Lawful Lawbreaking

Financier could no longer remember why he had developed ambitions an ogre was never supposed to have. Was it because he had seen those impeccably dressed councilors visit the Club Bone Rearing Institute, stroking the heads of orc children with bright smiles while not even bothering to hide the disgust in their eyes? Or was it because he yearned for the magnificent mansions and the elegant, high-class life portrayed in movies and plays? Or perhaps it was because... he had seen that confident human mayor raise his right fist on the light screen and utter a lie not even orc children believed: "Make all races greater!" In any case, Financier began living a life completely different from other ogres. After fighting for his share of food, he would sneak off to hide in a corner, turn on his light screen, and watch that day's recorded supplementary lessons from Emerald Garden. Although every child was provided with a complete set of general education textbooks from the very beginning, and in theory could master all the material through self-study, anyone wishing to test into middle school, university, or even a research institute had to master the knowledge on a much deeper level—far beyond the scope of those textbooks. Institutes with the means naturally hired tutors to guide their wards' studies, but Club Bone obviously lacked those resources. The average education level of the blue-skins and green-skins who walked out of Club Bone was practically prenatal. Yet perhaps to boost their reputation, or perhaps to set an example, top-tier rearing institutes uploaded their instructional videos to the Curtain. Children without access to quality education could download these recordings and study on their own. After all, everyone had a chip, so there was no barrier to downloading them. It was a memory Financier would never forget in his entire life: covered in wounds after a brawl, he would huddle in a damp, foul-smelling corner, watching orcs and ogres tear into each other until blood and flesh flew across the sand. Not far away, an ogre ate while defecating, and an orc added his own toenail clippings to a sandwich. Meanwhile, on the light screen before him, he saw clean, orderly classrooms, cultured and erudite teachers, and students filled with laughter. Even after so many years, Financier could still recall the turbulent surge of emotion from his youth. The flame that had fiercely scorched his soul flared up in his chest once more—a flame known as: Humiliation! "...By now, the audience is familiar with all eight redeemees. But no doubt everyone has a question in mind: although Mayor Financier has been temporarily suspended, he is not a convict. Why is he taking part in this trial?" Hearing this, Financier looked over and saw a prison guard standing at the edge of the Sea-Watching Rooftop—the very man who had escorted him into Shattered Lake. He remembered now. After signing the *Sinner Directory*, his full strength had been suppressed, and then the guard had suddenly sprung forward and stabbed him, leaving him unconscious until now. Looking closer, he realized the guard was not speaking to them, but toward a camera eye. Prison... live broadcast... Blood Moon... The ogre narrowed his eyes and turned to the human beside him. "Director Leidor, who is he?" Even though it was Financier who had purged and brought him down, when Financier asked so naturally, the former Project Department Director Leidor subconsciously replied, "He is Yaxiu Heath." After a brief pause, he added, "A death row prisoner who was supposed to be executed in prison." Financier understood everything in an instant. He looked toward Yaxiu, only to find Yaxiu looking back at him. Yaxiu held the *Sinner Directory* that controlled the fates of all prisoners to cover his face, revealing only a pair of indifferent eyes. "The reason Mayor Financier is here is that a friend of mine told me he is a wicked man who has repeatedly slipped through investigations by exploiting loopholes in the law." Financier let out a disdainful chuckle, not bothering to respond. Yaxiu continued, "Of course, words like 'a friend told me' hardly qualify as testimony. In fact, according to the investigative dossiers of the Sin Hunting Hall's memory masters, despite many inexplicable suspicions and missing memories, strictly speaking, Mayor Financier has not committed any illegal acts. "As everyone knows, the ones who truly rule over the Blood Moon Trial are not the mayor, nor the Sin Hunting Hall, nor a humble host like me, but all of you sharp-eyed citizens before the light screens. Your redemption votes are what guide this trial. "Of course, I'm sure none of you would take the urging of a mere former death row convict like me to send this ostensibly law-abiding mayor to an early audience with the Blood Moon Sovereign. "And this is precisely what makes the Blood Moon Trial I've planned so interesting. "Unlike Mayor Financier, the other seven former councilors, officials, and gang members are scoundrels whose guilt is beyond doubt. If the broadcast station hasn't cut the signal, citizens can click on their portraits to pull up the criminal records of these seven losers. "In theory, the redeemee of this trial would only be chosen from among the seven of you. But now, I am giving you a chance." Yaxiu pointed at the ogre. "You may state Mayor Financier's illegal acts to rally votes for him. That way, you'll naturally escape with your lives. Based on my understanding of the citizens and my own personal experience, the more detailed and significant your reports are, the fewer votes you will receive." The color drained slightly from their faces. Mencken, the former secretary and an orc, shouted, "I report that Financier hired hitmen to murder—*Aaaagh!*" Mencken suddenly let out a shrill scream. Smoke billowed from the crimson stone seat beneath him as it seemed to heat up rapidly, scorching the skin where his body touched the stone! "Ah, I almost forgot to mention. In this trial, the enhancement granted to the Executioners is the Lie-Devouring Mouth." Yaxiu's voice carried no apology whatsoever, only schadenfreude. "The moment you lie, frame someone, fabricate stories, or utter something even you yourselves cannot confirm, the Executioner's mouth will keep heating up, and heating up, until you're turned into a delicious cooked meal. Truly, many thanks to the Sin Hunting Hall for providing the technical support for this trial." *The Lie-Devouring Mouth?!* Their expressions warped in horror, but they found that no matter how hard they struggled, they could not break free of the stone seats, as if glued tight to them. Not only that, they were unable to channel sorcery power to attack anyone else—this bootleg Blood Moon Trial was beyond ridiculous; it had only granted them speaking privileges while all other permissions remained locked down! "That's right. The eight stone pillars you're sitting on are the Executioners' true bodies. Rejoice—not many people in this world get to sit on an Executioner." *Then let's trade places!* they cursed internally, glaring venomously at Yaxiu. "Wait." Wearing silver-rimmed glasses and looking like a middle-aged scholar, Andere raised his hand and asked, "First, it is established that Financier has no criminal record. Second, we cannot say anything we cannot confirm ourselves. Under those premises, it is impossible for us to name any of Financier's 'illegal acts.'" Yaxiu looked at Andere. "Exactly. You're quite right. So I don't actually need you to state 'criminal facts.' Rather, I look forward to hearing you expose Financier's lawful illegal acts." *Lawful illegal acts?* Everyone present was a battle-hardened politician or official who had climbed with great effort into Kaimeng City's upper echelon. The moment Yaxiu spoke those words, they immediately caught his subtext. Their expressions turned extraordinarily grim—and Financier was no exception! * * * "Aha." In the Sin Hunting Hall Chief's office, the chief flipped open a file containing Yaxiu Heath's résumé. "Strange. None of the Four Pillar Cult's victims were government personnel, nor has he ever been involved in related administrative work... Did someone leak it to him? Or did he simply observe it on his own? "Looking at it this way, he isn't merely settling a grudge with Financier or trying to provoke the Sin Hunting Hall. He wants to test the waters and touch society's deep underlying rules of operation. "Now that is a massive headache that will trouble both the Research Institute and the Church... "Still..." Resting her cheek on her hand, the corners of the chief's mouth curved slightly upward into a smile, anticipation flickering in her blood-red eyes framed by dark circles. "It's been over a century since I ran into any real trouble."