Chapter 988: The Federation in the Enemy's Eyes
"The Star Glory Federation is an abnormal country born in war. It has been surrounded by enemies since it was established. For five hundred years, wars have always been the main theme of the country. An enormous interest group that counts on wars has been created, too!
"To this day, hunting demon beasts and demons is still the pillar of industry. Of the top five hundred sects of the federation, 281 provide military services such as hunting demon beasts or resisting the demons as their main business. Such businesses almost cover one fifth of the total job market of the federation.
"Of 'Cultivators', the ruling class of the federation, almost one third are combat-type Cultivators. Even the non-combat-type Cultivators are often involved in jobs that are related to war, too.
"For example, the producers of military magical equipment enjoy a higher social position than those who produce civil magical equipment. A culture-type Cultivator tends to create the artworks depicting wars, too. Sometimes, they even join the army and boost the morale with battle hymns, which makes them warriors in a different sense.
"If you don't understand what an 'interest group' is, just think about yourself, Vulture Li Yao.
"Ten years ago, after you killed dozens of nobles of the Blood Demon Sector on Boneyard, I paid special attention to your profile. Just now, I brought out all your files and read them again. It caught my attention that one of your identities was 'disabled veteran'.
"Since you are a disabled veteran, you must know how many benefits a veteran enjoys in the Star Glory Federation.
"Free usage of public facilities and transportation, tax reduction when operating a company or a sect, a high amount of disability allowance and retirement allowance every month... In the federation, every veteran is an invisible magnate!
"You are very proud of such an identity, aren't you?
"However, I would very much like to know, when you are enjoying all the benefits that seem justified to you, have you ever considered a little question?
"Money does not fall from the sky. The Star Glory Federation has been at war for five hundred years. How many martyrs and disabled veterans have been produced during the period? Where does the money that paid for your benefits come from?
"The martyrs are easy to handle. Their compensation is only one-time. But as the technology advances, the studies of spiritual energy and biochemistry are both witnessing a high-speed development, and it is becoming more and more difficult for the wounded to die. Even if they die, there is a certain likelihood that they will be turned into spectral Cultivators, who enjoy the same rights as living people do!
"The only result is that the disabled veterans and the retired soldiers of the Star Glory Federation grow larger and larger, and there is simply no way to cut them off. You have formed an enormous interest group.
"How can the position of soldiers be improved? Wars. Only wars! In peacetime, the soldiers in service are nothing better than a pile of garbage, not to mention the veterans!
"Do you see it now? Don't presume that only demons crave wars. Veterans such as you also yearn, and need, wars. Without wars, you are just a heap of cr*p!
"This is just a tiny interest group within the federation.
"There are also the Cultivation sects whose main businesses are to slay demon beasts and to resist the intrusion of demons, the combat-type Cultivators who know nothing except for fighting, and the leaders who have dedicated all the resources of their sects into 'war bonds' and 'victory funds'. Do you really that they want the war to come to an abrupt end immediately?
"Let me put it more frankly. If total peace is indeed reached, where do you want so many combat-type Cultivators to go? Playing magic in a circus?
"Vulture Li Yao, you are perhaps the biggest miracle of the Star Glory Federation over the past five hundred years since it was born. You've advanced to such an unbelievable level after only ten years. That is also the only reason I'm willing to waste so much of my time talking to you.
"However, whatever level you are at, you are still too young.
"You have no idea about true strength. You don't know the first thing about how the world operates!"
"Your Star Glory Federation has always been an out-and-out war machine since it was established five hundred years. It can only function normally with a great number of war benefits as the lubricant!
"Five hundred years ago, you destroyed the Far East Demon Kingdom and looted tremendous war benefits, which led to a hundred years of brief prosperity.
"Three hundred years ago, when the war benefits ran out, you aimed at the 'Alliance of Demons of the Grand Desolate Plateau' again. After seven expeditions, you finally conquered the Grand Desolate Plateau!
"With the war benefits after you conquered the Grand Desolate Plateau, the federation developed at a high speed for another hundred years.
"By that point, the entire Heaven's Origin Sector was already your territory. There were no more demon kingdoms and demon cities that you could exploit more war benefits. But the interest groups that had expanded to the maximum during the hundreds of years of wars were not likely to just collapse by themselves.
"Therefore, you cast your eyes to the Blood Demon Sector, preparing to use the internal organs of the Blood Demon Sector to lubricate the gears and tracks of the war machine."
Li Yao was so angry that he was actually laughing. "Senior Jin, I did not expect that you would call white black like this! Even if the Star Glory Federation is truly a war machine, that is because of the threat of demons, isn't it? Are the Far East Demon Kingdom and the Alliance of Demons of the Grand Desolate Plateau any more merciful than the Star Glory Federation? Before we destroyed them, had there been one second passing by without them thinking of completely destroying us?
"During the past hundred years, haven't the beast tides of the Blood Demon Sector always invaded the Heaven's Origin Sector first? You are allowed to attack, but we are forbidden from counterattacking. Is that what you meant?"
"I don't want to discuss who's right and who's wrong," Jin Tuyi said causally. "I only want to talk about facts with a special Cultivator like you. Which one between the Far East Demon Kingdom and the Star Glory Federation was the intruder and which was the defender years ago is a moot question right now.
"The fact is, no matter how innocent the Star Glory Federation was in the beginning, it has been nurtured by the blood and corpses of the two wars that both lasted a hundred years!
"It is true that the Blood Demon Sector launched countless trial attacks over the past decades, even including the large-scale attacks such as the 'Battle of Dawn'. If you label us as invaders, I will admit it, too.
"But do you know when the Star Glory Federation issued the first 'war bond' targeting the Blood Demon Sector?
"Let me tell you. It was a hundred and forty-two years ago!
"Why? The reason was simple!
"A hundred and seventy years ago, the Blood Demon Sector finished the war against the 'Alliance of Demons of the Grand Desolate Plateau' and finally conquered the entire Grand Desolate Plateau.
"The protracted war drained the resources of the federation and put the government's finances on the brink of collapse.
"Development on the rough, unpopulated Grand Desolate Plateau required a huge amount of investment, but the federal government could not offer a penny!
"In order to raise money, the federal government had to issue a new construction bond, hoping to trade the monopolization of the resources on the Grand Desolate Plateau for the support of the major sects.
"But none of the sects were willing to buy it.
"Why? Because the entire Heaven's Origin Sector had already been conquered! In the foreseeable future, peace and development would be the mainstream of the Heaven's Origin Sector, and the social position of the federal army and the combat-type Cultivators in the major sects would certainly plummet.
"That was definitely unacceptable for the interest groups who were parasites of wars.
"Therefore, they coerced the federal government into issuing a new war bond while the federal government was seriously lacking funds.
"Right. It is not very accurate to say that they 'coerced' the government. In fact, in the Star Glory Federation, which had just secured a glorious victory and conquered the Grand Desolate Plateau, the combat-type Cultivators and the federal army were enjoying greater prestige even. They were worshipped by all the enthusiastic citizens. They had control of the parliament. They were the federal government!
"In the end, the federal government issued a new bundle bond that was a combination of a development bond targeting the Grand Desolate Plateau and a war bond targeting the Blood Demon Sector. According to their fancy description, in order to defend the Grand Desolate Plateau, they had to launch an attack against the Blood Demon Sector, the nest of all demons, before they were attacked!
"All the Cultivators and sects who purchased the bond would be granted mother lodes, lands and... slaves after the Blood Demon Sector was conquered!
"Maybe at the beginning, it was just an expedient that the military and the Cultivators utilized to stabilize their position. They might not have been really interested in attacking the Blood Demon Sector.
"But once the war bond was issued, the sleeping ferocious beast was awakened, and they could not control public opinion anymore.
"The Cultivators and sects who bought the bonds became the most frantic supporters of the war. It must be noted that many of them were the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators who boasted tremendous influence, if not control, over parliament!
"Therefore, the first war bonds were issued for the development of the Grand Desolate Plateau. But in order to redeem the war bond, the Blood Demon Sector had to be conquered.
"In order to conquer the Blood Demon Sector, more money had to be raised, more resources had to be summoned, and an army of an even larger scale had to be maintained, all of which demanded a second, a third, a fourth bond..."
Jin Tuyi's lips cured into a vague smile, but there seemed to be sorrow in his deep eyes. "At that time, the Star Glory Federation knew nothing about the Blood Demon Sector. You compared us to the 'Far East Demon Kingdom' and the 'Alliance of Demons of Grand Desolate Plateau'. You thought that the Blood Demon Sector was an upgraded version of the Grand Desolate Plateau at best. You believed that we would be conquered in no time.
"Your madness did not pause until you learned the capability of the Blood Demon Sector and realized what a formidable opponent you were faced with.
"But it was too late.
"The hiatus of the invasion plan against the Blood Demon Sector led to the greatest economic crisis of the Star Glory Federation a hundred and seven years ago. Fifty-five sects collapsed, and two Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators even killed themselves.
"I believe that you must've read about the economic crisis, which was later known as 'Black September', in your textbooks, but you might not be able to know the truth of the economic crisis from the textbook."