Temple of Truth, council chamber.
One after another, Imperial Council members stepped onto the platform and approached the voting table at its center. As they passed before Rayne, they saw the consul's composed expression and felt his deep gaze settle on them, immediately sensing immense pressure.
Most of the more than three hundred council members had dealings with the consul over the years.
They were either shareholders in the Subcontinent Trading Company, reaping enormous profits as their wealth grew tenfold or even a hundredfold in barely a decade; or they had participated in building cities on the New Continent, investing vast sums without seeing returns yet, tied to the consul's ship with no way off.
Some council members were also Imperial officials—provincial governors, key Legion officers, mayors, Cabinet ministers—who had attained their current positions only through the consul's support.
Most of the undecided council members were noble lords, along with senior figures from the Mechanics Guild, the Church of the Earth Mother, and the Church of Justice.
Over the past few months,
Grey Eagle Duke had met with council members in private. What Grey Eagle did not know was that most of them had met with the consul beforehand, while some had met with him afterward.
Interests were the strongest bond.
When choosing between the consul and Grey Eagle Duke, nearly every undecided council member gave the same answer.
The few council members who were more stubborn or harbored ulterior motives discovered that they had no secrets before the consul. He could always see through their bottom line at a glance, backing them into a corner and leaving them no room to waver.
The council members who had betrayed the Balance School and the Nether School had been swayed in the same way.
Gems were dropped one after another into