People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 525 The Sea of ​​the Heart: A Political Idiot and a Political Genius – A god obviously cannot be the former, therefore…

???

"To succeed one of the three chief ministers, that's absurd."

He blinked, somewhat unable to comprehend what he was hearing, and even for a moment suspected that the other person was testing him.

The three major policies held an unquestionable position in Inazuma: the military, finance, religious rites, and people's livelihood. Each of these areas was of irreplaceable importance.

In the preceding centuries

Under the divine authority, they wield supreme power of decision-making, and sometimes can even decide the implementation of decrees through voting, representing the true pinnacle of secular power.

"."

I always feel a strong sense of disconnect between the two choices I'm presented with.

It's hard to believe that the other party would offer such an outlandish condition.

While it's not uncommon for negotiations to follow a show of force, what kind of overture would involve directly offering the rebel leader a top-level decision-making position in the country?
"Excuse me, but is Yae no Kōji joking?"

"The three major policies we are currently adhering to have just undergone significant changes recently, and the series of effects they have brought about will take a long time to subside."

"Leaving aside the fact that the monster invasion is a separate issue, Haiqi Island, as an outsider, is powerless to fight against any of the officials. Even if they could actually fulfill their promise, undergoing such a massive overhaul in such a short time would be..."

Thoroughly purging a group that adheres to a top-down approach is already an act of great courage.
The Tenryo-bōshō (Heavenly Commander) was in charge of military power, which meant that the shogunate's military system needed to undergo a dramatic change in a short period of time.

One of the key reasons that made Xin Hai decide to come to Narugami Island was that, in the current situation, the God of Thunder still had the courage to make tough decisions.

Without a doubt, unless one's political wisdom is close to that of a naive child, it is impossible not to know the risks that would be brought about by directly dismissing the upper echelons of the shogunate in the midst of chaos. This is a decision that only a reckless man or a political genius would dare to make.

Between being completely incapable of governing and possessing exceptional political wisdom, a deity is clearly not the former.

Therefore, given the gods' superior political skills, the situation on Haigi Island, as an immediate fighting force usable during the Abyss invasion, is at least not too dire when it arrives at Narukami Island.

However, deduction is ultimately just deduction; sometimes, what happens doesn't require logic.

I never expected that this "not too bad" would actually mean I would be chosen to succeed one of the three chief ministers.

With a bewildered look in his eyes, he stared straight ahead at the divine beings and their families, whose faces were filled with sincere affection.

Even with all her mental effort, she still couldn't fathom the complex political maneuvering behind it all.
"Heh, vacancies will naturally be filled. Inazuma has no shortage of people who hold positions without doing their jobs. The current inaction is simply due to some more practical reasons."

“But little one, you don’t need to think that much. With the Shogunate holding an absolute advantage, I have no reason to deceive you.”

"To put it in the simplest terms, Narukami Island still has a large area of ​​land that can be developed. In order to facilitate post-disaster reconstruction and the transportation of supplies, no one will continue to live on Umijima Island, which is located in a remote area."

“But there are many ways to achieve uninhabited living, and Aying and I don’t mind making this attempt with the utmost sincerity.”

"However, if the shogunate has done everything in its power and the result is still not ideal, then..."

Shaking his head, Yae no Miko didn't finish his sentence, but he was certain that the other party could understand him.

In a country, if the residents are scattered at opposite ends of the territory and even have opposing beliefs, this situation is undoubtedly a dereliction of duty by the administrators.

In the past, with "Shin" and the Fox Palace in existence, benevolence was a virtue worthy of praise from the gods.

But times have changed, and he is well aware of Ah Ying's political acumen and ability to maintain balance, and he also trusts her 'extraordinary' historical record in handling internal conflicts.

The fact that gods never lay a hand on their people is undoubtedly one of the important reasons why the people of Haiqi Island are so at ease.

But a hidden danger is a hidden danger, and it must be eliminated.
If Aying can't bring herself to do it, then this fox has no reason to be merciful.

"."

"."

"I apologize. This development is truly unexpected. The shogunate's sincerity is commendable, but please allow me to consider it."

I could already feel the atmosphere, which was similar to an "ultimatum." The other party's straightforwardness also revealed a very honest confidence.

Although the fox witch in front of me wore a faint smile throughout,
But Xin Hai was certain that he only had one choice: to let Hai Zhi Island accept the integration, whether willingly or unwillingly.

To be fair, the conditions offered by the shogunate were already more generous than one could have imagined.
Incorporating the residents of Umijima Island into Narukami Island is actually not as difficult as most people imagine.

If they were to force it, all they would need to do is cause an "accident" to happen to their leader, and make Haiqi Island uninhabitable for humans in the future. And those monsters, and even I myself, are already doing just that.

Despite having such a simple and direct choice, they still extended an olive branch to me by offering me the position of one of the three chief ministers.

If one considers that, apart from some management experience, a shrine maiden like herself is actually of little value to Inazuma,
Being willing to waste so much time on a useless person can fully demonstrate the other party's kindness.

"Heh, no need to rush, little one, you can think about it slowly. There's also a dessert here that a 'helpful citizen' has brought."

"However, considering that suddenly taking over as one of the three chief ministers might be stressful for you, and it will take some time for you to get used to it,"
If you don't like being in the public eye, then I can provide you with other opportunities to get involved in the actual management of Inazuma before that."

He casually mentioned something, pretending not to see the incredibly excited expression on the other person's face when they heard "no need to show their face in public."

It's clear that the other party will only make one choice, and the emergence of an excellent manager will promote a whole bunch of excellent managers.
Seeing that Inazuma's administrative abilities were about to improve by a whole new level, the goddess, who was eating dessert, unconsciously revealed her true colors and began to think about how to appease the other party after he saw the office, so as to prevent the gullible person in front of her from fainting on the spot.
"Tsk, what a textbook example of a 'win-win' situation. Both sides seem quite satisfied."

"The higher the level, the less they care about power, and they even desperately look for ways to slack off. Where did this peculiar trend come from?"

Seeing that one of the ornamental fish in the next room had finished its thought process and was carefully examining the "contract" that the divine child had bought from it, she realized...
Trusting the fox's integrity to some extent, Lin Feng had already foreseen how desperate Xin Hai would be when he discovered the gods' replies were filled with "I don't know."
"Hmm? Yuanshang, what's wrong with you?" "Could it be that when you were researching that Divine Cherry Tree, you were also accidentally corrupted by abyssal demons? Do you want Ying to help you heal it?"

In front of the negotiation site, under another temporary wooden shed.

Upon discovering that "Yuan Shang" had suddenly paused while speaking, the white-furred ball of fur, who had rarely seen a familiar face from the Order of the Teachings, flew straight to the other side of the table and looked at the black-haired scholar in front of it with some concern.

"No, I'm fine. I just thought of some interesting things."

"Continuing our previous topic, you wanted to ask me what to do if soldiers experience hallucinations after being exposed to too much abyssal power, right?"

"Well, although I've been busy with the dessert shop lately, I've still managed to peruse some of Inazuma's old books."

"This situation was actually not uncommon in Inatsuma's history; in records, the Inatsuma people generally referred to it as a 'nightmare.'"

"According to your description, the user of the Evil Eye came into contact with the scattered remains of a demon when he was physically weak, and then began to indiscriminately attack his comrades. The situation matches up perfectly."

"—Huh?! There's a record of it? Is there any solution?"

It is clear that the problem that Luminous and Paimon encountered is a special disease called "Abyssal Erosion Syndrome" by the "Captain," which is an external manifestation of consciousness being corrupted by the power of the abyss.

According to Ying, if handled promptly, she can immediately absorb the abyssal power, helping the vast majority of patients regain consciousness.
However, if the delay goes on for even a little longer, even if the remaining whispers of the abyss are gone, the lingering mental effects will still persist.
"Unfortunately, this is a very complicated issue."

"Although it is recorded in Inazuma's history, if someone becomes too deeply entrenched in the symptoms, even the gods cannot save them."

As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed that even the eyes of the white furball in front of him had dimmed.
Lin Feng also shook his head and offered a possible alternative solution:

"—These 'nightmares' usually occur because an individual comes into contact with extremely pure abyssal power. According to your description, the warrior did not directly confront any powerful monsters, so the actual situation is questionable."

"Considering that the cases you mentioned also share the commonality of 'evil eye,' my deduction is that it's most likely a chain reaction triggered by a depletion of life force, and using a healing agent that accelerates recovery should alleviate the symptoms."

"Perfect timing. Although I'm here to treat the 'Tree,' the Life Theory School does have something with a similar effect. I'll find the recipe for you later. Remember to pick it up at 'Fuchiue Sweets Shop' in Inazuma Castle."

!!!

"I knew it! The scholars from the Order of the Church would have a way!"

"—Hehe, let me tell you, Paimon actually knows a really powerful guy. You helped me a lot this time, Yuanshang. We can put in a good word for him later. Maybe it'll come in handy when you're getting promoted."

Based on his past experience, he strongly urged Ying to seek help from scholars, and the final result was as expected.

Having made up his mind to go back and recommend Mr. Yuanshang to Scholar Lin Feng, Paimon felt that since the two of them were so enthusiastic, they might become good friends in the future.

Lin Feng: "."

Who is this impressive guy? It's so hard to guess!
He shook his head, appreciating Paimon's kind offer.

He thought about the issue of the evil eye that the other party had mentioned, but ultimately decided to talk about the important matter first:

"I heard from you that the resistance has been able to hold on so far because of the use of the Evil Eye, which was provided to Haizhi Island free of charge by the Fools to balance the fighting power of both sides. At first, they even concealed the side effects."

"Coincidentally, a friend of mine who frequents this dessert shop shared some inside information. She said that the corruption of some officials in the magistrate's office is actually related to these 'collaborators' from the Winter Soldiers, so they are currently offering a high reward for any Fool soldiers who illegally enter the country."

"According to you, Haiqi Island seems to have captured quite a few of the Fool Clan's spies. If there are any left, perhaps we could exchange them for some supplies."

"Um, there might not be any left."

"We couldn't possibly take all those people with us. Xin Hai told us to release them and dump them in the area where the monsters appeared. Most of them are still living well on Haiqi Island. They should be."

"However, are the Fools really that valuable? What if we capture the Fools' executor?"

I'm curious to see what price those high-end items can fetch.
Initially, because these guys were wanted, and because of the subsequent chain reaction that emptied his savings, Paimon thought that if the price was right, it wouldn't be a bad idea to let Luminous catch a couple.

"."

"The price of the Fools' Enforcers? If you can really get them into the Shogunate prison, Shi Dong won't be stingy with things like Mora."

"While the value might decrease after being caught multiple times, it's currently estimated to be an astronomical figure."

!!!

Before he could finish speaking, he noticed that Paimon and Luminous in front of him seemed to have triggered some kind of instinct, their eyes shining brighter than ever before.

It's like treating the Fool's Enforcers as "rare spawn monsters," wanting to immediately go out and catch a couple.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something,
The white fluffy ball, which had been eager to try, paused, scratched its head, and asked somewhat shyly:
"Um... just asking casually, really."

"Suppose, suppose, Ying and I capture the executor of the Fools, and after we take him away at the Winter Solstice, we also capture the guy who came to ransom him."

"Or perhaps the executioner who was originally there to ransom people was accidentally 'slightly' robbed of some of the ransom supplies by some guy we 'don't know' on the way, and then..."

Lin Feng: "."

Her tone was shy, her expression innocent, but the content itself possessed a beauty that left one speechless.

Because of the bizarre way this white fluffy creature thought of exploiting a bug, the scene fell silent for a moment.

With a slight sigh, I suddenly felt fortunate that the executive officer couldn't be disassembled and sold for money; the ones in slightly better condition were more valuable.

Otherwise, judging from the ferocity with which these two hunt monster materials,
Lin Feng had serious doubts about whether the eleventh seat member who rushed at him upon first meeting would actually live to see the day he was thrown into the Petersburg moat to fish for whales.
(End of this chapter)