Chapter 421 - 280: Peace Has Always Been a Luxury

Chapter 421: Chapter 280: Peace Has Always Been a Luxury

That was Brigadier General Douglas.

Morris had heard of the man, but didn’t know much about him. He had no desire to get to know everyone here.

The hypocritical speech he had just given reminded Morris of Mr. Zhuoge. But Mr. Zhuoge’s roguish demeanor tempered his affectations, making him less detestable.

As for this Brigadier General Douglas, he made Morris feel physically uncomfortable.

The Brigadier General was still speaking. "My compatriots, I trust that in choosing to come to this land, you carry with you noble aspirations and a belief in justice. Congratulations, for you have come to the perfect place to realize those aspirations.

"The brigands of Augustine City have destroyed the peace of the City Federation and brought the flames of war to the beautiful Villain Kingdom. It is a devastation of humanity, a moral catastrophe! And we, the loyal subjects of His Majesty the Emperor, have come here to uphold justice and help the Villain Kingdom reclaim the peace and stability it deserves.

"At the same time, we are also here to help the pitiful residents of Augustine City rediscover hope in their lives."

The Brigadier General pointed toward the front lines.

"There, the mad brigands of Augustine City, utterly devoid of humanity, bring endless death to the city’s inhabitants. They are the enemy of the people, the enemy of the Villain Kingdom, and our enemy! Gentlemen, we fight for the peace of the future.

"Let us raise our glasses together! To His Majesty the Emperor, to future peace, and to justice!"

"To justice!"

The members of the advisory group raised their glasses one after another, shouting the slogan in unison.

Morris raised his glass as well, just to fit in, but he didn’t shout the slogan. He couldn’t bring himself to.

When everyone else is intoxicated, being sober is a sin.

Morris felt even more out of place.

He glanced anxiously at his watch.

Bad news: it didn’t look like this would be over any time soon.

Worse news: he saw Brigadier General Douglas walking his way.

’I hope he’s not coming for me.’

But his hope was quickly dashed.

Brigadier General Douglas walked straight up to Morris, a few followers in tow, still wearing that standard smile.

Morris had no choice but to stand at attention and salute.

"No need to be so tense," Brigadier General Douglas said in a gentle tone.

Hearing him speak up close, Morris finally understood why he found the Brigadier General’s voice so strange.

He was intentionally lowering his voice, to the point that it was getting raspy.

’He can’t possibly think he sounds cool talking like this, can he?’

"Brigadier General!"

"You’re Morris?"

"Yes, sir."

"No need to ’report.’ This is a banquet, a banquet to welcome you all."

Brigadier General Douglas made some small talk, asking if Morris was adjusting well and if he was nervous about being here—all in all, useless pleasantries.

After several rounds of pleasantries, he finally got to the point. "You acted in a Shadow of Evil, didn’t you?"

"Yes, sir. ’Beyond Reach’."

Morris replied, not understanding why the Brigadier General was asking him this.

"Oh, that was a truly fine Shadow of Evil. My wife particularly enjoyed it, and I’ve watched it more than once myself. Your performance was brilliant."

"Thank you."

"Since you’ve been involved in filming a Shadow of Evil, you must know a thing or two about shooting, right?"

"I only have a basic understanding. I’m not an expert."

Morris had a gut feeling that some extra work was about to be dumped on him, and his first instinct was to refuse.

In reality, he was quite skilled at filming; he had uploaded many lifestyle videos to YouTube.

After all, before becoming an actor, he had been a minor internet celebrity.

"Just having an understanding is good enough. Better than someone like me who knows nothing at all. As it happens, I have a brand-new Zog Group camera here, and no one knows how to use it."

Hearing this, Morris cursed inwardly. ’Here comes the extra work, and the kind I can’t refuse.’

Big Morris’s only advantage over his younger brother, Little Morris, was his slightly higher Emotional Intelligence.

"I’ve always had a passion for filming. I hope you’ll entrust me with the opportunity to use the camera. I guarantee I’ll complete any filming task you assign."

"Ah, it’s not a task from me," Douglas said, patting Morris’s shoulder affectionately. "It’s that the heroic image of the Holy Loman Legion ought to be shown to the people. While you’re carrying out your duties, you can shoot some suitable content—things that show our might—and make it into a video for propaganda."

"Understood."

"Remember, the focus should be on the rank-and-file Warriors of the legion. They deserve more praise. Don’t just keep filming us old-timers," Douglas said, patting Morris’s shoulder again. "Remember now, don’t just focus on us old-timers. We’re not very photogenic."

Morris understood perfectly. He was supposed to film the old-timers, make them look photogenic, and act like it wasn’t their idea.

However, Morris planned to pretend he hadn’t understood.

Compared to the Brigadier General and his cronies, he would much rather film the rank-and-file Warriors.

The next day, Morris received his brand-new Zog Group camera.

It didn’t look as high-end as the one used for "Beyond Reach"; it was just a commercial model.

Along with it, he also received a pass, personally signed by Brigadier General Douglas, which granted him access to the Brigadier General’s office area as well as some military zones that Morris would otherwise have no right to enter.

Morris chose to head to the front to have a look first.

He instinctively questioned the righteousness of this war, especially after the Brigadier General had repeatedly emphasized how just their cause was.

The "advisory group" was just a nice-sounding name, meant to show that the Loman Empire wasn’t personally getting involved in the conflict between a small kingdom and a city-state.

In reality, many of the Golems on the front lines were being directly controlled by members of the advisory group.