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"Well, boss," Kriz began, breaking the tense silence with his usual casual tone, "what do we do with our new \'guests\'? Give them the suite and a harem, or send them straight to the towers?"

Zara shot him a warning look, but Elio couldn\'t help a small smile.

"Actually," Elio said, his expression becoming serious again, "I was thinking of using them to better understand the book\'s challenges. It could be useful to know more..."

"Oh, great," Kriz interjected again. "Nothing says \'I hate you\' like using someone as a test subject for potentially deadly challenges."

This time it was Brok who elbowed Kriz, but Elio noticed that even the always serious Micah seemed to be suppressing a smile.

Lucien, however, maintained his cautious expression. "It\'s a possibility, Elio, but wouldn\'t it be risky to give them the chance to gain more power?"

"You\'re right," Elio admitted after a moment of reflection. "For now, they\'ll remain under guard in the cells. I\'m more inclined to take away their levels as a contribution to the turrets."

"Wow," Kriz muttered, "from test subjects to human mana crystals. We\'re on a roll."

"Kriz," Zara warned, but her tone lacked real annoyance. Everyone knew that Kriz\'s humor, inappropriate as it sometimes was, was one of the things that kept them sane in times like this.

"What about Saren and Angela?" Selene asked, bringing the conversation back to the main topic.

Elio sighed. "Saren is no longer indispensable. He will suffer the same fate we decide for the other prisoners." He paused. "As for Angela, for now she will be pardoned, but will remain restricted to a guarded room."

"Why the difference?" Lucien questioned, while Micah raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by the decision.

"Out of respect for Varick," Elio replied. "He saved my life. But this is the last time I\'ll forgive her. There will be no more debts with her..."

"Ah, the old \'you saved my life, so I\'ll forgive your crazy mother\' trick," Kriz commented.

Brok gave him another elbow.

"Elio," Selene began cautiously, "What will you tell them tomorrow?"

"I\'ve understood that being a leader does involve sacrifices, as Fathoran said. Perhaps not as extreme as he thought, but certainly I can\'t continue being so permissive and benevolent... I\'m going to punish them." experience mv,le,mp,yr content

A silence fell over the group. Even Kriz seemed to have run out of \'witty\' comments.

"I understand," Zara finally said, her voice soft but firm. "And we support you, Elio. All of us."

The others nodded, even Kriz, who for once seemed completely serious.

"Thank you," Elio said.

"Well," Kriz said, regaining his jovial tone, "if we\'re going to be the new \'regime of terror\', at least we can design cooler uniforms, right? I was thinking something with black capes and maybe some spikes..."

♢♢♢♢

The next day, Elio found himself once again facing the city. The plaza was full, tension palpable in the air. Everyone waited to hear what decisions their leader had made.

Elio stood on the elevated platform, Lucien and Selene flanking him, their elephant familiars adding to their imposing presence. Behind them, Zara, Kriz, Brok, and Micah stood with their swifts, creating a formidable image. Further back, Ren and the seductresses - Lila, Aria, Mei, and Valeria - remained with their invocations hidden.

"Citizens," Elio began, his voice firm and clear.

"I have read the Creator\'s Diary and understood several things. One of them is that our established culture of never stopping procreation is correct, our \'dispersion religion\', as the creator calls it, has a purpose…

We need to reach a billion inhabitants, and our people\'s life expectancy decreases to less than the 50-year limit we\'re used to if there are fewer young people."

Elio continued:

"The Goddess, it seems, left no loose ends. But that Fathoran and Cassandra hid this information... I\'m not sure if that helped or hurt us. For my part, I\'ll give you all the information without hiding details, although I warn you it\'s not an easy read..."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

"This leaves us with the population problem unresolved. But for now, today, we must address the more immediate problem: our management... Due to the deterioration of cooperation from some and the horrible event of yesterday, you will receive a \'punishment\'."

Elio straightened his shoulders, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"I no longer fully trust you...

From now on, you\'ll have to earn my trust, only the level 3 invocation will be granted to everyone. From level 2 onwards, you\'ll have to earn it by proving you\'re good citizens, with services and support to our city. Those who already have it will also need to continue actively demonstrating that they are worthy."

Murmurs of surprise and discontent were heard, but no one dared to protest openly.

"Furthermore," Elio continued, "monster cores will now belong to whoever eliminates the monster. You\'ll have to earn your fourth invocation and beyond on your own."

His voice hardened. "If you were capable of believing I was your enemy, if you believe I want to destroy the barrier, then I won\'t give you any more \'sweet traps\'. If you want to sacrifice yourselves for the city by jumping into the sea of monsters like me, you\'re welcome to."

Elio paused, as if waiting for someone to volunteer. But he only gave them a few seconds, he didn\'t intend to let them act alone yet, and if someone got too many cores, it could cause more problems.

"Nobody\'s stepping up to be a sacrifice... Then stop thinking about stupidities and help me defend the city while I look for a way to expand us."

The crowd stirred uneasily. Elio continued:

"I\'ll depart tomorrow for the sea of monsters. I\'ve found the location of the mana deposits mentioned by the Creator. It\'s crucial that we reach them if we want to secure our future."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the citizens\' faces.

"Understand this: I am not your enemy. I never have been. Everything I\'ve done, I\'ve done for the good of this city, for all of us. But I cannot, I will not tolerate more selfishness."

His voice softened slightly. "I know many of you were deceived and taken by surprise... But people died, so prove that you are worthy of trust, that you are committed to the welfare of our community, and you will be rewarded."

Elio looked at Lucien and Selene before continuing.

"During my absence, Lucien and Selene will be in charge. I trust them with my life, and you should do the same. Any act of subversion will be dealt with severely by them."

Elio could feel the fear, confusion, and, in some, renewed faith.

"I don\'t ask you to love me or accept me as a leader," Elio concluded. "I ask you to love this city, to work for its future. Because if we fail, if the barrier falls, there will be no second chance for any of us."

With those words, Elio ended his speech.

♢♢♢♢

Lucien approached him as they moved away from the crowd. "You told them they could choose not to see you as their leader and you scolded them... Many won\'t be happy. Are you sure about this, Elio?" he asked quietly.

Elio nodded, his expression serious. "I have no other choice, I could die tomorrow. We need commitment and unity when I\'m not here. And if to achieve that I have to be the strict leader they fear disappointing instead of the benevolent friend they can take for granted, so be it."

♢♢♢♢

Elio turned one last time to his companions. "Defend the city until I return."

Zara stepped forward.

"Come back to us, Elio," she said simply, her voice barely a whisper.

Lucien nodded gravely. "We\'ll be waiting for your return."

Kriz added: "Don\'t you dare make us wait too long, boss."

Elio smiled, grateful for his friends\' support. With a final farewell gesture, he turned to the edge of the wall.

And then, without further hesitation, he jumped.