Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 600 - 598: The Parliament
Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Pterodactyl, Triceratops, and Ankylosaurus—five dinosaurs dressed in robes of different colors—sat behind an elevated platform. They were perched on uniquely shaped chairs made of an unknown metallic material, perfectly capable of supporting their massive forms.
Seven human council members were situated on both sides. Nominally human, their heads were those of lions, dolphins, rhinoceroses, and other animals, their original appearances unrecognizable.
Mule swallowed nervously, following Ferry out of the elevator, while Bee marched forward alone, stepping onto the gradually rising floor to sit in a chair at the back of the platform.
"Welcome, Attorney Kevin Romas."
The Tyrannosaurus Rex at the head of the table spoke, his tone gentle and kind—a stark contrast to his ferocious appearance. "I presume Bee and Ferry have briefed you on the way here," he said. "I am T-Bone, the Speaker of the Underworld Council, and the rest are my colleagues. Our main purpose in inviting you here is to hear your opinions and suggestions."
The booming voice of Tyrannosaurus T-Bone echoed through the hall, drowning out the noise of the descending elevator.
Is this the power of mythical beings...
Black Trojan tensed, unconsciously holding his breath. Even without relying on his ocular scanning function, he could still sense the unfathomably deep Energy fluctuations surrounding the animal-headed council members. In contrast, the five Dinosaur Majesties seemed ordinary, like common beasts.
Forest Cat, holding her camera, dared not move, fearing that using it would expose her to the divine beings' essence and consequently cause her eyes to burst, her sanity to evaporate, and her brain to burn.
Witch, standing on a Cleaning Robot, with her arms crossed, wore an expression of indifference, though a trace of regret hid in her eyes.
Mythical beings... You hardly see them even in nightmare-difficulty scripts. If this wasn't a role-playing mission, maybe I could've gotten something useful from them...
Unlike disorganized Lone Wolf Players, Witch, as a member of a large organization, had clear objectives and a leveling path, requiring only the collection of specific resources to continually grow stronger.
But the resource demand for a Witch's profession was akin to a gold-devouring beast, too much for even the entire Syndicate Organization to sustain. After failing to wheedle her teacher, Witch had no choice but to live a self-sufficient life, freelancing. She anonymously opened a jack-of-all-trades shop on the forum, accepting any paid employment: doing Divination for celebrities, assassinating business rivals for the wealthy, or stealing secrets for spy organizations. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Since she was usually foul-mouthed (often cursing), had a nasty temperament, and few friends, her shop consisted only of her and her partner. To avoid trouble and attract customers, she disguised herself differently for every task, creating the false impression that her shop had many reliable employees.
Ugh... It gave one the subtly bitter feeling of a private company's CEO in the early days, personally using an anonymous account on app forums to hype their startup.
Mule was also unlucky; the players he had recruited each had their own agenda. Only Li Ang, after a brief observation, began to analyze the situation for him with considerable professionalism:
"These are indeed the five dinosaurs from the anime 'Interstellar Dinosaurs'; even the colors match. The other council members' heads have changed into those of animals, making them unrecognizable. However, judging by Bonaparte's identity, they too must be distinguished figures from human history...
"Hmm... Let's first inquire with T-Bone what specific advice they seek.
"Also, if I remember correctly, isn't your second-phase mission 'Follow the Messenger of the Underworld and explore the Underworld'? We took the elevator directly to Paradise Mountain, which, to some extent, counts as traversing the Underworld. Perhaps you've already completed your second-phase task. If there are any changes in your mission log, just move your left thumb slightly. Be careful not to let them notice."
Mule took a deep breath and, just as Li Ang had instructed, subtly moved his left thumb before asking Tyrannosaurus T-Bone the question.
"Morality, justice, fairness, and law."
The reply from Tyrannosaurus T-Bone was identical to Bee's. He leaned forward, his comparatively small forelimbs (relatively speaking) resting on the table, and said seriously, "As you should know, the Underworld and the Mortal Realm are interdependent; each is indispensable.
"We receive the Souls of all creatures from the Mortal Realm, including humans, and after a series of steps, we reincarnate them back into the Mortal Realm.
"Fleas, crickets, humans, elephants, whales... In essence, the Souls of all creatures are no different. In the process of reincarnation, the sole factor determining the soul's next host is the sum total of all negative emotions it generated in its previous life.
"The more negative emotions, the lower the soul's host will be in the natural order; the fewer negative emotions, the higher its position.
"For instance, the Soul of a human who committed atrocities, felt no remorse, and never repented for their sins will first endure torment in the Underworld to atone for those sins and cleanse their negative emotions. Only then will they be reincarnated into the Mortal Realm—perhaps this time only as a flea or a cricket.
"Meanwhile, animal or human Souls that lived purely, followed their natural instincts, and did not abuse other living beings for pleasure will have a chance to be reincarnated as a human.
"You must understand, all negative emotions produced by living beings in the Mortal Realm are projected into the Underworld. These manifest as terrible extreme weather, chaotic Energy storms, land that becomes increasingly polluted and uninhabitable, and even the occasional, naturally-spawned Chaotic Demon."
