Working Records in a Weird World - 22

 

| WRIAWW | A Saint With Hatred in His Heart | 22

Soon the five-hour-long meeting finally came to an end.

Focusing on a single topic for such an extended period was mentally exhausting. By the later stages of the discussion, when constructive ideas had dried up, most participants began to grow visibly weary.

As the meeting was about to conclude, Joshua suddenly spoke up, "Everyone, I have a proposal."

"As we all know, the Ultimate Dungeon is the last one. Once we clear it, we can return to the real world... Over the years, the Infinite Space has been divided among various factions, each vying for dominance. In the past, this competition fostered talent through healthy rivalry. But now, with victory within reach, internal strife has become the greatest obstacle to our success."

"Returning home is the shared dream of every survivor, a longing etched deep into our souls. In the face of such a daunting challenge, unity is more crucial than ever. After careful consideration, I propose that during the Ultimate Dungeon, all guilds, factions, organizations, and mercenary teams set aside their rivalries, cease collecting protection fees, and fight together for our common goal. Higher-level survivors and those with greater abilities should also lend a hand to low-level survivors."

Unsurprisingly, his words sparked the most intense reaction of the entire meeting.

In the Infinite Space, resources were always controlled by the strong, while the silent majority endured exploitation from the guilds. They had no influence or strength, so they had no choice but to keep their heads down. Now that someone was speaking up for them, how could they not be moved?

[Wuwu, Lord Joshua, I knew I followed the right person!]

[As expected of the 1st, only he could say something like this without fear of offending other guilds.]

[It’s the other guilds who should fear offending him! Such bold truths, I’m moved to tears.]

[Lord Joshua!!! From this day forward, I am your most loyal follower!]

......

Without even needing to look up, Joshua could feel the fervent atmosphere in the room. The numbers above many people’s heads skyrocketed like rockets, easily reaching the threshold where he could issue force commands.

He maintained a faint smile, as he was inwardly sneering in his heart.

Joshua, of course, couldn’t care less about the survival of these people. In the past, he had often fueled the conflicts between the three major guilds, adding fuel to the fire, then stepping back to watch the chaos unfold as they tore each other apart.

But now, with the critical moment at hand and the temptation of returning to the real world too great, taking the lead in proposing this initiative allowed him to seize the maximum benefit.

The overwhelming enthusiasm and cheers from the crowd proved this point.

Humans were such foolish and simple creatures. A small act of kindness was enough to make them forget all logic, forget why those in power had never proposed such an initiative before, and blindly celebrate.

"Thank you all for taking the time to attend this meeting. Let us adjourn today's meeting."

After stirring up a storm, Joshua stood up and left the room, his silver hair shimmering under the golden light.

He only needed to throw out these simple sentences, and then the real headache would belong to someone else.

As the Patriarch of the Temple left the meeting, the live broadcast camera also shut off, and the forum post returned to its regular mode.

However, the forum, having caught wind of the situation, instantly erupted into chaos. Survivors vented years of grievances against the three major guilds, and public opinion overwhelmingly turned against them.

After the 1st left, the survivors seated around the stone table began to depart one after another.

Among the crowd, only the guild masters and vice-guild leaders of the major guilds remained seated, their brows furrowed as they pondered the potential chain reactions that Joshua's seemingly casual remarks might trigger.

Many of the top-ranked survivors had already been swayed by Joshua, but fortunately, a few remained clear-headed. Since the matter didn't directly concern them and seemed reasonable, they chose to watch from the sidelines. In the end, only the three major guilds were left to deal with the fallout.

Compared to the three major guilds, the Merchant Guild, with its unique operational rules, remained largely unaffected.

Madame Spider lit her pipe and stood up with a meaningful smile on her face. "As expected of the savior of the Infinite Space. This move of cutting the ground from under their feet is truly brilliant. Of course, this is indeed a good thing for everyone. In the future, when we return to the real world, the 1st should be able to reap even more benefits."

"I'm afraid only the guilds will be uncomfortable these days. It seems that you have to compete fairly in the future? I wish you all good luck."

Watching the Merchant Guild's members walk away, Qin Ye felt a deep sense of unease.

He knew Joshua could not have a truly compassionate heart; if anything, he was more like a wolf in sheep's clothing.

While he might claim to care for all living beings, he would only laugh as people suffered, and applaud their misfortune.

Qin Ye didn't know how far his hatred had developed to.

Over the years, he had never been able to glimpse the true emotions behind that smiling mask.

Just like the ability of the Eros Code, it was effortlessly bestowed upon him, yet he was stingy in giving anything to people.

Joshua was always scheming, sarcastic, as he played the role of an observer.

As soon as this proposal was made, his reputation and public opinion would be visibly raised to a higher level.

With the Eros Code ability... Qin Ye didn't dare to think further.

On the other side of the stone table, Shu Xingwen slowly stood up. He adjusted his scarf, his tone laced with sarcasm. "So, Guild Master Qin, how does it feel to be roasted over the fire by the very person you supported?"

Seeing the Spiritual Guild leave, the Moon Guild's president and vice president also stood up.

In terms of overall strength among the three major guilds, the Moon Guild appeared slightly weaker. This was because its members specialized in agility, unlike the Watchtower Guild, which focused on strength, or the Spiritual Guild, which specialized in mental power.

Survivors who focused solely on agility found it difficult to go all the way; they needed to invest in strength or mental power as well. Additionally, the Moon Guild's guild master, Ka Guya, was a non-combatant support who rarely participated in conflicts, making the guild seem more laid-back.

But this time, as she left the Temple, the usually silent little girl looked directly at Qin Ye and spoke.

"I don't know why you're so confident in him, but I hope you have a back-up plan."

Qin Ye remained silent.

Even as everyone left, he maintained his silence.

Only when the meeting room was left with just An Tao did Qin Ye finally rub his temples.

"Sigh."

He leaned back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh.

No one believed it, but Qin Ye truly could only steer the car toward its destination. Whether it veered off course was never within his control.

"What back-up plan can I have?" Qin Ye mocked himself. "The initiative has never been in my hands."

He was wary, fearful, yet dared not defy. After all, if Joshua were truly angered, even with shackles on his hands, he would drag everyone down with him. The consequences would be unimaginable.

In the past, Qin Ye might have hoped that heaven would send someone to trigger the countermeasure mechanism of the Eros code. 

But as time passed, Joshua's influence grew, his chips multiplied, and he gradually became an unshakable behemoth. Qin Ye no longer entertained such unrealistic thoughts.

Now, the only thing Qin Ye could do was pray.

"There is only one last dungeon left. I hope everything goes smoothly."

......

At the top of a tower in the distance, Joshua stood by the railing, his silver lashes lowered as he gazed down at the winding coastline below.

The morning light skimmed across the shimmering waves, draping the entire bay in a flowing golden veil and casting a halo of sacred light around him.

The scenery of the Temple dungeon was second to none, with a temperate climate that made it highly livable—It was completely unlike a dungeon that had once been invaded by a weird.

When Bai Shao arrived, this was the holy sight that greeted him.

The proposal at the end of the earlier meeting had stirred his heart. Even though, as an S-level, he never concerned himself with the lives of lower-level survivors, shaking the deeply entrenched monopoly of the three major guilds was a human rights issue that only martyrs would care about.

People are always moved by those nobler than themselves, especially since he was already an admirer of Joshua.

"Sir," Bai Shao took a step back and bowed with a hand over his chest. "What did you need me for?"

"Yesterday, during the S-level mission in the ultimate dungeon, you were with those D-level survivors the whole time, correct?"

"Yes."

"Did anyone leave the reception room midway?"

Bai Shao was slightly puzzled by the question, but he answered truthfully, "Indeed, one D-level left midway, he said he needed to use the restroom."

"Oh?" Joshua raised an eyebrow. "Tell me more about what happened yesterday."

"After you left the reception room, that weird suddenly attacked. I fought it briefly, before using a flash to turn on the lights. When it failed to land a hit, it quickly fled. After the weird left, that D-level said he was going to the restroom. As you know, being alone in a high-difficulty mission is almost a death sentence, but he insisted, and no one could persuade him otherwise. We had to let him go. But that guy was really lucky—he went out alone and came back unscathed more than ten minutes later."

Bai Shao could still recall the stunned expressions of everyone in the reception room when they saw Zong Le return unharmed.

What was even more baffling was that the guy seemed completely unaware of how close he had come to death. When questioned, "Didn’t you encounter any danger outside?" he looked utterly bewildered.

"No, it was pretty safe out there."

Bai Shao: "......"

What could he say? Some people are just born lucky.

Regarding Bai Shao's statement, Joshua neither confirmed nor denied it: "When we encountered that weird, we found it already severely injured, with at least 70% of its combat power diminished. Do you have any idea how this could have happened?"

"Ah?" Bai Shao showed an incredulous expression, clearly having no idea about it: "This... I didn't pay attention when I was fighting it, but its attacks were indeed quite fierce, just as you analyzed earlier. It has little combat experience and rough techniques, typical of a newborn weird... Is it possible that it was already injured before we started our mission, which is why it lay low for three days and was eager to find blood to restore its strength?"

Joshua remained silent, but deep down, he found this possibility highly unlikely.

The weird infant might be foolish and unable to hunt, but that doesn't mean Madam Xue is an idiot.

However, at this point, dwelling on how the weird infant got injured is not very meaningful. Joshua is more interested in the little mouse who peeked at his secret.

"Describe the appearance of that D-level who left the reception room."

Bai Shao opened his mouth, but before he could think about why the patriarch was so interested in a D-level , the answer automatically spilled out of his mouth, completely uncontrollable: "Black hair, black eyes, quite good-looking, wearing a white shirt, there was nothing particularly special about him."

All suspicions were confirmed, and a cold glint appeared in Joshua's eyes.

He glanced indifferently at Bai Shao, who looked utterly confused, and the number above his head showed 71.

An S-level survivor is obviously more valuable than those of a lower level. Bai Shao is a newly promoted S-level, with shallow foundations and can be easily brainwashed. Joshua has spent very little time on him, yet the returns have been quite substantial.

He is only 9 points away from the 80-point fanatic threshold.

To be safe, he must find a way to make up the last few points.

"I understand."

Joshua's expression remained unchanged, only nodding with a smile: "I have a task to assign to you."

"Please speak, sir!" Hearing this, Bai Shao immediately straightened up, quickly dismissing the earlier unease.

His excitement was evident, as Joshua has many more experienced and powerful followers around him, including several S-levels. Bai Shao, with his limited experience, is eager to secure a place in the Temple Army.

And a task personally assigned by the Patriarch is not just a task, but also a form of recognition and favor.

So the number above his head jumped up by 3 points.

"You must already be aware of the proposed at the end of today's collective meeting. The major guilds and have been entrenched for years and won't relinquish power so easily with just a few words. As the one who imitated the proposal, you should lead by example. You may not be able to change others' minds, but at least you can start with the Temple Army. At the very least, I hope those who support me can implement my proposal, and participate more in low-level tasks, and extend a helping hand to low-level survivors."

At this point, Joshua paused: "Of course, while performing low-level tasks, if you encounter that D-level survivor from the previous S-level mission, remember to get their contact information."

"There are still some unresolved doubts about the last mission that require their cooperation in the investigation."

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TL: For those wondering, my time zone is CT (Central Time)