Xing Tie: Wait a minute! How come Weng Xing has two saviors?

The sword in his hand, which had just drunk its fill of the Cleansers' blood, was now lightly gesturing at Katniss's pale neck.

The cold, metallic touch made Katniss tremble violently.

Bai Mo pondered with great interest which angle to use to make the head roll down in the most elegant trajectory, most in line with the final chapter of this grand performance.

“Bai, Bai Mo…then why don’t you…” Katniss’s voice trembled uncontrollably, fear almost suffocating her, her last struggle sounding so pale and powerless.

“But it’s simple, I’ll become an elder, won’t I?” Bai Mo interrupted her, his tone as casual as if he were talking about what he had just eaten.

The sword in his hand stopped its swinging motion and hovered steadily at a fatal position.

“Kines, speaking of which, I should ‘sincerely’ thank you. Thank you for your ‘generous’ agreement, which made things so easy for me that I only needed to sign my name to sit in this elder’s position.”

Bai Mo tilted his head slightly, a cruel smile that seemed almost naive on his face. "You left in such a 'rush' last time that I didn't even have a chance to tell you—"

This is truly the most thoughtful birthday gift I've ever received. I love it so much!

"No! This doesn't comply..."

"Now, you should call me... Elder Bai Mo."

Bai Mo was too lazy to listen to what Katniss had to say next.

A head encased in gray hair, with a frozen expression of astonishment, rolled heavily onto the gleaming marble floor with a dull thud.

The headless body stood frozen in place for a moment before collapsing with a thud as if all support had been drained.

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Chapter 78 Bai Mo: This feels off?

However... what gushed from its severed neck was not pure bright red blood, but a strange, pale blue, viscous liquid that shimmered with a faint metallic luster.

"Hmm?" Bai Mo looked at the sword blade in his hand, then glanced at the head on the ground and the strange "blood," raised an eyebrow, and let out a playful hum.

"The feel of this decapitation... is rather interesting."

Bai Mo seemed to suddenly remember something interesting. He walked to the table full of Senate wines, picked up an unopened bottle of fine wine, uncorked it, and dipped the blood-stained gold thread that Aglaia had given him into the clear, cool liquid.

Dark red bloodstains spread and diluted on the golden threads, flowing and dripping down along with the wine.

"Ms. Aglaia, did you see what just happened?" He spoke softly to the silk threads that were gradually regaining their golden color.

"Sigh... Bai Mo, the gold thread wasn't given to you for... never mind."

"I saw it all. Katniss, who has been my rival for so many years... turns out to be an artificial human..." Aglaia's voice revealed weariness for the first time.

"It's an artificial puppet with 'expelling the Golden Clan' etched into its core code. How ironic."

A sigh came from the other end of the golden thread, but ultimately silence followed.

The elders, huddled against the wall, stared wide-eyed. A commotion erupted.

"What? Elder Katniss... she's... a homunculus?"

"No wonder! I was wondering before why the leaders of several generations of the Purgers were so similar."

"Me too! I thought they were all from the same family, but now it seems... the ones who led us were these inhuman, ghostly things all along?"

Bai Mo shook off the washed gold threads, removing the water droplets, and then wrapped them back around his fingers.

He then turned around, his face once again displaying that harmless smile, and swept his gaze over every pale-faced, trembling elder present.

“So now…” Bai Mo’s voice was clear and pleasant.

"Elders of the Senate, what are your thoughts on my 'coup'?" His voice rose slightly at the end, carrying a hint of playful sweetness.

The sword in his hand, which had just been used to behead someone, still dripped a viscous liquid—a mixture of pale blue artificial blood and scarlet human blood—from its tip, making a faint yet chilling "drip-drip" sound as it struck the floor.

"..." The banquet hall fell into a deathly silence, the air as heavy as solidified lead.

The silent pool of blood spreading outside the gate, and the fact that no guards rushed in to investigate despite the enormous commotion, already foreshadowed the hellish scene outside.

Fear, like an icy tide, completely overwhelmed the reason of everyone present.

Just then, a trembling voice, as if squeezed out with all its might, rang out from the corner, carrying a will to survive struggling to emerge from the abyss:

"Elder Bai... Elder Bai Mo... Wise and mighty!" This voice was like igniting the first spark.

Immediately afterwards, a wave of flattery erupted, and fear gave birth to the most twisted loyalty:

"Yes...yes! It's all thanks to Elder Bai Mo! His swift and decisive actions have eradicated the biggest cancer in the Senate—that scourge, Katniss!"

"Elder Bai Mo will surely lead our Holy City of Ohm to unprecedented glory! And restore the splendor of the Golden Age!"

“That’s right! My youngest son has always idolized Elder Bai Mo’s heroic deeds on the battlefield! He longs to follow in your footsteps day and night!”

"Elder Bai Mo is the true hope of our Holy City! He is the one everyone looks to!"

Praise, like cheap perfume, was sprayed wildly into the bloody air, attempting to mask the deep-seated fear and stench.

Bai Mo listened with a smile, but deep in his eyes lay an ancient, unyielding polar ice.

"I'll spare the lives of you scum for now..." he murmured silently to himself. But this was by no means mercy, much less a sign of softheartedness.

Aglaia... she has exhausted her heart and soul for this city.

Those trivial, troublesome, and nauseating government affairs... should never wear her down any further. She deserves true peace and rest.

His gaze returned to the group of elders before him, who were like frightened birds, yet desperately forcing obsequious smiles. A chillingly cold smile curved his lips.

And you... these maggots struggling in the rotten mire... your value is to replace her, to become the "consumables" that drive the massive machine of the Holy City.

Don't worry, your days ahead will be worse than death.

Dawn at Cloud Cliff, on the Eve of the Citizens' Assembly

The biting morning wind, like an invisible blade, cuts through the towering platform of the dawn cliffs.

The enormous circular venue, large enough to hold tens of thousands of people, stands silently on the edge of the cliff, with a sea of ​​clouds rolling below.

A sparse crowd began to gather, their whispers amplified and torn apart by the wind on the empty cliff top, only to be sucked away by the cold rocks.

"What's going on? So early in the morning... what are those guys in the Senate up to now?" A middle-aged man wrapped in a thick cloak rubbed his hands together, his tone full of confusion and vigilance.

"Who knows! The city was quite turbulent last night... and now they're suddenly convening a citizens' assembly?"

His companion lowered his voice, his eyes darting nervously around, "I heard... another city-state to the west has completely lost contact, they haven't even sent out a distress signal... could it be..."

"Shh! Don't make wild guesses!" an old man scolded, but his cloudy eyes were also filled with worry.

He looked up in one direction, but there was no one there. "Strange... Where is Lady Aglaia? She should be there by now."

An atmosphere of confusion, suspicion, and unease, like a cold fog, permeated the gathered crowd.

Hidden passage at the back of the venue

The cold stone walls isolated the passage from the outside noise and cold wind. The passage was dimly lit, with only a few wall lamps casting flickering shadows.

Aglaia, the guardian of the holy city, stood there silently, like an unchanging sculpture.

Her robes were spotless, and her long golden hair shimmered with light, but her eyes, which had once been as bright and intelligent as stars, were now like dusty glass, calm and almost empty.

Her gaze fell on Bai Mo, who had just finished processing all the Cleansers through Katniss's memories.

At this moment, Bai Mo's uniform, which symbolized "salvation" in a certain world, had been personally cleaned by Aglaia until it was wrinkle-free and without any trace of the bloodstains from the previous night.

He stood there like a sharp sword sheathed, its edge concealed, yet radiating an undeniable sense of control.

Chapter 79 Bai Mo: As long as it's legal and compliant, who cares about reason?

“Bai Mo, you…” Aglaia’s voice was as calm as ever, but the complex emotions it contained—worry, scrutiny, and even a rare…disagreement—were clearly conveyed.

She seemed to want to say something.

“Ms. Aglaia,” Bai Mo turned around, interrupting her with an almost formulaic, calm smile. “I have my own decision.”

“But this is… illogical.” Aglaia finally spoke, her empty eyes fixed on Bai Mo.

"Your close relationship with the Golden Descendants is a well-known fact throughout the Holy City. With you in control of the Senate, the public's doubts and the backlash from the remaining forces of the Senate... these will all become huge hidden dangers."

"As long as it's legal and compliant, that's enough." Bai Mo chuckled lightly, the laughter sounding somewhat abrupt in the quiet corridor.

"This is what I can do for the Fire Chaser right now." He raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife.

“It is precisely because I am not of the Golden Family that I am the best candidate to fill this power vacuum and stabilize the situation in Ohmma.”

"If I take control of the Senate, I can resolve the internal troubles, remove the biggest obstacle to the start of the Fire Chasing Journey, and ensure that the power of Ohma no longer suffers from internal strife."

Secondly, it can minimize the impact of this upheaval—as long as I come to power through 'legal and compliant' means, the fig leaf of procedural justice will be enough to appease most people and prevent Ohmma from falling into large-scale turmoil; thirdly…

Bai Mo paused slightly, his gaze falling on Aglaia's perfect yet lifeless face, his tone unusually firm: "...It's also for you, Ms. Aglaia."

Aglaia's thoughts, which operated like a precise machine, seemed to freeze for a moment at these sudden words.

In the depths of his calm, unwavering eyes, it was as if a small pebble had been thrown in, creating a barely perceptible ripple.

"For...me?" For the first time, her voice carried a hint of confusion.

"Mm." Bai Mo nodded gently.

“I consulted with Teacher Tibo… and learned some things about your past.” He straightened his clothes again, a gesture that seemed to have become a habit for him when facing major turning points.

“Those mountains of endless, burdensome administrative tasks…those cold compromises that had to be made to maintain the superficial stability of the holy city…they wear you down like a millstone, day after day.”

If it weren't for these excessive burdens... your humanity shouldn't be... so severely lacking.

Bai Mo gave himself a final check of his appearance, like an actor about to go on stage.

Then he turned toward the long corridor that led to the much-anticipated venue, which was faintly illuminated by the morning light.

“And, Ms. Aglaia,” Bai Mo stopped at the entrance of the passage without turning around.

"Please be sure to dispel that idea... that you intend to disappear before me at some point and entrust your power to me."

Aglaia's body stiffened almost imperceptibly! Her eyes, which had just begun to ripple, instantly contracted.

For the first time, her voice trembled noticeably, like a human's: "Bai Mo, when... when...? I clearly didn't tell anyone..."

This plan was her deepest secret, her chosen final destination.

"I guessed it." Bai Mo's voice remained calm, yet it contained an all-knowing understanding.

“After you learned of my abilities, you were prepared for this. After all… using your own life to build a long stairway to hope for everyone is something you would do—a selfless dedication with no way out.”

He tilted his head slightly, his features appearing particularly deep in the backlight: "All the tests, trials, and even your deliberate attempts to get me to befriend the Golden Blood... were to ensure one thing:

Make sure that after I receive your "romantic" authority, I will, like you, choose to safeguard the "Journey of Fire".

You need a qualified 'successor'.

Bai Mo placed his hand on the heavy, cold door leading to the venue.

“But I don’t like this ending.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it was etched into Aglaia’s consciousness like a brand.

The door was slowly pushed open, and the deafening roar of the outside world, along with the chilly morning wind, instantly flooded into the passageway.

"In the ending I've chosen... all you need to do now is make sure those remnants of the Senate do their jobs properly."

The moment the words fell, the heavy door slammed shut behind Bai Mo, shutting out Aglaia and the turbulent waves churning within her heart into that silence and darkness.

The heavy stone door closed behind her, blocking Aglaia's figure and the silence within the passage.

What rushed towards Bai Mo was the sharp, knife-like morning wind, and a roaring, turbulent soundscape mixed with confusion, fear, and whispers.

Tens of thousands of eyes, like a dense cluster of stars, were focused on the figure slowly walking towards the center of the platform.

Bai Mo stood on the edge of the cliff, with a rolling sea of ​​clouds below.

He didn't speak immediately, but stood there quietly, letting the "Salvation" uniform, which Aglaia had personally arranged meticulously, become the sole focus in the dim light of dawn.

The usual harmless smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a solemn stillness as deep as a still pool.

The noisy venue gradually quieted down, leaving only the whistling wind.

Finally, he spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it pierced the cold wind clearly, reaching everyone's ears with a peculiar, calming power.

“Citizens of Ohm,” his gaze slowly swept over each face below, whether blank, terrified, or expectant.

“We stand here, on a cliff called ‘Dawn,’ with a bottomless abyss of clouds below us.”