Chapter 241: The Game of Birth (originally titled 'The Song of Answer and Debate')

Mi Yang widened his eyes, trembling as he pointed his hand at Ge Lei De's head.

Ge Lei De! You…… what do you mean!!

Bang!

A slap shattered the round table before him; this furious boar-man, eyes blood-red, let out a roar.

Mi Yang, you old thief! I thought you liked to give the chairman a hard time on a daily basis, but at least your loyalties were with Sunshine City—I never expected……

His mane stood up strand by strand, and the fangs protruding from the corners of his mouth were sharp as daggers.

Speak! Why is it that in the vast majority of berserk creature incidents, the final beneficiary is always you!

Mi Yang: Ah, is that so?

He unconsciously fell into thought, but suddenly realized now was not the time to stay silent, and hurriedly shouted a retort.

Ge Lei De, no matter how much you dislike me, please don't spout blood and slander people! Today is our association……

But his 【Moral High Ground Seizure】 had just been activated halfway when it was again interrupted by Ge Lei De's savage roar.

Ha, right, you reminded me!

He casually tossed the stack of documents aside, and while a few onlookers hurriedly scrambled for them, he backhandedly pulled out a large pile from his space ring.

Heh, you came prepared!

Ji Ming quickly took out a packet of melon seeds and shared a few handfuls with the others at the table.

Ge Lei De didn't hesitate either, swish-swish-swish sending out the documents in his hand.

Please help pass these around, for fear they might be destroyed—I made many backups in advance, everyone gets a copy! Whoever is spouting nonsense, let the crowd decide!

You!

Although reason told Mi Yang that regardless of truth or falsehood, such a thing detrimental to himself must absolutely not be broadcast.

But whether it was the usual troublemakers he'd clashed with or the thick thigh he'd only just clung to a couple days ago, everyone present had no objections.

They all sat eagerly in their seats, craning their necks to wait for their own share of 'excitement'.

So he could only pant slightly, trying to convince himself it was fine—if he hadn't done it, he hadn't done it, and no amount of rumor-mongering would change that.

But after the documents were distributed, the hall fell silent for a full three minutes, yet no one raised an objection; instead, the gazes fixed on him grew ever stranger.

Ji Ming quickly finished scanning the full report, then looked toward Ge Lei De, who was still straining to maintain his 'Vajra Wrathful Eyes'.

Back when I was following church intelligence with Ai Li Nuo to deduce the mastermind, I had actually suspected the Adventurers Association of foul play.

But back then luck was on my side—one shot hit the mastiff folk's lair, and I came face-to-face with Lao Yang Tou.

Afterward, it was just a matter of probing and inspecting the underground altar of Sunshine City as a whole, which forced the Wendigo to make a promise that now looks utterly useless.

But since the root cause had already been completely eradicated, further quibbling over the origins of the symptoms—or lending aid—seemed pointless.

Or put another way, who among this pack of treacherous scoundrels in the Inner City hasn't taken advantage of the chaos to grab a chunk? If we really started reckoning, they'd all be accomplices!

Thus the matter was shelved, and if nothing unexpected happened, it would gradually fade into Sunshine City's already twisted-to-the-extreme history.

But today, it was brought up again in this delicate situation, and it shifted from previous vagueness to crystal clarity.

Everyone was taking hits, yet only the Adventurers Association suffered the least loss?

The other two factions were also unlucky, yet only the Antler Horn Family had nothing to do with it!

Since he was likewise among those present, Ge Lei De thoughtfully sent a copy to Mi Yang as well.

Mi Yang picked up the document, merely glanced at the data, and painfully closed his eyes.

Because everything recorded there is true—no matter the reason, if you follow these clues, I really am the biggest beneficiary!

And one of the most basic and simple lines of reasoning is that the biggest beneficiary in an incident is the prime suspect!

So after scanning the surrounding guests and confirming that the prevailing wind matched his expectations, Ge Lei De then seized the moment to begin his performance.

"Mi Yang, I once respected you greatly; I thought you were my father's comrade-in-arms and had rendered considerable service to the association."

"But I never imagined you would, for personal gain, join forces with the evil cults of the wilds to harm everyone."

"Yes, you are now the master of the association, but do you know how many innocent people Sunshine City has sacrificed in this process?!"

These words were too inflammatory; immediately someone wanted to stand up and voice support.

But upon seeing that the Business Union and the Mercenary Alliance still had no reaction, he hurriedly sat back down.

Yet the more of a thief one is, the more they taboo the word 'steal'.

Those whose wickedness is beyond description often like to pin a glorious righteous label on themselves.

Thus Suo La struck a pose of coughing from anger, stood up, and pointed his cane fiercely at Mi Yang's nose.

A certain low-profile figure, at least nominally the chief of the Mercenary Alliance, Fein, also brought a large gang of burly martial artists to their feet, slamming the table.

With these two bigwigs taking the lead, the hall instantly erupted in indignation, and everyone began to verbally and literarily condemn Mi Yang.

If it weren't for the fact that nobody wanted to be the first to stick their neck out and invite trouble, they probably would have just laid hands on Mi Yang right then.

By this point, the matter that Mi Yang was the mastermind behind everything had become solid evidence, beyond refutation.

Even if it weren't him, the people present still needed a scapegoat so that everyone could be completely clean.

And Mi Yang's head—neither too big nor too small—was just right to catch it all, making him an ideal choice.

But being able to catch it doesn't mean I want to; he's not a turtle person—how could he possibly agree to take on this chamber pot of excrement?

Gritting his teeth and stomping his foot, he immediately flung out several magic scrolls.

In an instant, smoke and sparks filled the hall, turning it into utter chaos.

This was originally something he had on hand to guard against Bao Li Si bursting forth to injure people, but unexpectedly, it ended up serving the same purpose in a different situation.

But since Ge Lei De dared to raise a objection in public, he must have made thorough preparations.

The instant Mi Yang produced a magic scroll, he pulled out a hammer and threw it over.

Goat folk are mostly mages, and Mi Yang is no exception; with his vitality, he simply couldn't withstand such a blow.

Although he tried to dodge as best he could, he was still smashed hard in the waist and abdomen, and the bones there immediately collapsed.

However, under the influence of adrenaline and the desire to survive, he temporarily overlooked this, clutching his abdomen, and hurriedly ran toward the secret passage prepared in advance here.

——As long as I run fast enough, even a huge pot can't catch up to my back!

But in Sunshine City, when it comes to underground passages, who could rival the old-school aristocrat An De Lu of the Deep Forest Banner?

Their escape routes are so well chosen that everyone praises them; borrowing things to move out causes no trouble, and the structure is so stable that not even a speck of dirt falls off.

In short, An De Lu instantly saw through Mi Yang's plan, and, sharp as ever, he brought the Self-discipline Squad Leader Ba Er Si to flank ahead of time.

「Damn it! 」

The rear route was completely blocked, Mi Yang panicked, and for a moment he had no idea what to do.

Although he indeed had another backup plan, in his expectations the largest possible counterattack would be no more than the two other tribes joining forces.

What's more, if they really took action, there would surely be others to intervene; the ones who should be besieged from all sides ought to be the enemies, not ourselves!

Thus, in danger, all he seemed able to do was let out a terrified scream.

「Someone's harming me! Ge Lei De! Who made you hurt me! 」

But his hysteria lasted only three seconds before it stopped abruptly, because a broadsword had already come down from above, splitting him from the crown of his head into two halves.

Furthermore, the scalding hot blood sprayed out, yet the sword-wielder showed no intention to dodge, letting it splash all over himself.

He wiped the blood stain on his face with a finger, and Fei En then thrust another sword through Mi Yang's heart.

Thus, Mi Yang became the first casualty of this great upheaval, a true eliminée.

And Ge Lei De, who helped everyone uncover the truth, became a hero in everyone's eyes; even those who once looked down on him now had to look up to him.

But the main purpose of this assembly was to announce the new president of the Adventurers' Association.

Now Mi Yang is dead, Bao Li Si is the one who got kicked out, and the only one who seems qualified to sit in that position now is Ge Lei De.

Thus, a clever wild boar person immediately stood up, raising his fists.

「My clan leader found the real culprit, smashed Mi Yang's conspiracy, so my clan leader is the most suitable to be the association president! 」

Amidst the continuous rumors, although the atmosphere in the venue remained heated, strange glances began to be exchanged among the people.

Mi Yang is indeed dead from betrayal, but is the true culprit really only him, or could it actually be him?

But dwelling on this now serves no purpose; that bunch of greenhorn adventurers need to be restrained, and if the association were to dissolve, it would absolutely not serve anyone's interests.

It's merely changing the object of celebration from goat people to wild boar people; they're all beastfolk, so there's no difference.

But just as everyone was waiting for Ge Lei De to naturally become president, he snatched the badge from the stunned elder of the Gazellehorn Tribe and went to Bao Li Si's side.

「Brother Bao Li Si, I also investigated the previous matter; the association building's trouble was also caused by Mi Yang! 」

「He deliberately wanted to harm you and seize the presidency; now that the truth is fully revealed, the presidency should rightfully be yours! 」

???

Not to mention others, even Bao Li Si himself was startled.

The spotted big cat opened its mouth wide and let out a loud sound.

「Ah? 」

But Ge Lei De seemed truly not joking; no matter how Bao Li Si refused, he firmly insisted on pressing the badge into the other's hand.

No choice, Bao Li Si had to accept the request and reassumed the presidency of the Adventurers' Association.

Thus, the chaos caused by Mi Yang, along with his corpse itself, was swiftly cleared away, and the entire assembly instantly turned into a celebration of Bao Li Si's return to his original position.

The association elders who had been driven out and sidelined were all invited back, and several even mysteriously received promotions.

However, the Gazellehorn Tribe, under Bao Li Si's insistence, was not purged; instead, after selectively punishing some radicals, it still retained its status as one of the three tribes.

The Business Union and the Mountain Folk Mercenary Alliance also gave face, unprecedentedly spitting out part of what they had swallowed, thus temporarily easing some of the three parties' tensions.

In this harmonious scene, it appeared as a warm picture of brothers being friendly and respectful, everyone happy.

If the ominous luck could just behave, giving Ji Ming a positive hint would be nice.

But if the insider in Sunshine City isn't Mi Yang, then who could it be?

If Ge Lei De chose to be this president himself, Ji Ming would think he's highly suspicious.

If Ge Lei De generously gave up this option and returned the precious presidency to Bao Li Si, Ji Ming would think……

「Father Elinor, please tell Bishop Tenisi when you return to the church that we must definitely keep an eye on the Truffle family for the coming period! 」

——Wild Boar Brother, you're far too suspicious!

After the assembly dispersed and all factions went their separate ways, An De Lu did not take the carriage he had arrived in, but instead boarded another one.

「Alliance Leader Fei En, I have come to report to you the work done during this period. 」

As Vice Alliance Leader, although he had quietly taken away much power, he still had the duty to report to the Alliance Leader.

And the reason he doesn't mind the trouble is partly because the other party is the confidant of a certain duke; at least on the surface, proper respect must be shown.

And on the other hand……

「Regarding the business in the Savage Plains during this time, it's basically like this—there's a lot of work, and I suggest you allow more mercenaries to act independently. 」

Looking at the solemn yet slightly doubtful Fei En nodding slowly, An De Lu lowered his voice.

「Alliance Leader Fei En, speaking of this, it's actually rather complicated; in truth I feel the city's affairs are more important, and I am willing to share your burdens. 」

As a martial arts fanatic, Fei En is a well-known roughneck; when it comes to administrative matters, he's completely clueless, and handling them is utterly annoying.

Now hearing An De Lu volunteer eagerly, he happily nodded repeatedly.

「If you, sir, are willing to intervene, our Alliance Leader would naturally be delighted! 」

「Haha, to relieve the adult's worries, to relieve the adult's worries, that's all! 」

Thus, his already tattered authority was further diminished by a thread secretly taken by An De Lu.

This tottering edifice of power seems to await a sufficiently heavy hammer strike; with a crash, it could change its surname.

Hmm, no rush; let's first consider which mercenaries are still suitable to be lured into the dungeon.

The carriage quickly returned to the East District, bade farewell to the smiling An De Lu, and Fei En entered his own quarters.

He closed the office door, brewed a cup of coffee, rubbed his brow, and the scarred face gradually relaxed, revealing a smile.

"Idiot!"

Martial maniac?

【Martial maniac】!

A qualified ruler must learn to self-deprecate; after all, rather than exhausting oneself to be flawless, it's better to find weaknesses beforehand and turn them into traps.

The so-called martial maniac, lacking management, lazy, arrogant… are all virtual labels he actively stuck on himself.

Unfortunately, countless fools who believed it just walked into this trap, easily taken down by Fei En, who is nothing like that.

Moreover, the use of rhetoric and scheming is perhaps indeed not bad; for example, the Lionheart King back then was also a notorious troll known far and wide.

But what truly lets him achieve kingly hegemony is forever conquest and martial power!

Fei En sipped a mouthful of coffee, closed his eyes in satisfaction.

Ah, poor little An De Lu seems still trapped in the nobles' ethereal radiance, unable to see through the essence of power.