Chapter 915: What Is Your Opinion?
Seeing that Megard was looking at him, Lin Li dared not procrastinate as he hurriedly greeted him respectfully with a bow. The three arbitrators were mythical figures who had followed Geresco and overthrown the High Elves’ dynasty together. Lin Li genuinely respected the three of them.
Megard nodded without saying anything, and simply put the magic book down gently.
Apophis brought Lin Li to the table. He pointed at a chair in front of the table, and smilingly said, “You must be wondering why the three of us asked you to come here. Take a seat, we’ll talk about it slowly.”
“That’s not appropriate. I’m a junior, how can I sit in front of the three of you?” Lin Li said, frantically declining.
“Come on, kid, you weren’t that polite when you were burning my beard. Just take a seat like I told you to,” Apophis chided. He ran his hand through his regrown beard as he walked towards the chair beside him.
Seeing that Apophis had said that, Lin Li didn’t decline further. He decided to wait for Chris and Apophis to take their seats before pulling out the chair and sitting down.
If others were to see that scene in the library, everyone would probably go mad. What a joke, what kind of figures were the three arbitrators? They were truly standing at the pinnacle of Anril, and every decision of theirs could affect the fate of the entire world. They were almost godly existences.
Those who were qualified to sit in front of the three arbitrators were few and far between in Anril. Even the chairman and deputy chairman of the Supreme Council could often only stand and listen to their instructions.
The Darkness Shrine could be considered second only to the Brilliance Shrine and the third major force of Anril. High Priest Sendros who was in charge of the Brilliance Shrine was considered a figure who was at the pinnacle of power in the world of Anril. However, as long as one was not a Sanctuary powerhouse, he would never have the right to sit down in front of the three arbitrators.
The ones below the Sanctuary-realm were like insignificant ants, and that was absolutely true. It was a massive difference in life forms. Not to mention Sendros of the Darkness Shrine, even Pope Rosario of the Brilliance Shrine would not be qualified to sit down in front of the three arbitrators before he stepped into the Sanctuary-realm.
As for Lin Li, the Tower of Dusk might be incomparable to the Brilliance Shrine and Darkness Shrine, and he might just be the President of a Guild of Magic and a newly minted councilor of the Supreme Council, but he had already stepped into the Sanctuary-realm. Although he had just become a Sanctuary powerhouse, it meant that he had already advanced beyond the level of mortals.
Although Lin Li was still far from the three arbitrators in terms of strength, he had broken free from his identity of an insignificant ant. It was just like a comparison between a child and an adult. Although there was a great difference in strength, they were both equally human, and could no longer be considered as insignificant small fries.
When Lin Li sat down, he obviously behaved properly. He placed his hands on his knees like he was seated decently. He looked at the three arbitrators and waited for them to reveal the reason that they had asked to see him.
Apophis was much more relaxed and casual. He was seated sideways on the chair, facing Lin Li with one arm on the table. He gently knocked on the table with his fingers twice, and suddenly said, “Felic, you’re now a councilor of the Supreme Council, and you’ve attended two regular meetings. What is your opinion on the current Supreme Council?”
Apophis’ words were casual, but Lin Li got a great shock. What a joke. He was just a powerless councilor who was newly appointed, and had only attended the Supreme Council twice. He was still an outsider to the Supreme Council. What thoughts could he possibly have?
“That… Hehe.” Since Apophis had asked that question, Lin Li had to answer. He simply laughed awkwardly, and said, “The Supreme Council? I think it’s great. Under the lead of you three arbitrators, the Supreme Council managed to develop to such a great scale. It has risen to the stage where it can control the fate of the entire Anril and guide the development of magic civilization. It definitely is the best it can be.”
“Is that so?” Apophis immediately rolled his eyes when he heard Lin Li’s answer. With a teasing look, he said, “Good, my foot. If it was that good, why would we have to fight with the Breezy Plains for the Tera Mine?”
Lin Li couldn’t help but touch his nose and grin awkwardly without answering Apophis. After all, he was in the Supreme Council where the three arbitrators were in charge. It was fine for Apophis to criticize it as much as he wanted, but Lin Li didn’t think that he, too, could give any comment at will.
“Felic, you don’t have to care about our pride. Go ahead and say what you want. We’d like to hear what the Supreme Council is like in the eyes of others,” Arbitrator Chris said in a gentle tone with a graceful smile on his face.
“Yes, don’t feign ignorance. I don’t believe that you can’t see such an obvious problem,” Apophis said while stroking his beard and glaring at Lin Li as if he wouldn’t stop until he heard the truth.
Lin Li could tell from Apophis’ words that the three arbitrators actually knew of the problems with the Supreme Council. It was actually more like a test than a question.
However, Lin Li couldn’t understand what the problems of the Supreme Council had to do with him. He thought, Since you’re well aware, you can just go ahead and deal with it, can’t you? Why do you still have to ask for my opinion? Given the status and abilities of you three arbitrators, it’s up to you to do what you want to the Supreme Council.
However, regardless of whether it was a question or a test, it didn’t seem appropriate for Lin Li to keep mum now. Although the arbitrator Megard had been silent so far, Lin Li could tell that he seemed to be hoping for him to say something.
Of course, Lin Li might have just been exposed to the problems of the Supreme Council, but he had plenty of thoughts in mind. Actually, the problems of the Supreme Council were very simple. Just like other forces and organizations that had been established for a long time, they were stagnating and lifeless.
The Supreme Council, which had been established more than 1,300 years ago, was now like a pool of stagnant water. To put it bluntly, it had already declined. No matter what initial agenda the Supreme Council was established upon or the spirit it was supposed to have, the passage of time had gradually eroded it.
In fact, it wasn’t just the Supreme Council that was facing that problem. It was the same for the Brilliance Shrine. The Felan Kingdom and Ledin Kingdom had also gradually begun declining. Dynasties often changed because of that problem. Only the Darkness Shrine was showing some signs of vitality after experiencing several ordeals and being under the lead of the Sendros.
Since the three arbitrators had requested his answer, Lin Li could not bring himself to be perfunctory, and felt that he had to answer them. Hence, after some deliberation, he said, “There seems to be a bit of a problem. According to what I know, the Supreme Council was initially established with the purpose of developing human magic civilization. However, the current Supreme Council seems to be a jaded authority. The struggle for power seems to have gradually replaced the original purpose of establishment of the Supreme Council…”
Lin Li carefully expressed his opinion, and he used the words “seems” and “a bit” for the sake of the pride of the three arbitrators. He also paid attention to the expressions of the three arbitrators as he spoke. After all, by saying that, he seemed to be blaming the three of them.
The Supreme Council had been active for more than 1,300 years, and the three arbitrators had always been the authoritative figures of the Supreme Council. They were definitely responsible for the development of the Supreme Council. Lin Li believed that Chris and Apophis wouldn’t do anything to him because of that, but he was unsure about the cold and indifferent Megard who had been keeping a straight face.
“Well, revered arbitrators, that’s all I can think about now.” Lin Li was secretly thankful that the expression of Arbitrator Megard did not change throughout his speech. He even seemed to show a hint of recognition and appreciation for him.
“Rascal, are you still not going to be honest? Wrong is wrong, and right is right. Will it kill you to be a little more straightforward? The three of us haven’t gotten to the point where we don’t want to hear the truth,” said Apophis, who was a genius and could naturally tell that Lin Li was not telling the truth, hence chiding him.
“I haven’t been in contact with the Supreme Council for very long, I don’t know much about it. I can’t be certain that I’m right, so I was just voicing some of my opinions,” Lin Li explained with an awkward smile.
However, after Lin Li’s defense, the three arbitrators appeared to be somewhat silent. Even Apophis didn’t seem that casual anymore. The atmosphere in the room seemed somewhat austere.
After a moment of silence, Apophis let out a long sigh. He looked at Chris and Megard before saying in a low voice, “Back then, Geresco led us to overthrow the High Elves and put an end to the Dark Age. We established the Supreme Council, and after thinking about it, it still feels like it happened yesterday. He gave the mages of Anril to us. We haven’t let him down. We’ve been taking care of the miscellaneous affairs for him for 1,300 years.”
Although the current Supreme Council was helmed by the chairman and deputy chairman, and also had hundreds of councilors, the council would basically discuss and handle all matters as long as it was not a matter as major as the sky falling down. However, the Supreme Council was not established in a single day. The effort invested by the three arbitrators over the past 1,300 years was probably as painstaking as the effort they had put into overthrowing the High Elves.
Lin Li could still understand that. After all, the Supreme Council managed the mages of the entire world, and every decision made by the Supreme Council would affect the entire Anril and the direction of development of human magic civilization.
Even in the Tower of Dusk, Lin Li did not hand everything over to Gavin and the senior executives. There were still some matters that he had to deal with personally. If there were any problems in the Tower of Dusk, he would be the only one affected. If something were to happen to the Supreme Council, the impact would be major.
“However, we’re not as sick as Geresco, after all. We can’t be good at everything. The only one who’s comparable to Geresco in this aspect has left long ago to become the high priest of the Darkness Shrine. He’s nowhere to be found. The three of us are the only ones left. Although we have invested plenty of energy, we’ve only barely managed to reach Geresco’s original expectations.”
There was some regret in Apophis’ tone, and he had no idea that Lin Li had seen Rogge and even had a long conversation with him. Hence, he only mentioned Rogge casually.
Lin Li knew that Apophis’ words weren’t exaggerated. After Rogge became the high priest of the Darkness Shrine, the Darkness Shrine reached their prime under his lead, and it could be considered a prosperous period. It even suppressed the Brilliance Shrine, and could vaguely compete with the Supreme Council.
Unfortunately, when the Darkness Shrine’s development was unstoppable, Rogge fell into the great rift of the Eternal Darkness Altar, and was trapped in it for over a thousand years, directly leading to the downfall of the Darkness Shrine. If Rogge had still been in the Supreme Council, the Supreme Council would’ve probably been different under his management.
However, it was clearly not the time for Lin Li to speak to the three arbitrators regarding the matter of Rogge. Lin Li did not interrupt Apophis, and instead remained seated and listened to his story.
“We know very well about the problems you just mentioned, and we’re also clear that you have held back many of your true thoughts. Indeed, the development of the Supreme Council has really deviated from the direction that Geresco had originally had in mind, especially in the last couple of hundred years. It’s no longer like a shrine that leads the development of magic civilization. It’s more and more like an organization with a power struggle, and every mage has become a politician.”
At this point, the expression on Apophis’s face didn’t change too much. There was merely a look of guilt and regret in his eyes. He seemed to be thinking of the time when he had established the Supreme Council with Geresco, as well as its development.
“You don’t have to be too concerned. Actually, the Supreme Council isn’t that bad now. Everyone can see its contribution to the development of magic civilization over the years.” Seeing that Apophis seemed to be in low spirits, Lin Li could not help but persuade him.
Apophis waved his hand and sneered. “You don’t need to speak up for them. Look at those people down there. None of them act like mages at all. All they do is fight for fame and benefits all day long by abusing their authority. However, the development of magic has always been stagnant. There isn’t even a single one who has stepped into the Sanctuary-realm, let alone become like Geresco. Even the Legendary-realm has become an unattainable pinnacle. That’s ridiculous, isn’t it!?”
At this point, Lin Li had no choice but to remain silent—that was indeed an unavoidable truth. Actually, the current environment for learning magic was much better and allowed more freedom than that of the Dark Age during the High Elves’ reign.