Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 489 - 487 Post-War Talks

"What will you do next? There are still a few Seventh Tiers inside the walls. If we force the issue, I’m afraid conflicts might still erupt between the Inner Ring and the Fourth Ring."

Lu Luo’s concerns were not without reason. Indeed, within the Inner Ring, there were still some old, weak, sick, and disabled Seventh Tiers.

The Church’s Seventh Tiers were basically not a concern. Without Holy Radiance, they were truly weak, exceptionally so.

But the Council’s Seventh Tiers did indeed need careful consideration. Their existence posed a certain risk.

However, they were also very powerful combat forces. How to deal with them was ultimately up to Lu Xiaotian.

But Lu Xiaotian didn’t respond to this. Instead, she turned and asked, "Are you leaving?"

"Yes, I’m leaving. My time is running out."

"’So soon! The time you’ve been back was far too short.’" Lu Xiaotian’s regret was evident in her tone; Lu Luo was indeed someone she was very fond of.

But she also had her own responsibilities and couldn’t just follow Lu Luo. At least, not until she unified the Wasteland Alliance. She couldn’t leave this place.

"Yes, I only have a month. When I return, I still have to face Meiqi. I can’t say for sure how things will turn out."

Lu Luo’s expression was somewhat somber. Acquiring the Heart of the Machine Intelligence didn’t seem to have brought him much joy.

"’Her...? She’s not an easy one to deal with. You need to be careful.’"

"I know."

Lu Xiaotian nodded. She knew Lu Luo had his own thoughts. Regarding Meiqi, even if she wanted to interfere, she couldn’t. Her own power was still insufficient; she needed to become stronger.

"In the coming period, I will start making contact with the Inner Ring. If possible, could you have your people come over to help me?"

Hearing Lu Xiaotian’s request, Lu Luo was somewhat surprised. This arrogant girl is actually seeking help from others?

"You..."

"Forget it," Lu Xiaotian suddenly interjected, turning her head away. She seemed to realize her gaffe, hence the sudden change in demeanor.

If it were someone else, she definitely would not have asked for help. But the person standing before her was Lu Luo!

Lu Luo... he should be a trustworthy person, right?

Only in front of Lu Luo could Lu Xiaotian show her slightly more feminine side, rather than the strong-woman persona she usually projected. This way, she seemed more authentic.

"Alright, alright. Since you’ve asked, I’ll naturally do my best to help."

"Good. Arrange it for tomorrow. I want to meet those Inner Ring people."

Looking at the young girl before him, Lu Luo found it hard to imagine how much she had grown in the past few years. If this were the Lu Xiaotian of the past, she would never have made such a compromising move. After gaining an advantage, her malice towards the Inner Ring would undoubtedly have escalated without limit. Lu Luo wouldn’t have been surprised even if she had committed atrocities like massacring an entire city. At that time, Lu Xiaotian was sharp and uncompromising. That was why Lu Luo had chosen to develop outwards, which led to his contact with the Imperial.

"You really have matured a lot."

"Matured? Hollow rhetoric. To mature is simply to start trying to do things you don’t like. For instance, an immature me would slaughter all those from the Inner Ring, whereas a mature me would negotiate peacefully with them, right?"

"Er... Although it sounds awkward coming from you, it is indeed the case. Maturity is trying to do things you once didn’t like."

"Hmph, hypocritical humans."

Suddenly, Lu Xiaotian flipped off her blanket, her bare long legs exposed right in front of Lu Luo.

She... she... she... She wasn’t wearing anything!

"What are you doing!" Lu Luo hastily covered his eyes.

But for an Observer, covering one’s eyes is useless.

You dog, no one in this world is more of a dog than you.

"I’m just drinking water. No need to make such a fuss."

"You could have asked me to get it for you!"

"Self-reliance leads to abundance. I don’t like others doing things for me," Lu Xiaotian said with a laugh while drinking water.

Lu Luo couldn’t stand to stay any longer. He stood up and walked away without looking back.

However, when he reached the door, he stopped. "I’ll arrange the meeting with the Inner Ring. You get ready for it tomorrow."

"Got it."

After Lu Luo beat a hasty retreat, Lu Xiaotian chuckled. Hypocritical man. As if I don’t know you have an Observer-type Sequence!

「The next day.」

Lu Luo contacted Luo Xuemin and Shi Tingyu, asking them to arrange a high-level meeting between the Inner Ring and the Fourth Ring.

Lu Luo expressly communicated the importance of this meeting. This meeting would decide the future of the Inner Ring.

Although the Inner Ring still had the possibility of contending with the Fourth Ring, the lack of high-tier combat power meant the Inner Ring could no longer oppose the Fourth Ring.

As long as the Nightmare Demon remained alive, the Inner Ring’s collapse was all but certain, with no chance of turning the tide.

Luo Xuemin looked at the note Zhang Yifan handed him and closed his eyes, slightly weary.

Originally, he was part of the resistance faction; he had been prepared for outright rebellion. But he hadn’t expected his preparations for resistance to be so easily dismantled by Lu Luo. In the end, he had become a proponent of peace negotiations.

What was more frightening was that he was a very rational person. Once he realized the Inner Ring’s momentum was lost, he immediately began preparations, considering how to achieve a peaceful transition and similar issues.

"Yifan, do you think I’ll be labeled a traitor in the future?"

"Ah? Why would the Family Head think that?"

"The sinner who betrays the Inner Ring is essentially a traitor, isn’t he? If they call me that, it’s actually not a problem."

"Everything the Family Head has done is for the Inner Ring. That won’t happen."

"Everything for the Inner Ring, huh? I’m not really that noble. Many things I do are for myself, for the family. The reason I compromised so quickly this time was mainly because of Xiaobai."

Luo Xuemin saw things very clearly, clearer than most. Without high-tier combat power, the Inner Ring could no longer win. Since they no longer had the ability to win, the best outcome was not to lose too disgracefully.

"What will the Family Head do?"

"Try to make the Inner Ring and Fourth Ring as equal as possible."

"Is that... even a demand?"

"Do you think it isn’t? Equality is easier said than done. What the Inner Ring did to the Nightmare Demon and their oppression of the Fourth Ring’s people can’t be erased by simply saying a few words and waving a white flag in surrender. The power of that Nightmare Demon, and her way of doing things, are just too radical. If she wants to act against the Inner Ring, simply ensuring unequal treatment of the populace will soon make the Inner Ring people unable to bear it. Then resistance will start..."

Luo Xuemin stopped there, not continuing.

However, Zhang Yifan was still a bit curious and pressed further, "If there’s resistance, what then?"

"If the Inner Ring people dare to rebel over inequality, then the Nightmare Demon will have an absolute reason and excuse to conduct the most ruthless purge of the Inner Ring. She will slaughter most of the Inner Ring people. A city-wide massacre is virtually inevitable."

The scenario Luo Xuemin described shocked Zhang Yifan. How could something like this happen...

"No way. Such an event would surely arouse public outrage, wouldn’t it?"

"Public outrage? Whose public outrage are you talking about?"

"The Inner Ring’s..."

"The Inner Ring people will be slaughtered by her. Will there still be any?"

"Then what about the Fourth Ring people?"

"You don’t think the Fourth Ring people would sympathize with the Inner Ring, do you? They’d be overjoyed to see every last one of them dead. If the Nightmare Demon truly wipes out the Inner Ring people, the Fourth Ring people would probably clap and cheer."

Will it really be like this? Zhang Yifan wondered.

"It really will, and it’s an inevitable event," Luo Xuemin said with absolute certainty, taking a sip of tea.

Zhang Yifan, on the other hand, looked thoroughly perplexed. Aside from worrying about the Inner Ring’s future, his thoughts were now more focused on Lu Luo himself.

That somewhat frivolous fellow, who had grown so much in just a few years. He had become someone who could sway the future of the Inner Ring! This was what he found most inconceivable. Such drastic changes!

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing... Family Head, about tomorrow’s meeting."

"Of course, we must attend. However, the specifics will depend on the Nightmare Demon’s attitude at the time. Lu Luo won’t be able to stay in the Wasteland Alliance for long. As the saying goes, ’The whip is long but may not reach.’ Therefore, the Nightmare Demon’s attitude is crucial. Be prepared. Let’s hope we can sway that individual."

"Yes!"

While the Luo Family was intensely discussing their countermeasures, Shi Tingyu of the Shi Family was leisurely sipping red wine. She seemed to have no worries about what was going to happen the next day.

"Tingyu, are you really not worried at all?" Shi Haoxuan asked. He looked somewhat aged at that moment; he hadn’t expected the events Shi Tingyu had spoken of to unfold in just a few days.

The Inner Ring was facing a monumental change!

"What should I worry about? Why would I need to worry?"

"But our family’s foundation is in the Inner Ring! If the Inner Ring is really absorbed by the Fourth Ring, and the Nightmare Demon becomes the one in control of the Wasteland Alliance, then what about our family?"

Shi Tingyu smiled with a hint of disdain. In her view, her father’s worries were entirely unnecessary. Because, even if they had considered this, they had no way to change anything.

"And then what?"

"What do you mean, ’then what’? We must think of something!"

"Think of what? Do you think we are capable of contending with the Nightmare Demon? Or do you think our family has lived too long and you want to shorten its lifespan?"

Shi Tingyu’s sarcastic words made Shi Haoxuan very uncomfortable. "What kind of talk is that! Is that any way for you to speak?"

"Why, am I wrong? Father, you surely don’t believe that the current Inner Ring still has any bargaining power, do you? Staying put obediently and not doing anything foolish is the best choice right now. Because of me, the Shi Family took a stance early on. So even if something truly happens to the Inner Ring, our Shi Family will be fine. Lu Luo isn’t a particularly heartless person. He will give us a way to survive."

Shi Tingyu’s words made Shi Haoxuan deeply uneasy; or rather, he felt uneasy about his own future. His repeated misjudgments regarding the family’s future had already caused a significant decline in his authority within the family. Shi Tingyu’s existence had become a serious threat to his position as Family Head.

But he couldn’t say much more, because Shi Tingyu was his daughter. And now, the entire Shi Family depended on Shi Tingyu for their survival.

Yes, survival!

The Church was finished. A large number of Seventh Tier experts were dead. The current Inner Ring was like a plump piece of meat, a lamb waiting for slaughter.

He wanted to make a decision, yet he didn’t know which path to take next.

Shi Haoxuan appeared somewhat desolate. This era no longer belongs to us. Perhaps the Shi Family no longer needs me as its Family Head. Maybe Shi Tingyu is more suitable. The Shi Family needs an injection of fresh blood to change its very soul. I, this old relic, am about to be phased out.

"Let’s take it one step at a time. Tomorrow, there will be an answer," he finally said.

「The meeting was arranged in the Fourth Ring.」

As the victor, this was undoubtedly proper.

Yet when the Inner Ring’s delegation stood on the Third High Wall and observed the Fourth Ring, most were struck with awe. Awe at the Fourth Ring’s current development, its infrastructure, and the vitality of its people.

"Who would have thought that in just a few short years, the Fourth Ring could develop to this extent. Although the reports mentioned it, reading reports and seeing these things for oneself are completely different experiences," Luo Xuemin said, full of emotion.

Shi Tingyu, beside him, chimed in, "Yes, ample population, ample land, ample Dark Energy. In terms of resources alone, the Fourth Ring has already completely crushed the Inner Ring. And now, the Fourth Ring has a leader with absolute will. The advantages of centralized power are obvious at this time."

Luo Xuemin nodded and looked at Shi Tingyu. "Does Secretary Shi also believe centralized power is feasible?"

"Although many Inner Ring people cannot accept this, in terms of development and unity of will, centralized power holds far too many advantages over decentralization. Indeed, the power of centralized authority could potentially be misused by those in power. Much depends on the leader’s personal ability and resolve. But as long as the leader isn’t particularly terrible, centralized power’s effectiveness will far surpass that of decentralization in such circumstances."

The situation Shi Tingyu described was something Luo Xuemin had already sensed. Decentralization seemed fair, but the manipulation by capital, the infighting, the hostility, competition, and other disgusting aspects were simply too numerous.

"Exactly," Luo Xuemin sighed. "Even building a road in the Inner Ring would face opposition from a slew of people. Though clearly a beneficial project for the public, it always encounters various obstacles. The supposed fairness of decentralization, riddled with corruption, has merely become a tool for mutual antagonism. It’s truly laughable."

As the two of them talked, representatives from other Council families didn’t even dare to utter a sound. Many of their families had dispatched Seventh Tier combatants to the previous battles. They were terrified of retribution from the Fourth Ring’s Nightmare Demon.

In the hearts of the Inner Ring people, the Nightmare Demon had never been a magnanimous Monarch. "Vengeful over the smallest grievance" was her trademark.

Moreover, Peacock Lord Tong Meng was standing right in front of them, guiding them to the meeting place. With a Seventh Tier, dual-bodied Great Lord so close, no one could remain unfazed.

Although Tong Meng was very beautiful, when she killed, that beauty transformed into the grin of the Grim Reaper.

Too terrifying!

"Alright, everyone, please follow me." Tong Meng bowed politely to them.

The others hurriedly returned the gesture. Of course, no one wanted to offend one of the Nightmare Demon’s key subordinates at a time like this. For most people, Tong Meng was someone they needed to curry favor with.