“The End” 011. (The Kimia Family Arc) Authoritarianism

Prosperity, a melody of the fleeting world!
As the political center of the Sun-Worship Islands, Jingdong City always possesses its unique charm. The bustling, glamorous era, full of traffic and activity, is Jingdong's most unusual trademark.
"Candied hawthorn, sweet and crispy..."
"Spirit beast core, rich in mystical power, helping you reach the peak in one step..."
"Magical pills, passing by, don't miss them..."
…
It was still morning, and the clamor of buying and selling in Jingdong City already filled every corner of the city.
Dongyuan Qingfeng Pavilion is one of the most popular inns in Jingdong City.
"Paperboy, bring a copy of the morning paper!"
A strong and vigorous voice came from the window ledge on the second floor of Qingfeng Pavilion. The owner of the voice wore a wide-brimmed bamboo hat, shading his face from view, making it impossible to see clearly. He wore a rough linen outfit with sleeves that were too long, covering his hands completely. An iron sword, a little rusted, was properly placed on the left side of the table. At this moment, he was stretching his left hand slightly toward the window, asking the paperboy downstairs for a copy of the newspaper.
After a short while, the paperboy, slightly out of breath, ran up to the second floor of Qingfeng Pavilion and, with a childlike smile, neatly placed a newspaper on the table, politely accepted the payment and a generous tip, and then quickly went downstairs amidst a thousand thanks.
After taking a sip of clear tea, he extended his hand from the long sleeve and slowly opened the morning paper in front of him. What immediately attracted his attention was a headline:
"Behind the Newborn Authoritarianism..."
With great interest, he set down the teacup and continued reading:
Power, dominance, toughness. This is the true depiction of the two great families over the past five years. The Muguang and Shiquan families, leveraging their strong foundations, have become the largest economic and political powers in the Sun-Worship Islands with overwhelming force. For the first time in the history of Sun-Worship, a family has occupied two lifelines of the islands. Such authoritarianism has successfully withstood the test of time, bringing the Sun-Worship Islands an unprecedented period of prosperity.
However, does it carry some hidden risks that are not easily detected? What does it truly represent? For now, this remains uncertain. Perhaps only time can reveal the entire truth.Five years ago today, Senior Shi Quan Shen successfully withstood the powerful Heavenly Punishment Thunder Tribulation and officially stepped into the realm of the Immortal Sovereign, becoming one of the strongest beings in the world. However, only three days later, the mysterious disappearance of Immortal Sovereign Shi Quan Shen shocked the entire Sunrise Archipelago in an instant.

As for the reason, although there have been countless speculations, to this day, the Shi Quan family has never officially disclosed any related information. And for us, we can only remain at the stage of speculation.

However, this is just the beginning!

At that time, under almost identical circumstances, the Mu family and the Shi Quan family, after a strange month-long restructuring within their families, saw their two family powers rise like thunder! Leveraging their extremely strong military force, the Mu family's political leader quickly consolidated various political families, taking control of the political capital Dong Cheng, and rapidly expanding outward. Meanwhile, the Shi Quan family, led by their economic head, used the same method to dominate the economic capital Shen Hu Cheng, and, in the name of the Shi Quan family, aggressively expanded their economic strength.

Through five years of expansion, the two families almost ruled the political and economic sectors of the Sunrise Archipelago. However, as the saying goes in the Hua Xia Empire: 'One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers.' The authoritarianism of these two families has led to frequent sparks of conflict in recent years. Some even speculate that some of the recent major upheavals across various regions bear traces of the struggle between these two families.

The dominance of the two families has brought the Sunrise Archipelago unprecedented prosperity. Whether in politics or economics, our strength as an archipelago nation has been something our people can take pride in. Yet, precisely because all policies have both positive and negative sides, as mentioned above, some unsettling factors have gradually started to appear. Should we not pay utmost attention to the risks hidden behind such authoritarianism?

Today, the Sunrise Archipelago is almost equivalent to these two families. Once these two powerful families fall into conflict, it is imaginable that this could represent turmoil across the entire archipelago. The discussions among some senior politicians on this issue are exceedingly intense. This debate, firmly held by differing opinions, will likely take some time before a conclusion can be reached.The two great families, through five years of strong rise, have brought us a period of prosperity with their authoritarianism. However, whether they can truly lead the Sun-Worshipping Archipelago into a prosperous era still requires a crucial turning point. Hopefully, the two great families can truly understand its significance and make the most correct decision.

……

“Seriously, this newspaper is really exaggerating. A few days ago, Grandpa Shiquan Glacier even visited my house. Honestly, Grandpa Glacier's roasted beef is really delicious…”

This time, it was just a small, childish voice of a boy, coming from under that large straw hat. But the voice was so soft that only he himself could hear it clearly.

Saying that, he brushed the newspaper aside with his wide sleeve. At the same time, he pressed down on the straw hat on his head, tilted his head, and stealthily looked around for a while before straightening his chest, seriously grasping the rusty iron sword, and made a gesture to go downstairs.

Suddenly, he tripped on something, instantly losing his balance, and fell forward flat on his face! At the same time, his straw hat flew off, revealing a head of snowy silver hair. Paired with his youthful rosy skin and handsome features, he appeared to be a fifteen or sixteen-year-old young man.

However, on his face was a smile twisted like a bitter melon. This was because a similarly youthful but quite domineering girl voice suddenly came from behind:

“Xiao Yanzi, this time I won't let your auntie catch you!”