( 16 hours ago , in the capital city of Hazelgroove )
Rudra was cornered by Cervantez , he had no way to justify his actions anymore , as Cervantez had seen right through all his schemes.
Hence Rudra decided to say something from his heart for a change and not try to manipulate his way out of trouble for once.
He said ” You are right , i did everything like you said i did , however here is where you are wrong my emperor.
Whitecloud city houses the biggest slum in the entire kingdom with over 250,000 people living in absolutely pitiful conditions.
Unemployment is at a record 30% , as one in every three men are jobless.
Have i used the common man’s emotions to serve my purpose? Yes i have , however , do note that even though I caused a supply chain crisis , NOT A SINGLE COMMONER HAS DIED OF STARVATION.
The only manipulation i did was that the one who provided the food was me. Nothing more .
More people were underfed and malnourished on those streets before I came up with this plan , than after i started charity , and i did not give people bad food or even cheap food.
I gave them the food that I would put on my OWN table for supper.
Yes people died in the conflict against the military that I instigated , and i have no defence for my actions , however it was a fight that they were meant to be fighting anyways my lord , as that king did not deserve to rule that kingdom .
I will be a criminal if i donot manage that territory properly , however rest assured , that is not the kind of man that I am . I will bring Nineclouds kingdom to unprecedented heights , YOU CAN REST ASSURED ON THAT ! “.
Rudra said everything in one go , as he let emotions get the better of himself , although delusional this was the answer that he gave himself when he wanted to pacify his conscience , and it was the same answer that he was giving the emperor now.
The burst left Rudra out of breath and vulnerable , as he showed his weakness to Cervantez at that moment.
” So you are not a tyrant , i am glad , the good in you is still alive and your conscience hurts when you do bad.
I was worried that you might turn out to be like my son you see , who had no conscience.
* sighs deeply *
Listen Shakuni , you are one of the brightest people i have ever seen in my life , with a meteoric rise in power and i know your future is limitless.
However , when i see you rush to the top soo desperately , as you willingly drag yourself through mud to reach your goals , let me warn you here , that you are headed the wrong way.
There Is nothing waiting for you at the top but loneliness if you achieve it this way my friend. Your group that you hold soo dear , that value loyalty , will soon fear you or betray you.
Never let the goodness in your heart be compromised for your goals , and never tolerate evil.
1 year ……. You have my support for one year . Show me that you can embrace the goodness in your heart again , make the people of Nineclouds happy ….. “.
The words uttered by Cervantez touched Rudra’s soul that day , as he embraced a part of himself that he had long suppressed.
Rudra was a realist while Cervantez was an idealist.
An idealist inspires millions while a realist walks alone , it was the cruel reality of life and the distinction between beleivers and achievers and Rudra had to choose between being one.
———-
( Real world , the upside )
Ethan Grey had lit up the entire upside for the party , as various pop singers had been flown on instant notice from all across the world , along with exotic dishes and expensive food ingredients being flown fresh from farms.
When looking from an helicopter , the entire upside looked like Disneyland , as every 5 blocks there was a famous celebrity group performing for the audiences all across the township.
If there was a rap concert on street 4 then there would be Bollywood night ongoing on street 8 and a Jazz concert on street 11 , as it was crazy just all over.
Booze , food and expensive champagne was being handed out like tissues on the streets , as fireworks lit up the sky .
Everyone was out celebrating , from the little kids to the oldest grannies living in the upside , as it was new years + Thanksgiving + Christmas + 4th of July all together at once .
Ethan Grey had became a few trillion dollars richer in a matter of few hours , and he was not shy to show his appreciation for this enormous achievement.
Although the elites had fought and won many wars , all of them were mostly to defend their territory and never a big war to conquer something.
This was their first economically profitable war of all these years of playing Omega , something that would translate into unprecedented income over the years.
This hope for the future was also why their stock prices skyrocketed on the news , as everyone wanted to get on the Elites boat before it was too late.
However this celebration was just for everyone else , as the craziest party was going on in a private room inside the Grey international tower.
It was Ethan and Lita , Rudra and Naomi , Karna and Skyla , Neatwit and Yua , Fatty and his girlfriend , Medivh , Jhonny and Yume.
While the couple’s were very chummy with each other under the romantic environment , and Jhonny and Yume being unaffected by their public display of affection , it only left poor Medivh to become shy and uncomfortable under the environment.
It was his first time being in the big boys room after being recently promoted to the elder rank , however with couples kissing all around the room under low light , he felt like he enjoyed the company of normal members much more.
Thankfully there was unbelievable cousine worth several hundred thousand dollars a serving and private performances by the most talented singers and comedians in the world , which helped him have a good time in this otherwise couple friendly environment.
/// Bonus chapter for hitting the PS target , enjoy :grinning_face:///
