Chapter 134: Allow Me a Few Words of Rebuttal

Tsk.

Faced with Andrei's accusation, Fernandez burst out laughing. He laughed loudly and without restraint, as though the viewers watching the live broadcast did not exist at all.

The ogre laughed until tears nearly welled in his eyes. He wiped the corner of one eye and said, "Andrei, you look utterly pathetic. Just to stay alive, you have already lost all sense of composure. You are not even worthy of being my enemy.

"Yes, I approved the exploration of the Virtual World Turbulence. Whether emotionally or logically, I bear the primary responsibility. That is why I came here to accept the investigation. But if you think this alone is enough to drag me down in front of the entire city, then you are far too naive.

"An operation involving the Heresy Court, the Battle Zone, and even the prisons was never something I could decide on my own. As the saying goes, small matters are discussed in large meetings, while major matters are discussed in small ones. Before the operation began, leaders from all sides held three coordination meetings. You were the council's representative, Andrei. Surely you have not forgotten that.

"Only after a joint vote did the operation move forward. The 422 Incident was a disaster, but more than that, it was a man-made catastrophe born of collective misjudgment. I am not evading responsibility, but the share you bear is no less than mine."

Andrei nodded. "That is true. Put bluntly, this was nothing more than a war launched by those in power for their own interests. It is simply unfortunate that this time, we lost. If we had been the first to find the correct Virtual Channel, Fernandez, not only would you have avoided blame, you would have gained widespread support and secured your re-election as mayor without question.

"At most, I could accuse you of pushing the operation for political gain. Besides, you have already apologized. The citizens have nothing more to say."

Andrei glanced at the ogre's stone pillar. It showed almost no change, meaning the citizens' resentment toward Fernandez had not deepened because of his accusations. This was exactly as Andrei had expected.

Strictly speaking, the 422 Incident had caused tens of thousands of casualties, but it had little to do with those still alive. After all, they were not the ones who died. Perhaps their friends or even their lovers were among the dead, but so what. They were still alive.

Moreover, the Administrative Department had promised compensation to anyone who suffered losses during the attacks. As for the casualties and collapsed buildings, they were, from the perspective of the living, more beneficial than harmful. Vacant positions would open up. Collapsed buildings meant reconstruction projects. With fewer tenants, rents would fall, and the streets would become less crowded.

Caimon City had been overcrowded to begin with. When the attackers arrived, killing some and driving others away, those who remained naturally gained access to more urban resources. At this very moment, many people were likely thanking the attackers in silence, grateful for a slaughter that allowed them to profit.

Even Fernandez, the person most directly responsible, had not attracted much hatred. The resentment directed at him over this incident paled in comparison to that caused by Dragon's Lair Apartments or the manipulation of the civil service examinations.

After all, those who truly hated him were already dead. Among the survivors, far more people had been cheated by Dragon's Lair Apartments or had lost opportunities during the public exams.

In the Blood Moon Kingdom, the living did not empathize with the dead. Trying to bring Fernandez down using the 422 Incident was nothing more than a fool's dream. Andrei was not that naive. He needed this topic only as an opening.

"That's right," Andrei said calmly. "If we are only discussing the cause of the incident, then every decision-maker shares the blame. It is the collective responsibility of those in power. But what followed afterward was your solo performance, my dear mayor."

Fernandez squinted and stared coldly at his political rival.

Andrei continued, "Twenty minutes after the extradimensional sorcerers arrived, the church had already informed you. Yet for the next three hours, you insisted nothing was wrong. Only after multiple attacks occurred on the city's outskirts did you issue a warning to the citizens, deploy the Heresy Court, and mobilize the Battle Zone adventurers."

Fernandez snapped, "Informing the citizens before the extradimensional sorcerers arrived would only have caused panic. Fear would have driven people to gather and flee, giving those sorcerers the perfect opportunity to strike. The casualties would have been far greater than what we see now."

Andrei replied. "Yes, if the only forces capable of fighting around Caimon City had truly been the Heresy Court and the Battle Zone, then your decision would indeed have been correct."

At those words, everyone present, including Fernandez, showed signs of alarm.

Menken shouted angrily, "Andrei, do you even understand what you are saying? Do you think confessing everything will let you cling to life?"

"Even if I say nothing, I will still die," Andrei answered slowly, enunciating each word. "I never intended to survive. I only hope that before I die, I can keep a clear conscience."

Fernandez sneered. "As expected of Andrei from a high-tier foster institution. To cling to such a luxurious, refined notion. How ridiculous. You never had a conscience before. And the moment you step into prison, you suddenly turn toward the light?"

Andrei shook his head. "Fernandez, sometimes I ask myself whether I truly deserve to sit in your seat. Whether I truly can decide the fate of so many people. Whether I could, like you, watch countless lives die before my eyes and still feel absolutely nothing."

He turned toward the surveillance camera, speaking as if addressing the hundreds of thousands of citizens of Caimon City directly. "In the Caimon region, the most powerful armed forces are neither the Heresy Court nor the Battle Zone. They are the research institute and the church. Every member of the Blood Saint Clan in the institute, every Moonshadow in the church, is a sorcerer, with most of them being at least Two-Winged!

"You may have heard rumors that the institute is full of scholars unskilled in combat, or that the church only harbors priests who know nothing but prayer. These are lies crafted to appease ordinary people, to belittle the strong, and to weave an illusion that comforts your envy.

"You are neither sorcerers nor Blood Saints or Moonshadows. So the Blood Saints and Moonshadows must be given ridiculous flaws, like being afraid of sunlight or fire, just so you can feel superior, convince yourselves you need not envy them, and carry on with your lives.

"But a true sorcerer cannot be weak. A true sorcerer cannot fail in combat.

"If the institute and the church had intervened, they might not have crushed the extradimensional sorcerers instantly, but they could have contained the situation, limiting casualties to mere four or even three digits.

"Instead, they chose not to act. This incident did not threaten them. The extradimensional sorcerers would not touch their territories. More importantly, the Blood Saints crave corpses, and the Moonshadows revel in death. This massacre, whether accidental or deliberate, served their interests."

Each word deliberate, Andrei continued, "The only person who could have changed the course of events was you, Arandor Fernandez. As mayor, you hold the authority to command the church and the institute. Had you wished, you could have summoned the Blood Saints, brought the Moonshadows alongside them, and completely reversed the devastation wrought by the extradimensional sorcerers."

The ogre's expression remained calm, unmoved by the accusation.

"But you didn't, because you dared not harm the interests of the two clans. Because you still needed their support. More than that, you knew the attackers arrived through a Level Two Virtual Channel. This attack would last at most three days before the extradimensional sorcerers retreated voluntarily. So you sacrificed the citizens' lives, offering their corpses as tribute to curry favor with the Blood Moon races."

A faint, mocking smile played on Andrei's lips. "No one told you to do this. No one warned you against it. It was your choice. You proved your humility to the Blood Moon races with tens of thousands of lives."

Fernandez glanced at the writhing chains around him and sneered. "Your words are pointless. Everyone here understands my situation. Pleasing the Blood Moon isn't exactly honorable, but it isn't shameful either."

Andrei's tone sharpened. "Is that so? Then what about the Dragon's Lair Apartments incident? That was your deliberate indulgence to appease the institute, wasn't it?

"Everyone knows Dragon's Lair amassed vast funds through financial fraud. Its chairman fled, but few know where the money went. Before fleeing, he went to the Four Great Institutes for a 200-year life-extension surgery, consuming a third of Dragon's Lair's liquid assets.

"Other directors soon underwent life-extension or bodily restoration at the institute. In short, most of Dragon's Lair's cash ended up in the research institutes. Then the incident erupted, the directors vanished, and tens of millions were left in debt.

"Both your Forest Gallery and my Everlasting Wine gained only petty profits. The true swallowers of tens of millions were the institutes.

"And this is just one of your more prominent achievements. If we were to go into every detail, half an hour wouldn't suffice. It all comes down to a single principle, to exploit the citizens and appease the Blood Moon."

Andrei's gaze rose toward the blood moon overhead, his crow's feet betraying fatigue. "This is why, despite falling approval ratings, you can govern for eight years. This is your purpose. The institute and the church need a front-facing puppet like you. Once you draw enough anger from the citizens, they'll send you to Shattered Lake Prison to satisfy the public's thirst for justice.

"Even without the 422 Incident, Fernandez, you would have only served a few more years before facing the Blood Moon Tribunal. You are a sinner who gained the mayoralty by betraying the people's interests."

The ogre's face grew cold.

The stone pillar beneath him seemed to melt. Thousands of frenzied chains coiled around his body like grasping hands, dragging him toward the dark red waters of Shattered Lake.

Andrei's voice remained firm. "But if that were all, you would only be an ordinary mayor, no different from your predecessors. Every mayor is a future sinner, or rather, only sinners can ever reach the mayoral seat.

"Fernandez, I competed so fiercely with you for this office because you elevated the act of betraying citizens into an art form. You united the advocacy associations of elves, orcs, ogres, and goblins, pushing the development of the Combat League.

"Of course, your reasoning sounded noble, to provide employment for the idle, reduce crime, cultivate sorcerer seeds, and develop the tertiary sector. It was simply impeccable and brilliant. Someone hearing it for the first time might even have thought, 'Why didn't anyone think of this sooner?'

"That's because previous rulers weren't as cruel. They weren't as vile!"

Andrei's eyes reddened. His wrinkles knotted with fury, and he lost all control over his expression. "Fernandez, did you not foresee the consequences of the Combat League? Masses of young people flocking to an overnight-success industry, gambling flourishing, body modifications becoming a trend, arenas soaked in blood and flesh, and foster institutions training combat machines for fighting.

"Violence, death, corpses! This will become the city's only rhythm! Fernandez, you foresaw this, and that's exactly why you pushed this plan!

"The Blood Moon Lord confined the Blood Saints and Moonshadows within the institute and church to prevent them from slaughtering and oppressing citizens, to give every race a chance to breathe! And you, Fernandez, for your own desires, placed all citizens on the altar—formalizing, systematizing, industrializing death and slaughter—to please your masters!

"You united the elites of every race to form a massive, shameless ruling conglomerate. The citizens are your product, while the Blood Moon is your client.

"But remember, Fernandez, you are still an ogre. You have no crimson eyes, no furry tail. No matter how much you fawn over them, to the Blood Moon, you are still food!"

Andrei's words echoed across Shattered Lake. The others fell silent, shrinking into their seats as if praying the Blood Saints and Moonshadows watching the broadcast wouldn't notice them.

For a long moment, only the sound of sliding chains filled the room.

Then Fernandez's gaze shifted to Ashe. A strange smile played across his face. Scanning the room, he finally asked, "Finished speaking? Then allow me a few words of rebuttal."