Chapter 286
At that moment, Alice brought the roasted chicken wings over. Hearing that, she chimed in, “You''re
right, Jonathan.”
Jonathan smiled.
Lucie changed the topic of conversation again. “Mr. Lawson, I''ve read up a lot on Chanaean culture,
and I think you''re very opinionated and , so I hope you won''t mind if I identally offend you with some
of my questions.
“If this is purely a discussion among friends, I wouldn''t mind.”
Lucie smiled and asked, “Which do you think is better, democracy or monarchy?”
Jonathan was slightly taken aback before he answered, “That''s hard to say. Absolute democracy is not
good. Simrly, absolute monarchy is bad too. Take your country, Anndur, as an example. Your
nation takes pride in absolute democratic governance, but the telmunications market there is
dominated by a fewrge corporations, which forms a disadvantage. No matter which telco I choose,
there will be areas without signal coverage. Besides, the roads there are seldom maintained because
the government is poor and the capitalists are unwilling to contribute. Even a small section of a road
there may require months to repair. On the contrary, these roadworks can bepleted in one day in
Chanaea.”
“It seems like you like your mothend a lot?”
“Of course. I love my country. Although Chanaea had a long history and culture thatsted for almost
five thousand years, our nation had just begun to rise sixty years ago. I think my country is incredible
because we''re able to achieve so much in just sixty years.”
Jackson Rowling, sitting aside, piped up, “Sometimes, I would browse through some Chanaean
forums, and I noticed most of them yearn for Anndur''s lifestyle. Besides, they also enjoy criticizing
their country. Don''t you think this is a weird phenomenon, Mr. Lawson?”
Jonathan grinned and replied, “I don''t think that''s weird. Most people are cowards in reality, so they
vent their frustration for being a loser and weakling on the inte. As they could hide their identity
online, they behaved unscrupulously, ming theirck of sess on the country and the system.
People like them are destined to fail.”
“Do you think the governing system in your country is perfect?” Lucie asked.
“That''s a ridiculous question. There aren''t any perfect humans, much less a country. Every nation has
to have some issues. Is your country without ws, then?”
Jonathan''s answer rendered Jackson and Lucie speechless.
In a way, both of them had always felt superior to Chanaeans. However, at that moment, Jonathan''s
wordspletely nullified their sense of superiority.
He added, “I think both Chanaea and Anndur have their merits and shorings. We can''t always
compare our ws with others'' strong points because that is pointless. Many Chanaeans felt that
Anndur was a wonderful ce where everyone could own a car after watching films from your
country. However, they neglected one major issue in your country, which is the underdevelopment of
public amenities. If someone wishes to travel from a remote location to the city, they wouldn''t be able to
do that without buying a car. Therefore, most Anndurns were forced to buy a car even if that would
increase their debts. Moreover, after these people living in faraway ces purchased the cars, they
would be burdened with fuel costs, parking fees, and time wasted driving the vehicle. Besides, I
previously went to Citraine and noticed more homeless people roaming the streets there than in any
city in Chanaea. Why is that?”
Lucie and Jackson were not as eloquent as Jonathan, so they couldn''te up with any statement to
contradict thetter.
Alice strode over as she had almost done grilling her food. Monica handed Alice a bottle of beer. Alice
received the bottle and sat beside Jonathan.
She asked cheerfully, “What are you all talking about? I heard you giving a lengthy speech from afar.”
Her question was directed at Jonathan.
“It''s nothing. We were just discussing the differences between countries.”
“Differences? There are variations even among individuals, but these dissimrities do not dictate a
person''s contentment in life. Naturally, more staggering distinctions exist between countries. However,
there is something identical across every nation. No matter which country someone lives in, they need
to work hard and do their best to qualify for a better life. Every country has wealthy and poor people,
isn''t it?”
Jonathan toasted Alice. “Cheers. Great minds do think alike!”
She took a swig of her beer.
He added, “This is actually simple logic. A capable person would try to change the rules and their
environment. If they couldn''t do so, they would adapt to the existing conditions. These people could
survive and do well under all circumstances. There is also another type of people who can''t change
anything around them and can''t habituate themselves to their surroundings. All they ever do is
grumble, constantlyining about the terrible environment. Ultimately, they would me the
government and everyone else for their failure. These people will never aplish anything in their
life.”
It was now an era of information technology where all kinds of information were avable on the
inte.
Some people said that ces like Anndur and Caspardion were like heaven, while others thought
that Anndur was a chaotic ce with a harsh living environment.
Some believed that protecting their phone with a leather case would damage the device and that not
switching off the phone at night would make them prone to cancer due to the radiation.
There were also people who were convinced that leaving their router on at night and radiation emitted
by microwaves were causes of cancer.
Some people sang praises to their mothend while others disdained their nation.
When a female manager of a supermarket was murdered, some members of the public would say that
the female manager shouldn''t have meddled in other people''s business. Simultaneously, another part
of themunity supported the female manager''s behavior.
The world had be disordered because of the advancement of information technology, exposing
humankind to its benefits and pitfalls and confusing the public''s minds.
Additionally, there were a lot of conflicting sayings meant to soothe andfort the soul, especially
those created by people involved in business via WhatsApp.
Their aim ining up with such motivational propaganda was to trick more innocent people into
bing their sub-dealers.
Chanaea had arge poption, and that signified the presence of arge number of fools.
Otherwise, why would so many people be deceived into participating in such pyramid schemes?
Knowledge was the only thing that could allow us to stay afloat in this flood of information.
As long as someone was equipped with a high level of knowledge and could discern the nature of
every matter, they wouldn''t be swayed by any tteries or blindly follow the crowd because they had a
firm belief in the truth.
The barbecue party ended in the early morning.
Thedies who didn''t consume alcohol were tasked to be the drivers.
Jonathan wanted to return to Divine Realm because he wished to pay his respect to Divine Emperor
later in the morning.
As he had to worship Divine Emperor twelve times a year, he decided to fulfill as many quotas as he
could since he was in Lostaria.
Jonathan wasn''t azy person.
Sensing his determination to go back, Alice said, “I''ll go with you.”
“But both of us drank alcohol earlier.” He was caught in a tight spot.
She grinned at him. “I don''t think we''ll be so unlucky, right?”
He reciprocated her smile. “Let''s go, then.”
Subsequently, Jonathan and Alice got into the car and waved their hands at everyone else to bid
farewell.
She sat in the passenger seat while he drove the car steadily as usual.
Alice was delighted that day. Her flushed face, a result of drinking a considerable amount of alcohol,
seemed extraordinarily enticing.
She had always carried herself with maturity andposure, so it was rare for Jonathan to see her in
that demeanor.
“Jonathan, you don''t seem to like others doubting your country, isn''t it?” she piped up.
He was slightly stunned before responding, “Of course. No matter my dissatisfaction with my country,
I''ll always defend my mothend''s pride in front of outsiders.”
A hint of admiration shed across Alice''s eyes. She fancied a man like him.
Then, he changed the topic of the conversation. “By the way, why haven''t you found a boyfriend, Alice?
With your qualifications, I figure you must have plenty of suitors, right?”
Instantaneously, she appeared a little less enthusiastic. “I''m not against the idea, nor have I set very
high standards in looking for a partner. There just isn''t any suitable candidate.”
That reason alone had eliminated the hopes of countless men to win her affection.
Jonathan chuckled. “What about someone like me? Do you think I''m suitable?”
Alice was momentarily taken aback before saying solemnly, “If a man like you tries to woo me, I may
consider saying yes. Still, a married guy is out of my consideration.”
He guffawed.
The two chatted and joked around amicably along the way.
Soon, upon arriving at Divine Realm, they parted ways.
When Jonathan returned to Sunny Condo, Yuna was still not around.
Therefore, he remained alone inside the vast condominium. He went into his bedroom, took a shower,
and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Jonathan received a phone call from Alice on the dot.
Her voice was loud, and she sounded energetic as she spoke. “Mr. Lawson, it''s time for you to wake up
now. We cannot bete to worship Divine Emperorter.”
He chirped, “You called me by my first name yesterday. Why are you being so courteous now? What''s
the matter? Are you trying to distance yourself after sleeping with me?”
She snorted withughter at once. “Okay. I''m hanging up the call now. I was afraid you might forget
about this after drinking alcoholst night. You mustn''t bete here.”
“I got it. I''m waking up now.”
With that, both of them ended the call.
The morning sun shone brightly in the sky.
Divine Realm was located on Mount Frallein, so the ce was surrounded by lush greenery, and the
air was exceptionally fresh.
Jonathan met with Beatrix before following behind Richard as they headed toward Olympus.
Outside Olympus, Jonathan stood next to Beatrix.
The rest of the inner disciples huddled in groups ording to their factions.
The external disciples were positioned at the very end of the horde.
Meanwhile, the first-generation inner disciples had already followed the few masters into Olympus.
Beatrix wore a in white dress, giving her a pure and untainted vibe.
Contrary to her upright and unmoving posture, Jonathan behaved rtively restlessly as he said,
“Beatrix.”
She nced at him. “What''s the matter?”
“We''ve not seen each other for such a long time. Don''t you miss me?”
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At a loss for words, she told him he was childish and ignored him afterward.
“Beatrix, the weather is so great today. Have you found a boyfriend?”
“How is the great weather rted to having a boyfriend?” she questioned him speechlessly.
“So, do you have a boyfriend or not?”
“No. Why? Do you have someone to introduce to me?”
“That''s feasible. Have you ever considered dating Simon? He''s not a bad candidate.”
“His cultivation level is too low, so I''m not interested in him,” Beatrix refused without hesitation.
Jonathan persuaded her, “You''re looking for someone to enjoy life with you, not to fight with you.
Beatrix, you won''t be able to get married if you continue to set ridiculously high standards for your
potential partner.”
She retorted, “Do I look like I need to enjoy life?”
Jonathan was stumped.