Chapter 2099: Corona Dimmed, Determination

The Elves in the square were whispering; Xia Duo was also very puzzled. Even if Yilise'er had changed his policy direction, he shouldn't be so heartless toward old subordinates who were unable to adapt.

Otherwise, who would dare to serve loyally in the future? Were they not afraid that the Crown King's temperament might change on a whim?

This approach was extremely unwise, but from another perspective, perhaps it was also Yilise'er showing his current followers, as well as the remaining neutral, wavering, or even opposing factions, his determination to change.

If Yilise'er were allowed to successfully complete the reform and integrate all the power of Kemansuoer, he would surely be a formidable enemy in the future.

……

Just as the entire scene fell into shock, an Elf whom Xia Duo had only seen shortly before also appeared in the center of the square—it was the close minister of Crown King Yilise'er, the High Mage Suweilisi!

Of course, Suweilisi had not been imprisoned. The moment he saw the other party, Xia Duo understood: this grand performance was indeed being controlled from behind the scenes by Crown King Yilise'er!

The arrival of Suweilisi made the atmosphere of the square, which already showed signs of instability, become even more eerie. If the target of this People's Judgment had only been an ordinary Mage, these Elf Commoners might have been happy to witness the fall of a big shot they rarely saw.

But when this big shot was significant enough, the Commoners didn't even dare to harbor such thoughts.

Thus, there was the scene in Xia Duo's eyes of "one hundred thousand Elves bowing their heads in unison." At this moment, many Elves were likely regretting coming here. If not for the fact that People's Square was already sealed, Xia Duo would not have doubted that some Elves would have run away on the spot.

Was this kind of thing something Commoners could participate in?

Although Xia Duo did not agree with this statement, it was very clear that during the "polishing" of the past thousand years, the Commoners of Kemansuoer had calmly accepted their fate, even if they still held onto a final shred of hope for the "People's Code."

But once it involved truly big figures, the Kemansuoer Commoners, accustomed to the polishing of reality, still found it difficult to recognize their own position.

At this moment, the silent, oppressive, and eerie atmosphere in the square made Xia Duo think for a moment that this farce might not be able to continue, and he even jokingly asked Kelanni what to do next.

Kelanni, of course, told him to keep watching as usual.

And at this moment, there was another key figure in the square—Suweilisi, who also noticed the emotional changes of the Commoners on the field (all Elves who were not of the Upper Families, including Spellcasters), and could not help but let out an inexplicable sigh in his heart.

Even he himself could not figure out whether he was lamenting that the past era was gone forever, or lamenting that the emotions and even the fate of the Commoners were so beyond their own control.

"Great people of Kemansuoer!

"As I think, so shall you think;

"As I feel, so shall you feel;

"As I act, so shall you act;

"As I do not, so shall you not;

"The clan responds to me, I respond to the clan;

"The people respond to me, I respond to the people;

"Ten thousand people as one, never to betray!"

Suweilisi recited the Crown King's oath from the "Kemansuoer People's Code" aloud, over and over again; his voice grew increasingly sonorous, and his emotions became more and more full.

Perhaps the five mysterious Mages wearing masks at the front of the five sections of the square had already begun the ritual process, or perhaps the Crown King's oath in the Code was still able to touch hearts even now.

Xia Duo clearly felt that the atmosphere in the square, which had been somewhat oppressive just a moment ago, was gradually becoming positive and high-spirited. It seemed that from this moment on, all the Commoners had straightened their backs and become the true masters of this country.

At the same time, Xia Duo also noticed the changes in the Magic Net near the square; it was layered, dense, and ever-changing, as if the Mythallar core of Kemansuoer had been temporarily transferred here.

Just then, Kelanni, who was holding his arm, suddenly tightened her grip, and then he heard her voice, which was like the sound of nature, reminding him: "Do not refuse the qualification for judgment!"

"Qualification for judgment?"

Just as Xia Duo was puzzled, the Magic Net around him suddenly produced an extra layer of change directed at him. He was actually no stranger to this situation; spells cast by others targeting him usually had such manifestations, whether positive or negative.

Considering that Kelanni was watching from the side, Xia Duo did not refuse. In fact, he was also very curious about what this so-called "People's Judgment" actually was!

When he was the Crown King of Kemansuoer in the Projection Plane, he had never heard of any "People's Judgment Ritual." There was a People's Code, but it was not much different from the one in the Main Plane, with discrepancies only in individual details.

……

And when the so-called "qualification for judgment" connected with Xia Duo, he felt as if he had entered the Divine Sword Trial once again. Unlike the Divine Sword Trial, the "Judgment Trial" did not create any illusions, but instead imparted to him the essence of the People's Code.

"So that's how it is!"

Xia Duo sighed in his heart. Through this step, the Commoners could be made to understand the specific articles and legislative spirit of the Code more intuitively and quickly, thereby satisfying the requirements of the subsequent judgment.

Of course, this kind of forced indoctrination of the understanding of the Code was, in essence, nothing more than the thought projection of the Spellcaster.

If the Spellcaster's understanding of the Code was accurate, that would be fine, but if there was a deviation in understanding, it would be very easy to lead a group of people astray.

Regarding these non-technical thoughts and concepts, Xia Duo actually did not approve of using the Inheritance Ritual for direct indoctrination; rather, he believed that principles should become clear naturally through communication and debate.

Thoughts and concepts could also be truth or close to truth, and truth does not fear debate.

In fact, the Kemansuoer People's Code itself had no problems, but once there was a deviation in understanding, the problem became huge. As long as the balance point between the Crown King following the will of the people and the people pursuing the Crown King was guided and shifted slightly, that was the difference between dictatorship and democracy.

In fact, the Kemansuoer of the past had done exactly that, and they had taken it to the extreme, almost treating the people as vassals and slaves.

Although they wanted to change now, it could not be reversed overnight. Perhaps the easiest thing in this world to change was the human heart, but the hardest thing to change could also be the human heart!

Xia Duo had long since formed his own values. When looking at the understanding of the Code projected by those five Spellcasters, and perhaps including Suweilisi, he could almost immediately distinguish the tendencies within it.

It was much better than what Kemansuoer had actually done in the past, but it was still a long way off from the true People's Code that Xia Duo envisioned!

But even so, for the current Kemansuoer Commoners, it was an existence comparable to a weapon of mass destruction. Xia Duo could even clearly hear the exclamations of the surrounding Elves, who were weeping with joy.

……

The subsequent process did not exceed Xia Duo's expectations. Suweilisi in the ritual began to count the crimes of the Sun Wing Family and, through thought projection, displayed more detailed particulars to all the Elves participating in the judgment.

As the saying goes, "If you are out to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext," not to mention those unrestrained Upper Families; it could be said that the cleanest member of an Upper Family might not even compare to the worst Commoner.

Regarding the crimes of the Sun Wing Family, such as wantonly encroaching on others' property and killing Commoners, these were the things members of the Upper Families did most often. Other things like corruption, bribery, and embezzlement of public property were too numerous, and Xia Duo did not pay too much attention to them.

What he noticed were these two points—

Expressing extreme remarks, and using Wood Elves as slaves.

These two points were even emphasized in the ritual, and the reason given was "seriously damaging the Five Races Equality and Prosperity."

Clearly, Crown King Yilise'er was determined to be serious this time, and he was taking quite a large step. Even Xia Duo, an outsider, could not help but break into a cold sweat for him!