Chapter 38: Chapter 38: The Flames of Change
The club, Consuming Suspension, has closed its doorways.
Close, yet burst into flames.
Vikir burnt down the entire motel building that housed Consuming Suspension.
...Roar!
The club, Consuming Suspension, turned into an enormous fire of fuel.
The exceptional cavern of fallen angels, where the second and third periods of Sedoga gathered for excess and happiness, was engulfed in flames before all of its occupants.
No matter how dark the night, the city was just as bright as day from the light emitted by the burning suspension.
A few loafer youngsters loitered around before the club, their eyes filled with regret.
"What's going on, pigs?"
They scurried away embarrassed as the pit bull knights lined up before the burning structure.
Bikir hadn't just burnt the club.
The VVIPs who frequented the place, the seven progeny of the seven families who spent the most money and indulged the most, were now scattered before the burning club.
Only their heads remained.
Their severed heads bore the signs of torture.
Below, a long list of accusations of crimes they had committed throughout their lives.
At the crack of dawn the next day, Bikir announced the executioner's decree.
Without a delegate, he strode out into the square.
"Under the watchful eye of the law, station is careless. Everyone is subject to the law."
The tone was relaxed, yet the impact was colossal.
Public opinion of Bikir was either positive or exceptionally positive.
The negatives were negligible.
Everyone in the city of Surprisingly Strong Contender, in groups of at least three, hailed Vikir as an exceptional ruler.
Certainly, the local families who lost their corrupt offspring wouldn't sit idly by.
The House of Montblanc, the House of Pierre, the House of Louis Vuitton, the House of Chanel, the House of Ferragamo, the House of Hermès, and the House of Prada each sent letters of objection to the Court.
Nonetheless, the verdict stood.
"Not only were they involved in countless crimes, but they were directly implicated in the most number of supreme violations, the 'unlawful slave trade'. There can be no other outcome except death."
The supreme ruler treated the unlawful slave trade as a crime of the highest order.
This was because the majority of the slaves traded unjustly were beings from outside the Space.
Certainly, this isn't because the Ruler is concerned about the rights of outsiders.
He is wary of the phenomenon of privateering, where another conflict is waged to obtain them.
For local aristocrats to engage in privateering, they would have to recruit covert fighters, which could be done through treacherous schemes.
There was a risk that a slave hunt, conducted discreetly and away from the radiant court, could turn into a rebellion or upheaval.
Indeed, the fact that several major uprisings of years past had their roots in troops organized for slave hunting was evidence of this.
So the ruler reportedly said:
"Inevitable conflict will produce slaves, but it isn't rational to wage war to create slaves.
From then on, unlawful slave trade was treated with the same severity as injustice, a first-degree crime in the Domain.
Bikir got serious.
"I have collected all the notes issued by the seven executed prisoners, all the records they kept, all the money they spent. These events have been thoroughly investigated by the Baskervilles and will be reported to the Royal Court."
In summary: "Indeed, if you dissent, you are a traitor.
After this proclamation, the seven families ceased their objections.
Now was not the time to quarrel with Bikir over their disappointment and grief at the loss of their offspring.
He couldn't bear to do that when his family would be disgraced.
Eventually, the heads of the seven arrogant families came to the ruler's office in person, a rare occurrence, bowing and begging for forgiveness.
They had to pay homage to the man who had slain their children and beg for their family's survival.
This was the price they paid for misguiding their children.
They knelt down, foreheads on the marble floor, but... ... Bikir was unyielding.
"I have already examined all the dark records in the Consuming Suspension. Those responsible will be apprehended soon and their punishment determined according to their offenses."
The findings, when documented, would fill endless pages.
However, here are the key revelations.
Section 1: All property of the Montblanc, Pierre, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Ferragamo, Hermes, and Prada families will be seized and placed in the treasury.
*Only those properties acquired through criminal activities shall be seized, but at present, it is practically impossible to distinguish legal and illegal properties, so they are seized in full.
Section 2: The House of Montblanc, the House of Pierre, the House of Louis Vuitton, the House of Chanel, the House of Ferragamo, the House of Hermes, and the House of Prada will be demolished for conspiracy.
The reference point is the seven individuals executed on January 0.
Section 3: The members of the House of Montblanc, the House of Pierre, the House of Louis Vuitton, the House of Chanel, the House of Ferragamo, the House of Hermes, and the House of Prada who are implicated in this case will be punished with double the sentence under the special provisions of the Noblesse Oblige.
Sections 1 and 2 do not overlap.
It can also be summarized in three short lines.
-You.
-It's just as simple as that.
-Fucked.
The blood hadn't dried on the floor of the execution chamber for some time, due to the presence of a new expert judge.
The foul blood of the vermin that had been profiting from the city.
"The flower beds will be more lavish for it."
Vikir muttered to himself as he looked at the flowerbeds at the foot of the execution chamber and the blooms that grew there.
The white lilies that the Chihuahua had so meticulously tended had turned into red lilies.
...Whatever.
The decision-makers in the ordinary administrative hall, who had been directing policy decisions constantly, bowed their heads quietly, and the common tribesmen, who had been idling nearby, now trembled at the mere shadow of a government official.
The seven local families who might have been able to play a power game with Bikir were eliminated and truly punished.
And rumors that Vikir had a share of the Baskervilles' strategic authority had gained positive traction in various cities.
Who on earth could prevent their taking there of mind of a Baskerville military leader?
There were probably no underdog cities left that held Vikir up.
Indeed, a new faction was emerging to give him wings.
"Indeed, the tyranny of the Seven Neighborhood Houses has gone too far."
"If you're going to blame the new Deputy for tyranny because of the past, you should blame me first."
"New flesh doesn't come from begging and arguing. Spoiled flesh should be removed. You deserved it."
Consistently, honest financiers who had been punished for their integrity, or blue-bloods who had been pardoned for being too pure, or who had been forced to live in humble homes, declared their support for Bikir.
They had no power or wealth, yet they were respected and trusted by the
common people, known as "scholars," "teachers," and "mentors."
Their support for Bikir's radical reforms grew as more and more Confucian intellectuals followed suit.
As a turning point, Bikir reexamined every single past decision and freed all wrongly accused prisoners and prisoners of conscience.
Thanks to this process, the enormous labor force needed to uncover the truth of the past led to a massive hiring spree of additional government officials and contract workers, which significantly reduced the unemployment rate in the underdog city.
The shortfall in the money economy was covered by the revenue generated by the crackdown on the illegal underground economy.
This led the residents of Surprisingly Strong Contender City to organize daily mass rallies outside the city hall.
<Delegate City Mayor Bikir to remain in office permanently!
<We strongly support! Candidate Vikir to stay in Surprisingly Strong Contender City forever!
<I love you, Bikir>.
It was a contrast to its adoration.
* * *
Mr. Chihuahua's secretary was steadfast.
The uncertainty and animosity that had greeted Bikir's arrival had been washed away.
"Are you working, sir? Here is your coffee."
"Assuming for now that you're the head of the office, refrain from others' tasks. You don't have to bring me coffee."
"This is a personal favor. Didn't you save me from being injured by a goof-ball a few days ago?"
"Then, that coffee is too bitter for a favor."
"It's not too bitter, it's two primes of sugar and 10,000 parts water."
The two had come to understand each other so well that they now bantered in this manner.
Bikir was currently teaching the Chihuahua how to write.
More precisely, how to replicate different typefaces.
With that handwriting, Bikir was creating new rules and revitalizing old ones.
Vikir was creating new rules and revitalizing old ones: replenishing the ruby mines with Morg, balancing the cost of agricultural goods, rewarding individuals who performed outstanding work for the fief, granting slaves exemption from taxes when they performed exceptional work, developing backward regions equally, institutionally ensuring the benefits of preserving rules with penalties for breaking them, taxing merchants outside the fief, increasing government rates on the wealthy, lowering taxes on the impoverished, dispelling superstitions, nationalizing land, and more... ... .
Of the rules that would be formulated from here on out, Bikir singled out the ones that had worked well and refined them to fit the current social climate.
Naturally, the officials were impressed with Bikir's knowledge of the law, and scratched their heads even more.
The city of Longshot was shifting between different alliances.
"... ... are you really 15 years old?"
Bikir bit on the Chihuahua's question in wonder.
With that, Bikir began the first task of the day.
"Secretary."
"Yes."
The Chihuahua ran over and stood beside him.
Bikir continued in his casual tone.
"Is there anyone named Tio left in the jail right now?"
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