Dawnless Sovereign-Chapter 54: Complete Obedience

"Think about it: there's an unemployed outsider who does nothing all day and has no sources of income, but he stays in a high-end hotel and can eat and buy whatever he wants. Is that suspicious or not?"

"It is!"

"What happens to suspicious people? They attract attention and eventually end up being investigated. All it takes is for the Protectionists to find a reason to capture and interrogate them, and they can head on to the afterlife!

“It's completely absurd that all of you think that this Administrator Fang possesses exceptional attention to detail or some uncanny ability to pick out demonic church members! If I were a Protectionist, I would instantly bust all of you on sight! Take a look at yourselves! Your clothes, your accessories, your skin..."

Fang Che grabbed the sword of the man sitting beside him as an example,then continued, "Look at this thing! I don't even need to draw the sword, just look at all of the gemstones on the scabbard alone! Just a single one of these gemstones would be enough for many people in the White Cloud Prefecture to spend for an entire lifetime, and there are five of them on here!

“How many people in the entire prefecture can afford this? All those who can afford to live like this are prominent figures and household names, do you not think it's suspicious to everyone that a complete stranger suddenly shows up one day looking like this? It's a miracle that you haven't already come under investigation!"

Everyone lowered their heads in shame.

Starlight was right! He wasn't just throwing an unreasonable temper tantrum! 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Several people were unable to suppress their grins at the sight of Qian Yishan being singled out and made an example of out.

"What are you smirking for over there, Zhou Mei'er? Take a look at your hairpin! All of those jewels are gleaming as bright as the sun, and it's not even been made in a style that's popular in this area! You don't find that suspicious at all? Have a think about what kind of women in this prefecture can afford something like this.

“You're just strutting around on the streets with that thing on your head like a clueless idiot? How've you not already been caught?! And you! What do you have on your fingernails? They're blue! Are you trying to get yourself arrested and tested for poison?!"

Fang Che singled a few more people one after another, and all forty-two Lords were left hanging their heads in shame.

Only after this lecture from Fang Che did they come to realize just how much they stuck out like sore thumbs.

"Why do you think I made all of you stay here instead of actually putting my foot down and killing all of you? It's because I knew that at this rate, not a single one of you would've been able to make it out of the White Cloud Prefecture alive! You're all completely clueless! I'm trying to save all of you!

“Right now, our One Heart Church is being targeted from all directions, so we have to establish some connections in the main church for self-preservation purposes, and that's why I've turned to all of you. Otherwise, did you really think that you were all exceptional prodigies or something like that? Why else do you think I went so far out of my way to keep all of you?"

Everyone was rather skeptical that Starlight had their best interests in mind, but they had to admit that his criticisms were correct.

There really was a very good chance that they would've been investigated and ultimately killed had they continued to stick out as they did.

Thus, they collectively expressed their gratitude.

"Thank you for saving our lives, Helmsmaster."

"I wouldn't dare to proclaim that I've saved your lives, my only hope is that you don't hold a grudge against me. I know you're all here to kill Night Demon, but my advice is to cast the idea out of your mind altogether. Master Night Demon is ten times more vicious than I am, and you'd all be nothing but cannon fodder for him, so just put your head down, do some solid work to strengthen your resume, then go back. Don't get overly ambitious or you'll end up dead."

"Yes, Helmsmaster."

"Do any of your clans have victims of Master Night Demon?"

"My clan does."

"Mine as well."

"Mine, too."

"......"

The forty-two Lords had come from over thirty clans, and thirteen of them had direct lineal descendants that had perished to Night Demon in the Parasite Ascension Project.

Even Fang Che couldn't help but be stunned by this number.

"Does that mean all of you still want to kill Night Demon?"

"Of course, but we now know it's too unrealistic," one of the Lords from the thirteen clans said with a wry smile. "Prior to meeting you, we hoped to find Night Demon and kill him. Our clans have told us that if any of us manage to kill Night Demon, they and their family will be incorporated into the clan's direct branch, and that comes with immense benefits. However, after meeting you, it's become clear to us that we were too naive.

“We are already completely powerless against you, yet even you are willing to pledge your inferiority to Night Demon, so there's no way we would stand any chance against him. We should've known that this was the case, considering he managed to kill over thirty thousand Generals during the Parasite Ascension Project, and he's surely only grown stronger since then!"

The forty-two Lords nodded collectively in agreement with this sentiment.

"You're correct to think that," Fang Che approved. "Master Night Demon is much more direct and straightforward than me when it comes to killing. He barely even speaks at all, whereas I had to go out of my way to put on that show just now. Ultimately, it boils down to the fact that I don't dare to truly make enemies out of the clans of the main church, whereas Master Night Demon has no such qualms.

“He'll kill anyone, regardless of whether you're from the main church or not. You may not like it, but the fact of the matter is if that Master Night Demon were here in my place, all of you would've already been long dead by now."

Everyone collectively shuddered at the thought.

"Hence, your top priority right now is to transform yourselves. As for how you go about doing that, I'll leave that to you, but let me make this clear: if any of you fail to integrate yourself into this place and end up being caught, I don't have the ability to save you. You'll either have to say nothing and hope for the best, or just hurry up and betray the church so that your Five Spirit Parasite can at least grant you a swift death."

Everyone collectively shuddered once again.

"Our secondary objective is to find a way to make money. Either we band together to make money, or you go out individually to find jobs. You have to use clean identities to conceal your true identities and integrate yourselves into society. Once again, the most important thing is to follow the law! Don't think that you're all big shots just because you're Lords!

“You could probably strut around without any concerns in the average small city, but this is the White Cloud Prefecture! You've all heard of White Cloud Warrior Academy, right? I can tell you right now that there are thousands of Warlords among their student body alone, and any one of them could rip you all to shreds! Follow the law! Remember that at all times!

“Go and buy some copies of the White Cloud Prefecture Code and memorize all of the enclosed laws![1] I'm going to test you all tomorrow night, and if any of you fail to score a passing mark, then you'll have to be taught a lesson! That's all for now. You can stay here for the night, or go back to where you were previously staying if you'd like.

“This is a pretty big place with quite a few rooms. It won't be enough for one person per room, but the rooms are large enough to house multiple people at once. Don't forget about the test tomorrow night, do you hear me?"

Everyone nodded obediently.

After Starlight pointed out just how much they stood out from the normal crowd, they no longer had the courage to venture out onto the streets. In fact, they admired the courage of their previous selves for daring to walk the streets without a care in the world.

They had been extremely fortunate up to this point, but there was no guarantee that such good fortune would last.

What if they were caught by the night patrol as soon as they left the branch helm?

With that in mind, no one was willing to leave, so Fang Che turned to the Grandmasters stationed in the branch helm before instructing, "Go and assign them some rooms. Make sure to clean up the rooms and ensure that there are at least basic amenities like chairs, bedding, and tea in every room. If there aren't enough rooms, then construct a row of temporary rooms in the backyard. That shouldn't be a difficult task for capable warriors like all of you."

"Yes, Helmsmaster."

"Make sure to go out and buy copies of the White Cloud Prefecture Code tomorrow. All of you are also going to be tested, understood?"

"Understood!"

"If any of you fail the test..."

Fang Che's voice trailed off into a malicious silence as a wave of baleful qi erupted out of his body.

Several of the young women screamed in horror and almost ended up in each other's arms.

Fang Che casually departed, leaving behind a bunch of terrified subordinates.

It was only long after his departure that someone dared to break the silence.

"Is he gone?"

"Probably..."

"Is he really gone?"

Everyone rose to their feet, and the more courageous ones among them tentatively made their way over to the entrance before taking a peek outside.

"He's gone."

Everyone made their way out of the hall and into the courtyard, then collectively shuddered as a gust of cold wind blew in through the open gates.

In that instant, all of them were overcome by a tremendous sense of relief and gratitude over the mere fact that they were still alive.

1. In this context, "code" is jargon for a systematic collection of laws or statutes. ☜