Chapter 3245: Double Standards, Law-Abiding Citizens

"Oh? Is there really nothing? If there is, just say it. If I can resolve it for you, I will resolve it for you first; don't drag it out until it develops into a big problem later."

"There really isn't! Lord, ever since the old Lord appeared in the north, those voices of opposition vanished instantly. There is not the slightest obstacle to the integration of the Territory; this is the truth."

"So that's how it is!"

Xia Duo suddenly realized; it turned out Aipusi had made a trip to the north, which made sense. Previously, the people in the Saville Territory obstructing the integration of the two lands were basically mid-to-low-level; they didn't oppose it openly, but rather used various means to delay and obstruct.

In order to appease the hearts of the people and the followers Aipusi left behind—who could actually be considered Niya's elders—it was impossible for Xia Duo to instruct Laidun to use overly intense methods.

It could only be worn down bit by bit, but after Aipusi stepped forward, it was different. The fundamental reason those opponents opposed the integration of the two lands was the fear of losing the meager power they held, yet they used Aipusi's name as a pretext.

For example, protecting the territory left behind by the old Lord, protecting the heritage of the Saville Family, and so on—all sorts of high-sounding reasons.

But when Aipusi, the old Lord those people spoke of, actually appeared, those people were dumbfounded. It turned out the old Lord hadn't died, was still living well, and most crucially, the old Lord actually supported the integration of the Territory.

Then what were they still opposing?

This scene had a rather comical feeling of "We were just about to fight to the death, why did Your Majesty surrender first?"

That also caused many Lords of Naise Rende to copy our set of concepts into their attitude toward the Saville Alliance, and thus they hit a wall, but that also further caused us to trample on our own laws even more severely within our own territories.

That is also what Xia Duo is doing now.

Even in an era where the wisdom of the people is slightly enlightened, such an existence will likewise damage the authority of the law; on the contrary, those Lords who do not abide by the laws they themselves formulated will likely face the biggest fork in the road of their lives.

Therefore, after Seventon appeared, those onlookers instantly quieted down, because we knew Xia Duo would indeed not do anything to us, but the old Lord would not indulge us; if we really angered the old Lord, we would have no good fruit to eat.

But facts have also proven that even Spellcasters dare not easily violate the laws of the Territory; this point can be seen from the proportion of cases involving Spellcasters in the Judgment Court.

If those people consistently believed that the strong are reasonable and the strong dominate everything, then they should treat the Damaozhe Alliance as truth and not dare to have any doubts.

But when they themselves are the weak, their attitude flips instantly, believing that the strong should not be overly harsh on the weak, and believing that any behavior of the weak should be accommodated.

Xia Duo felt that those people were mostly not that arrogant or stupid, so there was only one answer: when those people are the strong, they believe the strong are reasonable and the weak should obey the strong.

Trampling on the laws of one's own territory is, in the final analysis, because those Lords believe the strong are reasonable and the weak should obey the strong, but when they face the Saville Alliance, logically shouldn't they also agree with the underlying logic that the strong are reasonable, and then firmly obey?

Not to mention Ruier; just looking at the Great Xia Code is enough to know that in the entire Naise Rende, or rather the entire Main Plane, there is no place more Ruier than the Great Xia Territory.

If it were really like that, then Xia Duo might still hold them in higher regard.

The reason Xia Duo abides by the laws he formulated is to a large extent because these laws are his own code of conduct; the so-called "code" naturally refers to relatively stable and firm principles.

Other Lords of Naise Rende also formulate laws for their subjects, some of which look like the real thing, but they themselves will absolutely not take those laws seriously, and firmly believe that those laws are only used to rule the subjects, not to bind themselves.

……

Actually, the reason why they had to wait for Aipusi to step forward for the opponents to quiet down is largely because of the Ruier orderliness Xia Duo has displayed from the Pioneer Territory until now.

If it were the most traditional Netheril Lord, they would probably choose the latter, but now is no longer the time when Naise Rende was just born; the thoughts of many Lords have changed. They believe their duty is not to protect the subjects, but that the subjects naturally need to obey the Lord, support the Lord, and be beasts of burden for the Lord for generations.

If a person doesn't even have basic principles, can he still be considered a person?

So although no one can judge Xia Duo even if he follows the law, he still abides by the constraints of the law, because this is a process of him practicing his own principles.

In Naise Rende, many ordinary people certainly choose to believe and obey the authority of the law because of Faith; a Lord violating the law himself will not change people's view of the law, but what if the Lord himself also abides by the law?

And because of this, those who oppose the integration of the Territory, as long as they do not clearly violate the law, will not worry about what the law-abiding Xia Duo will do to them, even if Xia Duo is also the Mage that many of them consider superior.

But society will always continue to develop; ordinary people will sooner or later realize that the Lord is not a necessary condition for the development of civilization, and is something that can be completely abandoned. Once the chains in their thoughts are unlocked, they will inevitably pursue the collapse of the shackles in reality.

In the Great Xia Territory and the vast land of the Aipusi Territory to the north, the authority of the Great Xia Code is unquestionable, even though the current subjects still retain many backward concepts from the old era, such as Mages being superior.

And orderliness lies not only in constructing an order for others to follow, but also in oneself obeying that set of order; especially the latter, which is almost unique in Naise Rende.

Always indulging, and then suddenly becoming clear-headed and restrained one day—it is not that such a situation does not exist in reality, but compared to maintaining order and restraint from the very beginning, the latter is clearly easier to realize.

Or is it that those Lords are already so arrogant that they think the whole world must obey their orders?

Similar to "the authority that cannot be obtained in one place must be compensated for in another."

At the same time, he also knows that while many ordinary people in Naise Rende currently, due to reasons of Faith, will believe in the authority of the law, even when the Lord himself does not abide by that set of rules.

Unfortunately, there isn't, which is the fundamental reason why Xia Duo looks down on those people.

But Xia Duo is law-abiding, which does not mean Damaozhe is also law-abiding; at least in the eyes of those opponents, Damaozhe is highly unlikely to care about the law, and the deterrent power is greater.

Xia Duo does not think he is any kind of superman; he is just an ordinary person, and he also worries that he might change his mind one day, so from the very beginning, he has been preparing for the future.

The standard is so flexible that it highlights a lack of bottom line; whatever is beneficial to oneself, one believes is right.

Xia Duo is very disdainful of those people, not because they trample on the law, but because those people cannot even persist in their own selves.

Why still follow the alliance?

Clearly, that would make the law more authoritative.

In such a situation, how should the Lord choose? Firmly suppress to maintain one's rule? Or follow the trend of history and return power to the people?

……