When Hài said, "We are willing to swear the oath," he felt every ounce of strength drain from his body. This was more than a compromise. It was a complete betrayal of the laws of survival that Meteor City had followed for over a century.
Inside the council chamber, the other twelve elders experienced everything clearly through Hài's sight and hearing. No one objected anymore, and no one blustered. The sword energy that had skimmed past the bald elder's cheek had stripped away every trace of their arrogance and wishful thinking.
Fear was the best teacher.
Hope, meanwhile, was the most effective catalyst.
"Good. It seems you've made a wise choice." Lin Yan nodded, unsurprised by the outcome.
He knew perfectly well that, to people struggling to survive in desperate circumstances, any abstract notion of dignity was worthless beside the hope of staying alive-and living better.
"Sir, how should we swear the oath?" Hài straightened, his manner more deferential than ever. He now regarded Lin Yan entirely as an unfathomable, transcendent being who commanded some mysterious set of rules, rather than an opponent he could bargain with.
"You're familiar with Judgment Chain, aren't you?" Lin Yan asked.
A flicker of understanding passed through Hài's clouded eyes, and he nodded. "Of course. You establish rules with your own Nen, and if you violate them, you suffer its backlash. It is the most binding contract between Nen users."
As he saw it, the other man probably wanted all thirteen of them to swear a dire oath together, with their Nen Abilities as collateral. They had done such things before. Although the constraints were extremely strong, there were still loopholes to exploit.
Yet Lin Yan's next words completely overturned his understanding.
"Your understanding is too shallow." Lin Yan shook his head. "Your so-called