Chapter 822: A Promising Future

During this time, Akumari came to understand through books and conversations with scholars that the rise of a nation is not something achieved overnight.

He also realized that wealth alone cannot transform a people. The key lies in a spirit of resilience, a love for life—an inner drive.

Material prosperity does not elevate the spirit. On the contrary, spiritual emptiness often leads to a bottomless abyss of desire, where people lose themselves.

Only when the spirit is rich can true transformation occur. Only then can people begin to understand and appreciate the world, and develop aspirations.

But this understanding led to a deeper question: after years of effort by him and others, if the people of Nagaryll truly awakened, but the Federals refused to leave, then what was the point of that awakening?

This was the final doubt in his heart. If the Federals never leave, then this so-called awakening is nothing more than a pointless game.

Everything remains in the hands of the Federals—now, and in the future. So why struggle?

This is also the greatest challenge Nagaryll faces in its awakening. In the past, it was the same.

No matter how hard they tried, they were always ruled, endlessly exploited, living without dignity—regardless of their efforts or resilience.

Many even believed that being ruled by the Federals was not a bad thing—at least they were better than the native ruling class.

If you’re going to be ruled anyway, why not choose the ruler who treats you better?

Rebellion? Awakening? It didn’t matter.

Because nothing would change.

Akumari looked at Lynch with anticipation. He believed Lynch would answer this question—he didn’t know why, but he was certain of it.

Lynch was silent for a moment. Then he looked at Akumari and asked, “Akumari, do you think people are ugly because they are poor?”

He wasn’t referring to physical ugliness, but to a person’s overall character—morality, temperament, the soul.

Akumari shook his head. “A person’s ugliness or beauty has nothing to do with wealth. It depends on their self-awareness.”

Lynch nodded in agreement and smiled knowingly. “Then what does societal or national awakening have to do with who rules, or whether the rulers leave?”

“To put it in more spiritual terms—an individual’s elevation comes from within. It has nothing to do with the outside world.”

“I know what you seek. You want Nagaryll to be autonomous, equal, prosperous, and strong. But these should not be your goals. If you treat them as goals, I suggest you give up now and be an honest worker.”

“Because once you fixate on these specific things, you’ve already begun to compete with the Federals. And we both know—competition, at its extreme, leads to war.”

“If you believe Nagaryll can gain those things through war, then I say you’re choosing suicide.”

“So I urge you: value your life. Don’t sacrifice it for nothing.”

“But if you don’t treat those things as goals, but rather as by-products of a nation’s awakening—without confrontation, without rivalry—then it becomes possible.”

“When Nagaryll and its people can prove they have built a civilized society, both the Federation and the international community will grant you the respect you deserve.”

“That is the path you should walk.”

Lynch looked at the deep-in-thought Akumari and added, “If you cannot achieve spiritual self-salvation—transforming from the individual, to society, to the nation—then forgive my bluntness, but what you seek will never come true.”

Use war to force the Federation to back down?

Sorry. Before the naval battle between the Federation and Gephra, maybe. But afterward? Impossible.

A wolf that’s eaten plants its whole life doesn’t do so out of preference. It does so because it fears battle—because it has seen its kin die in combat. So it chooses peace, even humiliation.

But when that same wolf easily slaughters the would-be alpha trying to intimidate it, and tastes the sweetness of blood—it never goes back.

That is the Federation now. One naval battle cemented its status in the world, and the entire Federation benefited from it.

Now you want it to back off?

No. Those who once endured in silence now roar with ambition. They want to crush and consume anything that blocks their path.

Lynch wasn’t deceiving or misleading Akumari. He was giving him the only viable path available to Nagaryll at this point in time.

Either raise fists and guns and die for nothing—or awaken from within, achieve self-redemption from the personal to the national level, and earn respect as fellow members of civilized humanity, forcing the Federation to step back.

This wasn’t deception. It was the only real solution.

Akumari remained lost in thought. What Lynch said wasn’t hard to understand—it was simple. And because of that, it felt strange.

It was like a strong man with a weapon stormed into your home, ate your food, slept with your wife, beat your children.

And when you got angry, he said, “Don’t fight. I might accidentally kill you.”

He even offered advice: “You should work out. Get strong enough to fight me—then we’ll talk.”

Absurd. And yet, very real.

After a while, Akumari seemed to understand. He nodded slightly. “Mr. Lynch, when I talk to people about these things, may I tell them about your role in all of this?”

It was a gesture of respect. In Akumari’s thinking, Lynch had played a key part—he’d offered critical insight. People deserved to know who inspired these ideas.

But Lynch shook his head. “The truth is heavy. Not everyone can bear it—it might break them.”

“Let’s wait. Maybe someday we’ll see Nagaryll achieve self-redemption. If that day comes, and you’re still alive—and so am I—then tell them.”

Akumari was deeply moved. He bowed low, expressing his respect.

Lynch watched them leave. These seeds would soon grow into towering trees.

What they carried back could satisfy all levels of society:

For the common people: a bright future where hard work brings self-worth and the chance to live happily in the Federation.

For the lost: violence solves nothing—only peaceful self-redemption can lead Nagaryll to its future.

For the ruling class: as long as Nagaryll doesn’t strike first, the Federation will not resort to force.

These people were like seeds—seeds filled with light—destined to bloom in the darkness of Nagaryll, illuminating the night.

But sometimes, events unfold in ways no one expects.

Everyone believed there would be no more reversals in Nagaryll. After all, the new king and the joint senators of the New Federal Nagaryll were aligned with the Federals. From top to bottom, the entire country had become close friends of the Federation. How could anything unpleasant still happen?

And yet—something unpleasant did happen.

The real crown prince finally escaped the Federation’s pursuit—not because of any remarkable skill, but simply because, driven to desperation, he jumped into the sea. Against all odds, he survived.

That kind of survival-by-desperation went beyond what the Federal agents could handle.

By the time he returned to the capital, a group had already gathered around him.

That’s how society works. Some people easily embrace a new life, while others harbor deep hatred for it.

It’s not that the new life is bad—the problem is their mindset.

For those accustomed to a rigid social hierarchy, the sudden equality imposed by the Federals felt like a loss of their most precious possession.

In any regime change, the old aristocrats and nobles are always the most bitter.

The crown prince and those around him were no different. Stripped of their once lofty status, they found it hard to accept the new reality.

The mindset of the Nagaryll people differs from common logic. Many could spend every day lying on the floor outside their homes, living in poverty but still expecting to be fed and clothed—yet refused to stand up and make even the smallest change.

Instead, they fiercely attacked women’s independence, because the rise of women’s social status threatened their own.

The people now surrounding the crown prince were just that—those who had lost power and felt victimized. They resented the current society deeply.

Staring at the royal palace glowing in the night, the crown prince’s eyes reflected a light that words couldn’t describe. No one could have imagined that a stand-in had actually been made king.

And he—the true crown prince—was reduced to a mere impostor, hounded by the Federals like a stray dog.

Compared to anyone else, he had lost the most.