Chapter 1212: Chapter 354: The Human Race’s Iron Great Wall
After guessing the "imposter" mentioned by the Outer Realm Venerables, the five elders finally understood the purpose of the Outer Realm Venerables: although they have been desperately sugarcoating the situation, the root of the matter is their perception of the threat Fang Ze poses. They aim to eliminate Fang Ze at the budding stage before he fully develops.
However, even though they comprehended the conspiracy of the Outer Realm Venerables, the five elders found themselves in a difficult situation: the Blue Blood Venerable had not only transmitted the information to them but also to all ministers above the ministerial level and vice chairpersons of each district within the federal center.
Moreover, when conveying this information, the Blue Blood Venerable also used the ambiguous term "imposter."
This led to a situation where, before the five elders could discuss this matter, one communication and video call after another were directed to them.
The five elders pondered briefly and quickly realized this was the Blue Blood Venerable’s finesse:
If the information was only sent to the five elders, they could easily suppress it; if the information was public, they must consider the impact of this matter on human morale, making them hesitant to consent.
Thus, such pressure exerted within the small circle of high levels would not cause a public stir, while also ensuring the five elders couldn’t act arbitrarily, which was indeed very clever.
Furthermore, since they deliberately did not specify that the imposter was Fang Ze, the high-level officials who received the message would necessarily inquire from the five elders. Each inquiry amounts to a form of pressure, easily affecting the elders’ thoughts.
And indeed, after too many communications and videos came in, the elders realized they could not make the decision by themselves, resulting in a secret federal high-level meeting that was convened half an hour after receiving the message...
....
Federal Council, 18F, Secret Meeting Room.
At this moment, the chairs of the meeting room are already filled with 3D projections of the vice chairpersons of each district and the heads of various departments within the federal center.
The five elders also sat in the front row of the meeting room as projections, facing the audience.
As the meeting begins, the chairperson of the southwestern district, currently under invasion—a bald old man who looks somewhat fierce—first raised his hand and then spoke, "Honorable elders, the warfare on our side is tense, and I’m pressed for time, so I’ll be direct."
"I have three questions."
"1. Who exactly is the ’imposter’ mentioned in the message from the Outer Realm Demigods? Do you know?"
"2. Can the Outer Realm Demigods launching this attack be trusted? Can their promises come to fruition?"
"3. What is the value of the ’imposter’? Can we hand him over in exchange for a period of peace and respite? At least to buy time to transfer civilians from low-level cities."
He succinctly finished his questions and gestured to wait for the elders’ response. Seeing this, the rest in the meeting room remained quiet, all watching the elders silently.
Upon hearing the chairperson’s questions from the southwestern district, the five elders glanced at each other, and after a moment, Vice Chairperson Tian slowly spoke.
Being the first Vice Chairperson, he holds significant weight and authority, so his words are heavy. He said, "I will address these three questions."
"For the first question. We know the identity of the so-called ’imposter,’ and actually, all of you know as well."
"Regarding the second question. The Venerable launching this war is the Blue Blood Venerable. The central center has extensive information on him. He ranks among the top three in combat strength in Heaven Beyond the Heavens, known for his cunning and variable temperament. However... he also upholds his credibility. So if we really hand someone over, he would likely fulfill his promise, or at least put up an act, granting us a respite period."
"As for the third question. Concerning whether to hand over the person or not, we haven’t discussed it yet. This meeting is convened to make a collective decision."
Upon hearing Vice Chairperson Tian’s words, everyone present involuntarily exhibited a sense of contemplation.
Vice Chairperson Tian’s words were intriguing. He seemed neither averse to executing this transaction with the Blue Blood Venerable nor overtly probing the attitudes of those present, leaving people somewhat perplexed.
After a moment, a minister from the central center slowly asked, "Elder, could you just tell us the person’s identity? If you don’t say, we can’t make any judgment."
Upon hearing this, Vice Chairperson Tian glanced at him and slowly said, "That person is named Fang Ze."
"Fang Ze?" "Who is he? Sounds familiar." "Fang Ze!?" "Fang Ze??"
The moment Vice Chairperson Tian mentioned the name, the scene became mildly noisy for the first time. Many people were repeating or reminiscing about this name.
Some were instantly shocked upon hearing the name, while others were filled with perplexity.
But being the most informed within the federal high levels, soon each of their faces showed an enlightened expression. Even those who hadn’t remembered yet quickly looked up Fang Ze’s information and then raised their heads in surprise.
Seeing this, the five elders in the front row neither hurried nor maintained order; they watched these high-level officials calmly, waiting for them to express their opinions.