It was never a good thing to concentrate too much power in one person's hands.
No one could bear the consequences of someone else doing whatever they pleased, nor would anyone be willing to foot the bill. Besides, the Unified Bureau had been paying Ideal Land's bills for centuries.
Everyone had been clutching this signing pen for centuries. How could they not have PTSD?
Whether it was called precaution or ulterior motives, whatever his purpose, Maxim could not allow Ai Qing to wield power without limits, much less bear the consequences if she lost control.
One had to remember that when the Phantom Agency carried out purges, it never even blinked...
Even though every restriction he had attempted had been perfectly circumvented by Ai Qing, he had ultimately left himself a trump card for retaliation—the partnership and covenant with the Financial Weaving Bureau. By exchanging authority with one another, both sides gained sufficient trust and achieved unity within their faction.
The moment Solomon failed, they would claim victory.
Provided they could force the Phantom Agency out of the game...
Proposing the exchange of authority had also been one of Maxim's decisions.
As an authority capable of restraining the Abyssal Threshold, if Ai Qing intended to use all her power to wipe out the alliance, then this crucial key absolutely could not remain in her hands.
Now, as Ai Qing was roughly forced into a chair and fitted with Origin Essence Shackles, she did not resist at all. She merely sighed as though in reflection. "Once the rabbit dies, the hounds are cooked. Just as expected of the Office of the Director—you had already planned and prepared to burn the bridge before crossing the river."
"With thorough preparations, nothing is difficult. Consider it... an occupational habit."
As though he had not