Seeing that the atmosphere has eased, Henwell scans the room and says, “I ntioned earlier that Peace Haven’s prosperity today owes a lot to everyone here. This isn’t sarcasm or just empty words, it’s my honest truth. Darkness exists everywhere.”
”I’ve been to the Western Federation, to a city ruled by the Holy Spirit Church. The whole city bathes in divine light, yet darkness still lurks beneath. Compared to the blinding light, that darkness is dirtier and far more terrifying.”
”Peace Haven is the sa—light and dark coexist, and neither will ever disappear. Even in the sinful city of Yinxin, there’s love as poetic as any verse, and loyalty and honor worth admiring. Darkness can’t cover all the light, and no matter how dazzling the light, darkness always follows like a shadow. Do you know why darkness always exists?”
Everyone exchanges uncertain glances, unsure what Henwell is getting at.
He continues, “Because darkness cos from desire, greed, jealousy... As long as humans exist, as long as these negative emotions exist, darkness will never vanish. It’s less about the system and more a reflection of the evil in human hearts.”
”What I can do is strive for fairness, to care for the majority as best as I can. But so will inevitably slip into darkness, right beside you. I can’t eliminate darkness, but I want to minimize the evil it breeds.”
”Over these years, many of you have cooperated with my policies, doing your best to uphold the boundaries I set. Though you represent the darker side of cri, you’ve been working to stop parts of Peace Haven from falling into an even deeper abyss. “
”So when I say Peace Haven thrives today, you’ve played a part too. But others don’t understand that, and maybe you don’t fully realize it yourselves. But I do. And I will rember.”
His words leave everyone stunned. They never imagined that being “bad guys” could sohow be seen as a contribution.
Yet as they reflect on Henwell’s speech, it actually makes a lot of sense.
These streetwise criminals suddenly feel a kinship with Henwell, even a sense of him as a life ntor.
And Henwell isn’t lying, these bad guys genuinely have helped keep Peace Haven’s darkness from spiraling out of control.
Henwell continues, “Everyone, Peace Haven is about to enter a new phase. You must firmly hold the city’s bottom line. Like you, I co from the streets. We no longer worry about just getting by, we have to think about higher things now.”
”We’re not delicate flowers nurtured in a greenhouse; we’re thorns that have weathered storms and fought to survive. We know how the people at the bottom live. We’ve seen the vilest sches and faced the most dangerous situations. We understand just how cruel hardship can be, and we know the despair of having nowhere left to turn.”
“So, we can’t completely forget those at the bottom, whether to ease our conscience or to win hearts. Before you act, rember where you ca from. Leave so room for rcy. If possible, don’t push people to the edge. Don’t beco the makers of suffering or the embodint of despair in the eyes of those struggling below.”
“I speak on behalf of those fighting at the bottom, the unlucky, the ones about to be swallowed by hopelessness and hardship. I thank you all—thank the future you—for giving them a chance to survive, a mont to breathe, a way to live.”
With that, Henwell stands and bows deeply to everyone.
Chick and Horace by his side, and even Simon standing behind him, rise and bow as well.
The other leaders scramble to their feet, awkwardly trying to respond.
“My lord, you flatter us too much!”
“My lord, we don’t deserve this!”
“My lord, rest assured, your orders are our will!”
“My lord, you’re right, we will follow the rules!”
……
After everyone fumbles with their responses, Henwell signals for them to sit back down for a talk.
He sighs, “Look, everyone, I’m being honest with you. The reason I’m eting you privately today is exactly this. Peace Haven is going to grow bigger, more outsiders will co, and with that, the darkness will only deepen. I want you to co up with your own rules, don’t let Peace Haven descend into ugly chaos. “
”And don’t let any horrific tragedies happen; that would make , as lord, feel like I’ve failed. I’ve said before, I’ve walked the dark path myself and I know that sotis, even darkness needs rules.”
”Rather than letting clueless outsiders ddle, it’s better if you set the rules yourselves—rules that suit your interests and fit reality.”
Only then do they realize Henwell isn’t joking.
He’s seriously giving them so authority to establish rules within the underworld, within certain boundaries, of course.
Henwell is busy every single day with countless affairs. The fact that he’s taken ti out to et with them now isn’t to scold or pressure them. It’s because he truly wants these cri bosses to co up with a code of conduct for their various trades.
A set of rules for the dark side of Peace Haven.
Henwell firmly believes in one thing: even the worst order is better than chaos without any order.
After chatting a bit more, Henwell stands to leave.
Before he goes, he smiles, “Oh, right! My wedding is coming up soon, and you’ll all get invitations. But there’s one favor I need to ask. Around the ti of the wedding, various forces will co to town. I need you to keep an eye on anyone with bad intentions.”
”Also, I hope you can keep the darkness and cri from being too blatant during that period. After all, it’s about Peace Haven’s reputation—we can’t let outsiders laugh at us, can we?”
Everyone beats their chests, promising that no cris will happen during that ti, they’ll even pause their deals.
After Henwell leaves, they’re still buzzing with excitent over the wedding invitation.
Before today, none of them dared imagine they’d be part of such a grand event, especially personally invited by the lord of Blood Hill himself. That’s so serious face to save!
But Horace, about to leave, imdiately throws cold water on their excitent:
“The lord’s soft-hearted. You better not let any of your sses blow up too big. If your screw-ups land on the lord’s desk, I’m the one getting laughed at by all the other departnts. If I lose face, I swear I’ll make sure every one of you knows just how ruthless I was back in my street days!”
Chick doesn’t threaten but, before leaving, he points to his eyes and then at everyone else with a smile.
The ssage is clear:
“I’ll be watching you all from the shadows.”
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