The conference room fell silent because of that sentence, but it was just silence. After exchanging glances, the others all silently nodded.
"We need something concrete..."
Flower Country's King said, "We can't just outright inform the World Government we won't pay. Don't be fooled by how overwhelmed they look now; the fact that they can maintain a balance amidst pirates, the Revolutionary Army, rebellious nations, and natural disasters speaks to their strength."
"Just because they can't manage us doesn't mean we should outright resist by not paying. They might actually take action against us if we do that."
The others nodded in agreement, even the proud Vladimir approved.
It seems like the Revolutionary Army wants to turn the Heavenly Celestial Dragons back to normal, stripping them of their sanctity, which triggered the revolution. But the fact is, many factors are at play; the chaos caused by the Revolutionary Army has made pirates fiercer than before, slowing the Navy's progress.
The pirates' ferocity indirectly supports the Revolutionary Army's actions at sea, leading to the overthrow of certain member Kingdoms' kings and thus removing the obligation to pay the Celestial Gold, adding another layer of advantage.
In the cyclical deterioration, natural disasters also play a role.
Weapons? Keep selling!
Supplies? Keep procuring!
Profit from anything that generates money!
No matter which faction, the bulk of their supplies sourced from disasters. The rest are fulfilled by other parts of the world, and with the escalation in weapon intensity, every party has ample supply, ensuring warfare intensity remains high.
Most importantly, the Revolutionary Army, with significant help from Sage, sold a lot of goods to sustain the confrontation with the World Government.
Otherwise, the winner might have already emerged from this game!
They don't believe the World Government lacks strength to punish those Kingdoms. They certainly have it now; it's just that the countries refusing payment are small and have overthrown leaders, so even in the eyes of these Kingdoms, their legitimacy is low.
After all, their standpoint undeniably favors the nobles.
But if a powerful country that hasn't been overthrown publicly declares its refusal to pay the Celestial Gold, it could become a precedent and be destroyed by the angered World Government.
Open defiance is definitely not advisable.
"That's why we're here."
Vladimir said, "Only five have come, representatives of collaboration with disasters. If we make a decision, the remaining fifteen countries will follow suit."
O'hara's cooperative countries total twenty, the result of Sage's efforts over the past year.
Apart from Heavenly Celestial Dragons, essentially, the World Government is an intergovernmental consultative assembly formed by multiple countries, holding a World Conference every four years to decide the world's direction.
The fifty-nation quota for the conference is prominent because influencing the world's direction yields benefits for one's own country.
Yet what the World Government can do, Sage can do too.
Although he doesn't have the same deep influence and recognized foundation as the World Government, even Non-Adhering Countries aspire to join it, while those truly disinterested are few.
Other countries tried similar efforts in the past, nations like Flower Country have puppet states under their control, where Royal Family status is merely superficial.
However, they never formed a scale, neither in geographical conditions nor in influence could they achieve it.
But disasters can.
O'hara's reach isn't just extensive business; the most crucial aspect is his ability to deliver any kind of supplies.
To the kings, this point is genuinely terrifying.
But there's also enough confidence to back their formation of a group.
The sea isn't inherently the World Government's domain, with some countries existing longer than the World Government.
Back when the World Government was formed by twenty nations, now, they can pull together twenty nations here too.
Perhaps they could become the next World Government!
And their approach is more flexible; not everyone wishes to relinquish their territory to go sit high up there as parasites waiting to die.
Power is addictive.
For one's country, for position and power, the changes and struggles made entrench their fighting spirit.
Including Vladimir, their focus is on developing and ruling new territories, not going above to become a Heavenly Celestial Dragon.
Especially after witnessing how Sage executed the Heavenly Celestial Dragons before, some kings who once entertained the thought found the idea foolish.
How many Heavenly Celestial Dragons can the Three Great Admirals protect?
None are safer than their own countries.
A Kingdom's strong persons may not surpass the Three Great Admirals, and its power isn't greater than the entire Navy, but in terms of protection, they have more resources.
Holding one's own destiny brings peace of mind.
Sage wouldn't revoke the collaborators' power; what he seeks and what these kings seek might conflict but not essentially.
As long as they strengthen influence, magnify their power, anything can be yielded.
Besides, they can still earn money.
"I propose using the pirate threat as a reason, citing piracy as the cause for being unable to pay the Celestial Gold. After all, we have many pirates over there too," Vladimir raised his hand and said.
Flower Country's King nodded, looking at the others, "What are your opinions?"