Chapter 181: Chapter 171: The Rule’s Impact and the Meetings The Soloma Empire, the Senate.
Hundreds of years ago, the Empire was founded by a coalition of thirteen families. Each family selected one decision-maker, and these thirteen individuals formed an institution to decide on important imperial matters, naming it the Senate.
After the era of the Apocalypse Rules began, the Senate became responsible for analyzing each rule and deciding on a response. However, the King of the Empire held veto power. If the King rejected a decision, the Senate was required to revise it.
Inside the Senate’s council chamber, data on Sakura Prayer’s warship movements was now displayed on a digital screen.
Although the visual-elimination rule was in effect, every senator could still see, evidently having used special items as a countermeasure.
"This time, Sakura Prayer beat us to the punch, sending a warship to the Andai Kingdom with the sole purpose of seizing the fragment. For us, this is unacceptable!"
"However, according to the latest intel from Adam, Sakura Prayer’s operation appears to have failed. The fragment’s location hasn’t changed."
One senator said, "I previously proposed we send warships and bombers for a wide-scale bombing campaign. The Andai Kingdom is just a minor country. What right do they have to object?"
"We’ve been over this. The Andai Kingdom’s attitude was never part of the equation," another senator retorted.
"The key issue is the North Star Country. The Andai Kingdom borders them, and the two nations are on friendly terms. Moreover, that Shadow is most likely a North Star citizen. If we send troops to bomb the area, the North Star Country will not just stand by and watch. Under the current circumstances, we must avoid a military conflict with them."
"Then why doesn’t Sakura Prayer share these concerns? Aren’t they afraid that bombing a neighbor of the North Star Country and killing Shadow, a North Star citizen, will trigger a military conflict with them?"
A female senator shrugged. "Sakura Prayer has always been crazy and audacious. Who knows what they’re thinking."
"Don’t you forget another problem: that kid Adam has no motivation!" a hot-tempered senator grumbled.
"That kid spends all his time sunbathing on an island with a few women instead of improving his strength. He’s nothing like a man of Soloma! If you ask me, he’s not even as good as Lucifer, the one who fled to another country. At least Lucifer has more grit—he’s more of a predator!"
Though the statement was somewhat problematic, it resonated with many of the senators.
As the "Father" chosen for special cultivation in the "Eden Project," Adam displayed none of the masculine vigor a father should have. On the contrary, he had long hair that nearly reached his waist, like a woman’s, and spent his days idling and indulging himself on the island. The senators simply couldn’t stand it.
"If you ask me, we should have replaced him long ago! I just don’t know what His Majesty is thinking, insisting on choosing that kid!"
"It must be because of Adam’s ability," a senator said. "Adam’s ability to manipulate Force Fields is truly one in a million. Besides, only his brain, with its computer-like processing power, can fully unleash that ability."
Everyone had to admit that point.
Adam’s power lay not in the ability itself, but in the perfect fusion of his mind and his power.
If his ability were given to an ordinary person, its effectiveness would be drastically reduced. The reason is simple: an average person’s brain lacks the processing power to balance the relationship between Force Field Manipulation and Psychic Power consumption.
An ordinary person using this ability would either fail to activate it properly or instantly drain all their Psychic Power. But Adam, relying on his computer-like brain, can instantly calculate in complex situations how much Psychic Power is needed to convert into Force Field Manipulation, allowing him to adapt to the circumstances and achieve his goals.
It was precisely because of this that he was able to stand out during the selection process and was bestowed the special name "Adam," which could only be used by the one chosen as the "Father."
However, the senators soon discovered that while Adam was powerful, his personality did not match his strength.
His non-confrontational nature was not at all like that of a Soroma citizen. He was more like one of those loafers from a tropical country who don’t work and just eat and sleep all day.
This was also why Adam had almost no reputation among the public. Lucifer, a psychopathic serial killer, had far more popularity and admirers than he did.
The Senate had discussed this issue more than once, wishing Adam would be more "domineering" and show more "leadership." After the first Ascender Challenge, they collectively erupted, furiously berating Adam for giving up on the Holy Grail and handing first place to Shadow.
But Adam had the attitude of a dead pig that doesn’t fear boiling water—whatever anyone said went in one ear and out the other.
If the King hadn’t gone against the consensus, Adam would have likely been stripped of his "Father" status by a vote long ago.
"Let’s put Adam’s flaws aside for a moment. Looking at Sakura Prayer’s recent actions, their government clearly has a plan to collect all the fragments. This means they are likely also planning an attack against us in Soloma."
"Would they really dare? In terms of military strength, we in Soloma are more than ten times stronger than Sakura Prayer!"
"This isn’t a question of daring. In this era, you should never overestimate human rationality, even among high-level decision-makers," a respected, senior senator said slowly.
Hearing this, the others nodded slightly in agreement.
Indeed, in this insane era of the Apocalypse Rules, humans were capable of anything.
The madness of the rich and powerful could even exceed that of ordinary people.
The reason was simple: many ordinary people had nothing to lose. They lived at the bottom of society before the Fire Thief’s arrival. After the Fire Thief came, some of them weren’t suffering; they were actually happy.
They were happy that everyone was now equal. Whether you were a humble laborer working for your next meal or a profligate billionaire, everyone had to face the trials of the rules on the same terms.
Even if the wealthy and powerful could leverage their resources to gain an advantage, they could no longer remain untouchable and high above everyone else, as they had before the Fire Thief’s arrival.
A single slip-up, and they would meet the same fate as any ordinary person: erasure by the rules.
Therefore, compared to the madness of ordinary people, the wealthy and powerful who had fallen from their lofty perches after the Fire Thief’s arrival were even more insane, even more willing to do whatever it took to pass the rules.
In such a situation, assuming that the decision-makers of every nation were "rational" was, in itself, an irrational thought.
"The Grand Elder is right. It seems we also need to be vigilant and guard against Sakura Prayer launching a crazed surprise attack!"
"I think we should communicate with the North Star Country. After this incident, they’re unlikely to remain indifferent."
"I agree. Among the world’s major powers, we and North Star are on the same tier. The Tulip Federation used to be a force to be reckoned with, but the civil war that started with the eighth rule and continues to this day has completely shattered that alliance’s unity."
"Hmph... The Tulip Federation was just a mishmash of dozens of large and small warlords anyway. Even without the eighth rule as a catalyst, a civil war was inevitable. They were never a serious player."
"I also believe we should establish a good communication channel with the North Star Country. Let’s all vote on it."
"I agree!"
"Agreed."
As the Soloma Senate was voting, the North Star Country’s Strategy Research Room was also in a meeting.
The meeting focused primarily on two issues.
The first was the impact of the visual elimination; the second was Sakura Prayer’s bombing of the Andai Kingdom.
As the second matter involved Shadow, the diplomatic department also needed to consult the Research Room for its opinion.
It was worth noting that inside the conference room, only one person’s vision had been eliminated: the director, Gao Liangwei.
He was currently staring ahead with vacant eyes. The others looked at him with a mixture of concern and admiration.
After obtaining the hidden information, the Strategy Research Room had cross-referenced their databases and found several individuals who possessed abilities or items that could temporarily block one’s senses.
By gathering these people, they could exempt certain personnel from the sensory elimination, allowing them to work more easily.
The experts belonging to the Strategy Research Room naturally enjoyed this privilege.
But Gao Liangwei had refused. He believed that only by personally experiencing the sensation of being deprived of his senses could he truly understand what the general public needed.
After all, only a tiny fraction of people could use external means to block their senses in advance. The vast majority of ordinary people living in the Gathering Points and shelters did not have access to such treatment.
Regarding this rule, Gao Liangwei did not want to become detached from the populace. He would rather experience the suffering himself than use an external aid.
An analyst reported, "Because we made preparations in advance, the situation in the various shelters is currently stable. With the help of intelligent guidance devices like guide-robots, people can maintain their normal daily routines."
"The main area of concern is psychological. Some citizens with lower resilience might suffer a mental breakdown during the sensory elimination process."
Gao Liangwei said, "This is indeed no ordinary elimination. I can feel it now—I’m in a state of absolute darkness, completely devoid of light. For anyone not born blind, this would be very difficult to endure for long. Some psychological counseling will be necessary."
Someone couldn’t help but say, "Director, why are you putting yourself through this? It must be so inconvenient..."
Gao Liangwei’s eyes were vacant, but his expression was quite stern.
"I’ve already said it. We are always here in this safe, underground base. For every rule, we get priority access to all sorts of resources to get through it. If this continues, we will only grow more and more distant from the common people, unable to empathize with their plight. That is why, this time, I will feel what the masses feel and suffer what the masses suffer. Only then can I make the right decisions."
"That’s Mr. Gao for you..."
"The people are lucky to have a leader like Major General Gao."
The others praised him in low voices, but inwardly, they also felt a little relieved.
It was fine for Gao Liangwei to be so strict with himself, but if he forced every one of them to do the same, that would be a bit hard to accept.
"Additionally, regarding the military operation launched by Sakura Prayer, the intelligence we’ve gathered indicates that their target was not the Andai Kingdom itself, but Shadow, who is still within its borders."
The analyst continued his report.
"Combining the intelligence from the First Squad about the Fog Gate caves with information our data miners have collected from the Ascender’s Home, we can make the following assessment: During the ninth rule, multiple Fog Gate caves appeared around the world, and inside them is some kind of special item.
"The holders of these items should be able to sense the locations of the other items. Therefore, the reason Shadow suddenly went to the Andai Kingdom was likely to acquire one. And Sakura Prayer’s objective in dispatching a warship to bomb the southern rainforest of the Andai Kingdom was also to eliminate Shadow and seize that special item."