78: Chapter 78 Northwest United Parliament

"It is alright, they treat me very well, it is just that I am still a bit unaccustomed..." In front of Xiao Yan, this young girl who had just recently begun to change, reverted to her old self.

In the eyes of Qing Lin, Xiao Yan was the most noble person she had ever met during the lowest point of her life, without exception!

A Tier 3 Alchemist and a Great Dou Master—before meeting Xiao Yan, she had never dared to even dream that she could come into contact with such figures, let alone imagine that she could become the personal maid to such a noble person.

Her world before this had been very, very small, merely performing the tasks of an ordinary maid. Her greatest wish was simply not to be despised by everyone, yet it seemed that from childhood to adulthood, she had always been despised.

Abandoned by her mother, she struggled to grow up amidst the hateful glares of everyone. Those people had always believed she would not live past the age of five; though it was strange why, she had survived nonetheless. She had originally thought that by doing so she could earn their recognition, but what followed was still nothing but cold stares and contempt from everyone.

She worked hard and smiled earnestly, attempting to show her best side to everyone, but no one cared about her—this… mongrel.

Mongrel. Sometimes, while walking down the street for no reason at all, that was the label they would pin upon her.

She continued to smile, smiling as she faced these groundless reproaches, until the dead of night when she would quietly weep in her blankets. She wanted to be hysterical and cry out loud, but she dared not, for she would be scolded if she did...

She had thought that this was how her life would be: silent smiles and silent tears.

But suddenly, a beam of light broke in. This light carried an incredibly dazzling and warm temperature that completely enveloped her. While she felt bewildered, she greedily savored this unprecedented tenderness.

This noble Young Master Xiao Yan not only had no temper whatsoever, but he also always cared for her deeply, never once disliking her. It was just like… an older brother? No, even if she had an older brother, he would definitely not be as good to her as Young Master Xiao Yan!

Young Master Xiao Yan is the best person in the world!

Qing Lin knew that being able to become his maid was her greatest stroke of luck...

"Hehe, it is good that they treat you well. It is perfectly normal to feel unaccustomed after suddenly changing environments. Hmm~ but since that is the case, why not come out and travel around with me for a few days? Relax a bit before coming back." Looking at the girl before him who had suddenly become reserved again, Xiao Yan spoke with a smile in his eyes.

As a mature adult, Xiao Yan knew what a profound mark his gentleness would leave upon this girl.

But if he were to act like those cold and snobbish people, it would be far too cruel.

And in truth, he had not treated Qing Lin with any special favor.

One could only say that those who have experienced pain are more capable of appreciating hard-won tenderness.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman behind Qing Lin frowned and said, "Your Excellency Xiao Yan, Qing Lin still has many things to learn recently; I am afraid she cannot spare the time to go out and play."

"Hehe, I am not taking Qing Lin out to play. Learning while following you is learning, and learning while following me is also learning. How could following me to learn be a grievance for your Qing Lin?" Xiao Yan turned to ask the middle-aged woman, and then spoke to Qing Lin, "Qing Lin, are you willing to stay here and learn, or would you rather follow me for a while?"

Qing Lin did not hesitate and immediately accepted Xiao Yan's invitation.

"..."

Xiao Yan looked at the somewhat speechless middle-aged woman and smiled lightly, "It seems this matter is settled. In a month or two, I will bring Qing Lin back."

"In addition, there is one more matter that requires your cooperation." As soon as Xiao Yan finished speaking, his tone shifted slightly, and he spoke somewhat seriously.

Seeing that Xiao Yan's tone was serious, the middle-aged woman asked, "What matter does Your Excellency Xiao Yan have? If the request is reasonable, my Heavenly Serpent Mansion will naturally treat it with seriousness."

She did not underestimate the young man before her in the slightest. Xiao Yan's reputation had been carved out through slaughter, not through empty praise. Therefore, facing this young man who was nearly invincible across the Northwest Continent, she lacked the confidence to utter any superfluous words.

"A few months from now, I will establish a faction of my own. When that time comes, I hope to form an alliance with the Heavenly Serpent Mansion."

"An alliance? Given Your Excellency's strength, there seems to be no need for an alliance, right?" the Sect Master of Heavenly Serpent Mansion asked with confusion. In this Northwest Continent, it seemed there was no force capable of compelling Xiao Yan to make a decision to form an alliance.

"Hehe, Master Qing, it is enough that you know this. In this Northwest Continent, there is indeed no force that I need to form an alliance with in order to deal with it. Therefore, the alliance I am forming is not just with the Heavenly Serpent Mansion alone, but with all the forces in the Northwest Continent," Xiao Yan said with a smile.

"Form an alliance with all the forces?" The Sect Master of Heavenly Serpent Mansion pondered for a moment, then revealed a look of surprise and asked, "Do you intend to unify the Northwest Continent? This is no simple matter. Many forces have attempted to do so, but to this day, no one has succeeded. Even with the Heavenly Serpent Mansion joining you, this would not be an easy task."

"It is not the kind of alliance you are imagining, but rather the establishment of a contract-style United Council. I call it the 'Northwest United Council.' Every country and faction may voluntarily choose whether to join or not; I, Xiao Yan, will never use force."

Xiao Yan explained the concept of an organization similar to the United Nations from his previous life to the Sect Master of Heavenly Serpent Mansion in a different way. Upon hearing this, the Sect Master of Heavenly Serpent Mansion breathed a sigh of relief.

If Xiao Yan's ambition were too great, it would likely bring unprecedented turmoil to the entire Northwest Continent, which was a result she did not wish to see.

After all, the Heavenly Serpent Mansion was already a hegemon-level existence in this Northwest Continent region; there was absolutely no need to engage in such thankless endeavors.

Xiao Yan quietly waited for the reply from the Sect Master of Heavenly Serpent Mansion. Using himself as the catalyst to have the Heavenly Serpent Mansion facilitate the establishment of the Northwest United Council, and then incorporating other powerful factions into it and granting them the power of permanent council members, would not be a difficult task.

It was just that there would certainly be many dissenting voices within this process. When that time came, the "United Army," formed by the permanent council members, would be sent to suppress them. This would just happen to serve as a display of the Northwest United Council's strength, and incidentally, would allow for the cultivation of a core team.

As for what he needed to do, he only needed to pull some powerful factions into the Northwest United Council, though for Xiao Yan, this was not a difficult task.

If he were to oppose everyone, Xiao Yan might face some pressure, but by breaking them one by one and then uniting these factions to serve his own goals, it would appear relatively simple.

However, the remaining second-rate and third-rate factions that joined would also have to demonstrate sufficient sincerity by providing reinforcements for the United Army and working together to suppress opposition.

Once the situation stabilized, he would establish a joint inspection agency to conduct patrols and monitor illegal activities and wars, and when necessary, coordinate with the United Army to carry out armed suppression.

With this set of measures in place, he would surely be able to temporarily maintain order in the Northwest Continent. However, this system was clearly not suitable for long-term existence, but that did not matter; it only needed to be maintained for a period of time, by which point Xiao Yan would naturally produce another set of plans.

This kind of organizational structure that could only initially regulate the Northwest Continent was not Xiao Yan's goal, but the path had to be walked step by step; one could not be too hasty.

First, he would build up his image and reputation, then gradually swallow up these factions, and finally execute new plans and new systems...

Otherwise, rashly launching a war would create an impact that ran counter to Xiao Yan's goals.

"Xiao Yan, the system you mentioned is indeed feasible and exceptionally excellent, but..."