Chapter 21

Before someone irresponsibly expanded the number of councilors, being a councilor in Sulfur Mountain City was once a highly respected profession. They represented various industries and the interests of different races, able to negotiate with the Administrative Court, the judicial system, and the city lord, proposing opinions and plans. If these opinions gained the support of the entire council, even the city lord had to take them seriously.

When Adam clearly acted as a mascot and did nothing, and the judicial system was only interested in law and order, the council often made the overburdened Administrative Court yield, even if the head of the Administrative Court was the Great Sage Margaret.

Of course, power also means benefits. Just a tax on trade or the entry of goods represented countless golden coins. As these councilors recognized the benefits in their hands, how could they be content with being mere merchants and commoners? After all, in this world, there are "naturally noble" aristocrats and even "the country is my private property" royal families. Human hearts are never satisfied. In peaceful times, they naturally looked to higher places...

Now, when ordinary workers, farmers, community aunties, and fish sellers all became councilors, and issues like "whether morning square dancing is a disturbance" and "whether the council can provide free lunch" replaced issues like "whether to purchase black gold ore from Kalon City," the status of major merchants, clan leaders, and senior councilors was无形中被拉低了，这自然让他们很不满。

When the overly bloated council configuration made the council slow and sluggish, and opposing councilors bickering and fighting turned the council into a spectacle for citizens, the original first-generation councilors were even more heartbroken and deeply hated the seemingly friendly suggester—the devilishly cunning and evil Insomniac.

"Speaker Grant, please make a decision!!"

At this moment, in Speaker Grant's office, a group of young and fiery Covenant Party councilors had surrounded the old and mediocre Speaker, now pressuring him to make a decision.

"The city is full of fugitives, and chaos has inevitably spread. We must protest against the incompetent city lord and have that negligent and foolish masked man investigated and dismissed! And we must also dissolve that group of disgusting dark elf women!"

"Yes, the acting city lord, Annie, is too young, lacks experience, and cannot command respect, which has led to the chaos. She should be dismissed and punished as well!"

The precious redwood desk was being pounded by the agitated councilors, but the old Speaker turned to look out the window. It was already quitting time. In the past, the streets were filled with people returning home, elders taking their grandchildren for walks, young couples strolling in the gardens, and shops along the streets selling various ethnic dinners, with the aroma of food spreading far and wide...

But now, smoke billowed everywhere. The streets, once filled with laughter, were now empty except for screams of fear and the glow of fires!!

"Enough." The old Speaker, known for his mediocrity, took a deep breath, calmly removed his glasses, and looked at his well-dressed colleagues.

"What?" Councilor Kahn, the leader, did not expect such a reaction from the Speaker.

"Enough! I said, enough!"

The old man's roar shocked all the councilors. His bloodshot eyes were like those of a fierce beast ready to pounce, and even though they were used to the noisy council, they were stunned by the usually mediocre Speaker, who often dozed off during meetings, showing such anger.

"Besides the fugitives, there are probably your private armies outside, aren't there? You know what you're doing, you're plotting a rebellion!!"

The Speaker's anger made the councilors instinctively step back, but Kahn, seen as the most likely successor, stepped forward.

"Sulfur Mountain City belongs to everyone. How can it be a rebellion? We are just asking City Lord Adam to return and support the work, and to punish negligent officials. After the situation stabilizes, we will ask him to serve as the permanent honorary lord."

Looking at the middle-aged councilor in his expensive attire, who looked at him with a calm face, Speaker Grant was first stunned, then laughed.

"Ha, you're not stupid. I understand. You're afraid. You're afraid that after the old city lord steps down, the young new city lord won't be able to protect you in the chaotic underground city world. You want to force Annie to leave and have the old city lord serve as the so-called honorary lord, continuing to be your protector?"

"It's best if you understand. Then, you will be the future head of the Administrative Court..."

"Shameless!!"

A spit landed directly on Kahn's face, and instantly, the face of the wealthy jewelry store owner twisted.

"You want to drive away someone else's adopted daughter and then have her fight and die for you, shameless scoundrels! I'm ashamed to be in the same company as you!!"

The councilors wanted to say something, but the enraged old Speaker did not stop his accusations. He pointed to an old gentleman who looked energetic.

"Luolun! Fifty years ago, because of your father's crime, your entire family became slaves and was sold to Kalon City as a cult sacrifice. It was the kind-hearted old city lord who, at the risk of a rift with Kalon City, personally saved you. I remember, you were just a child then, crying and bowing, saying, 'I will never forget this life-saving grace.' Is this how you repay it?"

"Thun! Your father died in the line of duty for Sulfur Mountain City, and you always appeared before the citizens as the son of a hero. Ha! The son of a hero? A coward who fled in battle and was killed by a stray bullet! Have you any shame? Lady Margaret, seeing that your family needed compensation to live, gave him a honorable death! Is this how you repay her kindness and forgiveness?"

"Shudan! You, one of the three young prodigies of our council, have a tragic background. Your family of thirteen was wiped out, and only you survived. I ask you, who personally tracked down the murderer for over half a year, brought him to public trial, and avenged you? Who arranged a scholarship for you to grow up, and you can't answer? You are the one who is good at long speeches and stirring public opinion? I tell you, it was the Insomniac, whom you call a devil!"

"Karter! You were cursed by your family's bloodline. If it weren't for the Great Sage..."

"Ronas! You..."

"And you! Kahn! I ask you, when you were defrauded and lost everything, who helped you recover part of your property and had the Administrative Court guarantee a loan for you? Do you think those greedy goblins would lend you money just because of your old face? You owe both Lady Margaret and the Insomniac, and you still have the nerve to rebel against them?"

Each councilor was named and scolded, but none could lift their heads. After all, sometimes, in front of an old man who knows everything about you, it's hard to lift your head if you have a guilty conscience. Sometimes, even the wicked know that justice is in the hearts of the people.

"You shameless scoundrels seem to have forgotten where you are. This is Sulfur Mountain City, the cursed underground city. Without the protection of the city lord for over a hundred years, you weaklings would have long become slaves and food for the strong..."

"Enough, we don't need you, the most mediocre old man in the history of the council, to step in. We'll do it ourselves!"

Whether out of shame or anger, Kahn's face turned red, and he turned and walked away.

The other councilors, heads down, dared not look at their colleagues' faces, and followed Kahn out. For them, every second in this place felt like being cut by a knife.

But the old man's sarcasm followed them.

"Mediocre? I am indeed mediocre and foolish, but do you know that I set a council record?"

Though no one responded, the mention of a council record made the councilors pause.

"I, Grant Bal, this mediocre old man, have been in office for thirteen years, the second-longest serving Speaker in the council's history. I even wanted to try to challenge my father, Old Bal's, record of sixteen years. Unfortunately, you ruined it."

This Speaker, known for his senility throughout the city, now had a ruddy face and was full of energy, not at all senile. His eyes, looking at his colleagues, showed a strange emotion—was it... sympathy?

"Hmph, just living longer, what's there to be proud of!"

"Ha, there's plenty to be proud of. The previous Speaker, Li Wensi, an Easterner, was both scholarly and martial, and under pressure, planned to streamline the council. Everyone was looking forward to it, but what happened?... He died after three years in office, turned into a zombie by a passing necromancer."

"The Speaker before him, Carowen, was skilled at public speaking and highly regarded by the citizens. He organized protests, forcing Administrative Court Head Margaret to make several concessions, and was called the true uncrowned king of Sulfur Mountain City. What happened?... He died after three years in office, his stomach cut open by a pickpocket, his intestines spilling out, and he died in an ignored alley."

Kahn and the councilors, who were initially impatient, were now drenched in sweat, their backs cold.

"The Deputy Speaker before him, Ben, ha, the then Speaker, Kay, was pro-city lord, but he was rumored to have improper relations, and was forced to jump from a building. Ben was indeed talented, doing it so perfectly that the judicial system's dogs couldn't find any evidence. What happened?... He disappeared in a bar fight for over twenty years, but every year on Kay's anniversary, a man's part would appear as an offering at her grave. Last year, it was a right hand with Ben's old man's copper ring, ha."

At this point, all the councilors turned their heads in fear, no longer daring to look down on the old man who could die at any moment.

"Could it be Adam and the others did it!! I thought they were good people..."

"Lady Margaret and the old city lord are indeed good people. But do you know what the Insomniac, whom you call a devilishly cunning, was first called?"

"What?"

"A more evil and powerful legal executioner than a devil. This was to describe his invisible hand, cutting down anyone who crossed the line or trampled on the law, regardless of who they were. Do you think you're the only ones who can stir public opinion, control public sentiment, and revise public discourse? The great lords can even modify memories, making rumors change in the direction they want. What's that compared to that?"

"My old man, the longest-serving Speaker in history, only said one thing to me before he died. Do you know what it was?"

Now, these terrified councilors had no courage to respond, their faces as pale as corpses. Only Kahn, the leader, forced himself to shout.

"Old man! I'm not interested in knowing..."

But the old Speaker shook his head and continued, his face full of reminiscence.

"He said to me, 'Sulfur Mountain City is a paradise in the underground world, but that's because a devil takes on all the dirty work, eliminating all the less evil filth, making it appear as clean and beautiful as a paradise. If you want to be Speaker in the future, it's simple. Be a little stupid, don't have ambitions beyond your abilities, and the stupid ones in front of you will eventually die off, and you'll take their place.' Ha, he was right. We, the two longest-living Speakers, are probably the most mediocre in history."

At this point, Kahn had no more of his previous arrogance. His mouth was wide open, gasping for air like a frog on land. He felt an invisible noose quietly placed around his neck, the cold of death making him suffocate.

"By the way, do you others think you can ally with Kalon City and the underground city alliance to defeat the three great powers and become future nobles and royalty? Ha, you haven't seen real war, naive children. No matter who wins or loses, the first to be eliminated will be you, these despicable traitors."

"Old man!!"

The impulsive Shudan punched the old Speaker in the face, and Speaker Grant crashed into the table, his glasses shattered, blood streaming from his mouth and eyes, but he smiled in satisfaction.

"Ha, do you think I told you all this for nothing? I'm not afraid of it getting out? It's because I want to live, fools! Is that right, Lord Insomniac? The dead don't leak secrets, and since these stupid snakes have come out of their holes, it's time to close the net."

"Clap, clap, clap." It was a strange applause, like bones clashing, but to the councilors, it was a death knell.

A slender figure emerged from the shadows, a silver mask covering a pair of cold red eyes, and the strange applause came from a crystal ball in the enforcer's hand.

"Silver Rose! The head of the intelligence organization 'The Observer'! The underground queen of Sulfur Mountain City!" The sudden appearance of this notorious intelligence queen, the Insomniac's trusted subordinate, shattered the councilors' last psychological defenses.

"You, you..."

Looking at the agitated, impolite councilor pointing at her, Silver Rose frowned slightly, seemingly a bit displeased. "Snap," a snap of her fingers, and the invisible threads throughout the room tightened.

In the next second, all the councilors' necks tightened, and the invisible noose lifted them into the air.

Yes, from the beginning, the invisible shackles Kahn felt were not an illusion... As traitors, they had been sentenced to death!

"Ugh!!" A few seconds later, like fish pulled out of water, the struggling councilors one by one fell silent, forever silent...

Seeing his colleagues suddenly hanged, Old Grant was also tense.

But the voice from the crystal ball relaxed him.

"I underestimated you and your father. Never mind, you're still satisfactory. If you don't want to bury your black-haired grandson with your white hair, take good care of him. By the way, work hard in the next election, I look forward to your victory."

Silver Rose, still not looking at him, bowed and stepped back, disappearing back into the shadows.

And the old Speaker, leaning against the table, gasping for breath, became the only living person in the room...

"Ha, ha!! I'm alive! I'm alive!"

Even as Silver Rose left the building, the old man's laughter of survival echoed far and wide...

Now, Sulfur Mountain City has completely fallen into chaos, with fugitives and private armies of major merchants looting and fighting, and outside the city, dark elves and elite forces preparing to infiltrate. It seems that the paradise of the underground world has become a hell.

At the same time, on a high tower, I was watching the chaos and disgrace below with interest, while behind me, the Chief of the Enforcement Hall, Snowhoof, the Chief of the Law Hall, Kalle, and the Chief of the Judgment Hall, Kevin, all looked at the scene below with anger.

"Alright, alright, don't look so gloomy, you're all rotten to the core. Without a little blood, how can you cut out the rot? Without being beaten to a pulp, how can you remember the pain? To engrave the desire for peace in these fools' minds and ensure Sulfur Mountain City's stability and peace for the next thirty years, just bear with it a little longer. Besides, our people are already taking action, and things will improve soon."

And when Silver Rose, yes, my housekeeper Elisa, appeared before me again, I knew the situation had changed again.

"Hmm? Those fools really did ally with other underground cities, and the army is entering the city? Ha, the Four Great Kings, we have some fun. Let's go play."