Chapter 854: The Sound of Tides

"Dear parliament members and everyone who supports me, I humbly accept your nomination for president in the election campaign. The reason why I'm standing here is all thanks to your support. I understand your troubles and clearly know what kind of predicament we are facing now!"

Parliament member Nakvard stood on the podium in the middle of the plaza. He wore a formal black suit, spread his hands apart, and gazed at the dense sea of people below him. The incredible sense of accomplishment satisfied him greatly.

"It has been a dark year for the Country of Light. Not only did we face the invasion of the Undead Creatures, but we also suffered the betrayal of our allies. Our soil has been stained by the undead and the bones of our dearest were forced to be awakened from their eternal rest and against their will, wreaking havoc on this continent! Are we going to let this matter off just like this?"

Parliament member Nakvard raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist.

"Angels and Elves can't be trusted. Their first reaction wasn't to help us when we faced threats from the Undead Creatures. Instead, they seized the chance to gain benefits and rise above us to make us their slaves forever! Same goes for the lackeys who sold their dignity! People of the Country of Light! Our failures in the past shouldn't be used as an excuse for us to back down now. The former Light Parliament failed to fulfill its rule due to incompetent leadership and even abandoned its dignity before the other races. Back then, when our ancestors established the Light Parliament and raised the torches of freedom and liberty, they hoped that humans could stand alone on this continent. We're not affiliated with the other races and not their slaves at all! We have to use our hands and language to tell them that we have the right to stand on the same heights as them!"

"Oooooh!"

The people instantly burst into cheers. They raised their arms frantically and waved to the man before them.

"I guarantee that I, Nakvard, will rebuild the flags that our ancestors worked so hard to establish and find the glory and pride of our Country of Light. I will use our strength to tell everyone that the Country of Light will forever be the lighthouse of freedom for us humans! My father was born in Sauron while my mother came from the distant Kanali. They arrived in this great country for the sake of glorious freedom. This miracle can only happen here! During this difficult period, we must unite as one. Right now, regardless of gender, identity, and as long as you are human, we should stand in unison! We will always be the strongest race on this continent! We should not listen to words that attempt to split us, let alone shake our own beliefs, and make wrong choices that the non-humans have made. Humans are a race with infinite possibilities! And only we can control our destiny!"

1"... Noble people of the Country of Light. Listen to me!"

On the luxurious platform on the other side, a man who wore a scarlet suit spread his arms apart and gazed at his supporters.

"Our Country of Light has faced too many unprecedented disasters last year. We've lost lives, lands, and jobs. Some people attributed this to the non-humans and evil Undead Creatures, but is that the truth? No! This isn't the truth. I, Greig Walker, confirm it! The threat from non-humans does exist, and the same goes for the evil Undead Creatures. However, the biggest threat comes from our internal issues as a nation! I'm sure you've already seen the refugees who swarmed into our country with greed in mind. They dominated the resources and benefits that should have been owned by us! Do they have the right to do this? No! They don't! They came here and didn't provide any help to our country. Instead, they dragged our country into the edge of recession! My people! You know that the Light Parliament is currently in a tough spot and our finances have been greatly affected. For this reason, we can't even guarantee the support of the frontline army, which led to their defeat!"

Greig swung his right arm. The dense sea of people also clenched their fists and waved flags that were written with his slogan.

"All right. You must be curious of where the taxes we paid have gone to. Aren't the taxes used to protect our country and people? No! I have to tell you that our money has been snatched by those shameless thieves who sucked our blood like vampires! Noble people of the Country of Light, our ancestors built this country and gave us courage. People with dignity reap the rewards they deserve through labor rather than squandering hard-earned income from others. The refugees came to our country to enjoy our welfare, status, and honor that we exchanged with money and peace that our soldiers used their lives to defend with. And yet, they are despicable to have made not even a little bit of contribution!

"People of the Country of Light, can you tolerate this? No! Impossible! I, Greig Walker, swear that after I become the president of the Light Parliament, I will kick those lazy, greedy vampires out of our country. This country established by our ancestors with their blood and sweat doesn't exist for the greedy vampires! Only people like us with the true blood of the Country of Light are the true owners of this country! Of course, we also will face external threats, but if our internal issues aren't resolved, we won't be able to unite and face disasters that will destroy us! Please open your eyes and don't be deceived by the filthy words of the shameless ones who come from far away. They will only plunder more things from us under the banner of racial harmony. They always demand us to come up with money, status and even jobs for the sole reason of the freedom and glory of the Country of Light. Can we tolerate everything? Can we bear it all? Should we endure it?! No! We won't suffer in silence anymore!"

"... We've experienced a tough period."

Parliament member Carlson stood on the somewhat decayed wooden platform. The tall city walls blocked the glaring sun while thick, dense shadows enveloped him. The chilly winds blew with a putrid stench. He gazed at the sparse people below him, gritting his teeth and supporting himself with his thin, shriveled hands.

"The torment that we suffered from last year was unforgettable. But everyone, the pain should also wake us up from our daydreams. The Country of Light is not just a nation for humans and it is too tough to rely on ourselves to face the disaster of the entire continent. It is precisely at this moment that we should abandon our former suspicions and unite as one. This time, we can't let fear and anger blind our eyes. There may be endless disputes between us, but death will always be the same despite the differences in our race. No matter if you are an elf, dwarf, angel, or human. No matter if you are wealthy or poor, death will still fall upon everyone. It is at this moment that we should help and support each other!"

Clap... Clap... Clap...

Sporadic claps sounded and the elderly parliament member took in a deep breath. The chilly wind left him coughing, but even so, he held his head up strongly and looked at his supporters.

"Some things will not change by simply relying on our will. We will get through this tough period, but if we can abandon our former suspicions, the final victory shall belong to us! What we need to do now is not to confront one another. Instead, we need to forgive the insignificant arrogance and prejudice in our hearts, and make the choice that is most beneficial to us and our country! No one wants and is willing to suffer and this is awfully clear to us. Think about it... For your future generations and for them to continue living happily in sunshine on this free land. Shouldn't we make a little sacrifice for them?"

Sonia shifted her gaze away from the window and shook her head. Then, she closed the window to block out the wind and clamor.

"It looks so ridiculous every time. How boring."

Sonia scoffed. At this moment, Casabianca was incredibly bustling. However, Sonia wasn't interested at all because she knew what those people were on about—it was simple. The Light Parliament election was about to begin.

In fact, the election should have begun during the second half of last year and the new president would have already been selected. However, due to the invasion of the Country of Darkness, the chairman got to stay in the office for a while longer. But Sonia was clear that his days as the chairman were numbered. The Country of Light's performance in the wars were horrible. They lost continuously and had to rely on the Munn Kingdom and Rhode to defend the Winter Castle, especially when Rhode was the public enemy of the people of the Country of Light. Under intentional brainwashing by the Light Parliament, the entire Country of Light knew that the young man named Rhode had sold his soul to the angels, betrayed the humans, and was shamelessly reborn to fight for the angels. Not only that, but the Light Parliament also pushed most of the responsibility for defeat to Rhode, claiming that if he didn't cripple their legendary beings, the Country of Light wouldn't have suffered this badly in the wars against the Undead Army. It could also be said that in the Country of Light, Rhode's reputation was at the 'Hated' level. However, Rhode didn't give a damn at all because as long as he wiped them all out in the future, his reputation level wouldn't matter anymore.

Furthermore, the Winter Castle was currently occupied by the Battle Angel Army now. Although the retreat of the Undead Army had left the Light Parliament in an awkward position, the politicians weren't at their wits' end in this situation. They quickly pushed the responsibilities to the shoulders of the elderly chairman, asserting that if he didn't hand the Winter Castle over due to his misjudgment, the Country of Light wouldn't be in such a dilemma. This resulted in the elderly chairman being detested wherever he went and it was almost certain that he wouldn't continue being in office.

If it were in the past, Sonia would surely be engulfed in it. No matter what, as the five largest financial groups, the Lockos Financial Group had to maintain their strong political influence. On the other hand, Sonia, as the third executive officer, had to guarantee on behalf of her family that the election was successful. But, this time, Sonia was able to stay away from the trouble. The reason was simple. She had been chosen to stay with Lilian and after Lilian's fall out with the Light Parliament, the Light Parliament wasn't able to find someone who could communicate with Lilian. Now that Lilian enjoyed being with Sonia, the Light Parliament naturally wouldn't let this chance slip.

It was due to this reason that Sonia became one of the most important members of the Light Parliament, where not even the next chairman would be as crucial as her. Not only that, but the Light Parliament also 'promoted' Sonia in order to let her work better with them. They would be making Sonia take over a vacant position after the new chairman had been elected and she would become the youngest official member of the Light Parliament.

Sonia knew that the main reason why the Light Parliament trusted her so much was due to the Lockos Financial Group. It was due to the relationship between the Light Parliament and the Lockos Financial Group that the Light Parliament believed that Sonia would definitely not betray them and side with the powerless Light Dragon.

But it was a pity that the Light Parliament had it all planned out wrongly.

Sonia revealed a smile at this thought. Then, she turned around and walked down the spotlessly white corridor.