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Chapter 1056 - 1056 148 Central Continent Ceasefire Turmoil_3

1056: Chapter 148, Central Continent Ceasefire Turmoil_3 1056: Chapter 148, Central Continent Ceasefire Turmoil_3 Dignity or lack thereof, he could no longer afford to care about that.

This was a place for discussion, not a venue for these people to vent their emotions.

“I know some of you are having a hard time, but what’s done is done, and we ultimately need to look forward.

The representatives from the Black Forest Kingdom, Dante Kingdom, and South Coast Kingdom are not present, but the meeting will still proceed as normal.

Now the council members of the presidium will begin the discussion; the rest of you, please remain quiet for now.

If you have any thoughts, wait until it’s your turn to speak.

If anyone deliberately causes trouble, according to the Alliance’s parliamentary bill, the presidium has the right to investigate your councilor status, including the revocation of your council membership!”

The naked threat was exceptionally effective.

People always harbor a glimmer of hope, and they won’t truly give up until the last moment.

After all, the squeaky wheel gets the grease—it’s a form of political statement to just let things fall apart.

“Let me start then, making a unilateral compromise with the Alien Coalition is a betrayal of the Human Race.

We must severely punish the behavior of the Black Forest Kingdom, Dante Kingdom, and South Coast Kingdom, who only look out for their own interests, disregarding the greater good of the Human Race,” Archbishop Montson said, bristling with murderous intent.

After enduring such a long period of criticism, someone finally came out to draw hatred.

He sighed in relief and took the opportunity to vent the resentment he had accumulated recently.

As for the issue of the ceasefire in Central Continent, the Clergy actually couldn’t do much.

It was fine for them to rant a bit, but if they were actually told to send troops to punish, the Alien Coalition would probably laugh their heads off.

“Your Grace, the Bishop, doesn’t your conscience hurt when you say these things?” Count Predrag said with a smile that was more of a sneer.

Clearly, he was a professional at undermining the Clergy, with his opening remark dripping with scorn.

Such scenes had long become routine to all.

Nearly every meeting of the Alliance featured the same participants: Clergy vs.

Alpha Kingdom, Clergy vs.

Frank Kingdom, Frank Kingdom vs.

Iberia Kingdom.

Apart from the rare issue that united all parties, these fixed verbal sparring groups would always exchange a few barbed words with each other.

These seemingly meaningless squabbles were actually a display of political skill.

Major forces needed to assert their presence, reminding the representatives through their sparring that their identities and statuses were not the same.

Just by looking at the combinations, one could tell that the Frank Kingdom and the Clergy were in one bracket, while Iberia and Alpha Kingdom were in another, with an unspoken agreement that these four had more say within the Alliance.

After the last Orc invasion, the Three Kingdoms in the Central Continent, unable to restrain themselves, had attempted to challenge Alpha Kingdom’s position and had made good progress.

Unfortunately, their plans were incomplete when a new round of continental wars broke out, throwing them back to where they started.

In contrast, Alpha Kingdom’s display of military power was startling and solidified their position within the Alliance.

“His Excellency the Count, the issue we are discussing now is that of the Three Kingdoms in the Central Continent.

If you feel remorseful, then send your troops to flank the Elf Army’s rear.

I believe that if your country can accomplish this, the crisis in Central Continent will be immediately resolved, and at the same time, it will establish a victorious position for the Human Race!” Archbishop Montson retorted sharply.

“Your Grace, the Bishop, think before you speak, and don’t take people for fools!” Count Predrag said, punctuating his words with a roll of his eyes.

Putting aside the issue of interests, just the treaties alone were an insurmountable problem.

It wasn’t about flanking the Elf Army; it was clearly about sending the kingdom’s elites to their deaths.

Anyone who dared suggest such a suicidal plan within the kingdom would immediately be deemed a traitor and whisked away to be executed.

After this disruption, the solemn atmosphere had also faded.

The collected representatives had realized how unreliable it was to pursue the responsibilities of the Black Forest Kingdom, Dante Kingdom, and South Coast Kingdom at this moment.

Even if accountability were to be sought, it would have to wait until after the war.

The Continent’s war had not yet ended, and to provoke a civil war now, the Alien Coalition would probably wake up laughing from their dreams.

“To save time, I don’t think the presidium needs to discuss any further, we should just move straight to a vote!

Since the three concerned nations are absent, then let’s count them as abstentions.

Anyway, their three votes wouldn’t affect the outcome.

Right, since the Warhammer Kingdom had disintegrated, the ownership of the presidium seat is undecided, so let’s count that vote as an abstention too!”

The jolly words from Count Joelchevich felt like a cold cave to the councillors from the Warhammer Kingdom, with Count Derrick at their lead slumping back into his seat.

Leaving the presidium is easy, but re-entry is hard.

Without their voice in the Alliance, their road to restoration would become even more arduous.

However, this is the reality.

They had no feud with the Iberia Kingdom, and Count Joelchevich had no need to deliberately target them.

Being forced out now, mainly due to the exiled Warhammer Kingdom’s inability to fulfill the duties of a presidium member, naturally, they also could not continue to exercise the powers of a presidium member.

The Continent’s Ten Kingdoms plus the Clergy—it had originally been eleven members in the council’s presidium, now directly reduced to ten.

This number was likely to decrease further, with the slipping kingdoms and the Three Kingdoms in the Central Continent who had been badly beaten, all at risk of being kicked out in the future.

It’s clear looking at the voting weights of the various parties.

The same seat represents different forces, and so, in the Alliance, their voice also varies.

“Since no one objects, let’s streamline the process and proceed to a direct vote.

Members of the presidium who support harsh punishment for the Three Kingdoms in the Central Continent, please raise your right hand, those opposed, raise your left hand, and those who don’t raise their hand will be counted as abstentions.”

Duke Bergson said this simply and bluntly.

As soon as his voice fell, he was the first to raise his left hand.

Such a clear stance clearly indicated his intentions.

It’s all about interests.

Frank Kingdom had eaten its fill, and what followed was digesting the fruits of victory.

Now deploying troops to expel the Different Races, to assist these unfortunate nations in their restoration, without even a return in sight, made no sense.

When the next Continent’s war broke out, these lands, once owned, after being cleansed by the Different Races, would become ownerless.

Whoever seized them at that time would own them.

Following this, various presidium members participated in the vote.

Without any surprise, both Iberia and Alpha Kingdom, which needed time to digest their conquests, also cast their votes against.

What was truly astonishing to everyone was that Archbishop Montson, who had been vociferously calling for severe punishment of the three nations, also voted against.

In contrast, the long-silent representatives of Rusenia, Avarat, and Opulus were in favor of the vote.

It was apparent that these three nations also had wise individuals who could see the coming of an era of grand consolidation and wanted to support reestablishment of the conquered nations to delay the expansion of the major powers.

Regrettably, their power was limited, and their voice in the Alliance was not strong.

Even though they sensed danger, they were powerless to prevent it now.

In a way, this invasion by the Different Races had also unshackled several major powers.

Direct consolidation within the Human Race comes with being easily surrounded.

Civil wars can’t play out as species’ genocides; without legal support, post-war governance would be a big problem.

Now, there’s no need to worry.

The enemy had helped with the cleansing.

In the future, these lands would be empty of people; as long as the Different Races were annihilated, everything would be settled.