Shen hadn't thought of Evelyn in ages.

He had met the gravity mage in the tutorial. She had been kind of a big shot then. The last time he heard about her, she had been spearheading the Guardian Association, which aimed at protecting Earth from rifts. Not that it had been any use, as far as he could tell.

"Yes, that Evelyn," Williams said. "I'm part of a group of people. So is Alexandra King, a former friend of Evelyn's. She told us how Alicia Winter approached Evelyn in the tutorial's last stage. Your friend wanted to give up on the Pioneer Achievement in exchange for Alexandra King and Evelyn's help steering public opinion your way."

Shen nodded. However, he remembered Evelyn putting a dagger through her own neck while she had been ahead of Alicia point-wise in the final boss fight. She had had a change of heart, and Alicia had gotten the Achievement instead.

Williams continued, "Evelyn heard Winter talk to you about how you were Earth's hope and let Alicia get the Achievement to help you." The reason was news but matched what Shen had seen. "The group of people I belong to killed Evelyn's father to manipulate her into becoming a paragon of justice, but it backfired. She became twisted in her revenge. She got a Bounty, and Winter was the one to track and put Evelyn down. She said she owed it to Evelyn."

That was also news to Shen. Marzia had provided a report on the most noteworthy events, which didn't include this. Alicia had shared many of her difficulties on Earth but wasn't ready to discuss some things.

Shen frowned in displeasure at what he was hearing, and Williams trembled.

"We are the New Order," the guy said. "I know, cliche name, but it fits. The group went to great lengths to hide their involvement from Winter and everyone she knows. They also turned Czarina Martino into a puppet. She can see through it but not do anything about it. 52 of Earth's 60 D-ranks are here. 46 of them belong to the New Order, me included. Now, they think they should present you with a specific version of facts to more or less control you, too."

Shen's frown deepened. "Yet, here you are, talking about it in the open, betraying your own people. And calling them 'they' instead of 'us.'"

The D-ranks were getting restless. Some had left to notify others. The remaining ones tried hard to think of a good reason to interfere without lying.

Williams replied, "You see, the New Order is made of rank supremacists. That's natural in the Alliance. The strong rule over everything, and their morals and ethics are made law. Nothing wrong with that, so I joined when approached. They were strong enough to grab my interest.

"I was happy with taking things slow after I was healed, but I couldn't stop myself from working to join their upper echelon when I realized they would one day try to control you. Believe me, after what I saw in the tutorial, I was convinced that moving against you would be a terrible idea. You're already C-rank; that's proof enough.

"And as I said, we're supposed to be rank supremacists. I'm not betraying our core ideal, only the idiots who are ignoring that ideal to move against a C-rank. They are the traitors, not me.

"I doubt you wouldn't uncover the truth on your own, too. Revealing it to you allows me to beg you to be merciful and only remove the rotten apples instead of crushing every member of my organization. If you do that, I can guarantee you that the New Order will disband in a way that will see most of us wholeheartedly join the Czarina, me included."

That sounded agreeable. Strengthening Marzia would benefit Alicia. She and Shen had briefly talked about traveling the multiverse, and he had agreed to take her for a ride after she reached C-rank or Earth lost its protection, whichever happened first. Until then, Earth would be safer for D-ranks.

However, Alicia's well-being being at the core of his decision-making forced him to say, "Let's visit Alicia. We'll see how she feels about it all."

Williams's face twisted in worry. "Yes, Junior Lieutenant."

Alicia would be the one to decide if those who voted or argued to manipulate Evelyn should die for it. That said, Shen wouldn't just kill a single person more than needed. Contrary to what Williams seemed to believe, Shen didn't care much about Earth and Marzia.

He didn't even resent the New Order—really, a shitty name— for trying to manipulate him. It was natural for a group ruling over the world to act in its self-interest. Such an action was dishonorable, but he had long accepted there was little honor to find in the multiverse. Also, they weren't his subordinates, so he couldn't even blame them for lying to him unless he cared about the subject.

He turned to head to Alicia's room. She had asked for time to recompose herself, and he had given it to her. She would hopefully be done by now.

Earth's D-ranks were running to that location. Shen didn't want to waste time with them. Three stood in his way, and he simply didn't stop walking.

"Junior Lieutenant Shen, I have something to report," a middle-aged woman said when she realized he would just walk through her.

| Helena Keith (D) — Junior Sergeant

"Walk with me, then," Shen replied without stopping.

The D-rank was a short and lithe thirty-seven-year-old. Her long hair was orange, and her eyes blue. She wore a white and pink mage robe. She was forced to give way to Shen and didn't hide her displeasure at him for not stopping to talk to her.

"I would rather discuss things privately, Junior Lieutenant," she said.

"Denied," Shen replied as he kept walking. He felt a few people prepare to move to separate him from Williams and could barely believe their stupidity. "Hindering a fellow warrior's movement without consent is against the rules. I'll punish any perpetrators on sight."

The D-ranks couldn't be considered to be trying to hinder Shen; they were just idiots to stand in a C-rank's way. He would just have pushed them with pure stats. If that didn't work, then they would be going against the rules. Positioning and posturing against someone stronger wasn't unlawful, and it would be Shen's fault if he fell for it.

However, it was different when people of the same rank blocked another's path. Williams would be at risk if he tried to physically break through the blockade. It gave Williams the right to preemptively attack, but then, he would likely lose the battle against greater numbers, even if he were on the right, and the perpetrators might get punished later. More importantly, their willingness to break the rules like that suggested they might go too far in combat.

As absurd as it was to have rules for walking and against body-blocking people, they were evidently needed. And as good as they were, they weren't perfect for scaring people away when sufficiently driven. Just like any rule, really.

Shen's warning changed that. Everyone who wanted to move was surprised at his words. Did they really think he would be distracted by the female Junior Sergeant?

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Williams seemed to have told the truth; these people were disconnected from reality. If they had ever been rank supremacists, they had lost themselves in their hubris after controlling Earth from the shadows.

Shen and Williams kept walking. The woman didn't follow.

Shen said, "What are you waiting for, Junior Sergeant Helena Keith? You claimed to have a report."

"I misspoke, Junior Lieutenant. Please, forgive me."

"No. I deem you to have lied about having a report to hinder my path or change my destination. You're not my subordinate, so I won't punish you personally. I'll report you to the Investigation Department."

| Report forwarded

Shen had expected a notification when he reported his suspicions about Sai's mental condition. That was a severe crime in the Alliance, and the system forwarded it to the Investigation Department. He had learned about it in the leadership book.

However, he had never heard about petty offenses like this also being forwarded.

Shen guessed it was related to either his previous successful report on a serious offense or the extra commendation. Whatever the case, he expected someone to talk to him about it soon-ish.

The notification he got this time wasn't a direct response from the Investigation Department, just a message telling him they had been made aware of it. It made sense that they wouldn't reply with as much urgency as with the mind-control business. He didn't mind. At least he didn't have to walk to the department to report what was wrong.

----------------------------------------

Alicia's eyes opened wide when she noticed Williams behind Shen after opening the door. She had freed her long hair from its bun, and the golden cascade made her look much less strict.

"Mark Williams has something to tell you," Shen said. "Something personal."

"Come in," Alicia replied, looking curious at the D-rank.

Williams didn't mince words. He repeated what he had told Shen with a few extra details, like Alexandra King being the one who killed Evelyn's father, who had been a US senator.

Shen remembered King had been Evelyn's friend in the tutorial. Supposedly, she had killed Evelyn's father out of respect for their friendship, to guarantee Evelyn wasn't killed like many others wanted.

Bullshit.

"So you think I should decide who dies," Alicia told Shen after a few silent minutes. "Why? The New Order didn't force her to become a serial killer. They have nothing to do with what I did to her."

Shen shook his head sadly. "They didn't, but they did to her something similar to what your relatives did to you. You withdrew from the world but were also angry when I met you. Evelyn became what you might have. I thought that's why you personally killed her."

Alicia smiled wryly. "I wanted to kill my relatives. I killed them. That's it. Evelyn killed innocent people, commoners who couldn't have been involved with this New Order business. I dealt with her in person as a sort of way to repay her for the Pioneer Achievement. I tracked and stopped her before she could commit more crimes, which I want to believe her past self would think was best. She let me have the Achievement for the greater good." She paused. "You still didn't tell me why I should decide who dies."

Shen raised an eyebrow.

Alicia had talked about her investigative career, and she had clearly undersold herself. He was sure he hadn't shown any discomfort as he avoided giving her the whole truth out of respect for what she might feel when he broached her past, yet she noticed he had not actually answered her. He hadn't wanted to be so practically cold about it if she was feeling sensitive.

He analyzed the conversation and concluded that she was half-bluffing. She was basing her assumption on his calloused self of the past, but she knew he was no longer as cold. Confronting him on it here was meant to display such coldness to Williams, then.

Shen smiled. So, Alicia was playing politics now, was she? She hadn't talked about that.

But well, if she wanted to shock Williams, why not go full coldhearted on the guy?

Shen shrugged and said, "I'm tempted to just step on Earth and be done with it. A C-tier rift would solve all my problems. I risked my life for these people, and now they are trying to control me?" He snickered. "But I felt like you might not want to move."

Williams might be a whistleblower, but he still belonged to an organization he had admitted to wanting to lie to Shen. It wasn't dishonorable to lie back to them.

That was a terrible lie, but it had been two years since everyone saw Shen. It would give people pause. Even if they didn't fully believe him, they would have to wonder at the costs of moving against him or the people he liked. And, to a lesser extent, against whoever the people he liked supported, like Marzia.

Williams tensed. He fully believed Shen. The cultivator couldn't tell what about him had made the guy that impressed in the tutorial. As far as he recalled, they had parted nicely. Yet, Williams was afraid, not respectful.

Alicia rolled her eyes theatrically. "As if. You got under mind control and then apologized and everything. We know you care."

"This is me caring, Alicia," he deadpanned. "I saw what the Alliance has to offer. The New Order is correct; rank triumphs all. These people disrespect, the gall, the ungratefulness... They have no idea what the Alliance has in store for them. They should be beginning me for help, offering their mothers to appease me so I won't leave or step on Earth. Instead, they try to control me? Killing them with a rift before they can be enslaved is a mercy. Maybe some will even survive and learn better."

Most of that was true, too, according to Liya.

Alicia sighed, exasperated. "Dude, tough love is sooo out of style." She turned to Williams. "I'll send a message to the Czarina. I suggest you do the same. Whatever she decides about the New Order will go."

The very, very tense guy was shocked at the answer. "I... I appreciate it. But I think I wasn't clear enough. The people she's supposed to deal with already control her."

"They do, don't they?" Alicia replied with a sly smile. "Yet, fifty-two out of Earth's sixty D-ranks are here. Last time I checked, Marzia was perfectly capable of surviving for a while in a battle against seven D-ranks, much less five, if she isn't wrong about the two she trusts. She only has to survive, and someone will come to help and kill whoever attacks her. In the military, that's treason.

"And while she is alive, she only has to convince any new D-ranks who appear there to back her up instead of the New Order. In a place like the military? The cultural pressure alone might make them hate the New Order. We'll see who comes out on top when the Calamity is over."

So that was Alicia's angle. It was a bit rough on the edges and too on the face, but Shen approved of it. Sometimes, simplicity was better. It didn't even matter whether Shen's threat was a lie; the mere fact that he was willing to lie for Alicia already said a lot.

Alicia had also left unsaid but heavily implied that even New Order members here might give up on the group from fear of Shen, especially now that they knew Shen knew about them. They would witness Shen's power and might realize it was better not to mess with him. Mark had betrayed them publicly to make a stand, and that now worked in Marzia's favor.

If the guy was half as bright as he seemed to believe himself to be, he would see through it. Yet, the result was precisely what he had proposed: the New Order would disband and join the Czarina.

How would he react to being used and thrown away like a tool? Angry? Accepting? Shen didn't think Alicia had thought that deeply, but Shen was very interested in learning more about Williams from it.

"What if she loses?" he insisted. "What if she dies or gets outplayed?"

Shen saw legitimate fear in the guy's face, posture, heartbeat, and soul, and not only because he would die if his group didn't disband. He feared for Earth. So, he decided to be nice.

"Williams," Shen said, "you were right; I would probably uncover the truth the moment one of you tried to lie to me. I can't be sure you didn't just act out of self-interest." Shen's truth-uncovering techniques let him get close to mind-reading, especially checking a soul's ripples, but it didn't give him 100% certainty. "But you did good here, and I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. So, let me give you two tips.

"One, don't carry a weight your shoulders aren't strong enough to bear. You can plan on doing something after you're powerful enough, but losing yourself on it before you get there will hinder your Path.

"Two, don't checkmate yourself again, no matter how much you believe things will work out. Even if you think it'll make people think well of you for doing it. You can never be sure what other thoughts or plans people might have." That was likely the primary reason for acting so publicly.

Shen was confident Williams did it out of good intentions, but he was too weak. He should focus a little more on surviving to do good for more people after he ranked up. One's reach was limited by one's power, and grasping too wide was only less stupid than doing so while depending on someone's else decision to survive.

He could've said that instead of his general tips that could lead Williams to the conclusion, but he reckoned he had spent too much time with Liya. He saw the value in giving only enough information to let people make conclusions on their own. He didn't want to hinder anyone's willpower growth.

Williams said nothing for a while. He went through a plethora of emotions and settled on sadness. He had expected a better outcome, and not achieving it didn't sit well with him.

Shen felt a bit of pity, but what could he do? He believed what he had said. Williams himself had said it himself: the strong can impose their views upon the world.

He disagreed with Shen's decision on this matter?

Well, it was up to him to grow powerful enough to take matters into his own hands.