Chapter 1716

Parliament Palace, second floor, Arbitration Hall.

The function of this Arbitration Hall was very simple. It was not used to judge heinous people, but to adjudicate officials, or rather, to adjudicate the Empire's high-level officials.

The Arbitration Hall, which had not been used for a month, was still tidy. The thick curtains were drawn tight, and the crystal lamp in the center of the ceiling was lit. Officials dressed appropriately were whispering to each other. The arbitration had not yet begun.

At the innermost side of the Arbitration Hall was a relatively high judge's table, on which several documents were placed. There was no one behind the judge's table, and on the back of the chair, there was a pattern of two swords crossing.

In front of the judge's table was an open space, and the clean marble floor was spotless. Right in the center of the Arbitration Hall, there was a specially made wooden chair, with iron railings around the wooden chair. Clearly, this was the "special seat" for the person being adjudicated. No one wanted to sit here.

The "special seat" was opposite the judge's table, and on the left and right sides of the special seat, near the walls, there were two rows of wooden tables each. At this time, the wooden tables were already full of people. Most of those sitting here were not young, with a conservative estimate of an average age of over 50. They looked serious, and some were closing their eyes for a nap.

And behind the "special seat," there were several rows of seats, which were also almost full of people. Madam Nancy was sitting in the first row, somewhat restless. Gus, Hank, and Reinhardt were sitting in the last row. Old Hank was muttering something at this time, his gaze looking from time to time at those sitting behind the strip-shaped wooden tables. These were all councilors. Except for the Monarch, after they gathered, they were the Empire's highest power holders, provided they dared to gather.

The door beside the judge's table was pushed open. Everyone in the room stood up one after another, pressing their right hands to their chests while bowing their heads.

Monarch Harold's pace was not fast. He sat behind the judge's table and picked up the teacup on it for a small sip.

"Everyone sit."

As soon as Harold's words fell, those councilors and observers sat down one after another. The councilors' expressions were still natural, while most of the observers were somewhat nervous. Harold just sat there, giving them no small pressure.

Gus took the opportunity to look at Harold. Who knew that Harold's gaze happened to look over here too. Gus immediately tightened his body. He had never been as nervous as he was now even when fighting ghosts.

"Dummy, lower your head."

Bonnie's voice came. She poked Gus's waist hard with her finger. Who was Gus? He was the "honey badger" among the Awakened, so he grinned at Harold, as dazed as could be, and finally nodded to signal.

Harold looked at Gus with great interest. He didn't care about this somewhat rude behavior of Gus, but just raised his hand to pick up the document on the table. When seeing Gus, who was covered in scars, in terms of personal emotion, Harold didn't feel good in his heart. This young man, who was about the same age as his eldest son, had become unlike a human because of the battle with ghosts.

But judging from the Monarch's perspective, people like Gus had to exist, and after use, they had to be handled properly, keeping the other party away from densely populated areas. If the risk was too high, handle them secretly.

"Cough."

Harold cleared his throat, and the whispering in the Arbitration Hall disappeared. There were four important figures in the arbitration today: Monarch Harold, Councilor Leopold, Councilor Jones, and Deputy Legion Commander Kuku Lin Bai Ye.

There were 12 councilors in the Empire. Interestingly, the 12 councilors were divided into two factions. One side was the radical faction, led by Councilor Leopold. They advocated continuing to expand territory, advancing toward the surrounding oceans, completely exploring this world, and then solving the ghost problem. At least now, ghosts were being hunted by humans until they couldn't lift their heads. Of course, this required terrifying expenses, involving issues such as increasing taxes.

The other faction was the conservative faction, represented by Councilor Jones. They advocated developing the occupied land first, and after solving the ghost problem, then exploring outward, so as not to have other dangerous intelligent creatures appear on the continent beyond the ocean.

In fact, the beliefs of the radical faction and the conservative faction were completely used for jokes. Even Councilor Jones himself had joked about how the gloomy guy Leopold could come up with such a lame belief. Wasn't he ashamed?

The reason why the radical faction and the conservative faction were opposed was actually to express an attitude. They would never unite, so as to show goodwill to Monarch Harold: You are the King, the Empire's true power holder.

None of the councilors were as unbearable as rumored to the outside world. Being able to climb to this position already explained many problems.

"The reason why everyone is here today, I presume everyone knows. Regarding the matter of Kuku Lin Bai Ye murdering Joshua Eddie, speak your views."

Harold's words were actually spoken to the two councilors, Leopold and Jones. The two of them could represent all the councilors.

"Since that's the case, then excuse me. This subject has something to say."

Councilor Jones stood up. He was nearly sixty, somewhat chubby, and that oily face gave people a sense of kindness. He took a deep breath, seemingly stabilizing his emotions.

"What kind of person Sir Eddie was before he died, I presume everyone present has heard something. He used personal assets to build 17 hospitals, 35 orphanages. Such a person... such a person..."

Councilor Jones's eyes turned red when he said this. It could be seen that he was truly sad.

"Such a good person was actually brutally murdered in his own home!"

Councilor Jones's voice suddenly rose. That slightly tearful voice was even more infectious. In the observer's seat, a young girl wearing a black dress clenched her small fists, muttering: "What a jerk."

"Councilor Jones, stabilize your emotions."

Harold's complexion remained unchanged. If there was any councilor he was most annoyed by, it was undoubtedly this one. Every time he touched the other party's interests, a person nearly seventy years old would cry so sadly.

"Your Majesty, I have lost my composure."

Councilor Jones wiped away his tears, and after adjusting his breathing again, he spoke righteously: "Sir Eddie was a decent person before he died. He was murdered so brutally. I must help him seek justice!"

Councilor Jones's speech ended here. Interestingly, those observers who didn't know the situation well had their impression of Su Xiao drop significantly. Don't underestimate these observers. They were either related to this matter or officials who had to participate in this matter. Of course, Sir Eddie's family members were indispensable.

Even more interestingly, Councilor Jones never directly mentioned Su Xiao from beginning to end. Clearly, this was also an old schemer, both establishing his own image of being affectionate and righteous, and not completely offending Su Xiao.

Crying came from the observer's seat. No need to think, it was Sir Eddie's family members. They only had one task today: cry, cry until they could live. These people were as clear as a mirror in their hearts. Once those hidden facts were exposed, they would all die.

"Silence."

Harold's voice was not high, but the Arbitration Hall immediately became quiet. His gaze looked at Councilor Leopold.

Leopold raised his head slightly. That hooked nose made him look somewhat pedantic and gloomy.

"Your Majesty, I propose to release Deputy Legion Commander Kuku Lin without charge."

After saying this, Councilor Leopold sat back in his seat. Councilor Jones, more than ten meters opposite him, was looking at him in astonishment.

There was an uproar in the observer's seat. Bonnie, in the last row, stared at Councilor Leopold. She keenly discovered one thing: Councilor Leopold wanted to kill Su Xiao.