat in the main hall of Yuanxin Palace, looking dignified. Thinking of this, she subconsciously straightened her back and scanned these sanctimonious nobles and priests with a cold gaze.
The professor didn't know what the kid was thinking about, but he felt that he suddenly became more energetic and looked like he wanted to jump up and punch someone.
He sat at the edge of the hall, yet seemed to be in the eye of a storm. Almost everyone was watching him, consciously or unconsciously, at this Speaker of the Parliament, who was only in his twenties and looked unusually young among the parliamentarians, whose average age was in their forties.
"Everyone, be silent!" The attendant's voice shrieked as the trumpet blew: "His Majesty the King and His Majesty the Queen have arrived!"
Everyone stood up and saluted the king and queen. Cassius II remained impatient. The professor raised his head slightly and calmly glanced at Queen Esmeralda's expression. She was staring at him without hesitation, her golden eyes like two dancing candles, the expression in them difficult to discern.
Judging by the time, the queen should have also known the news that the royal city army was annihilated in Ironthorn Territory.
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