031. The Wedding Across Time
Adam's words completely enraged the followers of the Children of Fire. They angrily raised their guns, their red body paint flaming like fire as they shouted, "Burn him!", "Sacrifice him!", "You have no right to say that!"
At this point, neither Amanda's men nor the young officers could sit back and do nothing; they all raised their weapons, aiming at each other.
Just a day ago, they were comrades fighting side by side against the colonizers and collaborators, but now they were at each other's throats over a matter of belief.
Seeing the situation escalate, with internal conflict imminent, Li Aozi was already prepared to intervene, using gravity to suppress these unruly fools, when Alexia suddenly stood up, holding her briefcase, and strode forward.
Li Aozi was momentarily stunned, then pulled a headset-style translator from his pocket and tossed it to her.
"Catch."
Snap.
Alexia raised her hand, caught the translator, and clipped it onto her ear. She walked forward with a confidence that the people of this new era had never shown.
"Excuse me, coming through."
Her steps were firm and powerful, her boots striking the ground like cannonballs pounding on the heart. People couldn't ignore her presence, allowing her to push through the crowd—or rather, as soon as they saw Alexia in her uniform, they subconsciously made way for her.
Her expression was calm and serious, yet not distant. Her long braid swayed with her stride as she entered the center of the crowd. She tossed down the briefcase, and the mechanical device unfolded on the ground, transforming into a podium as she had intended. As she stepped onto the podium, everyone's eyes focused on her, quietly watching this girl bloom like an iris.
"Apologies, fellow oppressed and victims of colonial rule, but I need you to listen to me for a moment."
She placed her hand over her chest and nodded in apology, then said:
"I am Alexia, Alexia Emanuel Justein, a ghost from the old era."
"I know this may sound abrupt, but after witnessing your actions and hearing your words and thoughts, I must point out something."
She spoke slowly, clearly, with a measured pace, and the crowd listened intently, fully focused on her speech.
The next moment, Alexia nodded slightly and said:
"You bunch of idiots, fools, and brutes! You're all a bunch of blockheads harder than frozen fish!"
The crowd erupted in an uproar, ready to curse her out, but Alexia's stern voice silenced them:
"Who's trying to destroy you now? Who is your enemy? Who has hurt you the most?"
"Is it your fellow countrymen? Is it the comrades filled with passion and justice, who you're now pointing guns at?"
Her words made the people close their mouths. Alexia continued with full force, her words sharp and awakening:
"You're holding rifles, your bodies filled with titanium alloy implants and silicon chip augmentations, but your actions are as shallow as pirates and bandits."
"Any secondary conflicts should be dealt with after the primary conflict is resolved."
Adam bowed his head in shame, Alexia's words hitting him in his weakest spot.
"But this doesn't mean that evil and ignorance should be overlooked."
Alexia raised her hand, the Niobium Alloy wrapped around her arm like wheat stalks, and in her raised hand, she held a gavel.
"I am not a judge; I am a prosecutor, an Inquisitor of the past."
She turned her gaze toward the followers of the Children of Fire, their trembling figures reflected in her dark golden eyes.
"I only bring forth accusations, expose the crimes. As for judgment and forgiveness,"
She lightly struck the gavel into the air.
Bang—
Thousands of followers of the Children of Fire fell to their knees, their mouths involuntarily opening to confess their sins.
"I once kidnapped a girl under the guise of preaching..."
"I killed two boys and took out their hearts to sacrifice to the gods."
"I…I was tempted by the price offered by Law III and betrayed the guerrilla fighters' hideout."
"It wasn't me, it wasn't—it was me, I secretly trafficked women."
Standing in the center of the crowd, Alexia made the criminals kneel and confess their wrongdoings, clearly distinguishing right from wrong.
Alexia did not pass judgment on them. After stepping down from the podium, she quietly left the crowd amid their transformed denunciations and approached Li Aozi.
Li Aozi crossed his arms, the golden glow in his eyes fading.
He hadn't even used gravity, yet these people had confessed because of Alexia.
So this is an [Inquisitor]... People from the old era may not have mastered the Dao, but they had their own proud path.
"Thank you."
Alexia smiled as she held the briefcase in both hands.
"It looks like you've found a reason to keep living," Li Aozi said. "Your eyes have regained their light; they look beautiful."
"Yes." Alexia turned her head and looked at the crowd.
After confessing their crimes, the followers of the Children of Fire were no longer arrogant. With their misdeeds exposed, they became docile and obedient.
"The goddess of justice holds both scales and a sword; fairness also requires force to be upheld."
The [Inquisitor] spoke with satisfaction:
"The Yami Liyoko era has ended, but as long as there is injustice in the world, people will continue to fight."
"I came with the hopes of the old era, and although this era isn't perfect, those who yearn for a better world are the same everywhere."
"Do you want to rebuild the Yami Liyoko Federation?" Li Aozi asked curiously.
However, Alexia shook her head and said:
"No, if we failed, it means you have your own path to walk. The era that suits the people of Azure Star must be created by you. Any happiness gained must be fought for; what's given by others will always belong to others."
"I like that saying." Li Aozi extended his hand. "Li Aozi, an ordinary superhuman, currently working to overthrow the colonizers."
"I'm Alexia," the [Inquisitor] said as she took his hand. "A person from the old era, sent as a bride to the future. According to the contract, you meet the General Affairs Bureau's matching standards, meaning you are my fiancé."
As she spoke, she knelt on one knee, the Niobium Alloy in her palm melting and reshaping into a ring.
"Will you marry me, Mr. Li Aozi?"
——She just shook hands to measure my ring size, didn't she?
Li Aozi's eyelid twitched:
"Honestly, I'm not ready to get married yet, and Miss Alexia, isn't it unusual for a woman to give a man a ring…"
Pfft—
His words, however, made Alexia burst into laughter.
"What are you laughing at?"
"People of this later era are so conservative."
Alexia tilted her head playfully and said:
"In our time, it was common for women to propose to men."
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