Chapter 302 A table filled with thoughts
After the words fell, the meeting hall became eerily quiet.
Several councilors frowned slightly and looked at Caesar Colin with slightly dissatisfied eyes.
This guy seems to regard this place as his command tent, as if the conference table in front of him is a map filled with military flags, and they, these senior members of Congress, are his soldiers.
There is no doubt that this is rude behavior.
However, some members looked thoughtful, or simply watched the fun as if it had nothing to do with them.
Happes, for example, is a typical example.
The Balrog Senator, whose body was covered in flames and whose skin seemed to be made of lava, sat back in his chair, as if he was not concerned about the fight in front of him. There was even a faint smile on his lips——
As a subordinate who had been loyal to Caesar Colin on the battlefield, he knew the temperament of this "Iron-Blooded Prince" better than anyone else.
This man never likes to beat around the bush, let alone hide his edge.
Caesar stared at Corigore intently, and their eyes intertwined in the air, as if sparks were flying.
This meeting was full of gunpowder from the beginning.
Luo Yan couldn't help but think, obviously now was not the best time for him to speak, it would be better to let Caesar and Goligao exchange fire in the air for a while.
「科林先生，请您先坐下吧。」
议桌尽头传来一道平稳内敛的声音。
The chief minister of the cabinet, Ankeyin Asmon, coughed lightly and slowly continued.
"This is the parliament, not the front line. We must fully listen to everyone's opinions before we can make a choice that is in the interest of everyone."
He paused and added:
"This is also The teachings of His Majesty the Demon God. "
"Otherwise, the fight between demons will serve as a warning... We have paid enough for this, and I don't want to see you make the same mistake again."
His tone was gentle, but there were hints in his words.
Luo Yan's intuition told him that this shadow demon was not as neutral as it appeared.
Judging from the moderation of his tone and the ambiguity of his stance, his judgment is actually in favor of Caesar.
But he won't say it clearly.
As the leader of the entire cabinet, he must maintain a superficial balance - even if he really wants to pull the side, he has to pretend to be checking and balancing.
Just when Luo Yan was thinking this, a low, cold voice slowly sounded, like a dead soul crawling out of a grave.
"Do you want to know my opinion?"
The moment the sound rang out, the light in the meeting hall seemed to dim a lot.
Grigor Sauron's eyes burning with green soul fire turned to Caesar, and there was a cold arc at the corner of his mouth.
"When I was fighting with them on the battlefield, you didn't know where you were."
His tone seemed to be a mixture of ridicule and contempt, and every syllable was bone-chilling.
"Who are you trying to win over? If you really knew them, you wouldn't say such things."
"They want to eliminate us from the root, not even just us!"
The lich's voice echoed in the hall like a spell, every word was sonorous and powerful, and it was impossible to tell that he was just an old corpse.
"There is no word contract in the eyes of those fanatical believers. They, like the dragon gods they believe in, are a group of complete madmen, and they are madmen with terrible power!"
"Their gods do not believe in anyone or reason. They use any means to achieve their goals, and they use all means...even destroying themselves."
"It's like they once clamored to eliminate death, but in the end they brought the whole world into the endless abyss."
"Draw them in?"
"You are not playing with fire, you are dreaming!"
At the last sentence, the soul fire burning in his skull was like erupting magma, swallowing up almost every inch of shadow.
His bony fingers tapped on the table, each stroke was like a nail driven into a coffin, making people unconsciously stop breathing.
It can be seen——
Gutav has hurt him thoroughly.
Luo Yan sighed in his heart and silently hugged Tafu.
This kid is really guilty.
It is not unfair at all to be reincarnated into a pig.
Perhaps, this is karma.
There was silence on the conference table.
Looking at the stubborn Corigod, Caesar Colin's eyes narrowed slightly, and his face was gloomy and uncertain, making it impossible to guess his inner thoughts.
Seeing that the atmosphere at the conference table reached a deadlock, Asmon could only come out to smooth things over again.
However, just when he was about to say something, an elegant and somewhat frivolous voice suddenly came from one side of the conference table.
"What a wonderful debate."
"Unfortunately, in the final analysis, our information about the continent of Janna is still blank... So with all due respect, whether it is to continue the war a thousand years ago or to win over former enemies, your judgment is completely based on castles in the air."
The person who spoke was Karamos, the Minister of Intelligence of Hell.
The moment he finished speaking, two eyes invariably focused on him.
Asmon looked at Karamos in surprise, who looked like it had nothing to do with him a second ago, but suddenly jumped into the pit of fire. He obviously didn't expect that he would suddenly speak at this time.
Luo Yan also glanced at him quite unexpectedly, secretly admiring him in his heart.
Is this the calmness of being a demigod-level powerhouse?
If it were him, even if he was sure of suppressing the two demigod-level experts, he would wait until they were tired of fighting each other before handing over the ladder.
Goligao stared at Calamos expressionlessly, without speaking, but using his cold eyes to speculate on the motive behind the smile.
In contrast, Caesar's attitude was much tougher, with a hint of arrogance at the corner of his mouth, and he rebutted unceremoniously.
"Castles in the air? Shouldn't we do nothing without intelligence? And on the contrary, my decision was precisely out of caution about the lack of information."
"If the lizards on the continent of Janna are as strong as they were a thousand years ago, it just means that they are qualified to be Hell's strategic allies. And if they are weak, help Their resistance to the empire's infiltration can also reduce our pressure on the front line. No matter from any point of view, it is more reliable to win over them than to fight a war with no chance of winning across half of the vast ocean!" Before he finished speaking, Caesar Colin suddenly snorted, his sharp eyes flickering slightly, and there was a trace of undisguised sarcasm in his upright tone.
"And speaking of intelligence...isn't it your duty to collect intelligence, Minister Karamos?"
"Of course." Karamos was not angered by his provocation. He just nodded gracefully and continued, "It is my duty to pry into the truth behind the fog... But intelligence must take time to collect. Even His Majesty the Demon God cannot fabricate information that does not exist out of thin air."
When he said this, he suddenly changed the subject. He glanced at Luo Yan, who had been silent, from the corner of his eye, and the smile on his lips became more meaningful.
"But fortunately, we are not clueless."
"Sitting in this chamber right now, there is an Excellency, who may know the continent of Janna far better than everyone here...even you and me."
The air seemed to solidify at that moment.
The sights of all the demons converged on one point like a torrent——
Unexpectedly, he suddenly became the focus of the audience. Even though Luo Yan had been prepared to speak in advance, he was caught off guard by the sudden situation.
It’s too early now.
However, Karamos had no intention of letting him go, and officially pushed him to the stage with a smile.
"Then, distinguished Councilor Luo Yan, now is a good time for you to express your opinion. I think not only me, but also Mr. Caesar and Priest Goligao must also want to know what you think of the situation in the Janna continent... Can you share your thoughts with us?"
He threw the hot flame crystal over in an understatement.
The calmness of a bullshit strong man——
This guy is clearly here to be a troublemaker!
Luo Yan cursed secretly in his heart, but there was no wave on his face and he still remained calm.
He stood up slowly, his eyes calmly scanning the eyes of the audience who were scrutinizing, questioning, or expecting, and then he slowly spoke.
…"Since Mr. Karamos warmly invited you, I will venture to add a few words of my personal opinion."
After a pause, he continued in a deep voice.
"As Mr. Karamos said just now, we know too little about the continent of Janna, and any major strategic decisions made now will appear hasty and hasty."
Caesar's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was examining the intention of his words. But Goligao didn't look here, and didn't seem to take his words seriously.
Luo Yan breathed a sigh of relief and continued.
…But I also agree with Mr. Caesar’s point of view. We can’t always wait until we have all the information before making decisions. The Empire is already ahead of us. No matter what method they passed through the Great Barrier, they established a colony with the mainland of Janna before the big storm destroyed it. This is enough to show that their understanding of that land is far better than ours...including their understanding of the lizard people on the continent of Janna."
"Oh?" Karamos looked at him with a half-smile and asked with interest, "So what is your conclusion? Which one do you prefer, conquering or winning over?"
"I don't agree with either," Luo Yan slowly shook his head and said, "My suggestion is that we don't need to focus on such a grand strategic goal as the Janna continent, but can intervene in the local situation from a smaller entry point."
"For example, establish a demon king's territory under Deadwood Port!"
Before he finished speaking, bursts of whispers spread in the auditorium.
The members sitting in the meeting room also exchanged glances with each other, seeming to think this was a good idea.
Indeed——
The continent of Janna is too far away.
Even if they want to win over the Gutav United Kingdom, they may have little success due to the diplomatic distance, not to mention that as Minister Goligaor said, they don't understand those lizard people.
And conquering there is even more nonsense.
They all knew in their hearts that even if they captured that continent, it would be difficult for them to hold it there with the empire's fleet on the vast ocean.
In comparison, building a Demon King Territory is undoubtedly a more compromise and more practical choice.
They are not colonizing the continent of Janna, but a colony of a colonial empire!
As for further decisions, we can wait until they have a sufficient understanding of the local situation!
After forming this consensus, Councilor Luo Yan’s next words simply spoke to their hearts—almost becoming their mouthpiece.
"...That's a colony of the Empire. I think even if we extend our hands there, it will not arouse the vigilance of the United Kingdom of Gutav, but may gain the other party's favor." We have a common enemy among the lizard people on the continent of Janna."
"Secondly, we can observe the situation on the continent of Janna at a close distance while keeping a distance, especially to deepen our understanding of the Gutav United Kingdom and retain the space to make strategic choices."
"We do not have to choose "war" or "alliance" now. Sometimes "waiting" and "testing" are also smarter strategies."
"The above is just my personal opinion. If you have better ideas, please don't be stingy about adding them."
After speaking, Luo Yan nodded slightly and sat back calmly on his seat without saying much.
There was a brief silence in the meeting hall.
Immediately afterwards, several whispers sounded.
Many councilors and demon kings in the gallery nodded. Although many demons still looked grim, their eyes were mostly filled with approval.
Chief Minister Anken Asmon leaned back in his chair and looked at Luo Yan thoughtfully, with a trace of rarely shown admiration flashing in his eyes.
Different from many MPs present.
What he admired was not the idea proposed by Luo Yan itself, but his ability to adapt to changes and remain calm in times of crisis.
—This guy has brought the art of language to the extreme!
Of course, Asmon could see that Luo Yan was partial to Caesar Corin,
But the clever thing was this - from beginning to end, his words seemed to be considering the position of the minister of religion, Goligao.
And what he said was not wrong at all.
Sending the Demon King is naturally equivalent to sending troops to the continent of Janna.
It’s just that the target of their attack is not the potential target of the Gutav United Kingdom, but Hell’s old rival, the Os Empire.
Even the undead who still hold a stubbornly conservative stance towards the Dragon God and his people cannot find fault with the decisions made by the higher-ups in hell.
Collico is actually the representative of this group of people.
Asmon could clearly see from the silence of this demigod-level lich that this stubborn old man had given in.
High!
It’s really high!
Asmon's heart grew more and more appreciative. He looked at the young man and became more and more pleased with him - it was indeed a wise decision to bring him into the parliament.
His position?
Him He has been supporting Caesar Colin from the beginning. Now when Hell is taking advantage of the chaos in the logistics supply of the Austro Empire to advance to the front line, how can he have the energy to settle old accounts with the Dragon God a thousand years ago?
With Corigod's acquiescence, this issue is no longer controversial.
As for Caesar.
The iron-blooded prince also liked the compromise plan proposed by Luo Yan.
However, the meeting did not end here.
There is still a key issue that needs to be solved -
That is who will be responsible for establishing the Demon King's territory in this strange continent!
"I think... we must carefully consider the candidate for this demon king. His position will represent the position of Hell on the continent of Janna." Asmon coughed lightly, then looked at Goligao, and left the topic to him first, "What's your opinion? Priest Goligao."
His attitude was as cold as ever, and there was no trace of any mood swings in the calmly burning soul fire.
"I have no opinion."
"The Demon King is the servant of the Demon God, it makes no difference to me whoever goes there."
His nominee will be vetoed by Caesar anyway, just like he will definitely veto Caesar's nomination, it is meaningless for them to make a choice.
At this point, he seemed to have thought of something, and then changed the topic.
"But one thing I want to declare -"
"This person cannot come from the necropolis."
When he said these words, Luo Yan could clearly feel that the ghostly soul fire burning in his skull was staring at him.
For a moment, he caught a glimpse of the demon god's shadow from behind the burning green light.
He is doubting himself!
Withstanding the pressure from the demigod-level powerhouse, Luo Yan's scalp was slightly numb, and his fists resting on the table clenched unconsciously.
Luo Yan was mentally prepared for the fact that Coligao might hate him.
After all, his apprentice Zacro died in his own hands, and his body was exposed on the street in an extremely miserable way.
However, what surprised Luo Yan was that the hostility he read in his eyes was not just hatred, but something other than hatred -
It was more like vigilance from his peers!
But why?
With my own strength, I should not attract his attention.
Luo Yan's thoughts were spinning rapidly in his mind, and he analyzed countless possibilities in an instant. He even subconsciously glanced at the statue of the silent demon god, and even took into account the demon's whisper.
Looking at Goligao who was staring at Luo Yan, Asmon smiled bitterly and shook his head.
This guy...
Humbling over things with a junior, it’s really getting more and more complicated as time goes by.
Different from Luo Yan, he didn't think much about it, and simply understood Goligao's hostility as "hatred for the person who killed his beloved disciple".
This old guy seemed to have taken a step back from Caesar, and did not continue to worry about how much power Hell would use to avenge the people of the Dragon God.
But on the contrary, he still retains an almost naked hostility towards Luo Yan.
Asmon coughed, breaking the heavy breath lingering on the conference table.
"Okay, Priest Goligo, I don't think Luo Yan ever said that he would select a demon from the necropolis to be the Demon King..."
As he spoke, he turned his attention to Luo Yan, freeing the latter from the pressure of the Minister of Religion.
"Am I right? Mr. Luo Yan."
Feeling that the pressure accumulated in his heart was lifted, Luo Yan took a deep breath and stood up again, speaking calmly, with a casual smile on his face.
Of course.
"The continent of Janna is too far away from the necropolis, far beyond the limits of my jurisdiction and resources. I only shared the information I have out of my duty as a hell councilor, nothing more... I had no intention of getting involved in this matter from the beginning."
"Really? That's really a pity. In my opinion, you are obviously the most suitable. I even thought... about transferring you from Thunder County." Karamos, who had been listening for a long time, suddenly interrupted the topic and looked at Luo Yan with a smile on his face, as if he was really regretful.
Luo Yan coughed lightly.
"That might not be convenient... The maze in Thunder County cannot be without me."
"Haha, I was just joking. I have no right to interfere with His Majesty the Demon God's will," Karamos joked, looking at Luo Yan and continued, "Then...as compensation for my regret, can you recommend me a more suitable candidate in your opinion?"
Looking at the smiling Karamos, Luo Yan couldn't help but sigh in his heart, this guy who usually doesn't show off is probably the most difficult old fox to deal with at this conference table.
But——
He had no reason to refuse.
After all, this was the decision that was in his best interest.
Even the fact that he recommended the candidate for the Demon King was a favor given to him by Karamos.
"I happen to have a candidate."
Everything was just as in the script, Luo Yan continued unhurriedly.
"This person graduated from Demon King Academy, and is a graduate of the same level as me. He is impeccable in terms of knowledge, ability, and character."
"More than that, he has been training at the grassroots level over the past year and has performed well. He has strong organizational skills and discipline, and has sufficient independent judgment."
Touching his own conscience, Luo Yan said these words without conscience.
But it’s not a complete lie.
With his small body, Ige can survive on the front line where the demons are dancing until now, so he must have some abilities that he doesn't know about.
Let it be like this!
"You don't want to recommend Miss Mia Padridge?" The congressman sitting opposite suddenly joked, and glanced at Festing without any trace, the teasing meaning in his eyes was obvious, "If that's the case, I think it's better for you to go in person."
Festing's expression did not change at all.
He seemed to have anticipated today's scene, so that night he did not mention his daughter's name at all, but instead recommended a complete outsider.
These demons seem to have ten thousand eyes.
On the surface, I am using them, but I am not and am not being used by them.
But...
So what?
Humbling in the eyes of those pairs of people with their own thoughts, Luo Yan calmed down, and then slowly spoke out the words he had already prepared.
"Of course not."
"Miss Mia is also very good, but I think the respected Reverend Gligosu will not be satisfied with me nominating a layman with "completely no frontline combat experience" to play such an important role."
Golligo did not comment on his wording, but the attitude on his face clearly acknowledged this.
While speaking, Luo Yan's eyes looked at the chief minister, then glanced at several other ministers, and finally stopped at the pair of green soul fires.
"The person I want to nominate does not belong to any faction and is a true neutral... He will give the interests of hell his first priority and will not be influenced by anyone, including me."