Chapter 725.3: Unity Is Strength

As if sensing his hesitation, another earnest piece of advice came through the radio. "Face it. This isn't the Sunset Province, and it isn't Poro Province. Neither you nor Chalas will ever get the chance to become king. The first guy whose backside got burned already threw away his crown and ran."

"If you think you're more capable than he was, then go ahead and gamble on that unrealistic dream. But he could run away. You won't be able to. Either that, or keep the promise you made over the radio. Finish what you've started."

Chen Jianhong spoke each word clearly and deliberately, repeating the words he had heard during Li Minghui's broadcast. Whether or not those words had been sincere, they had come from his mouth.

"... We will never compromise with beasts. Nor will we accept peace maintained by lies. What we need is true unity!"

"True unity!"

...

"... We will never compromise with beasts! We will never tolerate the Torch Church continuing its foolish experiments while dragging the last patch of pure land beneath our feet into an irreversible abyss!"

Dawn City, in the conference hall of the Mutant Slime Mold Research Committee,

More than 200 people sat within the semi-circular chamber as a solemn voice echoed over every attendee's head.

Those gathered were representatives from settlements across the wasteland. The farthest had come from Triumphant City and Ideal City. Closer ones included neighboring kingdoms, Garbage City just east of Dawn City, and even the Bugra Free State, representing the Great Rift Valley.

There were also numerous survivor factions from the provinces in the east and the west. Their strength varied greatly, but most played important roles within their respective regions.

The conference building itself had been constructed jointly by teams from the Enterprise and the Academy.

A commander of the Army had even served as construction supervisor.

As a result, a project that should have taken one month somehow took two. Yet compared to the building itself, the more than 200 people seated inside represented the New Alliance's true diplomatic achievement.

Whether they had come because of the Army, the Academy, or the Enterprise, the fact remained that the New Alliance had gathered them all from across the Central Continent.

At that moment, the respected administrator of the New Alliance stood at the central podium, delivering a passionate speech.

Countless eyes were focused on the man.

The representatives of the Academy, in particular, listened with exceptional attentiveness. Some had even activated the recording functions of their bionic eyes and the vertical stabilization systems in their neck implants to ensure steady footage.

It was as though they were documenting some priceless sociological phenomenon. Then again, perhaps it was simply out of habit. People from the Academy were apparently like that.

Sitting in the front row with one leg crossed over the other, Banteno curled his lips dismissively.He wasn't listening very carefully.

Perhaps the man on stage was right and perhaps the survivors of the wasteland really should unite, at least when it came to the threat posed by Mutant Slime Mold.

But was that really a problem that could be solved through speeches alone?

Looking around the room, every single person present, including the man standing on stage, represented groups that had sacrificed less than the Wislanders in the struggle against the slime mold.

Was it the Enterprise, living comfortably behind closed doors? Or the Academy, hiding behind the Wandering Marsh while building stupid ships?

As for the New Alliance, it had only existed for a few years. The number of people they had lost to Mutant Slime Mold probably didn't even exceed the number they had killed themselves.

Come back in 50 years and then compare yourselves with us.

Some younger officers may have forgotten, but he hadn't. He knew the Wislanders history of blood and tears all too well. The Post-War Reconstruction Committee had created them specifically to combat the creatures.

The reason the bridge of their noses had transformed from shackles into medals was because they had fought for it with their fists. As for the so-called ally sitting beside him, the Xilande Empire, Banteno couldn't even be bothered to glance in that direction.

There wasn't any Mutant Slime Mold in the Poro Province. Those people had spent their entire history fighting one another. When they ran out of labels to fight over, they invented new ones.

Only in recent years had they finally calmed down.

Though according to Triumphant City's governor stationed there, they seemed on the verge of fighting again.

Banteno yawned and casually shifted his gaze toward the Enterprise representatives seated nearby.

He didn't even need to guess. That fellow had probably already reached some private agreement with the New Alliance before the conference began.

When voting time came, he would certainly vote in favor.

As Banteno yawned, the man sitting beside him, the person he looked down upon most, reacted to the speech in an entirely different way.

Staring unblinkingly at the figure standing at the podium, Niyan, attending on behalf of Duke Garawa, unconsciously held his breath. His small eyes were filled with fanaticism and yearning, like a rat crouching in the shadows beneath a stove, staring greedily at an oil lamp.

If only I could follow that great man, I would gladly spend ten more lifetimes as a ratfolk.

The speaker's rhythmic voice was like a war drum. Simply listening to him speak made Niyan's heart pound so fiercely it felt ready to leap from his throat.

Compared to that radiant figure shining with warmth, his "noble" Duke Garawa was nothing but trash.

No... How could that sickly weakling even be compared to the great man up there?

Not only was the duke unworthy of comparison, even the big-nosed man sitting beside him was merely a sewer rat in front of someone like that.

In terms of bloodline, who could possibly be purer than those protected by a shelter? In terms of ability, they had risen from ruins in only a few short years. As for knowledge and experience, the smartest minds in the wasteland practically fought their way to the New Alliance's doorstep.

Even those stingy, arrogant northerners who looked down on everyone else had reluctantly admitted that the New Alliance possessed knowledge they themselves lacked and were willing to exchange valuable resources to obtain.

When it came to understanding the New Alliance, Niyan could confidently claim to know more than many of the people who actually lived here. He never missed a single newspaper. He even believed he understood the administrator better than some of the administrator's men.

Without question, he was the man's true fan, even though he knew perfectly well that he was nothing more than a humble ratfolk... As for the filthy bandit sitting beside him, Niyan couldn't be bothered to spare him a glance.

Duke Garawa couldn't see it and the emperor couldn't see it either. However, Niyan saw very clearly which beasts had inflicted the greatest suffering upon his people.

Standing on the podium, Chu Guang suddenly felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine. It felt as though something was secretly watching him. Apparently, having excessively high perception wasn't always a blessing. It could make one paranoid.

Most of the people in the room were already staring directly at him, listening to every word he spoke.

There was hardly any need for anyone to watch him secretly.

Though puzzled, now wasn't the time to dwell on such trivial matters.

Reaching the conclusion of his speech, Chu Guang clenched his right fist and placed it firmly upon the podium.

"... Ladies and gentlemen, since the beginning of the Wasteland Era, we are facing the greatest crisis of the past 200 years! If we do not destroy it while it is still immature, if we do not strangle it in the cradle, then every effort we have made to rebuild this world will be rendered meaningless!"

"We will strike first and launch an offensive against the Torch Church's territory from the north! However, our strength alone is insufficient to solve every problem. I need all of you to temporarily set aside unresolved conflicts and disputes. At least for now, let us unite once again for a common purpose!"

His eyes swept across the entire hall as he placed both hands upon the podium.

Just as he had expected, applause erupted from the front row and quickly spread throughout the chamber.

Whether they were allies, former enemies, or even the Xilande Empire, with whom conflict had only recently occurred.

Every single representative cast a vote in favor, in favor of the righteous war.

In truth, Chu Guang had never doubted the outcome. He wasn’t worried for a single moment.

The Torch Church had exhausted every scheme and plotted for years, yet all they had managed to gather were a few islands, and even those alliances were fragile and divided.

Meanwhile, through the victory four months ago and four months of diplomacy and mobilization, he had assembled a force far greater than the so-called Kingdom of Heaven the fanatics spoke of.

No matter what desperate struggle those lunatics intended to make. From the moment they chose to stand against every survivor in the wasteland, their fate had already been sealed.

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