Chapter 956: Ointment (Part 2)
Chapter 956: Ointment (Part 2)
"Hmm?"
The Serpent Director, Lyon, raised an eyebrow in surprise as he noticed the sudden change in topic, ready to reprimand himself for his thoughts about the Purification Bureau.
"Why are you so anxious?"
"I'm not!"
Alright, that's settled.
Staring at the Serpent Director, Lyon let out a loud buzz, then began to ponder the Lake of Insight. After a moment, Lyon blinked and then realized,
"It seems like... you really don't want me to continue the previous topic?"
"Huh?!"
"So, aside from that half-broken rein, you've done other things to me?"
"Huh?!?!"
"It's not something like the True Words Balance, is it? After debating, the loser has to pay a price, or even be enslaved by the other?"
"Huh?!?!"
"Alright, I understand!"
He got it! He finally understood!
Looking at the Serpent Director, whose Lake of Insight was about to collapse, Lyon couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly. Amidst his desperate expression, a kind smile appeared.
"Then let's change the topic to the Purification Bureau!"
Huh?
"Regarding how to transform the present world, I do have many ideas. For example, resource allocation, environmental modification, political system changes, consciousness construction, conflict resolution, and so on."
After counting on his fingers, Lyon smiled and said:
"But these are just ideas. I can't guarantee that my thoughts are correct. They must undergo rigorous testing and improvement. Forcing them might cause problems, so it's good to change the topic... But speaking of which, what do you think the Purification Bureau is like?"
"The Purification Bureau... is the guardian of humanity!"
Seeing that Lyon was actually giving up his "advantage" and not pressing him further, the shocked Serpent Director breathed a sigh of relief. Then, with a solemn expression, he said:
"I admit that the Purification Bureau has deteriorated. Not only is its strength declining with each generation, but its actions are also hesitant and outdated. It's completely unworthy of the status of humanity's guardian.
However, the relative stability maintained for thousands of years proves that the Purification Bureau's model itself isn't too flawed. It just needs some 'new blood.' So, your idea of completely overthrowing the Purification Bureau is definitely wrong! If the Purification Bureau were gone..."
"When did I say I wanted to completely 'destroy' the Purification Bureau?"
"???"
Seeing the Serpent Director's confusion, Lyon patiently explained:
"I meant that there's no need to take over the Purification Bureau's responsibilities. This doesn't imply completely eradicating the Bureau but changing the current model that completely isolates ordinary people. Let's try to involve ordinary people as well."
"Involve ordinary people... Are you crazy?!"
The Serpent shuddered at Lyon's words and then asked in a mix of shock and anger:
"Do you know that there was a predecessor in the Bureau who did this? Do you know what the consequences were? Do you know..."
Lyon calmly explained:
"He allowed the Blood Moon to shine upon the earth, universally raising the Leone Value of a large number of citizens. He wanted to cultivate a group of people for the Purification Bureau, but it resulted in numerous malicious abnormal incidents, causing tremendous casualties. After that, similar actions were halted."
"You know all this?"
"I know about this incident, but I believe the problem isn't in giving ordinary people the Leone Value. It's that ordinary people's lives are too difficult, so they often give birth to extremely radical and malicious abnormalities. And even after gaining power, they seek revenge on society instead of trying to do something meaningful."
"How can you be sure it's..."
"Alright, regarding this issue, the Bureau is working on a verification method. Let's wait for the results before discussing it further. Let's talk about something else for now."
"The Snake Lord Director's words were interrupted with a wave of his hand, and Lyon stared into his eyes, his voice calm as he spoke,"
"I admit that the idea of the Purification Bureau being the guardians of humanity is not without reason, but have you ever considered the cost of this 'guard'?"
"The cost... is... to face the crisis head-on?"
"The cost is the lives of a large number of Purification Bureau members."
Lyon glanced at the slightly dazed Snake Lord Director and explained, "Among the more than eighty branches of the Purification Bureau, the larger branches have around two hundred members, and even the smaller ones have a dozen or so. Historically, the total number has never exceeded two hundred thousand."
"Yet, these few thousand members are responsible for handling various abnormalities born from the suffering of twenty billion people. It's no wonder they are stretched thin. In just the two and a half months since I established the Underworld Division, more than eighty members have died and reported here."
"If we calculate based on this probability, the number of members who die each year is approximately four to five hundred. So, from the birth of the Purification Bureau to the present, the number of members who have died on missions is likely to have reached the threshold of ten million."
Ten million... Is it that many?
"It's true, and it's probably even less."
Seeing the doubt in the Snake Lord Director's expression, Lyon continued, "According to my statistics, although the number of Purification Bureau members occasionally rebounds, the overall trend is actually decreasing. When the Thirteen Kingdoms were first established, and the total population of the present world was less than six hundred million, the number of Purification Bureau members was around sixteen thousand."
"But by the time the seventh kingdom was established, and the Palace of Observation could essentially prevent the true gods from descending, the number of Purification Bureau members began to decline year after year. The present-world population has increased three to four times compared to the past, but the number of Purification Bureau members has shrunk to less than a third of what it was then."
"Even during the best times when the third-generation director was alive, the annual casualty rate of Purification Bureau members remained above 6%, and in recent centuries, it has exceeded 10%, inching towards 11%. So, this total number of casualties is definitely not less."
"..."
It turned out to be true...
Facing the facts presented by Lyon, the Snake Lord Director fell silent for a moment before rebutting, "But shouldn't the majority of the dead be second and third-level Purification Bureau members? And they..."
"And many of them are criminals themselves, joining the Purification Bureau to atone for their sins. Isn't it fitting that they die defending humanity?"
"Isn't it?"
"Yes, you can say that if you wish."
Lyon glanced at the Snake Lord Director and then asked with a hint of accusation, "So, the 'human guardians' you speak of, who are so crucial, meritorious, and indispensable, are, in reality, a group of brutal criminals who deserve to die?"
"And the organization you consider indispensable chooses to place prisoners who have committed heinous crimes, possess radical abilities, and have radical personalities at the forefront, defending against danger for all of humanity?"
"Even those who survive among these 'criminals' will eventually become branch directors, become one of the Twelve Directors, and then obtain terrifying power, becoming the de facto controllers of the fate of all humanity?"
"?!?!"
Looking at the Snake Lord Director in front of him, whose eyes slowly widened, and his mouth unconsciously opened, exuding a strange oily fragrance, Lyon couldn't help but sincerely exclaim, "To be honest, when I first discovered this, I thought that we humans had incredibly good luck to have survived until today without being destroyed!"
(End of Chapter)
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