Chapter 643: Chapter 643. Deciding the Seats of the High Council
"This... This is Khode! Our nation! You don’t have the right to..."
One of the Vagrant Sect’s followers at the side tried to rebuke Amon’s claim. He couldn’t finish his words because a small knife had lodged in his throat. That knife was thrown by Amon.
"What did you...!"
Everyone in the hall beca tense, but they found multiple weapons pointed at them by the platoon Amon brought.
"General Amon, you promised you won’t conquer this nation! Are you going back on your words?!" Zee Min exclaid. She looked ready for combat. The multiple ports on her chanical armor opened. These were where the steam ca out of.
"Calm down, General Zee Min. I haven’t gone back on my words," Amon said. "I will not rule over this nation. I, however, will decide who sits on the High Council."
"That’s no different than..."
"The first seat belongs to General Zee Min!" Amon announced before Zee Min could complete her protest.
Everyone turned to Zee Min. Zee Min felt uneasy. Their eyes accused her of colluding with Amon, which was not entirely wrong. Amon did ntion this to her in the past.
"The second and third seats, as I have promised, will be given to a representative of the Vagrant Sect and the Charger Guild...!"
Ji Gai snorted and made a face. "Hmph! As it should be. This seat is fought with..."
"... Hong Zi, and Ha Velet!" Amon resud his announcent before Ji Gai could complete his sentence.
This announcent caused the room to drop into silence before erupting into a commotion.
"This is preposterous!" Ji Gai shouted. "I am the second in line after Hong Dao! I am the current leader of the Vagrant Sect. The High Council’s seat is rightfully mine!!"
"I don’t assu to control your organization. You will remain as the Vagrant Sect’s leader. However, your representative in the High Council will be Hong Zi," Amon stated. "If you have any laws that need passing, you can tell him."
"You don’t have the right to tell us who we pick to sit on the High Council!" Gui Dou also joined in.
Having soone backing him up, Ji Gai beca bolder. "That’s right! You are a foreigner! You can’t tell us what to do. We choose our own candidates! The Vagrant Sect has the right to the seat! I will be the one who–"
He didn’t complete his sentence because Amon swiped his ceremonial dagger past his neck. The movent had been so sudden that no one registered what happened until it did. Ji Gai’s head tumbled on the floor.
"Leader...!" The Vagrant Sect mbers called out. But before they could act, they were grabbed by multiple Echos’ soldiers and forced to the ground. The tips of spears and swords were aid threateningly at their vital organs.
Only Hong Zi was spared. He looked around at his incapacitated comrades and was uncertain what to do.
Amon’s ceremonial dagger aid at Gui Dou. "Do you have sothing to say?" He asked.
Zee Min tried to diate. "General Amon..."
"Stay out of this, General Zee Min. You have gotten your prize, but do not mistake that your position is irreplaceable," Amon warned. After ensuring that Zee Min wouldn’t interfere, he returned his attention to Gui Dou. "I repeat, do you have sothing to say?"
"The... The representative from Charger Guild for the High Council will be... Ha Velet," Gui Dou declared with much reluctance.
"Good. I’m glad that’s settled," Amon sheathed his ceremonial dagger. He continued his announcent, "The new High Council will remain five seats. The last two seats will go to Zhong Yuan and Lin Xiaolong!"
"General Amon!" Gui Dou exclaid. "It was one thing for you to decide who sits in the High Council, but giving the seats to foreigners is a different matter. Even if we accept it, the public will not! We will have another revolt before long."
"Both of them are Khode’s citizens," Amon stated. "Go ahead and check the registry."
Everyone was surprised by Amon’s claim. They would, of course, check this claim, but they all believed Amon would not have made such a claim if it were not the truth. Gui Dou argued, "Even if they are Khode’s citizens, they are your followers. It wouldn’t sit well with the public."
"Elder Gui is right," Zee Min said. "There are many other prominent clans in this capital. They will protest if we forgo them for nobodies. No offense."
"None taken," Zhong Yuan uttered. Lin Xiaolong remained silent.
"Yet, this man is not a nobody," Amon pointed at Zhong Yuan. "He is the son of Zhong Ku, a councilor who sat in Khode’s old High Council."
"Zhong Ku? Zhong Yuan...? Wait...! You are that Zhong Yuan?" Zee Min asked. "I have heard of you! You are regarded as a talented Tech Specialist who is favored to replace your father as councilor. You even used to have an office in this building. Are you that Zhong Yuan?"
"I am flattered that a famous military officer has heard of ," Zhong Yuan said with a laugh.
Gui Dou didn’t know about Zhong Yuan. He was still a back-alley criminal during the reign of the previous High Council. He had no idea how famous Zhong Yuan was, but seeing Zee Min’s reaction, the guy was sobody important. Even so, he wasn’t willing to concede.
"What about him!" Gui Dou pointed at Lin Xiaolong. "I have never heard of a clan with the Lin surna. He can’t be soone important!"
"He is not, but he will still sit in the High Council," Amon stated.
"General Amon, if you can’t give us a proper explanation, I’m afraid we can’t..."
"I don’t owe you any explanation!" Amon thundered. This forced Gui Dou to shut up.
Amon let the room remain in silence for a while. Only after he saw that no one dared to dispute him did he say, "Lin Xiaolong is a registered Khode’s civilian, but he is not a Khode’s native. He ca from Echos. Even so, he will sit in the High Council, because he will be my interdiary. Do you think I will just leave after sacrificing my soldiers in this war? Do you think I removed the Supre Councilor for your sake? I will have a say in this nation, even if not absolute! This is my offer. Either I take this country by force, or you share rulership with . Choose!"
Being given such an ultimatum, Zee Min and the two organizations could only choose the lesser of the two evils.
"Why the long face, everyone?" Zhong Yuan asked. "The decision in the High Council is made by voting. I can assure you, as the son of a previous Khode’s councilor, I will put Khode’s interest as my priority. But even if you consider
as General Amon’s accomplice, which I am not, the three of you will still have the most say. It is three against two."
"If he is truly Zhong Ku’s son, which I will check, then I believe he will put Khode’s interest first," Zee Min said. "In that case, it will be four to one."
"That’s right," Amon agreed. "Know that I have no interest in telling you how to govern this nation. You can run it to hell, for all I care. I, however, have stated my demands when I first contacted the Vagrant Sect and the Charger Guild. These demands are tributes, levies, and the obligation to answer my call to war. Lin Xiaolong is here to make sure you keep your end of the bargain."
"If that is the case, then I don’t mind sharing the seats of the High Council with him," Ha Velet uttered. She had co forward among the group at the center. Gui Dou eyed her with disapproval but didn’t say anything to refute. Even if he did, she didn’t care. She had been given a shortcut to the top. She wasn’t going to waste it.
Hong Zi was the sa. There were still other elders of the Vagrant Sect in this room who outranked him. He saluted those elders, who were still held on the floor by Amon’s soldiers, and said, "I’m sorry. Since General Amon has pushed this responsibility on , I must accept. Please rest assured that I will always put the interest of our sect front and center."
Like Gui Dou, the elders were displeased but didn’t dare say anything.
Hong Zi turned to Amon and said, "General Amon, I believe my sect mbers won’t try anything foolish. Can you please release them?"
Amon made a gesture, and his soldiers released those Vagrant Sect mbers. They continued to point their weapons at these mbers, in case they tried anything.
Those people didn’t try anything, but one of them grumbled with discontentnt, "You might have let us rule this nation freely, but asking us to pay tributes, how are we any different from your subordinates?"
"No different," Amon replied. "Every community has its rules, but one thing is certain. The strong rule the weak. This was true in the past, and it will not change in the future. We all must pay for our safety and freedom. rchants must pay protection money to the underworld organizations. Civilians must pay taxes to the governnt. The governnt of a weak country must tolerate unfair trade agreents with the governnt of a strong country. A country that loses a war must pay tributes and give up its citizens as slaves.
"If you are discontent with such treatnt, take up arms and defeat . Prove yourself strong! Only the strong can oppose the rules others impose on them."
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