Inside ERA.
Chen Fan sat in the defendant's seat. It had been a while since he was last here, and for some reason, he actually felt a hint of nostalgia, even though the faces of the councilors had all changed.
Every councilor stared at Chen Fan in silence, attempting to exert pressure on him. However, with this lot, Chen Fan couldn't feel the slightest bit of pressure at all.
Thud!
The soft strike of a gavel broke the long silence.
"Chen Fan, 'God's Hand,' you are suspected of bribing former members of the Magic Council. Do you plead guilty?" Gran Doma asked in a heavy voice.
"I'm innocent. Why should I plead guilty? Where is your evidence? Or are you planning to beat a confession out of me?" Chen Fan replied, giving Gran Doma no face at all.
"Chen Fan! You are showing contempt for the Magic Council! According to the regulations, I can have you detained," Gran Doma shouted.
"Detained? Sure, if you actually have the ability to hold me. But you'd better be carefulthis newly built Magic Council headquarters is quite nice. It would be a shame if it got destroyed again." Chen Fan dug into his ear with his pinky, flicking away imaginary debris with an air of complete indifference.
"Are you threatening me?" Gran Doma's voice darkened.
Chen Fan waved a hand dismissively. "Think whatever you like. You want to lock me up? Fine, show me the evidence. My attitude might not be great, but if this Magic Council building breaks, don't go blaming me. Well, you can blame me if you wantprovided you have the evidence, of course."
Arrogance. Extreme, utter arrogance. Gran Doma's beard practically fluttered with rage. He had heard that Chen Fan was incredibly insolent toward Council staff, but he hadn't expected him to be this brazen.
Since when did framing someone require evidence? If there was evidence, it wouldn't be framingit would be a fact!
"So, you refuse to confess," Gran Doma said.
"You clearly didn't understand what I just said. Should I repeat myself?" Chen Fan countered.
"Fine! I may lack evidence regarding the bribery, but the charge of resisting arrest is a documented fact!"
"Please. A bunch of random nobodies show up and claim to be from the Council? Who gave them that authority? I thought they were fakes. I was being polite by not killing them all. Besides, I'm a law-abiding, honest man. I know my own innocence better than anyone. I'm a saint, really. Look at all I've donelike 'building orphanages' to take in homeless children."
"That was to cultivate your own private force!"
"I established 'nursing homes' for the elderly and lonely."
"That was to buy yourself a good reputation!"
"I set up medical institutions to benefit the common people!"
"That was an attempt to manipulate public opinion!"
"I'm telling you, even slander requires evidence," Chen Fan said with exaggerated drama. "Otherwise, I'll sue you for defamation!"
Everyone broke into a cold sweat. Since when did slander require evidence? Gran Doma was so furious his beard was practically standing on end.
The other councilors remained silent. They weren't idiots; now that they knew the extent of Chen Fan's influence, none of them wanted to stick their necks out. However, the order had already been issued. If they didn't bring Chen Fan in, where would the Council's dignity go? Gran Doma cursed his colleagues inwardly for being old foxes. Why hadn't he seen through them sooner?
He failed to realize that his colleagues were simply being pragmatic. In this world, the foolish fear the reckless, the reckless fear the ruthless, and the reckless fear those who don't value their own lives.
These councilors were smart men; they had no reason to make an enemy of Chen Fan. In fact, they should be trying to win him over. Yes, recruitment! They all realized it at onceif they had Chen Fan's support, their future political paths would be much smoother.
"How about this? It seems Chen Fan realizes his mistakes and shows remorse. Let us detain him for half a month as a symbolic punishment, and then release him. What do you think, Chairman Gran Doma?"
"Agreed!"
"Seconded!"
Chen Fan's eyes widened. These guys weren't slow at all. They could tell a lie with a straight face and transition seamlessly. None of them were easy to deal with! I'm still too young, Chen Fan thought,
stroking his cheek and chin. He hadn't even grown a beard yet. Alas, a man's greatest charm really is the beard. While the Council discussed his fate, Chen Fan's mind had already drifted off to the philosophy of masculine charm.
Thud! The gavel struck once more.
"After deliberation, it is decided that Chen Fan will be detained for half a month as a reprimand. The trial is adjourned!"
The councilors dispersed. It seemed the internal structure of this new Magic Council was still unstable. It made sense; they had just been formed and were looking to establish authority, but they had unfortunately picked the wrong target. The veteran Council members had treated Chen Fan with kid gloves for a reason.
Chen Fan curled his lip. He'd treat it like a vacation. He had been quite busy lately, running back and forth.
A few days later.
In the Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Wendy was standing before the request board, looking over the missions. She seemed hesitant as she glanced at Carla.
"Is there a request you like?" Carla asked.
"There are just so many..."
"That's true! A first mission can be quite difficult to handle alone. I recommend you start as an assistant for someone else's job. Your pay will be lower, of course, but it's safer. Normally, it would be best for Chen Fan to take you along, but that guy never does quests," Mira said, walking over to Wendy. She was always the one responsible for helping guild members with these concerns.
"He doesn't do quests? Why?" Wendy asked curiously. Every time she had seen Chen Fan in the past, it was only once a month or so. Even Wendy and Carla didn't know him that well.
"Because he's too rich!" Mira sighed helplessly.
"Too rich? Just how much money does he have?"
"Probably enough to buy the entire kingdom."
"What! Chen Fan is that rich?!" Wendy gasped, covering her mouth with her small hands.
"That man is definitely not a good person," Carla interjected.
"Why would you say that, Carla?"
"Because how could a good person have that much money? He must have stolen it."
"Carla, it's not nice to speak ill of people behind their backs, especially Chen Fan. Doesn't he bring you delicious dried fish every time he visits?"
Carla's face turned bright red as Wendy exposed her bribery. She shouted, "I didn't ask him for the fish! He just does whatever he wants!"
Mira giggled at Carla's outburst. "Haha, Chen Fan is just like that. But he earned all that money through business. Besides, he spends a lot of it building orphanages and nursing homes to help people who can't support themselves."
"Is that so? He's so noble. Carla, you shouldn't say bad things about him anymore."
"I won't say it, then. It's not like he's here to hear it anyway," Carla said, turning her head away.
Mentioning his absence made Wendy worry. "Miss Mira, when will Chen Fan come back? Did the Magic Council let him go?"
"Hoho, don't worry. News came from the Council a while ago. It's nothing serious. They're just keeping him in a room for a bit. For all we know, he's probably living in luxury and enjoying himself right now!"
"Achoo!"
Inside a luxurious suite, Chen Fan suddenly sneezed. "What happened? Did I catch a cold? No way, can the strongest man in the world catch a cold?" He pinched the somewhat soft muscles on his arm and felt a sudden wave of self-consciousness.
Natsu and Gray had rock-hard six-packs whenever they stripped. Chen Fan had a stomach that could be called a muscle, too, but instead of being divided into six or eight, it was all gathered into one solid lump.
Someone must be thinking about me. Honestly, I've only been gone for a few days and the ladies are already missing me. My charm is simply too much. Chen Fan thought conceitedly. A moment later, a bone-chilling laugh echoed through the room.
"I heard the guy in there is a high-priority prisoner. Is he some bloodthirsty mass murderer?"
"No, I think he's just a psycho."
"No, he's definitely a lunatic."
"I think..."
The two guards outside Chen Fan's room argued about his identity. Eventually, they both settled on a conclusion they could agree on: the guy inside was a "maniac."
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