Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 59
Beloved of the group
Amidst the sound of cracking happy nuts, the High Priest’s originally mysterious tone appeared to carry a touch of annoyance.
He let out a heavy snort, “This is an entirely baseless accusation. You claim to have seen our worshiped deity on an island, and according to the statement of a rescued person, that deity is even a mutant?”
As Ji Jiu munched on another nit happily, he added automatically, “And it’s a mutant that existed before the apocalypse.”
He was the most comfortable person in the room, not only enjoying snacks but also having a drink.
These people in authority had never expected anyone to have the audacity to eat during a crucial decision-making meeting in the base. Therefore, their extensive rules for meeting etiquette included dozens of points, but conspicuously absent was one that prohibited eating during meetings. Even if someone felt dissatisfied, no one dared to raise the issue, especially considering Chief Si’s reputation for defending his people.
Si Yan Yuan’s overwhelming aura redirected everyone’s focus onto the High Priest, unconsciously adding to the pressure.
The white mask obscured facial expressions, and the voice modulator made it difficult to discern emotions, but one could vaguely hear an accelerated pace in his speech due to his anger.
The High Priest slammed his hand heavily on the table, exclaiming, “Absurd! Do you have any evidence?”
Si Yan Yuan chuckled and retracted his outstretched legs, leaning forward to release a significant amount of pressure, making it clear that he had everything under control. “Of course, we have.”
His confident demeanor left the High Priest and those by his side feeling uneasy. Even in situations with insufficient evidence, Si Yan Yuan had a way of making people instinctively believe his words. This was what made him a top-tier figure.
Si Yan Yuan lightly tapped the table with his knuckles, “The Guild representative requests to bring in a witness.”
Allowing an outsider to enter was an unprecedented exception in more than three years of meetings. The requirement was that each person in power could only bring one assistant, and even security personnel had to remain outside.
The people in the room exchanged glances, and in the end, it was Hu Yan who said with a hint of a smile, “Then let’s vote.”
He then raised his hand.
Si Yan Yuan followed suit, looking at the others with composure.
Chen Yanli thought for a moment and said, “Our logistics department has allocated quite a few resources to the church. If your worshiped god is indeed related to mutants…”
She left her sentence incomplete, and the subtle wrinkles at the corners of her eyes carried deeper meaning. She raised her hand gracefully.
The leader of the Non-Ability Special Department also nodded, “Indeed, the nature of this matter is extremely grave. If, after the investigation, it turns out Chief Si was wrong, I will question Chief Si’s competence from the church’s perspective. For now, I choose to believe Chief Si and meet this witness.”
He was a man who did not smile much, but his physique in his fifties was no less impressive than that of a young person.
Even the strictly neutral person in the room agreed. In this atmosphere, the leader of the judiciary team couldn’t remain silent.
He cleared his throat and sent an appeasing look towards the church, raising his hand as well.
The leader of the judiciary team wasn’t a fool. He knew that in a situation where the vote had an overwhelming majority, his agreement wouldn’t cause significant harm. The alliance with the church was merely based on mutual interests, and he wouldn’t harm his own interests to defend someone else’s.
Although you couldn’t see the person under the mask, Ji Jiu felt that the individual must be remarkably angry right now; their facial features were probably contorted.
However, with an almost divine and compassionate tone, the High Priest said, “Call him in, we will see what he has to say. The lord will not forgive a person who lies”, as if he were mocking the so-called witness, while insinuating something.
He attempted to use this calm and composed demeanor to dispel everyone’s suspicions. Before others could react, Ji Jiu let out a small cry.
The pistachios scattered all over the floor.
He turned to Si Yan Yuan with a slightly furrowed brow, saying, “I’m sorry.”
Little beauty, Ji Jiu, tilted his head in a very distressed manner, making it difficult for anyone to blame him.
Si Yin Yuan softened his tone, “It’s okay.”
The way he talked to Ji Jiu was entirely different from his previous cold and ruthless demeanor.
Ji Jiu squatted down, “Let me clean it up!”
In reality, he used his black mist to secretly consume everything that had fallen on the floor.
While the meeting was still in session, Si Yin Yuan couldn’t stop him, so he could only look on helplessly.
The attention of everyone had veered off course due to this little incident, and Chen Yanli was reminded of her younger brother who had died in the early days of the apocalypse, her expression carrying a tinge of sorrow.
Even the director, who was all business, looked at Ji Jiu with a gaze that resembled how you would look at a young and naive junior who was good at being coquettish.
Ji Jiu possessed this kind of charm that made everyone feel he was innocent with his clear eyes, and who could bear to be angry with him over such a minor incident?
The High Priest’s act that he had prepared for a long time was now ignored by everyone. No one cared about his words, and he was left fuming, his chest rising and falling with anger.
Even the faithful follower who had remained motionless all this time noticed it. He leaned slightly towards the High Priest’s ear and asked, “Are you alright?”
He quickly calmed down, “I’m fine.”
Afterward, he made a gesture with his hand towards the side.
Only the head of the judiciary could see it from that angle.
He had raised his hand during the vote a moment ago, and now, upon understanding the meaning behind the gesture, he accepted it. Given that his relationship with the guild was somewhat strained, he saw it as a better deal to align with the church and make them understand that he was still a useful ally.
So he rebuked, “How could you make a mess in the meeting room? Aren’t you wasting our time?”
Ji Jiu had just gotten up from under the table, and upon hearing this, he paused, “But it’s already clean.”
The black mist easily consumed all the happy nuts that had fallen on the floor.
Due to the table’s structure, no one could see under the table without bending over, so they were entirely unaware of what had just happened.
After hearing Ji Jiu’s explanation, the others immediately imagined a pitiful scene of him diligently picking up things from the floor.
With his round, innocent eyes and a gaze that resembled a startled kitten, the atmosphere was extremely innocent. This contrasted with the balding head of the judiciary team leader, who was basically a middle-aged uncle full of complaints.
He wanted to stall for some time, but he was interrupted by Chen Yanli.
She elegantly swept a hand through her well-kept hair and gave the leader of the judiciary team an unfriendly look, saying, “Alright, don’t make a big deal out of scaring the child.”
The leader of the judiciary team was left speechless. “What?”
The director snorted lightly, his tone serious, as he said, “Who’s wasting time? Could it be someone trying to delay something?”
He spoke sternly, and his words were sharp, with no mention of Ji Jiu. He was sending a warning to the leader of the judiciary team directly.
He was well aware of the alliance between the church and the judiciary team.
The leader of the judiciary team was at a loss for words, not expecting others to defend the unknown young man who had appeared out of nowhere. Instead, he had made himself seem meddlesome. So he closed his mouth in annoyance.
No one had ever enjoyed the kind of protection that Ji Jiu was receiving from the other authority figures. He was unique in that regard.
Si Yin Yuan glanced at Ji Jiu, filled with pride and a sense of entitlement that resembled that of an elder looking out for a well-behaved junior.
Who wouldn’t like such an obedient Ji Jiu?
The High Priest’s clever plan had failed, and he could only look on coldly from behind his mask, witnessing Si Yin Yuan call the witness forward.
Chen Zhaonian appeared extremely nervous, holding the stone with its comically carved facial features. Upon suddenly encountering so many authority figures, he became anxious.
The High Priest observed him closely, trying to find a flaw in his disguise.
Chen Zhaonian also felt the gaze that carried evident hostility. He turned to the High Priest, his expression genuinely perplexed.
This reaction was as expected. The moment they brought Chen Zhaonian back, they had exposed him to a considerable amount of information regarding the church, hoping to see if he had any recollections. Unfortunately, he had no memories of anything related to the church, except for the giant, tentacle-like mass he was constructed from. He had no memories related to the church.
Si Yin Yuan said, “Tell us everything you know, including that seed.”
Chen Zhaonian stammered as he recounted everything about the group of people from the time before the apocalypse. He didn’t omit any details.
After listening, the High Priest’s voice, which had been hard to gauge, revealed his dissatisfaction: “You think you can accuse our church’s Lord based on the testimony of just one person? It’s absurd. Our Lord cannot be a mutant; it’s supposed to be the most perfect species in this world. We’re all failures, and only by following the most perfect Lord can we…”
He had repeated this speech multiple times, and he spoke it smoothly with no hiccups.
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Hu Yan, who seemed very impatient. “Enough. Your church’s ideology is no different from claiming that all other people are sinners. The church emerged because some people in the base needed faith. You’re supposed to serve the base, don’t get things backward.”
He had an intense aversion to the church, to the point that his naturally smiling fox-like eyes grew serious.
A believer behind the High Priest stepped forward indignantly and said, “We sincerely believe in the Lord!”
Hu Yan sneered, his mockery reaching its peak.
The believer rolled up his sleeves, looking like he wanted to confront Hu Yan, but one of the awakened, who served as his bodyguard, stepped in front, making the atmosphere suddenly rowdy and arrogant.
The situation briefly descended into chaos.
Ji Jiu, on the other hand, remained detached, as these disputes had nothing to do with him. However, there was one thing he was concerned about: the term “failed species” mentioned by the High Priest.
This was the second time he had heard this term. The first time was from the mysterious man at the Sparrowtail Flower Carnival who had referred to him as a mutant.
The man’s identity was unknown, but he knew Ji Jiu’s true nature as a mutant. What the man said left Ji Jiu bewildered, but the only thing he was certain of was that he couldn’t let the man meet his owner.
The man who had given the Chinese Violet to the church in the first place was the same man. It was all his fault that Ji Jiu’s true ability had been exposed to his owner.
Once his true ability was known, Si Yin Yuan became particularly wary of him indulging in excessive eating. It was all his fault for eating everything in the church’s storage and shedding a layer of his disguise.
Ji Jiu had casually placed the blame on that man.