Chapter 585 - Countdown to Destruction (1/2)

Chapter 585: Countdown to Destruction

The elderly man sat quietly around the round table, holding his breath. The atmosphere in the brightly lit conference hall was extremely depressing. A well-dressed man standing beside the elderly man read every word on the piece of paper in his hand with an unusually agonized voice. “Currently, our nation is suffering from a serious case of famine and the price of foodstuffs has skyrocketed. The other regions, apart from the Port region, have also broken out into riots and are experiencing famine. Not only that, but the civilians who support us in the battle have fallen to less than two-thirds. We also can’t find sufficient helpers to eradicate the thugs because most of our soldiers have been sent to the frontlines. Furthermore, the barbarians have invaded the borders…”

“Alright, alright.” The elderly man waved his hand weakly.

He shifted his lower body stiffly like an ill, handicapped person and struggled to shift his head. The dazzling sunlight spilled through the windows into the spacious conference hall, but the place once bustling with activities was nowhere to be seen. About a dozen representatives from different organizations and forces sat around the round table before him. The dense mass of crowd which should’ve been behind them was only a dozen. The elderly man gasped for air. He knew that the situation was terrible, but he had overestimated the unity of the nobles and merchants. He was once optimistic that it was the combined responsibility of the nobles and merchants to establish the Southern Parliament. They would share the benefits no matter what happened; they would defend their interests and overcome the predicament together. But now…

The elderly man looked at the people with his turbid eyes. He knew that these people would immediately withdraw and leave this place as soon as the situation got worse. However, they couldn’t leave because there would be hope as long as they stayed. They had put in so much hard work for this day and they would see the glimmer of hope as long as they hung on!

The elderly sat up straight slowly and gazed at his surrounding. “I think… Everyone must have heard and seen… everything that’s happening right now. I admit that our nation isn’t doing too well and due to this reason, some have chosen to escape and avoid reality. I will not blame them because that is their choice. But you should also know that such situations are inevitable when we have chosen to start this journey. Every step is arduous, but this is always the case on the road for freedom. Just think about the Country of Light’s Parliament. They snatched the authority that belonged to humans from the hands of the Light Dragon, but were they very successful? Are we going to just give up after facing such a small obstacle?”

“This isn’t our responsibility, Chairman!” One of the men rebutted. “If the despicable King’s Party didn’t destroy our foodstuff reserve, would we even fall into this predicament?”

“Is there any purpose to point fingers now?” A glint flashed in the elderly man’s eyes and the man shut his mouth abruptly. “They’re our enemies now, so how can you expect them to show us mercy! Besides, we don’t have any evidence to prove this point and it is meaningless to be in a tangle with this problem. We have to think of a solution to resolve the difficult situation right before our very eyes.”

The elderly man paused and panted for air. Then, he turned to face a man who appeared to be a merchant. “Saville, have you handled the matter I asked you to?”

“… Chairman, I have followed your instructions to contact the trade associations in the Country of Light for foodstuff assistance. But… their prices are too high! Almost triple to quintuple more than usual! This will be a huge burden for us!”

“… Agree to their demands!” The elderly man gritted his teeth.

When the Southern Parliament sought reinforcements from the Light Parliament, they had also requested for foodstuff to replenish their supplies. However, the Light Parliament had been delaying their response and eventually didn’t promise their request. Without any choice, the Southern Parliament could only seek assistance from the trade associations in the Country of Light and their merchants asked for unreasonable prices. The Southern Parliament had decided to negotiate for lower prices, but now, the circumstances had forced them without a way out.

“But, Chairman! We can’t satisfy everyone even if we managed to transport the foodstuff from the Country of Light. Moreover, the lack of food for the 70,000 soldiers on the frontlines hasn’t been resolved yet. We…”

“We don’t have any other choices for the lack of foodstuff. But everyone, don’t forget our strength.”

“Strength?”

Many of them lifted their heads and fixated their eyes on the elderly man. The Chairman nodded in satisfaction and the atmosphere in the conference hall freshened up entirely. Although the Chairman had some doubts about this plan, he was left with no choice if he wished to maintain this bleak little hope.

“That’s right. Everyone, you are aware that various regions in our nation have different degrees of disaster due to the food shortage. However, only the Port region is able to keep their peace. Do you know the reason why?” The Chairman paused. “The Port region’s main source of food comes from the sea, which is why they weren’t affected too badly. It is currently fishing season and we can order the fishermen in the name of the Parliament to work continuously and deliver processed seafood to the famined regions as quickly as possible! This way, we can temporarily alleviate the crisis and get ready for our next operation!”

“But Chairman.” One of the men had a different opinion. “How should we go about transporting the seafood to every region? This will require a large sum of money. Also, the Port region’s operations are always limited. What will happen to the coming years if we capture more fish unrestrictedly? Moreover, this ‘seafood solution’ wouldn’t be for the long term. The Country of Light’s Parliament’s emissaries have arrived at the Golden City, but the woman has been giving excuses to delay their meeting. How long can we hold on if she continues to drag it out?”

“There will be no future if we can’t even hang on now.” The Chairman sucked in a deep breath of air. He stared at everyone and uttered each word forcefully. “We have to hang on no matter what! That woman can’t avoid us forever! As long as we hang on for three months, the dawn of a new era will shine on us!”

“Three months?”

“That’s right. The Dragon Soul Ceremony will commence in three months and that woman will definitely represent the Munn Kingdom to meet the Light Dragon Soul in the Country of Light. By then, she will not be able to avoid the interrogations of the Country of Light’s Parliament! And we will be victorious!” The Chairman punched his fist into the air with all his might.

The sulking parliament members came to a realization and summoned up their courage and faith immediately. Just as the Chairman had said, obstacles were unavoidable on this path they had chosen and it would be meaningless no matter how they hung on if there was no future for them. It would be the beginning of the real nightmare if the days with the lack of foodstuff and internal chaos hadn’t come to an end. But now, every problem would be resolved if they hung on for three months.

The conference hall with the depressing atmosphere livened up. Parliament members stood up one by one and brandished their fist determinedly.

“That’s right, we shouldn’t give up yet. Everyone, don’t forget our initial ideal and expectations!”