Chapter 842: Twisting Facts
The Glittergold Trade Union and the Tower of Dusk had always been the closest partners.
During this period of time, various forces had been trying to boycott and suppress the Tower of Dusk. It would be impossible for the Glittergold Trade Union not to detect it. If it were an ordinary force, the Glittergold Trade Union would definitely be able to come forward to settle it completely, but they were the Mithril Alliance, Blood Moon Clan, and Caesar Family. They were the three major forces of the Breezy Plains—powerful, with high status, and not inferior to the Glittergold Trade Union. Although Hoffman was the President of the Glittergold Trade Union, he was not the only one who had a say in it. In a commercial organization, the most important rule of thumb for survival was not to directly intervene in any conflicts between forces.
In reality, the rumors of the Glittergold Trade Union trying to encroach on the Tower of Dusk had been spreading throughout the internal department of the Glittergold Trade Union. All Hoffman could do was to suppress those voices with his identity as the President. However, if the Tower of Dusk were to be divided by the three major forces in the end, Hoffman who had insisted on not attacking the Tower of Dusk would probably have his status affected.
The Ashen Warlock was the god of the Breezy Plains, yet he valued a tiny ant which also had a bright and promising future with endless potential. Hence, when he heard the Ashen Warlock saying those words to Lin Li which seemed to hint at his admiration of Lin Li, Hoffman was extremely excited and agitated. As the closest partner of the Tower of Dusk, he would definitely stand to gain if the Tower of Dusk were to develop well. The more the Tower of Dusk developed, the more benefits the Glittergold Trade Union would gain. If the Glittergold Trade Union were to gain more benefits, Hoffman’s status in the Glittergold Trade Union would definitely rise higher.
After Lin Li greeted him, the Ashen Warlock finally smiled, which was rare of him. He then nodded at Lin Li slightly before turning to look at Joseph who was on the steps. He calmly said, “Go ahead.”
Although the Mithril Alliance was not the strongest force in the Breezy Plains, they were the force with the longest heritage, and had always been the representative of the various forces during the gatherings. Joseph was actually shocked by the words of the Ashen Warlock, but he didn’t have much time to think about it at this juncture. Hence, he saluted the Ashen Warlock with respect, and then stood up to bow to the Ashen Warlock. He then began to report about everything that happened in the Breezy Plains in the past three years.
There was silence in the open space in front of the tower, and the only thing that could be heard was Joseph’s voice when he was reporting to the Ashen Warlock. There were no background noises at all, and everyone subconsciously slowed down their breathing. The Ashen Warlock stood quietly on the steps, holding the staff with both hands expressionlessly. No one could figure out if he was listening to Joseph’s report or not.
Actually, with the suppression and the deterrence of the Ashen Warlock, there was nothing that happened in the Breezy Plains that was worth mentioning. As Joseph was talking, he finally talked about the Tower of Dusk and its domineering rise which was indeed a major event that took the entire Breezy Plains by storm. However, the matter definitely had a different meaning when Joseph said it.
“The Breezy Plains Guild of Magic, which is also the Tower of Dusk, often clashed with some surrounding forces at the beginning of its establishment. Even after killing the leader of the Syer Bandits, it still led some people to attack the Syer Bandits’ lair and killed all the old, weak, sick, and disabled who could not even pose a threat to them…” Joseph said in a scheming manner. Instead of going against the Tower of Dusk, he placed the emphasis on the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic, thus highlighting the fact that the Tower of Dusk was an outsider, as well as their relationship with the Supreme Council.
“…The fierce battle between the Tower of Dusk and the Dark Blade lasted for several months, making the residents of Doland rather fearful. After the President of the Tower of Dusk, Felic, returned, he did not make any attempt to reconcile and bury the hatchet. Instead, he was so brazen as to kill the leader of the Dark Blade and hunt down all the members of the Dark Blade who had escaped. Under Felic’s leadership, the Tower of Dusk carried out a cruel bombardment and attack on the surrounding forces in Doland. Those who opposed would be annihilated…” Joseph did not fabricate lies to portray a bad image of the Tower of Dusk, and everything he said was true. He had simply changed the main point a little, and chose not to bring up what the Dark Blade and the other forces had done to the Tower of Dusk. He simply tried to emphasize the tragedy that struck the Dark Blade and the other forces.
While speaking, Joseph sneaked a glance at the Ashen Warlock. Although he noticed that the Ashen Warlock looked rather indifferent, he felt somewhat relieved. Of course, he knew that those matters were not enough to anger the Ashen Warlock. In fact, given the level that the Ashen Warlock was at, there was nothing that could really make him angry. However, Joseph was very confident that he could gradually turn things into the direction that he wanted.
When the Tower of Dusk was weak, it had gotten into conflicts with the smaller forces around it, especially with the Syer Bandits. Their dispute with the Syer Bandits was endless, and they couldn’t reach an agreement. After the Tower of Dusk became stronger, they got into an intense battle with the Dark Blade, and even conquered Doland and the surrounding area. Hence, the influence of the Tower of Dusk had already expanded and spread to the entire Breezy Plains. If any trouble were to arise, the peace of the entire Breezy Plains would be disrupted. Didn’t the Ashen Warlock enjoy peace and serenity? In that case, would he allow the Tower of Dusk, which was the root of trouble, to continue surviving in the Breezy Plains?
Joseph’s description would definitely invoke all sorts of emotions. He actually made the enemies the Tower of Dusk had gotten rid of sound like weaklings who swallowed their pride after being bullied because they couldn’t protect themselves. He also made the Tower of Dusk seem like tyrants and bullies that would attack others over a trivial, unsatisfactory issue.
Norfeller and Ujfalusi, who were behind Lin Li, were Undead creatures, but they still had human emotions. After hearing Joseph twist facts and warp the truth, the two of them were so infuriated that they began to quiver slightly, and wished they could rip his mouth apart. Norfeller would occasionally touch the dagger on his waist, while Ujfalusi began to rub his Skeleton Staff continuously.
Hoffman, who was initially rather happy for Lin Li, couldn’t help but start to worry again when he listened to Joseph’s account. Hoffman wasn’t concerned that Joseph had twisted facts. He was well aware that good and evil wouldn’t affect Ashen Warlock’s decisions and resolution, just like how no one would care about the cause of a fight between ants. However, Ashen Warlock needed the peace of the Breezy Plains to be maintained, and regardless of who disrupted the peace, they would be punished in the same way.
The leaders of other forces did not expect that Joseph would twist the story and exaggerate things, but they were not worried. Although the Breezy Plains was not small, the resources it could provide were still limited, after all. An outsider force like the Tower of Dusk would definitely occupy the resources that originally belonged to other local forces.
Before the Tower of Dusk rose to fame and became strong and significant enough, such a situation wasn’t obvious. After all, the top forces had more than enough money and resources to last for a long time. However, it took only two or three years for the Tower of Dusk to develop to a scale that was not inferior to those top forces. Hence, the amount of resources that the Tower of Dusk had snatched away was rather significant. That was the very reason that the forces immediately put aside their prejudices, and worked together to boycott the Tower of Dusk once the Mithril Alliance decided to take the lead.
However, Hoffman revealed some information just now which hinted that the Brilliance Shrine seemed to share a close relationship with the Tower of Dusk. Earlier on, there were also rumors of the Holy Paladins appearing in the Tower of Dusk. Although those people were the leaders of the top forces of the Breezy Plains, they were far from being comparable to the Brilliance Shrine. If the Tower of Dusk really had the support of the Brilliance Shrine, they would have to reconsider the way they treated the Tower of Dusk.
However, now that Joseph had recounted everything, everyone could tell the wonder of it, and reckoned that he might just be able to convince the Ashen Warlock into taking action. Given the terrifying power of the Ashen Warlock, the Tower of Dusk could only count themselves unlucky because everyone was now gloating.
Some were angry, some were worried, and some were gloating. Among all the people present, Lin Li and the Ashen Warlock, who was standing on the steps, were the only ones whose expressions did not change.
“Clearly, the Tower of Dusk has become a toxic element of the Breezy Plains—a black sheep that destroys the peace and order of the Breezy Plains. Hence, on behalf of the Mithril Alliance, the Blood Moon Clan, and the Caesar Family, I would like to request you to kick the Tower of Dusk out of the Breezy Plains,” said Joseph who represented the three major forces of the Breezy Plains, making the request after complaining about the Tower of Dusk.
At this moment, the space that was supposed to be extremely quiet suddenly seemed to have solidified. For the first time, the Mithril Alliance, the Blood Moon Clan, and the Caesar Family jointly made a request, and they were the three major forces which were enough to represent the entire Breezy Plains. Although the Ashen Warlock was superior to all the forces, he probably couldn’t ignore the request from the three major forces.
Firstly, the Tower of Dusk had committed the taboo of the Ashen Warlock, and secondly, the three major forces requested to expel them. It seemed that the Tower of Dusk was really doomed this time! Gloating, everyone turned to look at Lin Li and the rest whose fates were sealed.
Although the Tower of Dusk had been established for two to three years, the wealth it had accumulated was rather eye-catching and ostentatious. Even if most of their assets were split amongst the three major forces, the remaining forces would still be given a considerable amount of money. Under such a huge temptation, the leaders of other forces were unwilling to fall behind, and thus decided to stand up and go ahead with the suggestion.