[Exactly! Well said!]
[If you chop someone with a kitchen knife, is it the blacksmith's fault for making the knife?]
[Exactly, exactly!]
[Urgent wanted notice: Liberty City's number one dangerous criminal, highly skilled at highjacking cars, assaulting police officers, and occasionally bombing buildings. But according to reliable intelligence, yesterday he was peacefully feeding chickens for Aunt Marnie at a farm outside Stardew Valley. So... is this the distortion of human nature or the collapse of morality?]
Clearly, players supporting Liberty City formed the overwhelming majority. Whenever insulting posts appeared, they were quickly flooded by passionate counterarguments.
The two sides argued fiercely online, while countless others simply watched the drama unfold with amusement.
But then a heavyweight figure appeared and let the situation escalate completely.
A temple elder posted publicly.
It was Bayev, the same elder who tried his best to make Alto's work look bad at the design competition. To Alto, his hostility toward him had always seemed inexplicable. He'd never directly offended him after all.
In fact, there was a concrete reason behind it.
Bayev himself wasn't particularly capable as a designer. Among the temple elders, he alone was still only a level seven Dream Designer. He'd basically been promoted through seniority rather than merit.
Yet he lived extremely extravagantly, which fostered his natural greed.
Combined with his mediocre talent, the income from his own works was very limited and couldn't support his lifestyle.
In the original competition, he had secretly cooperated with the Reggie Trading Company for profit. But Alto suddenly appeared and completely ruined their plans.
That wasn't the end of it either.
Later, Alto's public speech at the design lecture inspired many young designers. Their new works broke beyond previous conservative frameworks.
The market flourished with innovation, making Bayev's own stale works even less popular by comparison.
It could be said that Alto had completely cut off his primary source of income.
His modest official salary couldn't possibly support his luxurious lifestyle anymore.
His hatred toward Alto wasn't baseless or random. He just hadn't dared act openly while Alto was at the height of his fame and popularity.
But now he saw his opportunity.
[As an elder who upholds the temple's sacred doctrine and guides believers toward goodness and proper order, when I heard of this so-called "free and open" work, Liberty City, I felt only deep concern. This widely praised work is nothing more than a prison of desire that breeds violence and corrupts innocent hearts. Its heavily promoted "freedom" is merely a flimsy excuse to trample ethics and destroy civilized order. A blatant blasphemy against the righteous path of goodness. Theft, senseless killing, and letting buildings explode are treated as an everyday routine. Bloodshed is depicted everywhere without consequences. I truly worry that such indiscriminate violence will negatively influence the behaviour of people outside the Dreamscape, especially impressionable young elves who may foolishly bring in-game logic into reality. In summary, Liberty City is a dangerous game that violates fundamental ethics, corrupts the spirit, and actively harms social order. Under the cynical guise of "freedom", it spreads gratuitous violence and distorts proper values. Not only immersing players in sinful pleasure, but potentially bringing that moral distortion into reality, damaging our social stability in the process. I hereby call on all citizens, all who uphold goodness and order, to firmly boycott this corrupting game...]
He wrote a lengthy essay where every sentence condemned the work, as if he alone were the embodiment of pure justice.
[Well said, Elder Bayev! Now that a temple elder has spoken officially on this matter, what else do you defenders have to say?]
[Ban Liberty City immediately...]
Bayev's authoritative words gave the opposing group a strong rallying point, and they grew even louder with renewed confidence.
Their reasoning was deceptively simple. Your work promotes the wrong values, therefore it must be banned.
But Elder Gorin was extremely displeased with Bayev's sanctimonious statement. Among the temple elders, Bayev was the worst designer, yet he talked endlessly about morality while being the most corrupt.
[Elder Gorin: Bayev, you incompetent fool, that head of yours contains nothing but a rigid dogma and complete nonsense!]
He didn't bother with elaborate arguments or a careful choice of words. He just called him out directly with brutal honesty. Simple and straight to the point.
Ordinary players didn't dare speak harshly because of Bayev's official status and position. But Gorin had no such concern about offending him.
But Bayev immediately fired back at him.
[Hahaha, well said! Elder Gorin is truly a master! Even his insults sound elegant!]
Alto, meanwhile, wasn't anxious at all about the controversy. He leisurely watched the drama unfold with mild interest.
But Helena, beside him, was genuinely panicking.
"Idiot... Are you still laughing? Think of something quickly!"
"No need to rush. There's always a way forward. Why should I worry?"
This meaningless verbal battle caused Alto no real damage. Although Bayev actively opposed him, other temple elders clearly supported his work.
That meant from an official standpoint, Liberty City hadn't crossed any actual red lines. Otherwise, it would have been banned already by the higher authorities.
"But you're still so! If public opinion keeps getting worse, our Moonstones won't sell! That damned old man! I'll tell my grandpa and have him beat some sense into him."
"Hey! Come back here!"
Now, Alto panicked slightly. Was her whole family naturally this hot-tempered and prone to violence?
Still, seeing his assistant care so much about his well-being warmed his heart considerably.
At this pivotal moment, other respected temple elders stepped forward publicly and began systematically refuting Bayev's claims.
[Elder Kane: First, I believe the core theme of Liberty City is 'freedom of choice', not 'violence inciting' as some may claim. The violent narrative exists primarily to portray the morally gray world of Liberty City realistically. Gangs and conflicts of interest make violence a logical result of that environment. Like villains or demons in traditional works, they appear as antagonists within the story structure. Moreover, Liberty City plants many clear hints throughout about the serious 'cost of violence'. Commit crimes, and you are hunted down by the police. Hurt innocent others, and you will face consequences. Isn't this effectively conveying that violence is ultimately unsustainable? You replace rational thinking with a rigid doctrine. You replace objective guidance with one-sided criticism. And you replace courage to face reality with simple ignorance. Your so-called boycott is merely a fear of new artistic things and a desperate clinging to an outdated dogma. It betrays the goddess's sacred mission of enlightening people and embracing creative diversity...]
In short, Bayev was simply acting like trash.
"Well said!"
Elder Kane's carefully structured rebuttal immediately gained huge support from the community.
[Exactly! Elder Kane explained it perfectly!]
[Wow, Elder Kane is absolutely right!]
[Ababa!]
[Truly a wise elder! So eloquent and cultured, unlike me, who can only say 'damn!' to express my agreement!]
Facing the mounting accusations against their beloved game, Rowan and other test players also wrote lengthy posts defending Liberty City passionately.
Some even shared their personal transformative experiences while playing the game.