Chapter 12452

Faced with the questions from the members of the Termination Council, Lin Yi finally gave his answer.

"In principle, I agree to join the Tiangong system, but the details still need further discussion."

This was a very official reply, and anyone with eyes could see that Lin Yi was leaving himself room to maneuver.

If the details can't be agreed upon, it means the matter can be dragged on.

As for what constitutes "details," that's entirely up to Lin Yi to define.

Whether he wears a hat or not is just a detail, as long as he's willing.

However, to the vast majority of people, this was undoubtedly a positive statement.

When Liu Aozhi, the Grand Administrator of Tianjun, publicly announced and the Emperor of Termination gave his answer, the process of Termination joining the Tiangong system had, to some extent, begun from that moment on.

Although this was expected by many, the fact that this day came so quickly still dropped a bombshell on the entire Tianjun County.

The whole neighborhood was in an uproar.

After everyone had left, only Li Tianguo and a few other core members remained in front of Lin Yi.

Li Tianguo frowned and said, "Liu Aozhi's move is quite insidious. Is this how you force someone to abdicate?"

"Huh? Wasn't this something the president and he had agreed upon?"

Zhao Ning looked stunned.

Seeing the others looking at him strangely, Zhao Ning finally realized what was happening and exclaimed in shock, "So, he didn't even consult the president before making this announcement on his own?"

"Holy crap! This is outrageous! They can do this kind of thing?"

Kong Qianqiu couldn't help but pat her on the shoulder, and Zhao Ning waved her hands repeatedly and slapped her own mouth.

As a noblewoman from a prestigious family, she naturally possessed the upbringing expected of such a woman, but she never took it seriously, and when she swore, she was far more unrestrained than many men.

Only in front of Kong Qianqiu did he show some restraint.

To add a point, since the track development team was established, Zhao Ning and Kong Qianqiu, two noble ladies from very different families, have unexpectedly become quite compatible.

Cao Luoshen pondered, "This isn't just a simple pressure tactic. If it were merely about ending the association's merger with the Heavenly Palace, it wouldn't benefit him personally. He must have other plans."

Lin Yi nodded thoughtfully.

In fact, he could roughly guess that Liu Aozhi had suffered a huge loss this time. Trying to put on a brave face could only fool people for a while. In the long run, it was only a matter of time before people saw through his true colors.

From Liu Aozhi's perspective, the most correct choice would be to take advantage of this golden period of bluffing to gain as much benefit as possible for his own side and recover some losses.

The End Society is at its zenith, and in its eyes, it is undoubtedly a ready-made fat sheep.

Because of the time constraints, he had no choice but to use this unconventional method to solidify the fait accompli in advance, so that he could easily take action next.

Zhao Ning couldn't help but say, "Who cares about pressure or not? Can't we just stand our ground? We have plenty of powerful families supporting us anyway, I don't believe he'd actually dare to use force."

"This time, that time."

Lin Yi shook his head slightly: "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. He needs to establish his authority right now. If we forcefully stand up to him at this time, he will make us a negative example, which might just be what he wants."

Li Tianguo added from the side, "Although those aristocratic families support us, their support is limited. Once we stand on the opposite side of the Heavenly Palace, it's hard to say what their attitude will be."

Cao Luoshen said, "Let's not even talk about the other families. Just our own families alone would probably have a hard time getting to that point."

"..."

Zhao Ning was speechless for a moment.

It may be unpleasant to hear, but it is indeed the truth.

While their families were happy to see them get closer to Lin Yi, it was unrealistic to expect them to openly break with the Heavenly Palace for Lin Yi's sake.

Ultimately, the Heavenly Palace is the foundation of these top-tier families.

Li Tianguo analyzed, "Joining the Heavenly Palace isn't entirely a bad thing. The key is how to join, especially whether you can get a seat at the roundtable meeting!"

The Heavenly Palace Roundtable Conference, at least in terms of procedures, belongs to the highest decision-making level of Tianjun. Only by occupying a place there can one be considered to have officially established oneself in Tianjun.

Otherwise, you wouldn't even know when you'd be sold off.

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Inspired by Li Tianguo's words, they immediately began to discuss the details of the negotiation with great enthusiasm, and the core principle could be summarized in five words.

Maximize profits.

Regardless of the attitudes of their respective families, at least these individuals are now completely aligned with the Termination Council.

There's no other reason than that they are not just Lin Yi's fans. Under Lin Yi's influence, they have unknowingly become the core decision-making body of the Termination Council.

For any major matter, Lin Yi would always discuss and decide with them, never making a decision on his own.

Otherwise, once the initial novelty wears off, these top second-generation members might fade out of the Finale Club, which would be the real loss.

Lin Yi's side was discussing the details of the franchise in full swing.

On the other hand, Liu Aozhi was not at all surprised by the Termination Council's reaction.

However, he didn't rush to take a bite.

"Haste makes waste; let me add fuel to the fire."

Under Liu Aozhi's instruction, the Heavenly Palace government suddenly introduced a set of laws the following day.

The entire Tianjun County was immediately set ablaze again.

"Racing regulations?"

Upon receiving the message, Lin Yi immediately guessed that this thing was definitely aimed at him.

as predicted.

This bill is nominally intended to strengthen the management of the racetrack lobby, but its overall provisions are essentially the same as previous similar bills, just with a different name.

The real trump card is one of the seemingly insignificant side clauses.

Progressive taxation?

Lin Yi took a closer look and immediately understood the other party's intention.

This is the true meaning of "the real intention is revealed when the map is unrolled."

As the pinnacle of the thirteen counties of the Divine Realm, Tianjun boasts the best benefits among them all, and naturally has a comprehensive tax system.

However, prior to this, the racetrack lobby was not subject to taxation.

The logic is also very simple.

Don't be fooled by the fact that 99% of the participants in the track lobby are ordinary players; the vast majority of the benefits, especially the crucial track finisher rewards, are basically monopolized by the major clans.

The Heavenly Palace and the aristocratic families are one entity, so naturally they would not levy taxes on themselves.

Liu Aozhi's sudden move this time undoubtedly broke the previous tacit understanding among the aristocratic families. More importantly, with his current prestige as the number one person, he is more than capable of pushing this clause through.

There is another, even more important factor that enabled this clause to be introduced.

Lin Yi.

To be precise, it was the Emperor of the End.

Previously, the track hall was not taxed because the profits were monopolized by the elite families. Now, with the sudden emergence of this "Final Emperor," the lion's share has been eaten up by him.

How could those powerful families not be envious at all?
Even though many of these aristocratic families indirectly benefited by having their second-generation members join the End of the Society, the gains were ultimately limited compared to Lin Yi himself. (End of Chapter)