Lin Qi's Final Question
When the last word was written in the ledger, the oxygen supply to the entire Tavern stopped for three seconds.
Lami's life support device emitted a sharp warning sound.
Luo immediately turned around.
"Lami!"
"I'm fine."
She grabbed the oxygen tube; the connection was already half-loose.
"It's just three seconds less."
"The oxygen supply cannot be interrupted again."
"Then don't let it break."
Lin Qi looked up at the system.
On the screen, twenty transfer applications were crammed together, the black text continuously flowing down.
[Receive failed]
[Receive failed]
[Receive failed]
Vegapunk's voice came from the wall.
"The Throne is reclaiming lives; for every person saved at the receiving end, the Holy Land will take away the lifespan of ten people."
"Can we turn off recycling?"
"Imu's account is still active."
"Didn't he lose his privileges?"
"Management rights have been lost, but old permissions have not been completely cleared."
Luo raised his sword to block Imu's slash.
"Then let him answer."
"I've already asked."
Lin Qi slammed the ledger onto the bar.
"The question just now only asked whether the patient had any free will, not whether the Throne could continue to claim lives."
"Question two."
The system message states that you can only Public Question once per day.
"You are the Initial Terminal."
"The Initial Terminal must also follow the rules."
"You set the rules."
Looking at the system interface, Lin Qi suddenly remembered the compensation clause from the public trial.
"I did indeed set the rules."
He placed his hand on the Black Stone Slab.
All screens light up simultaneously.
The celestial Mother Flame was still gathering, and sixteen halos pierced through the clouds, encircling the High Tower and the Flower Room in their light.
Imu stopped in his tracks.
What do you want to ask?
"The last question."
You think they'll answer for you?
"I don't need them to do it for me."
Lin Qi looked towards the outer side of the Flower Room.
Shanks' sword blocked the God's Knights's spear, Luffy was still confronting Imu, the Whitebeard Pirates used their ship to block the Navy's cannons, and the Revolutionary Army was sending the wounded into the High Tower.
He then looked at the wall.
Luo supported Kikoku, blood dripping from his shoulder down the hilt of his knife.
Lami guarded the old Button, his fingers still pressing it to the rhythm of Dragon's heartbeat.
"This question is for the whole world."
The system interface has been changed to black background with white text.
[Final Public Question]
Does this world need a god who is high above us?
Imu swung his sword at the stone slab.
Lin Qi grabbed a bottle from the bar and smashed it.
The wine bottle collided with the sword's gleam, shattering the glass into countless pieces, but the medicinal wine inside flowed down the blade.
The sword light was lowered by half an inch.
"Boss," the chef said, holding an empty wine case, "Those are for the guests."
"The blame is on Imu."
Is he still alive?
"It's better to be alive than to be counted."
The problem appears simultaneously on screens all over the world.
The villagers in the Foosha Village stopped what they were doing.
On the naval ship, soldiers stared at the muzzle of a cannon that had lost its command.
The survivors of Flevance guard an old tombstone.
The families of the missing persons in God Valley sat inside, waiting for the screen to provide an answer.
The Five Elders attempted to shut down the live stream.
Sengoku, accompanied by the naval captain, burst into the communications room.
"Press down that Den Den Mushi."
"Fleet Admiral, the World Government has ordered us to cut the line."
"I know."
Should we cut it or not?
Sengoku looked at the question on the screen.
Let them talk.
Garp stood behind him and ripped off the restraints on his wrists.
"Don't speak up for them this time."
The first sound came from the North Blue.
"Don't want."
The second one comes from the East Blue.
"No God."
Next are the South Blue, the West Blue, Sky Island, and Fish-Man Island.
The voices were initially scattered; some spoke slowly, some hesitated, and some stopped after only speaking once. But the screen did not urge them on; the system recorded every response.
[Unnecessary]
[Unnecessary]
[Unnecessary]
Lin Qi stood behind the bar, watching the golden lettering gradually fill the Sky Screen.
Imu raised his hand.
"Ignorant people have no right to judge God."
"It's not up to you."
They don't know the truth about the world.
"Then you can tell them."
They can't afford it.
"Look."
Lin Qi pointed to the screen.
"They're already listening."
For the first time, a crack appeared on Imu's face.
The halo of the Mother Flame grew brighter and brighter, and all the beams of light fell toward the Holy Land.
Luffy up.
"Lin Qi, that thing in the sky is about to fall."
"I know."
"Should I go call it?"
"Waiting for the answer."
How long will it take?
"Wait until they finish speaking."
Shanks forced back the God's Knights in front of him with a single sword strike, then looked up at the Sky Screen.
"Everyone, continue answering!"
The Whitebeard raised the Murakumogiri.
"Anyone who dares to shut up, I'll beat them up first!"
One after another, the Revolutionary Army's communication lines were opened.
Dragon looked at the numbers on the screen.
There aren't enough respondents.
Sabo asked, "How much more is needed?"
"Not the number of people."
Dragon looked up.
"We need to get Imu to admit that what they said has become a fact."
Among the Flower Room, Imu suddenly reached out and grabbed Lami.
Her medical records are still on the Throne.
Luo blocked it with his sword.
Imu's hand passed through the Kikoku, his fingertips touching Luo's chest.
"You can't save her."
Lami lifted the old Button.
"Dragon."
A heartbeat could be heard from within the Button.
One time.
Pause.
Two times.
Imu's hand stopped on Luo's chest.
Luo released the knife handle and grabbed Imu's arm with his other hand.
Her medical records are not on the Throne.
"What did you say?"
She brought it back herself.
Lami pressed the Button onto the stone slab.
On screens around the world, the names of sixteen Flevance children appeared simultaneously.
An extra line of text follows each name.
[Patient refused transfer]
The life flow of the Throne came to a halt.
Twenty former sites lost power simultaneously.
The system has begun recalculating.
[Number of publicly witnessed individuals exceeds threshold]
[Divine Authority Stripped]
Imu's body was covered in Golden Light.
He looked up at Lin Qi.
Do you know the consequences of stripping someone of their divine status?
"Have no idea."
I will die.
"Then why aren't you running?"
"I can't run away."
"Then stay."
The golden scales descended from the top of the screen.
One end supports the orb of light holding the Mother Flame, while the other end presses down on Imu.
The Uranus's radiance was absorbed into the scales, while the cracks in the ground Flower Room grew wider and wider.
Vegapunk shouted urgently, "The system is at its limit! The firewall can only hold for another ten seconds!"
Lin Qi stared at the rising black numbers on the scale.
Is ten seconds enough?
Luo grasped the Kikoku.
"Enough for me to cut once."
Luffy raised his fist.
"Enough for me to punch."
Lami gripped the wheel rim tightly.
"Enough for me to finish reciting the last name."
She looked at the screen.
"Mia, Flevance."
The scales have tipped completely.
The black outer shell covering Imu began to peel away, revealing a pale face.
That face had wrinkles, wounds, and real blood.
The system prompts that the Sky Screen has been covered.
[Divinity has been stripped away]
[Target is now treatable]
Imu looked up at Luo.
"Doctor, are you sure you dare to operate on me?"
Robert Kikoku.
"Queue up first."