Chapter 251: The Sage, Ling Ling
None of the council members found the Sage’s peculiar prayer odd.
To them, “Li” was a distant, ancient spirit, a legend from thirty cycles ago.
And the Great Sage… was a living witness who had fought alongside the ancient spirit. Some folktales even claimed the Great Sage was “Li’s” mentor.
Mainly because “Li” looked like a young girl, and the Great Sage had always appeared as a gentle young woman.
Of course, the Great Sage herself had never confirmed nor denied this.
“Great Sage, please present your proposal. The council will then discuss and debate it.” The Council President nodded slightly at Ling Ling, but he couldn’t help but feel apprehensive. “The result of the debate… will directly determine whether the proposal is accepted or rejected.”
He stammered slightly as he said the last sentence.
Although the council had the absolute right to debate and vote on proposals, they were facing a living legend… Just a few cycles ago, this legend could make any decision without the council’s approval.
“Alright.” Ling Ling smiled faintly at the Council President and began speaking in a gentle tone. “Regarding the construction and maintenance plan for the Ground-Based Towers, the following points…”
Ling Ling’s proposal was to modify the disaster engines and build a network of engines on the surface to solve the energy problem faced by a single Ground-Based Tower.
The reason the Suspended High Towers could maintain their operation and routes was that they could adjust their routes based on the intensity of natural disasters, solving their energy needs.
But Ground-Based Towers couldn’t use this method, because the natural disasters on the surface weren’t stable.
If there were no natural disasters nearby for a period of time, the Ground-Based Tower would face an energy crisis.
Thirty cycles ago, there had been a few Ground-Based Towers, and it was even rumored that the Great Sage herself came from one of them.
But they were short-lived, quickly disappearing, their biggest problem the energy crisis.
To solve this, the Sage proposed a grand plan for a Ground-Based Tower network, a vast network of disaster engines controlled by a central hub.
This was undoubtedly a great and advanced idea, but there were many practical problems.
The technical details weren’t difficult to overcome, even the Great Sage herself was participating in this project. The most difficult part was… once this engine network was built and the Ground-Based Towers established, it would inevitably disrupt the current human civilization.
It might even threaten the Federation’s existence.
The central hub, controlling the energy flow, would naturally have immense power, and the workload would require a separate organization to manage. The Great Sage herself didn’t have the time or energy for this.
And this organization couldn’t be the Federation itself, as this would give the Federation absolute power, unlike the current situation where each Suspended High Tower had a certain degree of autonomy.
No one wanted such a powerful entity to appear, and no one would be willing to share their power, unless it was the Great Sage.
Therefore, after much debate, the previous Ground-Based Tower projects had all failed, and the Sage’s subsequent proposals were also rejected by the council for various reasons.
The Great Sage wasn’t angry. She simply resubmitted her proposal, patiently answering every question raised by the council members.
But everyone in the council knew that even if they approved the Sage’s proposal, the Ground-Based Tower Project would ultimately fail.
“I’ve finished my presentation. Are there any questions?” Ling Ling looked around the council hall, and the council members all averted their gazes.
The true reasons for rejecting the Ground-Based Tower Project couldn’t be stated openly, so they had to use various excuses.
They could easily use these excuses against others.
But now… the one standing on the podium wasn’t an ordinary politician they could look down on, but the Great Sage, who nominally had no power, but actually held all the power.
How could they voice such ridiculous excuses…
The council was silent for three minutes, which felt longer than an entire day-night cycle. Finally, just before the debate time limit, the Council President, glaring at a certain council member who was supposed to speak, looked at Ling Ling and said with difficulty,
“I have an objection…”
“Please speak, Mr. President.”
Ling Ling said softly, raising her hand. She was patient, even three minutes of silence didn’t change her gentle smile.
The Sage’s gentle demeanor made it easy to forget her legendary status, mistakenly thinking she was just a naive young woman.
But the Council President knew very well that this gentle woman wasn’t as weak as she appeared. He had witnessed her casually executing dozens of contaminated ability users, a terrifying scene.
“This… this…”
The Council President’s usually steady voice trembled slightly. Although it wasn’t his first time objecting to the Sage’s proposal, it was still just as difficult every time.
“Great Sage, regarding the resources required for the Ground-Based Tower…”
“They’re all in this document, Mr. President.” Before the President could finish, Ling Ling presented a document. “It contains a detailed plan for resource allocation, it won’t affect any of the Federation’s current projects.”
This was the question that had stumped Ling Ling last time, and the President had intended to use it again, but the Sage had prepared a new solution in just a few days.
“But if the Federal Council approves any new projects during this period…”
The President hadn’t finished when Ling Ling interrupted again.
“Mr. President, this document also contains corresponding solutions. This is a long-term plan, spanning three day-night cycles, and I’ve made sufficient preparations for resource allocation.”
Ling Ling presented more documents and continued,
“This is the personnel allocation and management structure for the Ground-Based Tower. I’ve addressed all the issues raised by the council last time.”
After an assistant delivered the documents to the President’s desk, Ling Ling patiently waited for his next question.
Usually, the President would take the proposal and nitpick, finding any excuse to reject it. This was how they dealt with plans they couldn’t approve.
But… facing the Sage’s sincere gaze, the President didn’t have the courage to open those documents.
Seeing the President’s hesitation, a few council members who supported the Suspended High Tower plan couldn’t sit still and stood up, continuing to question Ling Ling.
Ling Ling answered all their questions fluently.
Even a rather aggressive question, such as “Great Sage, having come from a failed Ground-Based Tower, is this proposal just to satisfy your personal obsession,” Ling Ling answered without hesitation.
During the two-hour hearing, Ling Ling maintained her gentle demeanor, and in the end, the council members, using a few tricky questions, could only make her postpone the plan.
After the hearing, the council members usually left feeling pleased with their victory, but this time, they were exhausted, not just because they were facing the Great Sage.
Even putting aside her status, the Great Sage was a formidable opponent.
However… the Great Sage, having accumulated experience over thirty cycles, she must have always been this calm and composed during these historical moments.
Unfortunately… the Ground-Based Tower project, although promising, was fraught with difficulties and couldn’t be approved by the council, at least not by this current council.
After the hearing, the council members left, but the President, forcing a smile, went to the top floor of the council building, the office reserved for the Great Sage.
“Knock, knock, knock…”
“Come in.”
It was the familiar, gentle voice, and the President was slightly relieved, worried that the Great Sage would be angry about the hearing, but she didn’t seem to be.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and entered.
This wasn’t his first time here. The Great Sage hadn’t made this place a restricted area. Anyone could enter with prior notice.
But every time he came here, the President couldn’t help but think, this is… too simple, isn’t it?
Just a few rooms, a window overlooking the outside world, some experimental equipment neatly arranged, a simple desk, and nothing else.
The Great Sage wasn’t sitting at her desk, but leaning back in a chair, the sunlight streaming in through the window, illuminating her delicate face, her expression calm and relaxed.
“Is there something you need, Mr. President?”
Ling Ling sat up slightly and looked at the President.
“Great Sage, how should I put it…” The President wiped his sweat again. “Regarding your Ground-Based Tower Project proposal, I personally think it’s very good, excellent, but…”
After several hesitations, the President finally decided to be frank with the Great Sage in private.
But standing before the Great Sage, this sacred, ancient legend, under her sincere gaze, the President still couldn’t voice the shortsightedness and prejudice of mortals.
“Perhaps, I know what you want to say.” Ling Ling said softly. “But it’s fine, I know… the true obstacle to the Ground-Based Tower project.”
“It’s not the specific details of the plan, but the plan itself.”
“You…”
The President’s eyes widened, speechless.
He suddenly realized that the Great Sage wasn’t a naive little girl. Although she looked young, she wasn’t ignorant.
She had repeatedly proposed the Ground-Based Tower project, improving every detail, addressing every question raised, not because she didn’t know the true problem.
“If that’s all, you can leave now. I have my own arrangements.” Ling Ling shook her head, looking at the hesitant President. “Let’s just follow the normal procedures, Mr. President, I won’t make things difficult for you.”
Just you proposing this plan is already making things difficult for the council…
The President sighed inwardly and could only bid farewell.
Looking at Ling Ling, who had closed her eyes again, the President felt a mix of emotions.
He knew this was a historic moment. Perhaps the success of this plan would bring human civilization to new heights.
But for him personally, and the faction he represented, it would be a disaster.
But what was this so-called price in the eyes of the Great Sage?
The entire human civilization had grown up under her watch. All of humanity were her children, and she treated them equally, regardless of who held this power.
She didn’t care.
If she wanted, she could bypass the council and directly order the implementation of this plan, and no one would dare to stop her.
The President gently closed the door, not wanting to disturb the Great Sage’s afternoon rest.
What the President could think of, how could Ling Ling not have thought of?
Implementing this plan by force, she had done such things in the past, but the lessons were painful.
For example, Qualcomm, the former mayor of the first Ground-Based Tower, and also her father’s friend, had died because of such stubbornness, causing an unimaginable disaster.
Although, compared to Ling Ling’s later experiences, this disaster seemed insignificant, it had still cost her a precious family member.
“Thirty day-night cycles… three thousand years…”
Ling Ling slowly opened her eyes and raised her hand slightly, as if trying to touch the scorching sunlight.
She vaguely remembered Sister Xue’er, piloting the disaster engine of an entire Suspended High Tower, bathing in the Eternal Day sunlight, disappearing from her life forever.
Although every Suspended High Tower, all two thousand of them, had statues of her, the long years, three thousand years, had blurred her image in Ling Ling’s mind.
The young Ling Ling had once thought that Sister Xue’er, like before, would return from somewhere after a brief disappearance, but thirty day-night cycles had extinguished her hope.
Even now, she still liked to stay on the route that overlapped with the location of the disaster, quietly looking up at the sky when passing by the site of that battle.
This wasn’t hopeful waiting, but a numb habit.
