"...You want me to pacify this country, is that right?" The Emperor finally spoke, his voice weary.
"That's right." Chen Li nodded.
"What are your specific demands?" the Emperor asked.
The Emperor had even prepared himself for the other party to make exorbitant demands—demanding territory and reparations, or establishing a theocratic regime that united church and state.
"First, give the Infected the right to be treated as people. Repeal all discriminatory laws targeting the Infected, and grant them civil rights fully equal to those of ordinary people." Chen Li's tone was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable resolve.
"But... Oripathy is incurable, and highly contagious. Even if I issue an order forbidding discrimination, civilians will still reject them out of fear of death. That fear is carved into their bones; laws cannot change people's hearts." The Emperor froze for a moment before he could not help but argue.
"It used to be incurable. It won't be anymore," Chen Li said blandly.
The Emperor abruptly raised his head.
"Within the area covered by the King's Land, Oripathy will gradually be cured without the aid of any medicine." Chen Li's tone remained calm.
"How is that possible?" the Emperor blurted out.
"The Infected will not disappear, because the Originium on this land has not disappeared. But under the rules of the King's Land, Oripathy will at most be like an occasional case of the flu on this land from now on." Chen Li looked into the Emperor's eyes and spoke slowly.
The great hall fell deathly silent.
The Emperor could not help looking at Patriot.
Patriot showed no unnecessary reaction. He merely stood there in silence, like an unshakable iron tower.
That silence itself was the most compelling proof.
"If it is merely an ordinary illness, then there should no longer be