Chapter 175: Ideological Transformation
The moment her little brother threw the stone, Ella’s face turned deathly pale!
She grabbed him at once, dragged him into the house, and clamped a hand over his mouth, not daring to move for a long time.
It wasn’t until the noise outside seemed to return to its usual clamor that Ella finally let out a faint sigh of relief.
“Are you insane? Do you have any idea you could’ve gotten yourself killed?!” she scolded Ebo in a hushed voice, unable to hold back.
“I’m not insane! That’s Ajef, the Internet God’s lackey! I’ve seen his portrait—it’s people like him who killed Mom and Dad!” Ebo roared, his face twisted with hatred.
Ella shuddered at his words,
ashamed of her own cowardice, heartbroken over her parents’ deaths.
After a long silence, she finally said, “I know you want revenge, but he might not be the enemy! And even if he is, do you really want to throw your life away like this?”
Ebo turned his head away angrily, refusing to speak.
The atmosphere in the room instantly grew oppressive.
Ella wanted to say more, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to speak. With reddened eyes, she left the room—she needed to find out what was happening outside.
—Her parents had died on the battlefield defending the mushroom farm, leaving only her and her brother behind. She couldn’t lose him too.
When Ella stepped out of the stone house, she learned from a neighbor that after catching the stone, the human had simply tossed it aside and left, seemingly indifferent.
This small detail made her breathe a little easier.
But before she could shift her attention to figuring out where to find food, a group of dwarven warriors barged in like wolves, seized her brother, and dragged him away.
The scene not only stunned the neighbors but also plunged Ella into despair.
She frantically chased after the dwarven warriors, trying to wrest her brother free, only to be bound and captured herself.
And so, under the escort of the dwarven warriors and the watchful eyes of countless gathered dwarves, she and her brother were roughly thrown before that human.
With her hands bound, Ella staggered to her knees and looked around.
They were at a cliff within a cavern—a place her parents had often warned them never to play near, for fear of falling to their deaths.
Now, that human man stood at the edge of the precipice, overlooking the entire Ironbeard Tribe.
Behind her, countless Ironbeard dwarves had gathered.
“Mr. Ajef, I apologize for my clansman’s offense! This brat has insulted you—he is yours to deal with as you see fit!”
A familiar voice made Ella tremble—it was Chief Ken’s voice.
Yu Sheng’an turned and looked at Ken, who had gone to such lengths, somewhat puzzled by his intentions.
When the stone had been thrown, he hadn’t reacted—which meant he hadn’t cared in the first place.
Honestly, how could he possibly target a child?
But when he saw the terror and hatred in the eyes of the young dwarf and the girl kneeling on the ground, a sudden realization struck him.
—Ken was deliberately using these two youths to stir up the tribe’s hatred toward him.
If that were the case, then when he tried to spread the internet here—or even establish bank branches—he would inevitably face resistance.
At this thought, Yu Sheng’an’s pupils dilated slightly.
Truly worthy of being the dwarves’ wise leader!
Even the so-called surrender was a form of resistance.
After all, because he had issued a public declaration across the entire network, it would be difficult for him to take direct action against the Ironbeard Tribe without damaging his credibility.
Once he became an untrustworthy figure whom no one believed, his future path would inevitably be hindered at every turn—something he absolutely did not want to see.
In reality, the dwarves who had gathered to watch were all glaring at him with suppressed anger.
Judging by their expressions, if Chief Ken gave the order, some hot-blooded individuals might even charge forward to assassinate him!
Yu Sheng'an's mind stirred, and with a wave of his hand, the ropes binding the siblings immediately snapped apart.
Ella instinctively threw herself beside her brother, clutching him tightly as she looked at her clansmen with a pleading expression, silently begging for help.
But no one came to their aid, nor did anyone speak up for them—even though many wore looks of pity.
"I'm curious, brave dwarf warrior—have I ever wronged you? Why did you attack me earlier?" Yu Sheng'an spoke, the Contract Godhood automatically granting him mastery of the dwarven language.
Ebo remained silent, only glaring at Yu Sheng'an with hatred.
"I'm sorry… my brother is young and foolish, please forgive us! I apologize on his behalf!" Ella, however, knelt on the ground, desperately begging for mercy.
"Sister, don’t beg the enemy! So what if we die? There’s nothing to fear!" Ebo shouted.
"Enemy? I don’t recall having an enemy like you," Yu Sheng'an deliberately feigned surprise.
The fourteen-year-old Ebo was completely enraged. He roared, "Don’t think I don’t recognize you! I’ve seen your portrait—you’re Ajef, the lackey of the Internet God! It’s you invaders who destroyed our home and killed my parents! I’ll kill you!"
With a furious cry, Ebo grabbed a rock and lunged forward.
But a beam of light suddenly descended from above, trapping him mid-air.
"No! Don’t kill Ebo, please don’t!" Ella panicked, rushing forward in a desperate attempt to save her brother. Yet, how could she possibly pull him free from the grip of the light tweezer?
"You’re right—I am Ajef. But you’re mistaken about the rest. Your enemy isn’t me—it’s your Dwarven King, Kaut!"
Yu Sheng'an’s voice, though not loud, carried throughout the entire Ironbeard Tribe.
"You’ve all been deceived by Dwarven King Kaut. He is the true culprit behind all of this!"
"Don’t forget—why did the Fourth Calamity attack? It was because your Dwarven King Kaut shamelessly stole my production line and refused to return it! The Fourth Calamity was merely repaying blood with blood!"
"Our target was Dwarven King Kaut, not you. But because he represents the dwarven race, because he represents all of you, he dragged every innocent dwarf into this conflict!"
Yu Sheng'an’s rhetoric, perfectly tailored to the grievances and grudges of ordinary folk, left the dwarves of the Ironbeard Tribe stunned.
Upon reflection, it did seem to make sense.
Could it be that the true villain of this war was actually their king?
The dwarves of the Ironbeard Tribe were lost in confusion.
Seizing the moment, Yu Sheng'an continued to twist the narrative—
"Now that your chieftain Ken has corrected his mistakes and completely severed ties with Dwarven King Kaut, withdrawing from the war from this moment onward, the Fourth Calamity will only target Dwarven King Kaut—not your Ironbeard Tribe!"
"The Internet God is just. He neither demands you change your faith nor requires you to offer tributes. Your lives will return to how they were before—no, even better! For the Internet God has brought the internet, where you can learn brewing, magic, and forging techniques, buy food, and sell weapons!"
"The Internet God is even willing to sell you production lines to help improve your forging skills. With them, you can manufacture your own vehicles, making transportation far more convenient!"
With a wave of Yu Sheng'an's hand, stacks of machine tools materialized out of thin air on the cliff's plateau.
This sight, along with Yu Sheng'an's words, sent the Ironbeard Tribe into an uproar!
His direct accusation against Dwarven King Kaut left them both terrified and horrified!
The shocking explanation even robbed them of their ability to think clearly, and they instinctively turned to their chieftain for guidance.
Ironbeard Chieftain Ken frowned, then gritted his teeth and declared after a long pause:
"Mr. Ajef is right! This wrongful war was instigated by Dwarven King Kaut. The Ironbeard Tribe should not pay for Dwarven King Kaut’s mistakes!"
"Whoosh—"
Ken’s endorsement served as validation for Yu Sheng'an’s claims.
The dwarves of the Ironbeard Tribe might not trust Yu Sheng'an, a human, but they trusted their chieftain.
Instantly, the tribe erupted in chaos!
Everyone was stunned by this "truth."
Seeing this, Yu Sheng'an allowed a faint smile to curl his lips.
Stirring up public outrage?
You’re still too green.
Conflict redirection is a strategy long exhausted on Blue Star—finding a scapegoat is child’s play.
Even without Dwarven King Kaut, I could dredge up countless targets—tribal discrimination, cultural prejudice, ideological disputes… the list is endless!
Daring to use tricks already worn out on Blue Star in front of me? That’s like flaunting an axe before Lu Ban!
Most importantly, Ken, who had chosen to accept the surrender offer, had already broken with the Dwarven King. If he still spoke in the king’s favor, he’d have to be out of his mind.
So he had no choice but to agree with Yu Sheng'an’s words.
Amid the Ironbeard dwarves’ shock, Yu Sheng'an raised his hand and released the light tweezer restraining Ebo. He then said meaningfully to the young dwarf:
"Remember this, young one—the blade that kills is never the murderer. The one who wields it is. Dwarven King Kaut is the true culprit behind your parents’ deaths!"
This analogy struck Ebo, who had been lost in confusion, like a thunderbolt.
It also redirected the hatred of countless dwarves who had grievances against the Fourth Calamity toward a new target!
In that instant, the Ironbeard Tribe and Dwarven King Kaut were irreparably torn apart.
Especially when vast quantities of food, alcohol, and production lines were delivered—the stark contrast in living conditions made the rift impossible to mend.
And as the internet spread among them, an even deadlier, yet silent and pervasive, ideological transformation quietly began.
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