Chapter 50 Chapter Forty-Nine

"Wait!" Xiao S yelled, "Is the battle in the arena fair?" "Of course the arena is fair," replied the enforcer. "Then is the fight voluntary?" Xiao S continued to ask. "Fighting represents the highest honor, and of course it is voluntary." The enforcer replied. "Then if I refuse to fight, you can't kill me in the arena." Little S immediately came to his conclusion. The enforcer was silent for a second.Then he said: "But I can still pronounce your death directly here." "What is my crime? Refusal to fight? Or challenge authority?"

The law enforcers fell silent again. "Slaves can be executed directly in the arena." Another enforcer said coldly. "Slaves? Those low-level elves that you hunted illegally?" Little S whistled, "I think this is probably not allowed under your strict and fair laws, right?" "The law of the jungle is the way to survive!" "Of course, of course, I very much agree." Little S nodded hastily, "I just want to know, will you also be here, this sacred and solemn committee court, to publicly try these slaves?" "Of course not! They're just slaves!"

"That's great." Little S clapped his hands in satisfaction, and the crisp applause echoed in the silent hall, "Thank you all, this is exactly the answer I want." I was stunned to see him standing here and talking, and with a few words, he wrapped the other party into my own trap.I admit I underestimated him.I can hardly remember that he was actually that smart.He has always been so used to looking for any slight flaws as evidence for debate, so his report grades will always be A. He easily used the other party's laws to build a "safe zone" for us that could not have existed.According to the logic he has now reached with the other party, since we can stand here and accept the trial, it means that we are no longer slaves and must be treated as free people.And according to the supreme law of the merfolk, if we don't want to enter the arena, then no one can force us to fight again.

Thinking of this, I can hardly help but cheer for him. There was a familiar buzzing overhead again, the water was violently turbulent, and the enforcers fell into an argument. Emily gave Xiao S a warm hug.I turned to look at D, but he just shrugged.But Cetus still stared silently at the ground beneath his feet.I was tempted to ask him if he could hear the Inquisitors, but then we heard a voice at the same time.The voice heard in the arena. The queen who had been watching silently spoke suddenly. "Since the committee cannot reach a consensus," she told us, "as is customary, I must join the ruling."

Setus looked up.He stared at the queen with a complicated look, but the other party just glanced at him and looked away.She stood up from the throne, looked up at the twelve high vaulted windows in the hall, and stretched out her arms in an inviting gesture. "You already know my opinion." She said frankly, "Now it's your turn." I don't understand what she means.I looked at D questioningly. "There are twelve members of the committee." D whispered to me, "Including the queen, there are thirteen members." "so what?" "They will vote." Little S joined the conversation, "This method is the oldest and most effective."

"We already know that the queen is on our side." D nodded and said, "So out of twelve people, we only need to get six votes." "Half to half, our chances of winning are already great." Little S added. "But what if we don't get six votes?" Emily also came over, asking nervously in a low voice. "I don't know either." D shrugged.He wanted to pretend to be indifferent on purpose, but for the first time there was a moment of seriousness in his expression.My heart sank.This is not a good omen. From the time we entered "The Kingdom Under the Waves" he was full of confidence.Maybe it's because he knows that mermaids are a fair and upright race, and they will obey their words.But precisely because they walk the talk, if we are indeed pronounced dead, nothing will turn for the better in the future.

There are only two options here, black and white.Heaven and hell.life and death.You can only choose one of the two. Fortunately, the results came out quickly. Six to six votes. Just as Emily was about to cheer, Little S immediately held her down, "We only got five votes from the committee." He said, "Because the Queen just voted." So who hasn't cast yet?I turned around in amazement, followed everyone's eyes to the gate, and looked at the silent statue standing in the vaulted window directly above the gate. He, too, was tangled in weeds like all the others, and the ends of his gray robes grew with marble.But the vaulted window behind him is relatively "clean", the moss on the folds of his clothes is not so thick, and the color is not so dark, and he is the youngest of the twelve.

But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a say.It can be seen from the Queen's attitude that the power of the Council of Twelve is quite equal.But during the entire trial process, even during the buzzing discussions among the crowd, he never said a word from the beginning to the end. He is looking at D.In fact, from the moment we entered the cella, his eyes never left him for a moment. "Honor Your Excellency Theodore." The queen raised her head and said to the other party in a respectful tone, "What is your opinion?" The silent enforcer did not answer.He frowned, his lips parted slightly, and every wrinkle on that unseasoned face was full of surprise.

"Your Excellency Theodore?" the Queen raised her voice. The law enforcement officer was slightly taken aback.His expression quickly returned to normal.But his eyes still did not leave D. "Sorry, I was distracted." He bowed slightly in the direction of the Queen, and spoke in a distant and clear voice.His tone seemed to be stable, but the water waves above his head violently turbulent at that moment.I don't know if this represents his unknown heart. "You remind me of a person." His eyes looked at D, and he said as if no one else was there, "Five hundred years, or six hundred years ago, when I was not a law enforcement officer here, I met 'outside' a friend."

"He must have impressed you very much." D replied calmly. "Yes." Law Enforcer Theodore nodded, "He saved my life." "Hundreds of years have passed, don't you think they are the same person?" A law enforcement officer nearby sneered disapprovingly. "Of course not." Theodore still stared at D, "because I have already buried him with my own hands." "I'm sorry." D lowered his eyes. "We were not born 'enforcers'." Theodore, still looking in our direction, explained to us, "Many years ago, I was just an ordinary water elf. But for us, fighting Your honor is above all else. As long as you make military exploits, you will be promoted."

"So you must have done a lot of credit." D said to him. "It's just luck, one of the twenty-two darkest bloodlines in ancient times was accidentally eliminated." Theodore sighed deeply, "but lost an important friend. " "I remembered." Another old law enforcer with a vague face tremblingly said, "That's what made you one of us." "A very wonderful story." The queen interrupted suddenly, "Then may I ask Your Excellency Theodore, what is your decision at this moment?" Theodore was the only one among the thirteen entitled to vote present who did not vote.And the result was exactly six votes against six.So his vote is very important.His decision will change the fate of all of us here. The water was rippling above my head, and I held my breath nervously.The hall was so quiet that one could hear the sound of a needle falling to the ground. "Although this sounds absurd, you do remind me of my old friend." After a long time, Theodore spoke slowly in our direction, "And he is the only reason why I can stand here today." Then he paused, and finally spit out the heavy sentence to the crowd: "You are free," he said.