bookbashuk Chapter 131 I am a prophet, what don't I know?
Chapter 131 I am a prophet, what don't I know?
She had been observing coldly all along, but finally couldn't help but speak up. Her tone remained that of condescending sarcasm, but if you listened closely, you could detect a hint of barely perceptible curiosity in it:
"Tsk tsk, the arrangements are quite well done, even the small fry has a prophecy."
"But do you really think you can truly rule a city with these empty promises and a hastily assembled workforce?"
"Or is it an aristocratic city that's rotten to the core?"
Lynn did not answer immediately, but walked to the table, poured two glasses of water, and placed one of them on the low table in front of Lynor.
"Oh? What insightful opinion does the vampire lord have?" He sat down in the chair opposite her and asked leisurely.
Linor glanced at the water glass, didn't move, and raised her handcuffed hands: "Insightful opinion? First, let me go, then we can talk."
Don't even think about it.
"You're a prisoner now. You can voice your opinions, but whether I listen is another matter."
Lynn took a sip of water.
"You, you, you!"
"You rude, vulgar wretch! You'll pay for your arrogance!"
Linor was furious, her little face puffed up.
Lynn leaned forward; he loved seeing Linor look like a puppy, ready to bite.
"We'll discuss the consequences later, Your Excellency. You just said it's rotten to the core; what exactly do you mean? Besides the nobility on the surface, what other problems exist?"
When Lynn heard her question, Linor happily flapped her little wings.
This also allowed me, the Grand Duke, to show off.
She raised her head proudly: "Hmph, now you know to ask me for advice?"
"Let me tell you, I've seen plenty of cities like this in the abyss."
"The outward nobility is merely the trunk; what lies beneath is the intricate network of roots."
Although her tone was unfriendly, Linor simply loved to lecture and enjoy being praised and agreed with.
"Do you know about the underground black market and gray guilds? Smuggling, intelligence gathering, assassination, loan sharking... these businesses are often controlled by middlemen who have intricate connections with nobles, and may even be their front men."
"You've encroached on the nobles' interests. They won't openly rebel, but they'll create countless troubles for you through these channels: shortages of supplies, rampant rumors, and the unexpected deaths of key figures."
"And then there are those corrupt officials at the grassroots level, such as tax collectors, prison guards, market managers, and even some seemingly honest clerks."
"They may come from humble backgrounds, but they have long been corrupted by the old system and are used to exploiting others."
"If your new laws fall into their hands, they could very well be misinterpreted as new tools for exploitation."
"People from humble backgrounds are not necessarily good people, and not all nobles are bad people."
"And then there's the human heart."
"You gave them hope, and that's good."
"But hope is also the most fragile thing, especially if a few accidents happen in a row."
"For example, the food you promised to distribute was not delivered, the civilian officials you appointed were corrupt, and there were scandals involving the guards abusing civilians."
"So, hope will soon turn into doubt, and then into anger."
"At that time, you won't need any external enemies; your own people will tear you apart."
After she finished speaking, she leaned against the pillar, revealing an expression that said, "See? Things are just that complicated. What do you, an idealistic nobody, know?"
Lynn listened quietly, her fingers tapping lightly on the table.
Then he smiled.
It wasn't mockery, but a smile tinged with admiration.
"Excellent! Excellent! As expected of the Grand Duke of the Vampire Clan! Truly insightful!! Amazing!!" Lynn said, clapping his hands.
"Hmph!! Now you know how powerful I am!!" Receiving Lynn's praise and recognition, Linor was so proud of herself that she completely forgot that she was still locked up.
Ok.
It looks like a hook.
"So, now you know how tough it is for us human fodder!"
"Ideals are ideals, and reality is reality."
Things don't always go the way you expect.
Lynn didn't answer, but walked to the window and looked at the city that was starting to get busy outside.
"All of this was within my expectations."
"Alas!"
"You worthless human trash, you know everything now!"
"snort!"
Linor turned her head away, seemingly quite dissatisfied with Lynn's act, which was even better at putting on an act than her own.
Lynn turned to Linor: "The black market and the grey guilds? I will replace them with fairer, more transparent official channels."
"Establish publicly owned resource allocation centers, public information stations, and a fair-price credit system. Let the sunlight shine in, and the shadows will naturally disappear."
"Corrupt officials at the grassroots level? I will implement the strictest oversight system and open selection process."
"Establish an inspection team composed of civilian representatives, scholars, and church members, with the power to report directly to me."
"At the same time, we will improve the treatment and sense of honor of grassroots civil servants, but once corruption occurs, the punishment will be public and severe."
"As for people's hearts..."
Lynn's gaze deepened, and he sighed softly: "There are two things in this world that cannot be looked at directly: the sun and the human heart."
"It is the human heart that creates infinite darkness."
"However, it is also the human heart that releases infinite light."
"The reason I developed the Prophet's Sect is to unite all those who have a heart that desires to release the light."
"I firmly believe that the vast majority of people in this world yearn for justice, dignity, and a world where hard work pays off."
"All I have to do is build this stage for them, clear the trash off the stage, and then... let them believe in their own power."
Lynn was stunned as she looked at Lynn standing against the light.
His words still sounded ridiculously idealistic, but for some reason, the way he spoke... made her refrain from immediately refuting him for the first time.
This lowly human... seems to be a little different?
No, not possible!
Linor shook her head violently in her mind; this idealized human rabble was bound to fail.
Countless historical events at the bottom of the abyss prove that idealism can never blossom in the soil of realism.
Even the world is the same.
"That sounds nice."
"When you, a mere human, actually run into trouble, don't be so quick to cry."
Linor turned her head, snorted, and spoke sarcastically.
"Isn't there also Princess Linor, the vampire queen?" Lynn turned his head to look at Linor, a smile on his face.
Linor felt a little embarrassed by her gaze and turned her head away again: "What does this have to do with me? You worthless human mincemeat, calling me Your Highness won't do you any good!"
"Your passage back to the abyss is in this ducal castle, isn't it? Don't you want to summon your guards and princes?"
"How did you know?" Linor's ears twitched.
"I am a prophet, what don't I know?" Lynn said, feigning profundity.
"A prophet? What is that? Does it really know everything?" Linor asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Pretty much. For example, I know your bra size is A-, and A+ is because you added breast pads!" Lynn said slowly, looking at Linor's chest.
"Huh? You stinking bastard! What...what are you saying? How did you know?" Linor clutched her chest, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"The stars have inspired me," Lynn said slowly, looking at the bright sunshine outside the window.
[Stars: ...How the hell would I know about such boring stuff?! !!!]
"You...you used X-ray vision magic??" Linor was hardly incredulous.
"Did you sense the magical fluctuations?" Lynn asked.
"No," Linor shook her head.
"So you're just guessing?" Linor was still not quite convinced.
"Your feet are size 34!" Lynn said, looking at Linor's small feet.
"Ugh! You're just a perverted human trash!"
"That's easy to see, isn't it!"
Linor looked at Lynn with disgust and contempt.
"Cough cough cough!"
It slipped out of habit; in his past life, Lynn had often used his face to measure the size of Linor's feet.
"I'll tell you one that no one will be able to tell!" Lynn said with his hands behind his back, looking confident.
"What?" Linor asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"You love wearing bear underwear!" Lynn said, pointing to a spot with a very confident look.
"You're just a perverted human trash!!"
"Go to hell!!"
After saying that, Linor, her face flushed, took off her shoes and threw them at Lynn.