Storm of Gods

Chapter 71 Reversing Public Opinion
Lilong values ​​martial arts and, from the bottom up, wants to gain the favor of the people by holding Glory tournaments.

This four-nation invitational tournament features three foreign teams: the Saint Ze Academy of Monte Caleta, the Iron Blood Academy of the Black Meteor Empire, and the Tethys Academy of the Tibatan Empire. All three are well-known and reputable academies.

In the Kingdom of Lilong, nothing garners more support than bringing joy to the people in battle. That's exactly what Luther did back then, allowing him to rise from a fallen nobleman to the princess's favor and achieve great success. This tactic worked very well.
The civil war received far less attention than international exchanges. He also invited important figures from Longjing to attend. If the Tianjing Academy wins the championship beautifully under Zhao Qing's leadership, it will bring great prestige to him and the Zhao family.

Prestige, once in his hands, will translate into power. This time, he not only wants to win, but he wants to win spectacularly. "These three teams are not to be underestimated. Are you confident?"

“We won’t allow them to run wild on our turf,” Zhao Qing said confidently. “Moreover, I guarantee that I will make Luo Xue hand over the chairmanship to me at the crucial moment. I have already found her weakness. It’s just that at this stage, having her as chairman will make the Luo family more cooperative with us and lower their guard.”

A smile appeared on Zhao Xun's lips. Zhao Qing had spent more than a year studying at the Imperial Academy in Longjing and had achieved considerable honors. He was capable and had a calm temperament, which was something Zhao Xun was very satisfied with.

“My Lord Earl, I am still a little worried about the public opinion tomorrow,” Zhao Qing said respectfully.

"Hmph, what's a little thing like this? Watch closely and learn from it." Zhao Xun's face showed contempt and mockery. No one understood human nature better than him.

The next day, the Hexbird Newspaper of Tianjing began to report extensively on the Four Nations Invitational Tournament. Earl Zhao Xun had spent a lot of money to make it happen and would donate all the proceeds from the tournament to charity, which was a gift prepared for all citizens of Tianjing.

It quickly caused a huge reaction and cheers among the citizens. The Lilong people love to fight and worship the strong. This is a cultural tradition that the United Kingdom cannot change after unification. The years of war have turned into sparring between the Faculties, which is no less than a festival for the citizens. As for monsters, they suddenly seem to be no big deal. Anyway, they are dead and they are nobles. They are just topics of conversation.

Ordinary people instinctively want to stay away from these dark and eerie creatures. They are more concerned about the outcome of this invitational tournament and whether Tianjing can regain its glory in this four-nation competition. It seems that ever since the Grand Consul went to Longjing, Tianjing has been living in the past, and all the people of Tianjing can talk about is how things were back then.

Hextech has changed lives, but it cannot change the spiritual yearnings of the people of Tianjing, nor can it bring glory and respect. However, Tianjing's Academy has always only been able to produce Hextech products. Faced with such a powerful enemy this time, can it win?

Many citizens initially questioned whether it was a case of false advertising, using third-rate teams to fill the gaps. However, the other three teams in the Four Nations Tournament were absolutely top-notch. The three foreign teams all came from first-class command institutes that were well-known. In terms of psychic power alone, they were actually a bit better than Tianjing, which made everyone look forward to it.

Earl Zhao Xun, who orchestrated this whole affair, was indeed a serious and meticulous man. This was a wonderful gift and a test of the Church Council's standards. The public's goodwill towards Zhao Xun increased dramatically. Coupled with the subtle and euphemistic writing style of the Hexbird newspaper, the drug addict incident was completely forgotten before it even had a chance to ferment.

It's much easier to deceive many people than to deceive one person.

At the Night Patrol base, Casey's eyes widened in anger. This was too much! Zhao Xun was utterly despicable. He had done so many bad things, yet he managed to manipulate public opinion by organizing a competition.

"Why are your eyes so wide?" Luo Jin, who rarely arrived at work on time, couldn't help but ask when he saw Casey looking sullen.

"Captain, have you read the newspaper? I'm furious! Don't these people have any professional ethics? The Grand Consul has emphasized the truthfulness and accuracy of the news countless times. How could they write such nonsense and downplay the important points?" Casey said indignantly.

Seeing Casey so angry, Luo Jin, who was in a bad mood, calmed down. "He is the major shareholder of Bird News Tianjing Branch. How can you expect reporters to maintain authenticity and accuracy? Once someone is kept by a sugar daddy, there is no objectivity to speak of."

"Aren't you angry?" Casey asked. Actually, she was angry for Luo Jin. He had risked his life to achieve great merit, but the newspaper only mentioned him briefly, without even mentioning his name.

"This is the duty of a night patrolman. We get paid to do our job. It's working hours now, and I have to go out on fieldwork later. Bring me what I need to see," Luo Jin said.

"It's all on your desk, Lao Luo. The matter is settled, and that old fox is unlikely to slip up anytime soon. Why don't you..."

"During work hours, call me team leader."

Casey pouted and whimpered a few times, "Captain, why don't you try a different approach and go to the Commandment Institute? Since he values ​​the Four Nations Invitational Tournament so much, could there be something fishy going on?"

Luo Jin was genuinely taken aback. He was a veteran night patrolman, used to being here, always wanting to investigate case after case. Sitting in the office of the Holy See, he felt restless. But Casey had reminded him that a four-nation tournament of this scale was definitely not impromptu; it meant it had been planned for a long time. He needed to discuss it with the Chief Bishop; he didn't quite understand this aspect. "Hmm, very insightful."

Upon hearing this, Casey's face lit up with a bright smile, all the gloom vanishing. She was so easily satisfied. "I'll make you a cup of tea. Try my special autumn fruit blend today."

To celebrate the bountiful harvest of autumn, we selected three seasonal varieties: Tianjing Alpine Autumn Pears, Montcareta Sun Fruit, and Tibatan Sweet Pine Leaves, paired with premium black tea from the southern border of Lilong, brewed with spring water from the Haer Mountain, two hundred miles away.

A simple cup of morning tea is the start of a wonderful day.

Oh, the cup is also a limited edition from Treasure Street. It's a precious ceramic piece that came from the Central Continent. It's said that there are only two in Tianjing. Casey picked it out herself while shopping.

# # #
Li Xin returned to the Order Academy, not because he didn't pay attention in class, but because what the Order Academy was currently teaching was mainly aimed at the general needs of psionic awakeners. These were two different systems for Li Xin, who had been in the castle for a long time. They weren't very practical and were more for popular science, so it didn't make much difference how much he learned.

Lu Shuai and the others also knew about Li Xin's relationship with the Night Patrol. With so many things happening recently, he would definitely be busy as well. As a member of Black Rose, it was quite convenient for him to take leave. As long as Luo Xue didn't complain, no one would cause him any trouble.

"Ah Xin, I feel sorry for the Grand Disciplinary Officer. He made such a great contribution, only to have Zhao Xun pull off a complete reversal of fortune. That's quite a move," said Lu Shuai, who was sitting next to him. "Does the Grand Disciplinary Officer have a way to deal with this?"

Li Xin shook his head. "Just what kind of person is Zhao Xun?"

"The methods are impressive. The Zhao family is deeply rooted in Tianjing and has remained standing even during the upheavals of the Luther era. And you know what? Zhao Xun isn't young anymore, but he looks incredibly energetic and doesn't show any signs of aging. The Zhao family has always been one of the most powerful families in Tianjing, and their influence has only grown stronger in recent years. If it weren't for the church's checks and balances, they would probably be the sole power in Tianjing by now," Lu Shuai said, looking around. "The faith in the Moon Goddess has declined drastically throughout the entire Lilong region, including Tianjing. Otherwise, the chief bishop wouldn't have remained without a promotion despite his seniority. But this time, the opportunity is very great."

Li Xin couldn't possibly understand the power struggles within the church at this point. "Why did he organize this four-nation invitational tournament?"

“Of course it’s an election. He’s a member of the Senate, and that status, combined with the title of Earl, is his unstoppable passport. There’s only one spot in Tianjing, so you can imagine how important it is. But this time there’s a change of leadership, so the higher-ups must have already smoothed things over. He just needs to create momentum, stabilize public opinion, and show this to his allies at the top, and there won’t be any problems. Organizing a splendid event is something everyone is happy to see,” Lu Shuai looked around and lowered his voice. “It’s just that this one is so significant. I really don’t know how he managed it, and what we should do. By the way, the Black Rose’s rally tonight, the president must also be worried about this.”

"Manipulation behind the scenes?"

"It's too difficult. The people who came this time are all quite influential. What price would he have to pay to get such a high-level academy to act with him?" Lu Shuai pondered for a moment and felt it was too difficult. If it was true, it would further demonstrate the terrifying influence of the Zhao family.

"What's the level of the opposing team?" Li Xin asked.

"The three foreign Cults are incredibly strong. The Saint Ze Cult of Montaleta is definitely in the top ten of the kingdom. The Iron Blood Cult of the Black Meteor Empire was ranked fifth in their territory at its peak, which feels like the strongest. The Tethys Cult of the Tibatan Empire is also in the top ten. In our Lilong, they would easily be in the top five. To be honest, I feel like we're no match for them." If it were a debate, Lu Shuai felt he could put up a fight, but at his current level, facing such high-quality opponents, he would probably be utterly crushed.

One of Lu Shuai's strengths is that he never engages in pointless showing off.

Compared to the citizens, the Four Nations Invitational Tournament within the Order Academy was even more exciting, with everyone looking forward to the Black Roses' performance. This kind of competition was always fielded by the strongest members of the Black Roses, giving it a bit of the feeling of training an army for a thousand days to use it for one. However, the timing they chose was a bit awkward, as it was the time when the Tianjing Order Academy was at its most vulnerable. Nevertheless, they still hoped that the genius Luo Xue could deliver a satisfactory performance.

Luo Xue was well aware of the significance of this event. Among the opponents were "old friends." Regardless of Zhao Xun's purpose, she was determined to win this victory for Tianjing. This victory represented not only Tianjing but also the Lilong Kingdom. When other countries were involved, no matter was insignificant.

If problems arise, the president's position will be immediately replaced, and the entire family may also be implicated; this has happened before.

It is said that the Ironblood and Saint Ze people will arrive first, followed by the Tethys Church. She needs to discuss it with Li Xin. As a Montaletta, Roland should know more about Saint Ze, and Zhao Qing should know even more. As for whether to tell or not, it will depend on how things unfold. What was originally thought to be a simple exchange has now escalated into a four-nation competition. Only the name has changed, but the meaning is completely different.

(End of this chapter)