Chapter 1444: The Only Faith!
Yang Haoran had gathered his trusted subordinates today with the intention of resolving this very matter. Now that Old Master Wu had proactively brought it up, it perfectly aligned with his intentions.
"Haha, most of you present, like me, were once members of the Underworld Office and worshipped the Death God of the Underworld Office. Now that I, Yang Haoran, have defected from the Underworld Office, and since you are willing to follow me, I trust you have no complaints about this change in allegiance. However, I wonder if your faith in the Death God remains unchanged?"
After Old Master Wu's words fell, Yang Haoran pondered for a moment, then addressed his trusted subordinates present.
None of the high-ranking members of the Flock of Demons Society or the Medicine God Society spoke, as they had never truly worshipped any deities. Their outward declaration of faith in the Death God was merely to make things easier for their boss, Yang Haoran, to prevent their adversaries from seizing upon it as a weakness to frame them. In truth, they did not genuinely believe in the Death God, nor had Yang Haoran ever forced them to worship him.
However, the situation was different for those present who, like Yang Haoran, were once part of the Underworld Office. As former members of the Underworld Office, they had genuinely worshipped the Death God. Yet, like the high-ranking members of the Flock of Demons Society and the Medicine God Society, none of them spoke. Even Lu Wu, known for his stubbornness, remained silent.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Yang Haoran's smile remained unchanged. He fixed his gaze on Lu Wu, then said with a faint smile.
"Lu Wu, I remember you once being extremely devout towards the Death God. I'd like to hear your thoughts now."
Lu Wu secretly groaned inwardly. He hadn't expected Yang Haoran to pick on him first. While he was stubborn, it didn't mean his stubborn head lacked a brain.
"Well. . . haha, that. . . that is to say, this subordinate was indeed a devout believer in the Death God, but that was when this subordinate was still alive. After this subordinate died and became a ghost, an existence intolerable to the Underworld Office, my faith in the Death God gradually faded. By now, this subordinate no longer has any faith in the Death God."
"Haha, your transformation into a ghost cannot be blamed on the Underworld Office. If blame is to be assigned, it can only be on me. Not just you, Lu Wu, but also Old Master Wu and Zhu Rong. If I had reported your sacrifices at the time, and then used some connections and methods, it wouldn't have been entirely impossible for you to become Ghost Officials in the Underworld. It was my decision to keep you by my side that led to your becoming ghosts."
At this point, Yang Haoran's voice paused slightly. He let out a soft sigh, then continued.
"Alas, you are all trusted subordinates I personally cultivated, each with your own strengths. I am very satisfied with you and trust you implicitly. To hand you over to others, honestly, I, Yang Haoran, truly couldn't do it. Furthermore, because you are my trusted subordinates, even if I found a way for you to become Ghost Officials in the Underworld, it would likely be difficult for you to be given significant responsibilities."
As Yang Haoran's words fell, Old Master Wu immediately bowed and spoke.
"Initially, we all willingly chose to stay by the boss's side. It was not a forced decision by the boss. The boss has no need to blame himself for this."
As Old Master Wu's words fell, Zhu Rong and Lu Wu quickly chimed in their agreement.
"Old Master Wu is right! We all willingly followed the boss; there was no coercion involved. After we died in battle, we lost all our strength and became ordinary ghosts. The boss did not disdain us; we were already immensely grateful for that alone. Afterward, the boss even expended a vast amount of resources to allow us to advance to Ghost Kings and possess Ghost King bodies in a short period. We will never forget this kindness for the rest of our lives."
"Exactly, exactly! The Lord Emissary's immense benevolence towards us, we will never forget for eternity! To encounter such an enlightened master as the Lord Emissary is our great fortune! I, Lu Wu, will naturally follow you to my death!"
Hearing this, the smile on Yang Haoran's face deepened considerably.
"Haha, hearing your words, I am greatly comforted. It shows that I, Yang Haoran, did not misjudge you, and that I did not waste the immense investment I made in you. Whether or not you still believe in the Death God now is unimportant. What matters is that from this moment forward, I do not wish for you to harbor even the slightest faith in the Death God. Because no matter how much you believe in him, it will not bring even a speck of positive change to your lives. I hope that from now on, you will only believe in one person, and that person is me, Yang Haoran."
At this point, Yang Haoran shifted his gaze from Old Master Wu and the other two, sweeping over all his trusted subordinates present, then continued to speak.
"It's not just them; it's the same for all of you. Every single one of you present is my trusted subordinate. If even you cannot achieve this, then how can I demand it of others? Can you do it?"
Not everyone present fully grasped the meaning of Yang Haoran's words, but everyone collectively gave a firm affirmative reply.
"We can! ! !"
At the clear and resounding reply from everyone, Yang Haoran nodded with a smile, appearing quite satisfied with their answer. He then turned his gaze towards Old Master Wu.
"This matter of faith—some people have none at all, while for others it's deeply ingrained. For the former, I hope they gain faith; for the latter, I hope they change their faith. Old Master Wu, I entrust this matter to you. I will give you ample time, but you must handle this matter well."
Old Master Wu, of course, understood what Yang Haoran meant by these words, because Yang Haoran had just made himself very clear.
"Boss, rest assured, this subordinate will certainly handle this matter properly, until the boss is satisfied."
Having received Old Master Wu's assurance, Yang Haoran said no more, but instead turned his gaze to Zhu Rong.
"Zhu Rong, the construction of Half-Moon Island, the establishment of various departments, and the deployment and appointment of personnel—I entrust all these matters to your full responsibility. I want you to transform Half-Moon Island into a prosperous island nation in the shortest possible time!"
Yang Haoran entrusted all these tasks entirely to Zhu Rong because Zhu Rong possessed extensive experience in these areas. Whether in Lecheng or other cities in the Ninth District, Zhu Rong had demonstrated astonishing talent in these aspects, surpassing any of his other trusted subordinates. Even Old Master Wu couldn't compare. Thus, he made this decision.
"This subordinate obeys your command! This subordinate will only need one year to transform Half-Moon Island into a prosperous and flourishing island nation!"
Yang Haoran had not specified a deadline for Zhu Rong to complete this task, but Zhu Rong herself added a completion timeframe. Yang Haoran nodded with a smile. He didn't believe Zhu Rong was bragging to him. The reason was simple: while construction of buildings indeed required considerable time for ordinary people, for non-ordinary individuals, the time consumed would be reduced exponentially.
As for the establishment and operation of various departments, he had brought all members of the Ninth District to Half-Moon Island. The former departments still existed, and the personnel were no exception. Thus, there was no need to spend time selecting new suitable candidates. Only the creation of new departments would require a little time, but this time wouldn't be extensive.
Based on these two points, and Yang Haoran's understanding of Zhu Rong's abilities and character, he didn't believe Zhu Rong was bragging to him.
"Good, I will give you one year. I hope you won't disappoint me then."
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile, then looked towards the location of the Flock of Demons Society's high-ranking members. Leading them, naturally, was President Bai Xue, and his gaze naturally fell upon Bai Xue.
"Bai Xue, for now, I'm entrusting the security of Half-Moon Island to your Flock of Demons Society. Any issues with that?"
Yang Haoran asked with a smile, while Bai Xue responded with a smile, without even a moment's thought.
"No problem, Big Brother Underworld Official, you can rest assured!"
Bai Xue's injuries had significantly healed, and her mood had greatly improved since arriving at Half-Moon Island. Thus, she reverted to her usual demeanor, every frown and smile exuding an extreme allure.
Everyone present had known Bai Xue for more than just a day or two, and had, to varying degrees, developed a certain resistance to the extreme allure she exuded. Thus, no one made a fool of themselves in this setting.
Yang Haoran nodded with a smile, treating Bai Xue's charming allure as if it were nothing. Immediately afterward, he turned his gaze to Lu Wu.
"Lu Wu, you will be responsible for the food supply for all personnel. Half-Moon Island has abundant wild beasts, and countless varieties of ingredients in the sea. I believe this task won't be difficult for you."
"This subordinate obeys!"
Comments