Chapter 31: Chapter 31, is it this governor?
Hodgson indeed did not know that one of their Alliance Council members, Wohan, was a cult member.
He had no prior knowledge of this information.
Now that Gu Hang had exposed this, he was completely dumbfounded.
When he had slightly regained his composure, his first reaction was to suspect: Was the accusation against Wohan of being a cultist fabricated by Mr. Gu himself as an excuse to cause trouble for Revival City?
“This matter is of great significance. Do you, Governor, truly have concrete evidence to prove this?”
“The evidence is irrefutable. The people who attacked the transport team were directed by Wohan. I have wiped out the bandits on his manor and captured him. I personally saw this scoundrel use Storm Sorcery…”
“Right now, you seem to know nothing about it, President of the Council Hodgson. I’m very disappointed. With an Alliance Council member corrupted, and you, as president, having no knowledge of it, is this negligence, or has the Alliance Council been condoning the spread of the cult in Revival City all along?”
Hodgson immediately denied it: “Absolutely not! We have been intensifying our efforts to crack down on the cult. How could we possibly condone its spread? I will investigate this matter…”
Before Hodgson could finish, he was interrupted by Gu Hang: “Investigate? How much longer will we have to wait for you to slowly go about your investigation? Revival City will become what? With even Council members being corrupted, how can I believe you’ll uncover anything?”
Hodgson was under immense pressure from Gu Hang.
This totally unexpected news caught him off guard. He had no contingency plans in place, and at this moment he could only insist: “We will definitely take effective measures to deal with the problem. We will carry out background checks on all Council members and also strengthen the investigation into the cult in the entire city.”
Gu Hang said: “I’m giving you this chance. But I also want to remind you that our city is facing a severe threat. I need you to resolve this problem quickly and thoroughly! If I don’t see a more proactive attitude from you, then I will personally take action, and you will be held accountable.”
Hodgson could only strive to assure: “We will do everything necessary to ensure the safety of the city. I assure you, we will give you an explanation.”
“You had better keep your word.”
…
After hanging up the phone, Hodgson’s brows were tightly furrowed.
He did not wish to always be at a disadvantage in communications with Mr. Gu.
Yet, what could he do?
The first time, he demanded supplies by wielding his authority, with a not inconsiderable amount, yet just within the limit that Revival City was capable of paying, forcing them to reluctantly agree. Nobody wanted to entirely offend the Governor over such a matter, risking a fall-out with him.
The second time concerned Wohan’s unauthorized attack on the transport team, an action he undertook alone. Hodgson sold him out without any psychological pressure.
In both instances, the Governor hinted at using his authority, even suggesting orbital bombardment from the heavens to exert maximum pressure and make threats, his goal being to obtain something. Once the conversation reached this point, not wanting a confrontation, Hodgson had little choice but to concede.
This third time, though the Governor had neither made too many threats nor demanded anything, he used the sternest tone thus far, directly accusing the Alliance Council of either negligence or treason.
The accusation could not be more pointed.
Yet Hodgson could not refute it.
The Governor now held the high ground.
The Primal Owlbeast Sect, the common enemy of the many forces on the wasteland, who do not worship the Divine Emperor but instead follow that “Primordial Owl Beast”; skillful in Storm Sorcery, they have indeed caused many devastating disasters that annihilated settlements.
How could an Alliance Councilman be a member of this cult? How can this be explained?
It can’t be explained at all!
Mr. Gu was justifiably angry.
He thought he was just dealing with a greedy grain merchant, and if that guy wanted to go against Mr. Gu, then let him stick his neck out and be the target, he deserved to die. But it turned out this person was actually a member of the cult, which completely took Hodgson by surprise.
He also realized the seriousness of the situation.
After hesitating, Hodgson turned to his grandson Lambert and asked, “Mr. Gu said that Wohan is a member of the cult, do you think it’s possible?”
“Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not,” Lambert Hodgson, having listened to the entire conversation between his grandfather and Mr. Gu, cautiously offered his considered answer, “But that’s not the key issue now. Since Mr. Gu is acting on this trump card, it means he must possess some evidence. Even if that evidence isn’t real, Mr. Gu would have forged it well enough. We’re truly on the defensive now.”
In response to Lambert’s speculation, Hodgson sighed and continued to ask, “What do you think Mr. Gu will do next?”
Lambert pondered, “He might use this as an excuse to further intervene in the politics of Revival City, to strip us of our power under the guise of striking at the cult, and eventually take control of the entire Revival City.”
“From what you say, it sounds like you’re quite unhappy with this?”
Lambert was taken aback.
“Grandfather?” He didn’t understand why his grandfather would ask this.
“Mr. Gu, the planetary ruler appointed by the empire, is also the head of the Alliance Government. If Mr. Gu takes complete control over Revival City, isn’t that justifiable and proper?”
Lambert frowned deeply and spoke with difficulty, “You’re saying… but… ”
Hodgson brought up another matter, “I remember, you once said your dream is to save the world?”
“…Yes, the nonsensical babble of my reckless youth…”
“So I ask you now, is that dream still buried in your heart?”
Lambert didn’t want to answer, “Grandfather, why are you bringing this up?”
“I’ve told you, only the Governor can save this world. I don’t know if Mr. Gu is the one, so I’ve always hesitated, just like the previous governors have all failed. But I recently realized something: How many more governors can we wait for?”
“I don’t understand… do you mean, you want to?…”
“No, it’s not that stage yet, I just feel that this governor is a bit different from the previous ones,” said Hodgson, “As for now, I think you’ve got the emphasis wrong.”
“Please enlighten me.”
“The focus now isn’t what the governor will do next but what we must do. What we need to do is simple, ascertain how widespread the Primal Owlbeast Sect has become in Revival City, and what their aim truly is. That’s the most important thing, a matter of life and death. What’s the point of all these power struggles? It would be ridiculously tragic to defeat Mr. Gu only to have the cultists destroy the city afterward.”
“I understand!”
