At these words, a few more people stood up, expressing their desire to leave Caeluna.
But they were all a little worried.
They didn’t know this leader of Caeluna well, nor were they familiar with her temperant, so they worried their actions might anger her.
"When you joined Caeluna, we made the conditions clear: once a mber of Caeluna, you may never betray it. What do you all think you’re doing now?"
Shane Lawrence took two steps forward and shouted angrily.
His expression was terrifyingly dark.
Sterling had summoned them for a talk today, yet these people were demanding to leave Caeluna. It was a slap in the face and a show of disrespect toward Sterling.
He was the one who had recruited them, and he felt he had failed Sterling.
There were six people in total who had asked to leave.
Among the six, four remained silent, feeling they were indeed in the wrong.
Besides, they had been at the base for a few days now, and they had not been denied food or drink. For them to ask to leave now was truly a dishonorable thing to do.
But...
They gave the woman on the chair a complicated look. It was one thing for the leader to be a woman, but for her to be so arrogant and ignorant was another matter entirely.
They were unwilling to submit to such a person and felt there was no future following a leader like her.
The other two were far more direct. "We joined Caeluna, and we haven’t done anything to wrong it. Choosing to leave now is our freedom."
Shane Lawrence was about to speak again, but Stella Sterling waved her hand, dismissing him. She looked at the people below. Even after being publicly embarrassed like this, her expression remained placid, showing no sign of displeasure. "It’s fine. I have no intention of forcing those whose hearts aren’t in it to stay."
"Today, I will give you all one more chance to choose. If any of you wish to leave, you may do so today."
The six of them looked pleasantly surprised. They hadn’t expected her to be so reasonable.
But after hearing Stella Sterling’s words, a stir went through the crowd, and another three people stood up.
The original mbers of Caeluna watched their actions, sneering.
With Caeluna’s strength and resources, they weren’t worried about recruitnt. Leaving was these people’s loss.
Aside from those few, no one else moved. Although they were dissatisfied with Stella Sterling’s words, Caeluna seed powerful, and they didn’t want to leave.
If they left, they would have to go back to agonizing over where their next al would co from.
Here, at least, they hadn’t gone hungry.
The nine people made to leave right then and there.
Stella Sterling had soone stop them. "I won’t stop you from leaving. However, please wait a mont. Since you are no longer people of my Caeluna, there are so matters we must settle to avoid any future entanglents."
Hearing this, most of the nine had no objections. What she said was fair.
But one of them beca unusually agitated upon hearing her words. "Settle? Settle what? We just joined! What entanglents could there be? You just don’t want us to leave!"
Stella Sterling glanced at him calmly and gave a look to Julian Fletcher and Seven Locke beside her.
The two of them stepped forward and restrained the man. He struggled fiercely, but it was no use.
Julian Fletcher searched him and pulled out a hand-drawn map.
It depicted the terrain around Caeluna’s periter.
The terrain of Mount Caeluna was unique, and their Caeluna Base was located deep within these mountains.
It was not easy for outsiders to find this place.
Thus, the surrounding area acted as a protective barrier for Caeluna Base.
But this man had secretly drawn a map of the terrain. His intentions were obvious.
The man’s face paled, and he tried to explain, but Stella Sterling gave him no chance. "Deal with him."
Seven Locke nodded. While Julian Fletcher held the man in an iron grip, Seven Locke took out a dagger and plunged it into the man’s heart.
He had been perfectly fine a mont ago, yet in a split second, a man was dead.
The remaining eight who wanted to leave turned pale. ’Are we next?!’
However, Stella Sterling did not move against them. "All of you, wait here for a mont. After this matter is handled, we will discuss your departure."
After saying this, she paid them no more mind and turned to face the remaining people.
The remaining people, though relieved they hadn’t asked to leave, were also pale-faced.
They hadn’t expected this leader of Caeluna to be so ruthless, although it was true that in this apocalypse, there were no truly benevolent people.
But this was happening right inside the base. Wasn’t she afraid of causing widespread discontent by acting this way?
These people looked at the others, only to see their expressions were calm. Their gazes toward the woman were still filled with the sa reverence, even a hint of excitent.
Soone had already started whispering, wondering if Sterling of Caeluna was really as brainless as she appeared on the surface.
If she were truly as they had thought, how could these people be so subservient to her?
At the end of the day, maybe Sterling was just a bit arrogant with her words.
But capable people had the right to be arrogant.
Stella Sterling looked at them and continued, "Alright, let’s carry on. And you? If you have any questions or anything to say, speak freely. I will do my best to answer you. After today, you won’t have this opportunity again."
After what had just happened, the remaining people didn’t dare say anything casually, so they were all silent for a good while.
Stella Sterling didn’t press them. She clapped her hands. "If no one has anything to say, then we’ll consider this matter concluded. But let be blunt: from now on, no matter what dissatisfaction or disobedience you feel in your hearts, you will keep it to yourselves."
"I have sothing to say."
After Stella Sterling finished speaking, a man in his twenties stood up. He had a handso face, but a scar running across it completely ruined the aesthetic.
He looked at Stella Sterling with a steady gaze and asked, "Sterling, we joined Caeluna because we wanted to band together to survive. We are supposed to be comrades, partners. Why did you say that joining Caeluna is our honor? Shouldn’t it be a mutual honor? After all, from now on, we are supposed to advance together and grow as a team."
As he spoke, Stella Sterling didn’t interrupt but waited for him to finish.
When he was done, he saw that Stella Sterling was not angry and breathed an inward sigh of relief.
He looked straight at Stella Sterling, wanting an answer.
Stella Sterling let out a soft laugh, but her words carried an imnse sense of pressure. "Let correct you. In Caeluna, you can be partners and comrades with each other. But I am not your comrade. I don’t need comrades or partners. What I need are subordinates who are absolutely loyal to ."
"What I require here are subordinates who are loyal to , who will not betray , and whose loyalty is to alone. I hope everyone present understands this clearly and takes it to heart!"
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