Chapter 283: The Last Vote (4)
5.
We held a banquet.
We had almost cleared the 40th floor in a single attempt, and the Venomous Snake had returned from his solitary training much stronger than imagined. It was enough reason to celebrate.
We, the leaders of the five great guilds, no longer view a comrades rapid growth with wariness or fear. Instead, like good friends, we genuinely congratulated each other.
Very genuinely, indeed.
Ive specially made my signature milk cocktail for the Chen Mu-mun Leader.
Stop it! Stop! Old man Sword Saint! You know nothing about cocktails! Youre like a kitschy dandy who enjoys the ambiance of a cocktail bar but ends up drinking only milk because you cant appreciate the taste Blargh!?
Here, drink up. Its a cocktail made by a combat power meter. I thought a plain Kahlua milk would be boring, so I mixed in durian juice and espresso with milk. This place is similar to a beach resort in the midst of a jungle, isnt it? Let me measure your romantic power.
Bloody Ugh, Uweck! Blargh, cough, woowoowoo!
Hmm, romantic power 10,000 20,000 50,000 530,000 Its rising. Youth is a good thing. An old combat power meter like me should just die.
Has the Medicine King possessed you, you crazy old man!?
It was an utterly pure chaos.
You guys really dont grow up Is there something wrong with your brain development?
The Black Dragon Witch shook her head and enjoyed a modest drinking session with the Crusader. The neatly laid picnic mat seemed to imply that those with intelligence below a certain level should not approach. The Count was snuggling up to the two, meowing and acting cute on the mat.
Peace. Luxury. Elegance.
The true grace of a drinking session, subtly flaunted by the Black Dragon Witch.
One side is hell, the other heaven
I sipped my orange juice and smiled bitterly.
At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly emerged beside me.
No. I think both sides are heaven.
.
I turned my head.
Below my line of sight, a sweep of white blonde hair glistened.
A face that seemed to perfectly embody the ideal, or rather, the idol of a young girl, was there.
You always appear out of nowhere, Lady.
Yep! Its my specialty!
The girl cleared her throat and supported her waist with both hands.
[The Lady Who Walks the Mirage has manifested.]
The Lady Who Walks the Mirage.
Our guide from the 30th to the 49th floor.
Known to others as a Constellation, but in reality, shes one of the pillars, the highest authorities in the tower.
Most importantly, shes the true daughter of the Tower Master.
Yaaaay-. Thats amazing. Yep. Ive praised the Death King several times already, but still, amazing! Yup yup! Just like the Ascender I had my eye on!
Thump.
The Lady casually sat down beside me, beaming brightly. Wondering what she was up to this time, I shifted over, yet gazed at her with the eyes of a curious sparrow.
What kind of scheme are you plotting this time?
Not at all. Nothing! I just came to genuinely praise the Death King.
I sighed and sipped my orange juice.
The daughter of a certain mother, a Constellation and a pillar, giggled beside me.
The desire to praise you is sincere. You, um, you all did really well. Ive seen many towers, but theres never been one where the stage was cleared almost unanimously like here.
Never?
Yeah! The best case Ive seen in others was when only one race was ostracized. This is actually a secret you shouldnt know at your current access level, but
The Lady shrugged nonchalantly and stretched out her legs.
In that tower, the Ascenders had chosen six races. From the beginning, they agreed to make one race the scapegoat. Clever, right? Everything was blamed on that race. Floods, droughts, even my lousy life was apparently because of that race.
.
Theres a saying: to create allies, you first need an enemy. Those Ascenders, or rather, the challengers of that tower, came up with a proven strategy. By excluding one race, all the other races united thoroughly.
And thats the [best case scenario]?
I looked at the Lady.
Every tower, including this one, is under the Tower Masters curse. The screams, grudges, and deaths boiling up in the tower are all embraced by the Tower Master, who feels their pain in their stead.
Such words shouldnt come from a child who asked me to save her mother.
Yep.
The Lady picked up a piece of rice cake and munched on it.
Because that one race, called the [Witch Race], eventually overthrew the other five races. They even defeated the challengers they believed to be gods and crushed the remaining four. It was a complete upheaval.
.
Yikes.
Really?
Really really. Then, after brainwashing the other races into slave soldiers, they reversed the roles and attacked the lower levels of the tower. The humans who had been relaxing in the rear, trusting only the challengers, were all massacred. They used humans as lab rats. Happy ending, happy ending.
The Lady grinned.
Ah, by the way, the [humans] Im talking about are different from your [humans]. They looked like toads. Basically, their situation was reversed overnight, and those worlds humans, who were treated like gods, became experimental toads in a lab.
Unbelievable
Cool, right?
The Lady kept munching on the rice cake endlessly. Her cheeks puffed up like a hamster.
How she manages to enunciate so clearly while her mouth is full is beyond me
That happened about 1000 years ago.
Her eyes turned towards me.
Her face, full with rice cake, couldnt look serious, but her eyes were strangely solemn.
You have a surprisingly deep connection with them, Death King.
I blinked.
Really?
Think about it.
The Ladys expression turned serious.
Youve met them before.
.
Her playfulness was always lingering around her like a scent, but her eyes were like unspoiled gems, earnestly gazing at me.
I couldnt easily recall.
How could I have met people who challenged the tower 1000 years ago? Even if its true, the time gap is
If its just about living, using aura or magic to live for thousands of years is common. At least it is for stages beyond the 50th floor. You know that from the City of Immortals, right?
Suddenly.
Ah.
The hints casually thrown by the Lady clicked together in my mind.
I turned my head to look at the Black Dragon Witch. She was playing games with the Crusader, not particularly chatting, just looking around with a bored expression. Just then, our eyes met.
-What are you looking at?
The Black Dragon Witchs lips moved. Her face was shaded under the fronds of a palm tree. Despite the distance between us, the telepathic message carried by her aura rang clearly in my ears.
Come here for a moment.
-Its bothersome Why?
I have something important to say to you and the Lady.
With a sigh, the Black Dragon Witch set down her cup. Before the cup could touch the ground, before her sigh could fully escape, she used [Instantaneous Transfer] and appeared right in front of me.
Whats going on?
We have to prepare for an event before heading to the 50th floor.
Event?
Yes. An event.
The Black Dragon Witch tilted her head. The Lady looked at me with interest.
I spoke slowly, under the gaze of both.
Tomorrow. Were going back to the first floor of the tower to hold a vote.
A vote? Didnt the votes end with the nobility?
No. Theres still one last vote remaining.
I shook my head.
We havent yet received the votes of the [people living in Babylon].
.
Anastasia fell silent.
Thats right.
Theres still a truly necessary vote remaining.
The five great guilds overcame their past divisions and united.
The guild leaders, despite the wounds in their hearts, resolved to keep looking forward.
Its a good thing.
Worthy of celebration.
But, its still just our story.
The residents living day-to-day in Babylon dont know this.
They are happy and cheering for the unprecedented pace of conquering the stages, supporting the great guilds, but still, [invisible problems] lurk everywhere.
Perhaps, like in some world shown by the Tower Master, a rebellion could break out in the Temple of Ten Thousand, the Black Dragon Witch could be betrayed, and the tower might crumble from within.
If we ignore the ordinary people living their lives, they will ignore us in return.
We need to talk to each other.
No, talking alone is not enough.
We need to show them. Make them feel. Allow them to experience.
For that reason, this event is absolutely necessary.
Anastasia.
Please prepare a press conference.
Anastasia narrowed her eyebrows.
Hmm.
I will hold the second press conference since I became the Death King.
Such an event wouldnt be bad. Its a triumph to boast about externally
Allow not just journalists but also the towers residents to attend freely. Let them ask questions, and I wont dodge any of them.
And.
I looked directly at the Black Dragon Witch.
I hope not just me, but all of you will attend.
.
Lets face the people living in Babylon, speak to them frankly and openly.
For us to climb the tower together.
.
The Black Dragon Witch remained silent.
It was a long silence.
Not because there was little to say, but because there was too much to say, a silence endured to suppress the outpouring of words. Therefore,
It will be dangerous.
The words that came from her lips were inevitably loaded with implication.
A normal press conference can be controlled by us. Which newspapers and journalists are allowed, the questions and responses permitted at the conference, the seating arrangements, everything can be meticulously managed by the Black Dragon Guild. But if we allow the residents to ask questions too
I know.
.
Anastasia closed her mouth again, and after a bit more time steeped in silence, she opened her lips.
There are many who will try to slander you.
Yes.
Our guilds have secretly nurtured you as a star. The Death Kings achievements are actually the works of the five major guilds, but weve intentionally attributed them to the Death King to build up a star. The Death King is merely a marionette, following the directives of the five guilds
I know.
Youre an orphan. You brought your orphanage director to the tower. Because youre an orphan, people will belittle you, casting skewed views because you started taking care of those around you as soon as you ascended
Yes.
These people have no right to hurt you. There are many like them. Theres no need to create a situation where you might get hurt.
There is.
I nodded.
There is. You know it, dont you?
.
If theres anyone out there wanting to inflict wounds and scars on me, sure, some of them might be petty like the old me But, Anastasia, this is the consequence of the five guilds secretly running the tower for over a decade.
I placed my palm over Anastasias hand.
Its not about fabricating lies to hurt me. Its about people who have been treated as non-existent trying to inflict wounds on someone to show that they exist.
Hurting entirely the wrong person with completely misplaced wounds.
Hmm. Well. The world is full of irrational things.
I smiled.
But sometimes, a leader has to take on irrational responsibilities for a while.
.
You made me a leader.
I spoke.
So now, its my turn to be the leader of this tower.