novelraw Chapter 333: Beat them several times a day, and sooner or later they’ll willingly hand it over
Chapter 333: Beat them several times a day, and sooner or later they’ll willingly hand it over
Who agrees, and who wants to die?
Everyone present shook their heads in unison. They had worked arduously to reach the realm of the Ghost Emperor, acquiring unparalleled power. Why would they willingly part with their lives so easily?
"Seems you all have a sense of the occasion," Alexander said, nonchalantly waving his hand. Several duplicates moved forward, their objective evidently being the inheritance Ghost Emperors.
"Mr. Alexander," Untold spoke, visibly uncomfortable, "For the inheritance of the Emperor’s seal, one’s will must be truly aligned. Even a sliver of reluctance would result in failure. Even if you kill us, you can’t secure the inheritance seal. You see..."
Cowed by the threat of death, Untold chose submission. However, handing over the Emperor’s seal willingly was clearly out of the question.
"Indeed," Isolde added, standing beside Untold, "We are more than willing to follow your commands, but the inheritance of the Emperor’s seal cannot tolerate even a shred of conflicting thought. The mind is not something we can control."
The other inheritance Ghost Emperors nodded vigorously, looking exceedingly agreeable.
"I can make it work," Penelope’s voice broke in, jolting Alexander from his contemplation.
"If they’re reluctant, beat it out of them! If they’re still unyielding, keep beating them! Beat them several times a day, and sooner or later they’ll willingly hand it over."
"Penelope!" Untold and the others glared at her in outrage.
Alexander found himself thoroughly agreeing with this approach—it was something he excelled at. It was not the first time he had encountered nonviolent resistance; he had once literally beaten goodwill into the chefs at the Fierce Ghost Restaurant.
"You, come with me," Alexander’s duplicates sprung into action. One holding the Abandoned Emperor Stone, another gripping Untold, they headed straight for the lower floor.
Untold wanted to resist, to show some form of defiance, but a glance at Alexander’s Abandoned Emperor Stone made him decide to keep his mouth shut.
"Mr. Alexander, you’re wasting your time," Isolde said, regaining her composure after a brief spell of chaos.
She feigned patience as she continued, "It’s futile, Mr. Alexander. Even we have difficulty controlling our thoughts. We are inheritance Ghost Emperors; no amount of torment could possibly shake our resolve."
"Ah..."
No sooner had Isolde’s words left her mouth than harrowing screams erupted from the floor below. The faces of Isolde and the others shifted in discomfort.
The soundproofing in this building was exceptionally good; even a battle between Ghost Emperors would hardly be heard downstairs. Just what level of torment was required to make an inheritance Ghost Emperor emit such terrifying screams?
The screams from below intensified, crescendoing in a horrifying symphony before gradually fading away. Eventually, they ceased altogether.
Isolde and the others breathed a sigh of relief, still unconvinced that Untold would submit. After all, they were inheritance Ghost Emperors—ordinary people might have their wills ground down through torture and submit wholeheartedly, but not them.
The will of an inheritance Ghost Emperor was astonishingly strong; even if torture could bring about temporary submission, a shred of reluctance would remain. As long as that was present, the inheritance would fail.
Isolde believed that even if Untold were tortured to death, this wouldn’t truly erase the unwillingness from his heart.Whether Untold lived or died mattered little to Isolde; her main concern was preserving the Emperor’s seal in her possession.
Surely, upon seeing that even Untold’s death couldn’t secure the inheritance of the Emperor’s seal, Alexander would abandon such intentions. After all, the seal would dissipate if its Ghost Emperor died without an heir, and the Horror Instance guarding the ghost town would vanish as well.
Unless Alexander could move all the ghost towns into Dark Hell and integrate them there, the preservation of a whole ghost town would only be possible with their cooperation as inheritance Ghost Emperors.
Relieved, a flicker of smug satisfaction crossed Isolde’s eyes, though she reassured Alexander, "Rest assured, Mr. Alexander. Now that we have submitted, we will certainly follow your commands. As for the matter of the Emperor’s seal, even we can’t completely control our thoughts, something you must surely understand."
She believed that what Alexander truly desired was the ghost town; he would not take drastic measures against them.
For inheritance Ghost Emperors, who possess endless lifespans, survival alone ensures that opportunities will arise someday. Thus, there was an air of arrogance about Isolde, a feeling that they had nothing to fear.
Bang!
Just then, the arena’s grand door burst open, and a pale-faced, trembling Untold rushed in.
"Untold, you’re alright? I told you, the will of us inheritance Ghost Emperors won’t be broken by mere torture. Mr. Alexander didn’t believe it, alas..."
Isolde rushed up to him, feigning concern, and discreetly gave Untold a thumbs-up as she spoke. However, the next moment, Untold shoved her aside and dashed to Alexander’s feet, collapsing on his knees.
"Mr. Alexander... No, Grandfather Alexander! Your word is law; I will transfer the Emperor’s seal to you right now!"
As he spoke, he lifted his hands high, and an Emperor’s seal began to levitate between them. Streams of Ghost Energy flowed from the seal into Alexander.
"Untold! You...you’ve given in so easily? Don’t you realize that if there’s even a shred of unwillingness, the inheritance will immediately fail! The Emperor’s seal could even shatter!"
Isolde urgently tried to persuade him, hoping that Untold’s decision was a temporary act of desperation, and that the inheritance would fail.
"Unwilling, my ass! I’m more than willing; I’m giving it to my grandfather. Why would I be unwilling? Try enduring 128 times the pain if you think you can!"
Untold spat out angrily, continuing with the inheritance without looking back. Alexander stood calmly, feeling the surge of Ghost Energy within him, utterly unworried.
Untold was indeed coerced, but when coercion reaches a certain point, it turns into willingness. The "Goodwill" stat above his head demonstrated this perfectly.
-100 (100)
It had been a long time since Alexander last saw a Goodwill value in parentheses—since the episode with the Fierce Ghost restaurant chef.
This time, the parenthesized Goodwill shot straight up to a hundred. Evidently, under amplified agony, Untold had completely abandoned any notions of resistance or reluctance.
Absolute willingness!