Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
Councilman Nanâs expression froze. The smile he had practiced for more than ten years twisted in a strange way from the speechlessness and astonishment in his heart.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âCommander Xie, may I ask who the man beside you is? Why have I not seen him before in previous meetings?â Vice Mayor Dan Yong asked.
Councilman Nanâs expression calmed down slightly. Dan Yong was definitely reliable when it mattered. It was not appropriate for him to ask the question, but Dan Yong definitely had the right to do so. Seriously, where did such a wild monkey come from? The man was disrespectful and full of himself. He even spat the grape seeds onto the table. How bold of him!
âOh, heâs the Honorable Guardian and Honorable Councilman of our city. He helped us to protect the Earth Pistil. Heâs Mo Fan,â Xie Qinghua introduced him.
âSo youâre the Honorable Councilman who has been absent for all the meetings. Youâre the only one who doesnât seem to care about the cityâs rebuilding!â Councilman Nan exclaimed.
âHe was indeed absent for the meetings, but he wasnât absent during the battle for the cityâs survival. However, many here were very attentive to the meetings... after the battle. Not a single one of you was absent even once!â Wen Xia came into the room in a cool military jacket. Her eyes scanned the politicians seated at the table in an unfriendly manner.
The politicians were left speechless by Wen Xiaâs statement.
âCouncilman Nan, we might have a problem,â Dan Yong said softly. She was seated on Councilman Nanâs right.
âWhat is it?â Councilman Nan asked calmly.
âThat guy has never attended any of the meetings. We assumed he was going to give up his votes in this election too... he has two votes in his hands! If he votes for Ming Jian, it will be a close call between you and him,â Dan Yong said.
âWhy does he have two votes?â Councilman Nan was startled.
To think that a young man like him had two votes in the election! He had even sold his daughter, just to secure an extra vote in this meeting!
âHe did a great job defending the city. Many Mages are still talking about his heroic achievements, even today. He was elected as an Honorable Councilman, thus he is half a level higher than us, granting him two votes in the election. However, we still have the situation under control. Ming Jian is at least five votes away from you. The two votes from him wonât make any difference, but Iâm afraid he will cause us trouble when we are making decisions in the future,â Dan Yong said.
âWeâll focus on the election first. Weâll worry about everything else later,â Councilman Nan replied.
Councilman Nan glanced behind him and saw a familiar figure at the doorway. The man was stopped by the guards.
âCouncilman Nan, Councilman Nan!â Li Dong called.
Councilman Nan was a little puzzled, yet he still waved his hand, signaling the guards to let the man in.
âArenât you with Zhu Qi? What is he up to? Didnât I already tell him Iâll make sure heâs safe after the election?â Councilman Nan told Li Dong impatiently.
Li Dong pointed at Mo Fan and snarled, âCouncilman Nan, it was he who went to Dawn Island with his friends. He was the one who started it all. I compromised by bringing him to your territory so you can teach him a lesson!â
âHim? Are you sure itâs him?â Councilman Nan was startled again.
âItâs him, he was with Tangyue! It was him who beat the crap out of Zhu Qi! He was responsible for Zhu Minâs death too! You must teach him a lesson on our behalf,â Li Dong almost burst into tears.
Councilman Nanâs face instantly darkened!
âWe wonât waste our time on irrelevant matters. Today is the election of our cityâs Great Councilman. The last two candidates for the election are Nan Kuan and Min Jian. This meeting will elect one of them as the Great Councilman. You will place your votes into their respective boxes. The votes will be signed instead of anonymous,â Xie Qinghua said.
Most Councilmen in the meeting had already made up their mind. They had even reached a deal with Councilman Nan. The election was more like an award ceremony.
âThe Honorable Guardian will be the first to vote,â Xie Qinghua stated.
âI wasnât familiar with either of the Councilmen, nor do I know whether youâve done anything wicked in the past. Normally, I would just forfeit both of my votes, but unfortunately, my friends and I went to a place called Wanggui Town a few days ago...â Mo Fan narrated slowly.
â(Cough cough), Honorable Councilman, please cast your votes right away. Thereâs no need to discuss irrelevant matters in such an important meeting,â Dan Yong interrupted Mo Fanâs speech in time.
âShut the hell up!â Mo Fan suddenly raised his voice. He glared at Vice Mayor Dan Yong, âWho do you think you are? Do you have the right to point your finger around while Iâm talking!? Iâm Mo Fan, did you seriously have no idea who I am? Donât you dare bluster in front of me. If you dare interrupt me again, Iâll toss you out right away!â
âYou...you...â Dan Yong trembled in anger. Her face blushed as if she was about to suffocate.
She was the cityâs vice mayor, yet someone was scolding and threatening her at the highest level meeting of the city!
âVice mayor, vice mayor, please calm down, let the Honorable Councilman finish his speech,â the others quickly advised her.
Everyone in the meeting was concerned about their reputation. Mo Fan was the only one who did not really care about his role.
He was quite shameless, too. No one dared to provoke Mo Fan and fall out with him. They would only embarrass themselves before the public. No one would bother provoking a maniac like Mo Fan heads-on. They would choose to avoid him instead!
âHow annoying! Damn it, where was I again?â Mo Fan slightly controlled his temper.
âWanggui Town, you discovered a domestication ranch on an abandoned island,â Xie Qinghua reminded Mo Fan softly.
âOh, right,â Mo Fan proceeded to narrate the series of incidents at Wanggui Town and Dawn Island.
Wen Xia and Lu Bin were surprised after hearing Mo Fanâs narration. They stared in disbelief at Councilman Nan, who remained calm and collected.
âCouncilman Nan, is he telling the truth?â Xie Qinghua asked.
âThe incident is real, but Iâm not responsible for the domestication ranch. It was Chief Zhu Qiâs plan all along. I believe there are some misunderstandings,â Councilman Nan decisively sacrificed the rook to save the king, as expected of an experienced politician.
âI just got the news that Wanggui Town was placed in lockdown by a division of the military. They are obviously destroying the evidence, but I swear by my name that heâs responsible for it. I will not vote for scum like him. Councilman Ming Jian, Iâm not expecting you to be a reliable Councilman, Iâm just hoping you are not as much of a scum as he is!â Mo Fan rose to his feet and placed his votes in Councilman Ming Jianâs box.