Anime: Fight Sukuna at the beginning?.

Chapter 243: The Source of Power and the Chaotic "Preparation"

After spending several minutes checking the effects of the skills and whetting the female general's appetite, Fang Yi finally stopped "thinking" and began to answer the female general's questions.

As the smile on the man's face faded, a strange tone of voice rang out in the hall.

"Before you gain power, you must first understand what power is, my general.

“Of course, I won’t use tens of thousands of words to define and explain power like those scholars and thinkers.

"Instead, I will demonstrate to you, through clear and concise actions, what I believe the nature of power is."

The female general looked at Fang Yi with increasing anticipation.

After several minutes of "laying", the female general was more interested than ever in the method of breaking the deadlock that the man mentioned.

She was also looking forward to what kind of power plan this man, who held a special position in her heart and with whom she felt she could compromise for the first time, would bring to her.

However, the man's next words made her feel very confused.

"Now, General, listen carefully to what I say.

"The fireplace is running low on fuel. I'd like to add some more wood."

Hearing the words that the man deliberately emphasized, the female general was a little confused at first. Before she began to think and chew on what "want" and "add a piece of firewood" implied.

Under the female general's astonished gaze, the man walked slowly towards the fireplace, picked up a piece of wood and threw it into the flickering fire.

After doing all this, the man clapped his hands and began to explain his definition of power.

"I had the will to add a piece of wood, and then I achieved the goal of adding a piece of wood to the fireplace, so you should agree that I have the right to add fuel to the fireplace.

"And because I can add wood, I have the power to add fuel to the fireplace.

"The proof that I possess this power is that I exercised my will and achieved my goal by driving my body."

The female general tilted her head, not quite understanding what she was saying.

She even had some doubts in her mind, what did the man's mention of adding firewood have to do with her own power?
But the man's next words made her instantly realize how to touch power.

"Now, General, please add a piece of wood to the fireplace.

"You can add as many sticks as you like, but if you want to continue this conversation with me, you should only add one stick."

The female general stood up and walked to the firewood stacked next to the fireplace. She picked up a piece of firewood and threw it into the fireplace with doubt. Then she turned her head to look at the man sitting on the sofa, as if expecting the man to give his answer.

As fuel was added, the flames in the fireplace became erratic, causing the handsome face of the man in the female general's eyes to flicker.

The next second, she saw the man's lips moving and he uttered words she had never expected.

"That's what I meant by my power to fuel the fireplace, General.

"Once again, I exercised my will and achieved my goal by driving my 'body'.

"Now, do you understand where power comes from?"
-
Esdeath slowly returned to the man's side and fell silent as she looked at his face, which was no longer serious and had a smile on its lips.

After a while, she thought about the composition and daily behavior of the [Minister]'s subordinates, and told him the answer he wanted to say.

“The essence of power is that I can do whatever I want.

"And if I want to have power, I need to acquire the 'ability' to exercise my will.

"This 'ability' can be the strength of my body, or it can be the people who follow and carry out my orders.

"At the same time, no matter what motivates these people, whether it's money, status, or personal charisma, as long as they can carry out my will, they can be considered my 'body'."

Fang Yi nodded approvingly.

It was obvious that the female general was quite smart and her remarks were not in vain.

In Fang Yi's eyes, the now "softened" female general has become worthy of being a collaborator.

He was also happy to start dissecting the power structure of the [Minister] for the female general, and then tell her how to gain more power.

Therefore, he took the initiative to impart more knowledge to the female general.

“Take [the minister] as an example. He often exercises three kinds of power: legal power, reward power, and coercive power.

"His position and status within the empire granted to him by the emperor were the legitimate powers granted to him within the framework of the empire.

"Those who expect to gain benefits from him and therefore enter the [ministerial camp] to obey his orders, this is the power that comes with his reward.

"Through the violence wielded by the [Ministerial Camp], this is the power he can enforce."

After listening to Fang Yi's analysis, the female general recalled the cards she had in her hand, and the excitement and excitement on her face just now suddenly disappeared.

He couldn't help but feel depressed, and his tone became negative.

"I finally understand the danger you're talking about. I'm a general, but I don't actually have any rewards to offer.

“If I were to turn against them directly, my violence wouldn’t be enough to fight against the entire [Ministerial Camp].

"The legal power obtained through the Hunters also comes from the Ministers and Budd. As long as they disband the organization.
"Wait, as long as the [Imperial Equipment Users] are willing to listen to me, their disbanding of the [Hunters] will only affect..."

Looking at the man's face, the female general told him the next step she should take.

"As long as I take this opportunity to win over enough powerful Imperial Weapon Users who are willing to obey my orders, I will possess a violence that no one can ignore.

“Only in the next incident will there be room for maneuver.

"So, gaining the support of the Imperial Armament Users cannot wait until the meaningless Martial Arts Tournament is over, but must be done as soon as possible.

"Once I have recovered my fighting strength tomorrow, I will first have to select four [Imperial Tool Users] of my own free will, in addition to the two sent by the [Minister]. So..."

The female general looked at Fang Yi expectantly.

Fang Yi also gave the answer that the female general wanted.

"I believe you should have a list of [Imperial Tool Users] that can be recruited. I will help you select four suitable [Imperial Tool Users] and teach you how to win them over.

"However, after this, if you still want my help, you'll have to pay for knowledge or exchange it again, General."

The female general nodded, indicating that she agreed with Fang Yi's words.

Obviously, after feeding and communicating with her, she has found a way to get along with Fang Yi.

Afterwards, the female general began to tell Fang Yi the list of [Imperial Equipment Envoys] one by one, and Fang Yi also heard a few familiar names.
-
A few minutes later, the female general discussed the selection of the [Imperial Tool User] with Fang Yi on the sofa.

The female general first narrowed the distance between the two men by discussing the list without leaving any trace, and then naturally handed a piece of paper to the man and explained her point of view.

"[Will] is a really good guy, but we definitely can't get him. This young man is backed by a big shot in the navy, and he has already been picked up by Bud.

"But I don't understand why you chose [Kurotō]. This little girl is quite capable, but she's said to be mentally unstable. I think we need to reconsider." [Because she's Akatomi's younger sister, I promised her sister I would rescue her from the Empire's clutches.]

Although he knew the answer, Fang Yi had a different explanation.

"But, General, you should understand one thing—aside from the men assigned to the Hunters by the Minister, the rest of the men available for you to choose from are basically what's left after Bud picked his own team.

"They all have flaws, to some degree, like the mentally unstable [Black Eyes] and the unusual skin color and attire of [Kohler]. Otherwise, it wouldn't be your turn to choose them, General.

"Besides, her strength is not weak. That's enough. I will handle other problems."

After taking another look at the other idiots on the list, the female general quickly accepted Fang Yi's suggestion.

Just as she glanced at Kohler's name, the female general added another sentence.

"That [Kohler] of the Imperial Incineration Corps not only has a different skin color than normal people and possesses an [Imperial Gear] obtained from a deceased comrade, he also has negative rumors about him.

“Some people suspected he might be into witchcraft.

"The new recruit in the Imperial Army who had a conflict with him was inexplicably dismembered and tragically killed in a large bunk bed in the barracks the next day, but the people sleeping around him didn't notice anything unusual.

"I'm not afraid of transferring him to the team, but you must be careful when interacting with him. Remember to diligently practice the visualization method I taught you. It can resist the curse."

*
Fang Yi took a look at the skill "Eye for an Eye" that he had obtained from the "Tomb Guardian" camp store, and at the same time recalled the several secret techniques mentioned by the robber in the exchange store.

After thinking for a few seconds, he came up with an idea to win over this black man who he had met before the mission started and who also held the identity of "Tomb Guardian".

[The Minister's collection can be used to win over this Reincarnator who is likely targeting curse enhancement. I also need some information about Reincarnators from the Lord God.]

[Also, if he really knows witchcraft, that's a good thing. I'm not going to participate in this [Martial Arts Tournament] honestly.]

Fang Yi, who decided to use some unconventional tactics, made a promise to the female general, "I can handle this, too. Just pick it up."

After selecting two [Imperial Equipment Users], the female general looked at the list again and wanted to continue her "gold panning in shit".

Unexpectedly, Fang Yi shook his head and gave his opinion.

"General, besides these two Imperial Weapon Users, you only have two free-choice Hunters available, so it's best not to force it.

"It's not too late to make a decision after seeing what other talented people are left at the [Martial Arts Tournament]. Reserving the quota will allow for flexibility.

"Don't worry about the fighting force. We still have Lan and Izo sent by the Minister. We can let them handle any troublesome matters."

The female general hesitated for a moment, but still chose to follow Fang Yi's advice.

After completing the preliminary selection of the list, the two people suddenly seemed to have lost the topic and stared at the flames in the fireplace in a daze.

After a few seconds, the female general racked her brains and found another topic.

“That [Martial Arts Tournament] previously made me promise to train you and improve your strength in preparation for ‘defeating’ me.

“However, because of that [binding] you just did, I’m afraid we’ll have to waste a whole day.

"be mine"

Fang Yi raised his finger to his lips, made a gesture of silence to the female general, and then spoke to her.

"'A blessing in disguise', didn't this experience of [binding] save us a lot of effort and quickly 'break the ice' in our relationship?
“Compared to the improvement of strength, I think this is more valuable.

"Besides, in a busy life, sometimes it's not a bad thing to choose a day to pause and rest, right?

"Now it's time to rest and recuperate by the fireplace. General, please leave your apology until tomorrow."

The female general nodded vigorously, and deliberately moved closer to Fang Yi, leaving Fang Yi with three consecutive words of quality without giving him a chance to refute.

"I'm a little cold, so I need to get closer to the fireplace. I might squeeze you, but you don't mind, do you?
“If you don’t mind, I will [visualize] the restoration of my spirit.

"Then see you tomorrow."

Fang Yi smiled and began to study the newly emerged main task.

Just after midnight, the system sent such a reminder.

[The number of reincarnations entering the Imperial Capital has reached a certain level, meeting the conditions for advancing to the next stage of the mission. The main mission has been updated.]

Because of the initial camp, the mission in the reincarnation space is an expected mission on the revolutionary army side.

[Optional Main Quest: Assassinate the Imperial Talents participating in the [Martial Arts Tournament], any method is available]

[Mission requirements and details will be unlocked in three days]

And after there was no movement in the main god space except for the announcement of the [Worship of the Evil] series of tasks, the main task was finally announced.

『Optional main quest: Survive the [Martial Arts Tournament] and get a ranking, any method is allowed』

『Mission requirements and details will be unlocked in three days』

Obviously, the "no limit on methods" hint given by both sides' space basically announced that this [Martial Arts Competition] would definitely be a chaotic dance of demons, with all kinds of shady tricks being used.

However, Fang Yi glanced at the female general beside him, and thought about the Minister's promise and tactics.

He thought it shouldn't be a big problem.

Now I should just focus on recuperating and [visualizing], and at the same time improve the female general's favorability.

He squeezed in the direction of the female general and began to [visualize].
-
At the same time, after receiving the task prompt, Kohler, who was in the military camp, opened his eyes.

The black man touched the evil dagger on his body and began to think about how to use this dagger to obtain the maximum benefit through the dual-camp main mission accidentally triggered by his talent.

[Witchcraft can eliminate my competitors and help me get a better ranking.]

[The information of the reincarnators on the main god's side can also be sold to people in the reincarnation space. In this way, the props obtained by the reincarnators in the two spaces of the world are universal.]

[But how do I find this middleman? ]

Black people are thinking about how to earn more rewards through main quests and their own talents.

*
At the same time, Ma Han looked at the [Number of failures remaining: 1] in [Professional Mission I: Alchemist's Trial] on his panel and felt a little worried.

He was very clear about one thing.

After being secretly tripped up by someone, failing to transform the [Imperial Apparatus] [Shangri-La], losing the trust of the [Minister], and no longer being entrusted with the task of transforming the [Imperial Apparatus], he was almost at his wit's end.

He must find a way to gain the trust of high-ranking figures or reincarnations in the [Martial Arts Tournament].

You will get a quota from him for an empire that promises to provide dangerous materials to high-ranking people and entrusts craftsmen to create an [Imperial Tool]. You will have to create an [Imperial Tool] with your own hands to complete your professional mission.

(End of this chapter)