Chapter 561: Aftermath

About an hour and a half later, the crimson-gold divine fire around Philip I had completely burned out. His body then weathered away, turning to dust that scattered in the air.

Consigli stood in place, staring at the dark-gold arm guard left by Philip I, his expression melancholy and beyond words.

Li Mochen, while enjoying the further fusion of his own soul, also looked at the arm guard. A strange light flickered in his eyes, thinking that Philip I seemed not entirely indifferent to the Wieldenstein family; in the end, he had left a good thing for his descendants.

Based on the original mythical armament imbued with the powers of 'curse' and 'misfortune,' Philip had burned all of himself and the Philosopher's Stone to elevate this item once more.

Not only were the two divine authorities of 'curse' and 'misfortune' strengthened, but the divine authority of 'disaster' was also engraved into the arm guard. Additionally, its defensive power was very strong, and it could manipulate the power of flame.

All this greatly raised its grade, crossing the threshold of a mid-grade mythical armament.

The key point was that this item, like the Scarlet Dragon Armor, was also marked with a bloodline tag. Henceforth, only descendants of the Wieldenstein family could use it, making it a法器 capable of serving as a clan-guarding treasure for a supreme family.

After gazing at it with appreciation for a moment, Li Mochen turned his gaze to Consigli.

"Old man, he's dead, but you don't look too happy?"

"In my childhood, Philip personally guided my studies and bloodline development. Back then, he was a god in my eyes."

Consigli's face was pale: "I have washed away the hatred, but Krista, your mother Elena, and our unborn child are all gone. Nothing can be undone. If possible, I would rather none of this had happened."

Li Mochen was silent. Consigli, with a light sigh, tossed the dark-gold arm guard to Li Mochen: "Give it to Hazel. Its original name was 'Curse Arm Guard,' a mythical armament Philip obtained from the Indians. But now, naming it 'Philip's Arm of Disaster Flame' might be more fitting. I don't like it, nor do I wish to see anything related to Philip. But as a mythical armament, this thing is still very powerful. Among our Wieldenstein clan, only Hazel can currently maximize its power."

"A wise move. She won't let this equipment down."

Li Mochen put away the arm guard decisively, only regretting that Hazel's accumulation and foundation were still too weak. Otherwise, with just this mythical armament, Hazel could become a combat force at the level of a weak god.

"I believe that, but you've protected her too tightly."

Consigli had begun to scan the surroundings: "How is the situation in the city?"

When Philip ignited his divine fire earlier, he had still been fully focused on the former. He knew Philip's will was tenacious and that he mastered many secret arts; any slight negligence on his part might give the other a chance to revive, so he dared not be distracted at all.

Only now did he have the leisure to pay attention to the various conditions in the Atlanta urban area.

"Not good, even quite terrible—"

Li Mochen's expression also grew complicated: "Post-war disaster relief is progressing smoothly. For now, Atlanta's property losses are severe. Over fifty buildings have collapsed, with damages worth at least thirty billion gold shields. Casualties are also high. According to current statistics, confirmed deaths exceed thirty-five thousand, and the number of missing has reached three thousand seven hundred."

In America, even a large-scale natural disaster would not cause casualties of this magnitude. And these people's undeserved calamities were caused by the war between him, Philip, and the National Progressive Association.

It is worth mentioning that a large portion of them could have survived if his secondary body had intervened earlier to control the situation in Atlanta.

Yet if the battle today were to be fought again, Li Mochen would still do the same, without any regret. Only by severely wounding Ron Edmund first could he have the chance to kill the Fenrir wolf and seize the 'Sky Scepter.'

Otherwise, his enemies might not have won in Atlanta, but they could have preserved their effective strength to the greatest extent and taken away the Fenrir wolf and the 'Sky Scepter.'

The tragic scene in Atlanta reminded him of his original intention when he began cultivating immortal arts.

Not to have one's fate controlled by others, not to lose one's life due to another's whim—that was precisely his reason for stepping into the gate of immortality, pursuing the Great Way, and seeking power.

"That's not bad!"

Consigli's expression was very calm, utterly unconcerned by the deaths of over thirty thousand people: "I'll have the Wieldenstein Charitable Foundation follow up and provide high compensation to the victims. But the aftermath work will still be troublesome. What do you plan to do?"

"One step at a time."

Li Mochen sighed again, looking at the dozens of black smoke columns ahead: "If you're referring to public opinion, I have a way to handle it."

After all, this war ended in a complete victory for their side, so the gains were enormous. In the future, just the Howard family's openly declared assets of three hundred seventy billion gold shields would be enough to satisfy everyone.

Thus, among the follow-up matters, the more troublesome ones were only casualty compensation, property restitution, and public opinion.

He knew Consigli didn't care how many people died in Atlanta; in his eyes, as long as the death toll didn't exceed a certain number and affect the Wieldenstein family's business, there was no need to worry.

So the only thing worth his specific mention was public opinion and the government forces swayed by public opinion and popular sentiment.

After this incident, their Wieldenstein family, as one side of the war and the party responsible for the large-scale disaster in Atlanta, would inevitably be caught in a whirlwind of public opinion, condemned by the media and the public.

If not handled well, they would be in a situation like rats crossing the street, universally rejected by American society for some time.

However, Li Mochen had already devised a response plan for this matter long before launching this war, even though he had initially planned to fight Philip I and the others in the suburbs.

Consigli looked half-convinced but did not ask further: "Then how are the gains this time? I mean the demigods."

"This aspect exceeded expectations!"

Speaking of this, Li Mochen's spirits lifted slightly.

In this demigod battle, besides the 'Sky Scepter' and 'Philip's Arm of Disaster Flame,' he had gained two low-grade mythical armaments.

One was called 'Azure Sky Armor,' from the demigod mage Clara Kontseil, known as the 'Azure Sky,' which allowed one to control the 'Divine Authority of Emptiness.'

It was the 'sky' in a natural sense, not the conceptual 'emptiness', yet it was still very powerful. It could manipulate everything in the sky, suppress others' ability to control the sky, and enhance one's own abilities in aspects related to the sky, such as wind, moisture, and thunder.

The second mythical armament was a ring called the 'Ring of Strength', created by the sorcerer Ron Edmond. The ring's ability and divine power was 'Strength'.

It could grant a frail mage a physique comparable to a demigod, while amplifying it with the divine power of 'Strength'.

Fortunately, Ron Edmond's original body had little understanding of the domain of 'Strength', and within ten seconds of appearing, he was severely wounded by Li Mochen's gun. Otherwise, this divine power could have increased the combat effectiveness of Philip I and others by at least thirty percent.

Before Ron Edmond returned to his divine kingdom, the 'Blood-Eyed Angel' Robert Yvonne, who had fought her way to him, with the help of Robespierre, forcibly severed his arm, causing the powerful sorcerer to lose this mighty artifact.

Below that, there were thirteen quasi-mythical armaments—most of which were contributed by General George Mattiola alone. Those six long blades were all of quasi-mythical rank.

Thomson Beaux found them inconvenient to use and planned to sell them to him for one and a half billion gold shields. This referred to Thomson Beaux's share; the others had also contributed to General George Mattiola's death.

As for the sacred relics and the vast wealth carried by the demigods, Li Mochen no longer cared about them. However, the artifact blank that Robert had found in the alchemy room of the 'Energy Conservation' magic tower greatly concerned him.

If he wasn't mistaken, it seemed to be a divine object refined from the bones of the offspring of the 'World Serpent Jörmungandr'—

…

Just as Consul had predicted, less than twenty minutes after the Atlanta Divine War incident, news reports about the war flooded all of America.

Not only did major television networks provide round-the-clock coverage, but channels with higher ratings also produced special programs. All newspapers, whether political, entertainment, or sports, devoted at least half of their pages to the war in Atlanta.

Accusations that the Wiltons were heinous and lawless, demands for them to bear responsibility for the public safety incident, and calls for government sanctions rose and fell like waves, surging through every corner of American society.

At this time, the benefits of having acquired the fifth-largest media group in America began to show.

On the fourth evening after the war, during prime time, when the fervor over the Atlanta Divine War incident had slightly subsided, a forty-five-minute documentary on 'Beast Blood Potion' aired simultaneously on all twenty-five stations of the Rising Sun Television Network.

The bloody images, the estimated death toll of 1.97 million, the horrific scenes of large numbers of missing people of color mutating into monsters under the drug's effects, and the repeated mention of the 'National Progress Association' in the documentary once again ignited public opinion across America.

Late that night, over thirty million people flooded the streets, causing traffic paralysis in all major American cities. Numerous properties and buildings affiliated with the association were destroyed.

Then at 8 a.m. the next day, on the talk show of American Political Television, host Arnold Carroll aimed his rhetoric at the 'National Progress Association' and opened fire with full force.

The gold-medal host, poached by Ms. Drew with a high salary, not only exposed the relationship between the Fenrir Wolf and the 'National Progress Association' but also subtly hinted to the public that the Atlanta Divine War incident might be related to the association's attempt to cover up the truth about the 'Beast Blood Potion'.

This caused a major shift in American public opinion. Although the Wiltons were still attacked by many media outlets, the main focus of the American people had shifted to the 'Beast Blood Potion' and the 'National Progress Association'.

Even in Atlanta, after the Wiltons Group and Rising Sun Group promptly held press conferences, issuing statements accepting responsibility and willingness to compensate all sectors for losses, various sectors gradually ceased their denunciations of the Wiltons.

Consequently, the district attorneys of Atlanta and Georgia also immediately slowed down their investigations into the Wiltons' illegal activities.

"The situation is improving now, BOSS."

That evening, Nanette Drew spoke with Li Mochen again on the phone: "You don't need to worry too much about the parliament. Under the current circumstances, it's hard for them to pass a bill sanctioning the Wiltons and Rising Sun Group, or to investigate the truth of the Atlanta tragedy. The White House won't allow it. After all, our President is hardly blameless in this matter. Everyone in Atlanta heard that General George Mattiola was his appointed special envoy. In this regard, he is our ally and will do his best to restrain the Citizen Party's members in both houses. Some in Congress also know the consequences: once such a bill passes, it would be a huge disaster. The only beneficiary would be the National Progress Association."

"—Now the best defense is offense. I will continue to stir public opinion, forcing the FBI and the Justice Department to investigate the 'Beast Blood Potion' incident in depth, and continue to expose their illegal activities."

Nanette Drew's voice was full of confidence: "So rest assured, BOSS. The National Progress Association is notorious, with countless ties to the KKK. They have too many weaknesses to attack, and in the media and public opinion, they are naturally at a disadvantage. I dare not say I can completely dismantle it, but I swear, if we maintain the current intensity of attack, within a month, I will shrink the National Progress Association's size by seventy percent! I will force the major American families to voluntarily withdraw from this organization. My only concern is the Department of Defense and the military; many of them had high hopes for the 'Beast Blood Potion'. But now, we've poked a hole in it."

"As for the military, Ms. Drew, you don't need to worry. We have a trump card—something that can replace the 'Beast Blood Potion'. In fact, I've already contacted Defense Secretary Lieutenant General Daniel Boone. He's very interested and has agreed to calm those people down for me."

"Wow!"

Ms. Drew exclaimed in surprise: "A replacement for the 'Beast Blood Potion'? If that's the case, then I have even fewer concerns. Just wait for my good news, BOSS."

"I look forward to it, Ms. Drew!"

Li Mochen also laughed relaxedly: "I increasingly feel that hiring you to run my Rising Sun Media was the luckiest thing in my life. I must thank you."

"That's my luck too, BOSS!" Nanette Drew chuckled lightly: "Both Rising Sun Media and the 'Beast Blood Potion' incident rely on your military support. In this world, media people like us are actually very weak."

"After all, it's my business. That's what I should do, isn't it?"

Li Mochen paused: "I heard the Citizen Party plans to push you to run in the South Carolina Senate special election, and you refused? That's a rare opportunity, Drew—"

"No! No! BOSS, I'm still young, just over forty. At my age, even if I go to Congress, I can't become a leading senator."

Ms. Drew interrupted Li Mochen: "As the manager of the fifth-largest media group, I can make all members of both houses beg me, easily building my network and influence. But if I were in Congress, I'd just be a small shrimp taking orders. I'd be crazy to give up my current position to run for a mere Senate seat now. I can do that when I'm sixty. Besides, I haven't even gotten the equity incentive you promised me, have I? Or are you dissatisfied with my current work and planning to replace me?"

"How could that be?"

Li Mochen smiled: "OK! If you don't want to go, that's fine. I just wanted to tell you, Ms. Drew, whatever decision you make about your future, I will give you my full support."

After hanging up the phone, Consul, sitting in the chairman's seat not far away, looked up at him: "Ms. Drew is indeed an outstanding professional manager, especially in media. This public opinion battle was brilliantly fought, preventing us from being drowned in the public's spit. Andre, you can convey my appreciation to her."

"Truly impressive."

Rote Linden also chuckled lightly: "I thought this situation would be very troublesome, that we'd have to keep a low profile for at least three to five years."

At this moment, the group was in a conference room on the ninety-eighth floor of the Wiltons Building.

Li Mochen disliked participating in Wiltons Group affairs and avoided internal meetings whenever possible. When he couldn't avoid them, he would multitask by focusing on personal cultivation and studying the 'Origin' and the 'Great Way'.

But today's meeting was about how to divide the assets left by the enemy.

This included the Howard family's 370 billion assets in the Bright World, as well as a large military fortress worth over 150 billion and numerous armed personnel in the Dark World. Additionally, the family had a great many hidden assets that needed to be sorted out one by one.

The industries directly or indirectly controlled by Philip I amounted to over 70 billion; the siblings Margaret and her brother also held nearly 30 billion in enormous wealth.

There were also several deceased demigods who had some properties in Atlanta City. Consul did not intend to keep them for the deceased and planned to seize them all together.

But now, after all, it was a society governed by law, and these assets had to be transferred to them in a 'legal' form. The methods were无非 fabricating debts, falsely reporting losses, and so on, but all were very troublesome.

Thus, even by the fifth day after the war, they had not been able to handle this matter. Fortunately, in Atlanta City, no one dared to snatch food from a tiger's mouth. Intimidated by the Wiltonstein family's formidable military force, all parties were doing their best to cooperate, so everything was going smoothly.

And if all procedures were completed, the Rising Sun Group would acquire a real estate company originally belonging to the Howard family worth 42 billion gold shields, a pharmaceutical company worth 37 billion gold shields, the 'East Coast United Bank' worth 50 billion gold shields, and 'Howard Castle,' which Li Mochen planned to rename 'Moon City.'

This city was not far from the Bloody Land, about 12,000 kilometers away, located in a low-lying area. Li Mochen planned to build a Rising Sun City in the Bloody Land, echoing Moon City from afar, and then find a way to connect these two territories in the future, making them contiguous.

In addition, there were some scattered stocks and real estate owned by Li Mochen, totaling around 20 billion gold shields.

As for the rest, most of it went to the Wiltonstein Group and Consul personally. Then the Lynden family, the Targaryen family, and Franks, among others, would also take a portion of this enormous pie according to their own contributions.

It wasn't until ten o'clock that night that a complete plan for the distribution and transfer of these assets was finalized.

Just as everyone was rising with satisfaction to leave, Franks asked with concern, "Amo, there shouldn't be any problems at Howardburg, right?"

He was referring to the private army originally belonging to the Howard family at Howardburg.

In the dark world, this family had a private army of eight field divisions, totaling 170,000 men, and over twenty legends.

Originally, with the strength of the Wiltonstein family and the Rising Sun Group, dealing with these private soldiers and legends would have been easy.

But the problem was that Li Mochen now also had to face a war with the National Association for the Advancement of Progress.

The conflict between these two sides was no longer limited to politics and media. In finance and business, they were also engaged in various forms of covert warfare.

For example, preventing Rising Sun Electronics Retail Company from acquiring new stores, disrupting the cash flow of the Wiltonstein Group, cutting off various collaborations, and so on, with an overwhelming momentum.

However, these actions of the National Progress Association were not enough to shake the foundations of the Wiltenstein family. A more intense struggle erupted between the armed forces of both sides.

At this time, the outlaws and legends of both sides were engaged in fierce firefights and slaughter across the nation.

In terms of numbers, the Wiltenstein group was undoubtedly at a disadvantage. However, they held a significant advantage in legendary-level battles.

On this side, the Void Night Lord and Li Mochen himself could perform high-speed maneuvers across the nation, and they possessed 'Banishment' and 'Dimensional Vortex,' which rendered most demigods powerless. This caused the opposing demigods to dare not easily intervene, and any gathering of more than three legends would face a powerful strike from Delfinia and Li Mochen.

The Wiltenstein family's advantage at the legendary level also trickled down, resulting in a stalemate between the two sides.

In such a state, Li Mochen still had to divert troops to occupy 'Howard Castle' and sweep away the remnants of the Howard family, which inevitably worried Franks.

Li Mochen responded with a smile: 'No problem. Mr. Benedict has agreed to my request for troops. The Benedict family will send three field divisions, plus my own four armored regiments and two reinforced mechanized infantry brigades. That should be enough to deal with a group of leaderless, demoralized people.'

'Roland Benedict? It seems I was overthinking.'

Franks chuckled: 'As long as you're confident. If you feel overwhelmed anywhere, our Teutonic Cross still has three hunting groups in Antolia, which can be recalled to Atlanta at any time.'

After he left, Li Mochen turned to Consulius: 'I noticed from the start of the meeting that you had something to say to me, didn't you?'

'It's about Margaret and her brother.'

Consulius met his gaze with a complex and obscure look: 'You're having Clark Banfield look for them, aren't you?'

'That's right.'

Li Mochen made no attempt to hide it. He nodded slightly: 'Banfield told me he's found some strong leads and will soon locate them.'

Consulius took a deep breath: 'At this moment, I don't know what to say. Andre, they are, after all, my children.'

'But they are also my enemies.'

Li Mochen's gaze was piercing, showing no sign of backing down: 'You cannot stop my revenge. It is my right.'

Consulius frowned slightly: 'Hatred doesn't have to be resolved through killing. You might consider another way. Andre, they are, after all, your blood relatives, and they pose no threat to you.'

"Impossible!"

Li Mochen sneered: "Old man, Philip is also your blood relative. Why don't you try a different approach?"

This was a bottom line he could not retreat from. The hatred of the original owner and the blood debt of Elena and her daughter had to be repaid with blood.

Consigli's gaze sharpened, and sparks seemed to fly between them as their eyes clashed.

Just then, the mobile phone Li Mochen had placed beside him rang.

Li Mochen ignored it until the phone rang a second time, then he frowned, picked it up, and pressed the answer button.

The voice coming through the receiver belonged to the sorceress, Lady Christie Blade.

"Are you free now? A-Mo?"

Lady Blade's voice carried a smile: "Our Mr. President wants to have a call with you soon to exchange views on the dispute between you and the National Progressive Association. This country can't keep descending into chaos. The war between you has caused great disruption and unease among the public."

Li Mochen raised an eyebrow, knowing that Lady Drew's public opinion campaign had taken effect.

Before this, the White House seemed to have forgotten Atlanta and shown no interest in the Wiltonshtan family.

So Li Mochen replied with a tone of utter indifference: "Free? Of course I'm free. I would be honored to speak with Mr. President. But Lady Blade, it seems you've misunderstood something? We have never been at war with the National Progressive Association, nor are we interested in them. I have always been a law-abiding businessman—yes, you may convey that to Mr. President. Also, please apologize to him on my behalf: the disaster in Atlanta was forced upon us. Yes, it was our enemies who first broke the agreement."

"A call is unavoidable, you say? Then you must guarantee that the content of our conversation has nothing to do with the National Progressive Association. Is 11 PM okay?"

After the call ended, Consigli stared at him: "I know Anthony is about to ascend to Legendary. You need to free up some strength to help him as soon as possible. But right now, we absolutely cannot make peace with the National Progressive Association. Their war potential is far greater than you imagine. Some things, if not done now, will be much harder to do later."

"I understand."

Li Mochen stood up and walked toward the door of the conference room.

The call requested by the President would naturally have to be on an encrypted line, one that ensured no one could eavesdrop. Otherwise, why go to the trouble of scheduling a time in advance?

As for Consigli's concerns, Li Mochen was also aware. The three supreme families of the National Progressive Association might find a way to counter the Sky Scepter and the Night Monarch at any time.

If he did not strike this massive organization as hard as possible now, destroying its foundations, then in future confrontations and standoffs, the Wiltonshtan family would face immense pressure.

When it came to enemies, he and Consigli shared the same style: like a storm, leaving as little room as possible.

Just as Li Mochen stepped out of the conference room, Consigli's voice, tinged with helplessness, drifted over: "Andre, you can take revenge, but I beg you, try not to harm the innocent."

Li Mochen turned back and glanced at the old man inside: "Don't worry, I know how to distinguish between grievances. My targets are only those three siblings. As for their children, as long as they don't cross my bottom line, I won't do anything to them."

But Consigli wasn't finished: "Andre, you're planning to go to the Old Continent soon to retrieve the Blood Crown, aren't you?"

"Do you have a different opinion?"

Li Mochen frowned again. He did have such a plan.

He was very much looking forward to the complete version of the 'Scarlet Dragon Armor,' and naturally wanted to obtain it as soon as possible.

Moreover, the Old Continent's Church of Light was filled with powerful figures. Li Mochen believed that the longer this matter dragged on, the more variables would arise. If the Medici family grew uneasy and simply destroyed the Blood Crown or threw it into the Dark World, the Abyss, or some such place, they could prevent him from obtaining this divine artifact.

"The original prototype of the Blood Crown was a crown forged for Spartacus by the many slaves under his command, called the 'Crown of Equality.' Its core ability is the divine power of 'Equality.' Thus, even those angel kings with the status of 'Supreme Gods' are equal before the Scarlet Dragon Armor."

Consigli spoke calmly: "Then, when Spartacus died, the gods of the Roman Empire tried to force him to submit. But Spartacus never bowed his head to them, even in death. His unyielding will remained within the 'Crown of Equality,' granting this mythical artifact not only the divine powers of 'Indomitability' and 'Escape,' but also the traits of being indestructible, insubordinate, unconfineable, and unsealable. Thus, the Roman Church spent a thousand years trying to destroy it but failed, and finally let it be after the Hohenstaufen family declined. Moreover, the reason the Hohenstaufen family could use the 'Crown of Equality' was that one of our ancestors concealed the whereabouts of Spartacus's only daughter and erased all traces of her."

Li Mochen's eyes lit up, and then he strode out the door.

He had always been guessing what abilities the 'Blood Crown' possessed, but even after searching through all the magical historical records he could access, he found no detailed account of the 'Scarlet Dragon Armor,' nor any specifics about the wars between the Hohenstaufen emperors and the angel kings of the Church of Light.

But if it was the divine power of the concept of 'Equality,' he could understand. That explained how the Hohenstaufen kings could contend with the Church during its most powerful era.

Li Mochen also understood the meaning behind Consigli's words: the timing for obtaining the 'Blood Crown' was not necessarily the sooner the better.

The 'Scarlet Dragon Armor' could grant him power on par with the angel kings, but it could not grant him the knowledge and ability to wield that power.

If fighting with equal power, those angel kings would surely crush him as he was now.