Forge a path to success.

Chapter 379 War and Turmoil (The End)

The old commander's face hovered in their line of sight as he uttered the same admonition they had heard a hundred times: "On the battlefield, what we must be most wary of is not open or covert attacks, but the elusive mental control of heretics. It is the hypnosis of the Fallen, the emotional infection of the Calamity Species, and the mental pollution of the Demon of Imagination. Open and covert attacks may only result in the annihilation of a squad or battalion, but soldiers whose thinking is affected will lead to the destruction of an entire army."

"But if the enemy infiltrates our ranks and maliciously erodes your spirit in the name of freedom, how can we protect ourselves? How can we guarantee the security of our thoughts?"

Trek said coldly, "Only with unwavering will, my comrades. Only by arming our minds with a firm will to fight can we maintain basic rationality and protect our families."

"We are a city-state of thorns, not an island of hell. Our army has never had warlords or factions, only soldiers who defend our homeland. Our disputes always focus on how to fight and how to fight, not on how to escape war or how to withdraw from the front lines."

There is no way to reconcile in the war we face. Behind us are millions of families. Therefore, the military camps of the Jingsha City-State will forever hold only one ideology and one faction: to fight against the heretics to the very end!

The old commander's roar was like thunder, and the soldiers who were jolted awake could hardly stand up straight. Some of the veterans even burst into tears.

Like a grumpy general, Trek waved his arms and cursed at the screen without any regard for his image: "That's right, Jing Sha is an equal country where everyone has the right to choose, but there can only be one ideology in Jing Sha's military camp!"

Those who do not support this idea can rest assured. No one will force you to fight. You can go to the fields to farm, or sell balloons at the amusement park. If you feel that this place is no longer safe, there are still many seats available on the ferry; you can go to places outside the city-state!

"But after making your decision, please take off your uniforms and give me your serial numbers—"

The camera in the water screen gradually zoomed out, allowing people to see the scene around the podium.

There were people everywhere. Tree people, half-orcs, weak animals, and old humans filled the entire scene, so many that they were almost impossible to count.

There stood bookstore owners, restaurant cooks, band conductors, and flower gardeners—ordinary people who felt intimately familiar to the citizens, living among them. They took out their former medals, donned military uniforms and caps, and shouted alongside their former superiors.

"The veterans are still waiting to go back to the battlefield!!"

After just a few breaths, the tranquil pulse was drowned out by shouts.

Such were the voices of departed family members, and similar roars of ancient ancestors. As if inspired by the departed spirits, the soldiers living in the present roared with fury that flowed deep within the blood of the forest people.

"Fight to the end."

"Fight to the bitter end!!"

·
Thus, the dispute over the second line of succession came to an end.

Under the leadership of the current captain and inspired by the return of the old commander, the entire camp was once again united. The rusty iron crest gleamed with a dark luster once more.

“Some things are better left to the locals to say,” Vilbert concluded.

The bartender had also changed into his military uniform to watch the match today, leaving only two customers entertaining themselves in the small bar. Ji Huaisu enthusiastically picked out some sweet wine and asked, "You're actually treating this arena match like a press conference, aren't you? You take advantage of everyone's attention to bombard them with information, then raise your voice and reveal the truth, and that's pretty much it."

"This also required the cooperation of the soldiers. The second round was quite dangerous, and the atmosphere almost turned into a mourning theme," Wilbert said. "If it couldn't be reversed in the end, we would have to ask Captain Trek to adjust the theme of his speech, to play the emotional card in the name of the fallen comrades, and then point out the matter of mind control. Fortunately, Akong did a good job."

"You actually made Old Cui write two sets of manuscripts..."

“I had him write six sets.”

Ji Huaisu gave a thumbs up: "That's impressive, no wonder she's a ruthless female boss! But why does Old Cui have such a big influence just by giving a speech?"

“Because Jas Trek was once the most powerful person in the Jing family, and the position of commander-in-chief is enough to show how much the Jing family valued him. If he hadn’t been willing to accept the verdict after the war to take responsibility, the situation in the city-state might not be what it is now,” Wilbert explained. “And in the politics of long-lived species, rises and falls spanning decades are not surprising at all. Trek, who has been demoted for 20 years, is like a member of parliament who has been out of office for two years on Earth. His power is still there, just waiting for him to make a comeback.”

Ji Huaisu nodded and pondered, "But I must say, Old Cui's choice back then wasn't wrong... Someone has to take responsibility, otherwise what about public opinion? Insisting on staying in office back then would only have exacerbated the conflict."

“Who knows?” Violet smiled. “It’s better to focus on the present than the past.”

"Will we be able to defeat the forces interfering with the independence movement behind the scenes?"

"I'm afraid not. In fact, so far, we can only roughly guess at the existence of mind controllers, but we have no way to clarify their methods. Parryman is far more sophisticated than us in this regard, and it is unknown how effective conventional actions will be."

Ji Huaisu clicked his tongue: "Old Cui took a considerable risk to say that in public..."

“It’s always good to raise public awareness,” Wilbert said. “Be prepared, by bringing this to the forefront first, we are escalating the conflict. I’m afraid Parriman’s countermeasures will come soon.”

·
On the front lines of the desperate battle, on the imperial mothership, Lord Ranhe was meticulously reading a report.

"...Based on the current situation of the city-state, the following calculations are made. Since the exact probability is difficult to assess, they are listed here in order of probability from low to high. 1. The city-state successfully gains independence, and the usurpation by the ideology of 'Love Alone' fails. The deaths and injuries of approximately 10 billion intelligent beings will significantly affect the trend of fate. The new demon born from this will cross the Second Abyss, follow the cause and effect upstream, and devour the source of resentment at the moment of the city-state's independence after crossing time and space, thus becoming the Seventh Heretic."

This possibility is what Ji Huaisu mentioned in his battle with Lingfeng as the "backlash of the tide of fate," which is the greatest crisis of Jingsha's independence, something that ordinary people cannot understand.

The current is the movement of the Sea of ​​Illusions, and the current of fate itself is the core mechanism of the Third Abyss. The Sea of ​​Illusions is the convergence of countless desires, thoughts, and emotions, and every action of all living beings is contained within it. Large-scale death of living beings will stir up the current in the most direct way, and its result will often be expressed in the most heinous way in the form of "demons".

Warriors like Ji Huaisu and Ling Feng, who were familiar with demons, could naturally foresee the consequences of large-scale casualties. The imperial lords, having witnessed countless counterattacks, could simulate even more detailed outcomes.

Ranhe continued reading: "2. That is, the Du Ai ideology successfully usurped power and, after occupying the Thorn Robe, devoured another new demon, thus becoming the Seventh Heretic... Although the Oracle believes this possibility is lower, I personally think that its probability of success is greater."

In rare cases, this force can backfire on the culprit that caused the disaster, amplifying its harmfulness hundreds or thousands of times. The former Grand Mage Vansalal's fall from grace and ascension to godhood due to his demon-slaying is one aspect of the causal flow within this current. The current Jing Sha Ru, having become the origin of large-scale death and injury, naturally has the potential to follow this same path.

Yongjie remained noncommittal: "Third point."

"3. Naturally, the city-state's independence will fail, the Solitary Love ideology itself will be corrupted by the First Abyss, and the Jingsha city-state will collectively fall into the hands of the Black Moon's divine children." Lord Ranhe put away the report. "Apart from this, the possibility of Jingsha's independence failing has increased by 10% compared to ten days ago. I think your strategic direction is basically correct. We should indeed remain on the sidelines."

“Not necessarily,” said Eternal Calamity.

"May I ask for your insightful opinion, General?"

"The allied forces within the city-state have assessed the capabilities of the Solitary Love ideology, but they do not yet understand its true nature," Eternal Calamity pointed out. "Therefore, current measures have not dealt a fundamental blow to it, and the situation has not fundamentally changed."

“I understand.” Lord Ranhe nodded slowly. “The new simulation report is expected to be generated in 2 hours and 31 minutes. I will carefully consider the route of advance.”

·
Inside the Speaker's residence in Mansa Starburg, the Royal Power is playing Trek's speech again.

"Launching a surprise attack in front of everyone, that's really her style." It chuckled and turned its head. "What should we do, Mr. Speaker? Judging from this momentum, a revote isn't out of the question."

Parriman remained silent with his eyes closed, seemingly lost in thought.

"It's alright, we were planning to use the second and fourth pulse sequences to buy time anyway."

"The time you've gained is probably less than you anticipated, isn't it?" Wang Quan mocked.

It snapped its fingers, and the scene on the water screen changed, showing the faces of the soldiers in the camp after the duel. Those faces were ashamed, guilty, and uneasy, and their eyes had become resolute again after Trek's speech.

"We need to rethink..." "How can we place our hopes on heretics?" "As expected, someone has influenced our thinking." "We should fight to the very end!"

Wang Quan sat down with his legs crossed: "What should we do, Speaker? Even if we urgently activate the Great Lily of Mansa Star Castle now, the situation hasn't fundamentally changed. The public is aware of the risks of independence. They'll soon want to 'do it again.' You'll soon be deserted by everyone!"

“It doesn’t matter,” Parriman said.

He also looked at the water curtain, his gaze devoid of emotion, hidden behind an iron mask. And in that instant, the soldiers' expressions changed.

Hesitation. Unease. Confusion. Cowardice. The spirit that should have been invigorated after the speech and duel instead reverted to its old ways, like a puppet being forced to retreat by strings.

"Perhaps...we should think about it some more?" someone said.

“Commander Trek is criticizing the Speaker, isn’t he…” “But he’s Speaker Parryman after all.” “The Speaker has always spoken up for the people.”

"How could the Speaker... be wrong?"

Wang Quan suddenly realized what was happening and clapped his hands repeatedly. Parriman lowered his head and stroked the mask.

“I’ve said this many times on different occasions, and I don’t mind repeating it again.”

“I am a container for ‘public opinion’.”

"My choice is the choice of the citizens of Jingsha."

“I never needed to win over followers, because the seeds of victory were sown 20 years ago. Their efforts and struggles were ultimately in vain…”

He held his mask and said slowly, "I am the entire independence movement."

　Double update today, then I'll be taking a day off tomorrow~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)