I! Cleaner!-Chapter 1145 - 1052: The Biggest Problem of the Bureau of Cleansing
Indeed, it's not that you all do not wish to reform, it's just that you cannot accept the consequences of failed change.
Seeing a hint of intent in the eyes of a few directors, Leon, confirmed in his judgment, couldn't help but breathe a slight sigh of relief.
Through interactions with the directors, he had roughly discerned their natures. Although each had personality flaws, those who could reach the position of director appeared to possess a decent level of morality.
However, possibly due to their backgrounds as Cleaners, the majority of directors tended to be cautious. Coupled with those past failed cases, naturally, they viewed all reforms lacking "security" as reckless ventures, leading the current world to its present state.
In truth, this disposition is not necessarily a bad thing. The human race is like a large corporation; those in middle and lower positions naturally dare to think and act, boldly forging ahead. But if those deciding the fate of the entire "company" were also to behave this way, it would be as if they were playing with the fate of all humanity.
Yet, this cautionary approach of the directors has indeed led to some unfavorable situations. With the Cleaners' capabilities far exceeding those of ordinary people, and the powerful effects of various anomalies, the organization of the Clearing Bureau could certainly do more!
"Next, we have the issues of plague, war, poverty, and disaster."
Having fully understood the "vulnerabilities" of the directors, Leon continued to secretly perceive the state of their Heart Lakes while speaking:
"These severe issues, along with the previous hunger problem, often appear simultaneously or successively, and they tend to trigger and intensify each other.
War and disaster are likely to lead to plague, and war, disaster, and plague inevitably cause poverty and hunger. Large-scale poverty and hunger easily spark wars, and with population loss, economic destruction, and facility damage, the ability to resist disasters is significantly weakened.
If you look at specific examples, from pages six to ten of the booklet, the Fourth Research Institute of the Kingdom of Lutung has found suitable cases from the 500-year history of various kingdoms. The major wars between Lutung and the Northern Kingdom are the most typical... how about you flip to that, and I'll discuss as you read?"
"Oh, oh!"
Upon hearing Leon's words, the minds of a few directors, racing with thoughts, suddenly awakened as they lowered their heads to flip through the booklet. Amidst the sound of pages turning, Leon cleared his throat and continued:
"Take the war from seven years ago as an example, where the biggest catalyst was the Northern Kingdom encountering a snow disaster, leading to a massive shortage of supplies such as grain and coal, forcing them to strike southward.
After the war, two counties of the Kingdom of Lutung were almost destroyed, losing a significant portion of their population, with many factories and infrastructures ravaged, leading to ensuing epidemics and large-scale famine.
The formerly prosperous industrial county of Ryan has since been unable to recover until Veronica ascended, repaired infrastructure, reallocated production capacity, and implemented a series of measures to finally stabilize the situation... what can we infer from this?"
"?"
Seeing Leon suddenly stop his explanation, the directors paused in confusion.
When they noticed Leon's gaze shifting towards one of them, the Scorpio Director, feeling the collective attention, had no choice but to utter an "Um" before hesitantly saying:
"That Queen Veronica did well?"
God, Veronica did well... although she indeed did well, is that what I was asking? You might as well rename yourself to 'Stubborn Horns' as a director! This brain of yours is too unwilling to bend.
Blinking somewhat speechlessly, Leon had to abandon his guiding efforts, directly offering the answer:
"We can see that if, during the snow disaster in the Northern Kingdom, a Cleaner with weather-related anomalies had been sent to disrupt the snowfall, or they had arranged for transport post-disaster to assist the Northern Kingdom in acquiring necessary food and fuel, then the subsequent series of problems would have been resolved.
Disaster, war, plague, poverty, hunger... these five problems are extremely difficult to handle, and once one breaks out, the others tend to follow. However, as long as we can find the cause of the outbreak, resolving it becomes relatively easy!"
Exactly!
Upon finishing Leon's words, the Virgo director, quickest in thought among the directors, immediately realized.
Compared to forcibly interfering with the governance of the Twelve Kingdoms and demanding that they eliminate famine and poverty, approaching from this angle is far easier.
For the Twelve Kingdoms, solving snow disasters and plagues is an immense challenge, but for the Clearing Bureau, it's rather insignificant... perhaps calling it insignificant is an exaggeration, but at most it's a moderate task.
The headquarters' secret storage certainly has dozens of items capable of changing the weather or dispelling plagues. Even if the Twelve Directors have more important tasks, regional bureau chiefs and elite-level Cleaners can handle it... but why didn't the director of the Aquarius Branch act?
"He actually did, but only halfway."
After the Virgo Director asked his question, Leon, having prepared beforehand, replied:
"During the nationwide snow disaster, the director of the Aquarius Branch was engaged in a joint operation, handling the altar of the Storm God. Although he set aside his work to return and diminished the subsequent snow disaster, significantly reducing casualties,
but upon reaching there, he went back to handle the storm altar without considering the post-disaster shortage of food and supplies, as well as the potential for emerging wars, which is currently our Clearing Bureau's biggest issue... arrogance."
"..."
After observing the directors, who wore puzzled expressions, Leon inquired:
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I ask... do you still consider yourselves a part of humanity?"
"Leon!"
Seeing the other directors' expressions change, the Taurus Director promptly intervened:
"Don't speak recklessly! If we didn't see ourselves as part of humanity, how could we be here as directors? Including you, we all certainly hope our group of origin becomes better and better!"
"I apologize, my expression may not have been clear; I'm not accusing anyone of betraying their origins, there's no need for such doubt."
Bowing slightly towards the directors whose expressions bore discomfort, Leon, deliberately shocking with his words, blinked and asked once more:
"What I'm asking is... have you tried communicating with the Twelve Kingdoms' royal families, as well as more 'ordinary' humans?"
Communication?
A few board members looked at each other upon hearing this, then the Cancer board member spoke up:
"Of course, we do! Everyone has to read plenty of reports every year..."
"What I'm talking about isn't just sending a letter to the local Cleaning Agency or reporting the situation when an anomaly is discovered, but rather sitting down face-to-face, understanding each other's needs, and expressing your own demands in a more equal exchange."
"Is there a need to do that?"
The Cancer board member frowned and said:
"The opponents we usually face aren't ones that ordinary humans can handle at all. Even the organized armies of the major kingdoms often can't be much help, and they might even cause huge casualties.
Moreover, due to the cleaning effect of the Illusion Can, the vast majority of people are unaware of the existence of anomalies. Excessive interaction with them could actually lead to contamination, exposing them to even greater dangers, which..."
"This is what I call arrogance..."
Leon sighed slightly and said helplessly:
"Everyone, although you consider yourselves part of humanity, willing to devote yourselves, and have even dedicated your lives, in your hearts, you still treat cleaners and ordinary people as two entirely separate groups.
If, when the snowstorm erupted, Aquarius Director hadn't seen himself as a higher-level protector but focused solely on his problem and tried to communicate with the Northern Kingdom, he could have understood the more critical issues, then found a way to help collect food and supplies.
While the altar of the Storm God is certainly dangerous and could cause large-scale disasters if mishandled, compared to the potential situation where tens of thousands could freeze or starve to death, as well as the disease, famine, and poverty that follow war, it actually becomes a minor problem.
All of this could have been completely avoided, with just one more question..."
"..."
"Everyone, most ordinary people are unaware of the Cleaning Agency's existence. Even the few who know about it can't understand our capacity to resolve these issues due to extreme lack of communication. But we are aware of this! We could absolutely be more proactive!
Moreover, ordinary people may not necessarily be unable to provide aid. Not every anomaly we encounter is like those involving the True God and plane-wide crises. Many anomalies actually have limited impact, confined to a neighborhood, a small town, or a port.
In anomalies of this scale, ordinary people can also contribute, even if they can't resolve them, they can still provide valuable intelligence. There's no need for cleaners, who already face high casualty rates, to rush in blindly, risking their lives in investigations."
"..."
"I also know that for those anomalies without an entity, affecting the spirit, ordinary people truly have no way to help. But aside from these, aren't there many that ordinary people can handle?
The sea monster tribes occupying ports, beasts mutated by demon blood pollution, fish-man raiders near shipping routes, small-scale gatherings of Evil God followers... After finding out what's going on, wouldn't it be better to use firepower directly instead of sacrificing the lives of cleaners?"
"..."
"And also..."
Also?
"Wait wait wait! Hold on a moment!"
"Let us think..."
"Wait, just wait a moment!"
Seeing Leon seemed to want to continue, the board members who were somewhat unable to handle it quickly intervened, then exchanged glances, finally the Taurus board member, representing the others, spoke with a guilty expression:
"Leon, we have indeed been... too arrogant and somewhat too old-fashioned. It's just like you said, we could absolutely do more. So how about you tell us, how do you intend to change things?"
Hmm... Judging by everyone's reactions, it feels like they're ready enough?
Sneaking a glance at the Heart Lake of the board members, feeling the timing was right, Leon slightly nodded, no longer standing on moral high ground making indiscreet proposals, but instead shared his ideas.
"I want, in the name of the Cleaning Agency, to gather the royal families of The Twelve Kingdoms together, have everyone sit around the same table, establish a federation, exchange resources, resolve conflicts, cater to mutual needs... at least to reduce the frequency of wars."
"..." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"..."
"And then?"
"?"
Looking at the Taurus board member, who seemed to be waiting for more, Leon blinked.
"That's it. For such important issues, we can't rush it. Take it one step at a time!"
"Hiss..."
Watching Leon's matter-of-fact expression, the Taurus and Cancer board members, who knew him better, couldn't help but inhaled sharply.
This can't be right?! Given your style, shouldn't you propose hanging those troublemaking royals directly? And yet you're just suggesting bringing them together for a chat? This level of gentleness really isn't like you!
