Chapter 622 Authority

"Regarding that special message accusing the Sun Group of interfering in local government affairs, it was not my own opinion."

The President spread his hands with exceptional helplessness: "Ms. Drew, you were once a White House reporter. You should know that although I am the president, the nominal head of state, I am often not my own master."

Nanette Drew's expression softened slightly: "I myself can understand your difficulties, but Mr. Wicks, I also hope you can correct the previous mistake and salvage the situation. You have that intention, right?"

"Of course!"

The elderly man seated behind the desk answered without hesitation: "In fact, just before you arrived, I had already withdrawn that special message. Later, I will also express my own opinion on national media platforms."

"But that alone is far from enough, Daniel. We must prevent such situations from recurring in the future."

Nanette Drew not only adopted a more intimate tone but also smiled: "As everyone knows, many in America now believe that certain members of your cabinet are incompetent. For the welfare of the public and for your re-election, shouldn't you consider adjusting the cabinet positions?"

She placed an A4 sheet listing many names and positions before the old man. He hesitated briefly, somewhat displeased, but ultimately took the document in hand.

Then the President's expression relaxed slightly—the names and positions on it were far fewer than he had anticipated. Then his gaze sharpened again, wondering: Was the Lord of Fate's style more restrained than he had imagined? Or had many in his cabinet already sided with the Lord of Fate without his knowledge?

"My team and I will consider it! I think you will know the result within three days at most."

The President did not give a definitive reply, but in Nanette Drew's presence, he carefully placed the paper to his right side.

Nanette Drew nodded in satisfaction and then brought up another matter: "I heard that Ms. Christie Brad and Mr. Torre de Oro have been stripped of their positions as National Sorcerers and Standing Council Members of the Magic Association, correct?"

"That is true."

A look of wariness appeared in the President's eyes, and he smiled bitterly: "Nanette, regarding this matter, I am helpless. Although the power to appoint National Sorcerers nominally rests with me, in fact, it ultimately depends on Her Highness the Goddess—"

"I certainly do not intend to meddle in this matter. After all, it is divine power provided by the Goddess; she naturally has the right to decide who uses it."

Nanette interrupted him: "But Mr. President, don't you think that having only eight Sorcerers in this country is far too few? It is insufficient for the nation to cope with the coming changes. Regarding World Three and the gods, you must be aware of the situation, right?"

The President was startled, then thoughtful: "What do you mean?"

"I believe we can consider increasing the number of National Sorcerers as appropriate, and also add some seats for National Great Warriors."

Nanette's lips curled slightly: "My Lord is benevolent to the people and wishes this mortal world to be guided by order. He has already consulted with the gods, including Her Highness Diana, the Goddess of Magic, and the Goddess of the Ocean, and can provide a total of twenty-two Sorcerers and fifteen National Great Warriors with virtual divine personas for America. You and the Congress will nominate candidates, and the gods will make the final decision."

At this moment, not only the President but also his Chief of Staff was stunned, their faces filled with shock.

"My God, this is truly the greatest blessing since I took office. If that is the case, I can think of no reason to refuse. This is undoubtedly a good thing. I will discuss it with my colleagues and our party's congressmen. No! I will push this forward with all my might!"

When he said the last sentence, the current President's excitement was beyond measure.

"Good, I also hope this country can quickly gain stronger power to protect its people."

Nanette then smiled: "Then, given the change in the number of Sorcerers and Great Warriors, shouldn't the composition of the Council and Presidium of the New Continent Magic Association and the Combat Professionals Association also be adjusted accordingly?"

"Of course, that is a very reasonable proposal."

Daniel Wicks answered without hesitation: "If the number of National Sorcerers increases to thirty, the nation must consider maintaining a balance of power in the New Continent Magic Association."

Then his expression shifted slightly: "If the matter of National Sorcerers can be successfully concluded, I believe the nation should build a statue of the Lord of Fate in Manhattan, to thank Him for His contributions and protection to this country. It should be at least five hundred meters tall; we must let the whole world see it."

...

Meanwhile, in a manor in Houston, Texas, Eddie Adams's breathing had nearly stopped.

Li Tailai, clad in a set of 'Divine Knight' armor, stood before him, hands behind his back, gazing at the glass curtain wall: "Beautiful scenery, isn't it? They say the Adams family manor is the largest, most luxurious, most beautiful, and oldest of all the Supreme families. Your family rose and grew with this nation, the most loyal supporters of the Goddess of Liberty, and Her Highness has given you generous rewards over the years."

Eddie Adams's heart turned cold. He knew that the following conversation would determine the life or death of the Adams family.

For by now, he knew that an entire company of Storm Warriors had entered the Adams manor. Their mythic-level magic arrays were rendered useless under the simultaneous attack of five Sorcerers.

"No! In fact, the Adams family has contributed far more to that goddess. America's strength stems more from the contributions of its people and the gods. Her greatest service to us was stirring up strife in the Old World, keeping the Church of Light too preoccupied to focus on America. But she is also stingy—"

Eddie Adams, pale and flustered, nevertheless spoke the next words without hesitation: "Among the gods, the Goddess of Liberty is second only to the Radiant Sovereign in stinginess. Over these seven hundred years, our family has been pushed to the brink of destruction seven times by this goddess, even twice withdrawing from the Supreme Sequence, and two of our 'ancestors' who ascended to godhood died because of her. So I believe that even if she had any grace toward the Adams family, it has long been repaid. The only reason we still obey her commands now is her accumulated authority and power. Before the Battle of the Coral Sea, I ask, who in this country dared to defy her will?"

"Well said."

Li Tailai smiled involuntarily: "So you mean the Adams family is willing to switch allegiances? Yet among the gods now supporting His Majesty, I see no trace of the three deities of the Adams family."

Eddie Adams gritted his teeth: "They are merely bound by contracts with Her Highness the goddess, but that is not a problem. Mr. Li, please grant our Adams family five days—no, three days! Within three days, they will surely arrive in person at the Land of Fate to pledge loyalty to the great Lord of Gods!"

As he spoke these words, Eddie Adams heard a female snort of anger from the void. Blood seeped from his ears, mouth, and nose, and his breath wavered, nearly collapsing. Yet he still held on, his voice even more resolute: "The Adams family will also handle the lawsuits regarding the monopoly of Rising Sun Group and Light Demon Group, and eliminate all subsequent repercussions in the shortest possible time."

Li Tailai seemed not to notice Eddie Adams' distress; he still gazed out the window.

"—Beyond that, the current governor and state inspector of Texas are both incompetent. You must find a way to drive them out. Can you do it within a month? Forced resignation, impeachment—any means will do. You must also tear down all statues of the Goddess of Liberty within Texas and expel the Church of the Goddess of Liberty."

His voice was cold as ice, brooking no refusal: "We cannot yet touch the northern states of America, but on the southern coast, our Lord will not permit even a trace of the Goddess of Liberty's power to exist. Eddie, my Lord is unwilling to use violent means to purge the old forces of this country. But if you still intend to follow that goddess, or think to remain neutral, my Lord would not mind using a Supreme Family to make an example."

At this moment, Li Tailai's own eyes were somewhat dazed.

He thought back to ten years ago, when he had answered his young master's summons to come to America to serve him—never had he imagined that one day he would be ordering about the patriarch of an American Supreme Family, treating him like dirt.

After Li Tailai left the spacious and grand reception room, an old man radiating divine power appeared behind Eddie Adams. He sighed, pale-faced: "This Lord's style is, as always, domineering and overbearing."

"But effective, isn't it? In Eastern terms, it's 'those who obey prosper, those who defy perish.' If not for our current situation and position, I might even admire his methods and power—only such can, in the shortest time, strike down the goddess's influence and power in this country."

Eddie Adams also smiled bitterly: "The Adams family has no choice, but this way, all three of you will pay a heavy price."

Breaking the contract with the Goddess of Liberty would naturally affect them, though it was not one with strong binding force.

"Still better than death."

The old man, however, was quite philosophical: "Do you know? The Saint Laurent family has been annihilated. Just now, within twelve minutes, seventy percent of the family members died in an instant. Their 'Guardian God of Police,' Deora Saint Laurent, was also attacked in her divine kingdom by the 'Battle Angel' Robert Yvonne and slain."

Eddie Adams' pupils instantly contracted to pinpoints. That was the Supreme Family of New Mexico, the weakest among America's fifteen Supreme Families, yet it had been passed down on this land for four hundred years.

"Did that goddess just sit by and do nothing?"

"She made no move. The 'Longinus Holy Spear' of the Lord of Fate has been locking onto her divine kingdom. As you know, more than half of the gods under this King of Gods are eager to join the war against the Goddess of Liberty; over the years, they have all been more or less constrained by 'Strife' and 'Liberty.' To go to war with the Lord of Fate now is not a good choice. Of course, this is also related to the Lord of Fate being very restrained, not extending his hand further north—except for Manhattan and Pittsburgh."

The old man shook his head: "So after today, I think most people in America should see the situation clearly."

…

Five days after the Battle of the Coral Sea, Li Mochen had acquired two new divine offices: 'King of Gods' and 'Protector of the Mortal World.'

The former arose from the acclamation of the gods, the latter from the 'enfeoffment' by the governments of Australia and America. Two days earlier, the parliaments of both countries had passed corresponding resolutions, recognizing the 'Lord of Fate' as the protector of their 'governments' and 'peoples,' and as the guardian of mortal order.

Thus, neither consumed Li Mochen's divinity, and he was able to grasp the elementary 'King of Gods' authority, then elevate the intermediate 'Protection' and 'Guardianship' divine powers to 'high.'

The latter two need no further explanation, but the former allowed him, when facing gods who had sworn fealty or lesser deities, to suppress their divinity and exert combat power beyond his own strength.

The mythical armament 'Chain of Heaven,' forged by the ancient Babylonian king of gods, goddess of agriculture, war, and Venus, Ishtar, was created from this. The reason this high-level mythical armament instilled fear in the gods was that the 'Chain of Heaven' symbolized Ishtar's authority as king of gods, capable of suppressing the divinity of most deities. And divine powers like 'Suppression' and 'Punishment' also had additional enhancement effects against the gods.

Unfortunately, the gods' reverence for him was limited, and Li Mochen lacked control over them; for now, he could only condense an elementary 'King of Gods' authority, temporarily unable to elevate it further.

However, with this aid, Li Mochen's 'Six Yao Immortal Swords' from the Primordial Dome Realm, and the 'Six Harmonies Imperial Immortal Formation' derived from them, could now exert 120% of their power.

Of course, relative to his current level, even after enhancement, this set of immortal swords was still somewhat weak. But the sword formation could still evolve and improve, and the 'Six Yao Immortal Swords' themselves could be further strengthened.

Furthermore, Li Mochen had further derived the ultimate-level 'Soul Dominion,' i.e., the divine power of 'Soul Master.' Previously, he had suppressed the 'ghosts and gods,' including numerous demigod angels, by relying on his own powerful soul and the dharma images of several emperors. Now, after being acclaimed as king of gods, Li Mochen had gathered this great power into himself.

At this moment, even Angela, the mistress of the underworld, possessed only an elementary 'Soul Master.'

The 'King of Gods'' suppression of divinity was itself a power surpassing 'Soul Master.' Thus, despite his extremely limited understanding of souls, Li Mochen had still acquired the ultimate 'Soul Master,' enabling him to suppress all 'ghosts and gods' in this world with mere divine thought.