The Strange Nature of Humanity, the Court's Dilemma

Under Gao Linzhi's covert surveillance, the two sides engaged in some haggling on the deck.

Finally, after signing a transaction contract, Ouyang Jing's side gave New Century Amber and a small amount of "Longevity Water".

It's only about the size of the gap between the fingernails.

They picked it out for them with the tip of a needle.

"There's a sealing spell on it; stealing it won't work. A contract must be formed for the Longevity Water to be unsealed and regain its effectiveness," Ouyang Jing warned.

"You should know that the more precious and valuable something is, the more fragile it is and the easier it is to damage it."

Amber smiled and shook her head, saying, "We generally abide by contracts, but even if we have to break them, we consider the consequences."

"Because we need to bear the consequences ourselves."

"Unlike you people in the imperial court, who often don't even have the concept of a contract in mind from the start."

"Because even if you disobey, the loss of credibility and the consequences will be borne by the imperial court. You can simply be transferred to other government offices as you please."

Ouyang Jing was speechless for a moment, then quickly said impatiently, "Alright, that's all. Hurry up and tell me."

Amber shook her head and said, "See, you're in such a hurry again."

"We must not be hasty in the face of these strange phenomena."

He then revealed the secret of the Eye of the Storm.

"This Eye of the Storm has three most prominent characteristics."

"The first characteristic is that it holds a grudge."

"If you throw anything away, it will remember it."

"You might not see retaliation in the short term, but once you're in a place with a natural storm, it will mix in and take effect."

"We define it as a curse, meaning that once you throw something at it, you are cursed, and only by experiencing its revenge can you break free."

"By the way, just a heads-up, the air you exhale around here is also a kind of 'leaked' stuff, just like the stench of a hibernating bear's breath is unpleasant to us."

Gao Linzhi immediately stiffened.

Wow, that's impressive. He wouldn't know this unless the other party told him.

"The second characteristic is that the power of the storm it generates is related to the strength of the items you throw."

Simply put, curses vary in severity.

"If you're just breathing on the sidelines, it won't actively trigger a storm; it will use natural storms to find opportunities to attack you."

"Perhaps when you're over 80, a storm will come and sweep you away."

"If you never encounter a storm, it may simply fade away without a trace."

"In other words, if you want to use it to destroy an island, you must invest in high-energy minerals."

"For example, those Demonic Creatures crystals."

"For example, those powerful living demons, who are all strong enough to be included."

Ouyang Jing nodded.

"The third characteristic: This thing is extremely brutal."

"Brutality, isn't that a human trait?" Ouyang Jing asked doubtfully. "How can you call it a strange trait?"

"Yes, that's what we're wondering about, and that's why we don't dare use it as a conventional weapon."

"It possesses a certain humanity. We suspect it has a symbiotic relationship with some powerful being. You should know about symbiotic anomalies, or perhaps 'manipulating anomalies' would be a more accurate description," Amber nodded.

Controlling the supernatural? Isn't this the most typical example of controlling the supernatural in the Eerie Revival?

Gao Linzhi immediately chuckled.

Reading more novels can be somewhat helpful.

"Do you have any evidence?" Ouyang Jing asked, frowning.

The strategies for dealing with the bizarre aspects of humanity and those for dealing with the inhuman are completely different.

"Of course."

"For example, it likes to kill people when they are in the most danger."

"Normally, when you encounter a storm, it should be triggered at a fixed time."

"However, on many occasions, we have observed that this is not the case."

"It will observe your situation, and if you can weather this storm safely, it won't take advantage of the chaos."

"For example, if you live in a safe basement, it won't activate, but if you're in a high mountain or plain, it will be more powerful."

"This is clearly not something an ordinary supernatural being would do."

Ouyang Jing fell silent.

If that's the case, she'll have to consider whether the research conducted by the imperial court and the Imperial Observatory will anger this strange creature with humanity.

Gao Linzhi understood that the strangeness that was normal was a pattern, a natural disaster, a rule.

It's terrifying, horrific, like an earthquake or typhoon—it can't be eliminated, we can only try to predict it, avoid it, and tough it out.

But people don't intentionally fear them.

Because they are not human, they do not have targeted outbreaks.

But this kind of human strangeness is terrifying, just like someone possessing the ability to control natural disasters.

The bizarre itself is inhuman, but when it is controlled by human manipulation of patterns, it becomes a bizarre creature with humanity.

In this sense, the people of Island No. 8 can also partially control the Eye of the Storm because they have grasped its patterns.

"However, as long as you can withstand the storm, it will stop erupting after a certain number of times."

"I see. This Eye of the Storm is quite interesting; it has piqued my interest." Ouyang Jing sneered. "It seems it won't be so easy to subdue."

"It's virtually impossible for you to subdue it," Amber said, shaking her head.

"Didn't you say it had humanity?"

"Humans have weaknesses, and with weaknesses, they can be subdued."

"Impossible, it's extremely powerful. If it were easy to subdue, would we still be leaving it here?" Amber retorted.

"In short, it's a natural disaster, like a great river or a vast ocean."

"You can use it, but you can't control it, nor can you get it into your own home."

Ouyang Jing remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:

"So what if you want to deal with a certain faction?"

Amber immediately smiled, "With your intelligence, you should be able to figure it out."

"I want to hear your side of the story; I paid for it."

"It's very simple. If you want to deal with a certain force, just bribe its key figures, let them provoke it, and then send that provokeer back to the core territory of that force."

"It will naturally strike at that force."

"Of course, you should be careful not to casually claim that you did it yourself."

"We need to make it look like they did it."

"I've said it before, it has humanity."

Ouyang Jing nodded.

"Alright, it seems this is a second-hand attack. We must resort to indirect means to achieve an indirect strike."

"That's not wrong. In short, we can't directly control it," Amber agreed.

"This kind of storm attack still has significant strategic value." Ouyang Jing seemed quite satisfied with the outcome of the transaction.

The two then left.

Just as I expected.

Gao Linzhi, who was lying in wait nearby, was thinking to himself.

He wanted to find out who had betrayed Wolf Snake Island.

According to Amber, he must be a key figure.

Only a major provocation from a key figure could provoke such hatred from the Eye of the Storm, directly unleashing a massive tempest.

It's actually not that difficult.

Just let the Dragon Fruit do a divination.

Of course, catching that person wouldn't be of much significance.

Because that person was definitely being used as a pawn.

Or perhaps they were hypnotized.

The only clue we can get in the end is who hypnotized this person.

Of course, they still need to be arrested.

Gao Linzhi continued his stealthy pursuit.

Ouyang Jing returned to the cabin.

Gao Linzhi did not rush into the cabin.

They must have made many preparations.

For example, preventing eavesdropping, tracking, and intrusion.

You can also eavesdrop on the deck, since it's more spacious.

Inside the ship's cabin, there are likely runes countering every step.

He could only listen from the doorway.

Just then, a sound came from inside.

An elderly man's voice said, "So you mean this Eye of the Storm can be used to strike down any disobedient forces? Cough cough."

Ouyang Jing's voice rang out. "My lord, it's like this."

"But every time we use it, the cost to us is also very high."

"A careful calculation is needed to decide whether or not to take action."

"Hmm, I'd like to know if those few Prefectural Island are worth attacking?" asked the elderly man.

"If all you want is a ruin, you can use it to attack," Ouyang Jing replied.

"Even ruins are better than those rebels. The court treated them so well, yet they thought of declaring themselves emperors. It's practically rebellion!" The old man coughed violently.

Upon hearing this, Gao Linzhi couldn't help but sneer.

In feudal dynasties, under oppressive conditions, rebellion was the norm.

Basically, in any feudal dynasty, there were rebellions every year.

This is unimaginable in modern society.

In modern society, such incidents are rare, occurring only once every few years; they are usually minor public security incidents.

Because it has a sound system for exiting and taking over.

There is no need to seize power through extremely risky means such as rebellion.

"However, the price we pay is also very high, after all, those Prefectural Island are very large and wealthy."

"Moreover, they also have branches left behind by the Imperial Observatory, which they have all turned against them," Ouyang Jing reminded her.

"Damn it, those rebels have all been won over by the local gentry!" the elderly man said with difficulty.

He looked like he could die at any moment.

"This storm is quite powerful, but it won't cause much damage to the adults."

"Because this is a storm tornado, it's extremely damaging to buildings, farmland, and shops."

"But people can run and dodge, and it's not very fast, so it can be detected in advance."

Ouyang Jing explained, "It can only hit some important buildings."

"The adults would all hide in the ancestral hall beforehand."

"And this anomaly will not affect the ancestral hall area."

"I see, so this is another strange one with many restrictions." The elderly man could hardly hide his disappointment.

"Yes, the strange things are very powerful, but most of them have self-limitations. Perhaps this is the balance of the universe, because if it weren't, our world would have been destroyed long ago," Ouyang Jing stated a principle.

Gao Linzhi thought this was right.

This woman is extremely ruthless, but also rational enough.

Her cruelty was based on reason.

Similar to the Hans III series, those who know, know.

The devil of reason.

"No wonder those guys were willing to trade it for our Longevity Water; it turns out it's a useless commodity," the old man sighed, his tone revealing some disappointment in Ouyang Jing.

Ouyang Jing was also helpless.

Truly good things, no one will trade them.

Those who are willing to exchange are those with certain limitations or regrets, and those who wouldn't feel bad about exchanging.

Would you easily exchange your life for someone else's?

Impossible, unless you're poor.

"I thought this was a very powerful weather weapon that could be used to deter those disobedient islands."

"The imperial court is in a difficult situation right now."

"The internal situation is not monolithic; the southwestern islands, led by the Sima family, have long shown a tendency to become independent."

"Fortunately, the Zhu Family's islands act as a check, allowing the imperial court to mediate and maneuver."

"If the two families were to join forces, the imperial court would be in a difficult position."

The elderly man rambled on.

"My lord," Ouyang Jing explained, "I believe those fellows are unwilling to establish a new dynasty."

"After all, the new dynasty is too big a target. Who knows what terrible and bizarre methods the previous dynasty might have that could curse them to death?"

"The current dynasty is using the methods of the previous dynasty. If they establish a new dynasty, it will be tantamount to forcibly establishing themselves on the land of the previous dynasty, and they will suffer the same curse."

"I hope so. Right now, we're in a delicate state of fighting without breaking apart."

"Once these guys get their hands on the extraterrestrial tool, they could disrupt the status quo," the elderly man shook his head. "We need to act quickly."

"As for the extraterrestrials, we must either kill them or utilize them; we cannot allow them to be used by other rebels."

"Yes, sir."

"By the way, the collection of tribute for the past ten years is about to begin. You will lead a team to oversee the tribute from the southwestern islands."

"The imperial court now needs many tributes, especially rare and precious treasures."

You must be careful.

"Understood, sir."

"In previous years, those guys on the islands always skimped on the essential materials from the offerings."

"Originally, the imperial court was to receive 10 portions, but in the end, only half a portion was given to the imperial court. Even then, it was considered a decent island, and people still harbored some fear of the imperial court."

"Many of them simply took advantage of the storm, strangely enough, to disappear along the way!"

"But we already discovered that their boat hadn't even left the sea, so how could it have drifted away like that?" The old man became increasingly angry as he spoke.

Gao Linzhi found it amusing.

This old man clearly belongs to those sycophantic fans.

They were utterly loyal to the imperial court, but their minds were completely clouded by their deception.

Even though the court was exploiting and deceiving everyone equally, he insisted that it was right and that others were wrong because they were disloyal.

That's ridiculous.

In fact, the Sima family's approach was correct.

People should rebel and break the restrictions imposed by the imperial court.

We cannot allow the imperial court to control us.

The existence of the imperial court is nothing but deception and manipulation.

Especially in feudal dynasties like this, they did nothing but exploit and oppress the people, neglecting regular relief and flood control efforts.

Now, the island faces a strange threat; when has the imperial court ever dealt with it?

No, the villagers had to bear it all themselves.

Why should ordinary people pay tribute to them?

That damned old man deserves to be betrayed by the imperial court.

"The common people don't understand the court's difficulties either; you must understand that."

"Understood, sir," Ouyang Jing replied casually.