Chapter 1246: Legislator

## Chapter 1246: The Councilors

**Author:** Sanjiu Yinyu**Word Count:** 1255

The figure of the Red King reappeared in Chen Ling's mind.

He didn't understand. If the Red King merely used him as a tool to suppress the Mocking Disaster, then now that they were at odds, they should have completely severed ties. The entire world now knew he was the Mocking Disaster, yet the Twilight Society still recognized him as Red Heart 6. This would undoubtedly deepen the world's prejudice against the Twilight Society... But oddly enough, the Red King hadn't expelled him. Had he forgotten? Did he simply not care about such details? Or was there another reason?

"By the way, what did you say happened to the Integration Faction?" Chu Muyun asked.

Chen Ling briefly recounted everything that had occurred. After listening, Chu Muyun sighed deeply. "I originally thought the Integration Faction might be able to escape this time, but I didn't expect them to be affected anyway. If that's the case, their situation is extremely awkward..."

The Integration Faction was neither recognized by humanity nor accepted by the Calamities. They were caught between two major factions, a dead end no matter which way they turned.

"The Integration Faction cannot side with the Calamities. Therefore, their only way out is to align themselves with the human realms." Chen Ling paused, "...That's also why I came to the South Sea."

Chu Muyun frowned slightly. "That's not an easy task... especially in the South Sea Realm."

Hearing the latter half of the sentence, Chen Ling keenly picked up on something. "Especially?"

"Don't you know? The decision to expel the Integration Faction from the human realms back then was spearheaded by the South Sea Monarch. Furthermore, among the nine realms, the anti-integration propaganda was strongest in the South Sea Realm. Here, even the youngest children regard integrators as monsters, on the same level as drug dealers."

Chen Ling immediately recalled the physician from earlier. After realizing Xiao Tao was an integrator, the physician had reacted as if he'd seen a ghost—a deep-seated instinctual fear.

He had picked the most difficult realm, it seemed...

"What if... I mean, what if I could persuade the South Sea Monarch?" Chen Ling tentatively asked. "To arrange a secluded place in the most remote corner of the South Sea Realm, where the Integration Faction children could be sent without alarming the public, even if it meant strict lockdown."

Given the anti-integration sentiment in the South Sea Realm, it was almost impossible to make the public accept the Integration Faction. If that was the case, he could only try to approach Chu Changqing directly.

Chu Muyun thought seriously for a moment. "Still impossible."

"Why?"

"If it were peacetime, this might be feasible, but it's wartime now," Chu Muyun replied gravely.

"The five major realms are not foolish. They've anticipated that the World-Ending Calamity will definitely attack the realms. Led by the South Sea Monarch, the Red Dust Monarch, and Old Ancestor Pu — three demigods — a Realm Alliance has already been formed. Any resolution that could endanger humanity's fate, besides needing the approval of the South Sea Monarch and others, also requires a vote by the Alliance Council."

"Councilors?" Chen Ling heard this term for the first time. "What councilors?"

"They are the power holders of each realm, mostly politicians and ordinary people."

Chen Ling found it a bit absurd. "In this day and age, why do the Nine Monarchs still listen to ordinary people? Letting politicians control the realms' lifelines?"

"Politics is different," Chu Muyun shook his head. "Ultimately, politics is about the management of people by people. For example, who sets the traffic rules for a realm? Who makes final decisions on urban planning? How should inter-realm trade be structured? How do you encourage the populace to have more children and work hard? This is a profound discipline.

"The Nine Monarchs, in the end, are just scientists. Those who can ascend to godhood are individuals who have reached the pinnacle in their respective fields. Such people typically spend vast amounts of time and energy immersed in their own domains. Do you think scientists and artists would know how to govern a realm well?

"Therefore, politics and military affairs have always been separate, from ancient times to the present. Even in the most militaristic nation, you cannot demand that its officials must be generals capable of fighting a hundred on their own. Now it's wartime; besides resisting the Calamities externally, maintaining stability among the populace within the realms and ensuring resource supply during this period are also extremely crucial aspects. So, even the South Sea Monarch must heed the Alliance Council's opinions... The Nine Monarchs are leaders, not dictators."

At this point, Chu Muyun suddenly remembered something and added: "Except for the Boundless Monarch. The moment that fellow awakened, he massacred all the politicians within his realm and single-handedly controlled the entire realm's operations... And you saw the result: during that period, the residents of the Boundless Realm did not fare well."

Chen Ling frowned, deep in thought for a long time. "So, how many councilors are there in total?"

"There are 36 in total. Four are from the Aurora Realm, two from the Red Dust Realm, none from Ruoshui or Boundless, and six from each of the other five major realms."

Hearing this unusual distribution of numbers, Chen Ling was initially stunned but then quickly understood. The Ruoshui Realm had none because there were no survivors when it was destroyed; the Boundless Realm had none because the Boundless Monarch had killed them all... The Red Dust Realm had suffered an attack from the Boundless Realm, and presumably, its politicians had also suffered heavy casualties, leaving only two... What surprised Chen Ling most was the Aurora Realm, which still had four councilors alive. However, it was also reasonable to assume that before the Aurora Realm was annihilated, a train full of high-ranking realm officials had successfully escaped, and these four councilors were likely among them.

"Speaking of the Alliance Council, there's something quite interesting that I believe you'll find intriguing." Chu Muyun's lips curved into a smile, as if he had just remembered something.

"What?"

"About half a year ago, when the Alliance Council was newly established, they held a special vote... it was about you."

Chen Ling's eyebrows twitched slightly. Half a year ago was roughly when he exposed his identity as the Mocking Disaster and left the Boundless Realm... He could probably guess the content of that vote.

"The incident in the Boundless Realm caused too much uproar. Almost all high-ranking officials in the realms knew you were the Mocking Disaster... Some said you saved everyone, arguing that even though you were the Mocking Disaster, you retained your humanity. They defended you, demanding that the human realms lift your bounty..."

"And then?"

"Out of 36 councilors, there were 35 'no' votes and 1 abstention."

Chen Ling was not surprised by this outcome. He slowly leaned back in his chair, sipping his coffee, and spoke unhurriedly, "There's nothing interesting about that... I'm used to it."

Back in the Aurora Realm, Wen Shilin had already handed over his notes to other realms. Anyone who had read those notes would know that Chen Ling was not the instigator, nor had he murdered the Aurora Monarch. Yet, in the end, Chen Ling still became the scapegoat.

"The interesting part hasn't even begun yet," Chu Muyun chuckled. "After the final vote results were announced, the person who made the proposal openly declared that he would not accept the outcome..."

"And then..."

"He publicly put all 36 councilors on trial in the Alliance Council's court."