Commander Hei Shi paddled quickly to reach dry land before breaking into a small sprint to the gathering grounds.
The low squattering area immediately became raucous.
Sounds of footsteps, armour-wearing, and shouting came and went in a continuous manner.
Above the lake in the overwater cabin, a person leaned out of the window.
He tried his best to gaze at the Black Jade People’s settlement.
This person is Xie Dong, who was here to survey the lake and had been stationed here for more than two months already.
Now, he had a deep understanding of the Black Jade People and knew that this was an all-soldier clan that earned a living through being mercenaries for hire.
Similar cases were not uncommon throughout history. In the middle-ages and feudal western Europe, many small countries were in poverty. The people within these countries were all dauntless, and they worked mercenaries for feudal lords around the area as the only way to earn enough for their survival.
However, they were different from the Black Jade People; the ultimate goal of humans being mercenaries was not to start wars but to live.
If they could enjoy a soldier’s pay without going to war, most of the ordinary mercenaries would be more than happy.
After some thought, Xie Dong took out a pair of binoculars to continue observing the gathering point of the Black Jade People by the side of the lake.
As he watched on, his heart was tense with anxiety. This was literally the behaviour of a spy. If the Black Jade People were to find out, he would have no grounds for argument even if they were to kill him immediately.
Perhaps even the Venerable Dragon God would not be able to form a justification for his rescue.
Thankfully, none of the Black Jade People bothered to care about this Lake God who was busy peeping at them. In the end, he had successfully witnessed what he had hoped to see.
//
In the centre of the tattered settlement was the square where the previous summoning ritual was held. Crowded with strong and sturdily built people regardless of gender, the square looked dark and dense from above.
A brief count of the people below came up to ten thousand.
Within the square, a few older figures donning white robes and red hats stood on the same altar that was used during the sacrificial ceremony and started shooting order after order.
“Ladies and gentlemen, today will be the day that we, the Black Jade People, can stand on our own feet in this realm. We will prove the meaning of our existence through swords, knives, and magic in our hands. We shall live for war, and perish for war!
“Our clan was born from a Sky Deity of the Upper Realm. The whole meaning of our existence was to serve the strong and slave the weak. Today, a powerful God has decreed us to eradicate a clan that has been disrespecting him. This is the moment for our clan to show our worth!”
Elder Da’s tone shook with excitement. From his words, serving the strong and exploiting the weak seemed like a righteous thing to do.
“Now, gather the troops and prepare our armour, Commander Ba. Start the fire and cook the rice. We will be marching our soldiers to eradicate the clan three days hence!”
///
No one knew that a God was just standing right above the sky where the extremely hostile Black Jade People gathered.
“These folks’ murder intent is so high that I can even feel it here in the air. Eradicate a clan, they say? The audacity! I will never sit by and let that happen,” said Sir System to Fang Ning.
When Fang Ning heard that he quickly set aside whatever he was doing and replied in surprise, “What era are we living in? It’s almost unbelievable how there are still people who would openly promote a speech as such. It’s literally insane.”
“Can you open your dog-like eyes and take a proper look? The people below are not your fellow Earthlings but from the Upper Realm. You haven’t been reading the information that Anderson’s compiled, have you? How could you not know that the customs of the Upper Realm take elimination of clans and cities to be just a piece of cake? Unlike you Earthlings, they do not have the humane values among the modern human societies.”
“Uh… Reading all of Anderson’s information will only be a waste of time as it’s way too dense. I’ll read them when I need them.” Fang Ning sheepishly defended himself.
The System was merciless when exposing Fang Ning’s lies. “You’re just lazy.”
“Life is already a difficult journey, why can’t we keep things unsaid and protected? Besides, I was very busy these days. When have I been slacking off?” Fang Ning tried very hard to formulate his defence.
“I cannot be bothered to care about you right now. These people are so reckless! I must go down and give them a good round of beating…”
“Yes, correct. We must let them know that in this world, only love and justice can pave the correct way to the future.” Fang Ning quickly agreed in an attempt to distract the System’s attention.
“Oh, hold on, I have a question for you. You have been repeating this ‘love and justice’ thing almost every single day, but I felt that your mind was only occupied by the thought of getting a wife and to eat, drink, and play every day. What you actually think has literally no relation with the ‘love and justice’ that you preach. Could it be that you’re those people that are so good-natured that it almost looks bogus?” The System was confused.
There was no way that Fang Ning would willingly admit that he was faking it all along. Instead, he declared righteously, “Nonsense! When have I not been the most kindhearted; when have I been hypocritical? See, I’ve always treated my subordinates well. In fact, I was the one who activated the Unparalleled Affection achievement! I have never bullied the ordinary people with my influence or status, nor did I force them to do anything in any way. My heart was filled with a love for all beings in the world, and I have worked hard to resolve the tragedies and man-made accidents around the world… When you want to judge someone, do not draw conclusions based on what they have been thinking. Instead, you should look at what they have done.”
“Oh, you’re truly a genuine person that you really practice what you think. You spend your days eating, drinking and playing while occasionally boasting about yourself. I’m practically responsible for all the good deeds…” The System gasped in realization.
“Well, you have taken over my body and thus what you do is mine too. Stop blabbering now and let’s go and be busy with our own tasks, alright?” Fang Ning continued to train his cooking skills after saying that. He proceeded to ignore everything that the System said after that.
“Wait! I’ll stop interfering in what you do if you could lend me those two stupid monuments.” Finally, the System has exposed its true intentions.
“Uh, just take them away. Stop disturbing my learning process and go away.” From within his soul, Fang Ning summoned both the Divine and Earth Monument and tossed them to the System after issuing some instructions. The monuments were now entirely in the mercy of the System.
///
At the same time.
Just when the Black Jade People wanted to disperse, a huge ochre yellow palm slammed down from the high sky, so gigantic that it looked as if it was a pillar that supported the sky.
Panic spread through the helpless crowd as they scrambled to escape. However, they quickly realized that they were all trapped inside the square seemingly by a formless barrier that covered the venue.
At that time, the gigantic palm finally hit the ground…
Most people that suffered from the impact immediately collapsed and lost consciousness.
“Hmph! I have already taught you a lesson of respecting the lives of others before this. I never thought that you would be so stubborn and impervious to my advice! You even dared to say something so ridiculous like eradicating a clan! This is insanity. Your speech itself was enough of a reason for you to be hated, your behavior enough to be killed!”
Elder Da of the Black Jade People struggled to his feet, supporting himself to stay upright.
His expression was one of fearful horror as he stared at the Sky Deity.
That was the Sky Deity of this realm that came out to interfere with the sacrificial ceremony previously, right? It was that time when he used the lives of the clan members as a sacrifice to the heaven and earth of this realm, no?
“Please calm down, O mighty Deity. We had no other choice as we were under the commands of another party. If we refuse to follow orders, our entire clan will no longer be able to exist within this realm,” begged Elder Da in earnest.
“Hmph. Who is this savage being that had the audacity to cast these orders? If I find out who was behind this, he will feel my wrath,” asked Vigilante A as he slowly descended to the ground.
“That Deity hid behind a black veil. I don’t know who it is either, but I know that it was very powerful that I dared not to act against its orders… If we do not follow his whims, our clan will definitely be in trouble.” Elder Da looked very troubled.
This was the sorrow of all weaker clans. Being lackeys for the stronger clans was no easy task; the troubles and destroyed relationships will entirely fall on the weaker clans themselves, and they had no one else to blame for possible vengeance sought against them in the future. They had to be held accountable.
“Oh. What clan did it order you to terminate?”
“The Earthen Dragons that have just descended into the realm. They are positioned under the Southwest Mountains of China and are gradually getting stronger by the day. If they were not eliminated in their early days, no one will be able to keep them in check in the future.” Elder Da answered honestly.
He had to be honest, and he could not bluff his way out; lying to these powerful Sky Deities would bring scarier consequences than lying to a king.
“So that’s the case. Since they’re a newly descended clan and lived underground, why would you kill them if they had no enmity against you?”
“Um, I really have no idea. This was all done under the orders of the Deity.” Elder Da was helpless.
“What did the Deity promise you?”
“Oh, it promised to give us a gold mountain after the deed is done.”
Vigilante A showed to expression. “A gold mountain? Disband your soldiers and stop the war preparation. You shall wait for me to investigate this matter first.”
Elder Da was perplexed. “B-but, if our soldiers don’t attack, that Deity will probably kill our entire clan…”
After Vigilante A heard that, he did not speak. Instead, he just gazed at Elder Da.
“Sir Rich-man, Sir Big Spender! I’m trapped between a rock and a hard place again. If I save one, the other will die. Even the System Maxim cannot provide a solution out of this…” The System grumbled in frustration.
“Stop calling me Sir Rich-man, you can even hear how broke I am. My vault is empty now; where are the riches that you’re telling me? You always talk about how honest you are, but now the truth has finally come out – you’re also one that is full of lies.” Fang Ning didn’t even lift his head when he replied.
The System retorted boldly, “That’s incorrect! By just owning the Divine and Earth Monuments, you’re already one of the rare riches in this realm. I would never lie.”
“Uh, I have no time to talk nonsense with you. Let me think about this. That problem of yours is indeed a prickly situation to handle. I have a feeling that similar issues that are equally as sh*tty will occur much more in the future. You’ll probably have a difficult time trying to solve all of that.” Even Fang Ning was challenged by this sticky situation.
Commander Hei Shi paddled quickly to reach dry land before breaking into a small sprint to the gathering grounds.
The low squattering area immediately became raucous.
Sounds of footsteps, armour-wearing, and shouting came and went in a continuous manner.
Above the lake in the overwater cabin, a person leaned out of the window.
He tried his best to gaze at the Black Jade People’s settlement.
This person is Xie Dong, who was here to survey the lake and had been stationed here for more than two months already.
Now, he had a deep understanding of the Black Jade People and knew that this was an all-soldier clan that earned a living through being mercenaries for hire.
Similar cases were not uncommon throughout history. In the middle-ages and feudal western Europe, many small countries were in poverty. The people within these countries were all dauntless, and they worked mercenaries for feudal lords around the area as the only way to earn enough for their survival.
However, they were different from the Black Jade People; the ultimate goal of humans being mercenaries was not to start wars but to live.
If they could enjoy a soldier’s pay without going to war, most of the ordinary mercenaries would be more than happy.
After some thought, Xie Dong took out a pair of binoculars to continue observing the gathering point of the Black Jade People by the side of the lake.
As he watched on, his heart was tense with anxiety. This was literally the behaviour of a spy. If the Black Jade People were to find out, he would have no grounds for argument even if they were to kill him immediately.
Perhaps even the Venerable Dragon God would not be able to form a justification for his rescue.
Thankfully, none of the Black Jade People bothered to care about this Lake God who was busy peeping at them. In the end, he had successfully witnessed what he had hoped to see.
//
In the centre of the tattered settlement was the square where the previous summoning ritual was held. Crowded with strong and sturdily built people regardless of gender, the square looked dark and dense from above.
A brief count of the people below came up to ten thousand.
Within the square, a few older figures donning white robes and red hats stood on the same altar that was used during the sacrificial ceremony and started shooting order after order.
“Ladies and gentlemen, today will be the day that we, the Black Jade People, can stand on our own feet in this realm. We will prove the meaning of our existence through swords, knives, and magic in our hands. We shall live for war, and perish for war!
“Our clan was born from a Sky Deity of the Upper Realm. The whole meaning of our existence was to serve the strong and slave the weak. Today, a powerful God has decreed us to eradicate a clan that has been disrespecting him. This is the moment for our clan to show our worth!”
Elder Da’s tone shook with excitement. From his words, serving the strong and exploiting the weak seemed like a righteous thing to do.
“Now, gather the troops and prepare our armour, Commander Ba. Start the fire and cook the rice. We will be marching our soldiers to eradicate the clan three days hence!”
///
No one knew that a God was just standing right above the sky where the extremely hostile Black Jade People gathered.
“These folks’ murder intent is so high that I can even feel it here in the air. Eradicate a clan, they say? The audacity! I will never sit by and let that happen,” said Sir System to Fang Ning.
When Fang Ning heard that he quickly set aside whatever he was doing and replied in surprise, “What era are we living in? It’s almost unbelievable how there are still people who would openly promote a speech as such. It’s literally insane.”
“Can you open your dog-like eyes and take a proper look? The people below are not your fellow Earthlings but from the Upper Realm. You haven’t been reading the information that Anderson’s compiled, have you? How could you not know that the customs of the Upper Realm take elimination of clans and cities to be just a piece of cake? Unlike you Earthlings, they do not have the humane values among the modern human societies.”
“Uh… Reading all of Anderson’s information will only be a waste of time as it’s way too dense. I’ll read them when I need them.” Fang Ning sheepishly defended himself.
The System was merciless when exposing Fang Ning’s lies. “You’re just lazy.”
“Life is already a difficult journey, why can’t we keep things unsaid and protected? Besides, I was very busy these days. When have I been slacking off?” Fang Ning tried very hard to formulate his defence.
“I cannot be bothered to care about you right now. These people are so reckless! I must go down and give them a good round of beating…”
“Yes, correct. We must let them know that in this world, only love and justice can pave the correct way to the future.” Fang Ning quickly agreed in an attempt to distract the System’s attention.
“Oh, hold on, I have a question for you. You have been repeating this ‘love and justice’ thing almost every single day, but I felt that your mind was only occupied by the thought of getting a wife and to eat, drink, and play every day. What you actually think has literally no relation with the ‘love and justice’ that you preach. Could it be that you’re those people that are so good-natured that it almost looks bogus?” The System was confused.
There was no way that Fang Ning would willingly admit that he was faking it all along. Instead, he declared righteously, “Nonsense! When have I not been the most kindhearted; when have I been hypocritical? See, I’ve always treated my subordinates well. In fact, I was the one who activated the Unparalleled Affection achievement! I have never bullied the ordinary people with my influence or status, nor did I force them to do anything in any way. My heart was filled with a love for all beings in the world, and I have worked hard to resolve the tragedies and man-made accidents around the world… When you want to judge someone, do not draw conclusions based on what they have been thinking. Instead, you should look at what they have done.”
“Oh, you’re truly a genuine person that you really practice what you think. You spend your days eating, drinking and playing while occasionally boasting about yourself. I’m practically responsible for all the good deeds…” The System gasped in realization.
“Well, you have taken over my body and thus what you do is mine too. Stop blabbering now and let’s go and be busy with our own tasks, alright?” Fang Ning continued to train his cooking skills after saying that. He proceeded to ignore everything that the System said after that.
“Wait! I’ll stop interfering in what you do if you could lend me those two stupid monuments.” Finally, the System has exposed its true intentions.
“Uh, just take them away. Stop disturbing my learning process and go away.” From within his soul, Fang Ning summoned both the Divine and Earth Monument and tossed them to the System after issuing some instructions. The monuments were now entirely in the mercy of the System.
///
At the same time.
Just when the Black Jade People wanted to disperse, a huge ochre yellow palm slammed down from the high sky, so gigantic that it looked as if it was a pillar that supported the sky.
Panic spread through the helpless crowd as they scrambled to escape. However, they quickly realized that they were all trapped inside the square seemingly by a formless barrier that covered the venue.
At that time, the gigantic palm finally hit the ground…
Most people that suffered from the impact immediately collapsed and lost consciousness.
“Hmph! I have already taught you a lesson of respecting the lives of others before this. I never thought that you would be so stubborn and impervious to my advice! You even dared to say something so ridiculous like eradicating a clan! This is insanity. Your speech itself was enough of a reason for you to be hated, your behavior enough to be killed!”
Elder Da of the Black Jade People struggled to his feet, supporting himself to stay upright.
His expression was one of fearful horror as he stared at the Sky Deity.
That was the Sky Deity of this realm that came out to interfere with the sacrificial ceremony previously, right? It was that time when he used the lives of the clan members as a sacrifice to the heaven and earth of this realm, no?
“Please calm down, O mighty Deity. We had no other choice as we were under the commands of another party. If we refuse to follow orders, our entire clan will no longer be able to exist within this realm,” begged Elder Da in earnest.
“Hmph. Who is this savage being that had the audacity to cast these orders? If I find out who was behind this, he will feel my wrath,” asked Vigilante A as he slowly descended to the ground.
“That Deity hid behind a black veil. I don’t know who it is either, but I know that it was very powerful that I dared not to act against its orders… If we do not follow his whims, our clan will definitely be in trouble.” Elder Da looked very troubled.
This was the sorrow of all weaker clans. Being lackeys for the stronger clans was no easy task; the troubles and destroyed relationships will entirely fall on the weaker clans themselves, and they had no one else to blame for possible vengeance sought against them in the future. They had to be held accountable.
“Oh. What clan did it order you to terminate?”
“The Earthen Dragons that have just descended into the realm. They are positioned under the Southwest Mountains of China and are gradually getting stronger by the day. If they were not eliminated in their early days, no one will be able to keep them in check in the future.” Elder Da answered honestly.
He had to be honest, and he could not bluff his way out; lying to these powerful Sky Deities would bring scarier consequences than lying to a king.
“So that’s the case. Since they’re a newly descended clan and lived underground, why would you kill them if they had no enmity against you?”
“Um, I really have no idea. This was all done under the orders of the Deity.” Elder Da was helpless.
“What did the Deity promise you?”
“Oh, it promised to give us a gold mountain after the deed is done.”
Vigilante A showed to expression. “A gold mountain? Disband your soldiers and stop the war preparation. You shall wait for me to investigate this matter first.”
Elder Da was perplexed. “B-but, if our soldiers don’t attack, that Deity will probably kill our entire clan…”
After Vigilante A heard that, he did not speak. Instead, he just gazed at Elder Da.
“Sir Rich-man, Sir Big Spender! I’m trapped between a rock and a hard place again. If I save one, the other will die. Even the System Maxim cannot provide a solution out of this…” The System grumbled in frustration.
“Stop calling me Sir Rich-man, you can even hear how broke I am. My vault is empty now; where are the riches that you’re telling me? You always talk about how honest you are, but now the truth has finally come out – you’re also one that is full of lies.” Fang Ning didn’t even lift his head when he replied.
The System retorted boldly, “That’s incorrect! By just owning the Divine and Earth Monuments, you’re already one of the rare riches in this realm. I would never lie.”
“Uh, I have no time to talk nonsense with you. Let me think about this. That problem of yours is indeed a prickly situation to handle. I have a feeling that similar issues that are equally as sh*tty will occur much more in the future. You’ll probably have a difficult time trying to solve all of that.” Even Fang Ning was challenged by this sticky situation.
