novelBarking Up The Wrong Tree
| ← Ch.0853 | Ch.0855 → |
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
At the foot of a craggy mountain on Japanese Archipelago.
The God of Plagues was introducing the Moon Goddess to the latest developments.
"Right now, the computational powers of these biological computers have long surpassed the latest and most sophisticated computer created by humans. They're still incomparable to the legendary quantum computer. I'm clueless about that as it's not my expertise, but the Devil Saint should be well-versed in it. Unfortunately, he's not on our us, " the God of Plagues said, as he shook his head.
"By relying on their powers, what are the chances that they could shape the transformation of this realm's Heavenly Axiom?" The Moon Goddess nodded and enquired in a concerned manner.
"If we're talking about the past, the current computational powers would be sufficient. However, I've recently sensed that there have been changes in this realm's Heavenly Axiom and I fear that it might take a while to complete it. Only then can we pinpoint the Heavenly Axiom's weakness and successfully attack it." At this point, the God of Plagues began to complain."Still, it's the saints' fault. If they had sealed the Heavenly Axiom before it woke up, it wouldn't have been such a hassle."
The Moon Goddess shook her head."Things aren't that simple. The Axioms in both realms are ultimately different. The fact that the saints could create a gap in this realm's Heavenly Axiom and allow us to pass through was hard enough. Or else, by entering this realm, our very own existence would've been disregarded and there would be zero chance of staying here since this is a materialistic world, to begin with.
The God of Plagues complained no further when he heard the Moon Goddess defending the saints.
After all, her words were true. He would be looked down upon if he kept arguing.
"Fine, we shall see about that one day." He then changed the subject."Regarding the thirty-year pact between humans and gods, I doubt those stupid humans will actually honor it. It might even turn out to be their plot to buy more time. You have to be more aware of this, Moon Goddess. The courtyard still needs to be cleaned in order to be inhabited..."
The Moon Goddess listened and nodded in agreement."Exactly. The day before, I observed the skies and noticed the appearance of a bad omen on Mars which will obstruct our plans. It must be the work of this realm's Heavenly Axiom and we must think of a way to curb this."
"However, that person still exists in this realm — the one who will bother us. Why don't you pray to the saints again, Moon Goddess, and request for the descent of a Heavenly General to get rid of him?" The God of Plagues suggested all of a sudden.
He had attempted to harm Vigilante A a few times but had failed to do so. He then understood how persistent that fellow could be. Both parties had not fought openly yet, but they had their own doubts. One day, there must be a distinction between the winner and the loser.
Nevertheless, the Moon Goddess disagreed."This is a delicate matter. That person had blocked the Space Passage the last time. Although he didn't block it completely, it did cause many inconveniences. The Upper Realm is facing extinction and the gods' powers are already depleted. Even the saints are just forcing themselves to exert their powers and delay everything. Requesting for the descent of a Heavenly General is too difficult, so we can only try to hold it out for now. Once this realm's Maxim has evolved into a new stage, the deity can then descend. Till then, it won't be too late to deal with that person."
The God of Plagues nodded. There was no unusual expression on his face, but no one knew how he truly felt.
...
In the Underground Greater Rat Kingdom in the southwest of China.
The second King, Bai Shixin was holding a banquet for his ministers in the palace hall.
They were currently halfway through the fourth year and second month of Shenyuan. According to the lunar calendar, it was now the beginning of the new year and everyone congratulated the kingdom's prosperity.
"Congratulations, your Majesty! The Greater Rat Kingdom's past year GDP has witnessed an increment of thirty percent! This is all thanks to the wisdom and leadership of our King..." the Finance Minister congratulated with a toast.
The rest of the ministers followed suit. In the blink of an eye, words of praise and appreciation filled the hall.
Bai Shixin smiled, but deep down, he was calm.
He knew very well that the high increment only meant one thing, that the Greater Rats had too little substantial resources!
All of a sudden, a sob could be heard within the palace hall.
"Boohoo..."
Taken aback, everyone turned around to look.
The one sobbing was the King's military advisor. He was known to be a calm and composed individual who was handsome and bore a shrewd exterior. Now, he was wiping his tears with his long sleeve.
"Huh, why is the military advisor crying? Is he shedding tears of joy?" someone inquired.
Bai Shixin sat on his throne and remained silent. He knew this fellow was about to make a scene again...
He had to make the best out of a batch of undesirable candidates and selected a Greater Rat that was slightly more intelligent than others to make him a military advisor.
He also admired the ancient human elder, Zhuge Liang and regarded him as the epitome of advisors. Furthermore, due to his sad history of failing on the verge of success, he had acquired a pitiful aura and obtained the sympathies of people for generations. Hence, he was given the name of "Kong Liang".
"Firstly, Advisor Liang cries for his King. Next, he cries for his clan and thirdly, he cries for his kingdom!" Kong Liang's sobs became louder and louder.
Sweat beads started to form on Bai Shixin's scalp. A wise figure like him naturally understood what the other person was trying to say.
Although the others did not get it, he did not want to stop his military advisor.
Kong Liang might be a little stupid, but he had always been true to his principles and stood on the King's side. However, he often suggested plans that seemed intelligent on the surface, but in reality, was flawed and dumb...
Right now, Bai Shixin wanted to give his military advisor the attention. So, with a wave of his arms, all of the music and cheering ceased.
Such a detail showed that his powers had already influenced the entire Greater Rat clan within a few years.
He gently asked."Why are you crying, military advisor?"
When Kong Liang realized that he had garnered the attention of the passersby and the guests of honor, he stopped crying and spoke in a loud, clear voice, "Liang cries for his King, for he's barking up the wrong tree and crying for the moon, despite his years of painstaking efforts and meticulous leadership!"
Everyone was appalled. Had this fellow lost his mind and decided to spew such demotivational words during an auspicious occasion like this?
"Liang cries for his clan, for his people will slave for others despite the large population and the abundance of young, intelligent ones who will benefit the clan. The smarter one is, the greater the suffering!"
Everyone's expressions shifted again. All of the guests present gave a wide berth and pretended not to know him.
However, his gesture did not deter Kong Liang, it only made him even more passionate."Thirdly, I cry for my kingdom, for its might and glory are only ephemeral and temporary!"
There was no change on Bai Shixin's face. He had predicted Kong Liang's words correctly.
He did not reveal his thoughts but asked on behalf of the people, "What do you mean by this, military advisor? Are you saying that our kingdom will face an imminent crisis?"
"You're illustrious, your Majesty!" Kong Liang's face lit up as if he had found a confidant and explained appreciatively, "We're currently living in a time where people fight for power. One is immediately replaced by someone else when the former steps down. However, our clan lives underground and it's in these troubled times that we isolate ourselves from the dangers of the outside world. Last year, the humans and the gods signed a pact. Thirty years later, humans will be forced to migrate to other planets. The gods won't even tolerate humans, so how can they allow demons like us live underground peacefully?"
Everyone listened to him morosely. The jubilant and celebratory atmosphere was no longer present.
Although he was a wet blanket, he had brought up something painful in which everyone did not want to face.
Just because the gods did not mention them did not mean that they could continue living on Earth peacefully. In fact, it meant that they were not equal to humans and had no right to migrate as well.
It was just like how humans handled evictions and demolitions. People would usually care about the residents on the Earth's surface and whether or not they received sufficient compensation, but who would care about the pests living beneath the houses?
Bai Shixin nodded his head. Kong Liang might be a killjoy, but he was good-natured.
He had always regarded himself as a truly wise person, so he would never sentence this person to death, unlike those tyrants...
"The military advisor speaks the harsh truth. I already know of this matter and I know how to handle it. After this celebration has ended, I would like to have a discussion with all of my ministers. Since everyone is anxious, I might as well go ahead and discuss this issue during this banquet instead of picking another day. What do all of you think?" He scanned the hall and asked patiently.
"You're wise, your Majesty." All of the ministers bowed down and praised.
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