NCCnovel Chapter 808 The War of Public Opinion
Chapter 808 The War of Public Opinion
Chapter 808 The War of Public Opinion
"Resurrecting intelligent monsters, is this the guild's doing? Hermes is probably being hired to deliberately spread rumors and create hype—"
But does Uranus really think that staging a monster-rescuing-people drama will make the mortals on the surface accept those heretics from the underground cities?
Dionysus tapped his fingers on the table. The current phenomenon in Orario, where intelligent monsters rescue adventurers, while not entirely useless, does have some effect in pushing mortals to accept the existence of intelligent monsters, provided that no one interferes with the process.
"Although I don't think Uranus is the kind of guy who acts rashly and makes moves without being sure of success, I have to accept the move he's made now. I can't let that guy Uranus succeed. However, I also have to be careful that he might be luring me out. It seems like it's time to use the God of Poverty card."
That night, Dionysus, the god of wine, took several jars of wine and went to the orphanage on Daedalus Street, where he found Penea, the goddess of poverty.
"Lord Penea, do you think it's possible for mortals on the surface and monsters in the dungeons to coexist?"
In the midst of their drinking and lively conversation, this handsome man brought up the topic.
"Ha, how could that be? Monsters, aren't they just man-eating monsters?"
"But haven't you heard the rumors circulating in Orario lately about monsters saving people?"
"The old woman stays only in her little corner of Daedalus Street and has no interest in the affairs of wealthy adventurers who are not poor."
"So, you don't believe the story about monsters saving people is true?"
"That's true—"
Before Penea, the goddess of poverty, could reply, Dionysus, the god of wine, immediately stepped forward, seemingly to support her as she became somewhat drunk.
"Yes, monsters are monsters, creatures that can harm mortals at any time. Saving people is just them plotting some kind of scheme—"
The tainted divine wine, combined with mind-altering magic, can even affect the gods of the lower realms.
"Your Excellency Penea, for the sake of the children, for the sake of the poor people of Daedalus Street, we cannot stand idly by and watch this conspiracy unfold, can we?"
"But I am just a poor, widowed old goddess, what can I do?"
"Don't underestimate yourself. You are the uncrowned king of Daedalus Street. The poor people of Orario all support you. You can call on them to stand up, protest against the recent appearances in Orario, and accept the voice of intelligent monsters—"
Dionysus whispered in Penea's ear, and the goddess of poverty looked somewhat dazed, muttering to herself, "I will speak up for the poor and resist accepting intelligent monsters—"
Dionysus left, taking all the wine jugs he had brought with him, while Penea, the goddess of poverty, went back to her room to sleep in a daze after he left.
The next day, when the old woman, known as the Goddess of Poverty, woke up, she was sitting in a rocking chair in front of the orphanage, basking in the sun, when someone whispered in her ear about the intelligent demon.
"I don't know what the guild was thinking, actually starting to consider accepting those intelligent monsters from the dungeon."
"I heard that it was only after some adventurers who were saved by those monsters jointly proposed this to the guild that the guild started to consider it."
"Ha, intelligent monsters. Maybe those rescued guys were deceived by those monsters. They staged this whole thing to gain our trust, and then betray us when we let our guard down."
"Hey, what are you all talking about?"
"Ah, Lady Penea, we were just discussing the recent appearance of intelligent monsters saving people, and the guild's desire to accept them as normal humans."
The two people who were talking turned around and saw that it was the God of Poverty from Daedalus Street. They quickly greeted him respectfully and began to answer his question.
"What?! Accepting dungeon monsters as a new race?"
It was as if some keyword had been triggered, and the God of Poverty's expression changed.
"No, absolutely not."
As she said this, she picked up the rocking chair and strode into the orphanage.
When he came out again, a group of orphans and the orphanage administrators followed the god of poverty.
The message was spread throughout Daedalus Street, and before long, a large procession carrying banners protesting the acceptance of dungeon monsters as intelligent species on the surface marched out of the maze-like impoverished neighborhood and headed towards the guild headquarters.
When the city's military police and members of the Ganisei clan received the news and came to check the situation, the marching procession was almost at the entrance of the guild headquarters.
In addition to the original residents of Daedalus Street, people from other neighborhoods also joined in, either to watch the spectacle or with the same idea.
The group was noisy, with people occasionally shouting slogans of surface race supremacy and opposing the guild's plan to accept intelligent monsters from the dungeon as members of the surface races.
"Commander Shakti, should we stop these people?"
The city's military police manage the public order of Orario. A group of people gathered for a march, including many adventurers, and if not careful, it could easily turn into a riot. An Amazon from the Ganesha Familia asked the leader beside him.
"No need, we'll just maintain order at the scene and prevent a stampede if there are too many people."
Shakti shook his head.
His own god Ganesha had already revealed everything to him.
The current opposition was actually part of the plan.
She only needs to lead her clan members to maintain order; nothing else is her responsibility.
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"I originally thought the first to stand up and voice their opposition would be either someone from the Chamber of Commerce or someone from the wealthy North Street area, but I never expected that the first person to stand up and clearly and concisely express their opposition would be Penecia from Daedalus Street —"
As the procession blocked the entrance and the God of Poverty, leading the way, raised a banner opposing the acceptance of intelligent monsters, Uranus, at the basement altar of the guild headquarters, felt somewhat sentimental.
Although the Goddess of Poverty doesn't have a decent retinue, as a veteran deity who has been living in the city of Orario for centuries, she wields considerable influence among the common people.
"On the other hand, if we can persuade Lord Penea, the God of Poverty, the voices in Orario, the world capital, against accepting heretics as members of the surface races will also decrease."
"However, persuading a god to change his mind is no easy task."
On the underground altar side, Fels and Uranus were talking.
Outside, the portly guild master, Royman, also came out to confront the wave of opposition.
"Lord Penea, what is the meaning of bringing so many people to block the guild's gate?"
"What do you mean? I should be asking your guild what it means to want to accept dungeon monsters as surface races?"
A sharp and sarcastic voice came from the mouth of the old woman-like Goddess of Poverty. She glanced sideways at Royman, the guild leader who had a bad reputation, extravagant lifestyle, and was considered by many to be a "guild pig," but she didn't give him a kind look.
"The guild's stance is neutral. The acceptance of dungeon monsters as one of the surface races was only initiated after some adventurers submitted a joint proposal to the guild, wanting to include intelligent monsters among the surface intelligent races. The guild only started considering this matter after that, but no decision has been made yet. Has Lady Penea misunderstood something?"
"Neutral? No, the fact that your guild didn't explicitly reject this ridiculous proposal when it first appeared means that your guild's stance has already shifted, shifting towards the so-called dungeon monsters!"
"Lady Perria, please don't make baseless accusations without evidence. The guild is simply considering the feelings of the adventurers who were saved by the intelligent monsters and wanting to repay their saviors. On the contrary, your arrival at the guild gate has seriously affected the normal operation of the guild."
Despite his poor reputation, Royman is perfectly capable as a guild leader.
Even now, when facing a parade led by the God of Poverty, he can still handle it calmly.
"If your guild is considering the feelings of the rescued adventurers, then this old woman is considering the feelings of the orphan children following behind her."
Some of these children's parents were also adventurers who made a living in the dungeons, but now these children are all orphans. Apparently, their parents died in the dungeons, killed by those hateful dungeon monsters.
And now, the managers of Orario [Guild] are considering having them accept a group of monsters that killed their parents. How can you say you are considering such a cruel thing?
In addition, it wasn't just these poor children who were orphaned who had their relatives killed by monsters; there were also other residents of Orario. However, their individual voices were too small to be heard by the behemoth that was the guild.
However, the old woman is a god, albeit a poor one, but at least her voice is loud. Now she's brought them here to question the guild: do they still want to accept a group of dungeon monsters as part of the surface race?
Penea, the god of poverty, was met with agreement from his followers.
"this----"
The uproar from the crowd caused Royman to take two steps back. The portly old elf guild master took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat from his forehead, took a deep breath, and then accepted the broadcasting magic stone handed to him by a guild employee, and began to explain.
"I understand how you all feel, but intelligent monsters have saved some adventurers who were almost in danger, just like there are good and bad people among the surface races."
Previously, we considered all monsters to be evil because they only harmed us. But now, monsters have appeared that are helping us, and the guild has to consider the actual situation.
The explanation was broadcast over the radio.
The voices of those who opposed the move were somewhat quieter.
There are also rational people who have to admit that what the guild leader said actually makes sense.
"Heh, perhaps those intelligent monsters are deceiving the rescued adventurers—"
However, before some people in the march could change their minds, the God of Poverty immediately brought up the conspiracy theory he had overheard at the orphanage gate that morning.
The rescued adventurers who petitioned for the right of intelligent monsters to become one of the surface races may have been manipulated by the intelligent monsters.
"Perhaps the adventurers' ordeal and subsequent rescue were all staged by those intelligent monsters in the dungeon—"
These words drew nods of agreement from the people in the marching crowd.
As the saying goes, those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts.
Although this phrase doesn't exist in the real world, there are similar expressions.
Going back a thousand years, monsters ravaged the land, inflicting harm and hatred on various races that continues to this day.
"Yes, Lady Penea, you're right. We can't rule out that possibility, but the guild will ensure a rigorous review of whether those intelligent monsters deceived the rescued adventurers—"
Guild Master Royman surely knows whether it's a deception or not. The supreme god Uranus summoned him privately, and he personally stamped the receipt for the GG expenses that the Hestia Familia requested from the guild for reimbursement.
After making assurances of rigorously investigating the scam, the next step was to disperse the protesters.
"Now, I would like to ask everyone to stop blocking the guild entrance and disrupting the guild's normal operations, otherwise—"
The city police of the Ganesha clan stepped forward at this moment.
The guild provided a reasoned explanation and maintained a so-called neutral stance.
These members of Ganesha's retinue did not fail to protect the guild.
The people in the procession looked at the God of Poverty in front of them, after all, it was this deity of Daedalus Street who was leading the way.
"Alright, then we'll retreat for now. Hopefully, the guild can give us a satisfactory explanation."
Penia did not pursue them relentlessly, because she understood that if she continued to block the guild's main gate with her people, they would indeed be forcibly driven away by the city's military police.
Despite the large number of people in the parade, there weren't many skilled adventurers among them; most were just ordinary Orario residents.
If the city's military police and members of the Ganesha clan wished, they could easily suppress the entire parade by force.
A large-scale parade turned out to be all bark and no bite, and it quickly dispersed.
However, Dionysus, hiding in the shadows, was not disappointed, because Penea's protest was just something he used to attract attention and confuse the public. His real plan was to manipulate public opinion after the protest.
Uranus could use some underhanded tactics to prove the harmlessness of the intelligent monsters in the dungeon through public opinion, so he could naturally use the same methods to create a sense of crisis and distrust of monsters among the mortal children of Orario.
Various conspiracy theories and theories of racial supremacy on the surface of the earth, just like the previous news of the heretic saving adventurers in distress, sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
A war of public opinion, a spell cast from the void—just as Dionysus believed he could gradually gain the upper hand in public opinion by leveraging the age-old animosity between mortals and dungeon monsters in the lower realms—
A battered adventurer, clutching a palm-sized magic stone, rushed out of the dungeon's entrance.
"A wise, half-human, half-bird monster I know saved me in the dungeon. She took a fatal attack for me. Please, someone save her!"
The adventurer holding the magic stone wept uncontrollably, as if he were holding not a monster's magic stone, but his fellow adventurer.
The acting is realistic, and the story is novel. It's no longer just about intelligent monsters saving adventurers in dungeons, but about adventurers saving the lives of monsters who have sacrificed their own.
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