Chapter Sixteen: Revolution Demands Blood (Part One)

While Wei Wuji and the two special envoys from the Comminson Revolutionary League were rescuing someone in the forest, the monthly meeting of a mysterious organization was also underway.

“I request activation of the Councilor Protection Protocol. The Church is determined to eliminate me this time, even though they cannot be certain whether I am a transmigrator.” The voice coming from the crystal orb was identical to what Wei Wuji had heard from Warrenheit in the auditorium.

“The Councilor Protection Protocol—this was a system we all agreed upon after the Lion died. For any officially recognized councilor of the Constellation, if their identity is at risk of being discovered by the Church, a nation, or a massive organization, and their life is in grave danger, they may invoke this privilege. It’s a right exclusive to official councilors and comes at a steep cost in contribution points. Capricorn, is it truly that dire? Are you certain you want to invoke this right?”

The speaker was still Libra, the Speaker of the Constellation, who sat alone at the head of a vast rectangular table. Five magical crystal orbs were arranged on each side, and Warrenheit’s voice emanated from one of them.

Warrenheit’s voice continued from the communication crystal. Though not loud, it was crystal clear, signifying two things: first, that he was quite far from here—magical communication crystals transmit sound less effectively with distance, and the farther the distance, the higher the quality of magic crystal required; and second, that this particular crystal was indeed of excellent quality, so despite the distance, the sound remained distinct.

“It is absolutely necessary. As I’ve said, I am in a great deal of trouble. The Church, the Comminson Revolutionary League, even neighboring countries are watching us. If the Church is dissatisfied with this mission, a war could break out. Killing me would lower the difficulty of that war considerably. I ask everyone to approve the activation of the Councilor Protection Protocol: guarantee my safety, support me in every possible way—even to the extent of directly taking part in a crusade the Church might launch.”

“That is not in line with parliamentary regulations,” someone pointed out bluntly. “The Councilor Protection Protocol is a special safeguard for you personally. Even if we agree to activate it, we can only ensure your personal safety. I believe that unless the Church launches a full-scale war, they cannot kill you in Landia. If they attempt it, they’ll soon realize the magnitude of their mistake. If war truly breaks out and we lose, the protocol guarantees you survive and escape safely. But your organization and Landia itself are not covered. If we get involved directly, we risk exposing ourselves to the Church and must consider whether the benefits for the other councilors outweigh the losses.”

“Gemini, everything I’ve done in Landia, you've all been involved in, directly or indirectly. If I go down, your investments will be for nothing.”

“Capricorn, even though there’s no stock exchange here yet—something I keep hoping the natives will eventually invent—so long as the Church exists, keeps issuing indulgences, and tries to control even the banks, stocks will just stay unborn. What you’re describing is like playing the stock market: we made an initial investment, but that doesn’t mean we’ll keep buying as it drops; there has to be a stop-loss. If you truly can’t stop the Church from targeting Landia, that’s a huge negative—enough to get your stock delisted.”

Warrenheit’s communication crystal fell silent for a moment, but then a woman’s voice came from another crystal: “Gemini, don’t go too far. Don’t forget—the whole reason we formed this parliament was because cooperation benefits us all, allowing faster and better development. We all feared that working separately, we’d eventually be destroyed by the Church or the natives. Are you ready to abandon that principle now?”

“All right, Aquarius, I’m sure no one is unwilling to help Capricorn.” Libra’s voice resonated in everyone’s ears. “Once the Councilor Protection Protocol is activated, even if it means direct conflict with the Church, we’ll protect Warrenheit’s life and never allow another incident like the Lion’s. But Gemini is right—not just Landia, but also Broom and Panner. For Capricorn, Taurus, and myself, those are vital. But for the whole Constellation, they’re just important investments. Capricorn’s Landia received much of our effort in the beginning; otherwise, the Tianlun Dynasty wouldn’t have been so easily toppled, nor would Capricorn have held out for years without that support.”

“Libra, I understand,” Capricorn’s voice now calm and composed from the crystal orb. “I was too emotional and selfish just now—after all, I’ve managed Landia for years, and if it’s destroyed, it’ll be hard to accept. But both you and Gemini are correct: I can bet everything on this, but I can’t demand every councilor join me in this battle. I can only ask that everyone weigh Landia’s importance among our S-class objectives. I trust you’ll make wise decisions.”

“Heh, let’s all calm down. We don’t have many S-class objectives. The first is unraveling the secret of transmigration. Perhaps then we could return to our original world, or even travel between both, treating this place as a vacation spot. Landia is not crucial for this goal. The second objective—if we can never solve the secret—means we must confront our relationship with the natives, and our role here. That’s why our second aim is to stand in the sunlight without fear of being branded heretics and killed. For this, we’ve done much—especially since uniting, we’ve become a force that can discreetly influence the continent. But it’s not enough,” said Aries.

“Yes, it’s not enough,” continued a steady middle-aged male voice, the Taurus symbol marking his crystal. “We designed several plans for this goal, one of which involved Landia and Broom. Landia, in particular, was our direct project—everyone contributed. We toppled the Tianlun Dynasty and erased our traces, so the Church can only accept this as a historic shift. Our plan was to use our influence to foster the rise of capitalism on this continent, directly or indirectly, through Landia and Broom. Our strength looks formidable now, but don’t forget—the core belongs to us, but the foundation is built on the natives. We have countless natives serving us. As long as institutions like the Church exist, if our identities are exposed, we’ll be condemned as evil heretics and public enemies. As for the wealth, civilization, and technology we’ve created, the people here won’t thank us—only help themselves to it all.”