"Have me pose as the outsiders' leader? Then hand me over to the Municipal Council Hall?" Gao Ming gained a new appreciation for the Mercy Councilor's viciousness. She intended to discard him once he had served his purpose, squeezing out every last drop of his value.
"You said your heart was drawn to the light. Now is the time for you to do your part." The Mercy Councilor seemed to have decided Gao Ming's fate long ago. "Once I dispel the darkness, I'll erect a statue of you as well, so the faithful can make offerings to you."
"Were all those statues in the passageway sacrifices of the Mercy Society?" Gao Ming vaguely remembered seeing many "important figures" hanging on the walls on his way here.
"They paved the road to salvation with their bodies." The Mercy Councilor made it sound utterly sacred, yet she stood on corpses, blood stained her face, and even her smile carried mockery.
The light countless believers placed their faith in was nothing more than a "ghost" draped in finery—a "human" of the most terrifying kind.
Gao Ming now understood why the Mercy Society was allowed to exist, and why the Municipal Council Hall had chosen the Mercy Councilor in this dark city. It was not because she was truly kind, but because she was dark enough.
"What a brilliant scheme." Gao Ming almost wanted to applaud. "I'm probably not the first person you've used, am I? Perhaps those statues in the passageway were the true light of this city. You deceived them into giving everything, and in the end, they became your bargaining chips."
"Do you think the Mercy Society grew to where it is today on words alone? Only through constant sacrifice, constant offerings, can we keep moving forward." The Mercy Councilor stood