NOVEL WEB Chapter 160: Cityhall debate
"Honestly, I thought the legendary Boruta Cult would be far more focused on the people, rather than filling their own coffers." Out of nowhere, a new voice appeared. Since it was the first time I heard it, I was unable to connect it to any face or name from my memory.
"I beg your pardon?" Ever since I first heard the laughable demand of the city to share my riches, I already knew that the situation wouldn't be resolved by just a single sentence. If those people had the audacity to attempt to rob me, they wouldn't back off after a few words of reprimand alone.
"Isn't it like I said? You struck it big, and now you are forgetting those who laid the foundations for your growth? Where you would be if not for the efforts of all of us?" Instantly refuting my words, the voice grew more arrogant with each sentence. "Rather than politely asking as we do now, we are well within our rights to demand!"
Listening to this clear provocation, I couldn't help but smile lightly. But this smile of mine didn't showcase what was really going through my head. While I could accept some begging or heartfelt request, this blatant jump on the money I worked hard to get poked me in an extremely wrong way.
Before I could unleash my inner deviousness though, I felt a tug on the sleeve of my suit.
"May I?" Whispering gently while not even attempting to conceal the fires burning in her eyes, Ayda managed to charm me just like that.
"Sure." Thankful for her initiative, I passed the speaker to the girl.
"Welcome everyone, I'm the chief bishop of this diaspore. My name is Ayda." Taking up the microphone, Ayda's soft voice filled the insides of the building. Gently flowing along with the wind, it had a soothing effect on anyone blessed to hear it. "I was directed here not because of my husband's inability to lead, but to curb his viciousness. You could say, that just as our doctrine dictates, as a wife I came here to bring the best from this great man."
For some reason, rather than speaking about the topic, Ayda decided to praise me instead. But as unexpected it was, I would lie by claiming I didn't enjoy it.
"And I have to claim that I managed to do my best. Because if not for me, this city would long be enslaved to my husband's wishes." Just like I managed to surprise Ayda before, now it was her turn to take me by surprise.
"What do you mean?" Given how little Ayda's words had to do with the topic mentioned previously, it was only to be expected for some confused voices to appear. But when I realised that it was still the same voice speaking, I couldn't help but smile.
"It's pretty simple. Back when the city was in trouble with the government killing people on the streets, it was my husband that stood against the injustice. It was people who followed him that sparked the popular uprising. It was their summed courage that brought forth the change." Still speaking, Ayda turned her head around to look at me. From the questioning look in her eyes, I could tell that she was waiting for my approval.
And given how little I cared for this meeting in the first place, I instantly nodded my head, approving of whatever idea she had in mind.
"Ever since my husband decided to let you govern the city as you wish without his influence, you didn't bother to come to our place to as much as wish us a good day. And now you have the guts to come and attempt to claim the wealth we created with the hands of the faithful?" Leaning over the edge of the lodge a bit, Ayda shook her head.
"The construction never ceased on our land ever since it began. How many jobs it is? The entire explosion of the magic stone market can be contributed to our actions. How many people made a fortune out of nothing because of that?"
Slamming her hands at the railing of the lodge, Ayda took a moment of a break before looking down at the people gathered on the main floor and asking. "And lastly, what makes you, someone so poor at managing his own finances that you have no other choice but to attempt extorting money from others, a capable person to entrust the money we made ourselves?"
While Ayda continued to mercilessly beat up her opponent in the discussion, I focused on looking over the entire place, trying to locate the person who attempted to go against us. And surely enough, once the change of voices happened again, I noticed something worrying.
The voice wasn't coming from any of the VIP lodges!
"That might be true, but isn't your centre of operation located on the land borrowed from the town? You are still lawfully obliged to pay the taxes!" Raising his voice as he pulled this stupid argument out, Ayda's opponent managed to score his first victory. Because before the girl would respond, she turned her head towards me with a questioning look on her face.
"That's bullshit. We got the land as our part of spoils once we took the city. It was a price the city had to pay to keep me out of its affairs." Back then, it was a good deal. Because with my cult still in its infant stage, I couldn't easily go against the local powers if they were to scheme or just organise against me.
But the situation changed now. And just as much as I didn't care about the city as a whole in the past, I didn't care for it right now either.
Unless its rulers would leave my lands completely out of their greedy minds.
"I think you got some facts wrong, dear friend." Following my explanation, Ayda relaxed to the point where she actually brought the wireless speaker with herself before laying back on the comfortable sofa. "The lands that our cult currently uses was a voluntary gift offered by the city for the great contributions during the change of regime we provided."
With a vicious smile appearing on Ayda's lips, she added. "If you are attempting to denounce that deal, should I take it that you are spitting at the graves of those who saved people like you from the suffering under the previous, corrupted government?"
Snuggling to my chest, Ayda went on the offensive. Rather than allowing the other party to constantly force us into explaining ourselves, she turned the situation around to make the accuser appear to be disrespectful towards one of the things the inhabitants of the city would not forgive.
She made him look as if he was disregarding the sacrifice of those who fell during the rebellion!
"Isn't that the crux of the problem? You can try to pain me a villain as much as you want, but it won't change the fact that you used the blood of those fallen heroes to steal the land rightfully owned by the city! Right now, unless you want everyone to know that you are just a bunch of calculative schemers, give up all the stones you have to the city!"
Hearing those words, I snapped. There was some kind of minimal level that one had to achieve in order to even talk with Ayda. And the party that dared to go against us, was twisting the facts and situation in such an outrightly scamful manner, that I couldn't allow him to hear Ayda's gentle voice ever again.
"Dear, pass me the speaker." Reaching with my hand, I took over the mouthpiece.
"Hello again, everyone, Bishop Marius speaking again. Since we came to this situation, let me make it easy for everyone. First, a respectable friend who lusts after other's wealth, how about you come out and name yourself?" Giving a moment for the other party to react, I started speaking as soon as I heard some noises coming from the crowd. "Or are you some kind of rat only capable of throwing accusations while hiding in the shadows?"
Since the other party was openly going against me, there was no need for me to hold back either. And if I wanted to deal with this guy, I first had to know who he was in the first place.
"Reveal myself? You mean, so that you can silence me when no one will be looking?"
Disregarding my provocation, the other party had to believe they were smart in doing so. What they didn't realise, was that they stepped right into my trap.
"Well, let's wrap things up then. Since the people from this place have such little gratitude for those who saved them, let's decided it with a vote."
Standing up from my chair, I approached the railing of the lodge, before using a bit of attracting to forcefully pull one of the spotlights towards me. Shed in the intense light, I smiled before explaining what I meant to the mouthpiece.
"In a month from now, every citizen of our glorious town will get to cast a vote. According to its results, if the city will earn more votes, we will give up all the profits that we ever made on this land. But we will also round up all our businesses before moving them elsewhere. In case that my cult, which provides and protects the people of this town were to get more votes, the control of the entire city will be transferred directly into our hands, for my cult to manage."
With the light of the spotlight still on me, I allowed everyone below to see a wide smile of mine before finishing. "Since you were so eager to rob the wealth that my sheep have harnessed, I will make sure this city won't see a broken dime of mine unless it falls in my hands."
"After all," taking the mouthpiece from my hands, Ayda appeared right beside me. "What's the point in investing our money in this place, if it would be wasted by parasites like you?"