"…"
That statement silenced the room, making the atmosphere awkward.
They could agree with that statement to some extent. Some weaker influences might easily accept their roles. But some stronger influences had to think twice because they had to think about their images as well.
However, that statement also gave birth to another question.
"Now that I think about it, there are still a few influences that are not here, right? If I'm not wrong, I've seen Theodore Griffith's parents on the battlefield against the sea race. The Griffith Family is a big influence.
"If they're not participating in this battle, does that mean they're conserving their strength so that when we're exhausted, they'll swallow us?
"There are other influences as well, so I don't know what will happen after that war."
The people started to look at each other as if questioning their intentions. They were afraid that if they went all out, they would get swallowed by another influence who managed to conserve their strength.
That was why they became hesitant to send their resources and personnel to aid this battle.
Still, the military and the government certainly knew what was at stake.
One of the government officials couldn't help but slam the table, rise from his seat, and shout, "You have to do it. Do you know that there are more than one hundred million people in this base? They need all of you.
"Our country has been prospering because there are warriors who fight for this country. You—"
Another person interjected, reminding him of something important. "Don't forget about this. You're saying this is our country instead of our base. Don't forget that not all of us are here because we want to be. It's only because the situation forces us. And we are not from your country, so don't forget that."
But before the argument became even more heated, Rea slammed the table to get all their attention.
*Bam!*
"!!!" The people were startled because the source of the sound came from the leader of this meeting. They turned around and found Rea glaring at them.
Rea only stated one thing. "There is no need for you to think about it. Do you remember what happened during the previous meeting? We've clearly told you that there are spies inside this base and we haven't found them yet.
"Let's make this simple. We have received help from the Griffith Family and the Beggar Association to create an information network to supervise all parties.
"Those who are found to be slacking off shall be considered the spies of those monsters. And I'll surely inform Theo about it so that he can crush the enemy of humanity!"
Rea's cold tone and gaze filled with killing intent stopped all of them. It felt like time had stopped for a moment.
Her statement wasn't an empty threat. Theo could easily crush any influence in this base. The only reason why he hadn't done it was simply because they didn't harm him or something.
But if the others were deemed to be spies and became enemies of humanity, Theo would certainly crush them.
However, there was a drawback of instilling fear in the comrades that would fight with them on the battlefield. When Rea presented this idea, Agata and Maya rejected it.
And that concern started to appear.
"It seems Theodore Griffith wants to create a tyranny in this base."
"I see. So, that's Theodore Griffith's plan. He first weakens the government and the army before going at us. This way, he will soon get a hold of this base for himself."
"Theodore Griffith is no different than any of us. He is also a power hungry maniac."
They were glaring back at Rea, showing disapproval. This was the concern.
Theo had seen all this in his hometown, Thersland.
Even though the president was strong and managed to suppress the mafias and all influences that wanted to control the country, he didn't destroy them.
After all, if one became too strong, the people could claim he was a tyrant and banded together.
In the end, people would lose trust and start fighting back. There would also be some spies that lit the sparks everywhere, causing damages at an unimaginable scale.
This was the reason why Theo never threatened people when searching for allies.
Rea also had seen this result as well, but she still stayed firm in her decision. She wasn't Theo, who had enough charisma to control all these people. So she didn't have to do it the same way as Theo.
Hence, the moment they showed their disapproval, Rea smirked. "I understand. You're simply using my statement to go against my Teacher. However, you've forgotten about something. I'm not my teacher.
"Since he has given me the authority to do it, I'm going to do it my way. You're free to complain to my teacher after that, but I won't change my way.
"To make people like you obey the instruction for the interest of humanity, I'm going to be a tyrant," Rea glared back at them. She seemed to be releasing an invisible oppressive aura.
This aura made all of them feel submissive as if they were in front of a huge lion, ready to devour them.
Maya glanced at Rea's state, closing her eyes. This was how Rea convinced her and Agata as well.
Back then, both of them were surprised by this aura.
Rea's power was Embodiment. In the past, she didn't understand that Embodiment meant everything. She might have possessed their strength and the way they fought, but Rea hadn't developed their temperament.
The calm and collected turtle, the sharp and poisonous snake, or the sneaky and playful fox. It was possible to cultivate their temperament.
And this time, the only way to get what they needed was the overbearing dragon.
She had to overwhelm these people so that they could get the help needed to fight the enemies.
It seemed to be effective to some extent, but Maya could see some defiant looks at these people. Agata had left a message to help Rea in this situation. There was a need to balance everything and the easiest way to do it was to incite their greed.
With a serious expression, Maya stated, "There is a reward for the people who help…"