"Dangle China?" Bazingah didn't understand, she repeated her Grandfather's words.
Wu Hai stood up, "I said it last time, I came to transform the world. I suppose it cannot be avoided, we must make preparations."
"Preparations for what?" Vector wanted to know, he had some ideas himself but most of his ideas called for long term commitments.
"I need to talk to the Kinky Farmer. He's traveled the most on Shiyan, over the past 36 years he's been laying down the formation array steeles. I'm sure that a great number of interesting places now have access points, perhaps he can give me 200 locations. That way every nation will have a place, but." Wu Hai took a deep breath. "I don't want that. It would create a bunch of isolationism and people who could get away with terrifying actions void of consequence.. I might as well set my house on fire and then go to sleep in it. In all, it will be impossible to keep these people out of Shiyan but I'd rather not be stupid and invite calamity or genocide on the species of Shiyan."
In Truth, it was already defying the odds. Shiyan and the Empire should have faced far more troubles due to the amount of people that gathered but the tenacity of the Espers and the resources available had helped make quick work of most problems. Wu Hai had to let things run their course, lives would be lost but that was life. Sometimes bad people existed and the struggle against them itself would be the catalyst to bring more strong and good people into the realms.
"I wanted to seek a path of a God. Instead of following examples re-written by others, I should be making my own way." Wu Hai turned toward Ying Wu. "As a descendant of the House of Zao, What do you think a God should be and should do?"
Ying Wu didn't know how to respond, he looked at his father but Ho was staying out of it. Ying Ho had his fill of philosophical questions and conversations while he was on Earth the first time. "I think a God should be decisive."
It was a snappy retort but it was true, a god had to make the hard choices and stick to them, the word of god, at least as portrayed by nearly all religions and cults was said to be infallible. Wu Hai thanked Ying Wu, he pulled out a spirit stone and passed it over. "You should work to absorb this, it will help you greatly." The Stone was black and smooth, when Ying Wu accepted he nearly dropped it from the weight. "The stones are the same weight as the corpse that was consumed during its creation, I think."
'Corpse?' Ying Wu sent some energy into the stone to probe it and then stored it away. "Thank you, Founder."
"Founder? Ho, What have you been teaching this nephew of mine?" Wu Hai turned to Ying Ho and asked.
Ho wanted to stay out of it but his brother had always been an outlier with his questioning, he would be forced into answers if he didn't at least reply. "Ask Qingchi." He dodged successfully.
Qingchi waved her hands to stop the finger pointing and stood up. "About these bombers, what's your solution. You have us all wondering what your move will be. As leader of the Empire you're the one with the final say in this matter."
"I will need the projection system to make the announcement but I intend to open the borders to Shiyan through Japan. Its people will be the first to be openly allowed through the gate, once they sign a bloodoath contract as proof of their intent. The best of contracts, a bloodoath contract can't be produced in the billions. Its just too hard, therefore, I won't require it after the first few hundred years." Wu Hai pulled out a white board and started marking on it. He spoke while he drew, "I think the best ideas are the ones that already exist. We make a passport system, the bloodoath contract has to be very comprehensive and part of the process. Then, we have to make a way to distribute our laws to these people."
Ho coughed. "We no longer require the yellow crystal to power communications, Munju can use them for memory crystals, we can also produce them but it would require a bit of commitment on our part if we force the Dragon's Share to give out its technology freely."
"Nothing is free.." Wu Hai sighed and wrote two dollar signs on the board. "Housing and contribution points as the currency, the Empire will have to provide.. People with the passports will require a secondary license to be an adventurer. I don't want to single them out but they've spent their whole lives on a relatively peaceful planet in comparison. If they were allowed to freely roam, they could bring calamity on us all or end up dead and then what will all our hard work have been for."
"The Empire cannot have rogue humans out there committing crimes or openly slaughtering innocents. By registering the adventurers, we can keep track of their progress and help them obtain a ranking system. That would encourage only the strongest and most able to apply." Wu Hai drew two lines under the word strongest. "the Laws here are somewhat on the right track but, as it turns out, I haven't put together a set of laws or book of etiquette for the Empire. Noyuki, I could use any banter here."
Noyuki had been keeping her mouth shut, she knew that it was a diplomatic problem, a flood of any species into the world would be chaotic at best. "I think you're on the right track. If you're needing a set of laws, I can draft them.. I do have your memories and it would be best if we have them written down before you enact. I can have some general laws, but comprehensive.. that's gonna take time. To save time, why not just make it part of the Bloodoath contract. Breaking Imperial Law is a crime, subversion, undermining, treachery, fraud, all of them should be covered under the Imperial Laws.
The Elders of the Empire spent several hours deliberating, news of Zao returning had spread.
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Nightfall, another bombing had occurred, four hundred forty-seven were dead at Sta Ana Hospital and fires lit up the city of Manila. HRMM had claimed responsibility, the bombings were a response for not answering their demands to see the Emperor. Demons in the region quickly worked to search with the police and local emergency teams for survivors or the terrorists but it was likely that a remote trigger had been used.
Wu Hai teleported to the site with the rest of the party, they arrived with hundreds of earth-powered Espers and piled out of the ships. "Get to work. I've had enough, if they think this will be easy, they've got another thing coming. Bring me any survivors that want revenge."
"Sir?" One of the Espers who had come along to help with rescue efforts seemed confused. "Revenge?"
"Yes. I cannot be everywhere at once." Wu Hai dropped a projector atop Trump Tower and his image spread across the Philippines for all to see. "People of Manila. I am Zao." His image was over five hundred feet tall, it flickered slightly but the message was clear. He was not going to let the bombings continue. "I have returned, and what do I find? Humans, bombing each other. They have killed your people, Now.. I ask you, Who among you wants revenge? I will give that to you.. to those that want revenge, bring me your fighters! Those of you who are willing to take up the mantle of protectors, I will grant you that power. Stand before a truther and swear fealty in this matter and that power will be yours to keep."
There was a roar in the streets of Manila. Thousands of people rushed into Trump Tower and scrambled up the stairs.
Ying Wu was on the roof with the others, he saw his Uncle working the crowd. He was passing out crystals like they were water. Anyone who made it through the obstacle course of truthers was someone that could at least be trusted. Those that weren't were made to return downstairs, though, from the many that had arrived, most were extremely willing to stand beside the Emperor and fight those who had stolen the lives of their friends or family. 'What is he planning?'
Noyuki was helping pass out the crystals, there were ten buckets, more than a thousand crystals were in each of the buckets. None of them were sorted, everyone who came got what was given. "Take this crystal and eat it, then go join the forces at the Cemetery. We move out when we're out of crystals."
"Thank you." Some of them cried rivers of tears while they took the crystal into their hands. Noyuki and Wu Hai had the Demon's ferry people up and down the building, they only chose the Tower because of its height and position in the city.
The majority of the civilian population could see Zao's figure handing things out on the projection.
They could see some sort of crystal was placed into the hands of the people before they swallowed it and then a dark figure would fly them down to the street. All sort of changes were taking place in the gathering spot below, they gathered at the Cemetery nearby. It was fitting to arrive at a grave sight and many people were arriving, not all of them had been given crystals, not all of them wanted them either. Some arrived with cleavers and knives, all of them were being whipped into a frenzy.
Bombings were always a frightening event and right now, the work of HRMM had actually worked against them. By killing innocent civilians, they had galvanized them all, driving the populous into joining the Empire's forces.
Projections kept playing, Qingchi had networked all of them, so whenever one was being used it would be transmitted across the globe. Right then, at almost all points of the world, the scene of the Emperor handing out power to random civilians played, people were in shock. Wu Hai stood tall as the last bucket of crystal was emptied. He spread his wings, "I chose to travel the road of God. I was wrong, I should have been making my own way. Now, Join me as we stamp out the HRMM. You who have been given power in this moment, are now the first of Earth's Guard." He had them split into five groups, one went with each member of Wu Hai's party. "FOLLOW ME!"
Grunts and Yelling could be heard from the crowd while they moved. A glittering of light straggled down the main road toward the Pasig River.
"Those with Water abilities, help put out the fires." It was obvious just by looking that the makeshift workforce was having trouble coordinating but as each moment passed, they understood more clearly their abilities. Wu Hai directed a few people who had already demonstrated earth-abilities to build fire breaks and walls around the flames to contain them.
Demon's cleared rubble and searched for anyone suspicious but it was the Truthers who found the insurgent hiding among the sewers near the skyway in San Lorenzo. His fear was leaking from every pore and no matter of covering could disguise his shameful thoughts.
Ying Wu helped bring him before the Emperor. "Founder, we have the bomber. He wasn't able to escape. The Truthers have already gone through his mind, he was working alone on this job, it was rushed." Prince Wu threw the man in front of Wu Hai.
"PEOPLE OF EARTH." Wu Hai held the man by his throat into the air, dangling him from Trump Tower. "What should we do to a Terrorist?" Wu Hai spread his wings and flew close to the Camera Drone. He was hovering over Kalayaan Avenue with the man still in his clutches like a fish he had just taken off the hook.
Wu Hai grabbed the camera drone and pointed it at the crowd below. "WHAT SAY YOU! WILL YOU TAKE BACK YOUR LIVES OR WAIT FOR US TO DO IT!" Wu Hai threw the man from his grasp. As he was falling, Wu Hai channeled his ability and caught the man just before he was about to slam into the pavement. It was abrupt and broke the man's back but he still dangled like a dying chicken. "Dhahran, Bogota, Caracas... HRMM, I'm coming. Your man has given you up and now you have no where to run." Without saying anything further, he snapped the neck of the terrorist and threw him into a dumpster below.
The projection ended when the body settled into the trash bin. Noyuki landed beside Wu Hai, "GATHER UP, We're going." Noyuki channeled in her hands, when the teleportation ring was large enough she took half of the group and vanished.
"The rest of you will be split into two groups, one will go to Saudi Arabia, the other to Venezuela. Leave no stone un-turned, route every single one of them into the open even if you have to melt their cities to glass!" Wu Hai was sick of the nonsense, hiding terrorists was the act of accomplices. Just before his teleportation ring was complete he looked to those that remained, "Today, I will make the people of Earth remember what it is to bring the Wrath of Gods."
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