"Colossus? Are you referring to the ancient alchemist's taboo?"
"Is there really a Colossus hidden beneath the City of Sin? A Colossus powerful enough to rival a god?"
The disbelief in the voices of the two golden superiors echoed in the chamber. Among the seventeen congressmen present, they were the only newly appointed members, which explained their shock.
The other MPs reacted with indifference, clearly indicating that this information was not news to them.
At that moment, Bai Yi began to connect various thoughts—ideas he had never considered before. According to the timeline of his past life, Sabo had noticed the surveillance of the Night Rose, which ultimately led to a counterattack that resulted in his death before he could truly grow. This had allowed the Night Rose to seize knowledge about the Colossus. In the middle of version 3.0, Luo Ning had risked his life to accuse Night Rose, only to meet a similar fate.
With these events in mind, coupled with the recent revelation of the Colossus beneath Vice City, the true main plot of 3.0 seemed to be unfolding.
However, Bai Yi quickly dismissed these thoughts. The previous main storyline held little value now; only two gold masters remained in all of Night Rose. Without the Colossus, the evil spirits had become their new target—but that target had now failed, removing Night Rose from the list of threats.
"No," Lot Zhengquan interjected. "That was merely a fragment of the Colossus, or rather, a part of its body. It was defeated during the God War and fell outside the Federation."
"This fragment soon found a guardian, one capable of wielding a portion of the Colossus's power," another elder councillor added. "Even as just a fragment, it remains dangerously conscious."
Mithras sighed. "We leaked some information initially. Otherwise, how could Sin City have been established? If those nefarious individuals managed to acquire fragments of the Colossus, it would be far easier for them to take things from us than for us to extract them from the Colossus itself."
Understanding dawned on the two congressmen. Now it made sense why the Federation had remained passive when the Sin City denizens occasionally acted with arrogance.
Bai Yi pondered deeply. He possessed part of the Colossus's body and the knowledge to create one. It seemed there might be room for negotiation.
Suddenly, Bai Yi recalled the wooden cart that the scavenger Sid was dragging—connected to an unknown dimension. He frowned and asked, "Can the Colossus repair itself?"
Mithras paused, then asked, surprised, "What do you mean?"
"The reason Sid is called a scavenger is that she spends half of each month searching for materials. If she were bound to a Colossus, scavenging would simply be the Colossus's task. A broken Colossus..."
Bai Yi's expression grew serious. "Do you know the origin of that giant statue?"
"I don't know," Mithras admitted. "During the War of Gods, chaos reigned, and many records were lost. There were only a handful of great alchemist sages back then, and only a few are still known today." He paused, then added, "However, the restoration of the Colossus can only be a good thing. After all, when the Colossus was created, it had a singular purpose."
The others fell silent. The Colossi were the pinnacle of alchemical achievement, with one primary goal: to confront the gods.
"But even if the Colossus is self-repairing, it remains impractical. A creature of that caliber would require tens of thousands of years to restore itself. It's too early for that," one councillor pointed out.
"To recover quickly, a great sage of alchemy is needed. During the peak of alchemical practice, sages were plentiful, but great sages are exceedingly rare. This highlights just how difficult it is to locate one," another added.
"Indeed. It's said that a great sage of alchemy must master all facets of the craft to the level of Sage, create items that surpass epic quality, and then transform their spirit to the level of Forbidden Legend before..."
As the conversation turned toward Bai Yi, their expressions softened, glimmering with newfound respect. It appeared that this was the path for the White Plague. His mental prowess from the earlier battle had exceeded that of anyone present, suggesting that this era might not be entirely hopeless.
Seeing Bai Yi start to feel uneasy under the weight of their gazes, Mithras smiled to ease the tension. "Alright, let's set aside discussions about Sin City for now. Addis will monitor that situation for us. Bai Yi, please share your next proposal."
Bai Yi nodded. "The final proposal concerns wonders. These entities possess formidable combat power, exceeding 80% of the Federation's legions. I plan to initiate the legion function for wonders in January, meaning that every city with a wonder will form two to three large legions."
"Excuse me," Sheda Ful interjected, knocking on the table. "In the wonder manual you provided earlier, it mentioned that wonders are highly unstable and can disappear for at least half the day. Is it truly necessary to form a legion around such volatile entities?"
Other councillors nodded in agreement. While players had proven their strength, the involvement of players in the Adventurer's Guild and city construction had revealed some who accepted missions yet vanished for days, dampening enthusiasm for forming an undead army.
Bai Yi scanned the room with a smile. "Please allow me to finish before interrupting. Thank you. If you have any comments, I'll address them afterward."
Bai Yi continued, "These three legions will establish thresholds. They won't require payment to join; instead, participants will need to contribute money."
"However, we will ensure legion benefits are substantial, implementing a military merit exchange system."
"In this system, we will offer items that ordinary people cannot purchase, such as the side-effect potions developed by my financial officer, higher-tier mechanical equipment, and advanced professional skills."
"There will also be transformation quotas available, such as M-type and L-type enhancements alongside mechanical transformations. The pricing for these items will reflect market value, but they can only be exchanged for military merits."
"This way, the three legions in major cities will not only avoid military expenses but can generate income while acquiring an undead army."
After laying out his thoughts, Bai Yi smiled and asked, "What do you think?"
Sheda Ful responded calmly, "It's the same question as before. If they are absent when we need them during a war, what is the point of forming this legion?"
Bai Yi raised his hands in response. "What did you pay?"
"What do you mean?" Sheda Ful looked puzzled.
"I mean, what did you invest to create this legion?" Bai Yi clarified.
"I will refine their military merit system. Killing a lower bronze enemy will grant 2 merit points, a middle bronze enemy will give 4, a high bronze enemy will yield 6, and the highest silver enemy will provide 20 points. If the exchange rate of military merits to gold coins is 10 to 1..."
"At the end of the war, all we need is for the soldiers to clean up the battlefield. The bodies of extraordinary beings should more than suffice to compensate for their military exploits, correct?"
Bai Yi continued, "And even if they are absent during the war, wouldn't creating such a legion still be beneficial?"
Sheda Ful fell silent, and the other parliamentarians began to contemplate.
If Bai Yi's system allowed for ten points to translate to the purchasing power of one gold coin, and they could only acquire specified items, then they would not incur losses under his proposed mechanism.
"I agree," Mithras said, raising his hand with a smile.
Other members of parliament followed suit, raising their hands. In reality, they had very little to invest in such a scheme—possibly even profiting in the early stages.
Sure, they might incur some losses later, but would that truly be a loss? Players hunting monsters would help pacify the areas surrounding the Federation. Such an investment was negligible.
The onset of any war could swiftly recoup these investments.
Consequently, nearly all present, including Sheda Ful, unanimously approved the White Plague's proposal.
Mithras looked at the older members of the council with a kind expression and said to Bai Yi, "Thank you for your contribution. Just draft a plan, and we will follow your guidance."
"Alright, I'll have my financial officer send you the detailed proposal." Bai Yi nodded, rising from the main seat as he prepared to leave.
He needed to consult with the old Sword Master. The matters discussed in the parliament were minor. Even if other cities did not adopt the military merit system, Dongwu City would certainly implement it. However, actions enhancing the combat effectiveness of the entire Federation were a priority.
Unfortunately, the legends of the Dawn Federation consisted of two warriors. If only there were a legendary mage, Bai Yi would have proposed establishing a teleportation array connecting all major cities.
That would make the entire Federation virtually impregnable.
Zero: [The Council's content regarding the wonder has been sent to Treasurer Sabo.]
Zero: [Mr. Sabo responded: My dear Lord Mayor, the plan has been prepared, but I'm still considering the registration fee. What do you think of a fee of 100 gold coins?]
Zero: [Response: One-tenth.]
Zero: [Mr. Sabo replied: My friend, your proposal has cost us another 18 million.]
Ignoring Sabo's message, Bai Yi stepped out of the parliament, finding Diane sitting on the steps with her head in her hands, a picture of boredom. From behind, she appeared quite lonely.
Bai Yi smiled and approached her. "I'm going to meet the Sword Master. Would you like to join me?"
Diane snapped back to reality, looking a bit speechless. "You didn't mention that earlier. I've asked the Will family to start preparing."
As she spoke, she stood and took Bai Yi's hand, leading him toward the west side of the city. "We shouldn't waste any more time. Without this opportunity, who knows how long we'll have to wait?"
Flying was generally prohibited in the capital. After all, mages could fly at the Bronze level, while warriors and assassins could scale walls and run across rooftops at the Silver level. Allowing unrestricted flying in a city of four million people would lead to chaos.
Of course, the ban lifted once one reached gold rank, as gold rankers enjoyed privileges everywhere.
As people below watched the powerful figures soaring above the city, awe and envy filled their expressions. Only a handful of players eagerly chased these flying beings, knowing that the ability to fly was a significant advantage.
Bai Yi didn't resist as Diane led him, appreciating the capital's vibrancy. "The capital truly is thriving."
With four million extraordinary individuals residing there, the capital dwarfed Dongwu City, which boasted fewer than one and a half million extraordinary beings. There was so much more to discover.
The capital's landscape featured opulent buildings relating to science, technology, and nature, with rare plants occasionally visible—these belonged to the estates of influential families.
After all, the capital was home to hundreds of gold rankers, and the Federation actively encouraged them to establish families and businesses, providing excellent support for the gold economy.
In this world, the higher one's level, the harder it became to have offspring. However, reaching gold rank often meant that if one's partner had decent talent, their offspring would likely possess remarkable potential.
Originally, five top potentials resided in the capital. Among them, three were direct descendants of congressional families, while two were discovered from the general populace and absorbed into those families.
This ratio underscored the fact that children born to powerful individuals rarely lacked strength.
Consequently, after Diane expressed her disdain for Guan Xin, the Difeng family didn't explicitly forbid him from approaching her. They actually enjoyed witnessing top prospects form unions.
As they approached the western part of the city, they encountered a vast manor with a diameter of about three kilometers—almost the size of some county towns in the real world.
Generally, larger families maintained similar estates. These expansive areas weren't for ostentation but housed extraordinary plants, family soldiers, and various heritages.
The Difeng family's estate was even larger. The area east of the city wall primarily belonged to them, and the capital was significantly more extensive than Dongwu City.
They landed at the entrance, where a waiter from the Will family was already waiting.
No-fly formations were common over the manors of significant families, and such protections were prevalent throughout the capital. When Diane had taken Bai Yi flying, they had circumvented numerous buildings.
Most of those structures radiated wealth.
"Let me tell you, not long ago, Patriarch Will took the two siblings, Kami, out to hunt a second-level legendary dragon leopard. The meat of that creature, combined with some extraordinary recipes, will undoubtedly provide an unforgettable experience."
Diane's excitement was palpable. The sparkle in her eyes indicated she was a frequent visitor to the Will estate.
Why could the Will family hunt legends? Their artifacts were incredibly powerful. If it weren't for the fact that the pseudo-artifact of Cersis was an ancient god's relic, he wouldn't have considered altering his exclusive weapon.
Once a new god's artifact recognized someone, combat at higher levels would no longer pose a challenge. Of course, it wasn't feasible to be overly ambitious; it was already impressive for a level 76 swordsman to defeat an 82-level monster.
The Will family supported their vast operations through such practices.
"Hey! Sister Kami, you're back! Is everything ready?" Diane asked excitedly.
Cami, with her striking red hair, had an air of aloofness. However, when facing Diane, her demeanor softened, and a faint smile graced her lips.
Even a swordsman couldn't resist the allure of the God of Wealth.
She glanced at the two holding hands and teased, "I'm all set, just waiting for you two. Lord White Plague, it's been quite a while!"
Diane paused, then naturally released Bai Yi's hand, stepping forward to take Cami's arm. "No need for pleasantries. Let's go! I want our country bumpkin here to experience some fine cuisine!"
"Alright, let's go."
(End of this chapter)