It was hailed as the Spire Council’s most crucial meeting since the Cold War, held in response to the most urgent situation, to make the most important decision.
After Miskatonic University relocated to the border of the Dreamlands, the Spire Council moved there too, and a tower was built behind MU. In keeping with the years’ long tradition of the occult world, a council chamber filled with floating seats occupied the topmost floor.
The subject of today’s meeting had already been raised twice. The previous two times, no decision had been reached due to a lack of sufficient votes.
After all, this was an issue that concerned the future of the entire mystical community. The forty-seven members who were eligible to vote were extremely cautious.
The crisis facing New York wasn’t a disaster for the Awakened, but for the entire human race.
The question before the Council was whether to announce the existence of the occult world to humankind.
The radical faction argued it was necessary to unite all of humanity to overcome the emergency. After all, the time when the stars would return was drawing close. This was an indisputable fact
The conservative councilors, on the other hand, advocated maintaining the 18th-century Treaty of Seclusion. They believed the occult world should remain hidden from ordinary people. The last time the mystical community had come to light was during the middle ages. The exposure of vampires directly caused the Church to launch a violent witch hunt which killed numerous innocent people.
Many members of the Spire Council were also MU professors. Right now the chamber was in chaos. People from each faction were giving impassioned speeches.
“Due to the small vote margin, for the third vote we will qualify the ten Monarchs for the ballot.” The leader of the Council sat on the foremost floating seat and spoke without lifting his head.
The members of the Spire Council were divided into two wings. No one could convince anyone else. If the voting continued, it would only result in a stalemate. Therefore, the Council had to resort to wartime precedent and increase the number of people eligible to vote.
The Council leader’s head had begun to ache from all the commotion. He extended the silver scepter in his hand and rapped heavily on the back of the chair.
Clang—
The loud noise silenced the entire chamber.
“Now that we have quiet, let’s proceed with voting.”
The councilors exchanged glances—you look at me, I look at you—then they slowly took out their ballots and began to cast their votes. One by one they went to the red ballot box in the front of the room.
“Mr. West, about the newly-recognized tenth Monarch…”
Everyone knew this third vote would almost certainly determine the outcome of the Council session. After all, ten more votes had just been added. A few of the Monarchs were out of reach most of the year, and others were recluses, but the remaining Monarchs were likely to be decisive.
“I’m afraid that will only add seven valid votes. After the second ballot, the radicals were three votes short of the required majority.”
Councilor West breathed an exasperated sigh. “Unthinkable, unbelievable! The traditions of the occult world have stood for more than two hundred years. Will the treaty finally be destroyed today?”
“Indeed, all these people must have studied at MU in vain, while a small number of other people shouldered the burden. There is indeed a major calamity underway. But if we don’t manage to resolve it, there’s no guarantee the occult world won’t be targeted in retaliation.”
Another councilor shook his head, worried. “Have we forgotten the lessons of World War II?”
The Conservative councilors were cautious. They believed the Council should not only focus on the present, but look to the future and consider the development of the occult world.
Meanwhile, the radical councilors were also expressing their views.
“The time for the return of the stars is drawing closer and closer. It’s no longer necessary to hide.”
A councilor who was also a professor said, “Since it’s already an established fact, it’s best to give the people of the world time to accept us before it’s too late. If we drag it out, the situation will become irreparable, and I’m afraid we’ll face a conflict within the human race as well.”
“It’s funny that the conservative faction still thinks the human race will get through this unscathed. If we can’t even handle the current problem, how dare we talk about what’s coming?”
The radical councilors sighed. “This incident in New York is the final wake-up call for the occult world.”
“At present, there are twenty votes for the radicals, eleven votes for the conservatives!”
According to the rules, when a major decision was pending, one side needed twice as many votes as the other to be victorious. It was thanks to this regulation that voting had been deadlocked for so long.
The vote count continued to be called out, but every member of the Spire Council knew the result was still in question. It wouldn’t be easy to obtain twice as many votes as the other side.
“The votes of the ten Monarchs will now be counted. For various reasons, the first Monarch, fifth Monarch, and seventh Monarch will not participate in the voting process.”
The Council leader activated the tower’s alchemical projection device, and the ballots were transmitted through the air. The votes of the seven Monarchs began to trickle in.
“Both the ninth and the second Monarch support the radicals!”
The radical councilors began a round of thunderous applause, while the conservatives began to boo.
Who didn’t know the ninth Monarch Si Yan and the second Monarch Si Xun were soldiers, father and son? Their votes pretty much reflected the attitude of China’s senior leaders.
“The third and eighth Monarchs support the conservatives!”
This time the applause came from the conservative faction.
It was true that the occult world’s official stance was that they didn’t involve themselves in national politics, but when matters reached such a high level, how could there be complete neutrality?
The exposure of the incident in New York was the last thing the United States wanted.
In the game of geopolitics, nations didn’t have friends, only interests.
“The fourth Monarch supports the radicals, and the sixth Monarch supports the conservatives!”
Two more votes were announced, and no one knew what to do. The situation had once again fallen into a stalemate.
The conservatives had eighteen votes, and the radicals had thirty-five votes. The last vote was now the most crucial. Otherwise a fourth vote would have to be taken.
“God, I’m getting too old to vote for a fourth time.”
Many Council members were getting on in years, and they’d been inside the tower for nearly twenty-four hours because of the vote. Everyone was tired. They just wanted to get it over with and didn’t have much interest in continuing.
“The last vote, the most important vote, is in the hands of the tenth Monarch.”
“The tenth Monarch is also the youngest. Isn’t he the chief of MU this year?” a member of the Council asked in confusion.
""
“Yes, he’s a good child. His academic performance is very good.”
MU’s anthropology professor squinted his eyes and boasted, “Last semester he was the only student who got an A from me.”
“Nonsense, a student who hasn’t even graduated has the right to vote?”
“It’s because he’s the tenth Monarch. That’s the rule written in the Spire Charter.”
The Council leader rapped his scepter. Everyone fell silent.
They all stared nervously at the projection. As more time passed, the screen still didn’t display a vote result for the tenth Monarch. The Council leader frowned and made a phone call.
“Hello? Ms. Anastasia? Yes, yes, we’re holding a vote. Would you please inform him if you can? Yes, thank you.”
After all, the Monarchs had been included in the voting at the last minute, and a lot of Monarchs had signed up for the mission in New York and rushed to the battlefield. It was normal not to pay attention.
“Well then, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s have a few moments of peace and quiet while we wait.”
—
Anastasia hung up the phone and pressed the button on the frame of her glasses. Suddenly a map of New York unfolded in front of her eyes.
The holographic projection glasses had been developed by Google, and were recently put into occult as well as official use. The futuristic system could easily provide all kinds of useful information. Every senior investigator was equipped with one, and Monarchs had one too. As for why Zong Yan didn’t own one, he was already in Boston when the express courier arrived.
“The tenth Monarch’s in Manhattan? It just so happens that the young prince of England is there as well. Ah, I suppose I have to go perform my duties as a mentor.”
The beautiful Russian blonde opened and closed her hands, and every fingertip glowed with a different magic pattern.
A moment later, her body moved with the speed of a shadow, hurtling towards the location that was designated on the map.
When it came to magic patterns, Anastasia was the top of the line.
As for Zong Yan, what was he doing just then?
He was making a statement.
The people of the United States were very interesting. Perhaps because of their country, they all had a strong sense of national pride, but at the same time they believed in the truth of “fists first”. It wasn’t the simple admiration of strength found in Japan. Compared to Asians, Americans had more fear. After all, American soldiers were famous for their fear of death. During World War II, it was unknown how many Japanese kamikaze bombings they suffered.
Zong Yan remembered seeing a movie called Charging Out Amazon which depicted this contradictory relationship.
So he decided that if he could solve this problem with his fists, he wouldn’t hesitate.
The shadows suddenly grew claws and seized the throats of all the soldiers. Their breath was so cold that these soldiers, every one of whom had seen battle, were unable to lift a finger, let alone pull a trigger.
The Night Watchman holding his black umbrella still had the face of a teenager, but now he was as frightening as the coming of Satan.
“I’m the tenth Monarch. My name is Zong Yan, and I’ve been sent by the occult world to meet you. The beings you’re about to face aren’t human. They’re an extra-dimensional species more terrifying than human thermal weapons. If this is the quality of your army, I wouldn’t mind teaching you a lesson you’ll never forget.”
“Attention! Order arms!”
The army lieutenant general, who’d been sitting on the sidelines as if this had nothing to do with himself, suddenly clapped his hands. The soldiers put away their sneers and scorn and formed up seriously.
Zong Yan knew he’d made the right move.
The American military was extremely strict. If there was no signal from their commander, the soldiers would have never dared to step out of line.
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Lieutenant General Lynn.” The general came over in his long leather boots. The stars on his epaulets were striking. “We dismissed you at first because of your age and appearance. But you’re clearly strong enough to deserve our recognition, so we’ll follow the directives of our superiors.”
Lynn hooked the corners of his mouth a bit unnaturally and extended his hand. “I would like to apologize on behalf of my men and transfer command of this unit.”
Behind him, the rank-and-file soldiers who’d made the loudest complaints put away their guns as well. On command, they came to attention and saluted Zong Yan.
Zong Yan stared at the general’s hand for a moment. Then he slowly and carefully took off his gloves and accepted it.
“Happy cooperation,” he said, narrowing his eyes.
It was hailed as the Spire Council’s most crucial meeting since the Cold War, held in response to the most urgent situation, to make the most important decision.
After Miskatonic University relocated to the border of the Dreamlands, the Spire Council moved there too, and a tower was built behind MU. In keeping with the years’ long tradition of the occult world, a council chamber filled with floating seats occupied the topmost floor.
The subject of today’s meeting had already been raised twice. The previous two times, no decision had been reached due to a lack of sufficient votes.
After all, this was an issue that concerned the future of the entire mystical community. The forty-seven members who were eligible to vote were extremely cautious.
The crisis facing New York wasn’t a disaster for the Awakened, but for the entire human race.
The question before the Council was whether to announce the existence of the occult world to humankind.
The radical faction argued it was necessary to unite all of humanity to overcome the emergency. After all, the time when the stars would return was drawing close. This was an indisputable fact
The conservative councilors, on the other hand, advocated maintaining the 18th-century Treaty of Seclusion. They believed the occult world should remain hidden from ordinary people. The last time the mystical community had come to light was during the middle ages. The exposure of vampires directly caused the Church to launch a violent witch hunt which killed numerous innocent people.
Many members of the Spire Council were also MU professors. Right now the chamber was in chaos. People from each faction were giving impassioned speeches.
“Due to the small vote margin, for the third vote we will qualify the ten Monarchs for the ballot.” The leader of the Council sat on the foremost floating seat and spoke without lifting his head.
The members of the Spire Council were divided into two wings. No one could convince anyone else. If the voting continued, it would only result in a stalemate. Therefore, the Council had to resort to wartime precedent and increase the number of people eligible to vote.
The Council leader’s head had begun to ache from all the commotion. He extended the silver scepter in his hand and rapped heavily on the back of the chair.
Clang—
The loud noise silenced the entire chamber.
“Now that we have quiet, let’s proceed with voting.”
The councilors exchanged glances—you look at me, I look at you—then they slowly took out their ballots and began to cast their votes. One by one they went to the red ballot box in the front of the room.
“Mr. West, about the newly-recognized tenth Monarch…”
Everyone knew this third vote would almost certainly determine the outcome of the Council session. After all, ten more votes had just been added. A few of the Monarchs were out of reach most of the year, and others were recluses, but the remaining Monarchs were likely to be decisive.
“I’m afraid that will only add seven valid votes. After the second ballot, the radicals were three votes short of the required majority.”
Councilor West breathed an exasperated sigh. “Unthinkable, unbelievable! The traditions of the occult world have stood for more than two hundred years. Will the treaty finally be destroyed today?”
“Indeed, all these people must have studied at MU in vain, while a small number of other people shouldered the burden. There is indeed a major calamity underway. But if we don’t manage to resolve it, there’s no guarantee the occult world won’t be targeted in retaliation.”
Another councilor shook his head, worried. “Have we forgotten the lessons of World War II?”
The Conservative councilors were cautious. They believed the Council should not only focus on the present, but look to the future and consider the development of the occult world.
Meanwhile, the radical councilors were also expressing their views.
“The time for the return of the stars is drawing closer and closer. It’s no longer necessary to hide.”
A councilor who was also a professor said, “Since it’s already an established fact, it’s best to give the people of the world time to accept us before it’s too late. If we drag it out, the situation will become irreparable, and I’m afraid we’ll face a conflict within the human race as well.”
“It’s funny that the conservative faction still thinks the human race will get through this unscathed. If we can’t even handle the current problem, how dare we talk about what’s coming?”
The radical councilors sighed. “This incident in New York is the final wake-up call for the occult world.”
“At present, there are twenty votes for the radicals, eleven votes for the conservatives!”
According to the rules, when a major decision was pending, one side needed twice as many votes as the other to be victorious. It was thanks to this regulation that voting had been deadlocked for so long.
The vote count continued to be called out, but every member of the Spire Council knew the result was still in question. It wouldn’t be easy to obtain twice as many votes as the other side.
“The votes of the ten Monarchs will now be counted. For various reasons, the first Monarch, fifth Monarch, and seventh Monarch will not participate in the voting process.”
The Council leader activated the tower’s alchemical projection device, and the ballots were transmitted through the air. The votes of the seven Monarchs began to trickle in.
“Both the ninth and the second Monarch support the radicals!”
The radical councilors began a round of thunderous applause, while the conservatives began to boo.
Who didn’t know the ninth Monarch Si Yan and the second Monarch Si Xun were soldiers, father and son? Their votes pretty much reflected the attitude of China’s senior leaders.
“The third and eighth Monarchs support the conservatives!”
This time the applause came from the conservative faction.
It was true that the occult world’s official stance was that they didn’t involve themselves in national politics, but when matters reached such a high level, how could there be complete neutrality?
The exposure of the incident in New York was the last thing the United States wanted.
In the game of geopolitics, nations didn’t have friends, only interests.
“The fourth Monarch supports the radicals, and the sixth Monarch supports the conservatives!”
Two more votes were announced, and no one knew what to do. The situation had once again fallen into a stalemate.
The conservatives had eighteen votes, and the radicals had thirty-five votes. The last vote was now the most crucial. Otherwise a fourth vote would have to be taken.
“God, I’m getting too old to vote for a fourth time.”
Many Council members were getting on in years, and they’d been inside the tower for nearly twenty-four hours because of the vote. Everyone was tired. They just wanted to get it over with and didn’t have much interest in continuing.
“The last vote, the most important vote, is in the hands of the tenth Monarch.”
“The tenth Monarch is also the youngest. Isn’t he the chief of MU this year?” a member of the Council asked in confusion.
""
“Yes, he’s a good child. His academic performance is very good.”
MU’s anthropology professor squinted his eyes and boasted, “Last semester he was the only student who got an A from me.”
“Nonsense, a student who hasn’t even graduated has the right to vote?”
“It’s because he’s the tenth Monarch. That’s the rule written in the Spire Charter.”
The Council leader rapped his scepter. Everyone fell silent.
They all stared nervously at the projection. As more time passed, the screen still didn’t display a vote result for the tenth Monarch. The Council leader frowned and made a phone call.
“Hello? Ms. Anastasia? Yes, yes, we’re holding a vote. Would you please inform him if you can? Yes, thank you.”
After all, the Monarchs had been included in the voting at the last minute, and a lot of Monarchs had signed up for the mission in New York and rushed to the battlefield. It was normal not to pay attention.
“Well then, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s have a few moments of peace and quiet while we wait.”
—
Anastasia hung up the phone and pressed the button on the frame of her glasses. Suddenly a map of New York unfolded in front of her eyes.
The holographic projection glasses had been developed by Google, and were recently put into occult as well as official use. The futuristic system could easily provide all kinds of useful information. Every senior investigator was equipped with one, and Monarchs had one too. As for why Zong Yan didn’t own one, he was already in Boston when the express courier arrived.
“The tenth Monarch’s in Manhattan? It just so happens that the young prince of England is there as well. Ah, I suppose I have to go perform my duties as a mentor.”
The beautiful Russian blonde opened and closed her hands, and every fingertip glowed with a different magic pattern.
A moment later, her body moved with the speed of a shadow, hurtling towards the location that was designated on the map.
When it came to magic patterns, Anastasia was the top of the line.
As for Zong Yan, what was he doing just then?
He was making a statement.
The people of the United States were very interesting. Perhaps because of their country, they all had a strong sense of national pride, but at the same time they believed in the truth of “fists first”. It wasn’t the simple admiration of strength found in Japan. Compared to Asians, Americans had more fear. After all, American soldiers were famous for their fear of death. During World War II, it was unknown how many Japanese kamikaze bombings they suffered.
Zong Yan remembered seeing a movie called Charging Out Amazon which depicted this contradictory relationship.
So he decided that if he could solve this problem with his fists, he wouldn’t hesitate.
The shadows suddenly grew claws and seized the throats of all the soldiers. Their breath was so cold that these soldiers, every one of whom had seen battle, were unable to lift a finger, let alone pull a trigger.
The Night Watchman holding his black umbrella still had the face of a teenager, but now he was as frightening as the coming of Satan.
“I’m the tenth Monarch. My name is Zong Yan, and I’ve been sent by the occult world to meet you. The beings you’re about to face aren’t human. They’re an extra-dimensional species more terrifying than human thermal weapons. If this is the quality of your army, I wouldn’t mind teaching you a lesson you’ll never forget.”
“Attention! Order arms!”
The army lieutenant general, who’d been sitting on the sidelines as if this had nothing to do with himself, suddenly clapped his hands. The soldiers put away their sneers and scorn and formed up seriously.
Zong Yan knew he’d made the right move.
The American military was extremely strict. If there was no signal from their commander, the soldiers would have never dared to step out of line.
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Lieutenant General Lynn.” The general came over in his long leather boots. The stars on his epaulets were striking. “We dismissed you at first because of your age and appearance. But you’re clearly strong enough to deserve our recognition, so we’ll follow the directives of our superiors.”
Lynn hooked the corners of his mouth a bit unnaturally and extended his hand. “I would like to apologize on behalf of my men and transfer command of this unit.”
Behind him, the rank-and-file soldiers who’d made the loudest complaints put away their guns as well. On command, they came to attention and saluted Zong Yan.
Zong Yan stared at the general’s hand for a moment. Then he slowly and carefully took off his gloves and accepted it.
“Happy cooperation,” he said, narrowing his eyes.
