Old King
Leader of the Nagaril Youth Party, Mengwu Province, was trying to master complex driving techniques in a dilapidated car that had been sold to Nagaril more than a decade ago, a major event was unfolding.
In the Royal Capital of Nagaril, Provincial Governor from all the provinces of the country gathered together. Even the people of the Federal were curious about what changes their meeting would bring, and sent some reporters to try to find out the news.
Sometimes journalists are more useful than agents, at least when they don't cause disturbances.
Inside the magnificent palace, the most distinguished people of Nagaril gathered together. These Provincial Governor, including the King, did not actually look like the tyrants and dictators that the common people of the Federal imagined.
Each of them was actually quite "refined"—the word "refined" isn't used here, but the meaning is quite accurate.
They weren't fierce-looking, nor did they have an air of superiority. They were all very gentle, which is actually related to Nagaril's religious culture.
In countries with strong religious beliefs, it is rare for the ruling class to be outwardly tyrannical. Even if such a ruler does appear, he is usually converted by religion in his youth. Moreover, religious forces in Nagaril have always been the regime's greatest enemy.
When facing an enemy who is very good at presenting himself, Provincial Governor must also master this skill, at least to make themselves not look like villains from myths, in order to better govern the people.
"It seems like the last time we met was at your Coming of Age Ceremony..." King Nagaril looked at the Provincial Governor Drag with some emotion, "I can't believe thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye. You look to be in good health."
The King of Nagaril is an elderly man who looks to be around sixty years old. He is kind, speaks slowly and gently, so much so that many people believe that the current de facto "division" in Nagaril is caused by the King's weakness.
Only the Provincial Governor in this room knew that this was an old codger who had been acting for decades. Ever since he killed his own brothers and sisters and caused his lowly mother to hang herself, everyone just wanted to stay away from him.
Even so, it is said that the deaths of two Provincial Governor were related to him. He was a King was kind on the outside but evil on the inside and good at disguising himself. He had competent political skills. In the words of the Federal, how did they say that?
Ah, yes, he is a qualified Best Actor.
The Provincial Governor Drag bowed slightly and kissed the back of the King's hand. The King withdrew his hand, touched his tongue with his index and middle fingers, moistened it with saliva, and drew an invisible line on the Provincial Governor Drag's forehead.
This is a very typical religious act, meaning that disaster stops when it sees this horizontal line, but it made Drag feel a little disgusted.
The Old King's saliva smelled bad, perhaps because he didn't brush his teeth or something, and it was likely to stay that way for a while. This annoyed Drag, but he couldn't show it.
He looked at the Old King, carefully examining every wrinkle on his face, and finally a smile appeared on his face. "Yes, you were very young then, not like you are now..." There was an indescribable provocation in his half-smile, perhaps even schadenfreude. He shook his head. "... Aging, you've grown old."
What should have been a lament about the ruthlessness of time was instead delivered by the Provincial Governor with an air of "you deserve it," while the King's expression remained unchanged.
"Time will not spare me, just as it will not spare you; it is fair to everyone," the King, his cloudy eyes seemingly filled with something called wisdom.
The Provincial Governor Drag had a different opinion. "You know what? Those foreigners outside actually investigated our average life expectancy, and they said that most of us only live to sixty."
"But we all know that some people live longer, and time is not so fair in the face of power. Nothing is absolutely fair."
"Maybe I can live a little longer, what do you think?"
He was clearly implying that he could last longer than the Old King, but the Old King remained unmoved. In the past, he could pretend until the very last moment before revealing his true identity, and now that the Federal was watching, he was even less in a hurry.
His slightly droopy eyelids blinked, giving the impression that he was about to close them completely. He looked at Drag and shook his head slightly. "You're right, but it's also possible that I'll live longer..."
There was basically no need to continue the conversation at this point. The two smiled at each other, then said goodbye and left. As Drag walked away, he glanced back at the Old King, a mocking expression in his eyes.
The Old King has been working to consolidate power in the hands of the Provincial Governor for years, and it is evident from his restructuring of the military system that he wants to unify the entire Nagaril.
But this idea and this behavior are doomed to failure. He is fighting against the entire Ruling Class of Nagaril, no one supports him, he cannot win, not to mention now that the Federal people have come.
The Federal will not allow the Old King to continue his plans, much less allow Nagaril to be completely unified in any sense. After a lifetime of effort, it has all come to naught. The Provincial Governor Drag can only laugh.
As time went by, the Provincial Governor, who were usually hard to see, had all arrived, and the meeting began.
In fact, everyone knows very well that the Federal has put in a lot of effort to make them able to sit together today.
After the meeting began, those who were not involved were expelled. The Old King took the lead and pointed out the topic. "The Federal wanted us to show how seriously we take this matter, so here I am with you all. I must say the Federal is truly remarkable. They have accomplished something that we all find incredible!"
The people sitting here were no ordinary figures; they immediately recognized the mockery and sarcasm in the Old King's words.
If it weren't for the support and safety guarantees from the Federal, they wouldn't dare approach the Royal Capital casually, let alone sit here.
But with the support of the Federal, they became bolder. What's more tragic is that the Old King really couldn't do anything about the Federal, which in turn laid the foundation for this meeting.
Someone then rudely interrupted the Old King, "Stop with the nonsense, let's talk about the things the Federal is asking us to discuss. What are everyone's thoughts?"
One sentence silenced the room once again. The Old King, who had been interrupted, was not angry; he simply looked quietly at his "ministers."
No one spoke first, and everyone knew that speaking first meant being a "traitor," unless the person who spoke expressed the exact opposite of what the Federal wanted them to do.
But how is that possible?
Just as everyone knows, there are some traitors here who use patriotism as a pretext. These traitors must collect information on certain "patriots" and sell it to their Federal masters. The Federal people are much worse than the Old King; they are really willing to take action if necessary.
So the meeting was eerily quiet for more than ten minutes. No one spoke, and everyone was secretly watching each other's expressions and actions, hoping to find some clues.
During the long silence, a slight smile appeared on the Old King's lips. He sighed softly, "I've heard that some of you used to curse me every day, but look at you now, you don't even dare to say a word."
"Yes, you are still young, and you can't afford the consequences of saying the wrong thing. I'm old, and I dare to say that."
"I don't know what the Federal's purpose is in insisting that we raise the Galil's Exchange Rate, but they definitely have ulterior motives (harboring different ideas from ours). From my perspective, I will not agree to their request, but..."
He chuckled as he said, "If I say no, some of you will definitely try to persuade me, to persuade those who have objected."
"This will make things unpleasant between us, and it will make us a laughing stock for others."
"Gentlemen, we are facing a dire situation we have never encountered before. The Federal are silently seizing the power that belongs to us, and we are powerless to do anything about it."
"I know that some of you are already serving the Federal, but I'm not afraid to tell you that what the Federal values now is not yourselves, but your position here."
"When the Federal decides that they no longer need you to conceal their ambitions or serve them, they will take back what they have given you."
"Don't assume that everything is safe. A flock of sheep raised by Wolf Pack will never be truly safe."
He smiled and turned the incense burner beside him, then looked at the thoughtful Provincial Governor. "I know that the appreciation of Galil is inevitable, and I don't mind agreeing to it. At the same time, I would like to give some gifts to those of you who have already found your new direction."
"You can tell the people behind you that you used every means you could think of to persuade me and all the opponents, and we will announce that to the public."
"We do this for one purpose only: to ensure that you will always have value. The Federal will not discard you once they have used you, and we can also ensure that Nagaril is under our control and will have the opportunity to break away from the Federal's control in the future."
He picked up his teacup, took a gulp, and wiped the remaining water from his mouth with a cloud-white handkerchief with gold trim. "This is only beneficial for you and for us, and will not do us any harm!"
No one expected the Old King to say such a thing at that time and in that setting; it was quite unbelievable.
Admitting defeat is a difficult thing for rulers, and the Old King not only admitted it, but also abandoned all pretense of decency.
He said his statement was extremely insulting to the Provincial Governor, yet it resonated with everyone's needs, and for a moment the room fell silent again.