Forge a path to success.

Chapter 397 From the Trial 20 Years Ago (Part 2)
More than the intense pain, the first feeling was one of loss.

A part of himself was forever stripped away. His face, which represented him personally, became food for the moon beast.

Then, the agony finally arrived. His eyeballs were shattered by sharp teeth, his nose became a bloody hole, his lips were bitten off, leaving only bare gums. The moon beast greedily devoured the flesh from his face. He became a skeleton rolling in blood.

The swallowing sound became a jumble of noise, and consciousness plummeted into chaos. It was impossible to tell whether what flowed from the eyes was tears or blood.

So painful.

So sad.

help me.

His spirit prayed in bewilderment.

Help me. Anyone will do. Please. Help me.

That was a genuine miracle.

A glimmer of starlight emerges from the abyss of despair.

The stars answered his prayer.

—We will save you.

However, our strength is very weak.

—If we save you, we won't be able to save the rest of us.

It was a gentle, warm light, like the fireplace in a home on a winter's day, or the warm bed in my hometown from my memories.

Incredibly, he understood the true nature of starlight back then.

He knows what he sees. He knows whose words he is listening to.

So he made a promise.

Then leave it to me.

Save me, let me live.

In return, let me help you.

-

So he stood up.

He covered his blood-soaked face with a piece of iron he found and staggered past the pleasure-seeking moon beast.

He couldn't defeat the heretics. The power he was given wasn't enough to do so. All he could do was bypass the clouded mind and walk to another soldier.

The soldier wept bitterly. His internal organs were almost completely devoured. He reached out weakly to the sky. "Save me," he repeated desperately. "I don't want to die. Save me."

He grasped the soldier's hand.

“I’ve come to save you,” he said.

From that moment on, he became a "hero".

·
"Twenty years ago, Parriman had absolutely no chance of surviving on his own. It was 'some force' that helped him achieve his heroic feat."

“I’m certain that power is currently residing within Parriman as well. If the court allows an examination of him, the truth will come to light!”

That's the real significance of a court hearing.

Twenty years ago, when the war had just ended, routine inspections failed to uncover Parriman's problems. It was only after he became a hero and even the speaker of the council that his ability to manipulate public opinion gradually came to light, yet the city-state authorities had no legitimate pretext to conduct a thorough investigation into him.

Without evidence, speculation, or any incriminating evidence, this predicament has persisted until now...

Only by bringing Parriman, as a party involved in this old case, to the witness stand can a full investigation be reasonably and legitimately initiated against him!
Banningtik nodded slightly and asked, "What are the prosecution's opinions?"

"The prosecution objects."

Parryman stated seriously, "If there is conclusive evidence to suggest that a witness is suspect, a full investigation should naturally be launched in accordance with the law of the thorns. However, the current defense's argument that an investigation is necessary before evidence can be obtained is actually a reversal of cause and effect in the argument."

Moreover, a comprehensive investigation of the evidence and other materials will take anywhere from one week to three months, depending on the complexity of the case. As the current Speaker of the City-State Council, I bear the heavy responsibility of advancing the legislation and ensuring the independence of Jingsha. The defense's true intention is to use the pretext of investigation to imprison me for an extended period, a political struggle detached from the facts of the case, which will substantially hinder the implementation of the legislation!

“Objection valid.” Banningtik nodded. “Witness Parriman, as the Speaker of the City Council, bears a heavy political responsibility. On the eve of the independence of the City of Thorns, this Court cannot allow an investigation into him through normal procedures… unless the defense can present a clearer accusation.”

"In what form did the 'power' behind Speaker Parriman rescue him? Can the defense point this out?"

“Yes!” Trek tapped his face. “Speaker Parryman has worn the ‘Iron Mask’ for years to conceal his injuries. He has never taken it off since the war, and it has almost become a symbol of his image.”

"There are very serious doubts about this mask. Therefore, the defense will not demand a full examination... as long as the mask can be thoroughly examined!"

Banningtik frowned: "The suspicious points on the mask? Could you elaborate on that?"

"I'm sorry, not at the moment. This point of contention can only be addressed after the inspection is approved!"

This is almost sophistry; even Banningtik himself would find it far-fetched, let alone the outside citizens. But he is, after all, a symbol of the law, and if the request is legally reasonable, he can grant it.

“There was a similar case in a defiled contamination trial hundreds of years ago. At that time, a high-quality defiled person infiltrated the city-state, rose to a high position, and the prosecution used every means to prosecute him in order to find out the truth. It was only after launching a formal investigation that they obtained conclusive evidence…”

Banningtik closed his eyes: "Therefore, this court determines that this case can be handled in accordance with the old case. However, prosecuting the Speaker is a matter of great importance, and this court can only allow one opportunity for inspection. This court will apply for a direct investigation by the Sacred Tree of Thorns. If the Sacred Tree's direct inspection is without fault, then this appeal will uphold the original judgment, and the charges against Speaker Parriman will no longer be accepted!" Parriman spread his hands and smiled: "If this is the limit of the defense's struggle... then the prosecution has no objection. We only hope that the defense can deeply understand the consequences of making a wrongful accusation in front of 17 billion people!"

Thus, all eyes, including the judge himself, were fixed on Trek. Twenty years of forbearance and investigation after stepping down from office had finally brought hope. His answer would determine his own life… and even the future of the entire city-state of Thornsa.

But Trek reverted to his usual nonchalant demeanor. He stood there lost in thought for a long time before slowly speaking.

"Ah... the defense objects."

"What's going on?!" "Wake up, sir!" "That old codger has already gone to such lengths to help!" "He was just talking nonsense after all!"

The noise outside was so loud that it could be faintly heard inside the courtroom. Trek calmly said, "The defense is not objecting to the restriction of 'only one inspection'... but to the means by which the inspection is conducted by the Thorn Tree."

"The defense argues that in this case, it is essential to use third-party technology from outside the Thorn Tree City-State for the investigation. Even if the Thorn Tree itself were to intervene, it would be absolutely impossible to detect the power behind Pariman!"

"Objection overruled!"

This time, it was the judge himself who stood up. Banningtik's face was expressionless.

"Since the founding of the city-state, the investigation of all major cases has been carried out by the Divine Tree itself, and the results have never been wrong. This is the duty of the Divine Tree of Thorns, and it is the reason why we venerate it as a god."

The Divine Tree is a god, not a leader. Regardless of its course, the Divine Tree will not interfere with the city-state's operations due to personal feelings. This is the cornerstone of the city-state's stability and the most fundamental source of the authority of the Thorn Law.

"The defense's current argument, however, questions the neutrality and objectivity of the Sacred Tree of Thorns. If this court approves this request and sets a precedent, future trials in the city-state will face endless troubles. Countless individuals involved will use the 'Just Trek case' as a precedent, citing unverifiable third-party test results to confuse the public and attempt to escape punishment. This court will not allow the Sacred Tree of Thorns to be treated with such contempt!"

Trek pressed his temples repeatedly; he knew that the biggest challenge of this operation had arrived.

The cards to bring down Parryman are almost all in place, but the judge happens to be this guy, Kaoki... Banningtik is not just putting on an act; he's serious.

In court, he was an absolutely neutral and impartial machine, a man whose sole purpose was to uphold the law, and he would never allow such unconventional methods to be used. Even if the reasoning behind the accusation was sound, he would not allow actions to undermine the legal system!

“Hey, Banningtik…”

Banningtik remained unmoved: "Defendant, please be quiet. The proceedings are supposed to be between the prosecution and the defense. You have repeatedly disregarded court discipline, and you are no longer permitted to interfere with the proceedings without permission. The defense attorney should now speak!"

Trek shrugged helplessly and patted his daughter's shoulder. Lico instinctively shrank back, like a startled cat. She took a deep breath and then replied, "The defense requests the judge to reconsider the request for third-party testing."

"Please give your reasons."

This was her last chance. Convincing the strict judge, bringing down Parryman, and revealing the truth to everyone—these three things were essentially one and the same. That was what she had to prove.

"The defense argues that, both for the legal system of Jingsha and for the overall operation of the Jingsha city-state, the current legal system needs this unconventional precedent..."

Because the power behind Speaker Parriman is 'inevitable' rather than 'accidental'. As long as the city-state of Thornsa exists, that power will reappear time and again over the next hundred or thousand years, becoming an 'oversight' that the city-state system alone can never detect! If our laws still rely solely on divine judgment, then even if this case is resolved peacefully, the future city-state will once again be plunged into peril.

Lico slammed her hand on the table and stubbornly shouted, "And at that time, no one will stand up for the city-state anymore. Because this one and only opportunity has already been abandoned by the court!"

Their eyes met in mid-air, like the clash of invisible blades. Banningtik looked toward the witness stand; Parryman remained unusually silent, as if awaiting the impending verdict.

He struck the hammer.

"This court will only give the defense one last chance to present its arguments. If the defense cannot provide rigorous reasoning and evidence in this argument, the entire examination will be rejected," Banningtik said in a deep voice. "Begin now!"

"Thank you, Your Honor. Now, let's examine this case from the beginning."

Lico stepped down from the defense table and went to Parryman's side.

"Ultimately, what exactly can the forces behind Speaker Parriman achieve?"

She posted investigations into 15 coincidences.

"This force can trigger all sorts of coincidences within the city-state as the speaker rises to power."

Place the investigation book for the fourth pulse sequence.

"In the turmoil of the fourth pulse, this force can convey Parriman's opinions through the voices of ordinary citizens."

Produce the soldier's testimony from the second pulse sequence, along with proof that the white lotus dispelled the mental interference.

"In the civil war between the second and fourth pulse sequences, this force can induce and change people's thoughts."

Finally, they produced Ji Huaisu's notes from when he stormed into Mansa Star Castle.

"In tonight's citywide manhunt, this force can bind all the captains of the Divine Guard, turn the public's attention into pressure, and turn what the masses mistakenly believe to be 'reality' into reality."

Lico stood opposite the witness stand, looking directly at Parryman: "It's not hard to see that rather than Parryman using the masses, it's more accurate to say that the 'masses' have been helping Parryman. The masses' coincidences became his advantage, their misunderstandings became his truth, and their thoughts became his power. Speaker Parryman often said that he was a vessel for 'public opinion,' and now it seems that this statement revealed the truth from the very beginning."

"That's right, you are merely a vessel. But the power that supports you within this vessel can never be detected by any means within the city-state, because that power is the will of the people, the masses, and the overlooked side of the city-state system."

"That is the sentiment of 17 billion citizens of the city-state, a manifestation of the enormous collective unconscious that has accumulated since the founding of the Jingsha City-State!"

The courtroom fell silent.

The air changed at that moment.

In that instant, 17 billion people lost their composure. In that instant, the eyes of 17 billion people became cloudy.

Only one person made a sound. A faceless, gazeless man, existing merely as a vessel.

He burst into laughter under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

(End of this chapter)